Champ Car's da Matta critical after crash
ELKHART LAKE, Wis., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta was in critical condition with head injuries Friday after hitting a deer in a Wisconsin practice session.
The 32-year-old Brazilian was testing for the Sept. 22-24 Grand Prix of Road America at Elkhart Lake Thursday afternoon when a deer suddenly bolted out in front of his car.
The deer's body flew into the cockpit, and da Matta smashed into the tire barrier at full speed, Speedtv.com reported.
He was airlifted to Theda Clark Memorial Hospital in Neenah, where he underwent surgery to remove an accumulation of blood in his skull, the Sheboygan (Wis.) Press reported.
Da Matta, who left Champ Car to race for Toyota in Formula 1 in 2003-4, has won 12 Champ Car races and the 2002 title, and is sixth in the series points standings this season.
Barry Bonds' 715th homerun ball sold
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The ball that put Barry Bonds in second place on the all-time home run list sold for $220,000 on eBay two months after a San Francisco man caught it.
Andrew Morbitzer was waiting in line at a concession stand when Bonds hit his 715th home run on May 28, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The ball went into the bleachers and then bounced off.
The home run put Bonds ahead Babe Ruth. He is now trying to surpass Hank Aaron, who hit 755 career home runs.
David Cotter, founder of Mpire, a Seattle-based company that helped Morbitzer auction the ball, said he knows the buyer only by an eBay identification number. He told the Chronicle that the price was in the range he expected.
USOC bans track coach
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. track coach Trevor Graham was barred from U.S. Olympic Committee training facilities because of alleged links to athletes implicated in doping cases.
Graham's trainees have included Justin Gatlin, co-world record holder in the 100 meters.
The action against Graham follows an announcement by Gatlin's lawyer that his client had tested positive for testosterone or other steroids, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
The report said USOC's decision may, however, only be symbolic as Graham's base has long been in Raleigh, N.C., which is not under USOC control.
The latest decision comes as the USOC seeks to crack down on the doping problem.
"If we don't participate with honor and dignity, then what we do means nothing," USOC chief executive Jim Scherr was quoted as saying. "If there's cheating, then it's cheating other athletes, the American public and cheating the world of the legitimacy of sports."
Poll shows Buckeyes preseason favorites
NEW YORK, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Ohio State's Buckeyes, led by quarterback Troy Smith and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., are this year's preseason favorites in the USA Today Coaches' poll.
The last time they won that honor was in 2002 before getting embroiled in a number of public embarrassments, the report said.
"We know the one in August isn't quite as important as all the other polls at the end," head coach Jim Tressel was quoted as saying. "It's just another reminder of the respect people have for Ohio State."
Smith is among the leading preseason candidates for the Heisman Trophy along with his friend Ginn. In two seasons, Ginn has six touchdowns on returns, six receiving and three rushing.
Behind Ohio State in the rankings are Texas, Notre Dame and Southern California (tied at 3), Oklahoma, Auburn, West Virginia, Florida, LSU, Florida State, Miami, California, Louisville, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Iowa, Clemson, Penn State, Oregon, TCU, Nebraska, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas Tech.
The USA TODAY Board of Coaches is made up of 63 head coaches at Division I-A institutions.
