Saturday FanFare 5/31/03

Briefly

Baseball

Outfielder Jermaine Dye was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Friday by Oakland, which optioned catcher Mark Johnson to Triple-A Sacramento. Dye had been on the disabled list since April 25 because of torn cartilage in his right knee.

Sammy Sosa was activated from the 15-day disabled list after having a nail removed from his big right toe and missing 17 games. After Sosa went on the DL on May 10, the first-place Cubs went 10-7 in his absence. This was Sosa's first trip to the DL since 1996 and the fourth of his 15-year career.

David Cone stood just inside the Mets' clubhouse, personally delivering the news as his teammates trickled in. It was time to say goodbye. Dressed in a business suit and still looking boyishly young despite a hint of gray around the temples, Cone retired.

Red Sox pitching coach Tony Cloninger, undergoing chemotherapy to treat bladder cancer, didn't make the trip to Toronto because of the SARS scare. Cloninger, 62, and the Red Sox medical staff agreed that he shouldn't make the trip, a Red Sox spokesperson said.

Basketball

First Michael Jordan, now Doug Collins. And if Wizards fans don't like it, they can get their money back. Collins was fired as the Wizards' coach, three weeks after Jordan was shown the door by owner Abe Pollin. The widely expected move happened sooner than expected -- Pollin originally had pledged to let Jordan's yet-to-be-hired replacement decide Collins' fate.

The Lakers, without indicating which teams are involved, said they have denied requests from other NBA franchises to speak with general manager Mitch Kupchak.

Colleges

Illinois basketball guard Luther Head was recovering at his Chicago home Friday after surgery designed to ease abdominal pain that has bothered him throughout his college career. Head, who will be a junior next season, has been bothered by what's commonly called a "sports hernia" since he was a freshman.

Miami and the ACC traded questions and answers during a visit by conference officials that perhaps moved the Hurricanes a step closer to leaving the Big East. ACC commissioner John Swofford refused to put a timetable on Miami's decision, but said it could be made in two weeks.

Hockey

Hockey Hall of Famer Gordie Howe was being treated in a local hospital's cardiac unit, a Red Wings spokesman said. Howe, 75, went to the hospital after complaining of discomfort, spokesman John Hahn said. The longtime Red Wings star was undergoing tests Friday evening.

Motorsports

Ryan Newman solidified his reputation as the fastest driver in NASCAR by winning his fourth pole of the season in qualifying at Dover International Speedway.

Tennis

For the past year, Serena Williams has been winning every Grand Slam match. Now she's winning every game. The defending champion routed Barbara Schett 6-0, 6-0, needing just 40 minutes to finish her third-round match at the French Open. Given the way Williams played, maybe fellow American Meghann Shaughnessy caught a break by losing to No. 16-seeded Ai Sugiyama, 6-1, 6-4. Sugiyama faces Williams next. On the men's side, Andre Agassi improved to 10-0 in major events this year by beating No. 26 Xavier Malisse 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. The stylish Malisse lost despite hitting 13 aces and 55 winners.

Verbatim

Sportspickle.com, dropping the other shoe on LeBron James' $90 million endorsement deal with Nike: "The company followed the James win hours later by inking Santoso Praman, an 8-year-old Indonesian boy, to a $9-per-year contract to work at its sweatshop outside of Jakarta."