Police ask public's aid in Taylor shooting
MIAMI, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The Miami-Dade police force Wednesday asked the public for help finding the person who fatally shot Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor.
Taylor, 24, died early Tuesday in a Miami hospital, a day after being shot in the upper leg during a break-in at his Miami-area home. His girlfriend and their daughter were in the bedroom with him when the shooting occurred but weren't injured.
"There is some information known by members of the public that hasn't reached its way to law enforcement," said Robert Parker, Miami-Dade police director, said during a news conference.
Police were following "a number of leads," Parker said, adding, "We're going to pull out all the stops to quickly resolve this case."
Taylor was the fifth pick overall in the National Football League's 2004 draft, signing a seven-year, $18 million contract with the Redskins after his junior year at the University of Miami.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would "honor the memory of Sean Taylor at all games this weekend."
Art Briles hired as Baylor football coach
HOUSTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Art Briles, who led Houston to four bowl games, has been hired to coach the Baylor Bears.
Briles agreed to a seven-year contract paying about $1.8 million a year, The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday. He takes over a team that has not had a winning record in 12 years.
Briles succeeds Guy Moriss, who was fired Nov. 18.
"It looks like my tenure here at the University of Houston has come to an end," Briles told the newspaper. "I'm thankful for the great players, coaches and fans that I've been associated with these past five years."
Briles was 34-28 at Houston.
Moriss was let go after a 3-9 season at Baylor. His overall record with the Bears was 18-40. They were 7-33 in the Big 12.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty Wednesday to a drunken driving charge in Palm Beach County, Fla.
As part of a plea deal for his March 22 arrest, La Russa agreed to be placed on probation, pay fines and serve 50 hours of community service, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
La Russa will have his driver's license suspended for six months as part of the plea deal, and will have to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Victim Impact Panel and DUI classes.
Police in Jupiter, Fla., found La Russa asleep and smelling of alcohol in his car March 22.
La Russa was not in court Wednesday to finalize his plea deal, but he sent the court a letter apologizing for his actions, the newspaper said.
"I accept full responsibility for my conduct, and assure everyone that I have learned a very valuable lesson and that this will never occur again," La Russa wrote.
U.S., Russia set to clash in Davis Cup
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The United States Davis Cup team, led by Andy Roddick, is set to open its bid for a 32nd title, battling Russia in the finals in Portland, Ore.
Matches in the best-of-five event will be played Friday through Sunday at the Portland Memorial Coliseum, marking the first time in 15 years the championship is decided on U.S. soil.
Russia won the cup at home last year, defeating Argentina. The Russians also won in 2002.
Besides Roddick, the U.S. team, under captain Patrick McEnroe, features James Blake and brothers Bob and Mike Bryan. Nikolay Davydenko, Igor Andreev, Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov make up the defending champion Russian team. The captain is Shamil Tarpischev.
American teams have won 31 Davis Cup titles and have been in 60 finals. The Americans last won the cup in 1995, with a team led by Pete Sampras beating Russia 3-2 in Moscow.
The last time the finals were played in the U.S., an American team topped Switzerland at Fort Worth, Texas, in 1992.
