Fanfare 11/26

Baseball

The Pittsburgh Pirates filled a long-troublesome spot in their lineup Monday, acquiring first baseman Randall Simon from the Detroit Tigers for three minor leaguers.

The Tigers, apparently wary of a possible large salary increase Simon could get this winter in arbitration, acquired Australian-born left-hander Adrian Burnside and two prospects to be named.

Simon, 27, is coming off his best major league season, hitting .301 with 19 homers and a team-high 82 RBIs.

Houston Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo sustained muscle and nerve damage when he was shot in the left forearm during an attempted carjacking in Venezuela last week.

Hidalgo has been examined by two team physicians since returning to Houston on Sunday.

Doctors plan additional nerve and circulatory tests and will monitor Hidalgo for the next 10-to-14 days.

The 27-year-old right fielder, who bats and throw right-handed, was shot Thursday near his home in Valencia, about 90 miles from Caracas.

Basketball

Frustrated by a three-game losing streak, Michael Jordan sounds ready to increase his playing time.

Jordan said Monday he isn't necessarily lobbying to start, but he said his minutes should no longer be limited by concerns over his knees, especially if it means keeping the Washington Wizards out of the playoffs.

"I'm not concerned about that right now," Jordan said when asked about the current plan to limit his minutes to save his knees. "I know they are. Doctors are supposed to be very conservative, especially with a guy who's about to turn 40.

"But I may not make 41. Who knows? I'd rather live in the moment."

Motorsports

CART dropped the Rockingham 500 from next season's calendar on Monday, leaving the troubled open-wheel series without any races in Europe in 2003.

CART, however, hopes to announce shortly that it will hold at least two races in Europe next year.

The Rockingham 500, run the last two seasons in central England, has drawn small crowds. Ashley Pover, chief operating officer of the track, called the 2003 race "fiscally unviable" but left open the possibility of a return in 2004.

Colleges

A promising Texas A&M freshman defensive lineman from Colleyville, Texas, died Monday at a hospital after complaining to his roommate that he was having trouble breathing.

Brandon Fails, 18, was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan at 9:03 a.m. CST after collapsing in his Cain Hall dorm room without any previous indication that he was having health difficulties.

Fails played in four games for the Aggies this season as a true freshman before undergoing knee surgery on Oct. 22. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Coach R.C. Slocum said Fails' roommate, Aggie tight end Patrick Fleming, told him Fails collapsed as the pair prepared to leave their room for breakfast in the dorm cafeteria.

Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson was dismissed from the team Monday for violating an unspecified team policy.

School officials would not divulge the reason for the dismissal or which policy McPherson violated.

McPherson, a 19-year old sophomore, replaced Chris Rix following a loss to Notre Dame in October and started the last four games, going 3-1.

Rix will be the starting quarterback for the No. 23 Seminoles (8-4) on Saturday against No. 15 Florida (8-3). He is 13-7 in two years as a starter.

McPherson was 80-of-155 for 1,017 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception in nine games this season. He was replaced by Rix for the final drive in a 17-7 loss Saturday to North Carolina State.

-- From wire reports