BYU Sports

Cornerback commits to BYU

With a little nudge from former Cougar basketball great and Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, Massachusetts defensive back Jordan Johnson has decided to go West.

Johnson (5-foot-10, 175 pounds), whose uncle works in the Celtics organization with Ainge, has committed to the BYU Class of 2010, according to totalbluesports.com.

After learning more about the Cougar program from his uncle, Johnson attended BYU's non-padded camp several weeks ago and was offered a scholarship. He also had an offer from UConn and was contacted by Syracuse and Tulsa, as well.

Johnson also played quarterback at Brooks School (North Andover), running for 645 yards on 100 carries and nine touchdowns while throwing for 364 yards and two more scores. He told totalbluesports.com his 40-yard dash time was 4.47. Johnson is the 19th BYU commit for the Class of 2010.

• Cougar earns academic honor: BYU sophomore Jade Bollinger has been named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholar Team following another strong year on the golf course and in the classroom. It was Bollinger's second award in as many years.

"It's a neat honor and I'm just glad to have the opportunity to get a great education and be able to play golf on top of it," Bollinger said."It's a lot of fun."

Bollinger has a 3.88 cumulative GPA as a business management major. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team includea minimum 3.5 GPA is required on top of competing in at least 50 percent of the school's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year. The junior-to-be from Wellington, Fla., participated in all 10 events for the Cougars during the 2008-09 campaign and was recently named academic All-Mountain West Conference.She maintained a 78.72 stroke average throughout the year and enjoyed a season-best performance at the MWC Championships in which she came in seventh place overall at 12-over-par.

NFL

Family, friends help 'Fridge improve

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Michael Dean Perry knows the day is coming when his good-natured, gap-toothed older brother nicknamed "The Fridge" will be back to his old, affable self.

But that will take some time and William Perry understands that, Michael Dean said. William, the former NFL defensive lineman famous for his smile and 360-pound size, spent more than a month at Aiken Regional Medical Center this spring, suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease where the body's immune system attacks its peripheral nerves. Now each day Michael Dean visits William at the North Carolina rehab center -- sometimes to encourage him and sometimes to participate in his lengthy recovery.

"Baby steps I call them," he said Wednesday, adding that William still was not up to granting interviews. "But we can see improvement."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, Guillain-Barre syndrome causes "...the loss of reflexes ... and paralysis of respiratory muscles also can occur. A small proportion of patients die, and 20 percent of hospitalized patients can have prolonged disability."

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says on its Web site that there's no known cure for Guillain-Barre.

Perry's Chicago Bears coach, Mike Ditka, saw something wrong in February when his former lineman showed up for an autograph session at Rosemont, Ill. Perry needed a wheelchair to get around and was 150 pounds lighter than when Ditka last saw him, said Ken Valdiserri, the Bears spokesman during Perry's time in Chicago and now president of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund.

Perry "did not look very good," Valdiserri said.

Charlie Timmerman, Perry's friend from Aiken, says Perry had been hospitalized before. This time, though, doctors thought it was much more serious.

In April, one of Perry's brothers, Daryl, stopped in to check on him and found his famous sibling weak and dehydrated. William was listed in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital, where he remained. Michael Dean says his brother, always outgoing and friendly, was reticent to complain or ask for help. As a former athlete, Michael Dean said it's difficult to give in to the idea you are no longer invincible and perhaps that's what kept the 46-year-old William from seeking treatment sooner.

Perry, a rookie lineman, rose to stardom during the Bears' 1985 Super Bowl run. Perry was on TV screens everywhere, a smiling, gap-toothed pitchman for McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken. He made a guest appearance on the hit television show, "The A-Team."

Perry played 10 NFL seasons before retiring.

• Jets LB Pace suspended by NFL for 4 games: The NFL suspended Jets linebacker Calvin Pace for four games without pay Thursday for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Pace will miss New York's first four games of the season and be eligible to return for the Monday night game at Miami on Oct. 12.

In a statement issued by the Jets, Pace said the ban is a result of him taking an over-the-counter dietary supplement that he was unaware violated the NFL's policy.

Pace, in his second season with the Jets, is eligible to participate in preseason practices and games. The suspension begins Sept. 5 and he can return to practice on Oct. 5, a day after New York's game at New Orleans.

"I am responsible for what I put into my body and I should have paid closer attention to the league's guidelines," Pace said. "I regret that this has happened and apologize to my teammates, the entire Jets organization, as well as the fans. Hopefully, this does not distract from our ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl."

The team also issued a statement: "We respect the league's decision and look forward to Calvin's return for our Monday night game at Miami."

• Vick files revised bankruptcy plan in Va. court: Suspended NFL star Michael Vick would keep one vehicle, one home and a large assortment of furniture and personal items if his creditors and the judge who rejected his previous bankruptcy plan approve a revised one filed Thursday.

The new plan also gives creditors a bigger cut of his future earnings but would still leave enough for Vick to live comfortably if he is able to resume his once-lucrative NFL career.

It would give Vick incentive to return to the NFL and take responsibility to pay his taxes and expenses, Vick's lawyers wrote in papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Newport News. Thursday was the deadline for filing the plan.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank J. Santoro has scheduled a hearing on the new proposal for July 31. Santoro in April dismissed Vick's first plan as unworkable and ordered a new one. He suggested at the time that Vick consider liquidating some of the vehicles and one of his two expensive Virginia homes.

Vick now plans to keep only a 2007 Infiniti SUV and the house in Hampton where he is serving the final two months of his nearly two-year sentence on home confinement. Vick pleaded guilty to operating a dogfighting ring in August 2007 and was suspended indefinitely by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. He is scheduled to be released from federal custody July 20.Goodell has said he will review Vick's status after he is released but has not given a specific timetable.

Baseball

Report: MLB loans millions to Rangers

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball has loaned millions to Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks, Yahoo! reported.

The league would not go into details about any borrowing, but said it was assisting Rangers owner Tom Hicks with the sale of the franchise.

"Tom is the control person, and there was no issue of making payroll," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Thursday. "Major League Baseball is working with the Rangers to sell the team, as Tom requested."

Hicks did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Yahoo!, citing a major league source, first reported Thursday that a loan was made to Hicks Sports Group and that the amount was believed to be for less than $15 million.

The sport's central office routinely withholds $15 million to $20 million owed each team from central revenues and the sale of the Montreal Expos, and teams may borrow from that with the permission of commissioner Bud Selig.

A caller Wednesday to an XM radio station said the Rangers had failed to make payroll and had to get $15 million from Major League Baseball. The host, former Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy, said he knew something about the situation.

Reports of the radio broadcast were published by rangerfans.com, a Web site that follows the team.

Texas began the season with a payroll of $68.6 million, 22nd among the 30 big league teams.