Sports briefs 10/6/04

Basketball

• Scottie Pippen played the sidekick to basketball's greatest star, creating a partnership the Chicago Bulls parlayed into an NBA dynasty with six titles in the 1990s. Pippen's career came to an end Tuesday as he announced his retirement following 17 years in the league. He made the announcement standing in front of the six championship trophies he helped the Bulls win.
• Eddie Griffin is getting another shot at the NBA. The former Houston and New Jersey forward better known for his troubles off the court, agreed to terms Tuesday with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Griffin, the seventh overall pick in the 2001 draft, joined his new teammates for an evening practice Tuesday, the first day of training camp.

Football

• Ricky Williams wants to rejoin the Miami Dolphins and has asked the NFL how soon he can return, his agent said Tuesday. It's unclear whether Williams must serve a suspension the rest of this season for repeated violations of the league drug program. He has asked the NFL for a hearing to clarify his status, but no date has been set. "Ricky has asked me to explore and to try to facilitate his return," said his agent, Leigh Steinberg. "He has a passion for playing football and is excited about playing."
• Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis has agreed to plead guilty in his federal drug conspiracy case, an aide to the presiding judge said. Lewis is scheduled to enter his plea Thursday in federal court in Atlanta, said Vicki Hanna, the courtroom deputy for U.S. District Judge Orinda D. Evans.
• Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Justin Smith was arrested early Tuesday and charged with drunken driving after he failed a breath test, the Montgomery County sheriff's department said. Smith, 25, was stopped because his truck was weaving. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.152, the report said, nearly double the state's legal limit.

Tennis

• Top-seeded Nicolas Massu was upset by Agustin Calleri of Argentina 6-3, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of the Lyon Open. Massu, who won gold medals in singles and doubles at the Athens Olympics, was one of three seeded players who made early exits. No. 8 Mario Ancic, a Wimbledon semifinalist, quit with a right shoulder injury while losing to Max Mirnyi 6-3, 3-1, and No. 5 Tommy Robredo lost to Robin Soderling 6-1, 6-4.