John Kekis

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Katie Uhlaender has some peace of mind at last. All it took was four solid runs on her trusty skeleton sled.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Steven Holcomb wasn't happy three years ago when his coaches on the U.S. bobsled team decided to keep him in Lake Placid to practice on the home track for the world championships instead of competing in the World Cup.

Holcomb's not complaining this time around. Worlds return this week to the tricky track at Mount Van Hoevenberg, and the reigning Olympic gold medalist in four-man was more than happy to skip a couple of races to get ready. It represents the chance for a dose of redemption in a season that didn't live up to expectations, partly because of Mother Nature.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Thirty-six years after he was hired as an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University, Bernie Fine is out of a job amid an investigation into child molestation allegations against him.

Fine was fired Sunday night after a third man accused him of molesting him nine years ago.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- As an eager freshman at Albany, Eddie Delaney and his father walked into the university's football office five years ago and asked for a shot at the team.

Sounds like an average enough story, except for the fact that Delaney was born without a left hand.

Admittedly, Albany coach Bob Ford didn't know much about him, and obviously had some reservations.

"We were concerned about his hand," Ford said. "I guess probably 70 percent of the coaches in the nation might have said, 'No, you can't do it'. "

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- His left racing shoe untied to ease the pressure on his sore ankle, Brad Keselowski limped ever-so-slightly out of the No. 2 Penske Racing hauler and plopped down in a director's chair.

Another day at the track was over, but the pain from his broken ankle and bruised back wasn't getting any better.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Kurt Busch likes where he sits in the Sprint Cup standings as he prepares to try for a rare season sweep at NASCAR's two road courses.

"I'm glad that we're in a more comfortable position and having an 88-point cushion on that cutoff," Busch, fourth in the standings, said Saturday before qualifying a disappointing 27th for Sunday's Cup race at Watkins Glen International. "You can gain 40-something points in a race. Right now we have a two-race cushion. I'm glad that we can sit on the outside of the fence and not be one of those guys trying to race their way in."

NASCAR's new points system has created more drama than ever since the 10-race Chase for the Cup was instituted in 2004. Race winners earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the victory. Winners also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing their total to a possible maximum of 48 points. All other drivers in the finishing order are separated by one-point increments, with the second-place finisher earning 42, third 41, and so on.

SKANEATELES, N.Y. -- It's almost 11 years to the day since Adam Petty was killed during practice for a NASCAR race at New Hampshire International Speedway, and his dad never escapes a special feeling of sadness when May and Mother's Day roll around.

"What goes through my mind at this time of year more than anything else is my personal loss," Kyle Petty said as he prepared for the start of his 17th annual charity motorcycle ride. "When you lose a child or you lose a son, it's pretty hard on a family. It's a sad time of year, but being around people on the ride and being able to help people during this week has a little bit of a healing effect."

Adam Petty, just 19, was killed on May 12, 2000, only weeks after running in his only Cup race, a debut that had made the Petty family the first four-generation family in NASCAR.