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MLB
approves control of Expos, sale of Marlins
NEW YORK (AP)
— In an unprecedented move, baseball owners unanimously approved
the takeover of the Expos by the commissioner’s office and
the sale of the Florida Marlins to Montreal’s current owner.
Tuesday’s
votes, taken just three days before those teams start spring training,
caused immediate management shifts. Montreal manager Jeff Torborg
quit and became Florida’s manager, and Hall of Famer Frank
Robinson was hired as the Expos’ manager.
Larry Beinfest,
who had been the Expos’ interim general manager, resigned to
become Florida’s general manager and was replaced by Omar Minaya,
who had been senior assistant general manager of the New York Mets.
Tony Tavares,
who quit the Anaheim Angels last month, was appointed by baseball
commissioner Bud Selig as Montreal’s team president.
Selig would
not assure survival beyond this season for Montreal, which joined
the major leagues in 1969. He promised the Expos would be run independently
and that their top young players, such as Vladimir Guerrero, wouldn’t
be traded.
Never before
has a major league baseball team been ownerless during a season.
Second
half run secures win for No. 5 Cincinnati
CINCINNATI (AP)
— Steve Logan scored 21 points and had a three-point play during
a decisive second-half run Tuesday night as No. 5 Cincinnati pulled
away to a 67-53 victory over Saint Louis.
Jason Maxiell
scored six points in the 14-4 spurt that put Cincinnati (23-2, 10-1
Conference USA) ahead by double digits with six minutes to go. Saint
Louis (11-14, 5-7 C-USA) never got closer than nine the rest of
the way.
The Bearcats
are closing the season with a favorable stretch. Four of their last
six regular-season games are at home, including their two toughest
— against Memphis and No. 11 Marquette.
The Conference
USA tournament also is in Cincinnati, where the Bearcats haven’t
lost this season.
Saint Louis,
which has won only one road game this season, fell to 0-11 at the
Shoemaker Center and 4-31 overall in Cincinnati.
Three days after
they showed they can run the court during a 103-94 victory at No.
19 Wake Forest, the Bearcats went back to grinding it out against
the defense that’s given them the most problems this season.
Logan steadied
the Bearcats in a 54-50 win at Saint Louis on Jan. 22, scoring 25
points as Cincinnati finished with a season-low points total. He
scored 11 in the first half Tuesday night, helping Cincinnati get
ahead.
Saint Louis
had a big setback in the opening minutes. Leading scorer Marque
Perry got two fouls in the first 2:14 — both while defending
Logan — and went to the bench for the rest of the half.
Perry averages
14.7 points per game, the only Billiken in double figures. He finished
with a team-high 15.
Logan had a
pair of free throws and a pull-up jumper as Cincinnati opened with
a 9-2 run and never trailed. The Billikens stayed close until a
pair of costly lapses in the closing seconds of the half.
Pirates
score off turnovers in win against S. Miss
GREENVILLE,
N.C. (AP) — Gabriel Mikulas had 16 points, and Bryan Foxx added
11, to help East Carolina to a 61-58 win over Southern Miss on Tuesday
night.
Erroyl Bing
added seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Pirates (9-15,
3-9 C-USA).
Brad Richardson
had 14 points and was the high scorer for Southern Miss (7-15, 2-10
C-USA). Elvin Mims, who added 12 points and six rebounds, was the
only other player in double figures.
Southern Miss
scored on just two of its four trips to the free throw line in the
first half, while East Carolina hit 7 of 8 (87.5 percent).
East Carolina
also converted more points than Southern Miss off of turnovers (24-14)
and fast breaks (5-2).
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