Sports News

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The National Basketball Association fined Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah $15,000 Monday for throwing a ball into the stands during a game.

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker E.J. Henderson had surgery to repair a broken left leg, Coach Brad Childress said Monday.

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Running back Mark Ingram of top-ranked Alabama and quarterback Colt McCoy of No. 2 Texas are among five finalists named Monday for the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg has been hired as manager of the Chicago Cubs' Class AAA affiliate, the minor league club announced Monday.

BATON ROUGE, La., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Southern University in Louisiana has fired Pete Richardson, who coached the school's football team for 17 years.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Troy Merritt finished at 22-under par in West Palm Beach, Fla., Monday, leading a group of 25 players who earned PGA Tour cards for 2010.

Herzog, Harvey elected to Hall of Fame ... SEC win makes Alabama clear No. 1 ... Coaches make Kansas unanimous No. 1 ... Virginia hires London as football coach ... Sports news from United Press International.

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- An Orlando, Fla., waitress claims she had an affair with married golfer Tiger Woods, including sex in his own home, a British tabloid reported Monday.

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Florida football coach Urban Meyer is recovering after being admitted to a hospital with dehydration, a team spokesman says.

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The former girlfriend of ex-NBA star World B. Free has been slain in a Brooklyn, N.Y., shooting incident, police and relatives say.

GREECE, N.Y., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A New York man says he is running six marathons on six continents on six consecutive days.

MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Kansas is the unanimous No. 1-rated team in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' men's basketball poll released Monday.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Mike London was hired Monday to be the football coach at the University of Virginia.

NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Washington center Nicklas Backstrom piled up nine points in three games and was selected the No. 1 star of the week by NHL officials Monday.

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Long-time baseball manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.