-4) played without Chris Wondolowski and

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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The NCAA agreed Friday to restore 112 football wins it had stripped from Penn State and Joe Paterno in the Jerry Sandusky child-molestation scandal and to reinstate the venerated late coach as the winningest in major college football history.The agreement, swiftly approved by the boards of the NCAA and the university after intermittent talks heated up this week, lifts the last of the sanctions imposed in 2012 and wipes away the black marks that had tainted one of the nations most celebrated college athletics programs.After more than two years of criticism that the NCAA had overstepped its authority, officials with college sports governing body did not back down. Instead, they said they were focused on ending litigation that had held up distribution of the universitys $60 million fine to fund child abuse-prevention programs.Before the deal, the NCAA had agreed last year to eliminate some of the sanctions, including reinstating Penn States full complement of scholarships and letting the team participate in post-season play.Fridays agreement threw out the rest of the sanctions, including eliminating a five-year probation period and scholarship and transfer rules, and restoring the wins that had been wiped out. It also bowed to Pennsylvania officials desire to see the $60 million fine spent in Pennsylvania, not spread to abuse-prevention programs around the nation.The pact emerged just days after a federal judge declined to rule on the constitutionality of the sanctions and weeks before a Pennsylvania court was to hold a trial on the legality of the penalties.Hopefully, today well begin to make right the damage that has been done, said Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, who had sued the NCAA with state Treasurer Rob McCord. Today is a victory for due process, which was unafforded in this case. Today is a victory for the people of Pennsylvania. Today is a victory for Penn State nation. The NCAA has surrendered.The unprecedented scope of the sanctions had drawn intense criticism from Penn State alumni and fans who defended Paterno as innocent in the scandal and called the schools athletics program a national model. They accused the NCAA of rushing to judgment to assert its dominance, ultimately punishing people who had nothing to do with Sandusky.The family of Paterno, who died as the scandal was unfolding, hailed the agreement, while lawyers for Sanduskys victims worried that the NCAAs retreat sent the wrong message. In State College, home to Penn States sprawling main campus nicknamed Happy Valley, the news was welcome.Hundreds of students celebrated Friday night with a subdued rally outside the universitys administration building, followed by a march to the nearby Beaver Canyon apartment area. As many as 500 people joined the march.Someone projected a huge photo of Paterno onto the side of an apartment building. Others chanted, We are Penn State!In the agreement, Penn State acknowledged that the NCAA had acted in good faith in the Sandusky matter, and university President Eric Barron said he believed the agency had a legitimate concern about institutional control.NCAA officials said Friday that their motivation in the deal was to start funding abuse-prevention programs with the fine.The victors are those of us who were advocating for the children, said Harris Pastides, an NCAA board member and president of the University of South Carolina.They did not back off their right to take such action.The board felt they had to quickly and decisively put forward a set of sanctions. I hope we never have to do this again, said Kirk Schulz, an NCAA board member and Kansas States president.The penalties sprung from the scandal that erupted when Sandusky, a retired assistant coach, was accused of sexually abusing boys, some of them on campus.Penn States then-President, Rodney Erickson, agreed to the sanctions in 2012, in the weeks after Sandusky was convicted. Just days earlier, former FBI Director Louis Freeh released a scathing report commissioned by Penn States trustees, and the school removed an iconic bronze statue of Paterno from the schools Beaver Stadium.Freehs report accused Paterno and other top Penn State officials of burying child sex-abuse allegations against Sandusky to avoid bad publicity. The report portrayed the Hall of Fame coach as more deeply involved in the scandal than previously thought.The alleged coverup by Paterno, then-university President Graham Spanier and two other Penn State administrators allowed Sandusky to prey on other boys for years, it said.Paterno was never charged with a crime, although Spanier and the two other former administrators continue to fight charges in court.Paternos family called Fridays announcement a great victory for everyone who has fought for the truth in the Sandusky tragedy.This case should always have been about the pursuit of the truth, not the unjust vilification of the culture of a great institution and the scapegoating of coaches, players and administrators who were never given a chance to defend themselves, they said.Michael Boni, a lawyer for one of the victims who testified at Sanduskys trial, said he supported the restoration of Penn States scholarships and bowl eligibility last fall, but does not believe Paternos victories should be reinstated because they were tarnished by Sandusky.He also said he sensed a shift in Penn States attitude after the criminal case against Sandusky wrapped up and it concluded civil settlements with victims.There was a movement away from what I thought was a genuine mea culpa on the part of Penn State, having accepted the NCAA sanctions, and one toward, Why did we cave so easily? That was disappointing, Boni said.The sanctions eliminated all wins from 1998, when police investigated a mothers complaint that Sandusky had showered with her son, through 2011, Paternos final season as head coach after six decades with the team and the year Sandusky was charged.The restored wins include 111 under Paterno and the final victory of 2011, after trustees fired Paterno in the wake of the charges against Sandusky and the team was coached by Tom Bradley. That returns Paternos record to 409-136-3. He died of lung cancer at 85 shortly after the season ended.Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts and is now serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence.___Levy reported from Harrisburg. Associated Press writers Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania, Jim Carlson in State College and Ralph D. Russo in Oxon Hill, Maryland, contributed to this report. Jeff Skinner Jersey . Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. 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Martinezs ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Torii Hunter with the winning run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Sunday.SEATTLE -- Snubbed from a World Cup camp invite by Nigeria, Obafemi Martins was determined not to sulk about missing out on a trip to Brazil. Martins said earlier this week his World Cup is the next two months playing for the Seattle Sounders. And it started with his finest goal since joining Major League Soccer. "I just want to score goals," Martins said. "Thats what I did and Im glad." Martins scored in the eighth minute to give the Sounders a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night as both teams began a possible two-month stretch with some of the top players in the league off competing at the World Cup. Martins goal will be in the discussion for best of the season as the year progresses. His goal came from a shallow angle just 4 yards off the end line. Instead of settling Gonzalo Pinedas pass, Martins chipped the one-hopper with his left foot over San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch and just inside the far post. It was the fifth goal of the season for Martins. Instead of the usual backflip that has accompanied his previous goals, Martins simply shook his head possibly a little surprised his difficult attempt found the net. "Its an athletic ability. You cant teach that. Its something that somebody has," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "Its definitely as good a goal thats been scored here." Busch said shots from that shallow an angle usually end up coming at the near post or end up on top of the net. "So now he finds the back post. Tip your hat to him. Nothing you can do," Busch said. "Doesnt matter who you are or where you play, thats a good goal." The Sounders (8-3-1), who remained the MLS points leader, opened the whole stadium for the firstt time this year and drew 49,746, the largest crowd for any MLS game this season.dddddddddddd Seattle was without three U.S. World Cup hopefuls, while the Earthquakes were minus two. Clint Dempsey, Brad Evans and DeAndre Yedlin were gone for Seattle and San Jose (2-4-4) played without Chris Wondolowski and Clarence Goodson. Also gone for the Earthquakes was Honduran hopeful Victor Bernardez. The Sounders could have been without Martins as well, but he was not selected to join Nigeria for its World Cup camp. Teaming with Dempsey at the top of Seattles attack, Martins has a resume this season that would have been worthy of a call. Instead hes being asked to be the offensive catalyst for Seattle with Dempsey gone. Seattle controlled the match and likely should have scored two or three more times if not for stellar goalkeeping by Busch. He stopped attempts from Lamar Neagle twice in a seven-minute span of the second half and turned away Osvaldo Alonsos attempt in the 84th minute. "My job is to make saves and keep us in the game. I did my job," Busch said. All the shots being peppered toward Busch made for a quiet night at the other end for Seattles Stefan Frei. With Wondolowski and Bernardez gone, the Earthquakes were missing seven of the 11 goals they have scored this season. The only player in San Joses starting lineup with a goal was midfielder Cordell Cato. San Joses only official shot on goal came on a free kick in the 90th minute from Khari Stephenson that Frei smothered. It was the second shutout of the season for Seattle and important after giving up five goals last Sunday to New England. "The commitment of the team this week after last week was playing to zero," Schmid said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '