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Abducted Shiite Iraqi boxer found dead in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The body of a well-known Shiite boxer was found Friday in central Baghdad near the dangerous street where he was kidnapped earlier this week, police said. Hassan Hadi, 42, had been hanged, police said. The father of two was en route Monday to a spare parts store that he owns when the attackers intercepted his car and abducted him, police said. Police said Hadi was seized while traveling on Haifa Street, a Sunni insurgent stronghold on the west bank of the Tigris River about a mile north of the Green Zone, site of the U.S. and British embassies as well as the Iraqi government headquarters. The area was the scene of fierce clashes between insurgents and U.S.-Iraqi forces just two days later. An official with the Youth and Sports Ministry said no ransom had been demanded and stressed that Hadi was not linked with any political party. "We condemn the kidnapping of this boxer and we call on the kidnappers to free him," ministry spokesman Hassan Qadim said. "Hadi is a sports symbol and his abduction is aimed at stopping the sport in its tracks." Hadi fought for al-Zawraa, Iraq's biggest sports club. Athletes and sports officials have increasingly become targets of threats, kidnappings and assassination attempts, either as part of retaliatory violence between Shiites and Sunnis, or for ransom. In December, gunmen abducted the Sunni head of one of Iraq's leading soccer clubs. A blind Iraqi athlete and Paralympics coach also were kidnapped last year but were released unharmed after sports officials said their abductors determined neither was linked to the Sunni insurgency. An Iraqi international soccer referee also was abducted in the fall as he left the soccer association's offices. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a $200,000 ransom. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Judge: Strip club incident violated Jackson's probation ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. -- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Jackson violated his probation in Michigan when Indiana prosecutors charged him with firing a gun outside a strip club, a judge ruled Friday. Jackson was serving probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges in September 2005 for his role in a 2004 brawl between Indiana Pacers players and fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills. He is charged in Indiana with criminal recklessness, which is a felony, and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct. Jackson, who was traded to Golden State earlier this month, faces jail time. But his lawyer, James Burdick, said he believes District Court Judge Julie Nicholson will make a sentencing determination based on the outcome of the Indiana case. Police said Jackson fired a gun in the air at least five times during an Oct. 6 fight outside an Indianapolis strip club. Jackson originally told police that he fired the gun in self-defense, but Marion County (Ind.) Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said Jackson retrieved his gun from his car and fired it before he was struck and injured by another car. He could go to trial in February. Jackson was one of several Pacers who went into the stands and fought with Detroit fans during one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history. Jackson was suspended 30 games and sentenced to a year of probation, community service and a fine. Nicholson also said Friday that she would recommend releasing brawl participant Ron Artest from probation. Artest was hit with a cup that night. Artest, now with the Sacramento Kings, bolted into the stands, followed by Jackson. In his three games with the Warriors since being traded as part of an eight-player deal, Jackson has averaged 16.3 points in 33.3 minutes per game. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Two-time Indy winner Unser Jr. charged with DUI LAS VEGAS -- Two-time Indy 500 winner Al Unser Jr. faces a charge of driving under the influence after leaving the scene of a crash on a Nevada freeway. The 44-year-old Unser was arrested after he was identified as the driver of a car that sideswiped another on the Las Vegas Beltway shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Honea said. Unser's vehicle had little damage, but the other car crashed into a cement center median. The driver reported no injuries at the scene, Honea said Friday. Honea said Unser failed several field sobriety tests before being taken into custody. Unser was charged with driving under the influence, misdemeanor hit and run, failure to render aid in an accident and failure to report an accident. Andrew Leavitt, a lawyer representing Unser, did not immediately respond Friday to a message seeking comment. Unser is the son of Indianapolis 500 racing legend Al Unser and nephew of three-time Indy winner Bobby Unser. He won the Indy 500 in 1992 and 1994, and won two CART points titles and two IROC championships. Unser also has had bouts with alcohol abuse and depression. He underwent treatment for alcohol abuse in 2002 after his girlfriend said he hit her in the face while drunk in Indianapolis. Prosecutors did not file charges against him. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

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NBA Development League to expand to South Texas HIDALGO — The NBA Development League has announced a new franchise in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas that will begin playing in November. The team will be affiliated with either the San Antonio Spurs or the Houston Rockets, the league announced today. Its name has not yet been announced. "The Rio Grande Valley has been tremendously supportive of its minor league teams," League President Phil Evans said in a statement. "We believe we have found a terrific predominantly local ownership group in a terrific market with a splendid arena." The team will share Dodge Arena with the Central Hockey League's Hidalgo Killer Bees. The league has 12 teams. Another franchise will be starting in Orem, Utah, bringing the number of teams to 14 by next year.

MLB to honor Robinson's 60th anniversary NEW YORK — Baseball will honor the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier when the San Diego Padres play at the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 15. A ceremony will take place on the field before the game. Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. Baseball also released the entire schedule for the 2007 season, most of which already had been announced by the various clubs. The season opens with the New York Mets at the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals on April 1.

Automakers' struggles affecting NASCAR CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- When asked about Ford Motor Co.'s announcement that it lost a record $12.7 billion last year, the director of Dodge's racing program cringes as if he just swallowed a swig of motor oil. These aren't the best of times for the U.S. auto industry, and the effects are starting to trickle down to NASCAR. Folks in the race team shops sprinkled throughout suburban Charlotte are worried about tightening their belts - and not just the ones on their engines. Mike Accavitti, director of Dodge Motorsports and SRT Product Planning, said teams must start finding ways to become more efficient. "I've always contended that if it's a money-burning contest, you've got the wrong partner," Accavitti said. "I don't want to say we're cheap, but we never really had a lot of money to just throw at things." In an attempt to stop long-standing rumors that Dodge was considering pulling out of NASCAR entirely, Accavitti made a firm public commitment to the sport during NASCAR's preseason media tour Thursday. "Dodge is here to stay," he said. But not here to go on a wild spending spree. At a time when NASCAR teams are making major increases to their research and development budgets to deal with changes in the sport, asking automakers to chip in even more money is a tough sell. "It's hard to get more, because let's face it: Right now, business is not great," said Dodge team owner Ray Evernham. Evernham certainly could use the money. He and other teams are developing the so-called Car of Tomorrow, NASCAR's new chassis design that could be more cost-effective for teams in the long run but is costing them millions to design and build right now. Evernham also must keep an eye on Toyota, which is entering its first year in the Nextel Cup and has caused widespread concern that they will drive up the cost of racing. In response, Evernham said Dodge has redistributed some of its racing budget, spending less on advertising and more on research and development. "(They've) cut some of the frills so they could put more money into the engineering and development so they can make the cars go faster, so I applaud them for that," Evernham said. Dodge also offers teams technical help, including wind tunnel time and manufacturing expertise. They hope to help teams improve their performance without boosting their budgets - much like the automakers themselves are trying to do. "I think the sport here is at a transition point," Accavitti said. "It's going to become more of getting the most you can for that dollar, rather than just throwing more dollars at it." Contracts between automakers and teams are closely held secrets, but run well into the millions and can make up close to 20 percent of a team's racing budget. Without that money, a team wouldn't be able to survive in the long term. Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said despite Ford's overall financial difficulties, he has never heard anything from the company's senior management that would indicate that the company is wavering in its commitment to NASCAR. In fact, team owner Jack Roush talked Ford into increasing its support of the team this year. Roush said on Wednesday that Ford is paying some of the additional $10 million Roush says he had to add to his research and development budget. Smith sees that as an indication that Ford won't pull out of NASCAR just because times are tough. "Absolutely," Smith said. "They'd be foolish to be investing and helping us shore up our engineering infrastructure if they weren't committed to being in NASCAR." But Ford also announced Wednesday that it was pulling the plug on its sponsorship of the Champ Car racing series - an indication that the company might have chosen to help Roush at a lesser series' expense. Despite the tough times, Smith said he is confident that Ford will recover. "You're going to have these unfortunate fluxes in who's on top with their product," Smith said. But Roush also is nearing a deal to sell up to 50 percent of his team to an investor group headed by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, a move that would allow them to boost their budget. Evernham said he's looking for a business partner, too. "No matter what we try and do, the expense is going up and up and up, and I need to concentrate on competition," Evernham said. "And find a partner that plays golf with billionaires so they can bet on shots and get us some money." © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. Purchase this AP story for reprint.

Player reps authorize investigation of Saskin's hiring TORONTO -- Executive director Ted Saskin is facing another challenge to his leadership of the NHL Players' Association, with a majority of the 30 union-player representatives approving an independent investigation into his hiring. The action was announced Thursday in a statement from a New York public relations company, with players and officials scattered across the country after Wednesday night's All-Star Game. "This is an informative investigation that we feel will preserve the integrity of our NHLPA constitution and leadership process," Mathieu Schneider, a Detroit Red Wings defenseman and interim NHLPA executive committee member, said in the statement. "The purpose of the investigation is to clear the air, produce clarity on these questions and fortify a strong unified union." A conference call was scheduled Thursday night between Saskin and the executive board, which is made up of the NHLPA's executive committee and the player-representatives from the 30 teams. News of this latest challenge comes three days after a lawsuit against Saskin and others was dismissed by a U.S. federal court in Illinois. The judge agreed with the NHLPA position that Ontario rather than Illinois should host such a lawsuit, if indeed it was even warranted. A group of about 70 players led by Chris Chelios, Dwayne Roloson and Trent Klatt has sought Saskin's removal as the NHLPA's executive director since he took over from Bob Goodenow following the lockout. "We'd certainly like to end the bickering and get back to being a strong hockey union, which we were and should be," Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco told The Canadian Press. Added Phoenix forward Kevyn Adams: "I think a lot of the guys feel like, 'Let's get through this and move on.' I don't see a problem with getting answers because that's good and healthy for everyone involved. But it has to be done the right way." Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Sounds like he wanted to play pretty bad.

Feel Good Story of the Day! 'Heroic' coach stops careening car (FROM DMN) 'Heroic' coach stops careening car Accident sends vehicle on path toward players; driver only one injured 07:59 AM CST on Thursday, January 25, 2007 By LAUREN D'AVOLIO and HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News [email protected] [email protected] As an out-of-control car careened toward his soccer players, coach Steven Harvey had less than 10 seconds to figure out how to save the John Paul II High School students. The 22 junior varsity and varsity players were mid-drill about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday when they heard the frightening bang of an accident at West Plano Parkway and Woodburn Corners in Plano. The driver of the sage green Nissan coming toward the boys was seriously injured when his car was apparently T-boned. "The guys especially noticed his head was going from side to side," Mr. Harvey said, noting the man's eyes were open as he veered toward them. "He was out." Mr. Harvey, who's 32 and lives in Rockwall, estimates the car was traveling about 20 mph when it jumped a curb onto the field. Initially, Mr. Harvey thought the driver was pulling onto the field to escape traffic. Then he saw the damage. "The driver's window was gone – it was shattered in the intersection. It looked like a horseshoe on wheels," Mr. Harvey said of the man's car, also noting the driver's side door had been shoved to the right side. "He got slammed." Mr. Harvey was simply wondering if the car "was ever going to stop." It didn't. The car had crossed two-thirds of the field when Mr. Harvey realized he needed to take decisive action. "I just timed it so I could meet him at the driver's side door. That's when I jumped in the driver's side window," he said. "I just reached down and threw it in park. I think the emergency brake was crushed. I couldn't even see it." But shoving the car into park did nothing. So, as a last resort, Mr. Harvey fumbled around for the brake on the floor. "I find the pedal and hit the break until it stopped moving, I turned off the engine, but the keys wouldn't come out," he said. "Everything was just banged." The whole ordeal lasted about 10 seconds, he said. The driver, believed to be about 50 years old, didn't breathe normally for about a minute. "I finally started getting some responses from him," Mr. Harvey said. Police and firefighters arrived in less than three minutes. The driver of the Nissan was whisked to a nearby hospital. His name and condition were not released, but Plano police spokesman Rick McDonald said his injuries were significant. No one else was seriously injured. He said the outcome could have been much different if Mr. Harvey hadn't intervened. "The officer at the scene said the coach did a great job and acted very heroic," Officer McDonald said. "Someone could have been killed." Mr. Harvey was more modest about his actions. "Honestly, truly, there wasn't much to it," he said. "I don't think anything I did was heroic. I don't think anything I did was out of the ordinary." If anyone deserves credit, Mr. Harvey said, it's his soccer players. They sprinted to a nearby parking lot and called 911 on a cellphone. Then they stayed out of the way and were "a very good crowd of bystanders," he said. Mr. Harvey said he jumped into the car because he didn't want anyone else to be injured. "The main thing is he was heading for a crowd of boys who were just standing there pointing," he said. "I didn't want anyone else to be hurt. I didn't want him to be hurt worse by hitting someone else." Students at the school say they appreciate Mr. Harvey – who also teaches Algebra I and II at the school – whether he's saving lives or not. "He's a good role model. He's a good all-around guy," said Brad Balda, a freshman and one of Mr. Harvey's students. "For him to put himself in danger to save students is pretty awesome."

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