Sports briefs 1/14/04

Baseball

Montreal Expos minor leaguer Terrmel Sledge is the second player on a major league roster to test positive for steroids. He was banned from international competition for two years. Sledge, 26, who flunked the test during a U.S. Olympic training camp in October, does not face any sanctions from Major League Baseball.

Basketball

Washington Wizards forward Christian Laettner was suspended for five games Tuesday for violating the NBA's drug policy. The suspension, without pay, began with Tuesday night's home game against Houston. The 6-foot-11 Laettner is in his 12th season out of Duke. He is averaging 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Wizards (10-25), who are sixth in the seven-team Atlantic Division.

Jayson Williams' manslaughter trial began Tuesday with jury selection for a case in which the former NBA All-Star is accused of fatally shooting a limo driver and trying to cover it up. His defense team has maintained the shooting was accidental.

Kobe Bryant is expected to miss at least five games and could be sidelined for several weeks with a sprained right shoulder. The Los Angeles Lakers' star was injured when he was fouled by Kedrick Brown late in the first quarter of a 89-79 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.

The Chicago Bulls activated Scottie Pippen Tuesday, a month after he had surgery on his left knee. Pippen was originally expected to be out six to eight weeks after doctors discovered a torn meniscus during surgery.

College

New Nebraska coach Bill Callahan took firm control by firing seven assistants, including Bo Pelini, who led the Cornhuskers to victory in the Alamo Bowl as interim coach. Callahan, hired last week to replace the fired Frank Solich, met with Nebraska's assistants Monday to deliver the news. All that remains of Solich's staff is quarterbacks coach Turner Gill and recruiting coordinator Scott Downing.

Missouri women's basketball coach Cindy Stein said two players will be suspended indefinitely for their role in a fight after a home game against Kansas. Stein identified MyEsha Perkins as one of the players who will be suspended, and indirectly identified the second player, Christelle N'Garsanet, who was thrown to the floor by a Kansas player.

Football

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Greg Robinson resigned Tuesday, two days after an embarrassing playoff loss to Indianapolis. The embattled Robinson, who also came under fire from critics a year ago, said he told coach Dick Vermeil after Sunday's 38-31 playoff loss to Indianapolis that he would resign if Vermeil thought it was in the team's best interests. The Chiefs' defense finished 32nd in the 32-team NFL a year ago, but was thought to be significantly improved for this year. But while the Chiefs raced to a 9-0 start and the offense finished No. 1 in the league in scoring and No. 2 in total offense, the defense was 29th overall.

Tennis

French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero was upset by Australian teen Chris Guccione 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the first round of the Adidas International. Guccione is ranked 447th, Ferrero third.-- From wire reports