IN BRIEF
SPORTS AND THE LAW
Attempted extortion of Pitino nets charges
An equipment manager's estranged wife was charged with trying to extort Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino, at first demanding cars and tuition for her children, then later asking for $10 million, according to a federal complaint filed Friday.
Karen Sypher, 49, also is accused of lying to the FBI. She appeared in a Louisville, Ky., courtroom but did not enter a plea and was released on her own recognizance.
Sypher's husband, Tim Sypher, brought Pitino a written list of demands including tuition, two cars of her choice, her house paid off and $3,000 per month, according to the complaint. Those were replaced with the $10 million demand, the complaint said.
It wasn't clear why she was demanding the money. Court documents say only that Pitino believed it was related to an "encounter" in 2003.
Also: A former Toledo football player recruited his teammates and basketball players at the school to take part in a point-shaving scheme during a three-year period, according to documents filed in federal court in Detroit.
Adam Cuomo, a little-used running back at the school, admitted he initiated the scheme with a Detroit-area gambler in the fall of 2003 and that they both bet on Toledo games, the documents said.
Former world boxing champion Kendall Holt pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge in Paterson, N.J.
Prosecutors said the charge against Holt, 27, stemmed from drug deals made by his manager, Henry Cortes. In February, Cortes pleaded guilty to drug charges.
GOLF
Kelly takes one-stroke lead in Zurich Classic
Jerry Kelly moved into position for his first PGA Tour victory since his breakthrough 2002 season, shooting a 6-under-par 66 for a one-stroke lead over Troy Matteson in the Zurich Classic in Avondale, La.
Kelly had a 10-under 134 total on the TPC Louisiana course. His tour victories came in 2002 -- in the Sony Open and Western Open.
Also: Tiger Woods will play in next week's Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, N.C.
Woods committed to the event formerly called the Wachovia Championship. He won the tournament in 2007, but couldn't defend last year because he was recovering from the first of two knee surgeries.
Lorena Ochoa shot her second straight bogey-free 8-under 65 to take a three-stroke lead over Suzann Pettersen in the LPGA Tour's Corona Championship in Morelia, Mexico.
Ochoa (16-under 130) eagled the par-5 eighth hole and had six birdies. Pettersen (133) shot a 64.
Tom Lehman's debut on the Champions Tour got off to a promising start, with some help from teammate Bernhard Langer.
Lehman and Langer were tied for the lead at 11-under 61 with Fuzzy Zoeller and John Jacobs after the first round of the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, a better-ball event in Savannah, Ga.
LOCAL COLLEGES
UNLV women's tennis team to play for title
The top-seeded UNLV women's tennis team swept its three doubles matches for a point and added singles victories by Kristina Nedeltcheva, Adrienn Hidvegi and Rumyana Terzierva to beat fifth-seeded New Mexico 4-1 in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference championships in Albuquerque, N.M.
The Rebels (20-6) will play No. 2 seed Texas Christian (15-10) today for the league title and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Also: The sixth-seeded UNLV men's tennis team fell to No. 2 seed New Mexico 4-1 in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference championships in Albuquerque, N.M.
The lone victory for the Rebels (14-12) was by Wesley Burrows at No. 3 singles.
The UNLV baseball team surrendered four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and fell to Air Force 7-5 in a Mountain West Conference game in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Rebels (20-21, 5-8 MWC) got two solo home runs from Bryan Resnick.
Ashli Holland hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the seventh inning to lift the UNLV softball team to a 7-6 Mountain West Conference victory over Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo.
Kendall Fearn hit a solo homer for the Rebels (27-17, 3-6 MWC).
Scott Dysinger went 4-for-6 with a double, a triple and three RBIs as the College of Southern Nevada baseball team swept a Scenic West Athletic Association doubleheader from Eastern Utah 9-5 and 15-4 in Price, Utah.
Gabe Weidenaar gave up four hits and struck out nine in six innings to get the win for the Coyotes (35-15, 27-7 SWAC) in the opener, and Egan Smith struck out seven in five innings to win the second game.
Victoria Poma's squeeze bunt in the fifth inning pushed across the winning run as the College of Southern Nevada softball team split a Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader with Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, winning the second game 3-2 after losing the opener, 5-1.
Amy Alcher went 4-for-8 on the day for the Coyotes (31-18, 26-14 SWAC).
MISCELLANEOUS
Quality Road suffers another cracked hoof
Quality Road has another hoof problem that could knock him out of the Kentucky Derby.
Among the top Derby contenders, Quality Road developed a quarter crack on the inside of his right front hoof -- a few days after the same injury to the right hind hoof was declared healed by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay.
Trainer Jimmy Jerkens said he first noticed the latest quarter crack Thursday after Quality Road returned from a gallop at Belmont Park. The trainer, though, was optimistic his colt would be able to run for the roses at Churchill Downs on May 2 after McKinlay laced up the crack Friday afternoon.
Also: Nikolay Davydenko rallied for a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-2 victory over Radek Stepanek to reach a Barcelona Open semifinal against Rafael Nadal.
David Ferrer and Fernando Gonzalez will meet in today's other semifinal.
Cory Spinks overcame a first-round knockdown to outpoint Deandre Latimore and win the vacant IBF junior middleweight title in St. Louis.
Spinks (37-5) overcame a cut above his left eye to win a split decision. Two judges split their scorecards 115-112, and the third gave a 114-113 edge to Spinks.
France's anti-doping agency said it will not seek sanctions against cyclist Lance Armstrong over a dispute with a drug tester.
The agency said in a statement that it "decided to take into consideration the athlete's written explanations" and will not open disciplinary procedures.
Bill Barnes, who coached football at UCLA from 1958 to 1964, played at Tennessee and was a decorated World War II veteran, has died. He was 91.
Barnes, 31-34-3 in seven seasons at UCLA, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia at Santa Monica (Calif.) Hospital, where he had been for more than two months.
