Saints considering move to San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The New Orleans Saints could be marching in to San Antonio, at least temporarily.
Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros, who has also served as U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development, believes the Saints would sell at least 50,000 tickets for every game in San Antonio.
"I have every reason to believe that Saints games would be successful here, and that is what I conveyed to the league," he told the San Antonio Express.
Saints Coach Jim Haslett says he would like the Saints to play in San Antonio because that is where the team has been practicing since being driven out of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Saints owner Tom Benson told the NFL earlier this week he would like the team to play some games in Baton Rouge at Louisiana State's Tiger Stadium.
Much of the Saints' hometown crowd is in Baton Rouge, with hundreds living in temporary quarters at Tiger Stadium.
The Saints' season-opener against the New York Giants, originally scheduled to be played in the Superdome, has been moved to Giants Stadium in New Jersey. The NFL has rejected making the Saints into a permanent road team.
Mixed doubles title decided at the Open
NEW YORK, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Daniela Hantuchova and Mahesh Bhupathi won the mixed doubles title Thursday at the 2005 U.S. Open tennis tournament.
Hantuchova-Bhupathi topped Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. The victory gave Hantuchova the career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. She already had won the Australian and French Opens and as well as the Wimbledon mixed crowns.
Hantuchova, 22, and Bhupathi, 31, will split the winners' check of $150,000. Srebotnik-Zimonjic earned $70,000.
Damon Jones signs with Cleveland
CLEVELAND, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday signed free-agent guard Damon Jones to a multi-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
The nine-year veteran will upgrade Cleveland's new-look backcourt, which includes Larry Hughes, who also has been signed this off-season season after averaging a career-best 22 points per game with Washington last season.
According to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jones will earn between $15 million and $16 million. He had a break-through season with Miami in 2004-05, helping the Heat win the Eastern Conference, when he played in 82 games, averaging 11.6 points and 4.3 assists per contest and ranked fifth in the NBA with a 43.2 percent average from three-point range.
Jones has averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 assists in 430 career games with nine different teams.
Owner cutting racing days at Pimlico
BALTIMORE, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The Canadian company that owns Maryland's famed Pimlico Race Track plans to run only 18 days of racing there next year.
Magna Entertainment Corp. want to have only 94 racing days at its other Maryland Track, Laurel Park, down from 120, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The company argues that the cutback will make racing stronger in Maryland by allowing it to offer bigger purses, which would attract bettors. Average daily purses would increase from $193,877 to $303,571.
State officials are concerned about the fate of the Preakness Cup, the second race in the Triple Crown.
"The goal of this plan is to maintain thoroughbred horse racing in Maryland and keep the Preakness in Baltimore, where we want it to be," said Paul Cellucci, a former Massachusetts governor now heading Magna.
Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich said that Magna's cuts are a wakeup call to the state Legislature to legalize slot machines at racetracks. West Virginia and Delaware allow slots and Pennsylvania is about add them.
L.A. gears up for Olympic bid
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Los Angeles has kicked off its effort to be host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
"We think the timing is right," said Barry Sanders, chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games.
Because the 2008 Games are to be in Beijing and 2012 in London, Sanders believes a U.S. city would have a good shot in 2016, the Los Angeles Times reported. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who will not be running the city 11 years from now, endorsed the effort.
"I can at least get things started," Villaraigosa said. "And, even if I'm not here as mayor, I will be here as an Angeleno enjoying these Games."
While no other city has made an official announcement, several others -- including San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and Washington -- are expected to compete. The U.S. Olympic Committee will select one to be its candidate.
The 1984 Summer Games were held in Los Angeles.
