Sports digest 2/28/02

Mark Quinn will probably open the Kansas City Royals' season on the disabled list due to a cracked rib he suffered while playfully kung fu fighting with his brother.

An MRI examination found that the outfielder has a fractured lower right rib, which will keep him sidelined four to six weeks.

Quinn apparently broke the rib the week before he came to spring training while horsing around with his brother in San Diego.

Quinn won two batting titles in the Pacific Coast League and Texas League in the minors and became the fourth player in history to hit two home runs in his major league debut on Sept. 14, 1999.

Nothing unexpected appeared at the physical tests for the five umpires baseball plans to take back, and their rehiring could be announced Thursday.

"At this stage, it's going through," Sandy Alderson, executive vice president for baseball operations in the commissioner's office, said Wednesday. "Our assumption is they will pass their physicals and start work next week."

Alderson was in New Orleans, where the five umpires, who lost their jobs in a failed mass resignation three years ago, took their physicials and underwent reorientation.

"My purpose was to meet them and greet them and welcome them back to the staff," he said.

Gary Darling, Bill Hohn, Larry Poncino, Larry Vanover and Joe West have not umpired since Sept. 2, 1999, when 22 umpires were terminated by baseball after their failed mass resignation.

College

Arkansas chancellor John White said Wednesday that he plans to meet with basketball coach Nolan Richardson, embroiled in controversy over remarks about the media and critical fans.

White told Fayetteville television station KHOG that athletic director Frank Broyles wanted to talk to Richardson and that he, too, would meet with the coach "at the appropriate time."

White dismissed a magazine's Internet report Wednesday that said Richardson would accept a $3 million buyout.

Hawgs Illustrated publisher Clay Henry cited two sources in reporting that Richardson's 17-year tenure would end Thursday, although Henry also wrote that "things could change."

Richardson said Saturday after Arkansas' loss to Kentucky that if the school would buy out his contract, "they can take the job tomorrow." He has just over six years left on his contract at $1.03 million per year.

"There's no buyout with Coach Richardson that I'm aware of," White told Fort Smith television station KFSM. "How could this happen and I not know about it?" he asked on KHOG.

High school

Lauren Dubbert scored 34 points in a district tournament victory for Madison to set a girls' freshman scoring record in Missouri high school basketball.

Dubbert tied the girls' old season record of 616 set in 1997-98 by Kami Scrivner of Mount Vernon on a layup following a steal Tuesday night, then went on to finish the game with 626 points for the season.

Dubbert, who averages 24 points per game, also had 10 rebounds and seven assists in the 73-20 victory over Wyaconda as Madison, 20-6, advanced to the championship of the Class 1A District 21 tournament tonight against North Shelby.

-- From wire services