Sports briefs 1/27/06

Basketball

• Jermaine O'Neal is expected to miss at least eight weeks with a left groin tear, leaving the Indiana Pacers without their leading scorer and rebounder.

The news came Thursday, a day after the Pacers acquired sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic from the Sacramento Kings for the volatile Ron Artest.

The Pacers described the injury as "significant," but said it was doubtful he would need surgery.

O'Neal injured his groin in the fourth quarter of Indiana's loss at Cleveland on Tuesday.

O'Neal leads the Pacers with 20.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

* The Toronto Raptors fired general manager Rob Babcock on Thursday -- just a year and a half after he was hired.

Team president and CEO Richard Peddie made the announcement a day after Toronto was routed 104-88 by the Chicago Bulls, leaving the Raptors with a 14-29 record -- fourth-worst in the league. Wayne Embry, Peddie's senior basketball advisor, will take over for Babcock on an interim basis.

Babcock made many questionable moves during his brief tenure, including receiving little in return when he traded All-Star Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets last season. His first round draft pick in the 2004 draft -- center Rafael Araujo -- has been a bust.

Football

• A gubernatorial candidate challenging pro football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann in the Republican primary fired his campaign manager after the man told a televised call-in show: "The rich white guy in this campaign is Lynn Swann."

Bill Scranton, a former lieutenant governor who is white and comes from a wealthy family, also issued an apology to Swann after his campaign manager's comments Wednesday.

Swann, a former Pittsburgh Steelers star, is seeking to become Pennsylvania's first black governor.

* Former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Terry Long committed suicide by drinking antifreeze, a revised death certificate shows, and did not die as a direct result of football-related head injuries.

The Allegheny County coroner ruled in September that Long, 45, who had attempted suicide before, had died of meningitis. The condition, a swelling of the lining of Long's brain, was caused by football-related "chronic traumatic encephalopathy," also known as "punch-drunk syndrome," said the coroner at the time, Dr. Cyril Wecht.

But a revised death certificate, which Wecht's office never publicly announced, was filed Oct. 19, listing the manner of Long's death as suicide from drinking antifreeze.

* Steve Fairchild is back with the Buffalo Bills, hired as the team's offensive coordinator Wednesday and given the task of improving one of the NFL's worst offenses.

Fairchild, who spent the past three seasons as the St. Louis Rams' offensive coordinator, broke into the NFL as the Bills' running backs coach in 2001-02.

He becomes the second assistant hired by Dick Jauron, named head coach Monday. The former Chicago Bears head coach replaced Mike Mularkey, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago.

Golf

• Ai Miyazato, who secured an LPGA tour card with a record 12-shot margin victory at last month's qualifying tournament, will play at the Fields Open in Hawaii, tournament officials said Wednesday.

The $1.1 million Fields Open is a new golf tournament to be played Feb. 23-25 at the Ko Olina Golf Club on Oahu's west coast.

Miyazato, 20, has won 12 times on the women's pro tour in her native Japan, including six times last year.

Hockey

• The Edmonton Oilers improved their defense by making two trades Thursday, acquiring Jaroslav Spacek from the Chicago Blackhawks and Dick Tarnstrom from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

-- From wire reports