Basketball
Nuggets' Martin out for the season
Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will miss the rest of theseason after right knee surgery. Arthroscopic surgery yesterday'revealed more significant damage' than the team originally thought.Martin, who played two games this season, was limited to a career-low 56 games last season after surgery on his left knee. He wassuspended in the playoffs for a tirade at the coaching staff afterhis playing time was limited against the Los Angeles Clippers. He andcoach George Karl patched up their relationship, and after trainingcamp Martin declared himself healthy for the first time sinceundergoing microfracture surgery 18 months ago ... The NBA will takethe lead in the Sacramento Kings' long-running effort to get a newarena, the league announced. Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof metwith commissioner David Stern to discuss the change in tactics aftera ballot proposal for a sales-tax increase to help fund an arena wasdefeated by Sacramento County voters last week ... Former NBA starMichael Jordan could become an investor in a slot-machine parlor inPhiladelphia, state gambling regulators were told ... The SacramentoMonarchs hired former Seattle assistant Jenny Boucek as their headcoach. Boucek, a former WNBA player who left the Storm's coachingstaff before last season, will replace John Whisenant, who resignedlast month to focus on his job as the Monarchs' general manager.
Hockey
NHL gets edge in battle with Russia
Evgeni Malkin was cleared to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguinsafter a federal judge in New York denied a demand by his formerRussian club that he be yanked from the NHL. Metallurg Magnitogorsk,a Russian Super League team, claims Malkin is under contract in hisnative country. The club sought a preliminary injunction that wouldhave banned the forward from playing for the Penguins. But the rulingby US District Judge Loretta A. Preska clears the way for Malkin, astar rookie with Penguins, and minor leaguers Andrei Taratukhin ofthe Calgary Flames and Alexei Mikhnov of the Edmonton Oilers to stickwith their franchises ... The Devils released former Northeastern andCatholic Memorial star Jim Fahey.
Soccer
Acosta quits as Chile's head coach
Nelson Acosta said in Santiago, Chile, he will resign as Chile'scoach, making the announcement two hours before his team's friendlyagainst Paraguay. The Uruguay native decided the match was his last,saying he wanted to give the newly elected Chilean soccer federationpresident Harold Mayne-Nicholls the freedom to pick a new manager ...The US soccer team will play Denmark in an exhibition Jan. 20 at theHome Depot Center in Carson, Calif., the first game for the Americanssince they were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup. Thegame figures to be the debut of the successor to Bruce Arena asnational team coach. Former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann isconsidered the favorite to succeed Arena, who held the job from late1998 until July.
Colleges
Coach's son gets payoff to leave FSU
Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden received a$537,500 payoff from the school's boosters to resign followingseveral seasons of declining production. The settlement was revealedwhen the school released a copy of the agreement Bowden's attorneysreached with the university and its boosters. The resignation takeseffect Nov. 26, a day after the season finale against Florida. Bowden- youngest son of head coach Bobby Bowden - retains his present$141,000 salary until his contract expires next August. He then willreceive annual payments of $107,500 until August 2012 ... Don Strockhas resigned as coach at Florida International, one of only twowinless Division 1 programs this season and a program still dealingwith effects of a sideline-clearing brawl against Miami last month.
Broomfield awarded Gold Helmet
Northeastern sophomore tailback Alex Broomfield was the Division 1-AA recipient of the Boston Globe Gold Helmet award. Broomfield ledthe Huskies to a 34-24 victory over Hofstra with a 154 yards rushingon 20 carries. He also scored two touchdowns and caught two passesfor 43 yards ... Boston College senior defender Laura Georges is oneof 15 female semifinalists and junior forward Charlie Davies is oneof 15 male semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic club's HermannTrophy, awarded annually to the top college soccer players in thenation ... USC received a letter of intent from O.J. Mayo, one of themost-coveted high school basketball players in the nation. Mayo goesto Huntington High in West Virginia ... Medford High's Arantxa King,the national long jump and triple jump champion, is signing a letterof intent with Stanford.
Miscellany
Blake makes semifinals at Masters Cup
James Blake, the last to qualify for the season-ending MastersCup, became the first to make the semifinals of the elite eight-manfield in Shanghai. Blake rallied from a set and a break down,eventually getting his serve on track to beat third-ranked NikolayDavydenko, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 ... Juan Pablo Montoya will attempt to makehis Nextel Cup debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 30 Dodge.Car owner Chip Ganassi had briefly considered putting Montoya in theNo. 42 Dodge, which is driven by Casey Mears and is guaranteed a spotin the field. The No. 30 is not, and Montoya will have to qualify thecar to get into Sunday's race ... Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan haswon the Dick Schaap Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism. Ryanhas been on the Globe staff since 1969 and was named the 2000National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters andSportswriters Association.
