NHL: Thrashers top Isles
Garnet Exelby scored in overtime to lift Atlanta to a 4-3 preseason victory over the Islanders last night in North Bay, Ontario. Matthew Spiller had two goals, and Freddy Meyer had the other for the Isles. In goal, Joey MacDonald stopped 30 shots.
* Commissioner Gary Bettman formally added an outdoor game to the 2007-08 season. The New Year’s Day game between the Sabres and Penguins is expected to break league attendance records by attracting 74,000 fans to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. Tickets, ranging from $29 to $225, were scheduled to go on sale at 10 a.m. today.
COLLEGE: Jones moves on
Demetrius Jones, the Notre Dame quarterback who lost the starting position after a poor performance in the season opener, expects to play next season at Northern Illinois following his decision to transfer.
Jones surprised Notre Dame coaches by failing to show up Friday for the team bus trip to Michigan. He said he was stung by coach Charlie Weis’ comments that freshman Jimmy Clausen had been the team’s top quarterback but was not named the opening-game starter because he was recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur from his throwing elbow.
* Fordham freshman running back Xavier Martin was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week yesterday. He rushed 25 times for 157 yards in the Rams’ 27-10 victory over Columbia.
GOLF: Shark divorced
Greg Norman and his ex-wife settled their divorce after 25 years of marriage, a contentious split marked by a dispute over money and assets. The star golfer and Laura Andrassy reached an agreement this month, and a judge completed the confidential settlement Friday.
The 52-year-old Norman and tennis great Chris Evert, who also recently divorced, have been romantically linked.
NBA: Crawford reinstated
Referee Joey Crawford was reinstated by commissioner David Stern yesterday, five months after he was suspended indefinitely for improper on-court conduct.
San Antonio star Tim Duncan contended that Crawford challenged him to a fight during a game against the Mavericks on April 15. Crawford ejected Duncan while the player was laughing on the bench. Stern cited a pattern of similar acts in suspending Crawford.
* Restricted free-agent guard Charlie Bell signed a $18.5 million, five-year offer sheet with the Heat yesterday, and now will wait to see if the Bucks choose to match that deal.
BOXING: Fight rescheduled
Juan Manuel Marquez’s WBC super featherweight title bout with Rocky Juarez has been rescheduled for Nov. 3. They had planned to fight for Marquez’s belt on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas, but the bout was called off one week beforehand when Marquez (47-3-1, 35 KOs) developed a staph infection in his right hand.