Ravens, Flacco’s
agent to meet in Indy
The Baltimore Ravens and Joe Flacco’s agent plan to meet this weekend in their first attempt to reach a new contract for the Super Bowl MVP.
Joe Linta will be in Indianapolis at the NFL’s scouting combine for the first negotiations since August. After the team and Flacco couldn’t agree on an extension or a new deal last summer, Flacco played out the final year of his rookie contract — and struck it big.
He led the Ravens to the AFC North title, then to playoff victories over Indianapolis, Denver and New England before beating San Francisco in the Super Bowl. Flacco had 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in the postseason.
Tyler Hamilton discloses
doping payments to doctor
MADRID — Cyclist Tyler Hamilton told a Spanish court Tuesday he paid tens of thousands of dollars a year for doping to the doctor at the heart of the Operation Puerto scandal.
Hamilton told Judge Julia Santamaria by video he used blood doping about 15 times and also bought the blood booster EPO, testosterone, growth hormone and insulin from defendant Eufemiano Fuentes.
Fuentes is on trial for endangering public health with his sister and fellow doctor, Yolanda; Manolo Saiz, a former ONCE and Liberty Seguros team sports director; and Vicente Belda and Ignacio Labarta, both associated with the former Kelme team.
Hamilton said he paid $33,000 to $40,000 for the services in 2002 and 2003. He then agreed to pay $67,000 for 2004, but was not able to complete the treatment because he tested positive for receiving someone else’s blood in September 2004.
Andrew Bynum says
he’ll play for 76ers
PHILADELPHIA — Andrew Bynum plans on making his season debut for the Philadelphia 76ers this year, though he’s still a week or two away from practicing with the team.
The 7-foot center has been sidelined by knee injuries since the Sixers acquired him from the Los Angeles Lakers last summer. He worked out for 80 minutes on Tuesday and said afterward his knees are feeling better, but he doesn’t expect to ever be pain-free.
“I’ll definitely be back sometime this year,” Bynum said. “I’m focused on getting back and being right versus trying to rush.”
Cal coach says no
excuse for shoving player
BERKELEY, Calif. — California coach Mike Montgomery said Tuesday there was no excuse for him shoving his star player during a game and that the action was completely out of character for him.
“The fact was, I was wrong,” Montgomery said on a Pac-12 conference call Tuesday. “Looking back, you can’t do that.”
Montgomery has been publicly reprimanded by the Pac-12 conference and his own athletic director for pushing Allen Crabbe with both hands during a timeout in the second half of Cal’s 76-68 win over Southern California on Sunday night.
FIFA says goal-line technology
to be used at World Cup
ZURICH — FIFA committed Tuesday to using goal-line technology at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and could have four systems competing for selection.
FIFA said it is now seeking tenders from companies which want their system to be used at the Confederations Cup in June and next year’s World Cup.
“Interested GLT companies will be invited to join an inspection visit to the Confederations Cup venues, currently scheduled for mid-March, with a final decision due to be confirmed in early April,” FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter insisted on giving World Cup referees high-tech aids to make goal-line decisions after seeing England midfielder Frank Lampard have a clear goal denied against Germany at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
Kvitova, Wozniacki
win openers at Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova got out of the first round of the Dubai Championships for the first time in three visits by easily handling Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday.
Another former No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, had little trouble against 18th-ranked Lucie Safarova, beating her 6-2, 6-2.
Former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur also eased into the second round, brushing aside 19th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-1.
Llodra beats Goffin to reach second round of Open 13
MARSEILLE, France — Michael Llodra defeated David Goffin of Belgium 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Open 13 on Tuesday and set up a rematch of last year’s final against defending champion Juan Martin del Potro.
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia also faces a tough test against top-seeded Tomas Berdych after comfortably seeing off Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-2.
India’s Somdev Devvarman upset Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6 (6), 6-7 (7), 6-4. He will next face Bernard Tomic of Australia.
Paire, who lost to Gasquet in the Open Sud de France last week, is ranked 339 places above Devvarman.
Also, Nikolay Davydenko beat Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, and Roberto Bautista-Agut defeated Filip Krajinovic 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0.
3rd-seeded Isner ousted
in first match at Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Denis Istomin took advantage of sluggish play by John Isner to eliminate the third-seeded American 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday in the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships.
The victory was Istomin’s first win over a top-20 opponent since he defeated Fernando Verdasco of Spain, then ranked 18th, in the London Olympics last year.
Earlier in the day, fourth-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States defeated Alejandro Falla of Colombia 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the tournament’s second round.
In the late match Tuesday night, fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan ousted qualifier Illya Marchenko of Ukraine 6-4, 7-5.
In the women’s draw, third-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany defeated qualifier Madison Keys of the United States 7-5, 6-3 and seventh-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia beat American Lauren Davis 7-6 (2), 6-2.
US, Iran find common
ground: Olympic wrestling
TEHRAN, Iran — The caretakers of the Olympics may have inadvertently accomplished what has eluded diplomats: Galvanizing Iran and the U.S. on a common goal.
Wrestling officials from the arch foes appeared to be in bonding mode Tuesday on the sidelines of a Tehran tournament less than a week after the stunning decision by the International Olympic Committee that will force the ancient sport — as old as the Olympics themselves — to lobby for a spot at the 2020 Games.
By wire sources
