Crescent-News.com - Sports briefs: Racy Grady Sizemore photos stolen

CLEVELAND -- Major League Baseball officials have asked Internet sites to remove racy photographs of Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore.

Sizemore said the photos -- one of them showing him nearly nude -- were stolen from his girlfriend's e-mail account and posted online. He contacted baseball officials to stop the spread of the photos, which began appearing Sunday on various Web sites.

It is not known how many sites are complying with MLB's request. At least one site, deadspin.com, is refusing to take the photos down.

"There's no reason to," editor A.J. Daulerio said Monday. "They were up other places already."

Daulerio said the photos originated on a community message board and were forwarded to his site, which is also displaying a letter from an MLB official requesting the photos be removed.

MLB investigators are trying to determine how many sites ran the photos of Sizemore standing in front of a bathroom mirror in various stages of undress. Sizemore used a cell phone to take the pictures of himself. He told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland they were intended only for his girlfriend.

The Indians said Sizemore wouldn't make any further comment on the photos.

* Baseball

Managers named: The Cleveland Indians have named Mike Sarbaugh manager of their Triple-A Columbus affiliate and Joel Skinner manager at Double-A Akron.

Sarbaugh managed at Akron the past two seasons. The 42-year-old has been in the Indians' organization for 20 seasons, six as a manger. He led the Aeros to the Eastern League championship last season. Skinner spent the past nine seasons on Cleveland's major league staff.

Increase is low: The average baseball salary fell just short of $3 million this year, with the percentage increase slowing to its lowest level since 2004. The 926 players in the major leagues before rosters expanded in September averaged $2,996,000.

The World Series champion Yankees had by far the highest average at $7.66 million, topping the major leagues for the 11th consecutive season. The Chicago Cubs remained second at $4.63 million. Pittsburgh was last at $790,000, the lowest average in the major leagues since 2006.

Carey done at TBS: Chip Caray has called his final baseball game for TBS. Network spokesman Jeff Pomeroy confirmed Monday that TBS and the announcer have decided to part ways.

A son of late Braves broadcaster Skip Caray and a grandson of famed broadcaster Harry Caray, Chip Caray had called first-round playoff games for TBS during the past three seasons.

* Tennis

Record fine: Serena Williams was fined a record $82,500 for her tirade at a U.S. Open line judge and could be suspended from that tournament if she has another "major offense" at any Grand Slam in the next two years.

Williams faces a "probationary period" at tennis' four major championships in 2010 and 2011. If she has another "major offense" at a Grand Slam tournament in that time, the fine would increase to $175,000 and she would be barred from the following U.S. Open.

Planning to sell: Organizers of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships are planning to sell the sanctioning rights for the ATP event, meaning the city may be without a professional tournament for the first time in more than 80 years.

* Hockey

Bertuzzi leads way: Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist and Jimmy Howard made 29 saves to lift the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars.

Drew Miller, Darren Helm and Dan Cleary also scored for Detroit, which snapped its home scoreless streak at 1 hour, 56 minutes and 30 seconds. Kris Draper added two assists for the Red Wings.

Snap skid: R.J. Umberger scored three goals for his second career hat trick to help Columbus end a five-game losing skid with a 5-2 win over St. Louis.

Steve Mason won the goaltender battle with non-relative Chris Mason stopping 27 shots.

* Elsewhere

Heart problems: Authorities say two men who collapsed during a half-marathon in Detroit this fall died because of heart problems.

The Wayne County medical examiner's office on Monday listed cardiac dysrhythmia as the cause of death for both 36-year-old Daniel Langdon and 26-year-old Jonathan Fenlon. That means they had an irregular or abnormal heart rate.