Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó Martin Truex Jr. fired his pit crew after a botched final stop at Richmond, and Michael Waltrip Racing responded Tuesday with four personnel changes for the driver.
Truex doesnít have any actual authority to fire his crew, but he did over his team radio Saturday night when a bad stop cost him a decent finish.
ěI appreciate the fact that MWR addressed the issue and weíre moving on,î Truex said in a statement.
Truex has had a tough year despite having strong cars through the first part of the season. His good runs have been ruined by either mechanical issues or crew mistakes, and he goes into this Saturday nightís race at Darlington Raceway ranked 22nd in the standings with just one top-10 finish.
ěWe had a very good car at Richmond. It was the best car Iíve ever had there,î Truex said. ěWeíve run well and have very little to show for it. But in Richmond, it was hard not to say anything when our night ended the way it did. I got pretty upset. We pour our entire lives into NASCAR and it is not an easy sport. If a job is not getting done, then a change needs to be made.î
COLLEGE HOOPS
COLLEGE PARK, Md. ó The University of Maryland says sophomore center Jordan Williams has signed with an agent, a move that ends his eligibility to play at the school.
Williams entered his name in the 2011 NBA draft earlier this year. He could have kept his eligibility had he not signed with an agent and by withdrawing by May 8.
Maryland made the announcement of his signing on Wednesday.
Williams, of Torrington, Conn., averaged 16.9 points and 11.8 rebounds per game for the Terrapins this season.
ATLANTA ó Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert says he is remaining in the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-5 Shumpert became only the fourth player in ACC history to lead his team in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. ó The news of the death of Osama bin Laden helped bring some closure for Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino and his family.
Pitino’s brother-in-law, Billy Minardi, was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which were masterminded by bin Laden.
At a news conference to introduce three new assistant coaches, Pitino said bin Laden’s death brought back terrible memories of the attacks but also provided some closure.
Minardi worked for Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial services firm located in the World Trade Center. Since his death, Louisville has named a dormitory, where the basketball players live, after him and the Cardinals play an annual classic in his honor.
HOCKEY
ST. LOUIS ó The St. Louis Blues signed president John Davidson to a multiyear extension despite missing the playoffs for the fourth time in his five seasons.
TENNIS
WASHINGTON ó Andre Agassi turned 41 last week, and Pete Sampras will hit 40 this summer, so both were pleased that tennis’ Champions Series is changing to a less-demanding format.
The 2011 schedule shifts from multiple-day tournaments to one-night stops in 12 cities over five weeks. Four of the tour’s seven participants will compete at each event, playing one-set semifinals before the winners meet in an eight-game, pro-set championship match.
NBA
BOSTON ó Boston is building a statue of Celtics legend Bill Russell months after President Barack Obama suggested the city needed one.
The basketball franchise announced Wednesday the statue would be designed by a local artist and would commemorate Russell as a sports champion, human rights leader and youth mentoring advocate.
Russell says in a press release he’s “uncomfortable” with such honors. But he adds his years as captain of the Celtics were “the proudest moments” of his career.
Russell led the Celtics to 11 league championships in 13 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS ó Chris Paul remains the face of the Hornets ó for now. General manager Dell Demps intends to do what he can this summer so that it stays that way beyond next season.
PAC 10 TV
SAN FRANCISCO ó The Pac-10 agreed to a 12-year television contract with Fox and ESPN worth about $3 billion, allowing the conference to quadruple its media rights fees and start its own network.