PORTLAND — A total of 350 competitors have registered for the 31st Annual Peaks to Portland swim on July 21.
Of the 350 entrants for the 2.5-mile swim race from Peaks Island to Portland, 189 are first-timers, 67 will not be using a kayak guide and 19 have opted not to wear a wetsuit.
The event is a major fundraiser for the Cumberland County Y with the funds going toward the Y’s financial assistance program.
Howard could return to Phils lineup this weekend
NEW YORK — Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says Ryan Howard has been making progress in his rehabilitation for an Achilles injury, and the first baseman could make his return to the major leagues this weekend.
“He’s getting close,” Amaro said Thursday before Philadelphia faced the New York Mets.
Howard has participated in six rehab games with Class A Lakewood and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is scheduled to play back-to-back games in the field for the first time beginning Thursday night.
Sidelined since being injured making the final out of the Phillies’ season last year, Howard is hitting .471 (8 for 17) with two doubles, a homer and nine RBIs in the minors.
Also, Amaro says Roy Halladay is going to have another bullpen sessions Saturday after throwing 56 pitches Tuesday.
Caps re-sign centers Mathieu Perreault, Jay Beagle
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals re-signed restricted free-agent centers Mathieu Perreault and Jay Beagle on Thursday.
Perreault received a two-year contract worth $2.1 million. Beagle got a three-year deal worth $2.7 million.
The 24-year-old Perreault set career highs with 16 goals and 14 assists last season. He also had his first career NHL hat trick and made his Capitals playoff debut.
Perreault was a sixth-round draft pick by Washington in 2006. He has 27 goals and 26 assists in 120 career NHL games.
The 26-year-old Beagle had four goals in 41 games last season. He also won 57.7 percent of his faceoffs, ranking second on the team.
Beagle was signed by Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He has seven goals and three assists in 82 career NHL games.
4 summer league teams banned for ties to agent
Four non-scholastic basketball teams have been banned from playing in NCAA-certified events because of ties to prominent agent Andy Miller.
The NCAA announced Thursday that AAU team administrators TJ Gassnola, Desmond Eastman, Matt Ramker and coach Tony Edwards had a prohibited association with Miller. The agency says it received an email sent from Miller’s account imploring the four to more effectively recruit top draft picks to ASM Sports agency, which was founded by Miller.
“I get tired of being the 1 guy that has to get the 1st rd (sic) picks every year. I’d be happy to help you get guys + lend support. You have to want it + have to hustle,” the email says, according to the NCAA. “We’re facing a summer with no revenue. Yet, everyone will expect their checks, expenses reimburse (sic), etc.”
The NCAA said it interviewed the four administrators before making its ruling. It said the players on the banned teams can still compete for other teams and that Edwards’s team, the SEBL Elite All-stars, can compete if they disassociate with him.
Indians renaming street to honor Larry Doby
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are commemorating the 65th anniversary of Larry Doby breaking the AL’s color barrier by re-naming a street in honor of the Hall of Famer.
The team will unveil street signs on Larry Doby Way — formerly known as Eagle Ave. — which runs adjacent to Progressive Field, following Friday’s game against Tampa Bay. Members of Doby’s family will be on hand for the postgame ceremony, along with Jim “Mudcat” Grant, one of Doby’s teammates in Cleveland.
Also, the U.S. Postal Service is dedicating a stamp for Doby, who signed with the Indians in 1947.
Doby helped lead the Indians to a World Series title in 1948 — their last championship. A six-time All-Star, Doby was inducted in Cooperstown in 1998. He died in 2003 at age 79.
Fire erupts at Pa. arena, site of 100-point game
HERSHEY, Pa. — A fire has broken out at the historic Pennsylvania arena where Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA record 100 points in a game.
Officials say the fire started Thursday afternoon at the west end of the 75-year-old Hersheypark Arena in Derry Township.
The arena is owned by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, founded when Milton S. Hershey separated his chocolate manufacturing from his other businesses.
Hershey spokesman Jim Shellenberger says workers were putting a new roof on the domed building, but it’s unclear if the work had anything to do with the fire. He says the roof isn’t in danger of collapse.
Workers have left the arena. No injuries are reported.
The arena opened in 1936 and is primarily used for youth hockey. Chamberlain scored 100 points there for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
Dave Palone sets North American record for wins
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Harness racing driver Dave Palone has broken Herve Filion’s North American record for career victories when he piloted Herculotte Hanover to victory in the eighth race at The Meadows.
The win on Thursday was the 15,181st of Palone’s 30-year career. The Waynesburg, Pa., native began racing in 1982 and earned his first victory in 1983. He’s become a dominant force in the sport over the last three decades, capturing nearly 40 percent of the races he drives in while becoming just the third driver in history to surpass 15,000 wins.
The 50-year-old Palone credits his success to his physical fitness and has no plans to retire anytime soon. Heinz Wewering of Germany holds the world record for career harness racing wins, with over 16,000 and counting.