Olympic Village opens
Some Americans were among the first to check into their quartersas the Olympic Village officially opened on Saturday in Nagano,Japan.
Most of the arrivals were team officials, but some athletes wereincluded. They were from the Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy,Australia, the Netherlands, Taiwan, the Virgin Islands, Belarus andPoland.The Winter Olympics begin Feb. 7 and conclude Feb. 22.The Olympic Village, located in the city of Nagano, can house3,000 athletes and officials.Among the dignitaries at the opening were Shozo Sasahara, mayor ofthe Olympic Village, and Goro Yoshimura, governor of Naganoprefecture, or state.Washingtonian wins junior luge titleA trio of United States Olympic alternates captured gold andsilver medals Saturday on the second day of the world junior lugechampionships in Sigulda, Latvia.World Cup racers Christian Niccum and Matt McClain won the doublestitle for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year. Niccum ofWoodinville, Wash., and McClain of Lake Placid, N.Y., turned backchallenges from a pair of German sleds.Beaverton QB Barton chooses ColoradoBeaverton High School quarterback Taylor Barton, one of the toprecruits nationally, has chosen Colorado over Oregon State andWashingtonHe committed to Colorado on Friday. Recruits cannot sign a formalcommitment until Feb. 4.Coyotes' Tocchet suspendedRight wing Rick Tocchet of the Phoenix Coyotes was suspended fortwo games without pay and fined $1,000 by the NHL for injuringEdmonton left wing Ryan Smyth during a Jan. 20 game. Smyth sustaineda torn ligament in his left knee when Tocchet kneed him during thefirst period. Tocchet has served one game of the suspension. Healso will miss tonight's game against Edmonton.Cuban players cleared for free agencySix Cuban baseball players, including Orlando 'El Duque'Hernandez, the half-brother of World Series MVP Livan Hernandez,werecleared for free agency by Major League Baseball, according to theplayers' agent.A spokesman for Miami sports agent Joe Cubas said the office ofacting baseball commissioner Bud Selig notified all 30 major leagueclubs Thursday they were free to scout the players who have beentraining in Costa Rica.Huskies drop Miami from 1998 scheduleThe Washington Huskies have dropped Miami from their 1998 footballschedule, replacing the Hurricanes with Utah State of the Big WestConference, the school says.The Huskies were scheduled to play Miami on Sept. 12 at HuskyStadium in their home opener. Instead, they will play Utah State onOct. 10 in Seattle. That day was supposed to be a bye forWashington.The Huskies now will have a bye week before their new home openeragainst BYU Sept. 19.Washington beat Utah State 45-0 in Logan in 1904 in the schools'other meeting in football.Minor league hockey player jailedA minor-league hockey player has been jailed on an assault chargeafter a stick-swinging attack that left an opposing player with abroken nose on 'Kids Night' at the Tacoma Dome. Jason McIntyre, adefender for the Phoenix Mustangs, was being held in lieu of $10,000bail Friday night and faces arraignment Monday on the second-degreeassault charge, a felony, authorities said.McIntyre, 25, a native of Nova Scotia, was ejected on a matchmisconduct penalty for a two-handed slash with his stick on ThomCullen of the Tacoma Sabercats near the end of the second period inaWest Coast Hockey League game Friday evening.Stewart wins crashed-filled IRL openerAvoiding the perils that caused nine crashes and 10 caution flagsin Saturday's Indy 200 at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Tony Stewartopenedthe 1998 season with his second career victory.Thiago Bezerra of Brazil was in critical condition with closedhead injuries Saturday following a crash during the U.S. Formula2000race earlier at Walt Disney World Speedway.
