FanFare 6/3/03

Briefly

Baseball

Cardinals outfielder Albert Pujols, who hit .345 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI, on Monday was chosen the National League Player of the Month for May. Pujols hit 12 doubles and scored 25 runs in 29 games. He led all NL players in home runs, recording a .707 slugging percentage and a .394 on-base percentage. The 23-year-old leads the major leagues with a .364 batting average and a .701 slugging percentage.

Diamondbacks ace Curt Schilling was fined about $15,000 by major league baseball for destroying a camera used to evaluate umpires. Schilling smashed part of the Questec Umpire Evaluation System on May 24 during a home loss to the Padres and said umpires have told him they are changing their strike zones to match the machine.

Veteran reliever Rod Beck is back in the major leagues, this time with the Padres. The 34-year-old Beck, who missed all last season after undergoing "Tommy John" surgery, was signed by the Padres, two days after he was released by the Cubs' Class AAA affiliate in iowa.

Dwight Gooden is ready to try coaching. Gooden, currently a Yankees' special adviser, will be the pitching coach this summer for the team's rookie league club in the Gulf Coast League.

Basketball

Bob Johnson had dinner with Michael Jordan to discuss Jordan's possible involvement in Charlotte's NBA expansion team. But Johnson, who paid $300 million for the team that will begin play in 2004-05, gave no indication if Jordan is interested in coming to Charlotte.

Colleges

Penn State backup quarterback Gregory Hennigar was killed after his car hit a parked tractor- trailer. The 18-year-old was driving alone, according to police, when he crashed on State Road in northeast Philadelphia.

2002 World Cup moguls champion and University of Colorado punt returner Jeremy Bloom will announce Wednesday whether he will continue splitting his time between skiing and football. Bloom, the No. 5 punt returner in the nation last year with the Buffaloes, has said it's nearly impossible to do both.

Cycling

Italian world champion Mario Cipollini will not ride in the Tour de France after race director Jean-Marie Leblanc upheld his decision not to accept the Domina Vacanze team.

Football

The Broncos released quarterback Brian Griese, ending his five-year run with the team, the last four as a starter. Griese threw for 3,214 yards on a franchise-record 66.7 percent passing last season, with 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 85.6 passer rating, 11th in the NFL.

Quarterback Akili Smith was released after four frustrating seasons with the Bengals, who made him the third overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft.

Veteran running back Lamar Smith was signed by the Packers. The Packers also signed former Arena League player Antonio Chatman, who is primarily a wide recever and kick returner. The 5-11, 230-pound Smith has rushed for 4,792 yards with Seattle, Miami and Carolina since 1994.

The Saints signed Joe Horn to a three-year contract. Horn, the Saints' leading receiver the last three years, started seeking a new contract after last season. He boycotted minicamp earlier this month because he had not received an offer from the team.

San Francisco released wide receiver J.J. Stokes, ESPN.com reported. The 49ers also cut defensive end Junior Bryant. Stokes, 31, lost his starting job to Tai Streets in 2002, and the team saves $2.25 million of cap room with his release.

Terrell Owens was a no-show when the 49ers began a four-day minicamp at team headquarters, meaning the All-Pro receiver has failed to attend each of the team's past three minicamps. Coach Dennis Erickson said the receiver did not give a reason for his absence.

Hockey

Bob Gainey is returning to the scene of his greatest triumphs. Gainey, who as a Hall of Fame player helped lead the Canadiens to five Stanley Cups, was hired as general manager of his old team.

The women's hockey championships for 2003 were canceled after the tournament in China was first postponed in April because of the SARS virus.

Verbatim

Anaheim right fielder Tim Salmon, to the Los Angeles Times, after the World Series champs visited President George W. Bush at the White House: "I'm just standing behind him thinking, that's really him. I kept looking at him, saying, those little shoulders have the weight of the world on them."

On the air

BoxingBantamweights, Clarence Vinson (12-0-0) vs. Heriberto Ruiz (27-2-2), 7 p.m., ESPN2

MLB

Texas at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m., TBS

Toronto at St. Louis, 7 p.m., Fox-Midwest, KZIM-960, KBXB-97.9

Chicago White Sox at Arizona, 8:30 p.m., WGN

Major league lacrosseNew Jersey at Boston, 2 p.m., ESPN2

Tennis

French Open, 7 a.m., ESPN2, 11 a.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

Baseball

Jackson at Cape Jr. Legion (2), 6 p.m.