Piratesdaily.com | Pittsburgh Pirates News, pirates Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>Manhattan, Kan. | After a restless retirement, coach Bill Snyder is ready to turn Kansas State into a winner again. </div>Three years after handing off a successful Wildcats program to Ron Prince, the 69-year-old and wispy-haired Snyder was hired to take charge of the school he transformed from college football's biggest losers to national championship contenders. Prince, U.Va.'s offensive coordinator assistant before going to Kansas State, was fired this month but is finishing out the season. Snyder signed a five-year contract for a base salary of $250,000 and a total compensation of about $1.85 million annually, athletic director Bob Krause said. Krause said he made no offers to anyone else. From 1989-05, Snyder compiled a 136-68-1 record at a school that had won only 130 games the previous 51 years. The 12 head coaches who preceded Snyder from 1945-88 had 116 victories among them. Snyder said before taking the job he consulted with his large family, which he acknowledges got too little of his time during his first coaching stint. "This is not just a Bill Snyder thing," he said. "This is a family thing, and a Wildcat family thing. We need everybody to be involved in caring, and in a genuine and a real way. I'm just pleased to be here with them again." courts judge dismisses three charges san francisco | Three charges against Barry Bonds were dismissed Monday by a federal judge who left intact most of the indictment alleging he lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds is scheduled for a March 2 trial. He had faced 14 counts of making false declarations to a grand jury investigating steroid use in sports and one count of obstruction of justice. His lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to dismiss 10 of the lying charges, claiming he was asked unclear questions in front of the grand jury in 2003. Illston ruled to dismiss three charges and consolidate or rewrite another two. Bonds has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Should he be convicted, legal experts say he would face up to 2? years in prison. Baseball Pirates ink reality show pitchers pittsburgh | The Pittsburgh Pirates hope Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel really do have million-dollar arms. The two 20-year-old pitchers, neither of whom picked up a Baseball until earlier this year, signed free-agent contracts Monday. Singh and Patel were top finishers in an Indian reality TV show called the "Million Dollar Arm," which sought to find athletes who could throw strikes at 85 mph or faster. hockey sharks sign claude lemieux SAN JOSE, Calif. | Claude Lemieux has signed a tryout contract with the San Jose Sharks in hopes of returning to the NHL after a five-year absence. The 43-year-old Lemieux is expected to report to the Sharks' AHL affiliate in Worcester this week. Lemieux won four Stanley Cup titles during 18 NHL seasons. IN OTHER HOCKEY NEWS Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo has a strained groin muscle and is expected to miss at least a week. basketball agent: mcdyess to resign with pistons detroit | Antonio McDyess is coming back to play for the Detroit Pistons. "After long deliberation Antonio has decided that he will return to the Pistons," Andy Miller, McDyess' agent, informed The Associated Press via text message. Detroit dealt McDyess, Chauncey Billups and project Cheikh Samb to Denver for Hampton native Allen Iverson Nov. 3. The cost-cutting Nuggets waived McDyess a week later and he must wait until 30 days have passed since the trade to rejoin the Pistons. The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged seven points and four rebounds in two games as a key reserve for Detroit prior to the trade. IN OTHER NBA NEWS Heat forward Dorell Wright will have debris removed from his surgically repaired left knee today, which will further delay his comeback plans. The Charlotte Bobcats signed 6-foot-11 center Dwayne Jones. tennis nalbandian will be in '09 davis cup Buenos aires, Argentina | David Nalbandian confirmed Monday he will play for Argentina in the Davis Cup next year, setting aside the possibility he would step down following a painful loss to Spain in the final. Nalbandian, who gave Argentina its only point in the best-of-five series by beating David Ferrer, said he was devastated by the loss at home. cycling contador has nasal surgery madrid, Spain | Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour de France champ, underwent surgery Monday for a deviated septum but is expected at training camp Sunday to meet new teammate Lance Armstrong. The 25-year-old Spanish rider needed nasal surgery because of a crash at the Giro d'Italia in May. Armstrong, the seven-time Tour champion, came out of retirement to ride for the Kazakh team.

Manhattan, Kan. | After a restless retirement, coach Bill Snyder is ready to turn Kansas State into a winner again.

Three years after handing off a successful Wildcats program to Ron Prince, the 69-year-old and wispy-haired Snyder was hired to take charge of the school he transformed from college football's biggest losers to national championship contenders. Prince, U.Va.'s offensive coordinator assistant before going to Kansas State, was fired this month but is finishing out the season.

Snyder signed a five-year contract for a base salary of $250,000 and a total compensation of about $1.85 million annually, athletic director Bob Krause said. Krause said he made no offers to anyone else.

From 1989-05, Snyder compiled a 136-68-1 record at a school that had won only 130 games the previous 51 years. The 12 head coaches who preceded Snyder from 1945-88 had 116 victories among them.

Snyder said before taking the job he consulted with his large family, which he acknowledges got too little of his time during his first coaching stint.

"This is not just a Bill Snyder thing," he said. "This is a family thing, and a Wildcat family thing. We need everybody to be involved in caring, and in a genuine and a real way. I'm just pleased to be here with them again."

courts

judge dismisses three charges

san francisco | Three charges against Barry Bonds were dismissed Monday by a federal judge who left intact most of the indictment alleging he lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds is scheduled for a March 2 trial. He had faced 14 counts of making false declarations to a grand jury investigating steroid use in sports and one count of obstruction of justice.

His lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to dismiss 10 of the lying charges, claiming he was asked unclear questions in front of the grand jury in 2003. Illston ruled to dismiss three charges and consolidate or rewrite another two.

Bonds has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Should he be convicted, legal experts say he would face up to 2? years in prison.

Baseball

Pirates ink reality show pitchers

pittsburgh | The Pittsburgh Pirates hope Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel really do have million-dollar arms.

The two 20-year-old pitchers, neither of whom picked up a Baseball until earlier this year, signed free-agent contracts Monday.

Singh and Patel were top finishers in an Indian reality TV show called the "Million Dollar Arm," which sought to find athletes who could throw strikes at 85 mph or faster.

hockey

sharks sign claude lemieux

SAN JOSE, Calif. | Claude Lemieux has signed a tryout contract with the San Jose Sharks in hopes of returning to the NHL after a five-year absence.

The 43-year-old Lemieux is expected to report to the Sharks' AHL affiliate in Worcester this week.

Lemieux won four Stanley Cup titles during 18 NHL seasons.

IN OTHER HOCKEY NEWS

Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo has a strained groin muscle and is expected to miss at least a week.

basketball

agent: mcdyess to resign with pistons

detroit | Antonio McDyess is coming back to play for the Detroit Pistons.

"After long deliberation Antonio has decided that he will return to the Pistons," Andy Miller, McDyess' agent, informed The Associated Press via text message.

Detroit dealt McDyess, Chauncey Billups and project Cheikh Samb to Denver for Hampton native Allen Iverson Nov. 3. The cost-cutting Nuggets waived McDyess a week later and he must wait until 30 days have passed since the trade to rejoin the Pistons.

The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged seven points and four rebounds in two games as a key reserve for Detroit prior to the trade.

IN OTHER NBA NEWS

Heat forward Dorell Wright will have debris removed from his surgically repaired left knee today, which will further delay his comeback plans.

The Charlotte Bobcats signed 6-foot-11 center Dwayne Jones.

tennis

nalbandian will be in '09 davis cup

Buenos aires, Argentina | David Nalbandian confirmed Monday he will play for Argentina in the Davis Cup next year, setting aside the possibility he would step down following a painful loss to Spain in the final.

Nalbandian, who gave Argentina its only point in the best-of-five series by beating David Ferrer, said he was devastated by the loss at home.

cycling

contador has nasal surgery

madrid, Spain | Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour de France champ, underwent surgery Monday for a deviated septum but is expected at training camp Sunday to meet new teammate Lance Armstrong.

The 25-year-old Spanish rider needed nasal surgery because of a crash at the Giro d'Italia in May.

Armstrong, the seven-time Tour champion, came out of retirement to ride for the Kazakh team.