Sports briefs for August 10, 2005

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | 9:48 a.m.

Diaz stops Jones in first round

At Camp Pendleton, Calif., No. 3 ranked IBF lightweight Julio Diaz knocked out Russell Stoner Jones in the first round Tuesday night.

Diaz (32-3, 24 KOs) stopped Jones 1:59 into the fight with a left hook to Jones' right eye. The 132-pound Jones (19-12, 14 KOs) made it to his feet by the mandatory eight count but then dropped to his knees and was counted out.

"I wasn't surprised it ended so quickly," said Diaz, who had knocked out two sparring partners with similar left hooks in preparation for this fight. "I feel very big and strong now. I am on top of my game right now and I want to take advantage of it against some big names that are out there."

It was the second consecutive first-round knockout for the 136 1/2-pound Diaz since losing last March to Jose Luis Castillo, then the WBC champion.

Radio host, officials fired for racial jokes

The San Francisco Giants' flagship radio station fired controversial talk-show host Larry Krueger and two station officials six days after Krueger made racially tinged criticisms of the club and manager Felipe Alou.

Tony Salvadore, KNBR's vice president and general manager, announced the firings of Krueger, program manager Bob Agnew and KNBR Morning Show producer Tony Rhein in a brief statement.

Salvadore said the firings were related to "inappropriate comedy sound bytes" played Tuesday morning during a discussion of Alou's recent interview with ESPN in which he roundly criticized KNBR and Krueger, who was suspended last Friday.

Sara Jones, a spokesperson for the station, declined to discuss the content of the comedy sound bytes.

Fans protest Glazers' appearance at game

Malcolm Glazer's three sons watched Wayne Rooney lead Manchester United to victory in European soccer's Champions League after fans again protested the U.S. billionaire's acquisition of the English club.

Joel, Avram and Bryan Glazer, who were appointed to the club's board following their father's $1.4 billion takeover in May, attended their first match at Old Trafford yesterday. They saw United beat Hungary's Debrecen 3-0 to close on the elite competition's group stage for a 10th straight season.

More than 700 supporters marched outside the stadium against Glazer's takeover before kickoff, according to Sky News, which broadcast pictures of police-escorted fans carrying anti-Glazer banners and singing "I hope Glazer dies." There was no trouble during the game, the club said.

"The fans were solidly behind the team," United manager Alex Ferguson told the club's Web site. "There were some inner fears within the club, myself included, that there was going to be a protest and that wouldn't have done the club any good."

Adu was injured Saturday in the first half of United's 3-2 victory against the Chicago Fire. He tried to slide between two defenders and collided with an opponent.

TV deal near for NHL

The NHL is close to completing a two-year deal with the Outdoor Life Network, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The report said that the deal was worth an average of $50 million annually and that OLN would televise two games a week.

But two people who knew about the terms said it was worth slightly more. The people, who did not want to be named because the contract was not signed, said the deal was worth less than $60 million a year. That was the figure that ESPN refused to agree on when it chose not to exercise its option to continue televising NHL games this season.

-- Sun wire services