Sports shorts
Football McCutcheon honored
California University of Pa. junior center Tim McCutcheon was selected as a second-team Little All-American by the Associated Press.
McCutcheon was previously selected as a first-team American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II All-American. In addition to his All-American honors, the Quaker Valley graduate was the first Cal player to be selected for the Gene Upshaw Award as the top offensive lineman in Division II of the NCAA.
Basketball
Iverson leads voting
NEW YORK (AP) – Allen Iverson is on pace to start in the NBA All-Star game for the Eastern Conference – if he’s still playing in it.
Iverson, waiting to be traded by the Philadelphia 76ers, was the leader among East guards with 595,200 votes when the first set of returns were released Thursday.
Iverson and NBA finals MVP Dwyane Wade of Miami had the top spots in the East backcourt. But if the 76ers deal Iverson out of the conference, he will have some room to make up. His total would be third among West guards, behind Kobe Bryant (720,375) and Tracy McGrady (668,130).
Iverson is a two-time MVP of the All-Star game.
Houston center Yao Ming was the overall leader with 836,392 votes. The leaders among West forwards are Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, with Dirk Nowitzki running third.
LeBron James, the MVP of last season’s game, was the East’s leader with 808,570 votes. The leader at the other forward spot is Toronto’s Chris Bosh, while perennial All-Star Shaquille O’Neal is tops among East centers.
The All-Star game will be played Feb. 18 in Las Vegas, the first time it will be held outside an NBA city. Voting continues through Jan. 21 and the starters will be announced on Jan. 25.
Hockey
LeClair released
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Veteran left wing John LeClair was released by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
The former 50-goal scorer and Penguins general manager Ray Shero came to an agreement in which the club would not be responsible for the remainder of his $1.5 million salary.
The deal allows the Penguins to save money, while the two-time U.S. Olympian avoids the embarrassment of a suspension.
“I think it’s best for John, and it’s best for us,” Shero said. “It gives him an opportunity to go elsewhere and find a spot where he wants to play.”
LeClair, who has 406 goals and 413 assists in his 16-year career, faced suspension after not reporting to the Penguins’ top minor league team.
Baseball
Padres sign Maddux
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Greg Maddux finalized his $10 million, one-year contract with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, then hinted that there’s really no end in sight to his long, successful career.
The four-time Cy Young Award winner made a quick trip from his offseason home in Las Vegas to take his physical – which he passed – and then appear at a news conference.
“Last year I felt as good as I’ve ever felt,” said Maddux, who turns 41 on April 14. “I do like the game, I do like the competition, I do like wearing a major league shirt. I like the atmosphere, I like everything about it. I’m not ready to give it up.
“I feel like as long as I can locate my fastball and change speeds, I have a chance to keep pitching for a long time.”
Maddux is 333-203 with a 3.07 ERA in his career. The likely Hall of Famer split last season between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, going 15-14 with a 4.20 ERA.
He is the major offseason addition for the Padres, who repeated as NL West champions last year before losing in the first round of the playoffs to eventual World Series champion St. Louis.
Maddux’s win total last year would have led the Padres.
He joins a starting rotation headed by Jake Peavy that also includes Chris Young and Clay Hensley.
The deal for Maddux contains a $6 million player option for 2008. The price of the option would increase incrementally up to $10 million if Maddux pitches 200 innings.