Sports briefs 5/1/04

Baseball

X-rays on the bat of Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell showed no cork. Burrell had his bat confiscated Thursday by St. Louis manager Tony La Russa.

The Arizona Diamondbacks played Friday in their first game without injured All-Star first baseman Richie Sexson, who was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a shoulder injury.

The Chicago Cubs on Friday purchased the contract of veteran left-hander Glendon Rusch from Triple-A Iowa. Rusch signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent on April 1 after spending the majority of spring training with the Texas Rangers as a non-roster invitee. In four starts at Iowa, Rusch was 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA with 16 strikeouts and one walk. To make room for Rusch, the Cubs sent Michael Wuertz to Iowa.

The man who ran onto the field at a Chicago White Sox game with his son and attacked a Kansas City Royals coach has been charged with felony burglary, and prosecutors are asking a judge to revoke his probation. William Ligue Jr., 35, of Alsip, Ill., was arrested about 2:30 a.m. Thursday. Ligue broke into a car parked in the Chicago suburb of Harvey, police said.

Basketball

Denver Nuggets rookie forward Carmelo Anthony missed Friday night's playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a sprained left knee. Anthony said the decision was made after the team's morning shootaround. "It doesn't feel normal," he said in the Nuggets' locker room before Game 5. Denver trailed the series with Minnesota 3-1 heading into the game.

Kobe Bryant acknowledged Friday that his legal problems will probably prevent him from playing in this summer's Olympic Games. Bryant's agent released a statement saying the Los Angeles Lakers' star informed USA Basketball it is unlikely he'll be able to compete due to scheduling conflicts concerning his sexual assault charge in Colorado. But Bryant hopes to keep the door open concerning participation in the Games, to be held Aug. 13-29 in Athens.

Football

A public memorial service has been scheduled Monday in California for former Arizona Cardinals player Pat Tillman, who was killed in combat in Afghanistan. The afternoon service will be held in Tillman's hometown of San Jose, Calif., at the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. The Tillman family on Friday also announced the creation of the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Golf

On her last day as a 17-year-old, Aree Song surged into position to become the youngest winner ever on the LPGA Tour, shooting a 6-under 66 Friday for a share of the lead at the midway point of the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship. Song was tied with Lorie Kane at 9-under 135 after two rounds.

Triathlon

The organizer of the Ironhorse Triathlon in Springfield, Ill., said a lack of interest among competitors has prompted him to cancel this year's event. The number of registrants was low because of other races across the Midwest on the same weekend, including one in Chicago and another in St. Louis, organizer Paul McDevitt said in a statement on the triathlon's Web site. The event once attracted nearly 1,000 competitors when it became a qualifying race for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. But the race became less popular in recent years; last year about 400 people competed.

The race has had problems other than competition. In 1998, some participants contracted leptospirosis, a rare bacterial illness, from swimming in Lake Springfield. The swimming portion was canceled the next year. The event returned to a triathlon format in 2000 and 2001, but the swimming leg was canceled in 2002 because of rising E. coli bacteria levels in the lake.

-- From staff reports