GRID: So. Miss. wins
Michael McGee blocked a potential game-tying field goal attempt in overtime, lifting Southern Mississippi to a 30-27 comeback victory over Troy in the New Orleans Bowl last night.
Troy held Southern Miss to Britt Barefoot‘s 39-yard field goal on the first posesssion of OT, but that wound up being enough for the Golden Eagles to win their third New Orleans Bowl in as many appearances.
GOLF: Singh triumphs
Vijay Singh, three months after winning the FedEx Cup, padded his most lucrative year in golf yesterday by making a 10-foot birdie on the final hole for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot victory over Steve Stricker in the Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
* Richard Sterne won the South African Open after defeating Gareth Maybin of Northern Ireland on the first playoff hole in Paarl, South Africa.
NBA: Big Baby crash
Boston forward Glen Davis was injured in an automobile accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike as he drove to the TD Banknorth Garden for last night’s game against the Knicks. The accident happened at about 2:30 p.m. and Davis suffered a concussion and whiplash.
BASEBALL: No deal for V
One more year and Bobby Valentine and the Chiba Lotte Marines will go their separate ways. The former Mets manager said yesterday the Japanese team has decided not to offer him a contract extension after his four-year deal expires following the 2009 season.
NCAA: English hired
Eastern Michigan reportedly has hired Ron English, making him the fifth black head football coach in major college football. English, 40, was Louisville’s defensive coordinator in 2008 after serving on Lloyd Carr‘s staff at Michigan for five seasons.
OBIT: Carlos Santiago, 82
Carlos Manuel Santiago, a star infielder in the Negro leagues during the 1940s, died yesterday in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. He was 82. Santiago played second base and shortstop for the New York Cubans in 1945-46.