Marinatto quits Big East
PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 7 (UPI) -- Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said Monday he has resigned after nearly three years of orchestrating a game of musical chairs among league members.
Since Marinatto took the job in July 2009:
-- Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia have left the conference.
-- Boise State, San Diego State and Navy joined as football-only members and Central Florida, Houston, SMU, Temple and Memphis joined for all sports.
"After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided to step down as commissioner of the Big East Conference and formally advised our board of directors," Marinatto said. "Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations.
"As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution."
Joseph Bailey, a former chief executive of the Miami Dolphins, will be the conference's interim commissioner until a permanent replacement is chosen.
Nationals' Werth facing wrist surgery
WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- Washington Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth will have surgery on his broken left wrist and Manager Davey Johnson said he "will be out for a while."
The Washington Post reported Monday a source said Werth will have the procedure done at the Mayo Clinic. It usually takes 10-12 weeks to fully recover from this type of injury, the newspaper said.
Werth was injured Sunday during a 9-3 loss to Philadelphia when he charged a ball sliced to right field by the Phillies' Placido Polanco.
The outfielder bent the wrist backward as he slid to make the catch. The ball dropped out of his glove. Werth, obviously in pain, walked off the field and was replaced by Xavier Nady.
"He has a broken wrist and is going to be down a while," Johnson said. "He's going to go see a specialist. ... It's a clean break and he will be out for a while."
Werth has had trouble before with the wrist. It was broken by a pitched ball in 2005 when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers and ligament tears in the wrist caused him to miss the entire 2006 season.
Keith Brown to coach Georgetown women
WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- Georgetown assistant women's basketball coach Keith Brown has been promoted to head coach, the school said Monday.
Brown succeeds Terri Williams-Flournoy, who quit to take a job at Auburn. He was Williams-Flournoy's top assistant and lead recruiter the past five seasons.
"I am excited to be promoting Keith to head women's basketball coach," Athletic Director Lee Reed said in a statement. "He has been an integral part of our success over the past few seasons and I am confident he can sustain the program's momentum. Keith is a proven recruiter and motivator, he has the ability to push these student-athletes both on the court and in the classroom and I look forward to what he will bring to the program."
The Hoyas, 23-9 this past season, have made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Police: No suspects in Derby groom's death
LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 7 (UPI) -- Police said Monday they had no suspects in the mysterious death of a groom whose body was found in a barn at Churchill Downs the day after the Kentucky Derby.
Louisville Metro Police Lt. Barry Wilkerson said at a news conference the medical examiner was conducting an autopsy on Adan Fabian Perez, a 48-year-old native of Guatemala who was found shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday by a track security officer, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
Wilkerson said Perez suffered wounds that suggested foul play but did not elaborate on the condition of the body. The lieutenant said the location of the body in the back part of a barn "wasn't a natural place to be."
He wouldn't say whether the body was hidden or covered.
Police said Perez's death did not appear to be linked to the Derby, which was run Saturday.
Wilkerson said police were looking into several "altercations" that occurred on the track's "backside" before the body was found. Police were interviewing witnesses to determine if Perez had been involved in any of the incidents.
Perez, a groom for trainer Cecil Borel, brother of Derby jockey Calvin Borel, lived on the backside and had been licensed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission since 2008, said Marc A. Guilfoil, deputy executive director of the commission.
