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Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 14, 2000
Younger McEnroe gets Davis Cup nod
Patrick McEnroe hopes to succeed where his older brother failed.
McEnroe was introduced Wednesday as the 38th captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, replacing John McEnroe, who quit after 14 months and a 5-0 loss to Spain in the semifinals.
Unlike John, who tried to build his team around Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, Patrick wants "to create a ... team spirit among all the players."
Neatly sidestepping questions about Sampras, Agassi and his brother playing on the team, Patrick kept returning to his themes of team effort and new faces.
"We need someone ... that's going to bring along some of the young players of the future of U.S. tennis," he said. "I think there are some real bright hopes. It is a time to have some of the old and, hopefully, bring in some of the new in the incoming years."
MORE TENNIS: Boris Becker's estranged wife is asking a court to force him to pay her alimony and child support, although she is not seeking a divorce. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, Barbara Becker claims that the three-time Wimbledon champion abandoned her and their two children in Germany last month, two weeks before their seventh wedding anniversary. Becker could not be reached.
AUTO RACING: The IRL is not concerned about finding a replacement for the Oldsmobile engine, despite General Motors' decision to phase out the brand. "We're very confident that GM's involvement is going to continue," IRL spokesman Ron Green said. "They've expressed the same confidence in the future of the league, and they want to be involved."
SOCCER: Brazilian soccer faces an inquiry into possible tax evasion and illegal sales of players. A Senate committee has subpoenaed the bank and tax records of the Brazilian Soccer Confederation, major clubs and dozens of top officials.
COLLEGES: Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson will move from the America East Conference to the Colonial Athletic Association in July 2003. ... Florida's Hilary White was named the SEC Freshman of the Year by the league's cross country coaches.
BOXING: Five 2000 Olympians will make their pro debuts Jan. 27 under contracts signed with Lou DiBella. Signing with DiBella were Michael Bennett, Clarence Vinson, Ricardo Williams, Jermain Taylor and Jose Navarro. ... Ray Lathon, who was training for a fight next month in Nevada, was shot and killed Tuesday at a rec center in St. Louis.
BASKETBALL: Former LSU and NBA player Stanley Roberts is seeking more than $1-million against the Federation Internationale de Basketball Association in Turkey, contending it blocked his efforts to play overseas. ... Yugoslav player Haris Brkic was fighting for his life after he was shot in the head after practice. The 26-year-old Brkic was shot through his cheekbone late Tuesday in front of a Belgrade arena after leaving a training session with his Partizan Belgrade club. Belgrade media said the assailant shot Brkic after the athlete found him trying to break into his car.
HORSE RACING: Former Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew will resume his stud career at the start of the 2001 breeding season, owner Robert Clay said. The horse, 26, is the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner and the only one to have captured the Triple Crown and not lost a race.
SKIING: Italians took the top two spots in a World Cup men's cross-country relay for the first time, dominating a 15-kilometer race in Clusone, Italy. Fulvio Valbusa and Fabio Maj completed the two-leg race in 44 minutes, 4.9 seconds, edging countrymen Giorgio Di Centa and Christian Zorzi by 0.4 seconds.
BOBSLEDDING: Joe Sisson completed a sweep in the America's Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., setting a course record in the four-man event. Sisson, who won the two-man event Sunday, teamed with Rick Baird, Denton Randolf and Kurt Prusse to complete two runs on the 20-curve course in 1 minute, 54.26 seconds.
BUSINESS: YankeeNets, owner of three New York-area sports teams, agreed to form a marketing and sponsorship partnership with New York Football Giants Inc., the sports companies said. The agreement, which would involve baseball's Yankees, the NBA's Nets, the NHL's Devils and the NFL's Giants, may be the first such agreement involving multiple owners, they said.
HIGH SCHOOLS: Lamar Rogers became the 13th girls' basketball coach to reach 700 wins Tuesday, directing Clarkrange (Tenn.) past Pickett County 67-54.