Monday FanFare 8/4/03

Briefly

Baseball

The Twins activated third baseman Corey Koskie from the 15-day disabled list after Sunday's game with Detroit and optioned infielder Alex Prieto to Triple-A Rochester.

Cubs second baseman Mark Grudzielanek was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a broken right hand, a day after he was hit by a pitch from Arizona's Miguel Batista. Grudzielanek, who was batting .305 and leading the Cubs in hits (123), was injured in the fifth inning. He is expected to be out two-to-four weeks.

Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers more than 50 years ago, had his jersey number retired by the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones. The Cyclones, an affiliate of the New York Mets, honored Robinson posthumously, retiring his No. 42.

Boxing

Mike Tyson has filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, claiming his finances are in disarray. The former heavyweight champion has squandered nearly $300 million in ring earnings through lavish spending and bad advice. Tyson's handlers said in a news release that Tyson has taken control of himself and wants to resolve his financial problems.

Fishing

Pro angler Michael Iaconelli won the Bassmaster Classic after a late catch gave him a three-day total of 37 pounds, 14 ounces. Iaconelli, of Woodbury Heights, N.J., weighed in a five-fish limit of bass at 10 pounds, 14 ounces to win the $200,000 purse at the Louisiana Delta. Gary Klein of Weatherford, Texas, placed second with 11 pounds, 14 ounces in the final round for a total of 36 pounds, 2 ounces. Harold Allen of Shelbyville, Texas, was third with a total of 34 pounds, 3 ounces.

Football

The Redskins are bringing back Danny Wuerffel as a backup quarterback, giving coach Steve Spurrier some familiar insurance after a rough week of practice for projected No. 2 Rob Johnson. Wuerffel will compete with Johnson for the No. 2 spot, and both will probably make the regular-season roster. Rookie Brad Banks, the Heisman trophy runner-up from Iowa, was released to make room for Wuerffel.

Golf

Chris Botsford defeated J.J. Jakovac 3 and 2 to win the Western Amateur Championship at Point O'Woods Golf and Country Club. Botsford, 22, of Pasadena, Calif., took the lead with a birdie on the par-5, 523-yard second hole. He went 4-up by winning the third, fourth and sixth holes with pars. Jakovac, 21, of Napa, Calif., was down six holes after playing No. 10, but stormed back to win four of the next five and cut Botsford's lead to 2-up with three to play.

Horse racing

When Empire Maker made his final push at the Jim Dandy Stakes, Strong Hope refused to let him win. Strong Hope held on to upset the heavily favored Belmont Stakes winner by a nose to take the $500,000 race at Saratoga Race Track. Strong Hope, ridden by John Velazquez and trained by Todd Pletcher, ran the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds in 1:48 on a fast track.

Funny Cide and Empire Maker may have more than each other to contend with in their highly anticipated rematch in the Travers Stakes. With a wire-to-wire victory over Sky Mesa and Funny Cide in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, Peace Rules gives trainer Bobby Frankel another option for the $1 million Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 23.

Motorsports

Juan Pablo Montoya sped from a crash on a scorching day and won the German Grand Prix, which was all but settled in the opening seconds. Three top contenders -- Kimi Raikkonen, Ralf Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello -- were gone before the first lap was completed and season leader and five-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher finished seventh. This was Montoya's second victory in 2003 after the Monaco Grand Prix and third in his career.

Bruno Junqueira took advantage of his favorite track to win his first race of the season. His victory at the rain-shortened Mario Andretti Grand Prix also moved him into first place in the Champ Car standings.

Tennis

Tim Henman won his first ATP Tour final since November shoulder surgery, beating Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4 at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. The 10th-seeded Henman outlasted a rain delay of nearly 1 1/2 hours to claim the 10th title of his career. The last was in January 2002, at Adelaide, Australia.

Wayne Ferreira overcame three match points, a nagging groin injury and searing heat to beat top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the Mercedes-Benz Cup final. It was Ferreira's first ATP Tour title in nearly three years. Ferreira, 31, and 33-year-old Andre Agassi (four titles) are the only over-30 players to win tournaments so far this year.