Sports briefs 12/30/03

Baseball

George Steinbrenner was back at home Monday recovering from a fainting spell, feeling well enough to crack jokes about it. "I really didn't faint. I was practicing my slide into second base," the New York Yankees' owner said in a statement. Steinbrenner, 73, collapsed Saturday at a church service in Sarasota for football great Otto Graham.

College

Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, who scored 23 points against Iowa last week, was named Big 12 player of the week on Monday. Emmett, of Dallas, was 9-of-15 from the field against the Big Ten's Hawkeyes. He had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals during the game, in which he played all 40 minutes for the fifth time this season. Emmett leads the Big 12 in scoring at 21.4 points per game. It was the second time this season Emmett has been named the Big 12 player of the week.

Football

Dave McGinnis, Gregg Williams and Dick Jauron learned Monday just how precarious NFL head coaching positions are. All three were fired the day after disappointing seasons ended with losing records. McGinnis was released by the Arizona Cardinals after going 4-12. The Buffalo Bills let go of Williams after a 6-10 record, while the Chicago Bears dismissed Jauron, who was 7-9 this season. The three firings Monday meant five head coaches are out of work: Dan Reeves was fired by Atlanta and Jim Fassel by the New York Giants during the season.

Miami Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt was given a two-year contract extension Monday, but will lose control over player personnel decisions. After missing the playoffs for the second straight year despite a 10-6 record, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga decided to keep Wannstedt and hire a general manager to handle roster decisions. Miami is 41-23 in Wannstedt's four seasons, with just one playoff victory.

-- From wire reports