Crittenton granted bail in homicide case
ATLANTA, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Former NBA player Javaris Crittenton, facing homicide charges, was released from an Atlanta jail on $230,000 bond Tuesday.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Karen Smith Woodson ordered the 23-year-old former Washington Wizards player and Georgia Tech star released from custody on condition he wear an ankle monitor until his October trial, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Woodson made the unusual ruling after hearing from a parade of character witnesses, including former Yellow Jackets head Coach Paul Hewitt, the newspaper said.
Crittenton was arrested at John Wayne International Airport in California last month on charges stemming from the Aug. 19 slaying of 22-year-old Julian Jones in Atlanta.
Jones was shot to death as she stood outside her home with two other people, with the gunfire coming from the driver's side of a sport utility vehicle. Homicide detectives said Crittenton was trying to shoot someone he believed had stolen jewelry from him, but Crittenton's attorney says the former first-round NBA draft pick is innocent and the victim of erroneous eyewitness testimony.
Crittenton's pro career sputtered with the Wizards in 2009 when he and then-teammate Gilbert Arenas pulled guns on each other in the Washington locker room at the Verizon Center.
It's official: Team to be 'Brooklyn Nets'
NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The New Jersey Nets will be known as the Brooklyn Nets when they move to their new home in the New York City borough next fall, team officials said Tuesday.
The announcement at the construction site of the new Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn was made by rapper Jay-Z, a part-owner and ambassador for the team, The New York Times reported.
The "Brooklyn" name for the Nets was widely expected even though majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov at one time conducted focus groups aimed at a possible rebranding of the franchise.
"Brooklyn was easy, because we think Brooklyn is the brand," Nets Chief Executive Brett Yormark told the newspaper. "Brooklyn is iconic. It transcends the marketplace. In many respects, it's a global name and reference."
Rumors had circulated the team would drop the "Nets" name with the move to Brooklyn due to the franchise's consistent on-court failure since its entry into the NBA as part of the 1976 merger with the old American Basketball Association.
"Honestly, it was not something that I think ever got seriously considered," former majority owner Bruce Ratner told the Times.
The Nets have reached the playoffs 16 times -- losing in the first round 10 times and reaching the NBA Finals twice, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.
Chisox name Cooper interim manager
CHICAGO, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The Chicago White Sox Tuesday named pitching coach Don Cooper as the team's interim manager, one day after releasing Ozzie Guillen from his contract.
The team had announced Monday after Guillen was released that bench coach Joey Cora would be the interim skipper, but Cora indicated after speaking with General Manager Ken Williams Tuesday he wouldn't stay with the club for the final two games of the 2011 season.
The White Sox released Guillen as their skipper Monday, and it was widely reported he could land with the Florida Marlins. Guillen, 47, had wanted out if Chicago wouldn't give him a contract extension beyond 2012.
Cora is widely expected the join Guillen in Florida.
Cooper was awarded a multi-year contract to remain with the White Sox as pitching coach. First-base coach Harold Baines also received a new a long-term deal.
Cooper has been with the White Sox for 24 years, serving the last nine as pitching coach.
Mike Gellinger will replace Cora as bench coach for the last two games, the team said.
The White Sox will receive two minor leaguers from Florida as compensation for signing Guillen as manager, Major League Baseball announced.
Jhan Marinez, a 23-year-old pitcher, and shortstop Osvaldo Martinez, also 23, would go to the White Sox from the Marlins should they ink Guillen to a managerial contract, which is expected to happen this week.
The Chicago Tribune reported Guillen is expected to be offered a four-year deal by the Marlins worth nearly $16 million.
Haas, Woods get President's Cup roles
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Bill Haas will join Tiger Woods as captain's picks for the United States' Presidents Cup team, U.S. captain Fred Couples announced Tuesday.
International captain Greg Norman selected Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley to complete his 12-man roster.
Couples' tapping of Woods as the 11th member the U.S. team was expected -- he had already announced Woods would be chosen despite his recent personal and professional struggles.
But who would round out the U.S. squad remained a mystery until FedEx Cup champion Haas got the nod. Haas claimed the $10 million Cup Sunday with a victory at The Tour Championship.
"It was a very close race (for Haas) with Brandt Snedeker and Keegan Bradley," Couples said. "Knowing he had to win (last week) to be on the team, he went out and did it."
Other U.S. members for the Nov. 17-20 event in Australia include Matt Kuchar, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, David Toms, Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk.
Also on the International squad are Jason Day, Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel, K.J. Choi, K.T. Kim, Retief Goosen, Geoff Ogilvy, Ernie Els, Y.E. Yang and Ryo Ishikawa.
