Sports

In brief

Dale Jr. rips into Johnson for wreck

By wire services
Published May 4, 2005

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. called Jimmie Johnson an "idiot," and blamed the Nextel Cup series points leader for causing a 25-car accident at Talladega on Sunday.

"If there was one idiot out there it was him," Earnhardt said Tuesday. "To be honest about it, I think Jimmie Johnson caused about all the wrecks out there."

Both Earnhardt and Johnson were at the center of the massive accident in Sunday's race at Talladega that wiped out half the field and ranked as the second-largest melee in track history.

MORE AUTOS: Father, son compete

Zephyrhills' David Reutimann, the 2004 NASCAR truck series rookie of the year, will compete against his father, Buzzie, on Saturday in an open-wheel modifieds race at East Bay Raceway Park. Buzzie Reutimann won the most recent race in the series at East Bay. David Reutimann is 18th in the truck-series standings.

TENNIS: Nadal racking 'em up

Eighteen-year-old Rafael Nadal of Spain overtook Roger Federer for most wins on tour this season with a 6-0, 6-2 victory Tuesday over Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in the first round of the Italian Open in Rome. Nadal is 36-6 this year. Top-ranked Federer, who pulled out of the Rome tournament with an injury to both feet, is 35-2. ... In another French Open tuneup, Belgian Kim Clijsters now has won 18 of her last 19 matches, the latest Tuesday at the German Open in Berlin, a 6-1, 6-0 rout of qualifier Yuliana Fedak of Ukraine in 44 minutes that put Clijsters in the second round. ... U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe has yet to learn whether Andre Agassi will be on the team that must win in Belgium in September to return to the main Davis Cup tournament in 2006. "By early in the summer, I should have a read on Andre's interest level," McEnroe said in London. Agassi, 35, was on the squad that lost to Croatia 3-2 in March, eliminating the United States in the first round.... Top-seeded Na Li of China defeated Nicole Pratt of Australia 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of the Grand Prix SAR in Rabat, Morocco.

TELEVISION: NBC dominates Emmys

Olympic games TV host Bob Costas collected his 17th Emmy and NBC Sports won eight total - including six for its coverage of the 2004 Athens Olympics - Monday night. Costas got the Emmy for his work at the Olympics and his studio work for HBO. It was his sixth Olympics and fifth as prime-time host.

HOCKEY: U.S. rallies in worlds

Mark Parrish had two goals and the United States rallied to beat Latvia 3-1 Tuesday, clinching a second-round berth at the world hockey championships. Doug Weight also scored for the Americans (2-0), who will play Canada for first place in their group finale today.

BOXING: Hopkins-Taylor set

Middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, 40, will take on the undefeated Jermain Taylor on July 16. It will mark the 21st defense of his title. The fight will be held at the MGM Grand hotel-casino in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live by HBO pay-per-view. Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 KOs) has said he plans to retire when he turns 41 in January. Taylor (23-0, 17 KOs) was a member of the 2000 Olympic team.... Former featherweight champion Naseem Hamed was released in England on bail after his arrest in connection with a car crash.

ET CETERA: Olympics to ban big logos

The International Olympic Committee will ban brand logos larger than 3.1 square inches on uniforms starting at next year's Games. ... Liverpool beat English rival Chelsea 1-0 on a disputed goal in European soccer's Champions League to reach the final for the first time in 20 years.

[Last modified May 4, 2005, 00:58:13]

[an error occurred while processing this directive]