Sports briefs 6/8/04

Baseball

Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra will test his ailing right Achilles' tendon today before the team decides if he can make his 2004 debut against the San Diego Padres. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said Monday that he was not ready to activate the All-Star shortstop from the disabled list. Garciaparra had just eight spring training at-bats - and no hits - when he fouled a ball off his right heel on March 17. Although the team initially expected him back for opening day, he did not return to the field until last week, when he began a rehab assignment in Triple-A. He was 5-for-12 for Pawtucket in five games against Louisville and Toledo, homering in his last at-bat on Saturday

Basketball

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Carlos Boozer has been added to the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team, an NBA source told The Associated Press on Monday. Boozer accepted an invitation from USA Basketball and will join Cleveland teammate LeBron James on the ever-changing roster for this summer's games in Athens, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another source with knowledge of Boozer's invitation said an official announcement was expected later this week. In his second year in the league, Boozer emerged as one of the Eastern Conference's top power forwards this season. Boozer averaged 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds for the Cavs.

The Toronto Raptors hired Rob Babcock on to be the team's general manager, a month after they declined to give him the job. The Raptors have been looking for a general manager since firing Glen Grunwald on April 1. He was replaced on an interim basis by Jack McCloskey, who favored Babcock from the start. Babcock spent the last two seasons as the top assistant to Minnesota Timberwolves' general manager Kevin McHale.

The overnight ratings for Detroit's 87-75 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night were up 43 percent from last season's Game 1. ABC's coverage of the game drew an 11.6 rating with an 18 share. That's better than all six of the games in last year's final when San Antonio beat New Jersey. Game 1 last year had an 8.1 rating with a 13 share.

Tennis

Former Wimbledon quarterfinalists Jan-Michael Gambill and Greg Rusedski lost in the first round of the Queen's Club grass-court tournament Monday. Gambill was beaten by big-serving Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), while Rusedski was eliminated by Hyung-Taik Lee 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

-- From wire reports