Sports Shorts
The chief administrative officer of the Rose Bowl said if Penn State wins the Big Ten title, the Nittany Lions will be free to play in the top-tier postseason game as far as he’s concerned.
Kevin Ash said yesterday the Rose Bowl would let the Big Ten decide if there is a reason its champion shouldn’t play the Pac 12 winner in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 2.
“Whoever the champions are,” Ash said, “we’ll welcome with open arms.”
There have been calls for Penn State to decline a bowl bid in the aftermath of the child sex-abuse scandal involving former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. The scandal led to the firings of coach Joe Paterno and the school president.
The Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-1) are among eight bowl-eligible teams in the Big Ten.
In Blacksburg, Va., Logan Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third, leading No. 9 Virginia Tech to a 24-21 victory over North Carolina.
The Hokies (10-1, 6-1 ACC) won their sixth in a row since a home loss to No. 7 Clemson and remained on track for a rematch with the Tigers in the ACC championship game.
Missouri suspended football coach Gary Pinkel for the final home game of the season and froze his salary for a year following his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.
Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who led the NL with a 2.28 ERA, 248 strikeouts and a 21-5 record, was named the winner of the league’s Cy Young Award. The left-hander received 27 of 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay, last year’s winner, was second with four first-place votes. Phillies teammate Cliff Lee was third followed by Arizona’s Ian Kennedy.
In Pebble Beach, Calif., Kyle Thompson, set to rejoin the PGA Tour after finishing 21st on the Nationwide Tour money list, had a hole-in-one and shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational.
In Bahru, Malaysia, Joost Luiten shot an 8-under 63 to take the lead in the first round of the weather-interrupted Iskandar Johor Open.
In Orlando, Fla., Na Yeon Choi shot a 6-under 66 yesterday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s season-ending Titleholders
