Overtime

College Football

New Mexico State decides on Mumme

Southeastern Louisiana's Hal Mumme was hired by New Mexico State as its coach Thursday.

"Hal has demonstrated his ability to win, create an exciting brand of football and is committed to becoming part of the community," New Mexico State University athletic director McKinley Boston said.

New Mexico State fired Tony Samuel in November after a 5-6 season. Samuel went 34-57 in eight years.

"Coaching is teaching, and the No. 1 reason a student-athlete comes to New Mexico State is to get a degree," Mumme said. "You have to motivate your students to use the tools provided by the university."

Mumme has a 97-64-1 record in 14 seasons as a head coach and has taken teams to the postseason seven times.

He spent the past two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, going 12-11 overall and 7-4 last season.

Mumme was 20-26 in four years at Kentucky, going to two bowl games. He resigned in February 2001 amid an NCAA investigation that uncovered recruiting violations and led to three years' probation. Mumme was not sanctioned.

Pro Football

Panthers Colbert expects to be ready

Carolina wide receiver Keary Colbert practiced Thursday and is likely to be ready for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

"I'm going to play. It's not a question," said Colbert, who sprained his ankle on a touchdown catch in Sunday's 37-20 win against Tampa Bay.

Defensive end Mike Rucker, who missed his second straight day of practice Thursday, remains questionable with a foot injury.

The Panthers, who started 1-7, have won six of their past seven games and could make the playoffs if they win and either St. Louis or Minnesota lose.

Colbert, who replaced Steve Smith after he was injured in the second week of the season, set a record for receiving yards and touchdowns by a rookie. He has 45 catches for 717 yards and five touchdowns.

- With Carson Palmer still nursing a left knee injury, Jon Kitna will make his third consecutive start at quarterback for Cincinnati on Sunday at Philadelphia.

Palmer has been lobbying to return since he left the Dec. 12 game at New England with a sprained left knee ligament, suffered when he was tackled.

Head coach Marvin Lewis told reporters after practice Thursday that Palmer will be listed as the No. 2 quarterback in Sunday's season finale and could play if necessary. Kitna is 1-1 as the starter since relieving Palmer, losing to Buffalo before throwing the winning touchdown in the final minute last Sunday against the New York Giants.

Baseball

Ex-pitcher, umpire is dead at age 89

Ken Burkhart, a former big league pitcher and umpire who made one of the most disputed calls in World Series history, has died. He was 89.

Burkhart had emphysema and died Wednesday after an extended stay at Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee.

Burkhart went 18-8 with a 2.90 ERA for the Cardinals as a rookie in 1945. His career was cut short by an elbow injury, and he finished 27-20 in five seasons with St. Louis and Cincinnati.

But it was as an umpire where many baseball fans got to know him – especially during the 1970 World Series.

During Game 1 at Cincinnati, Baltimore catcher Elrod Hend­ricks grabbed Ty Cline's chopper in front of the plate as Burkhart moved out to rule it a fair ball.

But the umpire was then caught in the middle as Bernie Carbo slid home and Hendricks tried to tag him.

Burkhart got spun to the ground and, with his back to the play, signaled that Carbo was out. Replays showed that Hendricks made the tag with an empty glove – the ball was in his bare hand – while Carbo missed the plate.

The play left the score tied at 3 in the sixth inning, and the Orioles went on to win 4-3. Baltimore won the Series in five games.

As an umpire, Burkhart worked six All-Star games and three World Series before retiring in 1973.