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Eric Lacy

• Smith joins Arkansas staff: Arkansas hired former MSU coach John L. Smith as special-teams coordinator.

• Penn State player heading to NFL: Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans made himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Golf: Woods will speak at inauguration event

Tiger Woods , who has tried to stay out of politics during his ascent to one of the world’s most famous athletes, has accepted an invitation to speak at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday as part of President-elect BarackObama ‘s inauguration festivities.

Woods posted a statement on his Web site to say he would speak at “We Are One,” a concert and celebration that will be broadcast live on HBO. Organizers of “We Are One” did not say what Woods would do at the Lincoln Memorial celebration.

• Two share Sony lead: Nathan Green (66) and Tom Pernice Jr. (63) are tied for the lead in the Sony Open at Honolulu. A stroke back are ShigekiMaruyama (63) and Brian Gay (67).

Baseball:Lajoie joins Pirates as an adviser

Longtime executive Bill Lajoie has joined the Pirates as an adviser to general manager Neal Huntington on scouting, player evaluation and roster moves. Lajoie, 74, spent 23 years in the Detroit organization and was the general manager of the Tigers team that won the World Series in 1984.

Tennis:Dementieva prevails at Sydney

Elena Dementieva beat Dinara Safina , 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, in the title match at the Sydney International.

Local/state: Demolition plan a pair of tryouts

Detroit Demolition of the Independent Women’s Football League will hold tryouts today and Jan. 31 from 9 p.m.-11 p.m. at the Total Sports Complex, at 30990 Wixom Road in Wixom. The tryout fee is $35.

• Keselowski has Sprint plans: NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski , a Rochester Hills native, will attempt a seven-race Sprint Cup schedule driving the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, and one of the scheduled races will be at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 16.