Saturday, Nov. 07, 2009

Sports World

New York -- Top story

Baseball

Crowds roar as NYC fetes Yankees

Crowds roared and church bells rang in lower Manhattan on Friday as the Yankees' World Series championship celebration revved up with a ticker-tape parade.

As the players on floats made their way through Wall Street toward City Hall Plaza, a loud roar rose above Broadway and confetti rained down on the parade.

Vincent Rogner, an 18-year-old high school senior in Queens, skipped classes Friday with some friends to attend the parade. He said his favorite part of the series' last game was when Hideki Matsui tied the World Series record with six RBIs on a home run.

Matsui's six RBIs helped the Yankees to the 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

After the players arrived at City Hall Plaza, Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave them the keys to the city. Bells were ringing at historic Trinity Church, but the roar of the crowds drowned out the sound.

Reggie Jackson said the Yankees' 27^th title has him thinking "a lot" about owner George Steinbrenner.

"I wish he was here," Jackson said.

George Steinbrenner has made few public appearances since his health deteriorated in recent years. He attended the first two games against the Phillies, returning to the new Yankee Stadium for the first time since opening day.

His son, Hal, took over the day-to-day operations of the team last November.

Across the nation

Football

Dez Bryant will enter NFL draft

Stillwater, Okla.Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant is headed to the NFL.

Bryant told ESPN.com Thursday that he plans to enter the 2010 NFL draft, after the NCAA rejected a final appeal to reinstate the junior All-American who lied about contact with former NFL player Deion Sanders.

Bryant sat out the first five games while the NCAA investigated the offseason meeting with Sanders. Bryant admitted that he lied to an NCAA investigator about the meeting and later apologized.

Basketball

Hornets owner has cancer

New Orleans New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn said Friday he has prostate cancer but remains healthy and is optimistic that he will conquer the disease.

A businessman from Kannapolis, N.C., Shinn, 68, has been the owner of the team since he received an expansion franchise in Charlotte, N.C., in 1988. Team spokesman Harold Kaufman said no details were available on treatment options for Shinn.

Tennis

Ruling on Serena's tirade due

Reggio Calabria, Italy A ruling on Serena Williams' U.S. Open tirade is due later this month.

"It's in the hands of the Grand Slam administrator, who I believe has now completed his investigation and will be making a ruling within the next two weeks," United States Tennis Association President Lucy Garvin said Friday. Williams was fined $10,000 after her profanity-laced outburst at a lineswoman during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in September, and she could face a more severe penalty in the coming weeks.

Speaking before the Fed Cup final between the United States and Italy that starts today, Garvin said she has discussed Andre Agassi's recent drug revelations with board members, but that "nothing official" has been decided.

In his book "Open," which goes on sale Monday, the eight-time Grand Slam champion said he used crystal meth in 1997 and failed a drug test - a result he says was thrown out after he lied by saying he unwittingly took the substance.

"Back in that time we didn't have the anti-doping set up like the ITF has it setup now," Garvin said.