IN BRIEF
Marvin Webster, a fierce shot-blocking center who helped lead the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1978 NBA finals, was found dead in a hotel bathtub in Tulsa, Okla. He was 56.
His body was discovered in his room Monday morning in the downtown Ambassador Hotel, police said.
Foul play is not suspected and the death apparently stemmed from an illness, police spokesman Jason Willingham said. He added that the former 7-foot-1 center had been living at the hotel and employees grew concerned after not seeing him for several days.
Known as "The Human Eraser," Webster spent nine seasons in the NBA. He averaged 16.1 points during the SuperSonics' playoff run in 1978.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Aric Almirola became NASCAR's latest casualty of the economic crisis when Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Wednesday was forced to park the No. 8 car because of a lack of sponsorship.It marks a sad chapter for the No. 8 car, which was the centerpiece at Dale Earnhardt Inc. before the team merged with Chip Ganassi Racing last November. Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove the car for eight seasons at DEI, but his stepmother, Teresa, refused to let him take the number with him when he left for Hendrick Motorsports at the end of 2007.
CHICAGO Defenseman Fedor Tyutin scored the lone goal in the shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets earned their first playoff berth in franchise history Wednesday night, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3.Columbus, which entered the NHL in 2000-01, was the only active team that had not qualified for the postseason.
