Australian Football League Richmond Tigers have begun "a thorough search" for a new GM of football operations, "following the shock resignation" of CRAIG CAMERON. The "highly respected football administrator" has headed Richmond's football department for the past five years after a stint as Melbourne recruiting manager (THE AUSTRALIAN, 2/10). ... Former Japan baseball national team Manager SADAHARU OH, who won the inaugural World Baseball Classic in '06, "will throw out the ceremonial first pitch" before Japan kicks off its '13 tournament. Oh, now the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks chairman, "will take the mound before two-time champion Japan takes on WBC debutant Brazil on March 2" (KYODO, 2/8). ... ManU Manger ALEX FERGUSON has been fined £12,000 ($19,000) after the FA found him "guilty of misconduct." The FA brought the charge following Ferguson's "outspoken attack" on assistant referee SIMON BECK in the wake of the 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur last month (PA, 2/8). ... Former JJB Sports Chair DAVID JONES and his son, STUART JONES, "were charged over misleading statements made by the company to investors" in '09. The men were charged at a criminal court in Leeds, England (BLOOMBERG, 2/8). ... The Russian Anti-Doping Agency said that Russian long jumper TATYANA KOTOVA "has been provisionally suspended after a re-analysis of a sample dating back to the 2005 World Championships came back positive" (Pakistan DAILY TIMES, 2/10). ... RAFAEL NADAL said that "testing for performance-enhancing drugs in sport should strike a balance between catching the cheats and respecting the athletes." He said, "Not everyone has to pay for some sinners. The important thing is that those who cheat pay for their cheating" (AP, 2/8).
