BASEBALL

STREET, HOWARD WIN ROOKIE HONORS

Huston Street became the second consecutive AL Rookie of the Year from the Oakland Athletics, and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard won the NL award yesterday.

Street, who took over as Oakland’s closer in May, got 15 of 28 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and finished with 97 points. Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano came in second with 57 points, followed by Tampa Bay designated hitter Jonny Gomes with 39.

Howard replaced injured star Jim Thome and led all rookies with 22 home runs. He received 19 of 32 first-place votes and 109 points to beat out Houston Astros outfielder Willy Taveras, who got 78 points. Atlanta Braves right fielder Jeff Francouer was third with 60.

The 22-year-old Street went 5-1 with 23 saves and a 1.72 ERA – second among AL closers to New York’s Mariano Rivera. He had 72 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings, and opposing hitters batted only .194 against him.

Howard, who had been a highly touted slugger in the minors for years, took advantage of his opportunity to play regularly, batting .288 with 63 RBI in 88 games.

Howard is the fourth Phillies player to win the award, joining Scott Rolen, Dick Allen and Jack Sanford. Street is the fifth Oakland player honored, joining Bobby Crosby, Ben Grieve, Walt Weiss, Mark McGwire, and Jose Canseco.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ALABAMA MOVES UP IN BCS RANKINGS

Alabama moved into third place – slightly ahead of Miami – in the Bowl Championship Series standings yesterday, putting the unbeaten Crimson Tide in position to play for a national title if Southern California or Texas stumbles down the stretch. The first-place Trojans and Longhorns remain locked into the top two spots and on course to play for college football’s championship at the Rose Bowl on January 4.

USC raised its BCS average to .9802 this week and kept its lead on Texas (.9765). For the first time in the BCS’s eight-year history, the same teams have held the top two spots for the first four standings. USC has been in first for three weeks and Texas one. And they’re both way ahead of Alabama this week. The Tide has a BCS average of .8814, leaving it barely ahead of Miami (.8805).

Notre Dame moved up three spots to 11th, meaning the Fighting Irish are now in place to become BCS eligible by winning their final three games.

BOXING

KLITSCHKO HAS THREE MONTHS TO DEFEND TITLE

Vitali Klitschko will be stripped of the WBC heavyweight title if a knee injury takes more than three months to heal. The title will be awarded to former champion Hasim Rahman, WBC president Jose Sulaiman said yesterday. He said Klitschko was given at least another week for doctors to determine the severity of the injury that led him to again cancel a bout against Rahman. But if the champion can recuperate in the next three months, he will be allowed to defend. The WBC will make no determination in the case at least until Saturday, because Klitschko called Sulaiman and asked for a few days more so medical experts can better diagnose his injury.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

DUKE TOPS PRESEASON AP POLL

Duke is back at no. 1 in the Associated Press’ preseason college basketball poll while defending champion North Carolina failed to even make the Top 25. Kansas, the preseason no. 1 last year and another regular in the poll, also was not among those teams ranked yesterday.

North Carolina became the first defending national champion not to be in the preseason poll the next season since Kansas in 1988-89. The Tar Heels lost their top seven scorers from last season, three to graduation and four underclassmen as NBA lottery draft picks.

The Blue Devils have been ranked for 167 consecutive polls, dating to the preseason poll of 1996-97 season. Kansas had the second-longest streak but the Jayhawks are out of the rankings for the first time since the preseason poll of 2000-01, a span of 93 polls. Kentucky now has the second longest active streak at 80, dating to Feb. 12, 2001. The record streak for consecutive polls is 221 by UCLA from the preseason poll of 1966-67 through January 8, 1980.

HORSE RACING

ASHADO SELLS FOR RECORD $9 MILLION

Four-year-old filly Ashado sold for a record $9 million yesterday during the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale. John Ferguson, the buyer for Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, outlasted Irish bloodstock magnate John Magnier, the owner of Coolmore Stud, in a bidding process that lasted more than nine minutes. Ashado, the second-leading money winner among female horses, shattered the previous world record price for a female horse, set when Cash Run sold for $7.1 million during Keeneland’s November sale two years ago.

– Associated Press