Sports briefs 9/20/05

Boxing

• Don King picked the wrong time to stage a boxing match in St. Louis.

Don King Productions and the Savvis Center said Monday they have postponed an event scheduled for Sept. 30 that would have featured three championship boxing matches. Promoters cited lackluster ticket sales due to too much competition from the playoff-bound Cardinals, the NFL's Rams, even the NHL's Blues, who will be in the midst of preseason play.

The feature card would have been a fight for the vacant World Boxing Association cruiserweight title between Virgil "Quicksilver" Hill and undefeated No. 1 contender Valery Brudov of Russia.

College

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder would not say Monday whether he would bench Thomas Clayton after the junior running back's arrest on a charge of aggravated battery.

"There will be some consequences for Thomas," Snyder said during the Big 12 coaches' weekly conference call. "We have to let things settle down a little bit. It's not what it appears to be. And I'm not in position to tell you, to elaborate on that."

Clayton was arrested Friday, after university parking services employee said the running back nearly ran over him while trying to avoid having his vehicle immobilized for multiple unpaid parking tickets.

Clayton, who leads the nation with an average of 164.5 yards rushing, was later released on $1,000 bond. No court date has yet been set.

* Jamie Pollard, deputy athletic director at Wisconsin the past two years, was introduced as Iowa State's athletic director on Monday, completing a quick, secretive search by the university and a whirlwind week for Pollard and his family.

Pollard, 40, succeeds Bruce Van De Velde, who announced his resignation Aug. 8 after five years in the job.

* Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal, Kansas linebacker Brandon Perkins and Nebraska punter Sam Koch were named Big 12 players of the week on Monday.

McNeal, who got offensive honors for the third time in his career, set a Texas A&M record with 449 total yards, throwing for 349 yards and running for 100 in just three quarters to lead Texas A&M to a 66-8 win over SMU.

Perkins, defensive player of the week, established a Jayhawk single-game record with five sacks in a 34-14 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Koch took special teams honors because among eight punts for a 46-yard average, Koch kicked a Big 12-record 84-yarder in a 7-6 win over Pittsburgh.

* Being unranked and the only team in the Big 12 without a winning record isn't stopping Oklahoma from making plans and plowing straight ahead.

Paul Thompson, who began the season as No. 1 quarterback, is switching to wide receiver, coach Bob Stoops announced Monday. Thompson played the last two games behind redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar.

"He's got another year after this one to contribute and play," Stoops said. "He's an excellent athlete who works hard. We just want to give him more opportunities to get on the field. I think he will give us more production."

Thompson is a fourth-year junior who opened the season against TCU as the starting quarterback. But Bomar has now nailed down the job for the Sooners, who dropped out of The Associated Press Top 25 this week after a 41-24 loss at UCLA.

Football

* The Houston Texans fired offensive coordinator Chris Palmer on Monday following the team's second straight embarrassing loss.

Palmer will be replaced by offensive line coach Joe Pendry, according to a source who asked not to be identified because the team had not yet made the announcement. Coach Dom Capers had his regularly scheduled news conference set for later in the day.

The Houston Chronicle first reported the firing on its Web site. ESPN also reported the firing.

Palmer, who has been the offensive coordinator since the team's inception, also called the plays.

Hockey

* The NHL Players' Association has filed a grievance on behalf of St. Louis Blues forward Keith Tkachuk, who was suspended Friday for failing his physical.

Blues general manager Larry Pleau said he was aware of the grievance but did not know any particulars, and wouldn't have discussed the situation if he had read the appeal.

"Naturally, we're not going to comment on that anyway," Pleau said. "Until he passes a physical, he's suspended."

Blues spokesman Chuck Menke said he was unaware of any rules regarding how a team can deal with a suspension.

"This is an individual situation that's being dealt with on a case by case basis," Menke said. "This is a team decision and suspension. There's no contractual or overriding policy."

The 33-year-old Tkachuk is the second-highest paid player in the NHL at $7.6 million. He had 33 goals and 38 assists in 2003-04.