In Brief
April 3, 2012 - 1:02 am
BASEBALL
Giants, Cain agree on richest
deal for right-handed pitcher
Matt Cain has that hefty new contract he hoped for before Opening Day.
Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed Monday to a $127.5 million, six-year contract, the largest deal for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history.
The agreement adds $112.5 million over five years to the $15 million salary for 2012 that was remaining in his previous deal. Cain gets a $5 million signing bonus as part of the new contract and $20 million annually from 2013 through 2017. The deal includes a $21 million option for 2018, with a $7.5 million buyout that, if exercised, would raise the total to $141 million over seven seasons.
Also: Cleveland Indians pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez was suspended for five games and fined by Major League Baseball for intentionally throwing at Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki during a spring training game Sunday.
Jimenez will serve his suspension during the first five games of the season unless he asks the players' association to appeal the decision.
Before the penalty was announced, Jimenez said he wasn't going to apologize to Tulowitzki after hitting his former Rockies teammate on the left elbow.
Atlanta relief pitcher Cristhian Martinez was arrested and charged with drunken driving, days before the Braves' regular season starts.
Martinez was charged with DUI, impeding the flow of traffic and improper lane change after police said he was stopped on Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County, Ga. A test showed his blood alcohol level registered at 0.13, according to a police report. The legal limit to drive in Georgia is 0.08.
Josh Hamilton is suffering from migraine headaches and the Texas Rangers slugger is listed as day to day.
BASKETBALL
Knicks' Lin undergoes surgery
to repair small tear in left knee
New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin had surgery on his injured left knee, then posted a picture on Twitter of himself recovering in his hospital bed.
The Knicks said Lin had successful surgery on his chronic small meniscal tear in his left knee.
Lin tweeted: "Praise God for a successful surgery...road to recovery! Lets go. Much love to the fans for your support and kind words."
He's expected to miss about six weeks.
Also: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson will have surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left foot and ankle.
Gibson was injured in a game against New Jersey on March 19. After consulting with an outside specialist, the Cavaliers' team doctors decided on the operation, which will likely end Gibson's season.
Ohio University hired Jim Christian to replace John Groce, hoping the former Texas Christian coach can build on the program's best NCAA Tournament showing in 48 years.
Christian returns to the Mid-American Conference, where he won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons there from 2002 through 2008, leading the Golden Flashes to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2008.
The Bobcats reached the Sweet 16 this year, taking North Carolina to overtime before losing.
FOOTBALL
HBO reportedly interested in
Jets' sequel for 'Hard Knocks'
Fasten your seat belts. Coach Rex Ryan and the New York Jets might just be ready for a sequel on HBO's "Hard Knocks."
Jets owner Woody Johnson said he's heard talk that HBO is interested in signing up the team for its training-camp documentary show. He's not ruling it out.
Johnson said the team, which recently acquired quarterback Tim Tebow in a trade with the Denver Broncos, has not received a "formal invitation," but "when we do, we will take a look at it."
HBO said there will be a "Hard Knocks" before the 2012 NFL season begins, following a hiatus last year because of the lockout.
Also: Detroit Lions running back Mikel Leshoure was caught chewing marijuana during a recent traffic stop in southwestern Michigan, police said.
The incident on March 12 occurred less than a month after police in a different Berrien County community caught Leshoure with marijuana.
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf was arrested again, outside Great Falls, Mont., just days after he posted bail on similar charges that he burglarized a home and stole prescription drugs, authorities said.
Leaf was first arrested on Friday after police found oxycodone pills in his golf bag that an acquaintance later said Leaf stole from his home.
Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino veered off a two-lane highway east of Fayetteville and crashed his motorcycle over the weekend, sending him to a hospital and leaving him in what his family described only as "stable condition." He is expected to make a full recovery.