FanFare 5/23/03

Briefly

Baseball

Barry Larkin went back on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, conceding that his days as the Reds' shortstop are nearing an end. Larkin, 39, strained his right calf while running the bases during a 9-3 victory Wednesday night over the Braves.

Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams has torn cartilage in his left knee and will likely need surgery that will sideline him for four-to-six weeks.

Arizona pitcher Miguel Batista's 10-game suspension was upheld by Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer. Batista's fine was reduced from $2,500 to $1,500. Batista was penalized by baseball vice president Bob Watson for his role in an April 20 brawl with St. Louis.

Basketball

Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin got running in the first quarter, so the New Jersey Nets didn't have to wait until the fourth to win the game. Dominant at both ends, Kidd scored a career playoff-high 34 points and Martin had 19 as the Nets finally hit their uptempo stride and moved within one victory of an Eastern Conference finals sweep by beating the Pistons 97-85.

The Cavaliers won the NBA draft lottery, giving them the right to make the first overall selection in the June 26 draft. The Grizzlies got the second selection, but that pick goes to Detroit. The Nuggets will pick third. Cleveland and Denver had the best chance of landing the top pick.

Colleges

San Diego State athletic director Rick Bay resigned, two weeks after a California State University auditor cited lax oversight in the athletic department and a mismanaged equipment room.

Jordan Howell will enroll at Tennessee this summer and join the basketball team for next season after being released from his scholarship to Georgia. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard from Madison, Ala., signed with Georgia last fall but changed his mind when Georgia coach Jim Harrick retired.

Football

Titans quarterback Steve McNair was arrested and charged with drunken driving and illegal possession of a handgun. McNair was released on $3,000 bond after appearing at night court and is due back in court June 26. The DUI charge also will result in the NFL evaluating McNair for an aftercare program.

Tennis

Anna Kournikova and Richard Krajicek withdrew from the French Open because of injuries. Kournikova's bad left thigh forced her to quit during her most recent WTA Tour match, in the first round at Charleston, S.C., on April 9.

Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi are to become parents for the second time. The tennis stars are expecting the baby in mid-November, Graf's management company said. Agassi and Graf married in October 2001 and their first child, Jaden Gil, was born later that month.

Area digest

Southeast gymnast nabs academic honor

Southeast Missouri State University gymnast Amy Cole has been selected as a first-team member on the Verizon Academic All-District VII Women's At-Large Team.

Cole's first-team selection makes her eligible for the Verizon Academic All-America ballot. She graduated earlier this month with a 3.99 cumulative grade-point average in health management.

Tennis player Kay Ehlke was selected second team Verizon Academic All-District. She has a 4.0 grade point average in health administration.

On the air

Boxing

Champion O'Neill Bell (20-1-1) vs. Kelvin Davis (19-1-1), for NABF-USBA cruiserweight championship, 9 p.m., ESPN2College baseball

Southeast vs. Murray State, 10:45 a.m., KGIR-1220College softball world series

Teams TBA, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2; 7 p.m., ESPN2

Golf

Volvo PGA Championship, 9 a.m., TGC

LPGA Corning Classic, 1 p.m., TGC

The Colonial, 1:30 p.m., USA

Columbus Southern Open, 4 p.m., TGC (same-day tape)High school baseball

Notre Dame vs. Sikeston, 4:15 p.m., KGIR-1220

MLB

St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 6:05 p.m., Fox-Midwest, KZIM-960, KBXB-97.9

N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m., TBSMotorsports

Qualifying for Carquest Auto Parts 300, 12:30 p.m., SPEEDNBA playoffs

San Antonio at Dallas, 8 p.m., TNTNHL playoffs

New Jersey at Ottawa, 6 p.m., ESPN

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

College baseball

Southeast vs. Murray State, OVC Tournament, Paducah, Ky., 11 a.m.High school baseball

Notre Dame vs. Sikeston, Class 3, District 1 Tournament, Dexter, 4:30 p.m.High school track & field

Class 1, 2 state meets, Jefferson CityHigh school girls' swimming

State meet, St. Peters