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Sports Buzz
On a wind-blown day that had no more than five scores under par at the SemGroup Championship in Broken Arrow, Okla., Lorena Ochoa described her 73 as “a good score.” Hee Young Park and Beth Bader each opened with a 2-under 69s. Paula Creamer and defending champion Mi Hyun Kim each shot 70.
•At the Wachovia Championship in Charlotte, N.C., Phil Mickelson made the most of Tiger Woods’ knee surgery. His 4-under 68 was a stroke off the lead held by David Toms, the 2003 Wachovia champion. Tom Pernice Jr. opened with a 72. Richmond’s Michael Letzig opened with a 75, as did Woody Austin.
Proud Spell the Oaks favorite
Now that filly Eight Belles has opted out of today’s Kentucky Oaks in favor of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the favorite’s role goes to Proud Spell. She’ll lead a field of 11 horses in the race, which will be televised on ESPN2 at 4 p.m.
•Gretchen Jackson and her husband, Roy, former owners of 2006 Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro, unveiled a brass plaque that will be at the site of the horse’s grave at Churchill Downs. Barbaro suffered a tragic injury in the Preakness and later was euthanized after a long battle with laminitis.
I was framed
Arvin Kenti Edwards, the Washington man changed with shooting three people outside a Las Vegas strip club, is claiming that suspended NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones ordered the shooting and was framing him to avoid identifying the real shooter.
Edwards made the claims in a telephone interview from a jail in Washington where he is being held on $1 million bail. Edwards said Jones paid someone for the shooting, but it wasn’t him.
Police also say that Edwards demanded $15,000 from Jones for “services rendered.” Edwards’ phone records indicate he had contacted Jones in Atlanta and Tennessee.
Jones’ relay teammates appeal
The seven runners who were on relay teams with doper/sprinter Marion Jones filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport seeking to retain their 2000 Olympic medals. Passion Richardson, who trained in Kansas City for a time, was one of the runners.
Hold ’em and hold ’em
The final table at the 2008 World Series of Poker will be played in November — four months after the nine players win their spots in the July tournament. The change is being made to heighten suspense and promotional hype of the poker tournament. The final table will begin Nov. 9, and the championship probably will be awarded in the early-morning hours of Nov. 11.
Worth noting
•Dennis Rodman was arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly hitting a woman at a Century City hotel. He was freed on $50,000 bail.
•Marco Velez scored his first MLS goal, helping Toronto FC get a 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls in Toronto.
•Former baseball player Jose Canseco has had his $2.5 million home in Encino, Calif., foreclosed upon because he said it didn’t make sense to continue making payments. He has a home in Florida.