Saturday FanFare 10/25/03

Briefly

Baseball

Bobby Valentine is reportedly close to signing a deal to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines, the Japanese Pacific League team he led in 1995.

Basketball

Pat Riley resigned as coach of the Miami Heat less than a week before the start of the NBA season, opting Friday to try to rebuild the team from the front office only.

Riley ranks second in NBA history with 1,110 victories, and he led the Los Angeles Lakers to four championships in the 1980s. But the Heat missed the playoffs the past two years, finishing 25-57 last season.

While he stays on as team president, Riley will be replaced as coach by Stan Van Gundy, his top assistant the past several seasons and the brother of Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.

Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Troy Hudson will be sidelined at least two weeks due to a sprained right ankle sustained in the team's final preseason game.

College

Former Notre Dame football player Abram Elam was given an 18-month suspended sentence by Judge Roland Chamblee Jr. after being convicted of sexual battery. Elam also was placed on probation for two years and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

Hockey

The Chicago Blackhawks fired general manager Mike Smith on Friday and named senior vice president Bob Pulford interim GM until a replacement is found.

Motorsports

Ryan Newman turned the fastest qualifying lap of the year in his No. 12 Dodge on a cool night, earning his ninth pole of the season in time trials for Sunday's Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. The second-year Winston Cup star turned a lap of 194.295 mph.