LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Buddy Lazier will return to the Indianapolis 500 this season in a car fielded by Lazier Partners Racing.  The announcement Thursday was expected after the family-organized team also entered Lazier last season, one month after forming the team. Lazier started 32nd last May, ran only 44 laps because of a fuel pressure issues, and retired with a 31st-place finish.

The 46-year-old Lazier will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet with sponsorship from the University of Iowa Stephen A. Wynn Institute for Vision Research. The research center specializes in cures for rare, inherited retinal diseases.

Jacqueline Lazier, the drivers’ 12-year-old daughter, was born with Aniridia, which is a complete or partial absence of the colored part of the iris. Jacqueline has lost vision in her right eye.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) – Tony La Russa has toured the Baseball Hall of Fame, and says he’s “getting overwhelmed.”  La Russa, the third-winningest manager in major league history, took in the sights Thursday in preparation for his induction this summer.  The 69-year-old La Russa, who led Oakland to the 1989 World Series title and the St. Louis Cardinals to championships in 2006 and 2011, was unanimously elected in December by the Hall of Fame’s expansion-era committee along with former managerial colleagues Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.

They will be inducted July 27 along with pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas, who were elected in January in their first time on the writers’ ballot.  La Russa calls the scenario perfect because Cox and Torre were contemporaries and are right behind him in wins.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Take it from the Cincinnati Reds: Michael Wacha’s breakout postseason was no fluke.  In his first two starts for the St. Louis Cardinals, the 6-foot-6 right-hander has stared down one of the National League’s top lineups. Just like last fall, he’s been impervious to pressure, too.

After the Reds mustered a single run in 12 2-3 frustrating innings against the 22-year-old Wacha, Jay Bruce said it was like facing a carbon copy of Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, also lean and lanky and among the majors’ best pitchers for several years.

On the rare occasions you get a pitch to your liking, Bruce said, you’d better not miss.

w/ Jim Field

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa appears to be deep enough at both running back and wide receiver heading into next season. What the Hawkeyes would really like to see is a few of those guys blossom into big-time playmakers.

Iowa’s abundance of backs could be the envy of the new Big Ten West in 2014, and the Hawkeyes are also deep and experienced at wide receiver. But the Hawkeyes also averaged 4.2 yards per rush and 6.8 yards per pass last season en route to just 26.3 points a game.

That’s why one of the main tasks for Iowa this spring has been to identify explosive but possibly inexperienced players and see how close they are to helping Iowa next season.

w/ Jim Field

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Clarinda Lady Cardinal Relays

Class 2-A:

1. Glenwood  198
2. Shenandoah  105
3. Clarinda  92
4. Creston  57
5. Thomas Jefferson  52
6. Red Oak  35
7. Atlantic  34

Class 1-A:

1. Griswold  120
2. Treynor  82
3. St. Albert  72
4. Mount Ayr  63
5. Stanton  63
6. Sidney  49
7. Lenox  48
8. Southwest Valley  31
9. Bedford  25
10. Essex  16
11. Riverside  14
12. East Mills  4
13. South Page  2

CLICK HERE for complete results.

Glenwood Rams Relays

1. Glenwood 163
2. Lewis Central 83
3. St. Albert 79
4. Harlan 77.5
5. Abraham Lincoln 69
6. Creston 62
7. Clarinda 59
8. Thomas Jefferson 40
9. Red Oak 34.5
10. Atlantic 34

Nodaway Valley Girls Track Inviational

1. Earlham  108
2. Nodaway Valley  94
3. I-35  78
4. Martensdale-St. Mary  55
5. West Central Valley  54
6. Audubon  52.5
7. Exira/EHK  44
8. Central Decatur  32.5
9. East Union 25
10. SE Warren  24
11. Adair-Casey  11
12. CAM  6
13. Melcher-Dallas  3
14. Orient-Macksburg  2

Complete Results: Nodaway Valley Girls Track Meet

Jerome Howe Relays @ Treynor

1. St. Albert  113
2. Treynor  70
3. Underwood  69
4. East Mills  59
5. West Harrison  43
6. Griswold  40
7. Southwest Valley  31
8. Fremont-Mills  29
9. Logan-Magnolia  28
10. Tri-Center  21
11. A-H-S-T  16
12. Nishnabotna  14
13. Riverside  11
14. Exira/EHK  10
15. Bedford  4

Jerome Howe Relays 2014 results (1)

Girls:

• Tri-Center 7, Riverside 1
• Nodaway Valley/WCV/Adair-Casey 4, Missouri Valley 1
• Lewis Central 12, Denison-Schleswig 0
• Abraham Lincoln 3, Sioux City West 0

Boys:

• Riverside 2, Tri-Center 1
• St. Albert 3, A-H-S-T-Walnut 1
• Treynor 3, Missouri Valley 1
• Harlan 2, Kuemper Catholic 1
• Thomas Jefferson 4, Denison-Schleswig 1
• Omaha Gross 5, Abraham Lincoln 0

Boys Tennis:  Kuemper Catholic 8, Atlantic 1

•  1. Robby Steffes (K) defeats Nick Podhajsky (A) 8-3
• 2. Mitchell Behrens (K) defeats Adam Weiser (A) 8-1
• 3. Matt Irlbeck (K) defeats Jake Arneson (A) 8-6
• 4. Brian Ricke (K) defeats Reid Nichols (A) 8-1
• 5. Tyler Schroeder (K) defeats Ben Parker (A) 8-1
• 6. Joe Mohr (K) defeats Preston Hoye (A) 8-6

• 1. Steffes / Behrens (K) defeats Weiser / Arneson (A) 8-6
• 2. Podhajsky / Nichols (A) defeats Irlbeck / Mohr (K) 8-3
• 3. Ricke / Shroeder (K) defeats Parker / Hoye (A) 8-0

Other Boys Results:

• Shenandoah 7, Clarinda 2
• Harlan 9, Thomas Jefferson 0

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Girls Tennis:  Kuemper 9, Atlantic 0

• 1. Leah Greteman (K) defeats Leah Tjepkes (A) 8-4
• 2. Nicole Becker (K) defeats Lexi Allen (A) 8-2
• 3. Mattie Potthoff (K) defeats Lisa Gearhart (A) 8-6
• 4. Karla Knobbe (K) defeats Grace Jacob (A) 8-0
• 5. Taylor Boldt (K) defeats Codi Hitch (A) 8-1
• 6. Sara Langel (K) defeats Jena Brosam (A) 8-0

• 1. Greteman / Becker (K) defeats Tjepkes/Allen (A) 8-2
• 2. Potthoff / Knobbe (K) defeats Gearhart / Jacob (A) 8-1
• 3. Boldt / Langel (K) defeats Hitch / Brosam (A) 8-1

Others Girls Results:

• Clarinda 5, Shenandoah 4