Selig's contract extended through 2012
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball announced Thursday that Commissioner Bud Selig's contract has been extended three years, through 2012.
Selig, 73, has had the job since becoming acting commissioner in 1992. He became permanent commissioner in 1998.
Before the extension, granted at the team owners' meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz., Selig's contract was to expire next year.
"My optimism about the future of Major League Baseball has never been greater," Selig said. "Through the hard work of many, our great game has made many meaningful strides. We have achieved unprecedented labor peace, competitive balance, record attendance, business performance and exciting international growth."
Selig, former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, has also been commissioner during some of the sport's most difficult periods, including a 1994 strike that canceled the World Series, and the steroids scandals of recent years.
"What will continue to be paramount to me is the protection of the integrity of the game," Selig said. "Major League Baseball unconditionally embraces its enormous social responsibilities. The sport faces important challenges, and we will not rest until they have been met."
Pepperdine Coach Vance Walberg resigns
MALIBU, Calif., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Vance Walberg, citing family issues, resigned Thursday as basketball coach at Pepperdine University in California.
Walberg called Pepperdine "a beautiful place" and said, " It just comes down to what I need to do personally and what's best for my family."
Athletic Director John Watson said: "I'm sorry this had to happen like this, but it's more important that he take care of his personal matters at this time."
Assistant Eric Bridgeland was named interim head coach.
Walberg became Pepperdine coach last season. His 2006-07 team had an 8-23 record and this year's squad is 6-12 and 0-2 in the West Coast Conference.
Walberg previously was head coach at Fresno City College.
Rich Rodriguez: 'Lies' coming out of W.Va.
TOLEDO, Ohio, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Former West Virginia University football Coach Rich Rodriguez says lies have been told about him since he left the Mountaineers to coach at Michigan.
The Toledo Blade published an exclusive interview Thursday in which Rodriguez told how he has been treated since switching teams.
"The things they are saying are not true," Rodriguez told the Blade. "It's a lie. How can you put out lies and think it's OK? They don't care what the truth is, they just want to smear Rich Rodriguez."
Rodriguez, 44, who quit the Mountaineers after a stunning defeat by Pitt knocked them out of the national championship game, and before they beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, has been sued by WVU to collect a $4 million contract buyout.
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported that player files were missing from Rodriguez's former WVU office, and that a source said he had been seen shredding papers.
Allegations against him have been "totally ridiculous," Rodriguez told the newspaper.
Rodriguez said the implication that he destroyed documents "is slanderous" and that attacks on his integrity have "gone too far."
He said his family has been harassed, his relatives threatened and his property vandalized since he quit WVU.
Ex-NHL player Ramage sentenced to prison
NEWMARKET, Ontario, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Former Toronto captain Rob Ramage was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday for his role in a car crash that killed ex-NHL player Keith Magnuson.
Justice Alexander Sosna said Ramage was a decent man but the gravity of the case required a sentence that sends a message to people who drink and drive, the Toronto Star reported.
Ramage's attorney, Brian Greenspan, and prosecutors apparently agreed that Ramage would not start serving his sentence until appeals of his conviction are resolved.
Greenspan, called the sentence "excessively harsh."
Ramage, 48, had a blood alcohol reading that was 2 1/2 to four times over the legal limit when a rental car he was driving crossed the center line and collided with another vehicle north of Toronto Dec. 15, 2003, authorities said. Magnuson, a former Chicago Blackhawks captain who was Ramage's friend and passenger, was killed instantly.
Magnuson's son, Kevin, said his father would have wanted forgiveness for Ramage and asked the judge not to send him to prison. Kevin Magnuson requested that, instead, Ramage be sent around North America, speaking to young people about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Ramage played 15 years in the NHL, Magnuson 11.
