Saturday FanFare 5/10/03

Briefly

Baseball

Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel's first start of the season wasn't much better than his relief appearances for Double-A Tennessee. The 23-year-old left-hander threw just two innings, giving up five earned runs, three hits and four walks.

The Cubs traded right-hander Alan Benes to the Rangers on Friday for a player to be named. Benes was 0-0 with a save and a 2.16 ERA in three games for the Cubs this season.

Dusty Baker's All-Star coaching staff will have a local feel. Baker asked manager Tony La Russa and Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon to be part of his staff for the All-Star game, hosted by the White Sox on July 15. He said both accepted.

John Rocker is back in the major leagues, called up by the Devil Rays. The former Atlanta, Cleveland and Texas reliever has been pitching at Double-A Orlando, where he didn't allow a run in four innings over four appearances after signing a minor league contract April 10.

Basketball

This year's Game 3 was nothing like last year's Game 3. On the same court where New Jersey set an NBA record by blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter cushion, the Nets defeated the Celtics 94-76 to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Danny Ainge will be the new head of basketball operations for the Celtics. Coach Jim O'Brien confirmed the hire as the team prepared for Game 3 against the Nets.

Alonzo Mourning was cleared by doctors to return to the NBA next season for another comeback from kidney disease.

Colleges

Michigan State freshman forward Erazem Lorbek will forgo his final three years of college to enter the NBA draft.

Football

The Vikings locked up starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper by signing him to a 10-year, $102-million contract, according to ESPN. Culpepper's contract was to expire at the end of the upcoming season.

Golf

Nick Price watched his 40-foot putt climb a ridge and swing sharply to the left toward the hole. When it disappeared into the cup, he took off his cap in disbelief, turned to the gallery and smiled. Price needed all the help he could get to stay on top at the Wachovia Championship, finishing with a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke lead over Fred Couples and J.P. Hayes.

Rosie Jones shot a 68 to take the lead at 10-under 134 through two rounds at the Asahi Ryokuken International.

Joe Inman shot a 7-under-par 65 for a one-stroke lead over Tom Watson after the first round of the Kinko's Classic.

Tennis

Roger Federer beat Filippo Volandri 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, preventing the wild-card entry from giving the host country its first Italian Open semifinalist in 25 years. Federer's next opponent is Juan Carlos Ferrero, who defeated Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-4.

On the air

College baseball

Morehead St. at Southeast, 12:45 p.m., KGIR-1220

Golf

TGC Benson & Hedges International Open, 8:30 p.m., TGC

Wachovia Championship, 2 p.m., KFVS

Asahi Ryokuken International Championship, 2 p.m., ESPN

Kinko's Classic of Austin, 4 p.m., TGC

MLB

St. Louis at Chicago, 1:20 p.m., WDKA, KZIM-960, KBXB-97.9

San Francisco at Atlanta, 6 p.m., TBS

Chicago White Sox at Seattle, 9 p.m., WGN

Motorsports

Qualifying for Indianapolis 500, 11 a.m., ESPN, noon, WSIL, 4 p.m., ESPN, 5 p.m., ESPN2

Charter Pipeline 250, 1:30 p.m., FX, KAPE-1550, KRHW-1520

Qualifying for German 500, 3 p.m., SPEED (same-day tape)

ARCA Channel 5-205, 7 p.m., SPEED

NBA playoffsDetroit at Philadelphia, 6 p.m., ESPN

Dallas at Sacramento, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

NFL EuropeBerlin at Barcelona, noon, Fox-Midwest (same-day tape)

NHL playoffsAnaheim at Minnesota, 2 p.m., WSIL

New Jersey at Ottawa, 6 p.m., ESPN2

Soccer

LA at New England, 3 p.m., ESPN2

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 baseballMorehead State at Southeast (2), 1 p.m.

High school girls' soccerNotre Dame I-55 Tournament:Notre Dame vs. Northwest, Jackson vs.Parkway West, 9 a.m.; DuBourg vs. Poplar Bluff, Holt vs. Central, 11 a.m.; Notre Dame vs. Parkway West, Jackson vs.Northwest, 1 p.m.; Central vs. DuBourg, Poplar Bluff vs. Holt, 3 p.m.

High school baseballSt. Vincent at Crystal City, Jefferson County Conference Tournament, 10 a.m.

Central at Harrisburg, Ill., noon

East Carter County at Advance, 1 p.m.

Woodland Tournament:Bismarck vs. Oak Ridge, 9 a.m.; Leopold vs. Bismarck-Oak Ridge winner, 10:45 a.m.; Consolation championship, 12:30 p.m.; Third place, 2:15; Championship, 4 p.m.

MotorsportsKarts, micro sprints at SEMORaceway, Blodgett, 6 p.m.

Sprints, modifieds, street stocks, cruisers at Auto Tire andParts Racepark, Benton, 7 p.m.