In Sports from United Press International
Tyson to fight Mercer Jan. 19
NEW YORK, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Mike Tyson will fight Ray Mercer on January 19 in a pay-per-view bout between former heavyweight champions, Showtime announced Tuesday. The venue will be announced in the near future.
The former undisputed champion of the world, Tyson is the WBC's No. 1 heavyweight contender, meaning the 35-year-old is in position for a bout with Lennox Lewis.
Lewis regained the WBC and International Boxing Federation belts by knocking out Hasim Rahman in the fourth round of their rematch Saturday night in Las Vegas.
A much-anticipated meeting between Lewis and Tyson could happen in the spring.
Tyson (49-3, 2 NC, 43 KO) recorded a seventh-round technical knockout of Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen, Denmark five weeks ago. It was the first fight in 51 weeks for Tyson, who has never faced Lewis.
Mercer, 39, has never been knocked out. He has lost to some pretty good fighters, including Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield and Lewis.
Nuggets waive Isiah Rider
DENVER, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Isaiah Rider may have reached the end of a troubled road Tuesday when he was waived by the Denver Nuggets, who activated swingman Calbert Cheaney.
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe was quick to point out that Rider--also known as J.R.--was not being waived for any transgression or misstep, as has been the case in the past for the talented guard.
"It's unfortunate that we had to waive J.R. at this time," Vandeweghe said. "But we had to make this roster change. J.R. has been nothing but professional since he's been here."
Rider, 30, averaged 9.3 points on 46 percent shooting in 10 games, primarily as a backup. He played eight minutes in a 99-96 overtime win Monday over New Jersey, scoring four points.
Rider was signed to a one-year, $840,000 contract just before training camp. Although he was on his best behavior by all accounts, Nuggets coach Dan Issel indicated two weeks ago that Rider could be waived because he had been playing poorly.
The 6-5 Rider responded with games of 19 and 28 points but did not score in double figures again, also missing one game with a sprained ankle.
The Nuggets were the fifth team for Rider, who has teased NBA coaches and executives throughout his career with his terrific talent while infuriating them with his behavior on and off the court. Last season, Rider was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, who won their second straight title. However, he was nearly waived prior to the postseason before being made inactive for the playoffs. He became a free agent July 1 and drew very little interest.
The previous season, Rider was waived by the Atlanta Hawks as he opted for his release from the club rather than a suspension for missing a team shootaround. Earlier in the 1999-2000 campaign, he followed a loss to Indiana by sitting on the court by himself for 10 minutes, then launching into a profanity-laced tirade directed at his teammates, whom he said were laughing on the bench.
Rider missed a handful of practices and team flights and finally was waived on March 17. During his career, Rider has been arrested for punching a woman at a mall, marijuana possession and illegal possession of cellular telephones.
The 1994 Slam Dunk champion at All-Star Weekend, Rider also has played for Minnesota and Portland in an eight-year career. One of the better all-around offensive guards in the game, he has averaged 16.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 563 career games.
Goosen leads Woods by one
KAUAI, Hawaii, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Retief Goosen of South Africa carded a 6-under-par 66 on Tuesday for a one-shot lead over three-time defending champion Tiger Woods midway through the 36-hole PGA Grand Slam of Golf.
The unoffocial event gathers the season's four major winners.
Goosen won the most memorable of the Grand Slam events, claiming the U.S. Open at Southern Hills in an 18-hole playoff with Mark Brooks after double-bogeying the final hole of regulation.
The soft-spoken Goosen made over $1.17 million in just nine PGA Tour starts and won the Order of Merit on the European Tour with nearly $2.86 Euros. He is coming off a win at the World Golf Championships-World Cup in Japan, where he teamed with countryman Ernie Els to claim a four-way playoff.
In that event, Woods forced himself and teammate David Duval into the playoff with an eagle chip on the final hole of regulation. The Masters champion continued his solid play Tuesday, shooting a 5-under 67.
Duval, who claimed the British Open in July for his first major crown, stumbled to a 4-over 76 at the Poipu Bay Golf Club.
PGA Championship winner David Toms is third after carding a 68.
Browns players on marijuana charges
BEREA, Ohio, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Fullback Mike Sellers and cornerback Lamar Chapman of the Cleveland Browns were arrested Monday and charged with possession of marijuana.
According to police reports, two bags of marijuana were found in the glove compartment of Sellers' pickup truck after Sellers was stopped for swerving lanes on the city's west side on Monday night.
Chapman was in the passenger's seat and allegedly put a marijuana cigarette into a soda can.
Sellers, 26, signed as a free agent with Cleveland last March after spending three years with the Washington Redskins and has seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, but no carries this season.
Chapman, 25, is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve. He played in seven games as a rookie last year.
Suzuki wins AL MVP Award
NEW YORK, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- After taking the major leagues by storm, Japanese sensation Ichiro Suzuki fittingly has won the American League Most Valuable Player Award, only the second rookie to win the MVP honor.
In a close election, the leadoff hitter who ignited the Seattle Mariners offense and won a Gold Glove for his play in right field beat Oakland Athletics slugger Jason Giambi, last year's winner, by eight points Tuesday.
Suzuki received 11-of-28 first-place votes and 289 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Giambi had eight first-place votes and 281 points.
The first Japanese position player to earn a spot on a major league roster, Suzuki joins 1975 American League winner Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox as the only players voted MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
The eight-point differential tied for the sixth tightest election in the 70-year history of American League voting. It equaled that of the 1995 vote when Boston first baseman Mo Vaughn defeated Cleveland Indians outfielder Albert Belle.
Second baseman Brett Boone, Suzuki's teammate, had seven first-place votes and finished third with 259 points. Second baseman Roberto Alomar of the Indians received the other two first-place votes and was fourth with 165 points followed by teammate Juan Gonzalez.
Mashburn has groin pull
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Forward Jamal Mashburn, the Charlotte Hornets' best all-around player, was placed on the injured list Tuesday with a pulled right groin muscle.
The team did not say when Mashburn suffered the injury. He played 41 minutes in Saturday's home loss to Portland.
No reciprocal move was made, meaning Mashburn could return to action before missing the mandatory five games.
In nine games, the 6-8 Mashburn averaged 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He was second on the team in scoring, third in rebounding and second in assists.
Mashburn, 28, is in his ninth NBA season and second with the Hornets. He also has played for Dallas and Miami and came into this season with career averages of 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 470 games.
Prior to last season, Mashburn was acquired from Miami in the Eddie Jones deal and averaged 20.1 points with career highs of 7.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 76 games before haunting his former team in a first-round playoff sweep.
Ravens defensive end out for season
OWINGS MILLS, Md., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Ravens will have to make due without their best pass rusher for the remainder of the season.
Defensive end Michael McCrary, the team leader with eight sacks, underwent left knee surgery Monday and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. McCrary had surgery to repair the osteochondral defect of his lateral fenoral condyles in the knee.
The Ravens originally announced McCrary would miss three to four weeks, but ruled him out for the rest of the season on Tuesday.
McCrary is the third Ravens' starter to be lost for the season, joining running back Jamal Lewis (knee) and offensive tackle Leon Searcy (triceps) on the sidelines.
A two-time Pro Bowler, McCrary is one of the quickest ends in the league. He shined in the playoff spotlight last season, recording six sacks in four postseason games, including two in Baltimore's Super Bowl victory over the New York Giants.
Georgia lineman suffers stroke
ATLANTA, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- David Jacobs, a defensive lineman at the University of Georgia who suffered a stroke last week, was reported in stable condition Tuesday at Emory University Hosital.
Jacobs complained of dizziness and a severe headache after practice on Wednesday. During the course of a medical exam, his condition deteriorated, school officials said, and he was taken to St Mary's Hospital in Athens. A day later, he was airlifted to Emory Hospital to be close to his family and placed in the intensive care unit where he remained.
"I think it's exceedingly rare," said Ron Courson, the school's director of sports medicine. "He doesn't have any risk factors that you would typically associate with stroke."
According to Courson, the stroke has affected the right side of Jacobs' body and the ability to communicate. When Jacobs, a 2-year-old junior, is determined to be medically stable, he will be transferred to arehabilitation hospital to undergo "intensive" physical, occupational and speech therapies.
Lions place safety on Injured Reserve
DETROIT, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The Detroit Lions placed safety Ron Rice on injured reserve Tuesday with a neck and back stinger suffered in Sunday's loss at Arizona.
Rice was carried off the field on a stretcher in the first half of the Lions' 45-38 loss to the Cardinals. X-rays were negative but he was taken to a local hospital for a precautionary MRI.
Rice started eight of Detroit's first nine games and is second on the team with 68 tackles (29 solo). He had an interception and a sack.
The 6-1, 217-pound safety was signed as a rookie free agent out of Eastern Michigan in 1995. He has recorded 545 tackles (354 solo), 6 ½ sacks and 11 interceptions in his seven-year career.
