In Brief

GOLF

Weekley withstands wind, shares Hope lead with Vegas

Boo Weekley shot a 6-under-par 66 in windy conditions Thursday for a share of the second-round lead with rookie Jhonattan Vegas in the Bob Hope Classic.

Vegas had a 67 to match Weekley at 13-under 131 in the 90-hole tournament on four Palm Springs-area courses in California. Charles Howell III (66) and Chris Couch (65) were one stroke back.

Vegas is a Venezuelan playing in his fifth PGA Tour event.

Also: Charl Schwartzel took a one-stroke lead at the Abu Dhabi Championship in United Arab Emirates with an 8-under 64 in the first round.

The South African had nine birdies -- eight in the first 12 holes -- to lead Padraig Harrington by one shot.

MISCELLANEOUS

World Cup tentacled tipster now can finally rest in piece

Paul the celebrated octopus has finally got his tentacles wrapped around a soccer ball.

The Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, unveiled a memorial to the World Cup's most unlikely star: a 6-foot tall plastic replica of Paul clutching a ball in his eight arms.

Paul died three months ago, and his cremated ashes were placed in a gold-leaf-covered urn inside the ball.

Paul correctly predicted the outcome of all seven of Germany's games at last year's World Cup, plus the Spain-Netherlands final. He made his picks by opening the lid of one of two boxes, each containing a mussel and a team flag.

Also: Dan MacLelland entered the PBA Tournament of Champions this week hoping to leave Red Rock Lanes with a paycheck.

After averaging 253 for his final seven qualifying games Thursday, he advanced to the final round of 24 players in the $1 million tournament and could leave Saturday's finals with $250,000.

"I just wanted to make the Cashers round," the 25-year-old senior at Saginaw Valley State University said of making the top 53.

MacLelland posted a 4-4 record in the first eight-game match-play block. He leads Osku Palermaa by 86 pins with 16 games remaining before the field is cut tonight to the top four, who will advance to Saturday's live stepladder finals at 11:30 a.m. on ABC (13).

Among players who survived the cut to match play were Chris Barnes, the winner of Sunday's PBA World Championship, and Walter Ray Williams Jr., the PBA Tour's all-time titles leader with 47.

Defending event champion Kelly Kulick missed the cut and finished 49th. Eric Forkel of Las Vegas placed 51st.

Outfielder Andruw Jones agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

Jones can make an additional $1.2 million in performance bonuses as part of the agreement: $150,000 each for 250 and 275 plate appearances, $200,000 apiece for 300 and 325, and $250,000 for each of 350 and 375.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Marcus Thames agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract.

Thames had a .288 batting average and a .350 on-base percentage in 82 games, both career highs, last season with the Yankees.

Louisiana State football coach Les Miles hired former Louisville and Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Prosecutors have dropped charges of keeping a drug house against former Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and his roommate.

Adam Cuomo, a former Toledo football player, pleaded guilty to a gambling charge, admitting he introduced basketball players to a Detroit-area businessman and encouraged them to shave points for money during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

Quarterback Tate Forcier is leaving Michigan. A message "its time for me to go" was posted on his family's Twitter account late Wednesday.

Former ESPN announcer Ron Franklin has sued the network over his firing for reportedly berating a female colleague.

ESPN said the fourth annual Jimmy V Week brought in a record $1.2 million in donations to The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

The Colorado Avalanche will be without left wing Tomas Fleischmann for the rest of the season after he was diagnosed with two blood clots, one in each lung.