Sports briefs 6/23/04

Baseball

Suspended top draft pick Matt Bush allegedly bit one of the bouncers who tried to escort the San Diego Padres' prospect out of a bar, police said Tuesday. Following his arrest early Sunday in Peoria, Ariz., Bush was suspended indefinitely by the team. The Padres gave the 18-year-old shortstop a $3.15 million signing bonus after picking him No. 1 overall out of a San Diego high school on June 7. Bush was arrested for investigation of felony assault, and faces misdemeanor charges of trespass and disorderly conduct. Bush was also cited for underage drinking, said Jay Davies, a spokesman for the Peoria Police Department.

n The bat Babe Ruth used to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium more than 80 years ago will be put up for auction in October. The bat is expected to be sold for a seven-figure sum. The only two other pieces of sports memorabilia to eclipse $1 million have been the Honus Wagner T-206 card and Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball. The sale possibly could exceed the original cost to build Yankee Stadium -- $2.5 million. The public auction, by SportsCards Plus, will be held Oct. 4 in Manhattan. The bat made its public debut last August at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemount, Ill. The historic homer came in the third inning on April 18, 1923, against the Boston Red Sox before a crowd of 74,000, with nearly 25,000 more fans turned away. Ruth lined a shot into the right-field bleachers, a three-run homer that led the Yankees to a 4-1 victory, prompting sports writer Fred Lieb to dub the new park, "The House That Ruth Built."

Jose Contreras' family defected from Cuba this week, and the New York Yankees pitcher left the team Tuesday and traveled to Miami to reunite with his wife and two daughters.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Barbara Gonzalez said she did not know details on how the family got out of Cuba.

The family was put in ICE custody by the border patrol early Tuesday and released around 4 p.m., she said.

"It's spectacular news," Yankees manager Joe Torre said before Tuesday night's game at Baltimore.

Contreras, the former star on Cuba's national team, defected in 2002. Nicaragua twice granted Contreras' family visas, but the Cuban government denied permission for his relatives to leave the island.

Basketball

n Gary Payton will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers next season, exercising a $5.4 million option despite struggling throughout his first year with the team. Payton's decision assures the Lakers of having at least one of their four stars back next season. Payton joined the Lakers last summer, taking a huge pay cut in hopes of winning the first championship of his career. But the Lakers were beaten in five games by the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, and Payton struggled -- shooting 9-of-28 and averaging 4.2 points. He averaged 14.6 points -- his lowest since the 1992-93 season -- and a career-low 4.2 assists in the regular season and 7.8 points and 5.3 assists in the playoffs. He averaged 18.3 points over his first 13 seasons.