Jason Kidd traded to Dallas in huge deal
DALLAS, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- All-Star guard Jason Kidd and two other New Jersey Nets were traded to the Dallas Mavericks for five players, draft picks and cash, the NBA teams said Tuesday.
The long-rumored deal became a reality Tuesday when Kidd was sent from the 23-30 Nets to the 35-18 Mavericks. Kidd and forwards Malik Allen and Antoine Wright head from New Jersey to Dallas.
The Nets get guard Devin Harris, swingmen Maurice Ager and Trenton Hassell, center DeSagana Diop and forward Keith Van Horn in addition to first-round draft picks in 2008 and 2010 and about $3 million in cash.
Kidd is the key player in the deal. A nine-time All-Star, including this past weekend, Kidd started his NBA career in Dallas in the 1994-95 season. He also played in Phoenix before moving to New Jersey, where he's played the last seven seasons.
He's averaged 14.3 points and 9.2 assists over 997 NBA regular-season games.
2009 World Baseball Classic field set
NEW YORK, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Sixteen teams, including defending champion Japan, have been invited to participate in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Japan and runner-up Cuba top the field of 16. Those teams along with Dominican Republic, South Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United States and Venezuela were invited because they qualified for the second round of the 2006 WBC.
Australia, Canada, China, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, South Africa and Taipei were added to the field Tuesday.
The venues for the 2009 tournament are to be announced next month, with four first-round competitions outside the United States. The second round, semifinals and finals are to be played in the United States.
Japan won the first WBC with a 10-6 victory over Cuba. Japan's Daisuke Matzusaka, now with the Boston Red Sox, was voted the tournament's most valuable player.
Asbury returning to Pepperdine
MALIBU, Calif., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Tom Asbury, who coached at Pepperdine from 1988-1994, will return next season as the head coach of the Waves, Athletic Director John Watson said Tuesday.
Asbury will replace Vance Walberg who resigned last month after less than two years at Pepperdine. Eric Bridgeland, an assistant who has been interim head coach since Walberg's resignation, will finish the season as coach.
Pepperdine is 9-18 overall this season and 3-8 in the West Coast Conference. The Waves have three regular-season games remaining.
Asbury, 62, spent a total of 15 seasons at Pepperdine, as an assistant from 1979-1988 and then as head coach. Pepperdine was 125-59 while Asbury was the head coach.
He left Pepperdine to become the head coach at Kansas State, a position he held for six seasons. He has been an assistant Alabama Coach Mark Gottfried since the 2003-04 season.
In 12 seasons as a head coach, Asbury has a 240-147 record.
Bartoli loses at Qatar Open
DOHA, Qatar, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli lost in straight sets Tuesday and was eliminated from the $2.5 million Qatar Open.
Bartoli, like the rest of the top eight seeds in the tournament, was given a bye into the second round but couldn't handle Caroline Wozniacki, who claimed a 6-2, 6-3 win.
Smaller upsets occurred Tuesday when 17th-seeded Francesca Schiavone lost a second-round match with Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and 13th-seeded Agnes Szavay dropped a first-rounder 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 to Ai Sugiyama.
No. 9 seed Patty Schnyder and 11th-seeded Dinara Safina were straight-set winners in first-round matches. Schnyder swept past Tamira Paszek 6-4, 6-0 and Safina bested Katarina Srebotnik 6-2, 6-4.
Also winning first-round matches Tuesday were: Olga Govortsova, Tathiana Garbin, Karin Knapp, Na Li, Ayumi Morita and Nathalie Dechy.
The tournaments highest seeded players, including top-seeded Ana Ivanovic, open their Qatar Open play Wednesday.
The tournament champion will earn $414,000.
Seattle's Niehaus wins Frick Award
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Dave Niehaus, who has broadcast Seattle Mariners games since the team began play in 1977, has been selected to receive the Ford C. Frick Award.
The Frick Award is given annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. The presentation of the award will be during Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies July 27 in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Heading into the 2008 season, Niehaus, who turned 73 Tuesday, had broadcast 4,817 of the 4,899 Mariners games played in the last 31 seasons.
"Dave Niehaus is the heartbeat of Mariners baseball," said Dale Petroskey, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. "Since Day One, he has painted a picture of baseball and summer in Seattle better than anyone ever has. Every Mariners fan knows his style and signature calls such as 'My, Oh My!' and 'It Will Fly Away!'"
Others to be honored at the Hall of Fame this summer are pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage; veterans committee electees Barney Dreyfuss, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O'Malley, Billy Southworth and Dick Williams, and the late Larry Whiteside, formerly of The Boston Globe, who will be honored as the winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, given annually to a writer for meritorious contributions to baseball.
