Former champion surfer Andy Irons found dead
Former three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons was found dead Tuesday in a hotel room in Dallas, where he was on a layover en route to his home in Hawaii. The cause of death was not immediately known, his family said.
Irons, 32, was returning from Puerto Rico, where he was to have competed in the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search over the weekend but withdrew because of an illness he said he contracted while visiting Europe. Still, he said he was planning to participate in another tournament in Hawaii next week.
Perhaps the most dominant surfer of the early to mid-2000s, Irons had 19 world tour victories and was the only surfer to have won at every location on the tour. (News services)
AVP beach volleyball tour files for bankruptcy • The AVP pro beach volleyball tour filed for bankruptcy protection, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles. The tour said it has less than $184,000 in assets and $4.97 million in liabilities. Among those owed money are Olympic gold medal winners Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser and Kerri Walsh.
The AVP had hoped to cash in on the popularity of the sport after the American sweep of the gold medals at the Beijing Games. But the troubled economy scared sponsors and investors away. The tour shut down in August when it ran out of funding. It canceled the last five events on the schedule. (AP)
Landis to be tried in hacking case, sources say • American cyclist Floyd Landis and his coach, Arnie Baker, will stand trial in a hacking case that targeted a French doping lab, judicial officials said Tuesday. No trial date has been set.
The case is part of a sweeping investigation into computer hacking, triggered by a complaint filed by the lab denouncing intrusions into their computer system. The lab uncovered elevated testosterone levels in Landis' 2006 Tour de France samples, and he was stripped of his victory. (AP)
Moore is unanimous choice again for All-American • UConn's Maya Moore is the second player to be a two-time unanimous choice on The Associated Press women's basketball preseason All-America team. The senior received all 40 votes from the national media panel and joined Alana Beard as the only women to accomplish the feat.
Brittney Griner of Baylor, Nnemkadi Ogwumike of Stanford, Jantel Lavender of Ohio State and Danielle Robinson of Oklahoma are the other members of the team announced Tuesday. (AP)
Murray starts Valencia Open defense with win • Top-seeded Andy Murray began his Valencia Open title defense with a 6-3, 7-6 (1) win over Feliciano Lopez. In other action, fourth-seeded David Ferrer kept alive his hopes of reaching the ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month, rallying for a 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3 win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. (AP)
Djokovic off to a good start • Novak Djokovic made light work of his opening match at the Swiss Indoors, where he's defending champion, with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ernests Gulbis. (AP)
Spartans' Williams out for season • Michigan State freshman Madison Williams will miss the women's basketball season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during a scrimmage Sunday.
Lynx win WNBA draft lottery again • The Minnesota Lynx got lucky again in the WNBA draft lottery, winning the right to pick first in the league's 2011 draft. It's the third time they've won it in the last six years and the second time in a row. (AP)
My deepest sympathies to the Irons family today.