AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong has asked a Texas court to dismiss a lawsuit by a Dallas promotions company seeking repayment of more than $12 million in bonuses paid for winning the Tour de France.
Armstrong asks court
to dismiss SCA lawsuit
AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong has asked a Texas court to dismiss a lawsuit by a Dallas promotions company seeking repayment of more than $12 million in bonuses paid for winning the Tour de France.
SCA Promotions sued Armstrong and his manager, Bill Stapleton, in state district court in Dallas in February. It contends Armstrong committed fraud by using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven times. SCA paid Armstrong’s team management company Tailwind Sports for several of those victories, which have now been stripped away.
The sides have been battling since 2005, when SCA tried to withhold the bonus money. Armstrong sued, sending the case in a long arbitration process where the company tried to prove Armstrong doped.
SCA agreed to pay him in a voluntary settlement in 2006. Armstrong’s court filings Friday argue that settlement is legally binding and includes language that it cannot be appealed.
The company argues that it was cheated into the settlement because Armstrong, who now admits doping, lied when he testified under oath that he didn’t.
Dodgers trade Harang to Rockies for Hernandez
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers traded pitcher Aaron Harang to the Colorado Rockies for former All-Star catcher Ramon Hernandez and cash on Saturday.
General manager Ned Colletti said the deal gives the Dodgers another backup at catcher behind starter A.J. Ellis.
Colorado immediately designated Harang for assignment.
Hernandez has a career average of .264 with 166 home runs, 751 RBIs and 1,335 hits during his 14-year career with Oakland, San Diego, Baltimore, Cincinnati and the Rockies. Colorado, which owed him $3.2 million, designated him for assignment on March 29.
The 36-year-old catcher was an All-Star in 2003 and averaged 118 games behind the plate from 2000-11. Among active players, only A.J. Pierzynski has caught more games and more innings than Hernandez, who has caught nearly 12,000 innings during his career.
Harang hadn’t appeared in a game for the Dodgers this season. He was 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 31 starts last year. The right-hander is 105-104 with a 4.19 ERA in 11 seasons with Oakland, Cincinnati, San Diego and the Dodgers.
Brewers put 3B Aramis Ramirez on 15-day DL
MILWAUKEE — Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The move was made Saturday after an MRI confirmed the two-time All-Star sprained his left knee sliding into second base Friday night during Milwaukee’s 3-1 loss to Arizona.
Ramirez, who was 5-for-13 with three doubles in the first four games of the season, sustained a similar injury during spring training and missed two weeks.
Brewers manager Ron Roenicke says he hopes Ramirez will be ready to come off the DL after 15 days.
Josh Prince was called up from Triple-A Nashville to fill the roster spot. Prince batted .251 with Double-A Huntsville last season and went 4-for-30 during spring training with the Brewers while being groomed for a utility role.
In addition to Ramirez’s injury, the Brewers were without slugger Ryan Braun for the second consecutive game due to neck spasms. Braun is day to day.
Griner, McGraw AP player and coach of the year
Brittney Griner has had no equal in her stellar career at Baylor. Now she’s part of a very select group.
The 6-foot-8 senior star earned The Associated Press player of the year award for the second straight season Saturday. Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw was selected coach of the year.
Griner is just the third player to earn the award in consecutive years, joining Seimone Augustus of LSU and Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee. Connecticut’s Maya Moore won it twice in a three-year span.
The three-time All-American got 37 votes from the 40-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike received two votes while Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins earned the other.
Griner helped hand McGraw’s team its only loss of the season back in early December. The Irish haven’t lost since, winning a school record 30 straight games. Not bad for a team that graduated three starters from last season.
McGraw, who also won the award in 2001, received 24 votes. She did one of her best coaching jobs this season, getting the Irish back to the Final Four for a third straight season. Last year’s winner, Griner’s coach, Kim Mulkey, was second with seven votes. Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who guided the Golden Bears to their first Final Four, was third.
Goldencents wins
Santa Anita Derby
ARCADIA, Calif. — Goldencents has won the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby over even-money favorite Flashback, with Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino among the colt’s co-owners.
Ridden by Kevin Krigger, Goldencents ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.76 on Saturday. He paid $15, $5.40 and $3.40 at 6-1 odds.
“C’mon Cards,” trainer Doug O’Neill said after the race. The Louisville team was playing Wichita State at the Final Four in Atlanta at the same time the race went off.
Flashback returned $3 and $2.20. Super Ninety Nine, who took the early lead, paid $3.40 to show. Bob Baffert trains both horses. He also saddled Power Broker in the eight-horse field and was denied a record seventh win in the West’s leading prep for the Kentucky Derby.
O’Neill won last year with I’ll Have Another, who went on to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Verrazano wins Wood Memorial, stays unbeaten
NEW YORK — Verrazano has won the $1 million Wood Memorial in a close finish to remain unbeaten and stamp himself a favorite for the Kentucky Derby.
Tested as never before, Verrazano held off the challenges of Vyjack and Normandy Invasion for his fourth victory in a row.
The 1 1/8-mile Wood is a final prep race before the Derby on May 4, when the 3-year-old colt will try to give trainer Todd Pletcher his second Derby win.
Ridden by John Velazquez, 4-5 favorite Verrazano swept into the lead around the far turn Saturday at Aqueduct, took charge in the stretch and won by three-quarters of a length over Normandy Invasion. Vyjack was third in his first career defeat.
The winning time for the race was 1:50.27.
Colon reinstated after 50-game PED suspension
HOUSTON — The Oakland Athletics have reinstated pitcher Bartolo Colon from the suspended list and he started Saturday against Houston.
It was Colon’s first appearance since receiving a 50-game suspension for a positive testosterone test Aug. 22. The ban stretched into the first five games this season.
Also on Saturday, right-hander Will Harris was claimed off waivers by Arizona. He was claimed by the A’s from Colorado on Wednesday.
Oakland also optioned starter Dan Straily, who had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday night, to Triple-A Sacramento.
1909 Wagner baseball card sells for $2.1M
WEST BERLIN, N.J. — A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card has been sold for more than $2.1 million at auction.
The T206 card, originally released by the American Tobacco Co., went for $2,105,770.50 in an online sale, Goldin Auctions said Saturday.
While the company said the price was a record for a baseball card sold at auction, a similar Wagner card in mint condition was purchased for $2.8 million in a private sale in 2007.
From wire sources