Saturday FanFare 7/19/03

Briefly

Baseball

Northern Virginia's attempt to land a major league baseball team was dealt a serious blow when Arlington County said it will not build a pro baseball stadium. Northern Virginia is competing with Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore., to be the new home for the Expos, who are owned by major league baseball. The team is playing part of its home schedule this year in Puerto Rico while the league attempts to find the club a permanent home.

Right-hander Jeff Allison agreed to contract terms with the Marlins Friday and will turn pro rather than attend the University of Arizona. Allison went 8-0 and didn't allow an earned run in 63 1-3 innings this season as a high school senior in Peabody, Mass. He was the 16th player taken in last month's draft.

Kansas City placed third baseman Joe Randa on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique muscle. The move was retroactive to July 8. The Royals also purchased the contract of Travis Dawkins from Triple-A Omaha.

Devil Rays designated hitter Ben Grieve was hospitalized after tests found a small blood clot in his right upper arm. A team spokesman said Grieve was in good condition at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg and would be held overnight. He will be re-evaluated today. After the Devil Rays beat the Rangers 2-0, Grieve was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Outfielder Matt Diaz was called up from Triple-A Durham.

Basketball

Seven-time NBA rebounding champion Dennis Rodman wants to make another comeback. Seriously. "It has been two years going nuts, partying, and in the last four months I've lost 18 pounds and I am getting mentally prepared to return to the NBA," Rodman said at a news conference. "This is no hoax, this is real. I want to perform like I did in those Chicago days." The controversial 6-foot-8 forward hasn't played since being released by the Dallas Mavericks after a 13-game stint late in the 1999-2000 season.

The Clippers notified the agent of All-Star forward Elton Brand that they intend to match the Heat's six-year, $82.2-million offer sheet. The Los Angeles Times reports that Brand will be returning to the Clippers for a third season. Last year, the 24-year-old forward led the Clippers with an average of 18.5 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per contest.

Colleges

A handgun was found at an apartment complex where a Baylor basketball player lived, and police are investigating whether it is related to the disappearance of a teammate, authorities said. Waco police Sgt. Ryan Holt said a maintenance worker at the apartment complex found the gun Thursday and turned it in to police. Holt said detectives are tracking the serial number to see if the gun was one of the weapons purchased by Patrick Dennehy, who has been missing since mid-June, or any of his friends. The gun was found at apartment complex where Harvey Thomas, who recently transferred from Fredericksburg, Va., to play basketball for Baylor, lived.

A Northwestern University doctor admitted burning records of a physical he gave Rashidi Wheeler three weeks before the football player died during a 2001 training drill, according to lawyers present at the doctor's deposition. His attorney, Richard Donohue, said the doctor destroyed the records days after Wheeler's death and then checked himself into a hospital.

Season football ticket sales for Missouri are ahead of last year's pace, with some experts placing the Tigers in their preseason Top 25 and quarterback Brad Smith among contenders for the Heisman Trophy. About 1,000 more season tickets have been sold this year than at the same time last year, said marketing director Frank Cuervo. He said Missouri is on pace to record its highest sales since 2000.

Football

The Bears and wide receiver Justin Gage, the team's fifth-round pick from Missouri, agreed to a four-year contract. Gage is the fifth of the Bears' 12 draft picks to agree to terms.

Hockey

Left wing Tyson Nash, who was acquired by the Coyotes last month, signed a one-year contract. Nash, 28, was obtained from the Blues for a fifth-round pick in a draft day trade.