TORONTO (AP) — Jim Fanning, the longtime Montreal Expos executive who managed the franchise to its only playoff appearance in Canada, has died. He was 87. The Toronto Blue Jays confirmed Fanning’s death Saturday. Fanning was the Expos’ general manager when the team entered the major leagues in 1968 and spent 25 years with the franchise that moved to Washington in 2005 and became the Nationals.

As field manager in the strike-shortened 1981 season, he directed Montreal to playoffs. After beating Philadelphia, the Expos lost to Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series. Fanning was 116-103 as manager in 1981-82 and 1984.

Fanning was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 and served as a team ambassador for the Blue Jays. He was a backup catcher with the Chicago Cubs from 1954-57, hitting .170 with five RBIs in 64 games. Fanning was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1927, and attended high school in Moneta, Iowa. He played in college at Buena Vista in Iowa and the University of Illinois.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Akrum Wadley scored the lone touchdown of Iowa’s spring game on Saturday as the defense shined. The lack of offensive fireworks didn’t concern Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, saying it’s par for the course during spring practice.

“At this point after 15 days, our defense might know our offense better than the offense does, quite frankly,” Ferentz said. “It happens in camp, too, just when you work against each other pretty expansively. That’s nothing to be alarmed about.”

Iowa’s depth at running back was on full display. Wadley, along with Jordan Canzeri, LeShun Daniels Jr. and Derrick Mitchell Jr. all split carries and were effective. Mitchell, a converted wide receiver, and Wadley impressed players and coaches with their shiftiness and speed. The duo accounted for the majority of the offensive yards.

w/ Chris Parks

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kirani James shattered Michael Johnson’s 400-meter Drake Relays record Friday, finishing in 44.22 seconds. Johnson ran 44.41 in the 1996, the season in which he broke the Olympic record at the Atlanta Games.

Aleec Harris stunned the 110-hurdle field, winning in 13.16. Bershawn Jackson won the 400 hurdles in 48.87, while Ajee Wilson won the women’s 800 in 2:00.03.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey says he’s spoken to representatives of All-Pro linebacker Justin Houston “in the last three days” as the sides negotiate a long-term contract. Speaking in advance of next week’s draft, Dorsey said Friday that the lines of communication remain open with Houston, who has been given the franchise tag but has yet to sign his tender.

The Chiefs began discussing a deal with Houston prior to last season, but were unable to come to an agreement. Houston then broke Derrick Thomas’s franchise record with 22 sacks last season, a virtuoso performance that sent his value soaring. Houston has not reported to the Chiefs for their voluntary offseason workouts, which began on Monday. He has posted videos of himself working out independently on Twitter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Drake Bulldogs will soon be represented by a real bulldog. The school announced Friday that it will begin searching for an English bulldog to represent Drake at live sporting events, much like Georgia and Butler do.

Officials say they were inspired to adopt a live mascot after seeing Porterhouse, the 2009 winner of their tongue-in-cheek “Beautiful Bulldog” contest, become a fixture in the campus community. The school says the winner of the popular bulldog beauty pageant each year will continue to serve as the mascot of the Drake Relays.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa State men’s basketball team will be paid $125,000 to open next season against Colorado in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Sanford Frontiers, the corporation that runs the Pentagon events center, will pay the Cyclones that amount according to a contract released by the school to The Associated Press on Friday.
Iowa State would owe Sanford $100,000 if it backs out of the game. The contract did not say how much the Buffaloes will be paid for the Nov. 13 game.

High-profile college basketball games are nothing new to the Pentagon. The 3,200-seat gym has recently hosted Wisconsin, St. John’s, Wichita State and Memphis.

With a third avian flu outbreak confirmed in Iowa, turkey hunters are being urged to take special care to halt the spread and not to shoot a bird that might be sick. Kevin Baskins, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says turkey hunters need to help minimize the risk of spreading the disease, which has already forced the euthanizing of tens of thousands of turkeys and millions of chickens in the state.

“We’re advising turkey hunters to avoid any commercial types of flocks like chickens or turkeys,” Baskins says. “Once that virus gets into a confinement situation, it will spread very rapidly and probably throughout the entire operation.” Hunters need to be vigilant for any birds that have died in the field or that appear sick. Signs include: ruffled feathers, swollen wattles, discoloration of the feet and impaired balance.

Baskins says if a dead or sick bird is spotted, hunters should mark the spot using G-P-S if possible and notify the D-N-R right away. They should not touch or try to move the birds. The avian flu is believed to be spread by migrating flocks of wild waterfowl, specifically, ducks and geese.  “We don’t expect to see a lot of avian flu in turkeys,” Baskins says. “Turkeys tend to be more solitary. They move around in smaller groups. If there is an outbreak, it’ll be fairly isolated. It’s not like a confinement situation where we have commercial flocks and once it gets into a building, it spreads from bird to bird very rapidly.”

Between the shotgun and archery seasons, turkey hunting will be underway in Iowa through May 17th. Baskins says turkey hunters should follow some common sense precautions, like washing their hands with soap and water immediately after handling game — or if they’re in the field, use alcohol wipes. “We advise that you dress your game birds in the field whenever you can,” Baskins says. “Make sure you’re using the same tools, whether in the field or at home and that you don’t use those tools around other poultry or pet birds. Make sure you double-bag the internal organs and feathers so once you dispose of those, any virus that might be in there is contained.”

For more tips, visit the website: www.iowadnr.gov. There is no food safety concern, according to Baskins. Game meat should be thoroughly cooked, he says. Poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill disease organisms and parasites.

(Radio Iowa)