Nationals' Wilson Ramos is kidnapped

Professional baseball player Wilson Ramos, a catcher seen as one of the young building blocks for the Washington Nationals, was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home in his native Venezuela.

Ramos, a 24-year-old who just finished his rookie season, was taken away in an SUV by four armed men in Santa Ines in central Carabobo state, the spokeswoman for his Venezuelan League team, the Aragua Tigers, said on her Twitter account. Katherine Vilera said Ramos was taken at cheap jerseys 6:45 p.m. at his home in the region 95 miles west of Caracas. She said police were notified.

A person close to Ramos' family said the catcher was at home with his father and brothers when several men "entered the house and took him away." The person said there had been "no contact" between the kidnappers and Ramos' family.

The abduction appeared to be the first involving a Major League Baseball cheap jerseys free shipping player. But in Venezuela, home to dozens of major league players, families of wealthy athletes have been periodically targeted by kidnappers in hopes of a hefty ransom.

ETC.

Buccaneers take Haynesworth

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed Albert Haynesworth off waivers, one day after the defensive lineman was released by the New England Patriots.

General Manager Mark Dominik said the Buccaneers more than likely would not have been interested in the 350-pound Haynesworth if the team had not lost Gerald McCoy for the season this week because of a torn right biceps.

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The Galaxy's Omar Gonzalez was voted Major League Soccer's defender of the year.

Gonzalez, 23, was a finalist for the award last season. Teammate cheap nfl jerseys free shipping Todd Dunivant finished fifth in the voting of MLS clubs, media and players. Gonzalez, the MLS rookie of the year in 2009, is the youngest player to win the league's top defensive honor.

The Galaxy meets the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup final Nov. 20 at the Home Depot Center, and the Galaxy said Wednesday that the game has sold out.

— Kevin Baxter

John Daly walked off the course at the Australian Open on Thursday after hitting at least five or six balls into the water on the 11th hole at the Lakes.

Daly was seven over par after 10 holes in the first round at Sydney after becoming upset with a ruling on the 10th that penalized him two strokes. He casually putted out on the 10th and took a triple-bogey seven.

On the 11th, he hit ball after ball into the water, some landing in the center of the pond, before a tour official joined him. Moments later, Daly shook hands with playing partners Craig Parry and Hunter Mahan and walked off the course.

With players still on the course, Jarrod Lyle was the early leader in the clubhouse with a seven-under 65.

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North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a law allowing the University of North Dakota to shed its 81-year-old Fighting Sioux nickname. The measure signed Wednesday allows the school to satisfy an NCAA request that it drop the name or risk sanctions. Lawmakers had passed a law in March requiring the school to keep the name.

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Jordin Mayes scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, Jesse Perry had his second straight double-double and the No. 16 Arizona men's basketball team pulled away from visiting Duquesne for a 67-59 victory. … God'sgift Achiuwa had 21 points and eight rebounds and St. John's rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit for a 78-73 victory over Lehigh that gave Coach Steve Lavin a win in his return to the bench a month after prostate cancer surgery.

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Ed Macauley, who was one of the NBA's first big stars and won a championship with the St. Louis Hawks and was traded by the Boston Celtics for Bill Russell, has died. He was 83.

St. Louis University announced Macauley's death Tuesday. The school had no other details. "Easy Ed" was a standout player with the Billikens, leading them to the 1948 NIT title.

Macauley was elected to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1960. He played for the Celtics from the 1950-51 season until 1955-56. He and the draft rights to future Hall of Famer Cliff Hagan were traded by Boston to the St. Louis Hawks on April 29, 1956, for the rights to Russell, a move that changed the power structure of the NBA.