Pro baseball
RAILCATS PICK UP FORMER MLB RELIEVER: The RailCats signed former Colorado Rockies reliever Zach McClellan, who also made his name while playing at Indiana University, to a 2010 contract.
The righty pitched in 12 games with the Rockies in 2008, but a shoulder injury in May 2007 kept him off the mount until August 2008. He did not play professionally last season.
In his nine professional seasons, McClellan has amassed a 34-43 record, playing as a starter for his first five seasons. As a reliever, he is 9-6 with four saves.
Pro basketball
NUGGETS DROP PACERS: Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and Chauncey Billups added 24 to help Denver beat the Pacers 111-93 on Tuesday night, lifting the Nuggets to their best start in 24 years.
Former Denver guard Dahntay Jones led the Pacers with 20 points, and Danny Granger added 18 for Indiana (0-3).
Pacers forward Troy Murphy bruised his lower back when he fell hard to the floor in the first quarter and did not return.
College football
FLOYD RETURNS TO IRISH LINEUP: Notre Dame star receiver Michael Floyd will play against Navy on Saturday, six weeks after breaking his left collarbone.
Coach Charlie Weis said Tuesday that the 6-foot-3, 220-pound sophomore was cleared to play Monday for the No. 19 Fighting Irish. Floyd was second in the nation in receiving yards at 160 yards a game when he was hurt when he landed on his shoulder trying to make a catch against Michigan State.
Prep football
PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets for Friday's St. Rita at Marian Catholic Class 7A playoff game are on sale this week during school hours at Marian Catholic in Room 213 for students and the main office for the public. Tickets are $5 and no tickets will be sold at the gate.
Tickets for Friday's Stevenson vs. Mt. Carmel Class 8A playoff game at Gately Stadium are on sale at the Mt. Carmel security office. Tickets are $5. The game will be televised on a tape-delayed basis at noon Saturday on Comcast (CN 100).
Prep basketball
YELICH IS STATE'S TOP OFFICIAL: Kim Yelich has been named the IHSAA's 2009-10 Official of The Year for girls high school basketball and will receive her award at the girls state finals March 6 in Fort Wayne.
The 1986 Lake Central grad, now in her 21st year of officiating, has worked 13 sectionals, nine regionals, five semistates and two state finals.
"It's such an honor to receive this award and I owe so much to the Lake County Officials Association, of which I'm a member," said Yelich, who was named the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Mildred Ball Official of The Year for 2008-09.
VALPO HISTORY BOOK ON SALE NOV. 28: "The Green and White" -- a book about Valparaiso High School boys basketball -- will be on sale at Viking Gym on Nov. 28 during the boys home opener against Hobart. Author John Knauff will be at the game. Knauff is a retired Valparaiso teacher and former coach. The book covers the history of the team from 1907 through 2009. The cost is $25. The book goes on sale at the VHS bookstore, Blythe's, Magic Sports and Air One Aerial Photography Nov. 30.
Prep volleyball
CLARK'S CORE NAMED TO ICGSA HALL: Retired Clark volleyball coach Carol Core will be inducted Friday into the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Core, who started most of the girls sports programs at Clark, retired last school year after 36 years and a 569-375 record with the volleyball program. She also led her teams to 11 all-academic honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and won four sectional titles, including repeat conquests in her last two seasons.
Local swimming
FREE FAMILY NIGHTS IN PORTAGE: The aquatics department of the Portage Twp. YMCA will host free family swim nights from 6 to 8:45 the first Friday of each month in the west pool at Portage High School. For details, contact Ryan Penrod at either (219) 762-9622 or ryan@ymcaofportage.org. Information is also available at www.ymcaofportage.org.
Around the horn
Race registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Sunday with a 9 a.m. start for Purdue Calumet's annual Fall Frolic 4-mile run/1.5-mile walk, located in the Fitness & Recreation Center at the south end of campus, south of 173rd Street. Part of the Gold Cup series, the run offers a flat, fast track through neighborhood streets adjacent to Purdue Calumet's Hammond campus. The registration fee is $20 for runners and $15 for walkers. All participants will receive a long-sleeved race T-shirt. ... Saint Joseph forward Greg Gehrig (Lake Central) was named to the GLVC all-conference second team after finishing second in the conference in goals scored (16) and third in overall points (38). ... Portage High School's fall athletic banquet runs from 6-8 p.m. Sunday in the east auditorium. For details, call (219) 764-6049. ... Three missing North Dakota college softball players were found dead Tuesday in a Jeep pulled from a pond, and police said they believed the women were in the vehicle when they made two desperate calls to friends for help. Police Lt. Rod Banyai said officers are investigating the cause of the deaths and autopsies are planned. He said he believes the women were in the Jeep when they called for help, but he didn't know whether it already was under water when those calls were made. ... The struggling Seahawks cut ties with Edgerrin James on Tuesday, releasing the backup running back who never provided the pop Seattle hoped to get when it signed the 31-year-old in late August.
