Maddon to leave Halos for T.B.

11/14/2005
Long time Angels bench coach Joe Maddon is expected to be named the new manager of the Devil Rays on Tuesday, according to a report on the team's Web site.
Maddon, bench coach from 1996 to 2005, is a former minor league catcher who has been in the Angels organization for 28 years.
He has been a Major League coach for the last 12 seasons and was a candidate for the Red Sox job before Terry Francona was hired in 2003.
Before his first interview, Maddon said he received a 47-page e-mail from Tampa Bay explaining the team's direction and he came away impressed.
"Athletically (the Devil Rays are) among the best in the American League," said Maddon, who called the team an "interesting group of talent."
-- From staff reports
Busch suspended
Roush Racing put up with Kurt Busch's reputation for reckless driving on the track. When the defending Nextel Cup champion was accused of doing it in his own car, the team had seen enough.
Busch was suspended Sunday for the remainder of the NASCAR season after his run-in with police, who said he smelled of alcohol and was belligerent during a traffic stop Friday night.
"It's the last straw for Roush Racing," team president Geoff Smith said Sunday. "We're officially retiring as Kurt Busch's apologists, effective today."
Federer wins opener
Not quite sure what to expect of his game, Roger Federer began his bid for a third straight Tennis Masters Cup title in Sganghai with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over David Nalbandian.
Federer, recovering from a sprained ankle, was playing his first match in seven weeks and moved smoothly against the eighth-seeded Argentine in the season-ending championship.
In the day's other match, sixth-seeded Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia defeated fourth-seeded Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-2, 6-3. Ljubicic, making his Masters Cup debut, has reached the final in four of his last five tournaments.
Briefly
Geno Auriemma, who has coached Connecticut to five national titles, will enter the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame this spring with one other coach and four players.
The MLS is closer to expanding into Canada. The league's board of governors approved an expansion application from Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the eve of the league's 10th championship.

Source: http://www.presstelegram.com/