Pro football

BEARS HIRE MARINELLI AS ASSISTANT: Rod Marinelli joined the Bears as a defensive line coach Saturday, returning to his roots after becoming the NFL's first head coach to post an 0-16 season.

Marinelli went 10-38 in three years with the Detroit Lions and was fired after failing to win a game this season. But before that, he was Tampa Bay's defensive line coach for a decade. The Buccaneers' line racked up 328.5 sacks under Marinelli, the most in the league during that span.

Marinelli will also serve as the Bears' assistant head coach. He held that title his last four seasons in Tampa.

Marinelli's hiring in Chicago didn't come as a surprise. He and Bears coach Lovie Smith are friends who worked together with the Bucs. Chicago tried to hire him as defensive coordinator in 2004, but Tampa Bay blocked the Bears. Chicago general manager Jerry Angelo had said he'd like to hire Marinelli after he was fired in Detroit.

FREENEY FINED FOR COMMENTS: The NFL fined Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney $20,000 for comments he made after last Saturday's 23-17 overtime loss at San Diego.

In a postgame interview with Yahoo! sports, Freeney used two expletives in criticizing the officiating at the end of the game. Indianapolis was called for three defensive penalties on the Chargers' winning drive in overtime.

Pro basketball

BULLS LOSE TO LOWLY THUNDER: Kevin Durant scored 28 points, Nick Collison added a season-high 21, and the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat the Bulls 109-98 in overtime on Saturday night.

Trailing by seven midway through the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City had a chance to win it at the end of regulation. But with the score tied at 94, Durant a missed jumper from the top of the key and Russell Westbrook missed the tip-in, sending it to overtime.

The NBA's worst team then took control, outscoring the Bulls 15-4 in overtime.

PACERS THINK GRANGER SHOULD BE ALL-STAR: Pull out a few of the close games they've lost, and the Pacers would be in much better position. Plus, Danny Granger would probably be a lock for the All-Star game.

However, the Pacers aren't hung up on their dismal December -- and believe Granger should be an All-Star, anyway.

The Pacers were only 4-11 last month, ending the year with four straight losses by a combined 12 points. Yet as they faced a difficult January, the Pacers weren't kicking themselves over what they had already lost.

"You can't even look back and think of it that way," Granger said. "Things happen for a reason and who knows, we could go on the West Coast and put together a few wins in a row."

Granger gave the Pacers one Wednesday in thrilling fashion, hitting a 3-pointer as time expired and matching his career high with 37 points in a 113-110 victory over the Suns. He thinks he should be back on that same floor next month with the rest of the NBA's best, and his coach agrees.

"I do whatever I can to get him on that team, make the calls, but bottom line is opposing coaches see when they play against him, see how effective he is, and he's really come onto the scene at a very, very high level," Jim O'Brien said.

Pro hockey

BLACKHAWKS LOSE IN NASHVILLE: David Legwand scored twice for the Nashville Predators in a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks Saturday night.

Adam Burish scored for the Blackhawks, who lost their second in a row. The Central Division rivals will meet again tonight in Chicago.

Around the horn

The Lake County Fish & Game Protective Association will be hosting its 29th annual Walt Millikan Memorial Wild Game Dinner on March 7 at Knights of Columbus Hall, 1104 Roxanna Drive, East Chicago. Doors open at 4 p.m., and the dinner begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at www.lakecountyfishandgame.org. For more information, contact Don Jones at 219-844-2758. ... Saturday's scheduled Trinity International at Purdue Calumet basketball doubleheader was postponed due to difficulty travel conditions for Trinity. The games have been rescheduled for Monday at Purdue Calumet, with the women's game at 5 p.m. and the men's game at approximately 7 p.m. ... Saint Joseph's women's basketball team lost 104-59 to Drury on Saturday as Britney Cruse (Merrillville) had 13 points. ... Saint Joseph's men's basketball team lost 80-71 to Drury on Saturday despite 19 points from Phillip Collins. ... Calumet College of St. Joseph's men's basketball team (3-15) lost

75-67 to St. Francis as Jon Hanselman (Valparaiso) had 10 points and 10 rebounds. ... Northern State University's Don Meyer set the record for career wins in men's college basketball with his 903rd on Saturday night -- an 82-62 victory over the University of Mary. His .750 winning percentage (903-301) was compiled at three universities in a career that began in 1972 and nearly ended last September in a car-truck accident that sent him to the hospital for 55 days, forced doctors to amputate his lower left leg and led to the discovery of a slow-growing cancer.