Football
GLANVILLE RETURNS: Jerry Glanville is ready to run another football team. This time, the former NFL coach is set to take over at Portland State.
Glanville, who led the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons, was introduced by the Division I-AA school at a news conference Wednesday night. He had been Hawaii's defensive coordinator for two years.
"He brings spark. He brings with him some star power. That's pretty obvious," Portland State assistant athletic director Mike Lund told The Associated Press. "I'm not saying that's why he exclusively got the job. Obviously he can coach, too. But in our situation that was pretty valuable."
The 65-year-old Glanville replaces longtime coach Tim Walsh, who became the offensive coordinator at Army.
At Hawaii, Glanville helped install a hard-hitting, aggressive defense on a team known for its offensive prowess.
Before Hawaii, Glanville was a TV commentator and had a long career in the NFL. He was known as much for his personality as his coaching. Outspoken and often dressed in black, he playfully left tickets at stadium will-call windows for Elvis Presley — his way of paying homage to the King.
College athletics
K-STATE CONDEMNS TOSS: The chicken toss has been declared off limits at Kansas State.
For years, Kansas State students have smuggled live chickens into basketball games against Kansas, then thrown them onto the court and behind the opposing bench before tip-off — mocking their rival's Jayhawk mascot.
But an animal rights group objected to the mistreatment of chickens, and the school issued an open letter to fans this week calling for an end to the practice.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals responded to the latest incident during a game Feb. 19 by sending a letter to university president Jon Wefald, claiming at least three chickens were thrown on the court during player introductions.
Kansas State had said it would not comment on the complaint, but the athletic department issued a statement Tuesday saying it considers live, non-service animals "contraband." Any fans caught with animals or caught throwing any object onto a playing surface will be ejected from the game and could face prosecution.
Olympics
CASE FOR BASEBALL: Harvey Schiller and Reynaldo Gonzalez are making the same campaign promise: They'll work to get baseball back in the Olympics.
The former Turner Sports head and the Cuban hope to be elected president of the International Baseball Federation, which votes Friday. Aldo Notari of Italy, who held the job for 13 years, died last July.
By choosing Beijing as the venue for its vote, the IBAF is hoping to raise the sport's profile in the host city of the 2008 Olympics.
The IOC voted in 2005 to drop baseball after the 2008 Games. Softball was also cut, but both could be reinstated by the IOC.