Giants' Burress surrenders to police
NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, recovering from an accidental gunshot wound, surrendered to authorities Monday, observers said.
Burress, who spent a night in a hospital receiving treatment for the self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday, reported to the New York Police Department's 17th precinct Monday without speaking to the media.
Weapons charges were expected against Burress, although no warrant had been issued for his arrest. The New York Post reported detectives confiscated a handgun from Burress' home Sunday, a weapon that he reportedly was not legally permitted to carry. The Post also said Burress faces a possible reckless endangerment charge.
Burress reportedly went to a club Friday with teammates Antonio Pierce and Derrick Ward and was allowed to bring in a gun after going through a metal detector. The gun allegedly became loose later in the night and fired a round, and Burress was accidentally shot in the thigh. The Post said that Burress went to the hospital, but didn't report the shooting to the police.
On the season, Burress has 35 receptions for a team-high 454 yards with four touchdowns.
Kiffin introduced as Tennessee's new coach
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Lane Kiffin, fired by the Oakland Raiders this year after 20 games as head coach, was introduced Monday as the football coach of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Kiffin, 33, replaces Phillip Fulmer, who had been the Volunteers' football coach for 17 seasons. Fulmer announced last month he was retiring.
Kiffin was fired Oct. 1 by the Raiders after a 1-3 start dropped his record to 5-15. It was his first job as a head coach. He previously had been offensive coordinator at the University of Southern California.
Tennessee was 5-7 this season, sending Fulmer off with a 28-10 victory Saturday over Kentucky.
"I met with all of our players (Sunday) night and they are definitely excited in the direction we are going," said Kiffin. "I felt really good about Tennessee from the start and I am thrilled to be here. We will do things right, but give us time and be patient."
Rickey Henderson on Hall of Fame ballot
NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- All-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson is among 10 players on the 2009 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
Henderson played 25 seasons in the major leagues, having spent times with nine different teams, including four stints with the Oakland Athletics. He scored 2,295 runs and finished with 1,406 stolen bases. Henderson amassed 3,055 hits, including 297 home runs.
His 81 home runs to lead off a game represent a record, as does his 130 stolen bases in 1982.
Other first-time nominees are: Jay Bell, David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn and Matt Williams.
With 13 holdovers from previous ballots, the total of 23 players to be considered for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame is the smallest in history. Notable names among the holdovers are Jim Rice, who was 16 votes short of being awarded a place in the Hall of Fame last year, and Andre Dawson, who was 50 votes short.
Players must be selected on 75 percent of the ballots returned by eligible voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Results of the voting is to be released Jan. 12.
Crosby tops NHL weekly player awards
NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby, who led the NHL in points last week, was selected the league's top star of the week.
The NHL names three stars of the week each Monday. While Crosby took first star honors, Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller and St. Louis goaltender Chris Mason were also selected for the weekly awards for games played Nov. 24-30.
Crosby had six goals and three assists as the Penguins won two of their three games last week. He capped his week with three goals and an assist in a 4-1 Pittsburgh win over the New Jersey Devils. It was his second career hat trick.
The Ducks won both games last week in which Hiller was in goal. He had a 0.5 goals against average and had his second career shutout last Friday in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. He is 6-1-1 on the year.
Mason also won both his starts last weeks and stopped 75 of 77 shots. He had 47 saves in a 1-0 shootout win over Nashville and 28 in a 4-2 victory over Atlanta.
