Monday, February 27, 2006
Washington Capitals defenseman Ivan Majesky has returned from Turin, Italy, where he played for Slovakia, and will be available to play tomorrow against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Washington's other Olympians, left wing Alex Ovechkin and goaltender Olie Kolzig , are expected to join the team in Toronto today, but it's unclear if they will play.
Injured defenseman Steve Eminger (ankle) skated briefly at Piney Orchard Ice Arena yesterday and will accompany the team on its three-game road trip, but he is not expected to be in the lineup. To fill his spot, the Capitals anticipate recalling prospect Mike Green from the Hershey (Pa.) Bears of the AHL. Coach Glen Hanlon said a forward also will be called up.
· BOXING: Shane Mosley moved back into the boxing limelight by stopping Fernando Vargas on Saturday night in Las Vegas and now he wants a shot at a bigger match.
" Floyd Mayweather is a talent. Pound for pound, we're two guys with great skills," Mosley said. "It should be a great fight."
Mosley, whose once-shining career dimmed when he lost twice to Vernon Forrest in 2002 and twice to Winky Wright in 2004, restored some luster when he stopped Vargas in the 10th round Saturday.
Mosley, 34, was, however, far from dominant in beating Vargas, who also was trying to get his career back on track.
Their scheduled 12-round junior middleweight match at the Mandalay Bay Events Center turned out to be sort of an extended one-punch fight.
Mosley caught Vargas with a stiff right to his left eye in the first round, and the knot over Vargas's eye continued to swell as Mosley peppered it in the following rounds. By the seventh, Vargas's eye was swollen shut.
Referee Joe Cortez finally stopped the fight at 1:22 of the 10th round after Mosley landed several shots to the head.
The judges had scored the bout close through the first nine rounds, with Mosley ahead by a point on each of two cards and Vargas up by a point on the other.
Vargas (26-3, 22 knockouts) said he wanted a rematch at 154 pounds, but that is unlikely since Mosley (42-4, 36 KOs) said he is going back down to welterweight at 147. Mosley weighed 152 and Vargas 153 1/2 .
Mosley, who was fighting for Oscar De La Hoya 's Golden Boy Promotions, isn't the only one who wants a match against Mayweather.
De La Hoya, saying he intends to fight two more times before retiring, is scheduled to face Ricardo Mayorga in Las Vegas on May 6, and said he would like to close out his career with a September bout against Mayweather.
De La Hoya is trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr .
Mayweather Jr. is 35-0 with 24 knockouts. He will try for his fourth title in different weight classes when he fights IBF welterweight champion Zab Judah on April 8 in Las Vegas.
· PRO FOOTBALL: The New England Patriots released veteran cornerback Duane Starks after his lone season ended in injury.
Starks was placed on injured reserve Nov. 10 because of a shoulder injury. He was released on Saturday.
The Patriots acquired the 31-year-old Starks in an offseason trade with Arizona. He intercepted 25 passes in his first seven seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and Cardinals, but had no interceptions in seven games with the Patriots.
New England had envisioned Starks as a replacement for Ty Law , who left the Patriots after the 2004 season. Baltimore drafted Starks in the first round, 10th overall, of the 1998 draft.
· TRACK AND FIELD: Terrence Trammell came so close to becoming the first athlete to win two national indoor championships. Instead, he settled for making the world championships roster in two events.
Trammell won his third U.S. indoor title in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.46 seconds at the U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships yesterday in Boston. Dominique Arnold finished second in 7.51.
Twenty minutes after winning the hurdles title, Trammell finished second in the 60 in 6.53. Leonard Scott won his first national title in 6.52.
The top two finishers in each event -- excluding Friday's weight throws -- qualify for the 2006 world championships in Moscow on March 10-12.
Lisa Barber won the women's 60 in 7.06. Reigning world 100 champion Lauryn Williams finished second in 7.11. Torri Edwards , competing in her first race on American soil since being reinstated from a drug suspension, finished third.
Sanya Richards celebrated her 21st birthday by winning the first U.S. indoor title of her career in the 400 in 51.28. Mary Danner finished second.
Milton Campbell won the 400 in 46.17. LaShawn Merritt was second.
Tiombe Hurd won her fourth U.S. indoor title in the women's triple jump. Hurd's third leap of 45 feet 7 inches edged runner-up Shani Marks (44-9). . . .
Bruce McBarnette of Sterling broke his own world record in the 45-49 year-old age bracket for the high jump by clearing 6 feet 5.5 inches at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex. It was his fifth time breaking the world record and third this month.
-- From News Services and Staff Reports
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