Monday’s Sports in Brief – The News Tribune

TIGER WOODS

Tiger Woods attributed an “unexpected reaction” to prescription medicine for his arrest on a DUI charge that landed him in a Florida jail for nearly four hours.

Woods, the 14-time major champion who had back surgery five weeks ago, was arrested on suspicion of DUI at about 3 a.m. Monday and taken to Palm Beach County jail. He was released on his own recognizance.

An arrest report might be available on Tuesday, Jupiter Police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler said.

Woods apologized to his family, friends and fans and said, “I expect more from myself, too.”

Woods, whose 79 victories rank No. 2 on the PGA Tour’s career list, has not competed for nearly four months. He is out for the rest of the season while he recovers from fusion surgery performed April 20 in Texas.

BASEBALL

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has a torn ligament in his left thumb and will have surgery Wednesday that is expected to sideline him between six to eight weeks.

The Angels put the reigning AL MVP on the disabled list for the first time in his career. The outfielder hurt himself a day earlier making a headfirst slide to steal second base in Miami.

At 25, Trout already is a two-time AL MVP. He is hitting .337 and has 16 home runs, second most in the majors.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said an MRI revealed the tear. Team doctor Steve Shin arrived in Anaheim later in the night, met with Trout and it was determined surgery was his best option.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An enraged Bryce Harper charged the mound, fired his helmet and traded punches to the head with San Francisco reliever Hunter Strickland after getting hit by a fastball, setting off a wild brawl during the Washington Nationals’ 3-0 win over the Giants.

Drilled in the right hip by a 98 mph heater on Strickland’s first pitch in the eighth inning with two outs, none on and Washington ahead 2-0, Harper didn’t hesitate. The slugger pointed his bat at Strickland, yelled at him and took off.

No one got in Harper’s way as he rushed the mound. His eyes were wide as he flung his helmet — it sailed wide of Strickland, it might’ve slipped — and they started swinging away. The 6-foot-4 Strickland hit Harper in the face, then they broke apart for a moment before squaring off again. Harper punched Strickland in the head as the benches and bullpen emptied.

Harper and Strickland were both ejected. They have some history between them — in the 2014 NL Division Series, Harper hit two home runs off Strickland, and the All-Star outfielder glared at the reliever as he rounded the bases.

SPORTS MEDIA

Frank Deford, the award-winning sports writer and commentator whose elegant reportage was a staple for years at Sports Illustrated and National Public Radio, has died. He was 78.

He died Sunday in Key West, Florida, his family said.

Deford was a six-time Sports Writer of the Year and a member of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He wrote and spoke with a lyrical touch and this month retired from NPR’s “Morning Edition” after 37 years as a contributor.

He was the first sports writer awarded the National Humanities Medal. In 2013, President Barack Obama honored him for “transforming how we think about sports.” Deford called the award the one he is most proud of.

DENVER (AP) — A veteran sports writer is no longer working with The Denver Post after he posted on Twitter that he was “uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend.”

Terry Frei sent the tweet after Takuma Sato on Sunday became the first Japanese driver to win the race.

Frei sent a follow-up tweet apologizing to Sato and the paper for his comment, saying he “fouled up.” He noted his tweet occurred during an emotional time when he was honoring his late father, who was a World War II pilot in the fight against Japan.

He declined to comment further.

The Denver Post apologized on its website, saying that Frei’s tweet was disrespectful and unacceptable. It said Frei was no longer employed and declined further comment.

OLYMPICS

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Six Russian cross-country skiers will stay suspended until an IOC panel judges if they were part of a state-backed doping conspiracy at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the Olympic commission — chaired by International Olympic Committee member Denis Oswald — should deliver rulings “during the summer period.”

The court says the skiers will stay provisionally suspended until at least Oct. 31. They include Alexander Legkov, the Olympic 50-kilometer freestyle champion, and Maxim Vylegzhanin, a three-time silver medalist at Sochi.

The skiers appealed against interim bans imposed by the International Ski Federation in December after they were implicated by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren.

CAS hearings this month did not examine detailed doping allegations against Legkov, Vylegzhanin, Alexey Petukhov, Evgenia Shapovalova, Evgeniy Belov and Julia Ivanova.