Sports shorts
football WVU center injued
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia center Dan Mozes sustained a sprain in his lower leg against Cincinnati, the school said Thursday.
Mozes, an all-Big East selection at left guard last year who took over at center in the third game of this season, limped off the field in the third quarter of the 38-0 win on Wednesday night.
An examination Thursday showed no fracture, WVU Sports Information Director Shelly Poe said.
“I’ve been awake all night waiting on it,” West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said Thursday. “That’s obviously our biggest concern.”
Rodriguez said the loss of Mozes, the anchor of West Virginia’s veteran offensive line, would be devastating.
“No question, he’s maybe the most valuable player we have on the team, period. Not just from a playing standpoint, but also from a leadership standpoint,” Rodriguez said. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Poe said more would be known next week on Mozes’ availability for West Virginia’s home game Nov. 24 against Pittsburgh.
Mike Dent, a redshirt freshman and converted defensive end, is Mozes’ backup. Starting right guard Jeremy Sheffey is available, although he’s never played center in a game, Rodriguez said.
Basketball
WVU signs six recruits
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia basketball coach John Beilein announced Thursday the signing of six players to national letters of intent.
Devan Bawinkel, Desean Butler, Jacob Green, Joe Mazzulla, Wellington Smith and Cam Thoroughman will join Butler transfer Jamie Smalligan for the 2006-2007 season.
The 6-foot-5 Bawinkel averaged 20.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a junior at Winnebago (Ill.) High. He led his team to a second-place finish in Illinois’ Class A state tournament in both his sophomore and junior seasons.
The 6-7 Butler averaged 15.7 points per game as a junior at Bloomfield Tech (N.J.) High while the 6-9 Green averaged five points and five rebounds at Gonzaga High in Washington, D.C.
The 6-2 Mazzulla averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals last year and led Bishop Hendricken to two Rhode Island state titles as a sophomore and junior.
Smith averaged 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks per game for Summit (N.J.) High last season. The 6-7 Smith is attending Blair Academy this season.
The 6-7 Thoroughman averaged 22.3 points per game as a junior at Clay High in Portsmouth, Ohio.
hockey
Penguins bring up Fleury
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Former top draft choice Marc-Andre Fleury was recalled Thursday by the Pittsburgh Penguins because of an injury to goaltender Sebastien Caron.
No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft was brought back for the second time in slightly more than a month. He was chosen as the AHL’s top goaltender for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in October despite spending part of the month in Pittsburgh.
Caron was placed on the injured reserve list after straining a quadriceps muscle during a 5-0 loss in Atlanta on Wednesday night. Caron was injured early in the third period after allowing four goals on 38 shots.
The 20-year-old Fleury was 0-1-1 with a 4.05 goals-against average in three Penguins games last month after Jocelyn Thibault injured a knee in practice Oct. 8. Fleury has been the AHL’s best goaltender this season, going 7-0-1 with a 1.49 GAA and a .938 save percentage.
Baseball
Palmeiro gets break
WASHINGTON (AP) – Baseball star Rafael Palmeiro will not be prosecuted on perjury charges after lawmakers said Thursday there isn’t enough evidence to prove he lied when he told a congressional panel under oath that he had “never used steroids” – six weeks before failing a steroid test.
“The committee will not make a perjury referral to the Department of Justice,” the House Government Reform Committee said in a 44-page report on the Palmeiro case released Thursday. “A referral for perjury is a serious step. In this case, the evidence before the committee is insufficient to merit a perjury referral.”
The report said the panel “did not make further determinations about the accuracy or inaccuracy of assertions by Mr. Palmeiro or others.”
boxing
Tyson in more hot water
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) – Mike Tyson was questioned by police early Thursday after a television cameraman accused the former heavyweight champion of assaulting him outside a nightclub.
Tyson could face charges of assault and destruction of property, police spokeswoman Kelly Pinheiro said. A court hearing has been scheduled for Friday, but Tyson can send a representative and is not required to appear.
Carlos Eduardo da Silva, a cameraman with the Brazilian television network SBT, told police Tyson pushed him and threw his camera to the ground outside the club, then removed a videotape and put it in his pocket.
Rahman given title
MEXICO CITY (AP) – The WBC voted on Thursday to give its heavyweight title to Hasim Rahman, one day after champion Vitali Klitschko announced his retirement.
Five days ago, Klitschko, facing a six-month recovery after tearing a ligament in his right knee, pulled out of a title defense against Rahman in Las Vegas.
“The WBC has already received a majority of votes from its governing council to declare Hasim Rahman undisputed world heavyweight champion,” the council said in a press statement.