In Brief

horse racing

'Obnoxious' Dutrow faces losing N.Y. license

Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. has some explaining to do.

New York racing authorities deemed Dutrow "obnoxious" and "unbecoming" and ordered him to show why he should not be suspended, lose his license and be kicked off tracks after years and dozens of sanctions.

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board suspended Dutrow twice last month. The suspensions totaled 90 days for hypodermic needles in his barn and for a winning horse's positive test for a banned painkiller at Aqueduct last year.

Dutrow has appealed, and the board scheduled hearings for March 30 and 31.

college football

Oregon defends paying two recruiting services

School officials have confirmed that the University of Oregon paid about $28,000 to two recruiting services but claim the payments and services were within NCAA rules.

Yahoo! Sports reported that Oregon paid $25,000 to Will Lyles of Complete Scouting Services in Houston. Lyles has a mentoring relationship with Ducks running back Lache Seastrunk.

The Yahoo! report also said that Oregon paid $3,745 to Baron Flenory of New Level Athletics. Flenory told Yahoo! he also ran a recruiting service that provided Oregon with information about potential recruits, but the company no longer operates because of a change in NCAA rules.

miscellaneous

Mourning Blue Raiders agree to play in tourney

The Middle Tennessee State women's basketball team spent most of the day grieving the stabbing death of teammate Tina Stewart and agonizing over the decision to play in the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

The Blue Raiders reached a unanimous decision.

Standing together, holding hands for support and with their eyes red from crying, senior guard Anne Marie Lanning announced they would try to win another title and the school's 14th trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Stewart, 21, was stabbed to death Wednesday night, and her 18-year-old roommate, Shanterrica Madden, has been charged with the killing.

Middle Tennessee (23-6), the East's top seed, is scheduled to play Sunday in Hot Springs, Ark.

Also: A grand jury has declined to indict Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn, ending his assault case.

Dunn, Baylor's career leading scorer, missed the season's first three games after he was arrested and accused of breaking his girlfriend's jaw in September. The woman, the mother of Dunn's son, disputed police accounts and had asked that charges be dropped.

Spencer Levin handled windy conditions at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., shooting a 3-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead over five others. The first round was suspended because of darkness with 12 players on the course.

Federal authorities in New York said the operator of a website that stole and streamed telecasts of sporting events has been arrested in Texas.

Bryan McCarthy is accused in a New York federal case of running a website that streamed sports and pay-per-view events illegally and made more than $90,000 from advertisers.

Prosecutors said channelsurfing.net pirated telecasts of broadcasts of NFL games, wrestling matches and mixed martial arts events.

Finally Michael Phelps looked as though he was pushing toward the London Olympics.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist posted the fastest times in the world this year in both of his events at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. He won the 200-meter freestyle in 1 minute, 46.27 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 51.75 seconds at the Indiana University Natatorium.

Authorities say six men wearing costumes -- four Power Rangers, a ninja and a Spider-Man -- were arrested and charged with disrupting or interfering with a girls high school soccer game in Cleveland, Ga.

Players and coaches were fearful as the men dashed onto the field and surrounded a goalie during Tuesday's game between Gainesville and White County.

Spectators pursued the men into a wooded area where most were found behind a log cabin.

The men told sheriff's officials they ran onto the field as a prank and that they were bored, a sheriff's report stated.

The Gainesville player who was surrounded told deputies that one of the men proposed marriage.