European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 25, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 252007 stars and stripes Page 47 coach death puts spotlight on Sleazy Side of Cricket Pakistan Wooller killed in Jamaica after teams humiliating loss to Ireland in world cup by Robert Millward the associated press London the death of Paki stans coach during the Cricket world cup is focusing attention on How far the sport has strayed from its sedate gentlemanly image of Village greens and Tea Breaks modern Day professional Cricket is plagued by doping scandals Misbehaviour by players match fixing Ball tampering cheating and riots police in Jamaica Are trying to determine whether the death of Bob Woolmer is connected to the Sleazy Side of the sport jamaican authorities say Wool Mer was strangled in his hotel room last sunday less than 24 hours after his team was ousted from the world cup with a humiliating loss to lightly regarded ire land during the past 15 years Cricket has become a target for gamblers and bookmakers especially in Asia big Money bets have led to a series of match rigging cases theres an underground Busi Ness and the bookmakers Are ruin ing the game said former South Africa fast Bowler Allan Donald who played under Woolmer it Woolmer seems to me that will never Stop because bookmakers have such easy Access to players on the Field players have been caught cheat ing scratching the surface of the Ball or lifting the seam to make it deviate More inflight three Days after Woolmer death former Ireland Cricket Union president Robert Kerr was found dead of a suspected heart attack although police have not linked the two deaths they have cast a Cloud on what should have been a festival of Cricket the sport has been tainted by scandals for years Woolmer was South Africa coach when team Captain Hansie Cronje was exposed for match fix ing in the 1990s Cronje admitted he took up to from gamblers and Book makers while on a tour of India in 1996 in return for match information although he denied fixing a game he was banned for life in 2000 and two years after the scan dal was exposed died in a plane crash at age 32 that scandal also ended the Ca Reers of former India Captain Mohammed Izharuddin who was banned for life along with team mate Ajay Sharma and Pakistan batsman Salim Malik and fast Bowler ataur Rehman for conspiring with bookmakers to fix matches it is still going on said former Pakistan fast Bowler Sarfraz Nawaz i believe Woolmer found out about what went on and was about to reveal All Wool Mer is not the first person in Cricket to be fooled by these people Hansie Cronje died in a plane crash that has never been properly explained Woolmer was among the South african Cricket officials questioned about the 1996 scandal Al though he never was accused of match fixing he was writing a Book that touched on corruption in Cricket and Pakistan team spokesman Parvez Mir said the coach was upset that proofs of the Book were missing Bob told me the proofs had been misplaced and he was very disturbed Mir told reporters i dont know what was in the Book but that was his Only copy at the time Woolmer was coaching Paki Stan when it was involved in Ball tampering allegations during last years test series in England australian Umpire Darrell hair accused Pakistan of breaking the rules by changing the condition of the Ball team Captain in Zama Mulhau rejected the claim and refused to Lead his team out for the final session the match was declared a forfeit the first in the 129year history of test Cricket although Inzamae was cleared by a disciplinary commit tee of tampering with the Ball he was banned for four games for bringing the game into disrepute hair who penalized sri Lanka spin Bowler Muthiah Mur Alitha ran for throwing rather than bowl ing the Ball was accused of Bias against South asian teams Paki Stan India and sri Lanka said they didst want him in charge of their games and the sports world governing body the International Cricket Council banned him from officiating matches involving the leading test nations Pakistan then ran into a doping controversy fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif tested Posi Tive last year for the banned sub stance a Androlones and initially were banned for two years while their suspensions were Over turned by a Pakistan Cricket Board appeals panel that Deci Sion has been challenged by the world anti doping Agency and International Cricket officials the two bowlers pulled out of the world cup citing injuries Shane Warne the worlds great est spin Bowler who has taken the most test wickets in the game was banned for a year and had to pull out of Australia team for the 2003 world cup in South Afri Ca after he tested positive for a banned diuretic passions run so High in India and Pakistan that Cricket fans have rioted if their teams Arent winning Indian fans started fires and showered the Field with bottles in Calcutta during the 1996 world cup semifinal against sri Lanka forcing the match to be abandoned Reid returns to duties with eagles after helping sons the associated press Philadelphia Philadel phia eagles coach Andy Reid re turned from a temporary leave of absence Friday five weeks after leaving the team because of his two oldest sons Legal troubles Reid returned to his duties full time Friday in time for the nil owners meetings in Arizona next week he also is the teams head of football operations its Good to be Back Reid said i thought it was very important that i took a Little time and had the Chance to spend the time with my family Reid took a leave of absence feb 12 because his sons were embroiled in Legal troubles Stem Ming from their arrests on Jan 30 Reid said he didst seriously consider quitting As coach family obviously is the most important thing in my life Reid said to say walking away i cant say it Doest Cross your mind i knew i needed to take some time and to make sure i addressed the Issue Britt Reid 21 faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm with out a License and Misdemeanour drug charges stemming from a Road rage incident in which he allegedly pointed a gun at another Motorist Garrett Reid 23 faces charges he injured a woman in a traffic Accident while under the influence of heroin because of the pending Legal is sues Reid said Little about his sons and his personal life he asked a packed auditorium to try to keep the questions related to football were doing Well Reid said were working through this sports briefs despite being away from the team Reid has maintained con tact with the eagles during the Start of free Agency and has been available to participate in person Nel decisions the eagles lost wide receiver Donte Stallworth and Quarter Back Jeff Garcia signed free agent receivers Bethel Johnson and Kevin Curtis and defensive tackle Montae Reagor and resigned or gave extensions to their own players such As a Feeley and Correll buckhalter jets sign de Haynes Hempstead by the new York jets signed free agent defensive end Michael Haynes on thursday Haynes Chicago first round draft pick out of Perm state in 2003 was Cut by the bears before last season Haynes was signed by new Orleans after training Camp but was inactive for the saints opener before being re leased Haynes who switched to defensive tackle from end during the preseason with the bears started four games in his three nil sea sons playing in 43 he has Ca reer sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown in 2004 dolphins sign or Hakim guard Liwienski Miami the Miami dolphins signed wide receiver Azzahir Hakim and guard Chris Liwienski on thursday As unrestricted free agents and resigned Long snapper Johnr Denny to a oneyear contract the 29yearold Hakim was a fourth round draft Choice of the St Louis rams in 1998 and has played with St Louis Detroit new Orleans and most recently san Diego he has 316 career receptions for 4191 Yards and 28 touchdowns he returned 165 punts for a 107yard average including three for touchdowns the 31yearold Liwienski was a seventh round draft Choice of Detroit in 1998 but was released before the season and subsequently signed by Minnesota where he played until 2005 he has appeared in 110 regular season games including 80 starts he has started at left guard right guard and right tackle he most recently played for Arizona redskins release or Patten Ashburn a David Pat ten was Cut by the Washington redskins on thursday after catch ing just 23 passes Over two sea sons the redskins released Patten with three years remaining on the five year million contract he signed As a free agent from new England in 2005 Patten Felt ready to assume a Lead role after years As part of an ensemble receiving corps with the patriots but he was unable to live up to his own Billing Patten 32 caught 22 passes in nine games in 2005 before knee surgery ended his season in no vember in 2006 he caught just one pass for 25 Yards having fallen behind Santana Moss bran Don Lloyd and Antwan Randleel on the depth Chart mens coach Miller agrees to contract Extension with Xavier Cincinnati Xavier mens basketball coach Sean Miller agreed to a contract Extension that runs through the 201516 sea son the school said thursday no further details were re leased Miller 38 took Over the program in 2004 after Thad Malta took the head coaching Job at Ohio state Miller has led the team to two straight 20victory seasons Xavier finished 259 this sea son and won the Atlantic 10 regu la season title the musketeers advanced to the second round of the Mcaa tournament losing on saturday to no 1 Ohio state 7871 in overtime Xavier a Jesuit University does not disclose How much its coaches Are paid Kim leads Short program bulgarians win ice dance Tokyo South korean Kim Yuna Shook off her Back pain and took the Lead in the Short pro Gram Friday in the world figure skating championships japans Mike Ando was second and european Champion Carolina Kostner was third the two favourites defending Champion Kimmie Meissner and local Star Mao Asada were fourth and fifth respectively Kim the grand prix Champion this season who is skating despite a sore Back put on a mesmerizing performance to the soundtrack music Moulin Rouge that was full of unusual entries and exits of jumps and spins that earned Bonus Points Kim scored 7195 Points and Ando tallied 6798 previously the Only other scores Over 70 Points Accord ing to International skating Union statistics under the new judging system were a 7112 by Sasha Cohen in 2003 and 7022 Irina Slutskaya of Russia in 2005 both in grand prix Competition not an official championship earlier Friday Albena Denko a and Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria won their second consecutive ice dance title China piles up More diving Gold medals Melbourne Australia even a string of perfect 10s by a russian  keep China from another diving Gold medal Qin Kai Defeated defending Champion Alexandre Despatie of Canada on the mens 3meter springboard Friday night giving the chinese their sixth Victory in the world championships Dmitry Sautin of Russia received 10s from All seven judges on his fifth dive but Qin was too far ahead and Sautin finished third chivas he i won the women 1meter springboard title Over two time Champion Blythe Hart Ley of Canada Qin earned two 10s on his final dive having taken the Lead from teammate he Chong after two rounds Qin finished with 54535 Points Qin climbed out of the Pool did his traditional Bow to the crowd and pumped his right fist know ing he had claimed his second Gold in Melbourne Qin and Wang Feng won the 3meter synchronized title this is a fierce Competition Qin said Despatie who swept the 1meter and 3meter titles in Mon Treal two years ago  make up enough Points on his last dive he edged Sautin by 158 Points for the Silver