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2B Daily News – Tuesday, August 6, 2013 Off-field issues for Manziel cloud Texas A&M DEMPSEY COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Johnny Football is practicing with Texas A&M. Whether he starts the season opener is another question. Coach Kevin Sumlin on Monday said he would not speculate when asked if Johnny Manziel will be his starter on Aug. 31 against Rice following an ESPN report that the NCAA is investigating whether the Heisman Trophy winner was paid for signing hundreds of autographs last January. ''There's a lot of people involved in that decision,'' Sumlin said without being specific. If Manziel was paid for his autograph on memorabilia, it could potentially violate NCAA amateurism rules and put his eligibility in question a year after his jaw-dropping performance on BAN (Continued from page 1B) ous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone over the course of multiple years,'' MLB said. His punishment under the labor contract was ''for attempting to cover up his violations of the program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the office of the commissioner's investigation.'' In Chicago, Rodriguez wouldn't deny using PEDs, saying ''when the time is right, there will be an opportunity to do all of that. I don't think that time is right now.'' He added: ''It's been the toughest fight of my life. By any means, am I out of the woods? This is probably just phase two just starting. It's not going to get easier. It's probably going to get harder.'' Rodriguez admitted four years ago that he used PEDs while with Texas from 200103 but has repeatedly denied using them since. His penalty was more than double the previous high for a PED suspension, a 100-game ban given last year to San Francisco pitcher Guillermo Mota for a second offense. ''At some point we'll sit in front of an arbiter and give our case,'' Rodriguez said. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, minutes after losing captain Derek Jeter for the third time this year, was ready to welcome A-Rod back. ''I'm not here to judge people. That's not my job,'' Girardi said. ''He's a player as long as he's in our clubhouse.'' Girardi called the suspensions ''another black eye for us, but we're trying to clean this game up.'' The suspensions are thought to be the most at once for off-field conduct since 1921, when Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned eight White Sox players for life for throwing the 1919 World Series against Cincinnati: Shoeless Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Happy Felsch, Chick Gandil, Fred McMullin, Charles ''Swede'' Risberg, Buck Weaver and Claude ''Lefty'' Williams. They had been suspended by the team the previous year and were penalized by baseball even though they had been acquitted of criminal charges. As for the modern-day All-Stars, Cruz, an outfielder, leads Texas in RBIs and Peralta has been a top hitter and shortstop for Detroit, a pair of teams in the midst of pennant races. They will be eligible to return for the postseason. Others agreeing to 50game bans included Yankees the field made him the first freshman to win the Heisman as college football's top player. Speaking to the media as the team began preseason practices, Sumlin said he learned of the ESPN report Sunday. For now, Manziel will lead the Aggies. But his coach is clearly thinking of backups, too. ''He'll get as many reps as he was going to get yesterday,'' Sumlin said of Manziel, before adding: ''We've got to develop a backup quarterback no matter what.'' The report is just the latest in a string of off-the-field distractions caused by Manziel. He's made headlines for tweeting that he ''can't wait to leave College Station,'' despite having three years of catcher Francisco Cervelli and outfielder Fernando Martinez; Philadelphia pitcher Antonio Bastardo; Seattle catcher Jesus Montero; New York Mets infielder Jordany Valdespin and outfielder Cesar Puello; Houston pitcher Sergio Escalona; and free agent pitchers Fautino De Los Santos and Jordan Norberto. While the players' association has fought many drug penalties in the past three decades, attitudes of its membership have shifted sharply in recent years and union staff encouraged settlements in the Biogenesis probe. ''The accepted suspensions announced today are consistent with the punishments set forth in the Joint Drug Agreement, and were arrived at only after hours of intense negotiations between the bargaining parties, the players and their representatives,'' union head Michael Weiner said. ''For the player appealing, Alex Rodriguez, we agree with his decision to fight his suspension. We believe that the commissioner has not acted appropriately ... The union, consistent with its history, will defend his rights vigorously.'' Fighting a brain tumor diagnosed a year ago, Weiner spoke in a raspy voice during a conference call and said the union's executive board will consider stiffer drug penalties when players meet in December. But the union will fight Rodriguez's discipline. ''We've never had a 200plus (game) penalty for a player who may have used drugs,'' he said. ''And among other things, I just think that's way out of line.'' A-Rod intimated Friday that New York did not want him to return. The Yankees answered Monday with a statement: ''We are compelled to address certain reckless and false allegations concerning the Yankees' role in this matter,'' the team said. ''The New York Yankees in no way instituted and/or assisted MLB in the direction of this investigation; or used the investigation as an attempt to avoid its responsibilities under a player contract; or did its medical staff fail to provide the appropriate standard of care to Alex Rodriguez.'' Rodriguez is making $28 million this year, and his salary drops to $25 million next year and $21 million in 2015. If the 211-game penalty is upheld, his lost pay could range from $30.6 million to $32.7 million, depending on when exactly the suspension is served. Players have often succeeded at persuading arbitrators to overturn or shorten drug suspensions. In the era before the drug agreement, NFL PRESEASON GOLF Hall of Fame Week World Golf Ranking 1. Tiger Woods USA 2. Phil Mickelson USA 3. Rory McIlroy NIR 4. Justin Rose ENG 5. Adam Scott AUS 6. Matt Kuchar USA 7. Brandt Snedeker USA 8. Graeme McDowell NIR 9. Luke Donald ENG 10. Keegan Bradley USA 11. Henrik Stenson SWE 12. Lee Westwood ENG 13. Steve Stricker USA 14. Charl Schwartzel SAF 15. Ernie Els SAF 16. Louis Oosthuizen SAF 17. Ian Poulter ENG 18. Sergio Garcia ESP 19. Bubba Watson USA 20. Jason Day AUS 21. Jason Dufner USA 22. Webb Simpson USA 23. Dustin Johnson USA 24. Bill Haas USA 25. Hunter Mahan USA 14.19 8.56 8.32 7.60 7.44 6.64 6.59 5.94 5.40 5.10 5.09 5.07 4.92 4.72 4.65 4.65 4.61 4.59 4.31 4.26 4.24 4.11 4.07 4.07 4.01 Sunday's result Dallas 24, Miami 20 Week 1 Preseason Thursday's games Denver at San Francisco, 6 p.m. Baltimore at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Cincinnati at Atlanta, 5 p.m. St. Louis at Cleveland, 5 p.m. Washington at Tennessee, 5 p.m. Seattle at San Diego, 7 p.m. Friday's games Dallas at Oakland, 7 p.m. Miami at Jacksonville, 4:30 p.m. New England at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Arizona at Green Bay, 5 p.m. Chicago at Carolina, 5 p.m. Houston at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Kansas City at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Saturday's game N.Y. Giants at Pittsburgh, 4:30 p.m. Sunday's game Buffalo at Indianapolis, 10:30 a.m. eligibility remaining, he allegedly overslept at a football camp run by the Manning family and was supposedly kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party in the past couple of months. The 20-year-old sophomore calmly answered question after question at SEC media days last month, acknowledging his eventful offseason and indicating he needed to make better decisions because he's such a public figure. ''I don't feel like I've done anything that's catastrophic,'' Manziel said then. ''Of course, I've made my mistakes. It's time to grow up.'' Last week, Manziel tweeted: ''I ain't perfect, I ain't insane but I AM worth it...if there's one thing I am worth it.'' LaMarr Hoyt, Ferguson Jenkins, Pascual Perez and Willie Wilson were among those who had success in hearings, and Steve Howe's lifetime ban for a seventh suspension related to drugs or alcohol was cut to 119 days. Weiner said a settlement prior to Horowitz's decision is possible but not likely. David Cornwell, an attorney for one of Rodriguez's three law firms, called the penalty an ''unprecedented action.'' Rodriguez's suspension might dampen his future chances for election to the Hall of Fame. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire all compiled big numbers, too, but voters blocked them from Cooperstown because of the drug cloud. Though they lose part of their salaries, the stats and awards are safe for baseball players penalized in drug cases. Nothing is stripped from any record book or trophy case. That's not always the case in other sports. Doping cost Lance Armstrong his seven Tour de France cycling titles and stripped away Olympic gold medals from sprinters Ben Johnson and Marion Jones. Cruz attributed his action to a gastrointestinal infection, helicobacter pylori, and said he had lost 40 pounds following the 2011 season. ''I made an error in judgment that I deeply regret, and I accept full responsibility for that error,'' he said in a statement. ''I should have handled the situation differently, and my illness was no excuse.'' Peralta can rejoin Detroit for a season-ending threegame series at Miami — not far from the former office of Biogenesis. In a statement released by the Tigers, Peralta said in ''spring of 2012, I made a terrible mistake that I deeply regret.'' Peralta apologized to his teammates and ''the great fans in Detroit,'' saying he knows he let ''many good people down.'' MLB's investigation began last year after San Francisco outfielder and AllStar game MVP Melky Cabrera tested positive for elevated testosterone, as did Oakland pitcher Bartolo Colon and San Diego catcher Yasmani Grandal. The probe escalated in January when the Miami New Times published documents obtained from former Biogenesis associate Porter Fisher that linked several players to Biogenesis. MLB said Melky Cabrera, Colon and Grandal will not receive additional discipline and it found no violations for Washington pitcher Gio Gonzalez and Baltimore infielder Danny Valencia, both linked to Biogenesis in media reports. In June, baseball struck a deal for Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch to cooperate. After holding investigatory interviews with the players, MLB presented evidence to the players' union along with its intended penalties, starting the final round of negotiations. ''Those players who have violated the program have created scrutiny for the vast majority of our players, who play the game the right way,'' baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said. ''We continue to attack this issue on every front — from science and research, to education and awareness, to fact-finding and investigative skills.'' Picked first in the 1993 amateur draft, Rodriguez reached the majors at age 18 with Seattle and was an AllStar by 20. He seemed destined to become one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and appeared in line to break the all-time home run record — he ranks fifth with 647. Yet for all his accomplishments, Rodriguez has been reviled by fans as much as celebrated, especially later in his career. His off-field antics, enormous paycheck and playoff failures have often overshadowed his feats at the plate. The Yankees are now saddled with an aging star slowed by two hip operations. They still owe him around $94 million, raising questions about whether his dwindling production is worth that price. MLB MLB American League West Division Dodgers Arizona Padres Colorado GIANTS East Division W 62 56 52 52 49 L 49 55 60 61 61 Pct .559 .505 .464 .460 .445 GB — 6 10.5 11 12.5 A's Texas Seattle Angels Houston East Division W 64 62 52 51 37 L 47 50 59 59 74 Pct .577 .554 .468 .464 .333 HAYDEN Monday after working out the former Miami Dolphins defensive end a day earlier. (Continued from page 1B) second consecutive day with undisclosed injuries, Hayden and Chimdi Chekwa worked at cornerback with the firstteam defense. During a team scrimmage portion of practice, Hayden collided with a wide receiver in the end zone then jogged off the field. He pulled up later in practice during a drill pairing cornerbacks against receivers and immediately clutched at his leg. Although he returned to finish the workout, the Raiders are still being cautious with their first-rounder. Allen said Hayden would not have played against Dallas regardless of what happened in practice. Linebackers Kaluka Maiava and Miles Burris will also miss the Cowboys game due to injuries. Oakland's defensive line has also been thinned out because of injuries. The team signed Ryan Baker on All the injuries have opened the door for some of the Raiders rookies and newcomers to get an extended look against Dallas. REID backs in the National Football League and you're not ready experience-wise,'' Whitner said. ''It may not be the way it's drawn up in the book when you get out there.'' ——— (Continued from page 1B) year of an $11.75 million, three-year deal, Whitner is the one taking on more responsibility with Goldson gone. ''It's not really a strain. But I really have to do all the vocal stuff back there. When Dashon was here, he really had his side of the football field and I had my side of the football field,'' Whitner said. ''That's my job, to make the other guy feel comfortable.'' Whitner's advice for Reid: don't be afraid to make big plays, but understand your limits. Whitner should know. He nearly stole the show in his first regular-season game, intercepting a pass by Brady in the fourth quarter. As Whitner was running in for the go-ahead score, Clements was called for an illegal block that wiped away the return. The Bills punted and never got the ball back. Whitner sees the same type of big-play ability in Reid. ''The potential is always there, but potential can get you beat also by being rushed out there and playing some of the best quarter- NASCAR West Division National League (Continued from page 1B) for 6 1/2 years and I just wanted to come home. Each year was getting more difficult to go back and I think everything just has to do with timing,'' Dempsey said. ''The Seattle Sounders moved mountains to get me here. It was an opportunity to come back when I was in my prime and continue GB — 2.5 12 12.5 27 W L Pct GB Atlanta 68 45 .602 — Washington 54 58 .482 13.5 Philadelphia 50 61 .450 17 New York 49 60 .450 17 Miami 43 67 .391 23.5 Central Division W L Pct GB Pittsburgh 67 44 .604 — St. Louis 65 46 .586 2 Cincinnati 61 51 .545 6.5 Chicago 49 62 .441 18 Milwaukee 47 64 .423 20 —————————————————— Monday's results Milwaukee at San Francisco, late Atlanta 3, Washington 2 L.A. Dodgers 3, St. Louis 2 W L Pct GB Boston 68 46 .596 — Tampa Bay 66 45 .595 .5 Baltimore 61 51 .545 6 New York 57 54 .514 9.5 Toronto 51 60 .459 15.5 Central Division W L Pct GB Detroit 65 45 .591 — Cleveland 62 50 .554 4 Kansas City 57 52 .523 7.5 Minnesota 48 61 .440 16.5 Chicago 41 69 .373 24 —————————————————— Monday's results Chicago White Sox 8, N.Y. Yankees 1 Detroit 4, Cleveland 2 Houston 2, Boston 0 Kansas City 13, Minnesota 0 Texas at L.A. Angels, late Toronto at Seattle, late Today's games Milwaukee (W.Peralta 7-11) at San Fran. (M.Cain 7-6), 7:15 p.m. Atlanta (Teheran 8-5) at Washington (G.Gonzalez 7-4), 4:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs (E.Jackson 7-11) at Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 9-8), 4:05 p.m. Miami (H.Alvarez 2-1) at Pittsburgh (Locke 9-3), 4:05 p.m. Colorado (Chatwood 7-4) at N.Y. Mets (Mejia 1-1), 4:10 p.m. Oakland (Straily 6-5) at Cincinnati (Latos 10-3), 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 10-6) at St. Louis (J.Kelly 2-3), 5:15 p.m. Tampa Bay (Hellickson 10-4) at Arizona (Miley 8-8), 6:40 p.m. Baltimore (B.Norris 7-9) at San Diego (Volquez 8-8), 7:10 p.m. Today's games Oakland (Straily 6-5) at Cincinnati (Latos 10-3), 4:10 p.m. Detroit (Verlander 11-8) at Cleveland (Masterson 13-7), 4:05 p.m. Boston (S.Wright 2-0) at Houston (Lyles 4-5), 5:10 p.m. Minnesota (Albers 0-0) at Kansas City (Shields 6-7), 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Kuroda 10-6) at Chi. White Sox (Sale 6-11), 5:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (Hellickson 10-4) at Arizona (Miley 8-8), 6:40 p.m. Texas (Darvish 10-5) at L.A. Angels (Richards 3-4), 7:05 p.m. Baltimore (B.Norris 7-9) at San Diego (Volquez 8-8), 7:10 p.m. Toronto (Jo.Johnson 1-8) at Seattle (F.Hernandez 11-4), 7:10 p.m. Wednesday's games Milwaukee at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m. Oakland at Cincinnati, 9:35 a.m. Baltimore at San Diego, 12:40 p.m. Atlanta at Washington, 4:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. Miami at Pittsburgh, 4:05 p.m. Colorado at N.Y. Mets, 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers at St. Louis, 5:15 p.m. Tampa Bay at Arizona, 6:40 p.m. Wednesday's games Oakland at Cincinnati, 9:35 a.m. Baltimore at San Diego, 12:40 p.m. Toronto at Seattle, 12:40 p.m. Detroit at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m. Boston at Houston, 5:10 p.m. Minnesota at Kansas City, 5:10 p.m. N.Y. Yankees at Chi. White Sox, 5:10 p.m. Tampa Bay at Arizona, 6:40 p.m. Texas at L.A. Angels, 7:05 p.m. growth in the league and it's a challenge.'' The 30-year-old Dempsey played for the New England Revolution from 2004-06 before joining Fulham in 2007. He moved to Tottenham last summer and scored 12 goals in 43 games, but wasn't a regular starter for the Spurs while being used in rotation with other attacking players. Dempsey had two years remaining on his contract at Tottenham. Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Jimmie Johnson 2. Clint Bowyer 3. Carl Edwards 4. Kevin Harvick 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 6. Kyle Busch 7. Matt Kenseth 8. Kasey Kahne 9. Jeff Gordon 10. Greg Biffle 11. Tony Stewart 12. Brad Keselowski 13. Kurt Busch 14. Martin Truex Jr. 15. Ryan Newman 16. Jamie McMurray 17. Joey Logano 18. Aric Almirola 19. Paul Menard 20. Jeff Burton 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 22. Marcos Ambrose 23. Juan Pablo Montoya 24. Casey Mears 25. Denny Hamlin 26. David Ragan 27. Danica Patrick 28. David Gilliland 29. Mark Martin 30. Bobby Labonte 31. Dave Blaney 32. David Reutimann 33. J.J. Yeley 34. David Stremme 35. Travis Kvapil 36. A J Allmendinger 37. Michael McDowell 38. Michael Waltrip 39. Timmy Hill 40. Scott Speed 41. Terry Labonte 42. Ken Schrader 43. Boris Said 44. Ron Fellows 45. Justin Marks 46. Scott Riggs 47. Victor Gonzalez Jr. 48. Tomy Drissi 49. Alex Kennedy 50. Brian Keselowski 772 695 688 675 656 646 638 612 602 599 594 592 588 584 575 566 561 554 532 507 505 500 476 440 389 376 373 368 361 328 312 307 296 285 271 244 109 102 99 91 77 68 26 22 14 10 7 6 6 4 Upcoming Schedule Aug. 11 — Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, Watkins Glen, N.Y. Aug. 18 — Pure Michigan 400, Brooklyn, Mich. Aug. 24 — Irwin Tools Night Race, Bristol, Tenn. Sep. 1 — AdvoCare 500, Hampton, Ga. ''It's huge for a number of young guys to get into these preseason games,'' Allen said. ''This is where you really prove that you're worthy of a spot on this roster. This month, at the end of the day, will make or break a lot of these guys.'' Notes: Allen has not decided on the quarterback rotation against Dallas, though Matt Flynn is likely to start. ... Denarius Moore, the favorite to be Oakland's No. 1 receiver, caught a deep touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Flynn and dropping two passes in a short span earlier in practice. ... Two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Tom Flores attended practice, as did former Raiders Tony Stewart, Sam Williams and Justin Fargas. NOTES: C Jonathan Goodwin wore a blue noncontact jersey in practice. Daniel Kilgore took snaps in his place during team drills with the first-team offense. ... DE Justin Smith (finger) and LB Patrick Willis (right hand) sat out practice again. ...The team announced that John McVay will be the 24th inductee into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame in October. McVay joined San Francisco in 1979 as the team's director of player personnel and spent 21 seasons in the franchise's front office, including as vice president and general manager from 1983 to 1994. He returned to the franchise as the director of football operations from 1999-2003. WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Minnesota Sparks Phoenix Seattle San Antonio Tulsa W 16 13 10 8 7 7 L 3 7 10 11 13 15 Pct GB .842 — .650 3.5 .500 6.5 .421 8 .350 9.5 .318 10.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB Chicago 13 6 .684 — Atlanta 11 6 .647 1 Indiana 9 10 .474 4 Washington 9 12 .429 5 New York 8 12 .400 5.5 Connecticut 6 12 .333 6.5 —————————————————— Monday's results No games scheduled Today's games Washington at New York, 8 a.m. Los Angeles at Connecticut, 4 p.m. Indiana at Chicago, 5 p.m. Minnesota at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Seattle at Phoenix, 7 p.m. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE W Salt Lake 11 Portland 8 Colorado 9 Vancouver 9 Galaxy 10 FC Dallas 8 Seattle 9 QUAKES 8 Chivas USA 4 L 7 3 7 7 9 6 7 9 13 T 5 11 8 6 3 8 4 6 5 Pts 38 35 35 33 33 32 31 30 17 GF 38 32 30 34 32 27 27 25 19 GA 26 21 26 30 27 30 22 33 39 EASTERN CONFERENCE W New York 11 Kansas City10 Montreal 10 Philadelphia 9 Houston 9 N. England 8 Chicago 8 Columbus 6 Toronto FC 4 D.C. 3 L 7 7 6 7 6 8 9 11 10 15 T 5 6 5 7 6 6 4 5 8 4 Pts 38 36 35 34 33 30 28 23 20 13 GF 36 33 33 34 26 27 27 25 20 13 GA 29 24 32 32 21 20 31 30 29 36 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. —————————————————— Saturday's games San Jose at Vancouver, 4:30 p.m. Seattle FC at Toronto FC, 4 p.m. New York at Columbus, 4:30 p.m. D.C. United at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Montreal at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. New England at Kansas City, 5:30 p.m. Houston at Real Salt Lake, 6:30 p.m. Sunday's games Los Angeles at FC Dallas, 5 p.m. Colorado at Chivas USA, 8 p.m.