Ohio State names

five team captains

COLUMBUS (AP) — Defensive linemen John Simon and Garrett Goebel, fullback Zach Boren, linebacker Etienne Sabino and running back Jordan Hall have been selected in a team vote as No. 18 Ohio State’s captains for the 2012 season.

Coach Urban Meyer announced the captains at a team meeting Sunday night.

The five have combined for 185 games played and 74 starts with the Buckeyes, with four playing 39 career games apiece. Boren leads the group with 27 starts, while Simon has 26.

Simon becomes just the seventh two-time captain in school history and the first since James Laurinaitis was named captain in 2007 and again in 2008.

The Buckeyes, who completed two-a-day practices recently, open the season on Sept. 1 against Miami (Ohio).

 

Cabrera’s associate

tried to fake defense

NEW YORK (AP) — An associate of San Francisco Giants All-Star Melky Cabrera purchased a website and attempted to create evidence to support a claim that the outfielder inadvertently took the substance that caused a positive drug test.

Baseball officials uncovered the scheme as Cabrera prepared his case to challenge the test. Cabrera’s grievance then was dropped, and Major League Baseball announced a 50-game suspension Wednesday.

The New York Daily News first reported on the scheme Sunday.

A team of six-to-seven investigators from MLB spent several weeks working to uncover the plan, a baseball official familiar with the probe told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because MLB didn’t authorize anyone to discuss the matter publicly.

 

Top prep basketball

recruit arrested

BALTIMORE (AP) — Police say a high school basketball player who’s regarded as one of the country’s top recruits has been arrested in his native Baltimore on charges of assaulting the mother of his child.

Baltimore police say 18-year-old Aquille Carr was arrested Friday. He faces two misdemeanor charges: second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Online court records do not list an attorney for him and he has a hearing set for Sept. 19.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says Carr was charged in a warrant based on statements from the victim. She was not seriously injured.

Carr is a rising senior and has committed to play at Seton Hall. The 5-foot-7 point guard played at Patterson High in Baltimore before transferring this spring to St. Patrick High in Elizabeth, N.J.

 

DeFrancesco named

Astros’ manager

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros have named Tony DeFrancesco interim manager a day after firing Brad Mills.

DeFrancesco was the manager of Houston’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.

In his third season running the Astros, Mills was dismissed Saturday night after Houston lost to the Diamondbacks 12-4.

Houston entered Sunday’s game with the worst record in the major leagues at 39-82.

Hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham were also let go on Saturday. Dan Radison will take over in the interim as first base coach and Ty Van Burkleo will be the hitting coach.

Mills was the first big league manager to be fired this season. He was 76-86 in his first season with Houston and a franchise-worst 56-106 last year. He took over for Cecil Cooper, who was also fired during the season, as was his predecessor Phil Garner.