Friday, Aug. 19, 2005 | 9:59 a.m.
Contract with ESPN radio re-upped
UNLV athletics and Lotus Broadcasting have entered into a new three-year agreement to keep ESPN Radio 920 in Las Vegas as the radio home of the Rebels, the athletics department announced Thursday.
For the seventh consecutive season, all UNLV football and men's basketball games will air live on ESPN Radio 920.
For the second season in a row, Dave McCann will handle the play-by-play announcing duties for football. He will be joined in the booth by men's basketball play-by-play voice Jon Sandler, who is in his second season with the football broadcast team and first handling the game analyst responsibilities.
MLB partners with nonprofit on steroids
Major League Baseball owners on Thursday ended their two-day quarterly meetings in Pasadena, Calif., by forging a partnership with the Tyler Hooton Foundation, an organization dedicated to battling steroid abuse.
The nonprofit foundation was formed in memory of Taylor Hooton, a 17-year-old high school athlete whose 2003 suicide was blamed on anabolic steroid use.
Baseball has agreed to donate $1 million the next two years as founding sponsor of the foundation, which is dedicated to battling steroid abuse through education and public awareness.
In addition, Major League Baseball will provide mutually agreed upon support and assistance to the foundation when possible, beginning with a link on the MLB Web site.
Stakes get higher for U.S.-Mexico match
Coming off relatively easy victories, the United States and Mexico, kings of CONCACAF, will square off Sept. 3 in Columbus, Ohio, in perhaps the most meaningful match between them since the 2002 World Cup.
Not only would the winning team be able to book a flight to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, but it would also be in the driver's seat to win the qualifying group that includes teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Mexico is the group leader with 16 points, and the United States has 15. A victory is worth three points and a tie is worth 1. Both teams are virtual locks to qualify for the World Cup. (The United States qualified for the 2002 tournament with 16 points.)
But the group winner would set itself up for a high seeding next summer.
Christie to sign with Mavericks
Free agent guard Doug Christie plans to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, his agent said.
"For us, it's been exactly what we wanted," agent Bradley Marshall said.
Marshall said Christie likes the Mavericks style of play and believes his defensive skills make him a good fit for the team. Christie is expected to sign a multiyear deal, but Marshall wouldn't reveal any other details of the contract.
"They have got a coach (Avery Johnson) who knows how to win and make players better and the ownership is strong," Marshall said. "It's a solid situation."
Ward, Dirrell, Vargas still unbeaten as pros
Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward remained unbeaten as a pro boxer, stopping Christopher Holt after three rounds Thursday night in Ward's first fight in his native Bay Area. Fellow U.S. medalist Andre Dirrell and Olympian Devin Vargas also won their bouts, as did rising British heavyweight Audley Harrison. But Ward, born and raised 25 miles away in Oakland, was the main attraction for the small but enthusiastic crowd of 3,107 at the early-evening fight at HP Pavilion.
-- Sun wire services
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