UMF skiers competing at national meet
BEND, Oregon — Five members of the University of Maine at Farmington cross country ski team competed in the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championship on Tuesday at Mount Bachelor.
In the women’s 7-kilometer classic, Emily Ramsey finished 17th place out of 41 qualified racers with a time of 30:11.7. Alisha Labbe finished 35th (36:37.1) and Ellie Pinto finished in 46:48.4
Bryce Neal placed 40th in the men’s 7K with a time of 30:02.4 and Joshua Richards came in 44th (Z35:56.7).
UMF will compete in the freestyle sprint Wednesday morning.
Westbrook expects to play Wednesday
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook expects to play Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Westbrook told Yahoo Sports that he would be back from a facial fracture that required surgery but intends to wear a protective mask. The team will not make the official decision on Westbrook’s status until Wednesday.
Westbrook could be back but the Thunder will not have forward Kevin Durant, who is out for the seventh game in a row with a foot injury.
Struggling Nuggets fire Shaw, name Hunt interim coach
The free-falling Denver Nuggets fired head coach Brian Shaw on Tuesday, replacing him for the rest of the season with his assistant coach Melvin Hunt.
Denver have lost six consecutive games and 19 of their past 21 for a 20-39 record this season that has them sitting 13th in the 15-team Western Conference and well out of the playoff race.
Shaw, 48, was hired as Nuggets head coach in June 2013 to replace George Karl, the reigning NBA Coach of the Year, and compiled an overall record of 56-85 (.397) with the team before being relieved of his duties.
Patriots name Ventrone special teams assistant
Nine-year NFL veteran Ray Ventrone joined the coaching staff of the New England Patriots as assistant special teams coach.
Ventrone played with New England (2006-2008), the New York Jets (2007), Cleveland Browns (2009-2012) and the San Francisco 49ers (2013-2014), primarily as a special teams player.
He originally signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Villanova in 2005.
NBA fines Len, Whiteside for fight
The NBA on Tuesday fined Phoenix center Alex Len and Miami center Hassan Whiteside for their roles in an altercation during Monday’s game between the Suns and Heat.
Len was fined $20,000 for initiating the altercation and trying to take Whiteside to the floor. Whiteside was fined $15,000 for escalating the incident by wrestling Len to the floor.
The NBA also fined Suns forward Markieff Morris $15,000 for his Flagrant 2 for making excessive contact above the shoulders with Heat guard Goran Dragic.
The incident involving Len and Whiteside occurred with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter of the Heat’s 115-98 win.
The incident involving Morris occurred with 8:43 remaining in the third quarter.
Cowboys, WR Beasley agree on new deal
The Dallas Cowboys will re-sign productive slot receiver Cole Beasley, according to reports Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Beasley and the Cowboys reached agreement on a four-year contract estimated to be worth $13.6 million and includes $7 million in guaranteed money and a $4 million signing bonus, NFL.com reported. He would have become a restricted free agent.
Fellow wide receiver Dez Bryant liked the move, tweeting “Congrats to my boy @Bease11 #beast #truth.”
As part of a receiving corps that features Bryant, Beasley caught 37 passes for 420 yards and a career-high four touchdowns last season.