FanFare 5/14/03

Briefly

Baseball

Ken Griffey Jr. was activated off the disabled list, but the Reds planned to go easy with the outfielder as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig is investigating whether the Marlins followed minority-hiring guidelines when they replaced manager Jeff Torborg with Jack McKeon. In 1999, Selig sent a letter to teams requiring them to notify him about certain job vacancies, including manager. Teams are to provide a list of minority candidates, and the commissioner's office reviews the names before anyone is hired.

Orioles manager Mike Hargrove is expected to miss at least three more games following the death of his mother. Rita Ann Hargrove died after a long illness Monday in Amarillo, Texas, where she had been hospitalized after undergoing several surgeries in late April. She was 73.

Colleges

Iowa State assistant Wayne Morgan said Tuesday night he will replace Larry Eustachy as the coach of the Cyclones. Morgan, 52, told WHO-TV in Des Moines that he agreed to a deal Tuesday evening and an official announcement will be made today.

Point guard Jameer Nelson made himself eligible for the NBA draft but left open the possibility of returning to St. Joseph's for his senior season. The 6-foot Nelson averaged 19.7 points and 4.7 assists last season and was an honorable mention All-American. He has until a week before the June 26 draft to withdraw his name.

Missouri guard Ricky Clemons has withdrawn his name from the upcoming NBA Draft. Over the weekend, Clemons, a junior, submitted his name for the draft, but he withdrew it after talking to Missouri coach Quin Snyder. Missouri suspended Clemons for next season after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault and false imprisonment in April.

Football

Former All-Pro safety Sammy Knight signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins. A starter in each of his six NFL seasons with the Saints, Knight is expected to challenge incumbent strong safety Arturo Freeman for a starting job in Miami.

The Falcons re-signed veteran linebacker Sam Rogers. Length and financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

James Allen, who started five games for Houston last season, was re-signed by the Texans. The running back, entering his sixth season, spent the previous four years with Chicago, where he rushed for 1,120 yards in 2000. He was the fifth running back in the Bears' storied history to rush for more than 1,100 yards in a season.

The L.A. City Council voted to back a study aimed at bringing back the NFL. The area has been without a team since the Raiders moved back to Oakland and the Rams left Anaheim for St. Louis after the 1995 season. The council voted 14-1 in agreement with a study by the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, which found that Memorial Coliseum was an ideal venue because it can accommodate 8,000 or more parking spaces and seats more than 68,000 fans.

Tennis

Serena Williams and Monica Seles overcame challenges from unlikely sources at the Italian Open. Williams, the defending champion at the clay-court tournament, had her serve broken twice in the first set but still managed to beat Czech qualifier Klara Koukalova 6-4, 6-3. Seles, meanwhile, had to rally for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory against 46th-ranked Myriam Casanova.

Lleyton Hewitt withstood a strong challenge to start his clay-court season, beating German wild card Markus Hantschk 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Hamburg Masters. Also advancing were second-seeded Carlos Moya, No. 3 Roger Federer, No. 4 Andy Roddick and No. 5 Albert Costa. Losing was No. 6 Jiri Novak

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Verbatim

Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, on Richard Williams, father of tennis phenoms Serena and Venus, saying he refuses to salute the flag because of racism in the U.S.: "The man certainly is entitled to his opinion, but, if my daughter had a $40 million endorsement contract, I'd be singing 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' in the shower."

On the air

High school baseballSikeston at New Madrid, 4 p.m., KRHW-1520

Jackson at Scott City, 3:45 p.m., KAPE-1550

Central at Festus, 3:45 p.m., KGIR-1220

Horse racingPreakness Post Position Draw, 4 p.m., ESPN

MLBCincinnati at St. Louis, 7:10 p.m., Fox-Midwest, KZIM-960, KBXB-97.9

Anaheim at N.Y. Yankees, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Atlanta at Los Angeles, 9 p.m., ESPN

NBA playoffsPhiladelphia at Detroit, 7 p.m., TNT

NHL playoffsAnaheim vs. Minnesota, 8 p.m., ESPN

n CHARTER CABLE 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), KBSI (9), KFVS (7), MSNBC (55), Outdoors (38), Outdoor Life Network (74), Oxygen (75), Speed Channel (44), TBS (10), The Golf Channel (46), TNT (48), WDKA (17), WPSD (6), WQWQ (33), WSIL (3). Listings and times are provided by the networks and individual stations and are subject to change.

Area events

High school baseballJackson at Scott City, 4 p.m.

Perryville at Kelly, 4 p.m.

Oran at Hayti, 4 p.m.

Central at Festus, 4:30 p.m.

High school girls' soccerPoplar Bluff at Central, 6:30 p.m.

Perryville at Jackson, 7 p.m.