Sports briefs 11/20/03

Baseball

Ken Brett, brother of Hall of Famer George Brett and the youngest World Series pitcher in history, is dead after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 53.

Brett pitched 14 years in the major leagues, going 83-85 with a 3.93 ERA. He also hit .262 with 10 homers.

Brett was 19 years, 1 month when he pitched 1 1-3 scoreless innings for the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Free-agent outfielder Raul Ibanez agreed to a $13.25 million, three-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. Ibanez, who came up in Seattle's system but saw limited action with the Mariners from 1996-2000, blossomed over the past two years in Kansas City.

College

The University of Arizona is close to hiring a new football coach, and Oklahoma associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has emerged as the leading candidate.

Stoops, younger brother of Sooners' head coach Bob Stoops, was interviewed in Oklahoma last Thursday by members of the search committee. Another interview is scheduled this weekend.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber has benched two players for the first two games of the season and a third for four games for violating unspecified team rules. Junior Luther Head and redshirt freshman Aaron Spears already had sat out Illinois' two exhibition games, so their suspensions will total four games. Freshman Richard McBride's suspension will begin with Saturday's season opener against Western Illinois.

Football

The fiancee of Cleveland Browns running back William Green was arrested Wednesday night on charges she stabbed him in the back.

Green sustained a puncture wound under his left shoulder blade during a fight at his suburban Westlake home, police said. Asia Gray, who earlier in the day made an emergency call to police saying Green had cut himself, was arrested for felonious assault and domestic violence. Gray, 22, who has had two children with Green, is being held in city jail pending an arraignment in Rocky River Municipal Court. No bond has been set.

Hockey

Pat Ginnell, 66, a scout with the St. Louis Blues since 1984 who helped discover defenseman Barret Jackman and longtime enforcer Tony Twist, has died.-- From wire reports