Clemens wins record 6th Cy Young
NEW YORK , Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Roger Clemens Thursday won his unprecedented sixth American League Cy Young Award by a big margin.
The 9-year-old New York Yankees righthander has two more Cy Young Awards than his nearest challenger and is the first pitcher to win one with three teams. Only Early Wynn, who won in 1959 for the Chicago White Sox, was older than Clemens, who was 20-3 with a 3.51 ERA this season.
Arizona Diamondbacks lefthander Randy Johnson collected his fourth career Cy Young Award on Tuesday. Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves and Hall of Famer Steve Carlton also have won four.
A 20-game winner for the sixth time in his career, Clemens added to his Hall of Fame resume by striking out 213 in 220 innings and becoming the first pitcher to open a season 20-1. He strung together 16 straight winning decisions in the process.
Clemens finished the season within 20 wins of 300 in his career, but the hard-throwing Texan does not need to reach the historic plateau to ensure his enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.
A three-time Cy Young winner with the Boston Red Sox, Clemens was the only pitcher named on all 28 ballots. He won by a surprisingly large marging, receiving 21 first-place votes and a total of 122 points.
Seattle Mariners righthander Freddy Garcia received four first-place votes but finished third behind Oakland Athletics lefthander Mark Mulder, who garned two first-place votes and 60 points. Garcia had 55 points.
Mourning sidelined by food poisoning
NEW YORK, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning will miss at least three games due to the affects of food poisoning, the team announced Thursday.
The 31-year-old Mourning was ordered by doctors to stay home Wednesday as the team traveled to New York for Thursday's game with the archrival Knicks.
Mourning also will miss games against Charlotte on Friday and Minnesota on Tuesday before being re-evaluated. He may return for a home game against Dallas on Nov. 23.
Power forward Brian Grant also will be sidelined the next 10 days due to a bone contusion of his right foot. The team expected to make a roster move later Thursday.
Mourning had played the previous two games after missing a pair due to food poisoning, but he admitted the recent bug has set him back "five steps" in terms of stamina and strength in his fight against kidney disease.
Brogna rejoins Phils as coach
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Rico Brogna, a first baseman who spent over three of his nine major league seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, was named hitting coach for the Phils' Class AA affiliate Reading of the Eastern League .Thursday.
The 31-year-old Brogna retired after batting .248 in 72 games for the Atlanta Braves this season. He owns a career batting average of .269 with 106 homers in 848 games for the Detroit Tigers (1992), New York Mets (1994-96), Phils (1997-2000), Boston Red Sox (2000) and Braves.
As a member of the Phillies, Brogna hit 65 homers during the best stretch of his career before the team waived him in August 2000. He originally was the 26th overall pick in the 1988 draft by Detroit.
Kings' star defenseman out
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Mathieu Schneider, the Los Angeles Kings' best defenseman, will be sidelined at least six weeks after undergoing surgery for a hernia and torn abdominal muscle, the team announced Thursday.
For Schneider, who is tied with Adam Deadmarsh for the team lead with 13 points, the injury comes at a bad time. The 23-man United States Olympic roster for the Salt Lake City Games will be named by Dec. 22 and, with questions surrounding his health, Schneider may be left off the squad.
Schneider, 31, signed a three-year contract extension during the offseason. He played in 73 games last season and led all Kings defensemen in goals (16), assists (35) and points (51). He also was a major part of Los Angeles' playoff success, recording a team-high nine points in 13 postseason games.
Indecisive Kennison released by Broncs
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Eddie Kennison was unsure about his future with the Denver Broncos but Coach Mike Shanahan wasn't. Citing the best interest of his team, Shanahan on Thursday cut Kennison, who retired and changed his mind in a four-day span.
Kennison, who signed with Denver on April 10, told his coach on Saturday that his heart was no longer in the game, then met with him early this week and said he wanted to return to the team.
It apparently was too late. Shanahan met with his players and coaching staff before making the decision to release Kennison, who left the team a night before Sunday's 26-16 win over San Diego.
Shanahan told Kennison he respects a player "that is honest with his thoughts and honest with his work ethic" but was disappointed in the timing of his original decision.
Chandler expected back for Pack
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga., Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Atlanta Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler, who sat out last Sunday's game with Dallas with injured ribs, is expected back in the starting lineup this Sunday at Green Bay.
"It's a lot better," Chandler said of his bruised and strained ribs after resuming practice on Wednesday.
Rookie Michael Vick started in his place Sunday and led the 4-4 Falcons to a 20-13 win over the Cowboys.
Hewitt closing in on No. 1
SYDNEY, Australia, Nov. 15 (UPI) --Lleyton Hewitt didn't take the court Thursday, but his chances of ending the year as the top-ranked player in the world improved dramatically.
With top-seeded Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil and third seed Andre Agassi of the United States both losing Thursday, Hewitt moved a match away from claiming the top spot at the $3.65 million Tennis Masters Cup.
Hewitt got within eight points of Kuerten for the world's top ranking on Wednesday with a straight-sets win over Agassi but watched Thursday as his top two challengers for the year-end No. 1 lost.
With the two losses, Hewitt can clinch the year-end No. 1 on Friday if he defeats fellow Australian Patrick Rafter and Kuerten loses to Kafelnikov in their final group matches.
"I think if Lleyton gets the No. 1, it will be well deserved," Kuerten said. "He's been the player who is playing maybe the best tennis in the last two or three months."
