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Briefly

Baseball

The Rockies and Pirates are negotiating a trade that would send left-hander Denny Neagle to the Pirates in exchange for catcher Jason Kendall. The Rockies, 42-46 at the All-Star break, also have been shopping their other high-profile pitcher, Mike Hampton. Because his production hasn't matched his contract, Neagle has been the subject of numerous trade possibilities. The Cardinals are believed to be interested in Hampton, who is 5-9 with a 6.73 ERA. Hampton is in the second year of an eight-year, $121 million deal that guarantees him $88 million over its final six years.

Basketball

A man who attempted to cash a $161,000 tax refund check payable to Lakers owner Jerry Buss was sentenced to two years in federal prison. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder ordered Kenneth Reeves, 42, who is free on $25,000 bond, to surrender July 29. His co-defendant, Dwayne Kellum, 38, is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 12. Both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud charges in March.

Football

Rich Gannon and the Raiders appear to be close to a 6-year agreement, ESPN.com reported. The two sides have a deal in place that is likely to be completed and signed this week, the site said, citing anonymous sources. Although the term of the contract is for six years, both sides view it as essentially a three-year agreement through the 2004 season, after which Gannon will be 39 years old and likely consider retirement. Gannon, a 14-year veteran, will receive a signing bonus and increase in overall compensation for the 2002 season, but the contract will actually reduce his scheduled 2002 salary cap value of $4.464 million.

Work to change signs at the home of the Rams has begun. The former Trans World Dome announced in January that it would receive more than $31 million to rename the facility the Edward Jones Dome. The sign-changing is expected to be done in about six weeks.

Motorsports

Mario Andretti is considering becoming a car owner in the CART series. The former Formula One and CART champion said he has begun discussions with Newman-Haas Racing, the team for which he drove for 11 years before retiring from open-wheel racing following the 1994 season. Newman-Haas currently fields entries for series points leader Cristiano da Matta and Christian Fittipaldi.

Johnny Benson, re-injured in a wreck Saturday in Daytona, will not race this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Mike Wallace will fill in for Sunday's Winston Cup event after appearing locally at SEMO Speedway near Sikeston, Mo., to sign autographs Saturday.

CART rookie Townsend Bell was fined $10,000 and placed on indefinite probation for his part in a crash during the Toronto Molson-Indy.

Tennis

French Open champion Albert Costa was upset by qualifier Paul Henri Mathieu in straight sets in the opening round of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, Switzerland. Mathieu, who went through two rounds of qualifying, beat the top-seeded Spaniard 6-4, 6-3 in Costa's first match since defeating compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero last month in Paris. Also in the first round, Attila Savolt upset sixth-seeded Nicolas Lapentti 7-5, 1-6, 7-5.

People

Talking the big talk

Rick Nash may be only 18, but the first pick in the NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets is not short on confidence. When asked to describe his strengths, the left wing from the Ontario Hockey League didn't stumble around for an answer.

"Go in the corners, dig the puck out, fore-checking, can score in front of the net, a good talent, and still comes back in our own end and plays a defensive role too," he said. "I think I bring an all-around game, a Brendan Shanahan type."

Verbatim

Senior tour pros are permitted to ride in carts, but Arnold Palmer vehemently opposes the practice. Says Palmer: "When you start complaining about the heat and humidity, the hell with that. Just go home, sit in front of the TV and have a beer."

Comedian Joe E. Lewis, who when asked how he played golf, said, "I play in the low 80s. If it's any hotter than that, I won't play."

-- From wire reports