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Posted on Wed, Oct. 21, 2009

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Football

Connecticut held its first practice since the stabbing death of player Jasper Howard over the weekend.

"It's definitely hard to move forward, with a loss like that," linebacker Lawrence Wilson said. "But as his mom and his parents said to us, Jasper would want us to win. So I think the team will practice hard for him."

Police said Howard, a junior cornerback, was fatally stabbed during a fight outside a university-sanctioned dance early Sunday. Nobody has been charged with the stabbing, and UConn police said Tuesday there were no new developments in the investigation.

Hartford attorney Deron Freeman said he represents a man whose home has been searched in connection with the fight. The man, whom Freeman would not identify, and several others got into a fight "with about six" UConn football players early Sunday. Freeman said his client did not stab Howard but was present when Howard was mortally wounded.

* Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair's mistress exchanged messages for weeks with the man who sold her the gun she used to kill McNair and herself, police said. The findings came a day after investigators released 50 text messages between McNair and Sahel Kazemi they say supports their conclusion of a murder-suicide because she was desperate over money and feared their relationship was ending.

* The top four teams in the NJCAA poll remained the same this week, with Fort Scott third and Butler fourth behind top-ranked Blinn (Texas).

Hockey

Matt Cooke had a goal and an assist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins earned their sixth straight win by beating the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Tuesday night.... The Montreal Canadiens snapped a five-game losing streak with a 2-1 shootout win over the Atlanta Thrashers.

Basketball

The NBA has made a new proposal to its locked-out referees, and a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press it will be recommended for approval to the referees on Friday. The person, who requested anonymity because the negotiations are ongoing, said it's "highly likely" they'll be on the court for next Tuesday's season opener in Cleveland.

* The Newman women have been picked to finish fourth in the Heartland Conference preseason poll. The Jets finished with 70 points in the poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Incarnate Word (Texas) was the choice to win the league. Newman (8-19, 5-9) finished fifth in the eight-team league last season.

* The three-time WNBA champion Detroit Shock is moving to Tulsa. League president Donna Orender and other officials made the announcement Tuesday that the Shock was being sold and relocated. The announcement came five days after a Tulsa ownership group said it would apply to the WNBA to purchase a franchise.

* Charlotte Bobcats starting shooting guard Raja Bell has a partially torn ligament in his left wrist that could require surgery and sideline him for most of the season.

Golf

Lucas Glover shot a course record to dominate the first round of the PGA Grand Slam. Glover hit six birdies and an eagle to finish at 6-under 65 at the newly renovated Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. He holds a two-shot lead over Stewart Cink.

Soccer

Landon Donovan won the Honda player of the year award as the best player on the U.S. national team for a record-breaking sixth time. He earned a total of 424 points in voting by U.S. sports media. Goalkeeper Tim Howard finished second with 267 and forward Jozy Altidore was third with 175.

* FIFA president Sepp Blatter indicated he plans to run for re-election in 2011, saying he still wants to introduce new initiatives to develop soccer worldwide. "I have not finished my mission to develop the game," Blatter said.