HORSE RACING
Historic ride?
Victor Espinoza will have a chance May 7 to be the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby in three consecutive years when he rides Whitmore, a mount he secured on Wednesday. Irad Ortiz Jr. had ridden Whitmore in his last two starts, which included a third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday. But Ortiz decided to ride My Man Sam in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Chad Brown. Whitmore's ownership group, which includes Ron Moquett, the colt's trainer, then selected Espinoza. He has won five of the last six Triple Crown races, winning the Derby and Preakness in 2014 with California Chrome, and the Triple Crown -- the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont -- last year with American Pharoah. His victory in last year's Kentucky Derby made Espinoza only the sixth rider to win the Derby in consecutive years. None of the previous five won three in a row.
FOOTBALL
Norman a free agent
In an unexpected and rare move, the Carolina Panthers rescinded cornerback Josh Norman's non-exclusive franchise tender Wednesday, making the star corner an unrestricted free agent immediately. "After a number of conversations with Josh's agent we realized that a long-term deal was not attainable," General Manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement. "We have decided to rescind the franchise tag, freeing Josh to immediately become a UFA. We thank Josh for all his contributions and truly wish him well." Norman's franchise tag was worth $13.952 million, but the fifth-year corner never signed it. He and his agent were waiting for a long-term deal to materialize, and the two sides had until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement. A league source said earlier this week that Norman would not report for the start of organized team activities, which are set to begin Monday. Norman was looking for a deal in the neighborhood of $16 million per year, but clearly the Panthers were not interested in paying that much at that position despite Norman's high level of play in the 2015 season. Norman had four interceptions with two returned for touchdowns in 2015. This is the second consecutive time the Panthers have had the franchise tag not go their way. In 2014, the Panthers used the franchise tag on Greg Hardy, but he played in only one game that season with his domestic violence case unresolved. Norman is now free to sign with any team.
• Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence faces a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, sources said Wednesday. The Cowboys have not been notified of the impending suspension, which means Lawrence and his representatives are in the process of challenging the ruling. But several sources said all indications are that the club will be without its starting left defensive end to open the season. He's not the first. Defensive end Randy Gregory was notified earlier this offseason that he will miss the first four games of the regular season for violation of the league's substance abuse policy. The loss of Lawrence and Gregory to open the season places an even greater premium on the Cowboys' need to come away from next week's draft with a defensive end who can step in and play immediately. Ohio State's Joey Bosa is expected to be on the board when the Cowboys pick at No. 4. Recent developments in the defensive line could have the Cowboys leaning toward Bosa over cornerback Jalen Ramsey if both players are available when the club is on the clock.
TENNIS
Kerber advances
Defending champion Angelique Kerber dug deep and came from behind to defeat fellow German Annika Beck 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 at the Porsche Grand Prix at Stuttgart, Germany, on Wednesday. Kerber, seeded second, needed two hours, nine minutes to win the second-round match and reach the quarterfinals. Earlier, Karolina Pliskova fired 16 aces to upset eighth-seeded Czech compatriot Lucie Safarova 7-6 (4) 4-6, 7-5. Safarova had 12 aces but also produced nine double-faults in their first-round match. Sixth-seeded Roberta Vinci of Italy advanced in the indoor clay-court event by outlasting Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4. Also in the first round, Andrea Petkovic of Germany beat Kristina Mladenovic of France 6-2, 6-4 and wild card Julia Goerges of Germany breezed past Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 6-0. Monica Niculescu of Romania defeated Caroline Garcia of France 6-2, 6-2.
BASEBALL
Schilling defends post
ESPN baseball analyst and former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is defending himself after making comments on Facebook about transgender people. Schilling this week reposted an image of an overweight man wearing a long blond wig and revealing women's clothing. It included the phrase: "Let him in! To the restroom with your daughter or else you're a narrow minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot who needs to die!!!" Schilling added his own comments, saying, "A man is a man no matter what they call themselves" and "Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic." Schilling was apparently referring to laws in several states that restrict bathroom access to transgender people. He defended the post on his blog, saying he was expressing his opinion and those criticizing him are frauds.
HOCKEY
League suspends Shaw
The NHL has suspended Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw for one game for yelling an anti-gay slur from the penalty box and fined him $5,000 for an inappropriate gesture toward the officials during Chicago's Game 4 loss to the St. Louis Blues. Shaw will miss Game 5 in St. Louis today and he will be required to undergo sensitivity training. The league's announcement on Wednesday came hours after Shaw apologized for his outburst the previous night. Shaw said he couldn't sleep after the game and watching video of his outburst was difficult. It was video of the incident that went viral on social media, prompting sharp criticism and an NHL investigation. St. Louis leads the series 3-1 and can eliminate Chicago today.
BASKETBALL
‘Pearl’ Washington of Syracuse fame dies
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Dwayne “Pearl” Washington, who went from New York City playground wonder to Big East star for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, has died. He was 52.
Washington died Wednesday of cancer, the university said. He had been coping with medical problems since a brain tumor was first diagnosed in 1995 and recently required around-the-clock medical coverage and a wheelchair to move around.
Washington had surgery last August to address the recurrence of a brain tumor. The first tumor, 21 years ago, was benign.
Dwayne Alonzo Washington was born in Jan. 24, 1964, and grew up in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, acquiring his nickname as an 8-year-old when he was compared to former NBA star Earl “the Pearl” Monroe.
A New York City playground legend who starred at Boys and Girls High School, Washington was the most highly recruited basketball player in the country after averaging 35 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as a senior. He committed to Syracuse in 1983, left an indelible mark on Orange basketball, and ranks as one of Boeheim’s most important recruits.
Washington averaged 15.6 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds for the Orange and helped create the aura of greatness the Big East Conference had during its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Pearl was not particularly fast, nor could he jump particularly high. Neither mattered — he simply excited fans with his amazing ball-handling skills, an uncanny court sense, elusiveness and the ability to pull off unbelievable plays at the right time.
His signature move was the crossover dribble — the “shake-and-bake” — that froze defenders, then a drive to the hoop for an easy layup past the defense’s big men.
After losing 97-85 to Navy and David Robinson in the second round of the 1986 NCAA Tournament, Washington announced he would forgo his senior year and enter the NBA draft, the first player under Boeheim to leave school early.
Washington was the 13th pick in the first round of the NBA draft and went to the New Jersey Nets. His style, size and lack of speed were not well-suited to the NBA’s fast-paced game, and he played only three seasons with the Nets before retiring.
Sports on 04/21/2016