Basketball

Marbury suspended, docked about $400,000 by Knicks

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The New York Knicks needed Stephon Marbury to play, then suspended him a game and docked him nearly $400,000 in salary Friday after claiming he refused. The disgruntled guard insists he never told coach Mike D'Antoni "no" and plans to appeal. Just another chapter in Marbury's turbulent tenure with his hometown team.

D'Antoni wouldn't go into specifics of their conversation that took place before Wednesday's loss in Detroit, though he made it clear he asked the point guard to play because the Knicks were short-handed.

"I don't want to get into it, guys. I think I already told you, I asked him to play. We just asked. You're a coach, and we needed him to play," D'Antoni said after practice Friday. "So I don't really have a whole lot to say. There's nothing I can say right now. I've already said the piece and what I said from my viewpoint is what happened. So we'll just leave it at that."

Marbury will not be paid when he sits out today's home game against Golden State and will lose an additional game's pay for Wednesday's actions. He earns about $21 million in salary this year, drawing about $190,000 a game. Marbury was not at the team's practice facility Friday.

"A player's central obligation is to provide his professional services when called upon," Knicks president Donnie Walsh said in a statement. "Because he refused the coach's request to play in the team's last game, we had no choice but to impose disciplinary action."

Walsh was in Indiana for the holiday but is expected to address the issue before Saturday's game.

Marbury told NBC's Bruce Beck in an interview Friday there wasn't even a jersey in his locker in Detroit and he was "shocked" he was "suspended for no reason." Marbury added he and D'Antoni spoke Wednesday morning and "basically went our separate ways."

• Iverson sorry for missing Thanksgiving practice: At Auburn Hills, Mich., Allen Iverson apologized Friday for skipping a Detroit Pistons practice on Thanksgiving and insisted it won't happen again. The standout guard was the only player who didn't show up when the Pistons worked out Thursday.

"First of all, I have no excuses," Iverson said after Detroit's shootaround for its game against the Milwaukee Bucks. "It was a personal matter, but I just handled it the wrong way. I didn't call and let them know what was going on."

Iverson spent most of the first quarter on the bench, until coach Michael Curry sent him in with 2:24 left in the period. Thirty-nine seconds later, Iverson scored his first basket on a running jump shot.

• James blasts Barkley: LeBron James reacted strongly to Charles Barkley's comments that the Cavaliers star isn't showing respect for Cleveland fans and his teammates by discussing his possible free agency following the 2010 season.

"He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that," James said Friday night before the Cavaliers' game against Golden State.

Barkley made the comments on TNT's NBA studio show and Dan Patrick's radio show.

"If I was LeBron James, I would shut the hell up," the Hall of Famer said on Patrick's show. "I'm a big LeBron fan. He's a stud. You gotta give him his props. I'm getting so annoyed he's talking about what he's going to do in two years. I think it's disrespectful to the game. I think it's disrespectful to the Cavaliers."

Football

Thunder hold open tryouts today

The American Indoor Arena Football League's new Utah Valley franchise, the Utah Valley Thunder, will hold open tryouts for all positions today. Athletes interested in trying out should register online at utahvalleythunder.com, bring rubber cleats or athletic shoes and expect a full regimen of testing, running jumping and lifting. Walk-ups may also register on site starting at 8 a.m. at the north end of the BYU Indoor Practice facility.

All registered participants will receive their official scores and measurements and top qualifiers will be called back within two weeks.

• Miami's Porter fined for unsportsmanlike conduct: Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter has been fined $7,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct during Miami's 48-28 loss to New England on Sunday. NFL spokesman Corry Rush said Friday that Porter was fined for verbally abusing the opponent after the play was over. Raiders defensive lineman Gerard Warren also was fined $5,000 for roughing the passer against Denver.

Golf

Clark takes lead at Aussie Masters

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tim Clark of South Africa shot a 2-under 70 on Friday at Huntingdale to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Australian Masters. Clark had a two-round total of 7-under 137, a stroke ahead of Australians Anthony Summers, who shot a 68, and Michael Sim, who had a 66.

Seven players were one stroke further back at 5-under, including former winner Robert Allenby. John Daly shot a 73 after an opening 76 and missed the cut at 5-over.

• Sorenstam falls, Lexus Cup tied at 3: At Singapore, Jeong Jang and Candie Kung beat Annika Sorenstam and Angela Stanford 3 and 2 on Friday to help Asia split the six opening alternate-shot matches in the Lexus Cup, Sorenstam's final LPGA Tour-sanctioned event before she retires. Sorenstam, set to end her Hall of Fame career next week in the Ladies European Tour's Dubai Ladies Masters, is the International team's playing captain.

• Spain moves into 4-shot lead at World Cup of Golf: At Shenzhen, China, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal lifted Spain into a four-shot lead at the World Cup of Golf, shooting a surprising 9-under 63 on Friday in the difficult foursomes (alternate-shot) format.

Spain has shot a 17-under 127 through 36 holes. Australia (68) and Germany (69) were in second place behind Spain, which opened on Thursday with a 64 playing the easier fourball (best-ball) format.

Sweden (67), was five back, and the United States (69) and Ireland (68) were six off the pace.

The sensational round should give the Spanish a strong chance to win the event, which usually goes to the team that plays best in foursomes, where scores are typically higher. Saturday returns to fourball with foursomes on Sunday.

"That's a great round for foursomes, but tomorrow will be another day," said 25-year-old Larrazabal, the 2008 European tour rookie of the year.

The Spanish picked up seven strokes on the front nine with five birdies and an eagle. They were 8-under after 10 holes and 9-under after 11. Jimenez had the hot hand early, making a 15-foot birdie on No. 2, and a 17-footer for eagle on No. 3.

"I mean, great start," Larrazabal said.

Baseball

Rangers trade Littleton to Boston

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have traded pitcher Wes Littleton to the Boston Red Sox for a player or players to be named and cash.

The Rangers, who announced the trade Friday, designated the right-hander for assignment on Nov. 20. He

pitched out of the bullpen in 12 games last season after making a combined 68 appearances the two previous seasons. He was 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in 2008.

He spent most of the season with Triple-A Oklahoma, where he was 7-1 with six saves and a 4.01 ERA.

• Scout who discovered Ryan dead at 87: At Tyler, Texas, John Robert "Red" Murff, the New York Mets scout who discovered Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, died Friday in a Tyler nursing home. He was 87.

Bill McMillion, a spokesman for Burks-Walker-Tippit Funeral Directors, confirmed the death. McMillion said he had no additional information.

Ryan, now president of the Texas Rangers, noted his friendship with Murff in his 1999 Hall of Fame induction speech.

"He thought when he saw me at 6-foot-2 and 140 pounds, he wasn't discouraged by my build and by the way I threw the baseball as many other scouts were," he said. "And I appreciate the fact that Red spent so much time with me and worked to help me become a better pitcher. Thank you, Red."

Murff played for the Milwaukee Braves from 1956-1957, going 2-2 with three saves and a 4.65 ERA in 26 games.

Murff was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Texas Scouts Association Hall of Fame in 1999. He helped start the baseball program at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, and in 1994 the school's ballpark was named Red Murff Field.

• Nationals RHP Redding has surgery on left foot: Nationals right-hander Tim Redding had surgery to repair a bone in a joint on his left foot Friday and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Redding will need about six weeks to recover from the operation, the Nationals said.

He was 10-11 with a 4.95 ERA in 2008 for the Nationals, who went a majors-worst 59-102. He led the team in victories.

College Football

Henery record FG keys Huskers' 40-31 win

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Alex Henery kicked a school-record 57-yard field goal with 1:43 left and defensive end Ndamukong Suh returned a tipped pass 30 yards for a touchdown seconds later, giving Nebraska a 40-31 victory over Colorado on Friday.

Henery's third field goal of the game allowed the Cornhuskers to take the lead in a game the 18-point underdog Buffaloes made closer than expected.

Suh snuffed the Buffs' last hope. Fellow defensive end Zach Potter deflected Cody Hawkins' pass and Suh made the catch and ran it back for his second interception return for a touchdown this season.

Nebraska (8-4, 5-3 Big 12) positioned itself for an invitation to the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. The loss knocked Colorado (5-7, 2-6) out of bowl contention.

Roy Helu Jr. ran for 166 yards for the Cornhuskers, and Joe Ganz threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns and set Nebraska's single-season passing record.

Colorado was right in the game until the last minute, thanks to a couple big offensive plays in the first quarter, a botched Nebraska fake field goal that led to a CU touchdown and Ganz's fumble early in the fourth quarter.

Demetrius Sumler's 4-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 had given Colorado a 31-27 lead late in the third quarter.

Henery kicked a 37-yard field goal to pull Nebraska within a point with 8:09 left.