Fanfare 2/20/03

Briefly

Baseball

The Pirates were finalizing a contract Wednesday with outfielder Reggie Sanders, who was unable to land a major league job until now despite hitting 23 homers for the NL champion Giants last season. Keeping with club policy, the Pirates won't announce the deal until the 35-year-old Sanders passes a physical.

Baltimore right-hander Jason Johnson was rushed off a practice field after a diabetic episode. Johnson, who wears an insulin pump to maintain his sugar level, was treated outside the clubhouse on the back of a cart by the Orioles medical staff and paramedics from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue unit. About 10 minutes later, Johnson walked to the trainers' room with minimal assistance.

Marlins ace A.J. Burnett pretended he was hurting for cash after losing baseball's final arbitration case of the year. He's hardly headed for the poorhouse. Burnett will make $2.5 million this season, a 580 percent increase over last year's salary of $367,500. Burnett, who led the major leagues last season with five shutouts, had sought $3,075,000.

Pitcher Kirk Rueter agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract extension with the Giants that runs through 2005. Rueter will receive a $3 million signing bonus to be paid out $1 million each on Jan. 31 the next three years.

Barry Bonds had a 10-minute operation on his left elbow to remove a quarter-inch ball of scar tissue and a suture from a previous surgery. Giants trainer Stan Conte referred to the procedure, performed by local team orthopedist Dr. David Zeman, as a "bumpectomy." The five-time NL MVP rested at home after the operation, and was expected to do some running and other cardio work Thursday, the first day of full-squad workouts for the defending NL champions.

The Diamondbacks are requiring that their players spend 10 minutes before each night home game signing autographs for fans. The only exception will be that night's starting pitcher.

Basketball

Orlando and Memphis pulled off the first big trade before today's NBA deadline, agreeing to a four-player deal that sent Mike Miller and Ryan Humphrey from the Magic to the Grizzlies for rookies Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek. The Grizzlies also received a first-round pick owed to Orlando by Sacramento and a second-round selection in 2004.

Colleges

Two Texas Tech players suspended for a game this week believe they were "set up" as punishment for their part in the team's losses, the father of one told a newspaper. Coach Bob Knight held junior guard Andre Emmett, the Big 12's leading scorer, and senior forward Nick Valdez out of Monday night's game at third-ranked Texas after the two players missed breakfast and the team's walkthrough that morning. The Red Raiders (14-8, 4-7 Big 12) lost 77-65.Valdez's father, Joe Valdez, told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in an e-mail Tuesday that "Andre and Nick believe they were set up, purportedly for their irresponsibility toward the team, more likely their relative responsibility in the team's losses and resulting disappointment."

Hockey

The Blues claimed center Ryan Johnson on waivers from the Panthers. Johnson, 26, has two goals and five assists in 57 games this season. His best season was 2000-01, when he had career highs in goals (seven), assists (14) and points (21) at Tampa Bay.

Obituaries

Zang Auerbach, brother of famed Celtics coach Red Auerbach and an artist who designed the team's logo, has died. He was 81. He died of heart ailments Feb. 13 at a hospital in the Washington area. Zang Auerbach, who also designed the logo for the Washington Senators, served in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II. He later became an editorial and sports artist and cartoonist, penning images of sports heroes and entertainers for Washington newspapers.

On the air

College men's basketballWake Forest at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Charlotte at Marquette, 8 p.m., ESPN2

California at UCLA, 9:30 p.m., FOX-Midwest

GolfMalaysian Open, 8 a.m., GOLF

Nissan Open, 2 p.m., USA

Canadian Tour Challenge, 3 p.m., GOLF

NBA

Indiana at New Jersey, 6:30 p.m., TNT

Boston at Sacramento, 9 p.m. TNT

NHL

Canucks at Blues, 7 p.m., FOX-Midwest

Colorado at Pittsburgh or Los Angeles at Philadelphia, 7 p.m., ESPN

CHARTER CABLE SPORTS 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), MSNBC (55), Outdoors (38), Outdoor Life Network (74), Oxygen (75), Speed Channel (44), TNT (48). Listings and times are provided by the networks and individual stations and are subject to change.

Area events

High school boys' basketballMarquand at West County, 7:30 p.m.

High school girls' basketballPerryville at Central, 7:30 p.m.

Sikeston at Delta, 7:30 p.m.

Woodland at Puxico, 7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame at Kelly, 8 p.m.

Scott City at Oran, 8 p.m.

Chaffee at Scott County Central, 8 p.m.

High school wrestling

State Meet, Columbia