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The Charlotte Observer, N.C., Rick Bonnell column
NEW YORK, Feb 12, 2010 (The Charlotte Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta set to meet
Rachel vs. Zenyatta. The race is on!
One day after a matchup of racing's leading ladies fell apart, the owner of Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., worked out a compromise to match the champion females for the first time -- in the $5million Apple Blossom Invitational on April 9.
"The race is a go," a delighted Charles Cella told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday.
"This is truly a race for the ages."
The surprising turn of events came less than 24 hours after Rachel Alexandra's owner Jess Jackson said his filly was out of the 1 1/8th-mile race because she would not be in peak condition by April 3.
Cella said he worked the phones trying to make his race a reality. He agreed to move the race to April 9 -- the day before the track's signature event, the Arkansas Derby -- and apparently Jackson was sold. associated press
BASEBALL
Tom Glavine made his retirement official and returned to the Atlanta Braves in a loosely defined new role. He was hired as special assistant to Braves President John Schuerholz, and the two stood together in front of reporters for the first time since Glavine's unexpected release last summer.
Outfielder Corey Hart became the first player on the Milwaukee Brewers to go to arbitration in 12 years. Hart asked a panel of arbitrators for a raise from $3.25million to $4.8million, and the Brewers argued for $4.15million.
COLLEGES
N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien said Jon Tenuta has joined the staff as linebackers coach. Tenuta, a former defensive coordinator at North Carolina, was Notre Dame's defensive coordinator last season. KEN TYSIAC
Penn State coach Joe Paterno might not need his trademark thick-rimmed glasses anymore. A team spokesman said Paterno, 83, had vision surgery last month after having trouble reading the past six months.
Central Florida has been put on two years probation after the NCAA says it committed "major" football recruiting violations regarding phone calls and text messages to recruits and their parents.
Adam Griffin, son of two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, will follow his father's footsteps and play football at Ohio State. The younger Griffin is a 5-foot-9, 185-pound running back, defensive back and return specialist.
An executive committee of South Carolina's board of trustees approved a salary increase for an assistant football coach and approved the issuance of bonds that will help improve the school's athletic facilities.
Officials approved doubling defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson's salary to $700,000. The increase will be funded through ISP Sports-Learfield Communications, South Carolina's broadcast rights holder.
Charlotte 49er Corey Nagy was named to Ben Hogan Watch List as one of nation's top collegiate golfers.
MOTORSPORTS
Defending champions Robert Hight and Mike Edwards topped their divisions on the first day of qualifying at the season-opening Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.
Hight (Funny Car), Edwards (Pro Stock) and Cory McClenathan (Top Fuel) rounded out the provisional qualifying leaders through the first of four rounds of qualifying.
BOXING
Evander Holyfield's wife claims the boxing great hit her several times after an argument about her payments to their church, and she has received a temporary protective order against him.
Candi Holyfield, 30, the boxer's third wife, said her 47-year-old husband hit her in the face, the back of the head and her back on the night of Feb. 1 after she refused to show him check stubs of her giving to the church, according to Fayette (Ga.) County court records. He was concerned she was not giving to the church.
"He said that I was being disrespectful," Candi Holyfield, 30, said in the Feb.3 court filing. Observer news services
To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.charlotteobserver.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Charlotte Observer,
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