Ducks Hire Senior VP; Coach Search Continues

The Mighty Ducks have hired Bob Murray as the senior vice president of hockey operations, the team announced Thursday. Murray, 50, had been Vancouver’s director of player personnel since 2000.

The Ducks have also asked the Philadelphia Flyers for permission to interview John Stevens, coach of the Flyers’ minor league team in the American Hockey League, a source with the Flyers said. Stevens, Vancouver assistant Mike Johnston and San Jose assistant Tim Hunter are among the coaches being considered to replace Mike Babcock as the Ducks’ coach.

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Chris Foster

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As expected, Babcock, who led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup finals two years ago, agreed to terms and will replace Dave Lewis as coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

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Larry Robinson, who led the New Jersey Devils to a Stanley Cup title in 2000 but was fired less than two years later, returned as coach of the team.

Robinson replaces Pat Burns, who has been diagnosed with cancer for the second time in a little more than a year.

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Pro Basketball

The New York Knicks and free-agent center Jerome James agreed to a five-year deal, according to several media reports.

Marc Fleisher, James’ agent, confirmed the approximately $29-million deal, but the contract can’t be signed until the free-agent signing period begins July 22.

James, 29, averaged 4.9 points with Seattle last season.

With only the slightest of hedges, Larry Brown said he’s “confident” the Detroit Pistons will bring him back as their coach for the 2005-06 season.

“I’m confident I’ll be back, but you never know,” Brown told Associated Press. “Whatever happens will be for the best of the franchise, and that’s the important thing.”

Bill Laimbeer, coach of the WNBA Detroit Shock, has told Isiah Thomas that he no longer wants to be considered for the Knicks’ head coaching job, a source involved in the talks told ESPN’s Jim Gray.

Miami Heat forward Dorell Wright could sit out the remainder of the team’s summer league season because of a mouth injury.

Ticha Penicheiro scored 13 points and DeMya Walker had 11, and the Sacramento Monarchs held on for a ragged 72-61 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars in a WNBA game at Sacramento.

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High Schools

Rudy Washington, a 30-year coaching veteran, will take over the boys’ basketball program at Los Angeles Verbum Dei, where he began his career in 1976.

Washington replaces DeAnthony Langston, who has been promoted to executive director of Urban Compass, a nonprofit organization formed in partnership with Verbum Dei.

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College Football

The Big East, Big 12 and Notre Dame would alternate bids to the Gator Bowl and the Sun Bowl over a four-year period starting in 2006, according to an agreement nearing approval.

The four-year deal, which is pending the approval of the Big 12, would give the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Gator Bowl the option of taking the Big East’s No. 2 team or the Big 12’s No. 3 team. The agreement is scheduled to begin with the 2007 Gator Bowl, after the 2006 regular season.

The ACC would remain as the Gator Bowl’s other participant, and the Pacific 10 would do the same with the Sun Bowl.

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Jurisprudence

Former NFL player Darion Conner was sentenced to 15 years in prison at Tampa, Fla., for killing a bicyclist while he was driving drunk.

Conner spent eight seasons as a linebacker and defensive lineman in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles.

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Soccer

Tiffeny Milbrett, fresh from scoring her 100th goal for the national team, heads the squad selected for the U.S. women’s game against Iceland on July 24.

Midfielder Patrick Vieira transferred from Arsenal of the English Premier League to Juventus of Italy’s Serie A for a transfer fee of slightly more than $24 million.

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Miscellany

Formula One’s governing body will recommend guilty verdicts be dropped against the seven teams that boycotted the U.S. Grand Prix because new evidence showed they did nothing wrong.

The move comes less than a month after FIA ruled the teams were guilty of failing to provide suitable tires and wrongfully refusing to allow their cars to race in the June 19 event at Indianapolis.

FIA’s senate met in Monaco and said the teams were right to follow Michelin’s instructions to pull out. The teams were “contractually bound” to do so, FIA said in a statement.

Kalyn Keller won the 800-meter freestyle on the opening night of the Janet Evans Invitational swim meet at USC.

Keller finished in 8 minutes 26.35 seconds. Hayley Peirsol, sister of Olympic backstroke champion Aaron Peirsol, was second in 8:31.29. Stephanie Carr was third in 8:38.21.

Ryan Cochrane, 16, swam to a 12-second victory in the men’s 800. He won in 8:07.78. Michael Swanson was second in 8:20.52, and Tyler DeBerry third in 8:21.02.

Pepperdine will add women’s track beginning with the upcoming school year, said Roxanne Levenson, associate athletic director.

Bruce Weber, who led the Illinois men’s basketball team to a No. 1 ranking and its first national-championship game, was given a two-year contract extension. The new deal keeps Weber’s salary at $200,000, but it increases the money he gets for doing radio and TV shows, camps and promotional events by $150,000, bringing his total compensation to $700,000 a year.

A preliminary autopsy report ruled out infection, trauma or foul play in the death of Missouri football player Aaron O’Neal.

Boone County medical examiner Valerio Rao said that complete autopsy results won’t be available for weeks.

The U.S. was beaten in an international softball game for the first time since 2002, losing 2-1 to Canada in the inaugural World Cup of Softball at Oklahoma City.

Some of the United States’ biggest stars weren’t in the lineup. U.S. Coach Mike Candrea started Alicia Hollowell, a newcomer to the team, instead of aces Jennie Finch or Cat Osterman.

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Passings

Alex Shibicky, the first player to use a slap shot and a member of the New York Rangers’ 1940 Stanley Cup team, has died. He was 91.