Sports briefs 2/1/05

Baseball

* Barry Bonds is expected to miss much of spring training following minor arthroscopic surgery Monday on his right knee.

The seven-time NL MVP had a "minor arthritis cleanup," the San Francisco Giants said in statement. Dr. Arthur Ting also repaired a small tear in Bonds' meniscus.

Bonds, who had a similar surgery on his left knee in October, will begin six weeks of rehabilitation Tuesday, and the Giants expect him to return to full strength by opening day.

Bonds, 40, has 703 career homers. He trails only Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).

* A group from Northern Virginia became the latest to submit an application to buy the Washington Nationals, just beating the Monday deadline set by Major League Baseball.

At least five other applicants have been confirmed or reported as potential ownership groups who paid the required $100,000 fee to enter the bidding for the former Montreal Expos, who were purchased by baseball's other 29 teams three years ago.

Colleges

* Illinois was No. 1 in The Associated Press' college basketball poll for the ninth straight week Monday, and for the first time the Illini were a unanimous choice.

An impressive win at Wisconsin and a home victory over Minnesota kept the Illini (21-0) unbeaten. Unlike last week when they received all but one first-place votes from the national media panel, the Illini were No. 1 on all 72 ballots.

They are the first unanimous No. 1 since Duke did it for nine polls in a 10-week span in 2001-02. The Illini's nine-week run at No. 1 is the longest since Connecticut was there for 10 weeks in 1998-99.

Boston College (18-0), the only other unbeaten team in Division I, jumped from eighth to No. 5, the highest ranking in school history.

Maryland and Villanova moved into the rankings Monday.

* Rick Neuheisel became defensive and was "playing dodgeball" when initially questioned by NCAA investigators about gambling on college basketball games, his lawyer told jurors Monday as testimony began in the former Washington football coach's lawsuit.

In opening statements, Neuheisel lawyer Bob Sulkin said his client was set up by NCAA officials seeking to make an example of him. Neuheisel is suing the NCAA and the university, alleging he was wrongly fired.

Golf

* One day after winning the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open, Scott Draper failed to qualify Monday for the Heineken Classic golf tournament.

Draper earned his Australasian PGA Tour card last December and has planned a tennis-golf schedule this year.

He shot a par-72 at Kingston Heath, but that wasn't good enough to join a field that features Ernie Els, Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie. Draper missed the cut in last week's Victoria Open, shooting an opening 79 on the same day he and Samantha Stosur won their mixed doubles semifinal.

Draper decided to pursue golf after persistent knee injuries restricted his tennis schedule the past few years.