Cricketer Herath alive and bowling despite death rumors

SYDNEY (Reuters) - As Mark Twain might have said, rumors of the death of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath which spread like wildfire across social media late on Friday proved to be greatly exaggerated.
Far from lying in a Sydney morgue alongside former test bowler Chaminda Vaas after perishing in a car crash as the reports had suggested, Herath was very much alive when he pitched up for work at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The most prolific wicket-taker in test cricket last year, the 34-year-old leg spinner claimed two Australian wickets to seal a haul of four for 95 and then contributed nine runs with the bat.
Team mate Dimuth Karunaratne told reporters at the conclusion of the day's play that the team had been dumbfounded by the rumors.
"I heard about it when we having breakfast but I had no idea where that came from," he said with a laugh.
"Guys from Sri Lanka were calling us asking ‘when is the funeral?' and stuff like that.
"Rangana is alive," he added, somewhat unnecessarily.
Herath's efforts were not enough to prevent Australia taking an iron grip on the third test match on Saturday and move to the brink of a 3-0 series sweep.
That could all change, however, if he and Dinesh Chandimal, who finished the third day unbeaten on 22, are able to dig in on Sunday, inflate their lead beyond the current 87 and give Sri Lanka a decent target to bowl at.
The Sydney track has traditionally offered a lot of turn for spinners in the last couple of days of a test and, as Herath's 60 wickets last year showed, there are few better spinners operating in test cricket at the moment.
"The wicket is turning a lot now and the Aussie guys are playing the fourth innings, so I think Rangana... can do something," said Karunaratne.
Vaas has no position with the test team and remains, also unharmed, in Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan reporters said.

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Stocks mostly lower on Wall Street; Yum plunges

Stocks are opening mostly lower on Wall Street as investors get ready for the beginning of corporate earnings season.
Aluminum maker Alcoa reports earnings after the closing bell. The stock was flat in early trading.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 20 points to 13,362 early Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell a point to 1,460. The Nasdaq rose three to 3,101.
Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, dropped 4 percent to $65.13 after saying that problems with two of its small chicken suppliers hurt sales more than expected in China.
Agricultural products company Monsanto rose 4 percent to $99.48 after reporting that its profit nearly tripled as sales of its corn seeds expanded in Latin America.

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US stocks mixed ahead of earnings season kickoff

U.S. stocks opened mostly lower Tuesday as traders awaited the start of U.S. corporate earnings season.
In the first half-hour of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 26 points to 13,358. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost two to 1,459. The Nasdaq composite index rose a point to 3,100.
Aluminum maker Alcoa reports its fourth-quarter financial results after the market closes, marking the unofficial kickoff to weeks of earnings announcements from U.S. companies. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect Alcoa to earn 6 cents per share, after losing 18 cents per share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Market-watchers expect the quarter's results could include many surprises because of events like Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and the narrowly avoided tax increases and spending cuts known collectively as the fiscal cliff.
Trading has been cautious in the week since Congress and the White House struck a deal to maintain lower tax rates and postpone painful cuts in government spending. Enthusiasm about the compromise pushed the Dow up 300 points last Wednesday, its biggest gain since December 2011.
In corporate news:
— Agriculture products giant Monsanto's shares jumped 3 percent after saying its profit nearly tripled in the first fiscal quarter, helped by strong seed sales in Latin America. Monsanto raised its earnings guidance for the year. Shares rose $3.04 to $98.98.
— Video game seller GameStop Corp. lost 7 percent after reporting weak holiday-season sales and cutting its revenue guidance. Shares dropped $1.71 to $23.04.
— Yum! Brands Inc., operator of the KFC and Taco Bell fast food chains, dropped 5 percent after saying a key sales metric in China fell more than expected in the fourth quarter. The decline was related to problems at two of its small chicken suppliers; nearly half of the company's revenue came from China in 2011. Shares fell $3.42 to $64.47.
— In Korea, electronics giant Samsung said it expects record earnings for the fourth quarter as shoppers continue to embrace its smartphones and tablets. But there were signs its momentum is slowing, and shares of the company closed down 1.3 percent in Seoul.

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S.African stocks dip as worries rise of labour friction

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African stocks closed slightly lower on Monday with mining stocks including Harmony Gold pulling the market back from a record high set early in the session on concerns of fresh labour strife hurting the sector's earnings.
The All-share index, the broadest measure of Johannesburg stock performance, closed 0.28 percent lower at 40,162.56 and the blue chip Top-40 index closed 0.38 percent down at 35,641.67.
Shares of Harmony Gold shed 3.5 percent to 68.98 rand after it warned it might be forced to mothball a mine accounting for 14 percent of its production after labour tensions at its Kusasalethu mine clouded the outlook for operations.
The gold miner's woes mark a rocky start to 2013 for South Africa's mining industry, after a year in which it was rattled by violent wildcat strikes that led to more than 50 deaths and severely damaged the country's investment image.
The National Union of Mineworkers, the sector's most powerful labour group, said it expects a sizable number of job losses in the industry this year.
"These days people are willing to pay a premium for certainty - for knowing what to expect," said Thys van Zyl, a portfolio manager at Thebe Stock Broking in Johannesburg.
He said the market was pulling back after last week's rally when it closed at record highs three days in a row.
Among the day's top gainers were banking and financial services FirstRand, whose shares gained 1.7 percent to 32.11 rand. Other gainers in the sector included Nedbank and Investec, which both ended about one percent higher.
Trade was thinner with 113 million shares changing hands, compared to the 122 million traded on Friday. Advancers outnumbered decliners, 164 to 140.

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Jaguars hire Falcons' Caldwell as general manager

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Atlanta director of player personnel David Caldwell as general manager, charging him with turning around one of the league's worst teams.

His first move will be deciding the fate of coach Mike Mularkey.

Owner Shad Khan tabbed the 38-year-old Caldwell on Tuesday, a day after a third interview. FoxSports.com first reported that the Jaguars had reached an agreement with Caldwell. A formal new conference is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

"We got our man," Khan said in a statement. "I have a lot of faith in David Caldwell and I can assure our fans that the best days for the Jacksonville Jaguars are in front of us."

Added Caldwell, who chose the Jaguars over the New York Jets: "I am thrilled to accept the offer to become the next general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. There are no bad GM opportunities in the NFL, but to work on behalf of a dynamic owner in a rabid football city like Jacksonville is truly special. This is where I wanted to be and I could not be happier. I can't wait to get to Jacksonville and get started."

Caldwell's first task will be to make a decision on Mularkey, who went 2-14 in his first season inJacksonville and has lost 20 of his last 23 games as a head coach.

Khan gave Mularkey's assistants permission to search for other jobs last week, an indication that he doesn't expect to retain Mularkey or his staff.

Then again, Caldwell and Mularkey have a relationship stemming from their time in Atlanta.

Before becoming the Falcons' director of player personnel in 2012, Caldwell spent four seasons as Atlanta's director of college scouting — the same four years Mularkey served as offensive coordinator. Caldwell replaced Les Snead, who was hired as St. Louis' general manager last offseason.

"He's a great guy, a great family man, does a good job," Mularkey said of Caldwell last month. "He had some experience in Indy before he got to Atlanta, and I thought he did a good job up there. ... I thought that (he would become a GM) when I worked with him, that he was heading in that direction."

Caldwell was part of an Atlanta front office that drafted quarterback Matt Ryan, linebackers Curtis Lofton and Sean Witherspoon, offensive tackle Sam Baker, safety William Moore, receiver Julio Jones and running back Jacquizz Rodgers.

He doesn't inherit as much talent in Jacksonville, but the Jaguars have the No. 2 pick in April's draft and plenty of room under the salary cap to make moves. And coming off the worst season in franchise history, it won't take much to show improvement.

Khan fired general manager Gene Smith last week, parting ways with the guy who built a team that failed to make the playoffs the last four seasons.

Smith had been with the team since its inception in 1994, working his way up from regional scout to general manager. He had been GM since 2009, compiling a 22-42 record. Not one player he acquired made the Pro Bowl, though.

Smith changed the way Jacksonville approached personnel moves. He made character as important as ability, but it never paid off the way he envisioned.

Finding talent was the main issue.

Smith whiffed on offensive tackle Eben Britton (39th overall pick in 2009), defensive tackle Tyson Alualu (10th pick in 2010) and quarterback Blaine Gabbert (10th pick in 2011). Smith traded up to select Gabbert even though several teams with quarterback needs passed on the former Missouri starter.

Smith's most controversial act came in April, when he chose punter Bryan Anger in the third round (70th pick). Anger was terrific as a rookie, but adding him never seemed like the best call for a team that needed talent and depth at so many other positions.

Smith did hit on some players, including left tackle Eugene Monroe (eighth pick in 2009), cornerback Derek Cox (73rd pick in 2009) and receivers Cecil Shorts (114th pick in 2011) and Justin Blackmon (fifth pick in 2012). But none of those starters has become a star. And Smith gave up a second-round pick to get Cox and a fourth-rounder to trade up and get Blackmon.

Caldwell will need to do better to help get the Jaguars back in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

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Dustin Johnson wins PGA Tour opener at Kapalua

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Dustin Johnson disappeared into a small valley of bushes and high grass as he searched for another errant tee shot, this one costing him a double bogey and making the final round of the Tournament of Champions far more exciting than he needed it to be.
Undaunted by his mistakes or the thought of blowing a big lead, he blasted driver on the next hole despite the potential for more trouble. This one was pure, rolling back off the front of the green. Johnson chipped in from 50 feet for eagle and he was on his way.
Such a wild sequence — double bogey-eagle — is par for the course for this big-hitting American.
And it was only appropriate that this weird, windy start to the PGA Tour season would end Tuesday with such a wild ride. Johnson had a five-shot lead after seven holes. His lead was down to one shot with five holes to play. He wound up closing with a 5-under 68 for a four-shot victory over defending champion Steve Stricker.
"It was nowhere near ho-hum," Johnson said.
Nothing was.
The winners-only tournament didn't start until the fourth day because of gusts that topped 40 mph, forcing officials to shorten it to 54 holes. Once it finally got under way, it was over in 29 hours. Perhaps it was only fitting that a tournament delayed by a powerful wind was won by a guy who overpowered the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
"It definitely got close out there today," Johnson said. "Sometimes I hit a couple of bad drives, but I was always able to bounce back and do what I needed to do to stay out front."
He never felt truly in command until the final two holes, which are downhill. Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, was spotted with Johnson all week and watched from the gallery as he finished without drama at 16-under 203.
Johnson won for the sixth straight season since leaving college at Coastal Carolina, the longest streak since Tiger Woods won in 14 straight years. Only Phil Mickelson (nine) has a longer active streak of most consecutive years with a PGA Tour win.
"It looks like very little fear in him," Stricker said. "Because he'll hit one a little crooked, but he'll pull out that driver again and try it again. And he pulled it off, especially at 14. That was the deciding shot and chip for the tournament. Expect a lot of good things as he continues his career."
And don't expect it to ever be dull.
Johnson has all the tools for greatness, though his decision-making remains open to criticism. Instead of hitting an iron off the 13th tee — it's tough to get it close to the pin even with a short iron — he went with driver and invited all sorts of trouble. Remember, this is the guy who lost a three-shot lead in the final round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by rushing through wild shots in a round of 82. He lost a shot at another major by not realizing he was in a bunker on the last hole at Whistling Straits.
"I've done it enough times that it doesn't really bother me anymore," Johnson said. "I've been in this situation enough now and I've made enough double bogeys in my life. You know, it's just another hole, and you've got a lot more holes to go where you can make it up. Fortunately, today I made a double and then the next hole I made eagle. That definitely was the turning point of the day, because walking off 13, I was like, 'Oh, no, here it goes again.'
"But I came right back, focused and hit two great shots."
Johnson also added a peculiar footnote to his record. He now has won the last three PGA Tour events reduced to 54 holes because of weather — rain at Pebble Beach in 2009, a hurricane at The Barclays in 2011 and gusts that topped 40 mph in Hawaii from a freak weather pattern that led to a bizarre season opener.
Stricker put up a good fight on one good leg. He has been feeling a shooting pain down his left side on every shot and limped his way around the most mountainous course on tour for 54 holes in two days. He closed with a 69.
"I knew it was going to be tough, but I gave it a run for a little while," Stricker said.
Brandt Snedeker went 5 under during a four-hole stretch on the front nine to get within one shot of the lead until he closed out the front nine with three straight bogeys. Snedeker had a 69 and finished alone in third, six shots behind. He moved to No. 8 in the world ranking, second only to Woods among Americans.
Masters champion Bubba Watson (71) and former PGA champion Keegan Bradley (70) were another shot back.
Johnson overcame the first threat from Snedeker with back-to-back birdies, and just like that, he was ahead by five and looked unbeatable.
His tee shot on the par-5 ninth sailed right into a patch of knee-high grass and short bushes, and Johnson never found it. Without showing any fear, he stepped up and smashed another driver dead into the wind, and then reached the green in two to salvage a two-putt bogey. He nearly drove the 12th green downwind for a birdie and a three-shot lead over Stricker, and that's when the fun began.
Johnson hit driver on the 13th and pulled it enough to land into a bunker and tumble into a native area of high grass, trees and plenty more.
"We found a shoe, some sunglasses, about five or six other balls," said Stricker, who joined in the search. "There might have been a guy living up in the tree."
Johnson found the ball, but it took two swings to get it back in play, and he had to two-putt from about 50 feet just to escape with double bogey. He thought his lead was gone as he watched Stricker, so smooth with a putter in hand, stand over his 20-foot birdie putt. It turned away at the last second.
With trouble to the right on the 14th, Johnson was predictable as ever. He pulled driver.
"He hit a couple of wayward drives and opened the door for me a little bit, and then he stepped up there with a driver again (on 14), and I'm like, 'OK.' But then he piped it, and chips it in," Stricker said with a smile. "Most guys would have been pulling out an iron or some utility club. It's amazing that he even did that, to tell you the truth."
How good can Johnson be?
"I still don't think I've lived up to my potential," Johnson said. "I played really well, but still made some mistakes. But you're always going to make some mistakes. Just limiting those will definitely help, and then for me, just making some better decisions.
"If I keep playing golf like I'm playing right now, then obviously there is no limit."

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Bucks coach Scott Skiles out, Boylan to fill in

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Once again, an NBA team has parted ways with head coach Scott Skiles. Once again, veteran assistant Jim Boylan is being asked to pick up the pieces.
One day after Milwaukee and Skiles agreed it was time for a change, the Bucks said Tuesday that Boylan will coach the team for the rest of the season. General manager John Hammond downplayed the notion that Skiles had lost control of the locker room or otherwise felt friction with management.
"Scott and I did not have a frosty relationship. Scott did not hate this team," said Hammond, who noted that more than half the season remains. "We're not a team in dire straits ... we're expecting good things to happen."
Boylan met with reporters before Tuesday night's home game against Phoenix.
"We'll do what we've been doing as far as being professional, getting ourselves ready for every game and getting out there and competing," Boylan said. "That's my job right now, to get us back on the right track, move us in the right direction and I think the guys we have on the team right now are quality people and committed to that task. That'll be our ultimate goal."
If this change sounds familiar, it should: Skiles was fired as head coach in Chicago on Christmas Eve in 2007 after the Bulls started 9-16. Boylan, an assistant in Chicago, took over and went 24-32. He was fired at the end of the season.
In an interview Tuesday with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Skiles disputed the notion that he didn't like his team.
"There's always the normal coach-player friction that goes on," Skiles said in the Journal Sentinel interview. "Guys at this level are great players. This is, as NBA teams go, this is a good group of guys."
Hammond said he and Skiles had been having a number of conversations recently about the future of the team. He said there was no single factor in Skiles' departure, and that no other assistant coaches were leaving.
"It was a mutual decision. We both agreed to make this decision," he said.
Skiles had a 162-182 record in four-plus seasons with Milwaukee, with one playoff appearance — a first-round loss to Atlanta in seven games during the 2009-10 season. He was a hard-nosed, defensive-minded coach who sometimes seemed to have difficulty meshing with a roster built around volume shooters Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis.
Jennings said he heard about the change in a phone call Monday night from Skiles and not from anyone within the organization.
"I think that's why I was a little bit frustrated at first," he said. "Just the fact that I had to hear it from my own coach and not the team. If I'm supposed to be their franchise player, why don't I hear the news first?"
Jennings said he was shocked but not upset about the change. He said he spoke with Skiles for about 20 minutes.
"We had our ups and downs, we had great times here," he said. "I have nothing but respect for him because as a rookie he did put the ball in my hands first."
Luc Mbah a Moute said he was shocked and had a great experience playing for Skiles, but coaching changes simply were part of the business of the NBA.
"I kind of had an idea of hearing that the team wasn't really happy with the way everything was going, and not just this year, you know the last couple of years with Skiles," he said. "This year we were kind of like started a good start and then went through a patch where we didn't play so great."
Boylan said the initial change he would make was to insert forward Ersan Ilyasova into the starting lineup for Ekpe Udoh.
Ilyasova re-signed with the Bucks during the summer, but saw his minutes decrease to 22 per game this year after playing 27 in the 2011-12 season. He said he was looking forward to playing for Boylan.
"For me, it's not a big deal you know, if you start or not, my concern has been about the minutes," Ilyasova said. "When you come from the season I had last year, I didn't expect to play less than last year."
Skiles' agent, Keith Glass, said it was hard to pinpoint when Skiles began thinking of stepping aside, but all parties agreed the timing was right.
"There was no blowup. There was no animosity going on. I think everybody made the right decision for their own respective sides," he said.
Two other coaches, the Lakers' Mike Brown and Brooklyn's Avery Johnson, are also out of work in this young season. Brown was fired after five games and Johnson late last month, about three weeks after being named Eastern Conference coach of the month.
The 57-year-old Boylan has been the lead assistant for the Bucks the past four seasons. In a 20-year NBA coaching career, he has also been an assistant in Cleveland, Vancouver, Phoenix, Atlanta and Chicago.
Boylan said he was too worried about keeping the job when he succeeded Skiles in Chicago.
"Last time, from a personal standpoint, I was too worried about trying to keep the job and it kind of restricted me as time went on," he said. "I made the determination when this happened last night, that I was going to try and enjoy this and just do what I like to do which is coach these guys, being around these guys and the coaching staff and the organization and just enjoy it.
"Have a good time with it and get the guys to play hard and compete and let the chips fall where they may at the end," he said.
Milwaukee, losers of four straight when the coaching change was announced, started out a surprising 6-2, only to lose seven of its next nine. The Bucks followed that with a four-game winning streak, the kind of wild swings that didn't sit well with a coach who values consistency — both in play and preparation.
"Considering like a week ago we were 16-12 and beat Miami, you probably wouldn't have guessed this would have happened a week later," forward Mike Dunleavy said.
Skiles did help coax a breakout season out of Larry Sanders, who has emerged as a rebounding and shot-blocking monster over the last few weeks. The demanding coach pushed Sanders to be more consistent, and the lanky forward/center has responded. He grabbed 20 rebounds against Boston on Dec. 21 to start a string of double-digit rebound nights in five of his last eight games and leads the league with 3.07 blocks per game.
Skiles' focus on defense was always going to be tested by a roster revolving around Jennings and Ellis, two flashy scorers who prefer to get up and down the court and lure opposing teams into shootouts.
Jennings and Ellis have been giving plenty of effort, but the Bucks were in the middle of the pack in points allowed per game (15th) and field goal percentage defense (18th), below Skiles' lofty expectations.
Still, the Bucks are only a few games behind Indiana in the Central Division, despite injuries to Beno Udrih and top defender Mbah a Moute, and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Skiles' departure could be the first in a series of big shake-ups for the Bucks. Hammond is in the final year of his deal, while Jennings and Ellis can both become restricted free agents after this season.
Hammond said he and team owner Herb Kohl are in discussions about an extension, but he declined to elaborate on the progress of their conversations.
As for Skiles, he is now 443-433 as an NBA head coach in 12-plus seasons, which also includes stints with Chicago and Phoenix. He started this season with a host of new players, though the biggest trade during his tenure was the deal that sent former No. 1 draft pick Andrew Bogut to Golden State for Ellis.
"I never heard Scott say a negative thing to me about that trade or anything else," Glass said. "Everybody has their own opinions on the way things are done, but Scott was always on board with — in terms of support — whatever move was made. ... And I think he liked Monta. I never heard him say a word about that at all in a negative sense."
Glass said it was too early to say whether Skiles was looking to stay in coaching.
"Today is not the day for that ... but I'm sure we will discuss that in the next month or so," he said. "But he's not burning right now."
AP Sports Writers Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis and Andrew Seligman in Chicago and AP Freelancer DiGiovanni in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

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