In Sports from United Press International
Green out as Vikings coach
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Dennis Green's 10-year reign as coach of the with the Minnesota Vikings came to an abrupt end Friday.
Green and the Vikings reached a buyout agreement on Friday after it was initially reported team owner Red McCombs was prepared to fire his coach following Monday night's season finale against the Baltimore Ravens.
But, McCombs denied that in Friday's news conference, after announcing that assistant Mike Tice will coach the team Monday night.
That didn't seem to corroborate with Green's agent, Ray Anderson, who began to negotiate terms of a buyout on Friday morning after ESPN reported Thursday night that McCombs planned to fire Green.
"We were not going to just sit there and wait for something to happen if the owner had already decided to leak this kind of information in an attempt to embarrass Dennis Green," Anderson told CNNSI.com. Green is expected to receive most, if not all, of the $5.4 million in salary for the remaining two years of his contract.
After reaching the NFC championship game last season, the Vikings endured the first losing season under Green with a 5-10 record and failed to reach the playoffs for only the second time in the Green era.
Green, while addressing the media Friday afternoon, refused to take questions.
"I've been very blessed and very fortunate to work for this organization for 10 years," said Green, 52. "If you want to know what I'll be doing, just look on the high road. That's where Dennis Green will be. The way I see it, my hand is on the plow and the best thing to do is to look forward."
Green's departure leaves Bill Cowher of the Pittsburgh Steelers as the longest tenured coach with one club. Both were hired in 1992. Minnesota was 97-62 under Green, won four division titles and reached the NFC championship game twice in the previous three years. But the Vikings were just 4-8 in the postseason, including an embarrassing 41-0 loss to the New York Giants in the NFC championship last January.
Following that defeat, the 2001 season was filled with tragedy and chaos for the Vikings, who have played with heavy hearts. On Aug. 1, star right tackle Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp. There also have been sideline arguments among the players during games, primarily involving receivers Randy Moss and Cris Carter. The incidents caused McCombs to question whether Green had lost control of the team.
McCombs signed Moss to an eight-year contract worth $75 million before the season at the urging of Green, who also serves as vice president of football operations and has final say in personnel decisions. It didn't help Green's status when Moss made headlines recently with the declaration that he plays only when he wants. Players on the team also have expressed displeasure with Moss' flippant attitude.
It is believed the Vikings may be interested in hiring Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, who may be fired if his team falls in the wild card round to Philadelphia. Dungy was very popular in Minnesota when he served as defensive coordinator under Green from 1992-95 before taking over as Bucs coach.
Tice has been coaching the Vikings offensive line for the last five seasons.
Spurrier resigns from Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Steve Spurrier, who may finally be ready to put his hat in the NFL ring after turning the University of Florida into a college football power, resigned Friday as coach of his alma mater.
The resignation comes on the same day coach Dennis Green and the Minnesota Vikings parted company. The San Diego Chargers also have a coaching vacancy.
There is speculation the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will also make a coaching change if they lose in the wild card round to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Florida won the national championship in 1996, six Southeastern Conference titles and as many as 10 games nine times in Spurrier's 12 years as coach at the school where he was a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in 1966. His 122 victories at Florida ranks as the best win total in history for a major college coach in his first 12 years at the school.
The Gators were 10-2 this past season, but lost a chance to play for the national championship when they fell to Tennessee in their regular-season finale. Florida capped its season with a 56-23 trouncing of Maryland in the Orange Bowl on Wednesday.
Spurrier had been signed as Florida coach through the 2006 season.
Toms, Perry share Mercedes lead
KAPALUA, Hawaii, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- David Toms carded a 7-under-par 66 while Kenny Perry shot a 67 as each moved past Mike Weir and into a first-pace tie atop the leaderboard following Friday's second round of the Mercedes Championships.
Weir scorched the Plantation course Thursday, tying the record with a 63 that included a 29 on the front nine. But the 31-year-old Canadian carded a 1-over 74 on Friday and is fourth, two shots off the lead.
Scott Verplank, who followed an opening-round 67 with a 69 on Friday, is alone in third at 10-under 136.
Three days removed from his 26th birthday, PGA Player of the Year Tiger Woods is on the fringe of contention at 4-under 142. The 2000 champion, who shot a 74 on Friday, is tied for 18th.
This $4 million event officially kicks off the 2002 PGA season and includes 32 tournament winners from a year ago fighting for the $720,000 top prize.
Missing from the field is world No. 2 Phil Mickelson, who chose to stay home with his family rather than spend the first two weeks of the season in Hawaii.
Smashnova wins ASB Bank Classic
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Anna Smashnova routed fifth-seeded Tatiana Panova of Russia, 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday (Friday night in the United States) to win the ASB Bank Classic.
On Friday, Smashnova eased past Anna Kournikova, denying the Russian siren her first career title. This win did not have as much luster but nevertheless provided Smashnova with her third career title.
The 25-year-old native of Israel was playing in a final for the first time since winning at Knokke-Heist in July 2000.
Panova had carried over momentum from 2001, when she compiled a 29-17 match record and six quarterfinal appearances over the final six months. But she fell to 0-2 all time vs. Smashnova, also losing in straight sets in qualifying at Oklahoma City in 1997.This was Panova's second career final and first since November 2000, when she lost to Anne Kremer in Thailand.
Raptors forward out 6-8 weeks
TORONTO, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Toronto Raptors forward Morris Peterson will miss six to eight weeks with a broken right index finger, the team announced Friday.
Peterson suffered the injury with 2:27 left in the third quarter of Wednesday's 95-84 victory at Portland. He scored 16 points before getting hurt. According to the team, the injury does not require surgery but Peterson's finger will be in a splint while he recovers. He was placed on the injured list, and center Mamadou N'Diaye was activated.
Peterson had started all 31 games this season, his second in the NBA. The 6-7 forward was second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game. He also is averaging 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He was Toronto's 2000 first-round pick after a stellar career at Michigan State, where he helped win a national title. The native of Flint, Mich., averaged 9.3 points as a rookie.
Cards sign Morris for three years
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Matt Morris, whose breakout season led to a third-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting, avoided arbitration with the St. Louis Cardinals Friday by signing a three-year deal worth a reported $29 million.
One of the league's busier teams this offseason, St. Louis locked up the 27-year-old righthander, who emerged as the ace of the staff in 2001. Morris went 22-8 with a 3.16 ERA last season, when he earned $1.2 million, and could have been a free agent after the 2002 season.
Morris has a record of 44-25 with a 3.09 ERA in a career that was interrupted by elbow surgery in April 1999. He recovered completely in 2001 and tied with Arizona's Curt Schilling for the major league lead in wins.
He finished behind Schilling and Arizona lefthander Randy Johnson in last year's NL Cy Young balloting, a season in which he became the first St. Louis pitcher to win 22 games since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson won 23 in 1970.
In the postseason, Morris started Games One and Five of the Division Series and allowed just two earned runs in 15 innings.
Kentucky DE to enter NFL draft
LEXINGTON, Ky., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Kentucky defensive end Dennis Johnson announced Friday that he will forego his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.
The 6-7, 265-pound Johnson led the Southeastern Conference with a school-record 12 sacks, 19 tackles for losses and five forced fumbles this past season.
Despite his team's 2-9 mark, Johnson said his relationship with the coaching staff, including coach Guy Morriss and defensive coordinator John Goodner, made the decision a difficult one.
A Kentucky native, Johnson leaves school with 19 sacks and 128 tackles -- 35 for losses--in 34 games. He broke into the starting lineup midway through his freshman season.
Johnson sustained a high ankle sprain in the 2000 season opener and missed the rest of the year. He received a medical hardship, which he could have used in 2002 to complete his eligibility.
Johnson is the third underclassmen to decide to leave early for the NFL draft, joining Brigham Young running back Luke Staley and Ohio State cornerback Derek Ross.
Nef captures World Cup giant slalomi
MARIBOR, Slovenia, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Reigning world champion Sonja Nef of Switzerland, skiing one of her favorite courses, captured a World Cup giant slalom by 1.53 seconds over local teenager Tina Maze on Friday.
Racing in sunny, 15-degree weather, Nef led both runs and finished with a combined time of 2 minutes, 21.48 seconds for her second giant slalom victory this winter.
Nef, who won in Maribor a year ago and was second here in 2000, dominated the giant slalom last season with six World Cup wins, including five in a row.
Maze posted the third-fastest second run and moved up three places to finish with a time of 2.23.01. Stina Hofgard-Nilsen of Norway was third in 2:23.12.
Sarah Schleper of Vail, Colo., overcame a near-spill to finish 10th in 2:23.96. Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria, who leads the overall standings, was 23rd in 2:24.61.
The Cafe de Colombia tour continues through the weekend with slaloms Saturday and Sunday.
Miami unanimous No. 1 in coaches poll
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The Miami Hurricanes, No. 1 since early October and leaving no doubt they belong there, were named unanimous national champions in the final coaches poll Friday, following their 37-14 rout of Nebraska in the Rose Bowl Thursday night.
Miami (12-0) received all 60 first-place votes, claiming its fifth national championship and first since 1991. The Hurricanes also were a unanimous pick in the media poll.
Oregon (11-1), which was hoping a Miami loss would create a split national championship, finished second, followed by Florida (10-2), Tennessee (11-2) and Texas (11-2).
Nebraska, which ended the season with its first two-game losing streak since 1990, dropped from fourth to seventh in the final poll.
Oklahoma (11-2) starts the second five, followed by Nebraska,Louisiana State (10-3), Colorado (10-3) and Maryland (10-2).
Gardenhire named Twins manager
Minneapolis, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Ron Gardenhire was promoted Friday from third base coach to manager of the Minnesota Twins, who might not be around much longer, but finally have a reason to smile.
General Manager Terry Ryan joined Gardenhire, 44, at a Friday morning news conference. one that had been a long time coming since the team was threatened with extinction.
Long-time Manager Tom Kelly stepped down in October. A month later, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced that two teams would be contracted, possibly by the start of the 2002 season.
Because of their inability to stay competitive financially and the uncertainty surrounding a new stadium, the Twins emerged asone of the two teams likely to go and their search for a new manager was put on hold.
Last week, all 30 major league teams received a directive from Selig that contraction would not take place before 2002, which allowed Ryan to pursue a manager.
U.S. joins Spain in Hopman final
PERTH, Australia, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- The United States joined Spain in the final of the Hopman Cup Friday with a 2-1 victory over Belgium.
The top-seeded Americans got singles victories from Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill to bounce back from Wednesday's surprising loss to Italy and return to the final.
Seles rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Kim Clijsters and Gambill clinched the win with a 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2) victory over Xavier Malisse. That ended the upset hopes of Italy, which recorded a meaningless 2-1 win over France.
Clijsters and Malisse won the doubles match, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
