Back for more: The New Orleans Hornets are sticking with head coach Byron Scott for at least one more season, the team announced today. Team President Hugh Weber says the franchise was disappointed by its first-round playoff exit against the Denver Nuggets, which included a record 58-point loss. Weber added that Scott, who will be entering the final year of his contract, has not expressed an interest in leaving and that any interest other teams might have in the coach is “not an issue.” Scott is 349-349 in nine seasons as a coach, including 149-139 in three-plus seasons with the New Jersey Nets.
Busted: Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball today, becoming the latest high-profile player ensnared in the sport’s drug scandals. The commissioner’s office didn’t announce the specific violation by the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder, who will lose about one-third of his $25 million salary. “Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,” Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players’ union. “Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”
Tiger tied for 29th: Tiger Woods shot a 71 today in the first round of the The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. That put him one stroke under, and tied for 29th place. The early leaders are John Mallinger and Richard Johnson, who are at 6 under after shooting first-round 66s. David Toms shot 67, putting the former LSU golfer in a tie for third. The Players is the closest thing to a major without being one—the strongest field in golf with a $9.5 million purse and played on the same course each year.
