BRUNSWICK — Brunswick Golf Club will open for its 115th golf season on Saturday.
The original nine, first opened in 1898 and now played as Brunswick’s back nine, will be fully open with carts allowed. Tee times start at 9 a.m. and can be reserved by calling 725-8224.
Teams complete blockbuster deal for No. 2 pick
ST. LOUIS — New St. Louis Rams general manager Les Snead called it a nice coincidence that the team dealt the second pick of the draft before the beginning of free agency.
On Wednesday, the Rams and Redskins finalized the trade that showed the level of Washington’s desperation to make sure it can take quarterback Robert Griffin III, expected to go with the second pick. The Redskins moved up four spots and sent their sixth overall pick and their second-rounder this year, the 39th overall, plus first-round picks in 2013 and 2014.
“It evolved I think because of the circumstances of the position and what people wanted that made the pick valuable,” Snead said. “I think a lot of the teams, including us, wanted to get it done sooner rather than later.
“It happened to be before free agency so we could all start making plans.”
St. Louis put the pick on the market because it didn’t need a quarterback, and had been expected to take Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon if it had stayed at No. 2. The Redskins had to make sure they outbid the Browns, who could have offered both the No. 4 and No. 22 selections in this year’s draft.
Chisora loses British boxing license after brawl
CARDIFF, Wales — Dereck Chisora’s promoter says the heavyweight fighter has had his British boxing license withdrawn indefinitely following his brawl with former WBA champion David Haye at a news conference in Germany.
Chisora faced the British Boxing Board of Control on Wednesday in Cardiff to explain why he fought with Haye after losing his WBC heavyweight title challenge to Vitali Klitschko on Feb. 18.
Warren says “we’ll consider whether to appeal the decision.”
Chisora also slapped Klitschko at the weigh-in and spat water at his opponent’s brother, Wladimir, just before the fight.
The WBC suspended Chisora indefinitely last month, taking him off its rankings and imposing a “serious fine.”
Yankees’ Garcia leaves game after ball hits hand
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli knew something was wrong with Freddy Garcia almost immediately after the pitcher was hit in the hand by a comebacker and walked right off the mound.
“If he walks away, forget it, because my guy, he likes to throw no matter what happens,” said catcher Francisco Cervelli after the Yankees’ 7-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Garcia was hit at the base of his thumb and index finger on his pitching hand in the fourth inning on a one-hop shot off the bat of Edwin Encarnacion. After being hit Garcia spun around for an instant, looking for the ball, then he headed toward the Yankees’ dugout.
Garcia’s hand quickly swelled and he was driven back to New York’s spring training complex in Tampa, where he saw Dr. Allen Miller, the Yankees’ Tampa-based orthopedic surgeon. X-rays were negative.
The was no additional information but manager Joe Girardi didn’t express too much concern.
“His hand swelled up a lot right away,” Girardi said. “I don’t know what that means. … I don’t think he was necessarily trying to catch it with his hand. I think it just caught him. You don’t want to see any of that but it happens.”
Rays OF Jennings, Upton collide, carted off
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays outfielders Desmond Jennings and B.J. Upton were carted off after colliding in left-center field in the top of the fourth inning of their game against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
The team said they were taken out for precautionary reasons with “general soreness.”
With Hanley Ramirez and Gaby Sanchez on base for the Marlins, Austin Kearns hit a fly ball to deep left-center and both Jennings and Upton chased after it, leading to the hard collision. The play was ruled an inside-the-park home run for Kearns, giving the Marlins a 4-0 lead.
Official: Doha not trying to buy 2020 Games
DOHA, Qatar — Qatar, one of the world’s richest countries with vast oil and gas reserves, is not trying to buy the 2020 Olympics, the chief executive of the Doha bid said Wednesday.
Noora al-Mannai has heard such allegations following claims the Gulf nation’s winning bid for the 2022 World Cup was tainted by corruption, but she said that wouldn’t affect whether Doha becomes the first country in the Middle East to host the Olympics.
“You are here and you see it’s genuine, and the leaders of the country want to do it for different reasons,” al-Mannai said while attending a sports and security conference. “If we wanted to put Qatar on the map, we would buy something else. It’s not about buying the games as much as developing the sports in the region. The whole region never hosted the games. So why don’t we host it?”
Doha is competing against Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul and Baku, Azerbaijan.
The executive board of the International Olympic Committee will vote in May whether to trim the short list. The winning bid will be announced in September 2013 from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Doha is proposing to host the 2020 Olympics from Oct. 2-18 to avoid the searing summer heat. Under Doha’s bid plans, the Paralympics will be held from Nov. 4-15.
Vikings stadium bill stalls ahead of key deadline
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The plan to help finance a new Minnesota Vikings stadium has at least temporarily stalled at the Capitol, and Gov. Mark Dayton is pressuring key GOP leaders to help keep it moving.
The Senate Local Government and Elections Committee tabled the stadium bill Wednesday even though a vote had been promised. The bill’s Senate sponsor says concern about a proposed gambling expansion in the bill had put its passage in question.
The delay is important because Friday is a legislative deadline. If the bill does not pass at least one statehouse committee by then, lawmakers will have to waive that deadline. House Speaker Kurt Zellers would not commit to doing so Wednesday.
Dayton said “underhanded tactics” were behind the bill’s delay but would not call out culprits by name.
UPS agitates UK fans with NCAA television ad
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Lawmakers aren’t happy with a UPS television ad that replays a still-painful highlight of a University of Kentucky loss to Duke two decades ago.
The shipping company with a major distribution hub at the Louisville International Airport is airing the ad during the NCAA tournament to tout its logistical abilities.
Democratic House Floor Leader Rocky Adkins said whoever decided to air the ad probably doesn’t understand how painful that particular highlight remains for UK fans. Even so, Adkins said lawmakers won’t hold the ad against UPS, a major employer in Kentucky.
The TV spot highlights a last second shot by Duke to beat a UK team dubbed “The Unforgettables” in 1992.
UPS spokesman Mark Dickens said the company plans to continue running the ad.