BASEBALL: HR totals drop
Home runs in the major leagues this year dropped to their lowest level in more than a decade. An average of 2.04 homers per game were hit this season, the Elias Sports Bureau said yesterday, a drop of 8.1 percent from last year’s 2.22 average and the lowest figure in the majors since the 1995 average of 2.02.
Scoring was down 1.3 percent, from 9.72 runs per game in 2006 to 9.59 this year. Hits per game dropped a tad, from 18.6 to 18.5, and the major league batting average fell from .269 to .268. The ERA dropped from 4.52 to 4.46. The average time of a nine-inning game crept back up three minutes to 2:51.
* The Braves are cutting ties with Andruw Jones, saying they can’t afford to keep the perennial Gold Glove center fielder who’s spent his entire career with the organization. Jones, 30, batted only .222 in the final season of his $75 million contract. He’s eligible to file for free agency after the World Series.
* Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena (.282, 46 HRs, 121 RBIs) yesterday was named the AL comeback player of the year. Washington’s Dmitri Young (.320, 13 HRs, 74 RBIs) received the NL honor.
FOOTBALL: WVU QB questionable
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez indicated yesterday that QB Pat White could be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against Syracuse. White, who has been practicing, bruised his thigh in Friday’s 21-13 loss to South Florida. If White can’t play, backup Jarrett Brown would get his second career start.
* Stanford QB T.C. Ostrander will miss Saturday’s game against Southern California after having a seizure at a restaurant over the weekend. Tavita Pritchard will start for the Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-10).
* Former Northern Colorado backup punter Mitch Cozad was sentenced to seven years in prison for stabbing his team’s starter in his kicking leg. Cozad was convicted in August of second-degree assault in the September 2006 attack on Rafael Mendoza. He was acquitted of the more serious charge of attempted first-degree murder.
* Florida safety Tony Joiner was arrested early yesterday and charged with felony burglary, Gainesville police said. He is the eighth Gator player in the last nine months to get in legal trouble.
NBA: Wizards’ Thomas sidelined
Wizards center Etan Thomas missed the start of training camp yesterday because a cardiac test showed an irregularity during a routine checkup. He will receive more tests before his status is determined.