Kotite Leaves Jets

Rich Kotite has stepped down as coach of the New York Jets, two days before the team's nightmarish 1996 season comes to an end against the Miami Dolphins. Kotite made his announcement at a news conference today. He will coach the team's final game Sunday. Kotite's two-year reign as Jets coach has been a disaster. He has compiled a 4-27 record, and the Jets are an NFL-worst 1-14 this season.

Yankees Keep Charlie Hayes

The New York Yankees, who have lost some key players from their World Series championship team, gave third baseman Charlie Hayes a two-year contract extension today. The Yankees extended his contract through 1998 with a club option for 1999. Reports say the deal is worth $3.2 million, plus incentives. The Yankees acquired Hayes at the end of August from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted .284 with two homers and 13 RBI.

N. Carolina, UMass in Action

No. 13 North Carolina looks to extend its seven-game winning streak as the Tar Heels face Massachusetts tonight in the Jimmy V Classic in East Rutherford, N.J. Massachusetts has won two of three meetings against North Carolina, all of which were played at Madison Square Garden. At Clemson, S.C., No. 8 Clemson seeks its fifth straight victory as the Tigers host intrastate opponent Wofford.

Stars on Streak

The first-place Dallas Stars try to extend a five-game unbeaten streak tonight when they continue a four-game road trip in Hartford against the Whalers. The Stars are 3-0-2 in their last five games, including three consecutive wins. Hartford is 15-10-6 for 36 points after 31 games, an 11-point improvement over last season (11-17-3). In other NHL games, Los Angeles is at Buffalo, San Jose is at Washington, Florida is at Chicago, Toronto's at Phoenix, New Jersey's at Edmonton, Detroit's at Vancouver and Calgary's at Anaheim.

Malone Eyes Rebounding Mark

The Utah Jazz look to remain in the thick of the Midwest Division race as they play the injury-plagued Orlando Magic. Karl Malone is 10 rebounds away from becoming the 11th player in NBA history to reach the 20,000-point, 10,000-rebound plateau. Malone has 23,939 points. In other NBA games, New Jersey's at Atlanta, Toronto's at Cleveland, Detroit's at Indiana, New York's at Philadelphia, Vancouver's at Denver, Dallas is at Portland and the Clippers are at Seattle.

Blues Search for Coach

The St. Louis Blues are searching for a permanent coach after firing Mike Keenan, whose abrupt style was said to have alienated players, management and fans. "We have not discussed it with anyone," said Blues chairman Jerry Ritter. "It's an open slate." Speculation centers on Keenan going to Toronto, and Jacques Demers going back to St. Louis as coach. But Ritter said he had not contacted Demers. The Blues lost their first game last night under interim coach Jimmy Roberts.

Barkley Not Sorry

Houston Rockets forward Charles Barkley, ejected from last night's home loss to San Antonio after an incident with a referee, said he "snapped" because the officials did a poor job. "We played poorly and I thought the officiating was terrible," said Barkley, who was tossed from the game in the fourth quarter by referee Jack Nies. Barkley and Nies clashed after a play in which Barkley thought a foul should have been called and was not.

Notre Dame QB to Return

Quarterback Ron Powlus, who labored for three years under former coach Lou Holtz's conservative offense, will return as a fifth-year senior at Notre Dame. While he holds school records for touchdowns in a game (4), season (19) and career (43), he has failed to live up to expectations and the Fighting Irish have not contended for a national title with him at the helm. Powlus has one year of eligibility left because he sat out his freshman season.

Big Changes in Baseball

Interleague play, which features American and National League teams competing against each other during the regular season for the first time in the history of Major League Baseball, will begin in June. East and Central Division teams in each league will play a total of 15 interleague games and West Division teams will play 16. The San Francisco Giants will meet the Texas Rangers at The Ballpark in Arlington in the first of four scheduled interleague games to be played on Thursday, June 12.

Vaughn Stays, Fernando Free

The National League West champion San Diego Padres say outfielder Greg Vaughn has accepted salary arbitration, but veteran pitcher Fernando Valenzuela rejected the team's offer, becoming a free agent. Vaughn, who came to San Diego from Milwaukee last season, hit .260 with 41 homers and 117 RBI in 145 games. Valenzuela was a pleasant surprise for the Padres, going 13-8 with a 3.62 ERA in 33 games, including 31 starts.

< Back > < Contents >  < Home >