Swiss skier wins opener
Ramon Zenhaeusern won the first men’s World Cup slalom of the season Monday, improving from eighth position after the opening run in Alta Badia, Italy.
The Swiss skier beat two Austrians – Manuel Feller and Marco Schwarz – for his fourth win but his first since March 2019.
First-run leader Alex Vinatzer dropped to fourth in the Italian’s first World Cup race after having surgery for appendicitis less than four weeks ago.
Zenhaeusern was 0.52 of a second off the lead after the first run and posting the 10th fastest time in the final run was enough for the win, 0.08 ahead of Feller and 0.12 ahead of Schwarz.
BASEBALL
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa pleaded guilty to a lesser charge to resolve misdemeanor drunken driving charges stemming from his arrest nearly 10 months ago on a freeway in metro Phoenix.
The 76-year-old La Russa pleaded guilty Monday to reckless driving in Maricopa County Justice Court. La Russa was sentenced to one day of home detention, fined nearly $1,400 and is required to complete 20 hours of community service.
Authorities say La Russa, who won a World Series with Oakland and two more with St. Louis, blew out a tire on the grey Lexus he was driving. He smashed into a curb, leaving the vehicle smoking. Tests taken the night of his arrest showed his blood alcohol concentration was .095 – above the legal limit of .08.
The arrest occurred Feb. 24, but the charges were filed Oct. 28 – one day before his hiring by Chicago.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tennessee has withdrawn from the Liberty Bowl because of COVID-19 test results, becoming the first team to back out since bowl berths were announced.
Tennessee released a statement a day after agreeing to play West Virginia on Dec. 31 in Memphis. The university paused all football activities after receiving the results of Sunday’s testing.
“The test results revealed an increase in positive cases among student-athletes and staff and subsequent contact tracing,” the statement said. “The decision was made in consultation with health officials, the Southeastern Conference and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”
The Volunteers will end their season at 3-7 with losses in seven of their final eight games.
TENNIS
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were among the winners of the ATP’s top awards for 2020.
Djokovic was the year-end No. 1 for a recordequaling sixth time after winning four titles including a record eighth Australian Open.
U.S. Open champions Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares are the doubles No. 1s.
Federer, who played only six singles all year, was the singles fans’ favorite for a record-extending 18th straight year, and Nadal received the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the third straight year.