IN BRIEF
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pitino admits he paid for accuser's abortion
Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino told police he had sex and paid for an abortion for the woman accused of trying to extort him for $10 million, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported on its Web site that Pitino told police he had been drinking in a Louisville, Ky., restaurant and had sex with Karen Sypher in August 2003. The police report said he denied allegations by Sypher that he raped her after the restaurant closed and at another time somewhere else. He said later he gave her $3,000 for an abortion.
Sypher went to police to report the rape allegations last month. A Kentucky prosecutor said the complaint she filed with a police sex-offense unit wouldn't be prosecuted because it lacked supporting evidence.
Sypher has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of trying to extort money up to $10 million from Pitino and lying to the FBI.
Pitino's lawyer, Steve Pence, said the story is about Sypher and not his client.
"Karen Sypher is indicted for extortion," Pence said. "The commonwealth's attorney has said she is void of any credibility on these 6-year-old allegations she has made."
MOTOR SPORTS
Motorcycle crash ends Schumacher's return
Michael Schumacher called off his much-anticipated Formula One comeback because of lingering neck injuries from a motorcycle crash six months ago.
The seven-time world champion was to fill in for injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa and hoped to return at this month's European Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain. Ferrari announced that test driver Luca Badoer will race in Massa's place.
Schumacher said on his Web site he informed top Ferrari officials Monday that "unfortunately I'm not able to step in for Felipe."
Schumacher, 40, retired after the 2006 season. Since then, he has raced occasionally in a motorcycle series before being injured in a crash.
"The consequences of the injuries caused by the bike accident in February, fractures in the area of head and neck, unfortunately have turned out to be still too severe," Schumacher said. "That is why my neck cannot stand the extreme stresses caused by Formula One yet.
"I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible. However, much to my regret, it didn't work out."
Also: Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon has a stiff back a day after a spectacular accident at Watkins Glen.
Gordon has been bothered by an aching back for more than a year, and the hard impact from Monday's accident increased his discomfort. But he said he'll be ready to race this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.
Jeff Burton said the accident left him sore all over, and the crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr. said his driver is surprised at how well he feels.
The three got the worst of the six-car accident that began when Hornish was run off course into a tire barrier. His car shot back onto the track and into the path of Gordon, who went head-on into a steel barrier.
MISCELLANEOUS
San Francisco entry in UFL called Redwoods
The San Francisco entry in the new United Football League will be called the California Redwoods.
UFL commissioner Michael Huyghue announced the name and unveiled team uniforms of green, blue and white.
Former NFL coach Dennis Green will coach the Redwoods, who will play their first game Oct. 8 against the Las Vegas Locomotives at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The names of the other two UFL teams based in New York and Orlando, Fla., will be announced this week.
Also: The Las Vegas Wranglers have agreed to an affiliation with the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League for the 2009-10 season.
This will be the first season that Phoenix and Las Vegas will be affiliated. For the previous six seasons, the Wranglers had been the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames.
Las Vegas Legacy fell to 1-3 in the Little League West Regional Baseball Tournament in San Bernardino, Calif., with a 10-5 loss to Southern California representative Chula Vista (4-0).
Legacy must beat Arizona representative Glendale (1-3) in tonight's final pool-play game to advance to the West regional semifinals Friday.
Roger Federer, playing for the first time since winning Wimbledon, returned to the court with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Canada's Frederic Niemeyer at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Federer, who took time off while his wife gave birth to twin girls, took a set to find his range, then the top-ranked Swiss star put away the low-ranked Niemeyer.
Top-ranked Dinara Safina scattered shots all over the court early in her match before rallying past unseeded Roberta Vinci 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the Cincinnati Open.
The Breeders' Cup is ditching the purple saddle cloths used to identify horses.
Officials said they'll now use different colors to make viewing easier for fans during races. This year's showcase event will be at Santa Anita on Nov. 6 and 7.
Colored saddle cloths with numbers are commonly used at North American tracks. Sixteen colored cloths will be used at the Breeders' Cup, and sponsors of specific races still will have their logos on them.
Ricky Hatton will fight Amir Khan only if he can promote the "Battle of Britain" bout.
The 30-year-old Briton hasn't decided if he will retire or face Khan, the newly crowned WBA light welterweight champion.
"If I do decide to make a comeback and he is still world champion and he's still at that level, then obviously being a light welterweight, it is a possibility," Hatton said. "But with the greatest of respect, it would only be if I promoted it."
