Pavin to be next U.S. Ryder Cup captain

Corey Pavin has been selected as the next U.S. captain in the Ryder Cup, leading the team 15 years after last competing in the matches, two officials with knowledge of the discussions told the Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Pavin’s selection has not been announced.

The PGA of America elected not to give Paul Azinger the captaincy for the second straight time after the Americans ended a decade of losing to Europe with a 16 1/2 -11 1/2 victory at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky in September.

The 2010 Ryder Cup will be played at Celtic Manor in Wales. The Americans have not won in Europe since 1993.

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John Daly smashed a spectator’s camera into a tree while shooting a six-over-par 78 in the first round of the Australian Open at Sydney, Australia, making it likely he will miss the cut for the third consecutive week Down Under.

After pushing his tee shot wide on the ninth hole -- his last -- Daly walked into a clump of trees, where spectator Brad Clegg tried to take a picture at close range.

Daly reportedly snatched the camera and smashed it against the nearest tree, telling the man, “You want it back, I’ll buy you a new one.”

Terms and conditions for tickets at the Australian Open prohibit the use of cameras on the course for spectators.

SOCCER

Schmid won’t return to Crew

Sigi Schmid declined a contract offer tendered in mid-October by the Columbus Crew that would have made him one of the highest-paid coaches in Major League Soccer, said club General Manager and President Mark McCullers, a day after the club announced that the league’s coach of the year wouldn’t return for a fourth season.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Schmid met with officials from the expansion Seattle Sounders last week. Schmid has expressed a desire to become one of MLS’s highest-paid coaches while lamenting the difficulty of traveling to and from his family’s home in Southern California, the newspaper said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo was selected the European player of the year. He scored 42 goals and helped Manchester United win the Premier League and Champions League titles last season. . . . Defending champion Manchester United, Bayern Munich, FC Porto and Juventus finished at the top of their Champions League groups, making them seeded teams for the knockout round ahead of next week’s draw. United drew with Aalborg, 2-2, in Group E, Bayern beat Lyon, 3-2, in Group F, Porto defeated Arsenal, 2-0, in Group G, and Juventus was held to a 0-0 draw by BATE Borisov in Group H. Real Madrid Coach Juande Ramos made a winning debut as Raul Gonzalez scored two goals to spark a 3-0 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg. Madrid finished second in Group H with 12 points, one behind Juventus.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Mississippi State hires Mullen

Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen will be the new football coach at Mississippi State, moving from the Southeastern Conference champions to one of the league’s perennial cellar dwellers.

The 46-year-old has been an assistant coach for 14 years and spent the last eight with Urban Meyer at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. Meyer told reporters he was not sure if Mullen would stay through the Bowl Championship Series title game.

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Tim Tebow will go for two against a pair of talented quarterbacks from the Big 12 when the Heisman Trophy is handed out Saturday in New York. Sam Bradford from Oklahoma and Colt McCoy from Texas joined Tebow as Heisman finalists.

Tebow, the multitalented junior from Florida, was the first sophomore to win the Heisman last year and is trying to become the second player to win it twice. Archie Griffin won the Heisman as a junior in 1974 for Ohio State and again in 1975.

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Pat Devlin plans to transfer from No. 6 Penn State, leaving the Nittany Lions short a backup quarterback heading into the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl against USC. Devlin lost a preseason competition for the quarterback job to Daryll Clark. . . . Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo won the Lombardi Award, given to the nation’s top college lineman or linebacker.

ETC.

Sakic breaks three fingers

The Colorado Avalanche’s Joe Sakic, out because of back problems, broke three fingers on his left hand while using a snow blower at his home in Englewood, Colo., and will be out at least three months. . . . Davey Johnson will manage the U.S. team in the second World Baseball Classic. It was also announced that the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter will play for the U.S. team. . . . Major creditors in former quarterback Michael Vick’s bankruptcy case have objected to his disclosure statement. . . . An arrest warrant was issued for former New York Giants receiver Mark Ingram after he failed to report to federal prison to begin serving nearly eight years for bank fraud and money laundering.