■ Basketball
Grizzlies deadline passes
The deadline passed on Monday for a potential ownership group led by two former NBA players to purchase control of the Memphis Grizzlies and Michael Heisley, the team's majority owner, said he's open to other offers. The failure of Brian Davis and Christian Laettner to meet the deadline was not a surprise. The group's offer seemed to be in trouble weeks ago. Heisley said in a press conference that he had not talked to Davis, the group's leader, but Heisley was already aware the deal would not be finalized in time. "We had conversations with them in the past week or so, and we understood they would not be able to meet the deadline," Heisley said.
<>B
■ Boxing
Ali's image to sell snacks
Muhammad Ali left the boxing ring for the last time 26 years ago, before most of today's university students were born. These days, Ali is lending his name, image and reputation as the "Greatest Of All Time" to a snack food aimed at college students and young adults. It's the former heavyweight champion's first foray into marketing his image since selling most of the rights to his name and likeness for US$50 million last year. The snack food is produced in conjunction with Mars through a company called G.O.A.T., which stands for Greatest Of All Time. The snacks hit bookstore shelves at five university campuses on Wednesday, coinciding with Ali's 65th birthday.
■ Sailing
`Alinghi' leads regatta
America's Cup champion owner Ernesto Bertarelli sailed Alinghi to second place and first-place finishes and took the lead in the Farr 40 class at this year's Key West Regatta on Monday. "As usual in this sport, the team that makes the fewest mistakes tends to win. Alinghi is awesome in that regard," said John Demourkas, skipper of second-place Farr 40 Groovederci. "Their tacks are crisp, their mark-roundings are sharp and that ultimately grinds you down," Demourkas said.
■ Baseball
Willis re-signs with Marlins
Southpaw pitcher Dontrelle Willis, who helped make Florida a surprise playoff contender last year, signed a one-year Major League Baseball contract on Monday to remain with the Marlins. The deal, worth a reported US$6.45 million allows the Marlins, who spent only US$15 million on salaries last year, to avoid an arbitration fight that could cost them dearly. Willis, 25, won 22 games in 2005 but slid to 12-12 with a 3.87 earned-run average last season. He helped the youngest club in the major leagues fight for a playoff spot into the final weeks of the season before ending 78-84.
RSS