Batsmen Brad Hodge and David Hussey and wicketkeeper Graham Manou also lost their central contracts.
The selectors have stuck by Lee, 33, who has retired from test cricket, despite injuries and poor form. He has been selected in the squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies starting on April 30.
"I suppose it's a leap of faith, but a leap of faith in a player who's taken 300-odd test wickets and has been one of our best, so we're giving him that opportunity," chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch told reporters on Wednesday.
Lee, who took 310 wickets in 76 tests, is currently playing for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League in a bid to find form following a lengthy recovery from surgery in December for an elbow injury.
The five promoted players are pacemen Ryan Harris and Clint McKay, wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine, all-rounder Steven Smith and batsman Adam Voges.
Contracted players will receive a minimum retainer of A$200,000 dollars ($186,000) plus match fees, tour fees and prize money.
Meyer called Fowler a "bad guy" because, according to the coach, the use of quotes from receiver Deonte Thompson was unfair.
The Football Writers Association of America issued a statement Thursday criticizing Meyer's actions. "The FWAA fully backs the reporting and accuracy of [Fowler's] story and quotes from [Thompson]," said Ron Higgins, chairman of the FWAA's press box committee on ethics and access. "We believe it would have been in the best interests of everyone involved if Coach Urban Meyer had conducted a private meeting with Fowler and Thompson to discuss the matter if he had concerns, rather than the public outburst that occurred."
Thompson was quoted by Fowler in a blog post Monday night and a story in Tuesday's Sentinel as saying new quarterback John Brantley was "a real quarterback" as he addressed the difference between Brantley and former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow.
"Things are going to get better here in the future," Thompson said. "Any receiver would be happy. You have a guy like Brantley throwing the ball, spreading it around to everybody.You never know with Tim. You can bolt, you think he's running, but he'll come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything's with rhythm, time. You know what I mean, a real quarterback."
While Fowler was not the only reporter to use the quote, his story became the target of Meyer's anger. He approached Fowler after practice Wednesday, pointed a finger at him and, in front of a dozen or so reporters, said, "If that was my son, we'd be going at it right now."
Meyer also threatened to ban Fowler and the newspaper from football practices. Players and coaches are off-limits to the media until further notice.
"You'll be out of practice — you understand that? — if you do that again," Meyer said. "I told you five years ago: Don't mess with our players. Don't do it. You did it. You do it one more time and the Orlando Sentinel's not welcome here ever again. Is that clear? It's yes or no."
Veteran Atlanta Journal-Constitution football reporter Tony Barnhart had uncharacteristically harsh words for Meyer: "I have defended Urban Meyer and bent over backwards to be fair to the man … But he is flat wrong here. There was a right way and a wrong way to handle this issue and over the last two years, when the media has been involved, Meyer has been pretty tone deaf."
Roy Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute, writing for ESPN.com, castigated Meyer for basking in the media glow of Tebow's glory years and turning on the same reporters now.
"Guess what? Some of those pesky reporters who have covered the Gators throughout the years are alumni of the University of Florida journalism program (Fowler, in fact, is a Florida alum). I know those people, so I know they've learned the values of responsible journalism. Some years, the record of the J-school there has been better than the record of the football team."
Steve McClain, UF associate athletic director for communications, said the school would announce plans for media access in the near future. "Whatever those plans are," he said, "it won't be a reaction to that specific event."
Athletic Director Jeremy Foley was traveling Thursday and could not be reached for comment, McClain said.
"Jeremy's story was accurate and presented in context. Urban Meyer's outburst, directed at Jeremy, was unwarranted and will not deter our efforts to report on University of Florida sports," said Sentinel sports topics manager Tim Stephens.
Tebow, the object of Thompson's remarks, told the Palm Beach Post on Thursday that he understood the meaning behind Thompson's comments. "I think [Thompson] was just saying how it is," Tebow said. "[I] might be scrambling for a while, and throw it up to you. Brantley's more of a guy who throws on timing. You know when it's going to come there, or it's not going to come there. It's how me and Brantley are. Just stating facts, I think."
Serena Williams Is Top Player Of 2009 In WTA:MIAMI: World number one Serena Williams was named the 2009 WTA Player of the Year and shared Doubles Team of the Year with sister Venus at an awards ceremony on Wednesday.
Serena Williams won last year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles while also reaching the US Open semi-finals and French Open quarter-finals.
Alongside Venus, Serena captured the 2009 US and Australian Open and Wimbledon women’s doubles titles.
Belgium’s Kim Clijsters took Comeback Player of the Year honors after her US Open title and won her seventh sportsmanship award from the WTA.
US teen Melanie Oudin, a 2009 US Open quarter-finalist, won Newcomer of the Year honors while Belgian Yanina Wickmayer took Most Improved Player honors and American Liezel Huber won her fourth career Player Service Award.
Russian Elena Dementieva won Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in an internet fan vote.
The 18-year-old Tyler arrived in Israel on a wave of publicity in August after deciding to skip his senior year at San Diego High School to gain professional experience.
However, his time in Israel was fraught with problems, and he left five weeks before the end of the season.
"Due to personal matters, Jeremy chose to leave the team on his own will on March 18 and return home to San Diego," Maccabi Haifa owner Jeffery Rosen said in a statement. "We wish Jeremy all the best."
In the 10 games Tyler played for Haifa, the 6-foot-11 power forward averaged only 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.6 minutes. Tyler, who reportedly earned a $140,000 salary, found it hard to adapt to the pro game and couldn't find a place in Maccabi Haifa's starting lineup.
Tyler's agent said he wasn't aware of his client's plans to leave the team.
"I'm as surprised as you are. We had no idea he was coming home," Makhtar Ndiaye of the Wasserman Media Group told ESPN's Willie Weinbaum. "I'm speechless at this point and look forward to speaking with Jeremy. A contract, a learning process -- things weren't great -- but it was part of growing up. I'm disappointed and frustrated."
Tyler's frustration was evident. Last month, he walked out on the team at halftime to protest not getting more minutes. For the last three games, he sat on the bench not wearing a uniform after being left off the Haifa squad.
Ndiaye said he spoke to Tyler earlier this week and "everything was cool."
"The kid decided on his own," Ndiaye said. "We did everything humanly possible to make it a success story for him and his family."
Sonny Vaccaro, an adviser to Tyler and his family, said his season in Europe was a positive learning experience despite how it ended.
"Nothing was lost here -- he went, it was hard, it was eight months," Vaccaro said. "It would've been beautiful, utopia, if he had played and helped his team win a championship."
Vaccaro said Brandon Jennings, now a star rookie for Milwaukee, didn't show very much in his stint overseas, either.
"Five or six NBA scouts have told me recently to just have Jeremy come home and start practicing, that the experience in Israel is not detrimental to his future," Vaccaro said.
Vaccaro, who said Tyler would sign another deal to play somewhere in August, added there's another year before Tyler would be eligible for the NBA draft, and that he didn't understand "everyone's rush to judge him."
"He's got talent and is not a bad kid," Vaccaro said.
PCB Select 37 Players For Central Contracts: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced to award central contracts to 37 national players.
According to the details, names of Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Rana Naveed ul Hassan and Younis Khan were out of the central contracts list.
Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were included in A category while Fawwad Alam, Yasir Irfan, Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riyaz and Abdul Rehman were awarded C category.
Injured Gambhir Not Play Against South Africa:KOLKATA (Reuters) - Batsman Gautam Gambhir has been ruled out of this month's one-day series against South Africa due to a groin injury, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said on Tuesday.
India named a 15-man squad for the first two games of the three-match series starting in Jaipur on Sunday. Uncapped Ravichandran Ashwin has been called up after experienced off-spinner Harbhajan Singh declared himself unavailable for the first two games for personal reasons.
Rocket Win To Mid Pen In Basketball:RAPID RIVER - Rich Moberg says it's nice to get a win.
The Rapid River girls basketball coach hasn't been able to say that very often this season, but he could here Monday night as the Rockets downed Mid Peninsula 55-43 in a dual Skyline/Central U.P. conference game.
Rapid River began the season with a 46-28 victory at Mid Pen, but had lost 15 straight. During that streak, the Rockets had managed to score more than 40 points just twice.
"It's been a frustrating season, but you can't think about it like that," said Moberg. "We've changed up and down the lineup so many times. We've been moving forward and making progress."
That progress paid off against a Wolverine squad which has also struggled this season. Rapid River used a 12-3 run over the last four minutes of the second quarter to erase a three-point deficit and take a 26-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
"We weren't expecting a press (from Mid Pen) at the start," Moberg said. "Once the girls got their composure and moved the ball across half-court and didn't buy into the chaos the press likes to cause, we started to execute a little better."
The Rockets began the second half on a 9-0 run for a 35-20 advantage, highlighted by three triples from sophomore Kelly Bintner.
"I was feeling it," said Bintner, who led the Rockets with 20 points. "I just tried to get open and shoot."
Fellow sophomore Ashleigh Monticello added 14 points for Rapid River (2-15, 2-9 Skyline, 2-9 CUP).
"We have a young group of kids who will be good ballplayers," said Moberg.
For the Wolverines and coach Jill VanDamme, it's back to the drawing board after another frustrating loss, one in which Mid Pen turned the ball over 33 times, including 22 in the first half.
"The story of our whole season has been our turnovers," said VanDamme. "That just eats us up, plus they have a few shooters who can hurt you, especially Bintner."
The Wolverines did get off to a good start, leading 11-8 after the first quarter, but the turnovers ultimately did Mid Pen in.
"I have stressed all season we have to value possession of the ball because when we do turn it over, our opponents have a chance to score every time."
Emily Kayser led the Wolverines (1-16, 1-9 CUP, 0-12 Skyline) with 18 points, while Krysta VanDamme added 10.
Rapid River, which won the jayvee contest 34-28, travels to North Central Thursday. Mid Pen visits Big Bay de Noc Thursday.
Mid Pen 11 9 11 12 - 43
Rapid River 8 18 18 11 - 55
Mid Peninsula - Verbrigghe 1, Caron 4, Gerou 8, Kayser 18, VanDamme 10, LaCosse 2. FT: 13-26; Fouls: 17; Fouled out: Caron; 3-point field goals: None.
Rapid River - Judson 8, Dalgord 2, Monticello 14, Moberg 6, Bintner 20, Brockway 2, Hough 3. FT: 12-20; Fouls: 21; Fouled out: Moberg; 3-point field goals: Bintner 4, Monticello 2.
