IN BRIEF

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

UConn coach Calhoun takes leave for medical condition

Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun took a medical leave Tuesday for an undisclosed condition, the latest health concern for the 67-year-old.

The school did not provide additional details. Calhoun had prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer twice, most recently in 2008.

Dr. Peter Schulman, the coach's primary care physician, said in a statement he advised Calhoun to take time off "to address some temporary medical issues, none of which involve any previous medical conditions that he has dealt with."

Associate head coach George Blaney will run the Huskies in Calhoun's absence. UConn is 11-6 and fell out of the Top 25 this week after losing three in a row. It will host St. John's tonight and top-ranked Texas on Saturday.

BOXING

Hoopla at Cowboys Stadium starts hype for Pacquiao fight

Guys wearing jeans and cowboy hats ran through dry ice and past the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, sparklers firing from the tips of the flagpoles they carried.

Michael Buffer gave his signature introduction, the music blared, the highlights rolled and, finally -- walking through the same tunnel the Cowboys use to enter and exit their home turf -- out came boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.

No, this wasn't a test run for Pacquiao's March 13 welterweight fight against Joshua Clottey in the $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

This was merely the news conference kicking off the hype for a bout being billed as "The Event."

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 knockouts) is widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter. In November, he beat Miguel Cotto, who defeated Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) last summer. But many thought Cotto's split decision should have gone to Clottey.

MISCELLANEOUS

Bob Hope Classic participants brace for inclement weather

For its first 50 years, the Bob Hope Classic in the Palm Springs, Calif., area was affected by rain about as often as the tournament's namesake might have claimed he played a respectable round of golf -- maybe once in a generation.

Yet the celebrities, amateurs and PGA Tour pros are bracing for the possibility of heavy rains hampering the first two days of the tour's only five-day, four-course tournament.

A series of storms is pounding Southern California this week, and the heaviest rains are expected to hit today and Thursday, putting tournament organizers in unfamiliar positions under slickers and umbrellas. The Hope Classic lost just two days to rain in its first 50 years and none since 1980 -- yet the tournament organizers closed Tuesday's practice round to the public over weather concerns.

Also: Mike Leach and Texas Tech each will have their say in a Lubbock, Texas, court after weeks of trading accusations in the aftermath of the coach's suspension and firing last month.

Leach, fired Dec. 30 amid allegations he mistreated a player with a concussion, will not be in court today when his attorneys argue to speed up gathering depositions and documents in a lawsuit against Texas Tech. The suit includes allegations of libel and slander, breach of contract and violation of Texas' Whistleblower Act.

UNR junior defensive lineman Kevin Basped has decided to forgo his final year of eligibility with the Wolf Pack to enter the NFL Draft.

Michael Peca is retiring after 13 seasons in the NHL.

The 35-year-old forward spent last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was unsigned this year.

Kurt Busch sees no problems with the rear spoiler that NASCAR is in the process of adapting to replace the rear wing on cars during the Sprint Cup season.

Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers and Busch were the first drivers to do on-track testing of the new spoiler, each running several laps with the spoiler instead of a rear wing during their Goodyear tire test at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

Busch said the new spoiler seems to add more downforce on the front of the car. He said it shows "how space-age" the cars are getting when something bolted on the back affects the front.

Tony George's separation from the management of Indianapolis Motor Speedway is complete.

George, ousted as chief executive officer in June, has resigned from the board of directors that oversees the speedway and the family business, Hulman & Co.

Snowboarder Danny Davis is recovering in Salt Lake City after undergoing back surgery following an all-terrain vehicle accident.

Davis was a strong favorite to make the U.S. Olympic halfpipe team, but his season ended after an accident Sunday morning in which he crashed into a closed gate.