IN BRIEF

HORSE RACING

Rachel Alexandra beats heat,
rivals in Lady's Secret Stakes

Rachel Alexandra kept cool on a wilting afternoon at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., defeating six rivals Saturday in the $400,000 Lady's Secret Stakes for fillies and mares.

It was the second straight win for the reigning Horse of the Year after two losses to start the season.

Rachel Alexandra beat the heat, in addition to the competition, as temperatures pushed into the upper 90s. Combined with the humidity, the heat index topped 100.

Calvin Borel was aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen as Rachel Alexandra beat Queen Martha by three lengths. Queen Martha, the second choice at 8-1, set the pace with Rachel Alexandra tracking in second. They hooked up on the final turn, with Rachel Alexandra taking charge at the top of the lane before pulling clear in the deep stretch.

The time was 1:49.78.

"We're very pleased with her, how she ran today," Asmussen said. "It was an awfully warm day, and she kept her composure. She was very relaxed off the other mare. The first thing Calvin said when he came off her was that he loved how she came home today. I think that will be the key to her future success."

The 1-10 favorite, Rachel Alexandra paid $2.20, $2.10 and $2.10. Queen Martha returned $2.80 and $2.40. Ask the Moon paid $3.80 to show.

Also: Heavy favorite The Usual Q.T. used a blazing final furlong for an easy victory in the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif.

Ridden by Victor Espinoza for trainer James Cassidy, The Usual Q.T. sat third in the field of seven older horses in the early going of the Grade 1 Eddie Read, took the lead in mid-stretch and beat Victor's Cry by two lengths, covering 1 1-8 miles on turf in 1:47.28.

Heavily favored Devil May Care took command leaving the stretch turn and drew away to an authoritative four-length victory in the $250,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

John Velazquez rode the Todd Pletcher-trained Devil May Care to her third straight victory over members of her own sex, a streak interrupted by a 10th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

The Coaching Club Oaks, in which she ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:49.42 after being rated behind a moderate pace, was Devil May Care's fifth career win from eight career starts.

FOOTBALL

Kaye Cowher, wife of former
Steelers coach, dies of cancer

Kaye Cowher, the wife of former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and a former basketball player at North Carolina State, has died of skin cancer. She was 54.

Cowher died Friday in her native North Carolina, where the family relocated at her urging during Cowher's final year as coach in 2006, one season after the Steelers won the Super Bowl. The family had lived since in Raleigh.

"Kaye was such a loving and compassionate person and she was the foundation of our family," Bill Cowher, now an NFL analyst with CBS, said in a statement. "Kaye was always at my side throughout my career as a player, coach, NFL analyst and, most importantly, as a parent to our three daughters."

He added: "Kaye was the rock that we could all lean on in the tough times. She was looked up to by so many people, and I cannot say enough about what Kaye meant to our family."

Also: The New York Giants agreed to terms with free-agent linebacker Keith Bulluck. Media reports said the deal was for one year and $2.5 million.

Bulluck had spent his entire 10-year career with the Tennessee Titans.

Southern California coach Lane Kiffin hired Tennessee Titans running backs coach Kennedy Pola as his offensive coordinator.

Before the move became official, Titans coach Jeff Fisher voiced his displeasure with Kiffin to the Tennessean newspaper, saying the first-year USC coach hadn't made the customary courtesy phone call to tell the NFL team he was interested in hiring Pola.

The move left the Titans without a running backs coach one week before training camp opens.

Kiffin issued a statement saying he first spoke to Pola on Friday, then called Fisher after Pola called him back.

TENNIS

New-look Fish beats Roddick, reaches Atlanta final vs. Isner

Mardy Fish has a new look and a personal-best winning streak that even top-seeded Andy Roddick couldn't stop.

Fish extended his streak to nine matches with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 upset of Roddick, the No. 9 player in the world, in the Atlanta Tennis Championships in Johns Creek, Ga. Fish, the No. 6 seed, has not lost a set in the tournament.

"Confidence is a huge part of our sport," Fish said. "I'm as confident on the court as I've ever been right now."

Fish will face No. 2 seed John Isner in today's final. Isner beat Kevin Anderson, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9).

After knee surgery last year, Fish has lost 30 pounds, from 200 to 170.

Fish, who won in Newport, R.I., this month, will be playing for his second straight tournament win.

miscellaneous

New CSN baseball coach Sheff
receives six oral commitments

Six players, four of them from Las Vegas, have committed to play for the College of Southern Nevada baseball team.

Infielder R.J. Santigate (Bishop Gorman), outfielders Kris Kaplan (Cimarron-Memorial) and John Pustay, catcher Bobby Burns (Faith Lutheran) and pitchers Chipper Smith and Sam Lindsey (Cimarron) will play for new coach Chris Sheff, who took over the team after Tim Chambers was hired by UNLV. All six play for the Team Vegas Summer Baseball Club.

Kaplan is transferring from UNLV. Pustay was an all-state high school player in Colorado, and Smith will transfer from College of the Canyons in California.

Also: Jessica Mendoza doubled twice and drove in four runs, Monica Abbott threw a one-hitter and the U.S. beat rival Japan 8-0 at the World Cup of Softball in Oklahoma City.

The Americans (4-0) have yet to allow a run or an extra-base hit in four victories at the World Cup, yielding only nine singles in 26 innings.

Natasha Watley had an RBI single and scored three times and Kaitlin Cochran homered for the third time in three days to end the game after six innings because of the mercy rule.

Jennie Finch, playing in her final international tournament, also drove in a run.

American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin will talk to Tiger Woods at next month's U.S. PGA Championship to learn whether he wants to be on his team at Celtic Manor in Wales in October.

Woods is seventh in the points table that will provide eight automatic members for the United States against Europe.

However, he could drop down the standings and need a wild card if the likes of Ricky Barnes and Hunter Mahan outperform him at the Bridgestone Invitational and the U.S. PGA in August.

Former University of Memphis basketball players Shawne Williams and Kareem Cooper were arrested after police found marijuana and a loaded gun in the car they were traveling in.

Memphis police said they pulled over the Dodge Charger on Friday because Williams wasn't wearing a seat belt. He was charged with driving on a suspended license.

Police then searched the car and said they found more than 17 grams of marijuana and a gun on Cooper.

Hakuho won his 15th career title at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in an event overshadowed by a gambling scandal that hit Japan's ancient sport.

The Mongolian defeated compatriot Harumafuji to improve to 14-0, but wrapped up the Emperor's Cup when Homasho fell to a third defeat to Tokusegawa in a previous bout.

Dozens of sumo's top wrestlers and coaches allegedly wagered as much as $50,000 on professional baseball games, with gangsters reportedly acting as go-betweens.

The Japan Sumo Association considered canceling the 15-day tournament because of the scandal but decided against it.