Sports FYI
BY Staff and Wire reports
Saturday, February 02, 2013
2/02/13 at 2:57 AM
Baseball
Hafner signs with Yankees: Former Driller Travis Hafner and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract that allows him to earn up to $4 million more in bonuses based on plate appearances.
Limited by injuries the past five seasons, the 35-year-old gives the Yankees a designated hitter with power potential from the left side of the plate. He essentially takes over the role filled last season by Raul Ibanez, who signed a $2.75 million, one-year deal with Seattle in December.
Hafner played in only 66 games for Cleveland last year because of knee and back problems and hit .228 with 12 homers and 34 RBIs in 263 at-bats. The Indians declined a $13 million option, electing to pay him a $2.75 million buyout.
Tennis
Tulsa men beat Minnesota: Tulsa's Clifford Marsland defeated Minnesota's 49th-ranked Rok Bonin to give the No. 22 Golden Hurricane a 4-3 victory over No. 37 Minnesota on Friday night at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Tulsa (2-3) hosts No. 14 Baylor at 1 p.m. Sunday.
OU men top Indiana: The No. 8 University of Oklahoma men's team (4-0) won its first road match of the season, 4-3 over No. 33 Indiana University (1-5) on Friday.
Softball
Three OU players on watch list: Oklahoma has landed three players on the Top 50 Watch List for the 2013 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the Amateur Softball Association of America and USA Softball announced Friday.
Senior Keilani Ricketts, last year's winner, fellow senior Jessica Shults and sophomore Lauren Chamberlain represent the Sooners on the list.
Arkansas' Devon Wallace was also on the list.
Track and field
Tulsa's Robinson runs NCAA-leading time: Freshman Bryce Robinson, in only his second meet for TU, ran the 60-meter dash in 6.61 seconds Friday to tie the NCAA Division I season lead during the Frank Sevigne Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.
Robinson, from Edmond Memorial High School, won the qualifying round, shattering the school record of 6.73 that he set two weeks ago.
Wrestling
OSU takes down Missouri: No. 2 Oklahoma State won several close battles against No. 7 Missouri, coming away with a 21-13 win in front of 6,486 fans in Columbia, Mo.
The Cowboys' lone bonus-point win came at 285 pounds, where Alan Gelogaev pinned MU's Devin Mellon in 4:15, giving the Cowboys a comfortable 12-0 lead.
A tough loss for the Cowboys came in the final match of the night, where top-ranked Chris Perry was handed his first defeat of the season at 174 pounds.
The Cowboys travel to Ames, Iowa, on Sunday to take on Big 12 foe Iowa State at 2 p.m.
Basketball
OU's Hand earns academic honor: Oklahoma's Whitney Hand was voted to the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-District Women's Basketball Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Hand graduated with an undergraduate GPA of 3.76, earning her bachelor's in health and exercise science. The Fort Worth, Texas, native has maintained a 4.0 GPA in her master's studies.
NBA union head Hunter placed on indefinite leave: NBA players put union chief Billy Hunter on an indefinite leave Friday, two weeks after a report they commissioned questioned Hunter's leadership and criticized him for bad decisions and questionable business practices.
The union is forming an interim executive committee and an advisory committee, the group's president, Derek Fisher, said in a statement.
Hunter's attorney responded that the actions weren't allowable under NBPA rules, setting up the possibility of Hunter fighting to keep his job.
Fisher pushed for the outside review of Hunter and the union. That examination by a New York law firm found no illegal use of funds but cited Hunter for a number of poor choices and recommended players discuss whether he should remain in charge during their All-Star weekend meetings.
Gymnastics
OU women earn win: The No. 2 Oklahoma women's team cruised to victory Friday, scoring 197.375 to defeat West Virginia (195.875), Western Michigan (192.475) and William & Mary (192.225).
