U.S. gymnasts win gold, silver medals

Bridget Sloan edged teammate Rebecca Bross for the all-around title at the world gymnastics championships Friday night in London, just as Nastia Liukin beat Shawn Johnson for the Olympic gold medal last summer in Beijing. And it couldn't have been closer, with Bross' fall on her final tumbling pass on floor, the last event, the difference.

Sloan, the lone holdover from the U.S. team that won the silver medal in Beijing, finished with 57.825 points. Bross, competing at her first world championships after turning 16 in July, scored 57.775 points.

Koko Tsurimi gave Japan a rare medal in the women's all-around, winning the bronze.

When Sloan was introduced as the world champion, Bross gave her such a big hug she practically lifted her older -- and much taller -- teammate off the ground and onto the podium.

New trial for Williams?

A ruling by a New Jersey judge Friday set the stage for a second manslaughter trial for former NBA star Jayson Williams, whose lawyers argued that a racial slur and other misconduct by the prosecutor's office should result in dismissal.

State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman upheld Williams' convictions for covering up the shooting death of a hired driver and rejected attempts to dismiss a retrial early next year on the manslaughter charge.

Defense attorneys' latest attempts to clear Williams centered on a racial slur an investigator in the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office used to describe the basketball star, who is black. The comment came in the months after the 2002 shooting of Costas "Gus" Christofi at Williams' central New Jersey estate.

The slur by former Capt. William Hunt, who is white, was made at a meeting of investigators but wasn't disclosed to the defense until 2007, when Williams was facing retrial on a reckless manslaughter count that had deadlocked the jury in 2004.

Van Gundy fined: The Orlando Magic and coach Stan Van Gundy have been fined $35,000 each for his criticism of referees earlier in the week.

The fines were announced Friday, a day after Van Gundy's comments about the replacement officials were published.

Van Gundy became the third coach in three days to be fined. The Charlotte Bobcats and coach Larry Brown were each fined $60,000 on Wednesday for Brown's verbal abuse of officials and refusal to leave the court in timely manner after he was ejected during a preseason game, and his subsequent postgame criticism.

Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins was also penalized $25,000 on Wednesday for his critical comments.

Goodell headed to Capitol Hill

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith will both testify at a Congressional hearing on head injuries among NFL players.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., said Friday that the committee will hold its hearing Oct. 28. Conyers announced the committee's intention to hold the hearings on legal issues relating to football head injuries Oct. 2.

"The committee expects to hear from medical experts, former players, and others about the prevalence of these injuries and the conditions which may have contributed to their lasting effects at the professional and amateur levels," Conyers said.

The hearings will look at the lasting impact of head injuries, how to limit them and how to compensate players and their families.

Bucs send Gaines to Bears

The winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded underachieving defensive end Gaines Adams to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick in the 2010 draft. The deal Friday night came four days before the NFL trade deadline.

Adams was the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft out of Clemson.

U.S. men's soccer No. 11

The United States remained at No. 11 while Brazil again was on top of the latest world rankings published Friday by FIFA.

European champion Spain closed the gap on Brazil, the Confederations Cup winner, but stayed at second. The Netherlands followed at No. 3 while world champion Italy broke a tie in last month's rankings with Germany and now stands alone in the fourth spot.

The United States was ranked highest among the CONCACAF nations, while Mexico rose six places to No. 18.

Latest Comment View all comments

Images