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Steelers’ Harrison honored
James Harrison slams down the current version of the Steel Curtain better than any Pittsburgh Steeler, earning him The Associated Press 2008 Defensive Player of the Year award. The linebacker who had a career-high 16 sacks, setting a team record, and led the NFL with a career-high seven forced fumbles, beat Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters announced on Monday. Pittsburgh’s defense was the league’s stingiest in total defense, pass defense and points allowed. Harrison was its main hammer. Harrison earned 22 votes to 13 for Ware. Baltimore safety Ed Reed, the 2004 winner, got eight votes. Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth had five and Harrison’s teammate, safety Troy Polamalu, got two.
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Antoine Walker arrested
Former NBA player Antoine Walker was charged with suspicion of drunk driving in Miami Beach early on Monday morning, further hurting his chances of playing again this season. Walker was driving a black Mercedes without the lights on when he was pulled over at 5:39am, according to the arrest report. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol and wrote in the report that Walker had a sleepy look on his face. He refused a breathalyzer test. Walker was being held on Monday on a US$1,000 bond and jail officials said they did not immediately know if he had an attorney.
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Suns guard faces charges
Suns guard Jason Richardson is facing charges of driving under the influence in an American Indian tribal community in metropolitan Phoenix. Richardson was stopped by a Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community police officer in the early morning of Dec. 21, according to a citation filed in court. The NBA player was pulled over while driving a 2008 Mercedes. A hearing date had not been set.
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Packers clean house
The Green Bay Packers have cleaned house, releasing defensive coordinator Bob Sanders and five other assistant coaches. Also let go on Monday were: defensive ends coach Carl Hairston, defensive tackles coach Robert Nunn, secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer, nickel package/cornerbacks coach Lionel Washington and strength and conditioning coordinator Rock Gullickson. Linebackers coach Winston Moss is the only major defensive coach to keep his job.
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Romero to miss 50 games
The Philadelphia Phillies will launch their World Series title defense in April without relief pitcher JC Romero, who has been banned for 50 games for using a banned supplement, ESPN.com reported. The 33-year-old lefthander has been ruled guilty of “negligence,” although Major League Baseball did not say that Romero cheated, according to the report posted on the sports Web site on Monday. Romero said he bought a supplement from a GNC store in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, last July — and that the Players Association had told players that the product was acceptable. “I still cannot see where I did something wrong,” Romero told ESPN.com. Three months after Romero was tested before a game on Aug. 26, the Players Association sent a letter to players revising their advice on some over the counter supplements.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was