Briefs | Poker: Joe Cada, 21, wins $8.55 million in WSOP main event

Poker

Michigan resident becomes youngest WSOP main-event champion: Joe Cada, a 21-year-old from Chesterfield Township, Mich., became the youngest champion of the World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas.

"It gives me a lot of freedom," Cada said after winning the $8.55 million first prize in the no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament that began in July with 6,494 players.

Cada, who left community college to play poker full time, said he had won $500,000 playing poker before he entered the main event, helped by backers who paid his $10,000 entry fee in exchange for a 50 percent cut of his winnings.

Cada won a nearly three-hour, head-to-head match against Darvin Moon, 46, a logger from Oakland, Md., who settled for $5.18 million.

Jeff Shulman, a University of Washington graduate living in Las Vegas, made $1.95 million for finishing fifth.

Baseball

Scully says he will decide future after 2010 season: Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully said he will continue in the broadcast booth for the Los Angeles Dodgers next year and decide after the season whether he will leave the job he has had with the franchise since 1950.

"I'm trying to figure out if I can walk away," said Scully, 81.

Vancouver, Wash., mayor interested in Class AAA team: Newly elected Mayor Tim Leavitt of Vancouver, Wash., said he is eager to talk about a move of the Class AAA Portland Beavers across the Columbia River to Vancouver.

NHL

Canucks are routed: David Perron scored three goals to lead the host St. Louis Blues to a 6-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

Andrew Raycroft, who came in with a 4-1 record and a 1.60 goals-against average while No. 1 goaltender Roberto Luongo was injured, allowed four goals on 13 shots before being replaced after the first period. Luongo made his first appearance since Oct. 27, when he fractured a rib.

College basketball

Arkansas suspends five: Arkansas suspended five players for violating unspecified team rules. Guards Courtney Fortson and Stefan Welsh were suspended indefinitely. Guard Marcus Britt was suspended for six games, forward Glenn Bryant for two games and walk-on guard Nick Mason will not dress for games during the fall semester.

Seton Hall player is suspended: Seton Hall guard Keon Lawrence was suspended indefinitely from the team after police charged he was under the influence when he drove the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway near Sayreville, N.J., and collided with another car Monday. Lawrence, 22, was treated for severe facial cuts.

Golf

LPGA prevails in 3-Tour Challenge: Cristie Kerr shot a 4-under-par 32 on the back nine to lead the LPGA team to victory in the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge, a made-for-TV event in Henderson, Nev.

The LPGA team of Kerr, Suzann Pettersen and Natalie Gulbis had a combined score of 6 under on the final nine holes to earn $300,000.

Combined with their $100,000 purse from the opening nine, the women won the overall title by $70,000 over a team from the 50-and-older Champions Tour. A PGA Tour team of Seattle native Fred Couples, Stewart Cink and Bubba Watson was third and last with $270,000.

The event will air on ABC on Dec. 19 and 20.

McIlroy to join PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy, 20, of Northern Ireland said he has decided to join the PGA Tour next year, with hopes of moving up in the world ranking. He is ranked 17th.

Sir Nick: Britain's Nick Faldo has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for a career in which he won six major tournaments.

Soccer

New league: The MLS-bound Vancouver Whitecaps of British Columbia and five other United Soccer Leagues First Division teams have formed a new pro league that will begin playing in April.

The Whitecaps are scheduled to move up to Major League Soccer in 2011. Vancouver is to be joined by teams from Atlanta, Carolina, Miami, Minnesota and Montreal from USL-1. St. Louis Soccer United also will be part of the seven-team league that does not yet have a name.

Team officials said they formed the new league because they were unhappy with how USL-1 is owned and structured.

Davies is out of hospital: U.S. forward Charlie Davies has been released from a Washington hospital, nearly a month after a car accident.

Davies, 23, had several surgeries after the Oct. 13 car crash that killed a 22-year-old passenger. Davies reportedly will need from six to 12 months to recover and is unlikely to play in next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Germany goalkeeper dies: Robert Enke, 32, a goalkeeper who was expected to play for Germany at the World Cup, died after being hit by a train near Hannover, Germany, in what police said they suspect is a suicide.

Swimming

Phelps competes: Sporting a beard and an old-style swimsuit, American Michael Phelps finished third in the 100-meter individual medley at a World Cup short-course meet in Stockholm, Sweden, after missing out on two other finals.

South Africa's Gerhard Zandberg won the 100 IM. Phelps, who won eight gold medals at last year's Beijing Olympics, failed to qualify for the finals of the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Three world records were set at the meet.

Seattle Times news services