Retired
After a 13-year career in which he led his teams to five playoff appearances, Steve McNair
(above). One of only three quarterbacks to throw for 30,000 yards and run for 3,500 ( Fran Tarkenton
and Steve Young
are the others), McNair
absorbed countless hits but usually found a way to play through the pain. He led the Titans
to the Super Bowl after the 1999 season and to the AFC Championship Game
in 2003, when he was named NFL
co-MVP with Peyton Manning
. McNair
was traded to the Ravens
before the 2006 season and led Baltimore
to a 13--3 record, but groin, back and shoulder injuries limited him to six games last season. "Mentally, I could go out and play," McNair
said last Thursday, "but physically, I couldn't do it anymore."
Extended
By Lorena Ochoa
, her LPGA
winning streak to four events, with a three-stroke victory at the Ginn Open in Kissimmee
, Fla.
, on Sunday. The only other women to win four in a row are Annika Sorenstam
(2001), Kathy Whitworth
(1969) and Mickey Wright
(1962 and '63). "I survived," Ochoa
said. "I didn't have my legs for the last two or three holes. I'm just glad I hung in there and was able to finish strong. For sure, I'm ready to take a break." Ochoa
will sit out this week's Stanford Invitation Pro-Am.
Fractured
The left front ankle of War Pass, an injury that will keep last year's 2-year-old champion colt out of the Kentucky Derby
. Trainer Nick Zito
said War Pass may have suffered the small break in the sesamoid bone during the Wood Memorial on April 5. (He finished second by half a length.) "It's a shame because he has all the ability in the world," said Zito
, who has trained the winners of four Triple Crown races. "He's one of the best I've ever had." War Pass is not expected to race again for several months.
Arrested
On three counts of attempted murder in the strip-club shooting that led to the suspension of Titans
cornerback Pacman Jones
, 29-year-old Arvin Kenti Edwards. In February 2007, during NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas
, three people were shot at the Minxx club during a melee that began after Jones
"made it rain" by showering strippers with bills. Last December, Jones
, who was suspended by the NFL
for the 2007 season, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct and agreed to tell police what he knew about the shooting. His lawyer would not say if the information provided by Jones
led directly to the arrest.
Died
At age 81 of a heart attack, Joseph Cameron Alston (below), the only badminton player ever to be featured on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
(March 7, 1955). A San Diego
native, Alston won the 1956 world championship in addition to 12 national titles. While competing, Alston began an off-court career as an FBI agent
. "He had that magnetic personality that people loved to be around, and he could always find a way to win," said Alston's son Tony, who also played badminton at the international level.
Died
At age 45, John Marzano, a former major league catcher who later served as a Phillies
radio analyst and as the host of a talk show on MLB.com
. The cause of death was unclear, but Marzano apparently had fallen down the stairs in his home. The South Philadelphia
native was a catcher on the silver-medal-winning 1984 U.S. Olympic
team and was later selected in the first round by the Red Sox
. In 10 seasons with Boston
, Texas
and Seattle
, Marzano hit .241.
Died
At age 91, Tommy Holmes
, a two-time All-Star outfielder for the Boston Braves
. Holmes
had a career year in 1945, batting .352 with 28 homers—and at least one hit in 37 straight games from June 6 until July 12. That stood as the longest streak in modern NL history until Pete Rose
hit in 44 straight games in 1978. Holmes
, a career .302 hitter, died on April 14, Rose
's 67th birthday.