FanFare 6/6/03

Briefly

Baseball

The Royals took just two days to lock up their two first-round picks, signing outfielder Chris Lubanski and catcher Mitch Maier Thursday. Both are lefthanded hitters. Terms were not disclosed.

Montreal All-Star outfielder Vladimir Guerrero has a herniated disc in his back and will probably have to go on the disabled list. Guerrero underwent an MRI before sitting out against Anaheim. He will seek a second opinion next week to confirm the diagnosis.

Indians right-hander Jason Bere will have surgery on his ailing shoulder and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Basketball

Kobe Bryant has a tear in the tissue around his right shoulder socket that might require surgery. The labrum tear was discovered during an MRI exam Wednesday at Kerlan Jobe Medical Center, the Lakers said.

Colleges

Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel said he took part in a college basketball tournament gambling pool the past two years, and the NCAA is investigating, The Seattle Times reported. Two NCAA investigators and one from the Pac-10 Conference questioned Neuheisel Wednesday after receiving a tip that he put up $5,000 and won about $20,000 by picking Maryland in the 2002 tournament, the newspaper reported.

Testimony by Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden prompted a request for a mistrial in the gambling case of former Seminoles quarterback Adrian McPherson. The request was denied by Judge Tim Harley. The jury heard closing arguments and began deliberations.

Miami, Syracuse and Boston College may want to join the Atlantic Coast Conference sooner than expected, a potential snag in the proposed expansion plans. An ACC source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Big East schools expressed interest in joining the ACC after next season instead of in 2005. Two other ACC sources confirmed the development.

Longtime Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley will lose his job next year after university president Michael Adams said he had rejected Dooley's request for a contract extension. Adams, who has feuded with Dooley often since coming to the school in 1997, insisted that they stick to a deal reached in 2001 that will end Dooley's 25-year reign as athletic director on June 30, 2004.

Changes to the 3-point line and free-throw lane would be delayed until the 2004-05 college basketball season under a revised recommendation by the NCAA men's and women's rules committees. Two months ago, the committees recommended the changes be adopted next season.

Football

Super Bowl star Michael Pittman has been charged with aggravated assault after police say he rammed a car carrying his wife, their son and a baby sitter. Pittman was charged Tuesday with two counts of aggravated assault. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 16, the county attorney's office said.

Quarterback Jim Druckemiller was released by the Colts, ending his NFL comeback after a three-year layoff. Druckenmiller hasn't played in the NFL since 1998 and hasn't thrown a pass in a game since 1997, the same year San Francisco selected him with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the draft.

Golf

Robert Gamez and Rich Beem hit stride at the Capital Open. Phil Mickelson hit a house. On a sunny but soggy morning that produced erratic rounds across the board, Gamez rolled out of bed late and shot a 5-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead over Beem and Notah Begay in the first round of the final tuneup before the U.S. Open.

Annika Sorenstam ran into familiar foes in the LPGA Championship -- a punishing DuPont Country Club and Wendy Ward. All that mattered was the golf course, and Sorenstam had few complaints. Her 1-under 70 left her three strokes behind Hee-Won Han and two behind Ward, her nemesis from the Solheim Cup.

On the air

BoxingLawrence Clay-Bey vs. Eliecer Castillo, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Golf

British Masters, 9 a.m., TGC

Senior PGA Championship, 11 a.m., ESPN2, 3 p.m., ESPN

LaSalle Bank Open, 12:30 p.m., TGC

McDonald's LPGA Championship, 3 p.m., TGC

FBR Capital Open, 3 p.m., USA

Horse racingNTRA, thoroughbreds, Acorn Stakes and Flash Stakes, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2

MLB

Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m., TBS

Baltimore at St. Louis, 7 p.m., Fox-Midwest, KZIM-960, KBXB-97.9

Motorsports

Pole qualifying for Pocono 500, 2 p.m., SPEED

Pole qualifying for Trace Adkins Chrome 300, 5 p.m., SPEED

O'Reilly 400K, 8 p.m., SPEED

NBA playoffsNew Jersey vs. San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., WSIL

Tennis

French Open, 9 a.m., WPSD, noon, ESPN (same-day tape)

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), KBSI (9), KFVS (7), MSNBC (55), Outdoors (38), Outdoor Life Network (74), Oxygen (75), Speed Channel (44), TBS (10), The Golf Channel (46), 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 events

BaseballTradewater (Ky.) at Cape Capahas, 7 p.m.

Cape Riverdogs at Fairview Heights (Ill.), 7:30 p.m.

Jackson Jr. Legion vs. Jonesboro (Ark.) at Jonesboro (Ark.) tournament, 3:15 p.m.