IN BRIEF
RAVENNA, Mich. — He had belonged to the same team at a bowling alley for 45 years, and he had just rolled a 300 for his first perfect game.
Then Don Doane collapsed on the floor while high-fiving his Nutt Farm teammates. The 62-year-old bowler from Ravenna was taken to a hospital but couldn't be saved. A medical examiner said a heart attack was the cause of death.
Jim Nutt spoke with Grand Rapids TV stations WOOD and WZZM about his friend and teammate, who collapsed Oct. 16 at Ravenna Bowl. Nutt says Doane had many friends at the bowling alley and it's strange not seeing him on league nights.
As if there weren't enough expectations for North Carolina this season, they just got bigger.
Not only are the Tar Heels No. 1 in The Associated Press' preseason Top 25 college basketball poll, they are the first unanimous No. 1 since the preseason poll began in 1981-82.North Carolina has the top six scorers — including national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough — back from a team that had a school-record 36 wins and reached the Final Four.The Tar Heels, No. 1 in the final poll last season, are the preseason No. 1 for the second straight year, joining UNLV in 1989-90 and 1990-91 as the only schools to do that. It also marks North Carolina's record sixth time atop the preseason rankings, breaking a tie with Duke.The Tar Heels faced their first test Thursday when Hansbrough was found to have a stress reaction in his right shin. He will be held out of practice indefinitely, and no timetable was set for his return.The preseason poll turned out to be quite a prognosticator last season when the top four teams in the early rankings — North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas — all reached the Final Four, with Kansas winning it all in San Antonio.Connecticut, which returns four starters, was No. 2 this preseason, followed by
Connecticut, Louisville and Pittsburgh give the Big East three teams in the top five, and there are a record-tying seven from the conference overall in the Top 25.
NEW YORK — Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was suspended for Week 10 of the NFL season by commissioner Roger Goodell Friday for violating the league's personal conduct policy.Johnson already was deactivated the last two weeks by Kansas City and won't play this Sunday against Tampa Bay. He will miss the Chiefs' game at San Diego next weekend under the suspension.Johnson is not permitted on the team's premises until Nov. 10. The suspension will cost him about $147,000, or one game check.Johnson was charged Monday with simple assault for spitting his drink in a woman's face on Oct. 10.Johnson also faces a Dec. 4 court date for another incident that occurred last February when he allegedly pushed a woman's face in another Kansas City nightspot.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers made a long-term commitment to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, signing the first-year starter to a contract extension through 2014.The team announced the deal after practice Friday afternoon, when Rodgers signed the paperwork. Terms were not disclosed.A former standout at California, Rodgers was the Packers' first-round pick in 2005.
