TV: Miller, Morgan gone
Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are out as announcers on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” after 21 seasons. The network did not announce replacements. Miller, the play-by-play voice, received the Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2010 Ford C. Frick Award.
* Zenyatta‘s star power nearly tripled television ratings for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. ESPN said yesterday the preliminary rating for the one-hour broadcast window that included her race was up 180 percent from last year.
GOLF: McIlroy ditches Tour
Rory McIlroy has decided not to join the PGA Tour next year, which could mean as many as three of the top 10 players in the world ranking not belonging to golf’s strongest tour. McIlroy told British newspapers he found himself not wanting to be in America, especially during the FedEx Cup playoffs when the majors were over. Lee Westwood, the new world No. 1, has not been a PGA Tour member for several years. PGA champion Martin Kaymer, No. 3 in the world, has indicated he will not join the U.S. tour next year.
ETC.: Pitt wins hoops opener
Brad Wanamaker scored 24 points, Ashton Gibbs had 22 and No. 5 Pittsburgh survived an upset scare, rallying from eight points down to beat Rhode Island 83-75 at home in the 2K Sports Classic opener. . . . In another first-round game, sophomore guard Brandon Paul came off the bench and scored all of his 18 points on 3-pointers to lead No. 13 Illinois to a 79-65 win over UC-Irvine.
* Darius Adams scored 27 points and Division-II Indianapolis upset No. 23 Tennessee 79-64 in exhibition game in Knoxville.
* Tour de France winner Alberto Contador will be investigated for doping during this year’s race. Contador tested positive for banned anabolic agent clenbuterol in the final week of his third Tour victory in July.
* Four-time defending NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson had a major shakeup to his race team when Hendrick Motorsports gave him teammate Jeff Gordon‘s pit crew for the final two races of the season. The swap comes a day after Johnson’s crew was benched mid-race at Texas Motor Speedway following a shaky performance on pit road.
* The Athletics have won bidding for negotiating rights to Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. The A’s bid was accepted by the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League. Oakland has 30 days to reach a contract agreement.