Drew to return to coach Atlanta Hawks
ATLANTA, May 18 (UPI) -- Larry Drew will be back next season as coach of the Atlanta Hawks, the NBA team said Friday.
General Manager Rick Sund said the team was exercising its contract option to retain Drew for at least the 2012-13 season. Financial terms weren't released.
"Larry did an outstanding job this season in guiding our team to the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, despite a condensed schedule and unfortunate injuries," Sund said.
"The Hawks have reached the post-season in each of his years on the bench and we feel Larry's experience, expertise and dedication to the game were a key ingredient to our success."
Drew just completed his second season as the Hawks' coach. Atlanta was 40-26 and advanced to the playoffs but was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in six games in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Hawks were 44-38 last season under Drew and were ousted in the second round of the playoffs.
Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood is retiring
CHICAGO, May 18 (UPI) -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood struck out the only batter he faced Friday and walked off the field into retirement.
Wood, 34, let it be known he wanted one final appearance as a player before ending his major league career after 14 years.
He was called on in relief in the eighth inning Friday against the Chicago White Sox and struck out Dayan Viciedo on three pitches. He was then pulled for another relief pitcher.
Wood shook hands with members of the bullpen staff when entering the game and several members of the Cubs joined him on the mound when Cubs coach Jamie Quirk removed Wood from the game.
He doffed his cap as he walked off the field and was met at the dugout by his 6-year-old son Justin.
Wood compiled an 86-75 record in 446 appearances in his career. He broke into the major with the Cubs in 1998 and also played for Cleveland and the New York Yankees. His strike out of Viciedo was the 1,582nd of his career and his earned run average is 3.67.
In his fifth major-league start he pitched a one-hit, no-walk shutout against Houston in which he struck out a record-tying 20 batters. However, much of his career was marked by injury.
He is expected to remain with the team in a non-playing capacity.
News broke Friday of Wood's impending retirement on his wife's Facebook page when she wrote, "Every story has an end but in life every ending is just a new beginning."
Gasol wins NBA Citizenship Award
NEW YORK, May 18 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol, who is active with UNICEF, was voted the winner of the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.
Gasol has been a UNICEF ambassador for seven years and has traveled extensively in support of programs aimed at nutrition and education for children.
The award honors an NBA player of coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community. It is determined through a vote by members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
The NBA announced the vote's outcome Friday. Other finalists for the award this season were Atlanta's Josh Smith, Jason Terry of Dallas and Orlando's J.J. Redick.
Gasol is the fourth member of the Lakers to receive the Citizenship Award. Michael Cooper won in 1986 and Magic Johnson took the 1992 honor. Metta World Peace was voted the award last season when he went by the name Ron Artest.
Cubs catcher Soto out with knee injury
CHICAGO, May 18 (UPI) -- Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto will be out of the lineup about three weeks because of a knee injury, the team said Friday.
Soto missed Thursday's game against San Francisco because of inflammation in his left knee. Subsequent examinations indicated Soto, 29, had torn the meniscus in the knee.
He is to undergo arthroscopic surgery and will miss about three weeks of playing time.
Backup catcher Steve Clevenger is on the disabled list and isn't expected to be ready to return for another week, leaving the Cubs' catching duties to Welington Castillo.
Castillo opened the season in Triple-A Iowa and has appeared in 17 major league games over the last three seasons.
Soto was hitting .161 with three home runs and six RBI in 28 games this season. He's a career .253 hitter with 74 home runs and 256 RBI over eight seasons -- all with the Cubs.
