Chicago police question 'violent' ex-boyfriend in murders of Eddy Curry's ex-girlfriend and her baby

A spurned boyfriend was being grilled Monday in the brutal murders of Knicks center Eddy Curry's ex-girlfriend and her infant daughter.

Nova Henry had taken out a restraining order against the man, whom family members described as a violent "stalker."

"He said there was only one way out of this relationship," a relative of Henry's told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Another relative, told the paper they were trying to hide Henry from the man, who was picked up by Chicago police detectives at a motel in nearby Michigan City, Ind.

"This (man) was very unstable, had an anger problem," Tom Henry said.

The suspect has not been charged with the murders of Henry, 24, and her 9-month-old daughter, Ava. He did legal work for Henry - and moved in with her for a time over Curry's objections, relatives said.

Curry was devastated that Noah Curry, his 3-year-old son with Henry, had to witness his mother's murder. A police psychologist was speaking with the boy.

"She was found in a pool of blood," one of Curry's close friends told the Daily News earlier. "He was really upset that his son had to see that."

A relative found Noah Saturday night unharmed, the pal said.

Curry, a former Chicago Bulls player who still lives near the Windy City, was holed up Monday in the White Plains hotel that is his home during the playing season.

A white Caduca HUV registered to Curry arrived a little after 10 am and picked up children, who are believed to be Curry's.

Curry is married and has four other children with his wife Patricia - Eddy 3rd, Reign, Reigan and Reiganna, the Knicks media guide says.

Curry was expected to join his teammates in Madison Square Garden Monday night for their game against the Houston Rockets, a Knicks source said.

Henry and Ava were found slaim about 6 p.m. Saturday by Henry's mother, Yolan, when she arrived at her daughter's condo on the city's South Side, police said.

Mother and daughter suffered multiple gunshot wounds, the Cook County medical examiner said.

Curry, who was in Philadelphia with his team when news of the murders reached him, was not a suspect, a police source said.

Czisny Wins US Figure Skating Title

CLEVELAND (Jan. 24) - Alissa Czisny put the woman back in women's figure skating, reminding everyone there's more to the sport than jumps.

"Throughout the years, there's been a lot of disappointments and hard times," said Czisny, known as much in the past for her inconsistency as for her considerable talent.
"I think I've been able to take all of them and learn from them. It's made me a better person, it's made me a better skater and I think I've learned a lot, a lot about life."

The 21-year-old made a rebound for the ages Saturday, winning the women's title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships one year after a dismal ninth-place finish had her re-evaluating herself. Tears filled her eyes when she saw the final results, and it'll be days before the smile leaves her face.

Finally, their time in the sun Cardinals shine for first time in Arizona

Charley Trippi, one of the few living members of the Chicago Cardinals' NFL championship team from 1947, remembers wearing tennis shoes on the icy field that victorious day.Roger Wehrli, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played for the Cardinals from 1969-82, has fond memories of the "Big Red" era when the football and baseball teams in St. Louis shared a nickname.

John Omohundro, a retired athletic trainer, has 42 years of Cardinals stories - like the time he used adhesive tape to "line" a football field in the outfield at St. Louis's Busch Stadium for practice, or the uneasy day in 1988 when the trucks were loaded for the team's move to Arizona.

Together, Trippi, Wehrli, and Omohundro represent three chapters in the Cardinals' history, which mostly is defined by losing seasons, the search for a more permanent home, and a perceived lack of commitment from ownership.Such history is front and center this week with the Arizona Cardinals preparing to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII next Sunday, in pursuit of their first NFL championship since '47.

"Our record hasn't always been what we wanted it to be, and it's been a long dry spell, but the ride here has been extremely enjoyable," said the 65-year-old Omohundro, now in his 42d season with the team and serving in an advisory role. "Finally, the reward has come. Patience has its virtue and this is a perfect example of it." (Globe Staff)

Affliction MMA: Fedor Emelianenko KOs Andrei Arlovski, Retains Title

The greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts won again Saturday night in Anaheim, as Fedor Emelianenko knocked out Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.It was yet another stunning first-round win for Fedor, who looked sluggish in the early going but simply saw an opening, threw one punch, and knocked Arlovski out cold. Fedor showed again why he's a legend and retained his title as the sport's undisputed heavyweight champion.Arlovski had been controlling the first round with his superior stand-up game, but all it took was Arlovski leaving himself exposed for a split second, and Fedor calmly landed a brutal strike directly to Arlovski's chin. Arlovski was knocked unconscious at 3:34 of the first round.It was yet another stunning first-round win for Fedor, who looked sluggish in the early going but simply saw an opening, threw one punch, and knocked Arlovski out cold. Fedor showed again why he's a legend and retained his title as the sport's undisputed heavyweight champion.Arlovski had been controlling the first round with his superior stand-up game, but all it took was Arlovski leaving himself exposed for a split second, and Fedor calmly landed a brutal strike directly to Arlovski's chin. Arlovski was knocked unconscious at 3:34 of the first round.After the fight, Emelianenko said, "I really didn't think I would knock him out but it happened. You don't expect it to happen but it did... I had a feeling he was going to make a mistake and I was waiting to capitalize."

Emelianenko, who improved his professional MMA record to 29-1, is expected to fight Josh Barnett some time later this year.

Blues @ Blackhawks

Phelps eager to get back in the pool

Michael Phelps returned to training this week, five months after his record-setting performance at the Beijing Olympics.

Boy, did it hurt.

``I'm in a world of pain right now,'' Phelps said Thursday during a teleconference to mark yet another award: his selection by the U.S. Olympic Committee as its sportsman of the year for 2008. ``It's all over my body. I'm almost in a state of shock. Literally every part of my body is hurting.''

Phelps resumed formal training Tuesday with longtime coach Bob Bowman. The swimmer spent a little over an hour in the weight room, a session that included sit-ups and other abdominal exercises. He also worked about an hour in the pool, trying to recapture the form that carried him to eight gold medals in China.

It's not going to be easy coming back from the longest break of his career, a time spent having fun, moving back to his hometown of Baltimore and cashing in on his iconic performance with everything from a new book to hosting the season premiere of ``Saturday Night Live.''

Cardinals Arrington

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona running back J.J. Arrington sat out practice for the second day in a row on Friday but said ``I'll be fine'' when the Cardinals play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

Arrington injured his right knee late in the first half of Arizona's 32-25 victory over Philadelphia in the NFC championship game. He was the only player to miss Friday's workout.

Defensive ends Travis LaBoy (biceps) and Antonio Smith (knee) were limited. Punter Ben Graham also was limited with a left groin injury.

Wide receiver Anquan Boldin participated in his second full practice in a row. He missed the divisional playoff victory over Carolina with a strained left hamstring but played against Philadelphia and said he felt no problem with the leg this week.

The Cardinals practice on Saturday then take Sunday off before flying to Tampa on Monday.

The Associated Press

Cubs Sold!

CHICAGO (AP) — A billionaire family of Chicago Cubs fans - including one who first met his wife in the bleachers at Wrigley Field - is set to purchase the team and ballpark from Tribune Co.

The sale would include Wrigley Field and a 25 percent interest in a regional sports network, said Dennis Culloton, a spokesman for group head Tom Ricketts. Culloton said the deal was worth about $900 million.

``My family and I are Cubs fans,'' Ricketts said in a statement Thursday night. ``We share the goal of Cubs fans everywhere to win a World Series and build the consistent championship tradition that the fans deserve.''

The family, whose bid was picked from among three finalists, also said in the statement that it's looking forward to working with the Tribune and Major League Baseball to close the transaction promptly. Tribune Co. spokesman Gary Weitman declined comment.

Streaker, turmoil at Aussie Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A skirmish between ethnic rivals, a half-naked streaker and an upset of Ana Ivanovic combined for an extraordinary Friday at the Australian Open.

A woman was injured and two men arrested for riotous behavior when Serbian and Bosnian fans threw chairs outside Rod Laver Arena following a match between defending champion Novak Djokovic and Bosnian-born American Amer Delic.

Police said about 30 fans were ejected from Melbourne Park.Djokovic, a 21-year-old Serb, won the spirited but good-natured match 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). But as the players hugged at the net, the first of dozens of chairs flew on the lawn near a big-screen TV showing the match.

``There's absolutely no place for that. This is a tennis match,'' said Delic, who moved from Bosnia at 14 and lives in Jacksonville, Fla. ``As I'm sure you all saw at the end, Novak and I are friends. We're both competitors. In the end it was a fair match, and there was no reason for such things.''

Earlier Friday, a streaker dashed on court while Venus and Serena Williams played doubles, prancing around before being arrested.

The Williams sisters were en route to a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japan's Ayumi Morita and Germany's Martina Muller when the man, wearing only a shirt, sprinted across the sidelines and made several dance moves before heading toward an exit.

He was met by security guards, arrested and banned for the event. He was not immediately identified.

Ali salutes Obama at inaugural soiree

"The Greatest" saluted the nation's first black president at an inaugural soiree Monday night.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali, celebrating his 67th birthday, was the guest of honor at a party for 1,400 that included other celebrities, lawmakers and native Kentuckians.

Ali will be sitting on the platform Tuesday when Barack Obama is sworn in as the nations first black president. And when that happens, Ali's wife predicts, a torch will have been passed.

"He wouldn't have missed this for the world," Lonnie Ali said after Monday night's Bluegrass Ball, a celebration of her husband's 67th birthday. Kentucky is the family's home state.

Muhammad Ali carried the dreams of a generation during his prime as an athlete, and later as a humanitarian.

"Whats interesting is that Muhammad had time to grow into his role as being a world humanitarian," Lonnie Ali said. Obama on the other hand "will inherit the world on his shoulders, not just the U.S. And it is a much heavier burden than I think Muhammad had to face. "You've got Barack Obama, whos the leader of the greatest nation on earth, and Muhammad Ali, who's the greatest of all time," mused Steve Buttleman, official bugler of Churchill Downs. "How appropriate is that? It's so fitting."

There was agreement from the mistress of ceremonies, former Kentucky first lady Phyllis George:

"The seriousness of what they've both done in their lives and how they've both brought people together, I'm just very proud to be a part of it," George said.

There's one thing that Obama holds over Ali, though, Lonnie Ali said. Obama's now probably more recognizable to more people around the world.

"I do believe you've been surpassed," Lonnie Ali said she told her husband.