FanFare 4/9/03

Briefly

Baseball

Darryl Strawberry smiled, hugged his wife, thanked a guard and drove away from prison Tuesday, beginning what his lawyer hopes will be a drug-free life. The eight-time All-Star was released from Gainesville Correctional Institution after serving 11 months of an 18-month prison sentence for violating probation on cocaine possession charges.

Basketball

NBA commissioner David Stern told WNBA players unless they settle their contract dispute by April 18, the 2003 season for the women's league will not be played.

The Hornets will move to the NBA's Western Conference by the 2004-05 season at the latest. The league's owners approved the shift, which will allow an expansion team in Charlotte to be in the Eastern Conference when it begins play in 2004.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Miller and forward Lorenzen Wright were placed on the injured list, putting an end to their seasons with five games remaining.

Colleges

Jackson State will introduce Tevester Anderson as its new basketball coach today, the school said. The 66-year-old Anderson left Murray State last month after five seasons. He went 103-52 and led Murray State to two Ohio Valley Conference championships and two NCAA tournaments.

Mississippi State center Mario Austin signed with an agent and will enter the NBA Draft. Austin, a 6-foot-9, 255-pound junior, averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 rebounds this season.

Minnesota star Rick Rickert made himself available for the NBA Draft but won't hire an agent immediately so he has the option of returning to school. The sophomore was the Big Ten's preseason player of the year.

UAB has granted guard Jeffrey Collins his release, allowing him to transfer to another school, coach Mike Anderson said.

Iowa State assistant head coach Robin Pingeton is the new head coach of Illinois State's women's basketball team, the university announced. Pingeton, 34, replaces Jenny Yopp, who resigned last month.

Football

The Bears hired Richard Dent, a ferocious pass rusher and mainstay of the team's vaunted "46" defense of the mid-1980s, as an assistant defensive line coach.

Linebacker Dwayne Rudd signed a two-year contract with the Buccaneers. The seven-year veteran was released by the Browns in February.

Obituary

Edward McCaskey, a former dance band singer who went on to become Chicago Bears chairman, died Tuesday. He was 83. McCaskey was a salesman and a singer in a dance band when he met Virginia Halas, daughter of Bears founder George "Papa Bear" Halas. The two married in 1943, and George Halas insisted his son-in-law join the family business, naming him vice president and treasurer in 1967. McCaskey held that position for 17 years until Halas' death in 1983, when he became chairman of the board.

Tennis

Younes El Aynaoui opened defense of his title at the Grand Prix Hassan II tournament by beating Albert Montanes 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Also into the second round was fourth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty, who eliminated Mounir El Aarej 6-3, 7-6 (5). Second-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu was beaten by Jean-Rene Lisnard 6-2, 6-4, third-seeded Arnaud Clement fell to Fernando Meligeni 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, and fifth-seeded Olivier Rochus lost to qualifier Federico Browne 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler was knocked out of the Estoril Open 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 by Feliciano Lopez in the first round. Top-seeded Jiri Novak lost Monday at the clay-court event. In the women's event, second-seeded Magui Serna defeated Elena Tatarkova 6-3, 6-1.

On the airCollege baseball

SIU at Southeast, 2:45 p.m., KGIR-1220MLB

Cardinals at Rockies, 8 p.m., Fox-Midwest, KZIM-960, KBXB-97.9

Anaheim at Seattle, 9 p.m., ESPN2High school baseball

Jackson at Fredericktown, 3:45 p.m., KAPE-1550NBA

Minnesota at Seattle, 9 p.m., ESPNNHL

Playoffs, Toronto at Philadelphia, 6 p.m., ESPN

Playoffs, Boston at New Jersey, 6 p.m., ESPN2

CHARTER CABLE KEY:CNBC (ch. 53), ESPN (42), ESPN2 (43), Lifetime (49)Fox-Midwest (45), Fox-Central (352), Fox-Pacific (353), Fox-Sunshine (351), Fox-World (350), FX(50), Golf Channel (46), KBSI (9), KFVS (7), MSNBC (55), Outdoors (38), Outdoor Life Network (74), Oxygen (75), Speed Channel (44), TNT (48), WDKA (17), WPSD (6), WQWQ (33), WSIL (3). Listings and times are provided by the networks and individual stations and are subject to change.

Area eventsCollege baseball

Southern Illinois at Southeast, 3 p.m.College softball

Southeast at Eastern Illinois (2), 2 p.m.High school baseball

Dexter at Notre Dame, 4 p.m.

Jackson at Fredericktown, 4 p.m.

Sikeston JV at Advance, 4 p.m.

Chaffee at Delta, 4:30 p.m.High school softball

Scott City at Oran, 4 p.m.

Chaffee at Delta, 4:30 p.m.High school boys' tennis

Central at Dexter, 4 p.m.High school golf

Hillsboro at St. Vincent, 3:30 p.m.

Central Triangular (Jackson, Clearwater), 4 p.m.

Notre Dame at Sikeston, 4 p.m.