Florida Sentinel Bulletin

NAGOYA, Japan — Tiger Woods has been hired as a pitchman for a Japanese heat rub used to relieve muscle and joint pain.

“Kowa Company Ltd. is pleased to announce the use of Tiger Woods as the image character of Antiphlogistic Analgetic Vantelin Kowa series,” the Nagoya-based company said in a press release.

The TV commercial with Woods will debut nationally in Japan from mid-July.

Woods has not played since May 12, when he withdrew after nine holes from The Players Championship with knee and Achilles injuries. He said on Tuesday he had no planned timetable for his return, and it would only be when he was 100 percent.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is sidelined after elbow reconstruction surgery, has also promoted the Vantelin heat rub on Japanese TV.

It isn’t the first time Woods has promoted pro-ducts in Japan. He also appeared in TV commercials for canned iced coffee in the late 90s.

HAMPTON, GA. — Chad Ochocinco turned to NASCAR on Thursday in his ongoing search for thrills away from the football field.

Ochocinco was strapped in for the ride as Jeff Burton drove his No. 31 car around Atlanta Motor Speedway on Thursday. Burton estimated he reached speeds of 150 to 160 miles per hour with Ochocinco.

That seemed to satisfy Ochocinco, who climbed out and said “That was nice. That was real nice.”

Before the laps, Ochocinco said he made sure Burton was ready to push the Chevrolet. “I asked him to let loose,” Ochocinco said. “Please don’t waste my time. Step on the gas.”

Ochocinco, the six-time Pro Bowl receiver, is making the most of his extended time away from football during the NFL lockout. He took the ride with Burton about six weeks after visiting the Professional Bull Riders circuit near Atlanta to ride a 1,500-pound bull for 1.5 seconds.

He also has had a soccer tryout with Sporting Kansas City of the MLS and last year was one of the final four contestants in Dancing With the Stars.

Next? Ochocinco said he plans to wrestle an alligator in Florida. “If you’re not nervous, you’re not living,” he said. “I’m willing to try everything once.”

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND — Venus and Serena Williams were both eliminated in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Monday, the first time in five years that neither sister will play in the quarterfinals at the All England Club.

Defending champion and four-time winner Serena was the first to go, beaten 6-3, 7-6 (6) by Marion Bartoli of France, cutting short the American’s return to Grand Slam tennis after nearly a year out with serious health problems.

Older sister and five-time champion Venus was ousted 6-2, 6-3 by Tsvetana Pironkova — the exact same score of the Bulgarian’s win in last year’s quarterfinals.

Also knocked out was top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who fell 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 to No. 24 Dominika Cibulkova in the Dane’s latest failed attempt to win her first Grand Slam title.

RALEIGH, NC — It’s one of the most lasting images from the NCAA basketball tournament.

A buzzer-beating two-handed dunk by muscular forward Lorenzo Charles gives heavy underdog North Carolina State a stunning national championship game win in 1983 versus powerhouse Houston — known as Phi Slamma Jamma. Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano spills onto the court, scrambling for someone to hug.

Charles, 47, the hero from that memorable game, was killed Monday when an empty bus he was driving for Elite Coach crashed along Interstate 40 in Raleigh, said general manager Brad Jackson.

Charles grabbed Dereck Whittenburg’s 30-foot shot and dunked it to give the Wolfpack the 54-52 win over the Cougars, led by stars Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. It was N.C. State’s second national title and gave Charles a place in school history.

Whittenburg was despondent when discussing his teammate and friend. “It’s just an awful day,” Whittenburg said. “An awful, awful day.”

NEW YORK — It seems Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will be forever linked, regardless of whether they ever face each other in the ring.

The two have danced around the richest fight in boxing for several years, unable to come to terms. Meanwhile, their animosity has grown to the point that Pacquiao has a pending defamation lawsuit alleging Mayweather unfairly accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

So it’s not surprising that Mayweather spent just as much time answering questions about Pacquiao on Tuesday as he did about Victor Ortiz, the welterweight champion whom he’ll face in his next fight on Sept. 17 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Galveston Texas is home to many wood statues carved out of trees killed in hurricane Ike. The newest addition to the family of carvings is a statue of the famed boxer and Galveston native Jack Johnson. This statue is a point of contention for some Hoak sub-division neighbors, who claim that it creates too much traffic in their residential area.

Other home owners, like Helen Douglas, believe it is Johnson’s history that makes some want to re-locate the statue. When asked if she saw a problem with traffic due to the statue, Douglas replied “not at all, the way you see it right now is basically the way it is,” as she pointed to a nearly empty road.

In 1908, Johnson became the first black man to earn the title of Heavyweight Champion of the World. He also ignored racial taboos by dating a white woman in an era filled with racial violence.

Opponents of the statue’s placement were not readily available for comment, but homeowner Rory Prue did say that although he did not mind the statue, it might be better served elsewhere. Whether the statue will move or stay is now up to the Galveston housing authority.

NEW YORK – A high school football star was stabbed and later died hours after his graduation Tuesday in a fight with Bronx parking attendants over whether something was stolen from his family’s car during the ceremony, police said.

Isayah Muller, 19, a star running back who led his team to the Public Schools Athletic League championship, was rushed to a nearby clinic by his family and girlfriend and was later pronounced dead. No arrests have been made but the parking attendants and Muller’s father, Andre, were speaking to officers from the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx.

The family arrived at the lot on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx at 9 a. m. and walked over to the campus of Lehman College, where graduation was being held Tuesday for students from  Harry S. Truman High School. Following the ceremony, the family headed back to the car, police said.

An argument erupted initially between Muller’s father and parking attendants, whom he accused of stealing something from his car, police said. The father noticed the property missing from the car while the family was en route to a celebratory meal on City Island, a fishing hamlet on the northern tip of the Bronx.

Angry over the missing property, Andre Muller turned the car around and headed back to the parking lot. The fight broke out and Isayah Muller was stabbed in the chest, although it’s not clear by whom. The father and son ran to the family car where his mother and girlfriend were waiting and drove him to the clinic. Muller was later transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

It’s not clear how many attendants were involved in the incident, or who delivered the fatal blow.

Muller was a star running back. He rushed for 285 yards during the high school championship game in November, winning 23-20 over the top seeded Beach Channel. His performance was the talk of newspapers and television. He was revered by his teammates.

Darnell Dockett was pulled over by police – and gave Twitter followers a play-by-play account.

The Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman was clearly agitated while posting a series of tweets during the incident Monday. Dockett tweets that police told him he was pulled over because he was speeding, and they wanted to search his car.

“I don’t know why the police always messing w/me,” he tweeted.

He says he refused to allow police to start a search without a warrant. Dockett eventually tweeted he was about to be let go.

Dockett, who has played seven NFL seasons, frequently uses Twitter and has more than 70,500 followers.

Terrell Owens is recovering from left knee surgery and plans to be ready to play when the NFL season starts.

Owens’ agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed Tuesday that the 37-year-old star receiver tore his anterior cruciate ligament, had surgery in early April and “will be playing at the start of the NFL season.”

In an interview, Rosenhaus called speculation that Owens was considering retirement “nonsense” and said the 15-year veteran is doing “fantastic” and could be recovered as early as August.

Rosenhaus said Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery to the same knee in which Owens tore his meniscus late last year.

Two of Terrell Owens’ former teammates also said the star wide receiver plans to return.