FanFare 9/26/02

Baseball

John Moores may not the be the owner of the Padres for much longer. Two attorneys have filed class-action lawsuits against failing computer software giant Peregrine Systems and Moores, who serves as the company's chairman, said they might seek to freeze Moores' assets. If they do, it could affect control of the Padres and possibly the team's investment in San Diego's new downtown ballpark.

Prosecutors are investigating a women the Mets claimed tried to extort money from pitcher Grant Roberts. The Mets accused a Long Island women, Jodi Turner, with trying to extort money from Roberts before releasing a 1998 picture that appeared in Newsday last week showing the pitcher smoking marijuana. An article along with the pitcher said that at least seven Mets were suspected of smoking marijuana this season. Turner could face possible charges of grand larceny and coercion, carrying a jail term of up to seven years.

Basketball

Lamond Murray, who had been asking the Cavs to trade him for months, was dealt along with a second-round draft pick to the Raptors for center Michael Stewart and a future first-round pick. Murray was the Cavs' leading scorer last season, averaging a career-high 16.6 points. But he became upset when the Cavs acquired small forward Darius Miles in the July trade that sent guard Andre Miller to the Clippers.

Reiterating what he first announced a year ago, Michael Jordan is expected to issue a statement later this week confirming he will play a 15th NBA season. Jordan signed a two-year contract with the Wizards when he ended his second retirement.

Investigators gave up searching at sea for the bodies of former NBA basketball player Bison Dele and two companions, saying they were likely tossed off Dele's catamaran into the South Pacific.

The U.S. women's basketball team won it's second straight Women's World Basketball Championsips. The U.S. team beat Russia 79-74. The title came just weeks after the U.S. men's team finished an embarrassing sixth in the World Championships. "I think we have redeemed them. But we have all learnded a big lesson from the men," tournament MVP Lisa Leslie said. "We just can't get complacent."

Colleges

Colorado quarterback Craig Ochs, who announced on Monday he won't play again this season after suffering his third concussion in a year, is requesting a transfer to the University of Montana. A release has been requested by Montana which would allow Ochs to talk to another school and recieve a scholarship from that school.

Hockey

Rangers forward Pavel Bure tore cartilage in his twice-rebuilt right knee and will have arthroscopic surgery today. Bure will have an operation to fix a posterior tear of the medial meniscus, the cartilage that serves as a shock absorber, team trainer Jim Ramsay said.

Olympics

Three international skating officials have been interviewed by the FBI about the scandal-plagued pairs competition at the Salt Lake City Olympics. U.S. agents almost certainly will be talking to others involved in the case, including each of the judges. An International Skating Union source said the FBI pans to speak with each of the judges on both the Olympic pairs and dance panels.

Tennis

A Manhattan judge has dismissed a $40 million lawsuit that Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis filed against an Italian sportswear maker, Sergio Tacchini, whose shoes allegedly injured her feet. During the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in New York City in September 1998, Hingis said, she suffered a severe foot injury because Tacchini had outfitted her with "defective" shoes, "unsuitable for competition."

-- From wire reports