Ben Roethlisberger, the Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback whose motorcycle accident shocked the city of Pittsburgh, has confirmed that he will play in the American Century Championship golf tournament July 14-16.
On June 12, Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident in which he suffered a broken upper and lower jaw, a broken nose, the loss of two teeth and a nine inch laceration to the back of his head. His injuries were not deemed career-threatening and he announced last week that his recovery was progressing well. He played at the end of June in the Mellon Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational.
Now, Roethlisberger is a definite for the 17th annual celebrity golf championship where some 75 top sports and entertainment celebrities will compete for $500,000 in prize money and help raise money for charity. This year, beneficiaries are the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Autism Speaks.
NBC Sports will televise the second and final rounds of the tournament live on Saturday, July 15 from noon-2 p.m. and on Sunday, July 16 from noon-3 p.m. The Golf Channel will carry Friday's opening round from 11a.m.Ð2 p.m. The 54-hole tournament has been played at Edgewood Tahoe's 6,707 yard lakeside course since its inception in 1990 and has raised more than $2.5 million for a variety of charities.
Nevada to host WAC soccer, volleyball
The Western Athletic Conference and Commissioner Karl Benson announced today that Nevada will host both the 2006 WAC Soccer and Volleyball Tournaments.
The decision was made based on bids received from the WAC's member schools and a vote from the WAC Council.
The women's soccer tournament will be played Nov. 2, 3 and 5 at Mackay Stadium. The field will include the top six finishers from the regular season standings.
The volleyball tournament will be held Nov. 22-24 at the Lawlor Events Center. All nine teams in the WAC make up the field.
"The University of Nevada and the city of Reno have become an attactive destination for our championships," Benson said. "Our fans and teams have enjoyed the past championships that have been held in Reno the last few years, and we look forward to more successful postseason experiences this fall."
Silver Sox sign outfielder Shanks
The Reno Silver Sox have announced that they have agreed to terms with outfielder James Shanks.
Shanks was batting .299 with five home runs and 29 RBI for the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Florida Marlins Triple-A affiliate this season. The Appling, Ga., native was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the 1998 draft, and over eight seasons is a career .296 hitter. Last season, Shanks spent the majority of the year with Double-A Carolina and hit .296 with nine home runs and 51 RBI before being promoted to Albuquerque. Shanks was set to join the Sox on Friday in Long Beach.
"Shanks has hit everywhere he's played and we're excited to add him both to our lineup and to our outfield," Lancaster said.
To make room for the new additions, right-handed pitcher Nate Sevier was placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 3.
The Silver Sox return to Peccole Park on Tuesday for a six-game homestand against the Yuma Scorpions and the San Diego Surf Dawgs. Next Tuesday is Two-for-Tuesday, where reserve tickets are two-for-one at the stadium gate. Wednesday is Saint Mary's Water Bottle Night, where the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free water bottle courtesy of Saint Mary's.
Game times for the next homestand are 6:35 p.m. (gates open at 5:30) except for Sunday, which has a 5:05 p.m. start (gates open at 4). Tickets are available by calling the Silver Sox box office at (775) 348-7769 or on line at www.silversoxbaseball.com.
Golf results from around the area
Results from the Thunder Canyon Men's Day Chicago Points event held on Friday:
First - Leland Sullivan 14; second - Jim Fitzpatrick, Larry Goodnight 13; fourth - Saul Singer, Jim Muth, Dana Whaley 12; seventh - Steve Sear 10; eighth - Boby Oglesby, Bill Waldren, Paul Lumos 9.
Results from the Empire Ranch Senior Men's Golf Club's individual stroke play event held on Wednesday:
Flight A: Low net - Jack Eldridge (won tiebreaker) 64; second - Terry Thomas 64; third Ð Glen Adair 65; fourth - Roger Overholt (won tiebreaker) 66; fifth Ð Ron Doty 66. Flight B: Low net - Bob Lewis 60; second - Ross Sidebottom 62; third - Henry Ortiz (won tiebreaker) 64; fourth - Dick Sorken 64; fifth - Gerald Cumpton 66.
Flight C: Low net - John Lewis (won tiebreaker) 65; second - Robert Pluth 65; third - Bill Barker 66; fourth - Don Becker (won tiebreaker) 67; fifth - James Sand 67. Flight D: Low net - James Reading 61; second - Richard Miller 62; third - George Perusits 65; fourth - Paul Weller 66; fifth - Wayne Logan (won tiebreaker) 68.
Closest to the pin: Front nine - Tom Craig 2-6; back nine - Paul Beavers 10-10.