FanFare 12/31/02

Baseball

Roger Clemens wants to say goodbye to baseball with the Yankees. The six-time Cy Young Award winner agreed Monday to a $10.1 million, one-year contract and probably will retire after next season, his 20th in the major leagues.

A meeting between Hall of Famers and commissioner Bud Selig to discuss Pete Rose was postponed at the request of baseball officials. The Hall had been contacting its 58 living members about a possible gathering in Los Angeles on Jan. 17. But Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating office, asked the Hall on Friday to delay the session. Hall spokesman Jeff Idelson said Monday that the meeting would not take place but would not go into the reasons, and DuPuy declined comment.

Free agent outfielder Eric Owens signed a one-year contract with the World Series champion Angels.

Basketball

The Portland Trail Blazers organization will not take over the Portland Fire for financial reasons, possibly spelling the end of the city's professional women's basketball team. The Blazers -- who have operated the Fire for the last two years -- will turn the team over to the WNBA, becoming the fourth NBA team to decline ownership of a WNBA franchise, team officials said Monday. If the Fire can't find a local, private owner, the team will disband.

Pistons center Zeljko Rebraca missed his fifth straight game against the Trail Blazers Monday because of an irregular heartbeat.

Colleges

Nick Jacobson scored 13 points, including two free throws with 24.2 seconds left, as Utah defeated No. 1 Alabama 51-49 in a men's basketball game Monday night. Tim Frost added nine points and Britton Johnsen scored eight, all in the second half, as the Utes (8-3) got the 1,500th win in school history while handing the Crimson Tide (9-1) its first loss.

Indiana basketball coach Mike Davis knew his outburst during a loss to Kentucky earlier this month would cost him. The Big Ten made it official Monday when it suspended Davis for one game, a lighter punishment than the six-game suspension he faced under league rules. Davis will miss today's game when the Hoosiers (8-2) play at Ball State.

Football

Lions cornerback Todd Lyght retired, one day after his 12th NFL season ended. Lyght spent his first 10 seasons with the Rams, helping the Rams win the Super Bowl during the 1999 season, before signing with the Lions as a free agent two years ago.

The Packers aren't ruling out Donald Driver for their playoff game Saturday against the Falcons. Coach Mike Sherman said an MRI exam confirmed the diagnosis of a bruised and strained right shoulder for Driver, the Packers' leader in receptions, yards and touchdown catches.

Olympics

U.S. Olympic chief Lloyd Ward directed his staff to help his brother's company try to land a deal to provide power generators for the 2003 Pan American Games, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday. U.S. Olympic Committee President Marty Mankamyer told the newspaper the allegations are "serious and disturbing."

Verbatim

Bill Lankhof of the Toronto Sun, on ex-slugger Jose Canseco's announcement that he wants to be an actor: "He should do well in an occupation that consists of making people believe you are something that you're not. I mean, the last half of his career he fooled half a dozen teams into believing he was a baseball player."