FanFare 2/26/03

Briefly

Baseball

Padres closer Trevor Hoffman will have surgery to repair a bone in his throwing shoulder and will miss at least the first half of the season. Hoffman, fifth in career saves with 352, wouldn't set a timetable for his recovery, but general manager Kevin Towers said he hopes the right-hander will be available to pitch after the All-Star break. Hoffman, 35, has not been on the disabled list in 10 major league seasons.

Basketball

Nets forward Kenyon Martin left the team for personal reasons and missed New Jersey's game Tuesday night against the Cavaliers. Martin, averaging 15.6 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds, is attending to a family matter, a Nets spokesman said. New Jersey coach Byron Scott would not elaborate on Martin's absence, but said he expected the 6-foot-9 player to rejoin the club in time for today's game against the Knicks.

The Nuggets are expected to release Chris Whitney today so the veteran point guard can sign with the Magic, a team source told The Associated Press. Whitney must clear waivers, but it is unlikely any team will pick up the rest of his $3 million salary. After the 48-hour waiting period, the Magic are expected to pick him up for a prorated amount of about $300,000.

Colleges

If the United States goes to war against Iraq and CBS stays with news coverage next month, NCAA tournament games could be shifted to another network owned by Viacom Inc., the network announced. CBS holds rights to the men's basketball tournament, which runs from March 20 to April 7. Viacom networks also include MTV, UPN, BET, TNN, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and TV Land

The Ohio Valley Conference on Tuesday chose Austin Peay's Brooke Armistead its player of the week. Armistead scored 29 points against Eastern Illinois and 28 points against Southeast Missouri two nights later. Tennessee-Martin's Torre Thomas was named newcomer of the week after scoring 12 points in a loss to Morehead State.

San Diego State University's self-imposed penalties regarding the Aztec football program were accepted by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions. The Aztec's self-imposed penalties include a reduction in allowable football scholarships and does not affect bowl opportunities.

Sophomore forward Dennis Latimore has left top-ranked Arizona for the rest of the season.

Football

Vikings attorneys claim that Korey Stringer's use of the controversial supplement ephedra can be linked to the heatstroke that killed him during training camp in 2001, according to documents filed last week. The Vikings filed the papers in response to a motion by the lawyers of Stringer's widow, Kelci, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday. She has filed a $100 million wrongful death suit against the team.

A sports memorabilia dealer has been ordered to pay $105,000 to Colts quarterback Peyton Manning for autographing 2,500 items, including footballs, helmets and jerseys. The dealer, Michael Bertolini, had acknowledged in e-mails and verbal messages that he and his Triumph Sports Memorabilia & Promotions Inc. owed Manning the money.

Golf

Martha Burk will seek a permit to demonstrate at the Masters about Augusta National's all-male membership, and she won't rule out an illegal protest if the site isn't close enough to the club's main gate. Burk's National Council of Women's Organizations was told by Sheriff Ron Strength that protests on sidewalks and just about all public sites near Augusta National will not be allowed.

Hockey

The Blues recalled goalie Curtis Sanford from their AHL affiliate in Worcester, Mass., on Tuesday, then suggested he may start Thursday against Edmonton. Sanford joined the Blues at practice Tuesday, where coach Joel Quenneville said it was "more than likely" Sanford would start in goal against the Oilers.

Tennis

Fourth-seeded Tim Henman was stunned by Attila Savolt 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4 Tuesday in the first round of the Dubai Open. Savolt entered with an 0-4 match record in 2003 and will face Ivan Ljubicic next, who defeated Wayne Black 7-5, 6--3.

On the air

College men's basketballDuke at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m., ESPN

Oklahoma at Missouri, 7:30 p.m., WQWQ, KZIM-960

Western Kentucky at Louisiana-Lafayette, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Golf

Accenture Match Play Championship, 1 p.m., ESPN

Jacob's Creek Open Championship, 11 p.m., GOLF

High school girls basketballNotre Dame vs. Sikeston, 7:30 p.m., KAPE-1550

NBA

Utah at Minnesota, 8 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 girls basketballClass 4, District 1 Tournament, Notre Dame: (semifinals) Notre Dame vs. Sikeston-Fredericktown winner, 6 p.m.; Dexter vs. Perryville-Ste. Genevieve winner, 7:45 p.m.

St. Vincent at Scott City, 7:30 p.m.

Valle at Chaffee, 7:30 p.m.