Sports Briefly

UConn's Calhoun taking leave

STORRS, Conn. (AP) - UConn's Jim Calhoun doesn't mince words when it comes to his health.

So, when the Hall of Fame coach of the defending national champions, who turns 70 in May, had just about had it with his back problems, he let people know.

"The bottom line is I'm going to need some work done," Calhoun told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. "In January the shooting pains were getting worse and after one plane ride I couldn't even get up. I tried to hide it. I'm taking medicine right now for the pain. They are waiting for things to quiet down, and I'll meet with the doctor next week."

As a result, Calhoun is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence, as he has been suffering for several months from spinal stenosis, a spinal condition that causes him severe pain and hampers mobility.

No charges against cyclist Armstrong

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The case against Lance Armstrong is closed. His legacy as a seven-time Tour de France champion endures.

Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world's most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

Hamilton confirms alcohol relapse

ARLINGTON, Texas. (AP) - Josh Hamilton shed no tears, used no prepared statement as he apologized and shared few details about his relapse with alcohol. Still, it was clear he was upset by what he had done.

The Texas Rangers slugger and recovering drug addict said he had "three or four" drinks during dinner at a Dallas restaurant and bar Monday and continued drinking later that night.

"Things happened that me, personally, I'm not proud of after I drank, and they are personal and are being handled as that," he said Friday during a news conference at the ballpark called specifically to address the incident.