Reds' Volquez suspended 50 games
NEW YORK, April 20 (UPI) -- Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez was suspended for 50 games following a positive test for a banned substance, baseball officials said Tuesday.
Volquez, 26, was seen as a rising star in 2008 when he posted a 17-6 record with a 3.21 earned run average. He struck out 206 batters in 196 innings and was selected to the National League All-Star team.
But he made just nine starts in 2009, going 4-2 with a 4.35 ERA, because a series of injuries placed him on the disabled list several times.
His season ended June 2 and he later underwent surgery on his right elbow to repair a torn ligament. He wasn't expected to return to the team until late this season at the earliest.
The suspension officially begins Wednesday.
Volquez issued a statement saying the positive test was an isolated incident and apparently came because of medication he was prescribed in his native Dominican Republic during the off-season for a condition he didn't name.
"Unfortunately, I now know that the medication the physician in the Dominican gave me is one that is often used to treat my condition but is also a banned substance under Major League Baseball's drug policy," Volquez said in the statement. "As a result, I tested positive when I reported to spring training."
Rockies team president dies
SALT LAKE CITY, April 20 (UPI) -- Colorado Rockies team President Keli McGregor was found dead Tuesday in Salt Lake City where he was on a business trip.
McGregor, 48, apparently died from natural causes, Salt Lake City police told The Denver Post. Further investigations will take place to determine the exact cause of death.
He was in Utah with other team officials, promoting the Rockies in Utah, the Post said.
Workers at the hotel McGregor was staying in were asked to check on him when another member of the Rockies organization couldn't reach McGregor Tuesday morning.
"Words cannot describe the level of shock and disbelief that we all are feeling this morning at the loss of Keli," said team Chairman Charlie Monfort, who was with McGregor in Salt Lake City. "Our thoughts, our prayers are with (his wife) Lori and the entire family as we all try to cope and understand how such a tragic loss could occur with such a wonderful man."
McGregor had been the Rockies' president since October 2001, joining the organization after serving as associate athletic director at Arkansas. Prior to becoming a sports administrator, he played a total of eight NFL games for Indianapolis and Denver.
World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa to retire
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., April 20 (UPI) -- Lorena Ochoa, the world No. 1-ranked women's golfer, plans to announce her retirement Friday from competitive golf, the LPGA said.
The LPGA, in a short announcement Tuesday on its Web site, said it has confirmed with Ochoa's management company the 28-year-old golfer would say at a scheduled news conference Friday she is stepping away from the sport.
The association said Ochoa would give her reasons and timing for the move at a news conference in Mexico City. She is scheduled to be in the field for the LPGA's Tres Marias Championship in Morelia, Mexico, next week.
Ochoa owns 27 LPGA titles, with 21 coming in the three-year span from 2006 to 2008. She won three times on tour last year and collected her fourth consecutive LPGA player of the year award. She has been the top-rated women's golfer in the world since April 23, 2007.
Record purse at stake at 2010 Wimbledon
LONDON, April 20 (UPI) -- The men's and women's singles champions at Wimbledon this year will each win $1.54 million.
The total purse for the tournament is $21.1 million, a 9.4 percent increase from 2009. The first-place prize of $1.54 million is a Wimbledon record.
"Wimbledon exists in a highly competitive global marketplace and it is the world's best players who create and drive the interest," Wimbledon Chairman Tim Phillips said. "It is important that we offer a level of prize money which is both appropriate to the prestige of the event and which gives the players full and fair reward."
While the Wimbledon's men's champion will collect twice as much as Pete Sampras did in winning the 2000 title and even a higher percentage than Venus Williams did in winning the women's title that year, the payout is less than the U.S. Open, which was worth $1.6 million to Juan Martin del Potro.
The French Open singles winners collected $1.4 million last year while Roger Federer and Serena Williams each won $1.9 million for taking the 2010 Australian Open championships.
Wimbledon opens June 21 and concludes with the men's singles match July 4. Federer and Serena Williams are defending champions.
