Sports briefs 7/14/04

Baseball

Baseball fans can sue if they are injured by a foul ball around the concession areas in New Jersey's minor league ballparks. The state appeals court overturned an earlier ruling Monday, allowing a Newark man who was hit in the face by a ball while at a concession stand to sue the Newark Bears and the food service company at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium. The appellate panel said that while fans who attend sporting events assume some risk of balls flying into the stands, that standard should not apply while they are at concession areas. The judges said fans in those areas should have more protection because they can "let down their guard." Louis Maisonave, 46, had a bone in his face broken when he was struck by a ball during a Bears game on Aug. 26, 1999, while standing in front of a vending cart.

Basketball

Kobe Bryant wasn't tipping his hand Tuesday night as the clock ticked down on the final hours of the NBA's two-week moratorium on trades and free agent signings. Eager to learn his choice but uncertain when that decision might come, the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers awaited word from Bryant or one of his agents. Both clubs made formal presentations to the free agent guard on Monday night. The end of the moratorium was to coincide with the league releasing the new salary cap figure for the 2004-05 season, an announcement that will impact the size of Bryant's new contract -- and those of several other free agents. Bryant will be eligible to receive a starting salary equal to 30 percent of the cap, which was $43.84 million last season.

Point guard Troy Hudson and the Minnesota Timberwolves have tentatively agreed on a multiyear contract, his agent said Tuesday. Hudson was Minnesota's top free-agent priority, even though a severely sprained ankle limited him to 29 games last season and kept him out of the playoffs. The deal is believed to be guaranteed for five years and worth up to $37 million over six years if Hudson plays in enough games. Hudson, who played college basketball at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., averaged 14.2 points in the 2002-03 season, his first with the Wolves after bouncing around the CBA and with three other NBA clubs.

College

One of Kansas State's two quarterback football recruits has failed to qualify academically and has started classes at Dodge City Community College. Nick Patton, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback from Winfield, Kan., was expected to battle with fellow Kansas State recruit Allan Evridge from Papillion, Neb., for the No. 3 spot. Dylan Meier and Allen Webb are fighting for the top job. Patton touched off an attorney general's office investigation earlier this year at the University of Iowa. He said that while on a recruiting trip to Iowa, he had consensual sex with a college student and believed it was set up by other players or football staff. He later recanted his story and the attorney general determined his claim had no merit.

n Miami Hurricanes cornerback Antrel Rolle was suspended indefinitely Tuesday by coach Larry Coker after being charged this weekend with battery on a police officer. According to a police complaint, Rolle was involved in a fight in a street near campus early Sunday morning and resisted arrest, cursing and swinging his arms in an attempt to free himself and forcing officers to call for backup help. Along with the felony charge, Rolle was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence, both misdemeanors.

Motorsports

NASCAR on Tuesday fined Kasey Kahne's crew chief $10,000 and put him on probation for his role in a fight in Tony Stewart's pit during the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway last weekend. NASCAR fined Tommy Baldwin $5,000 for violating a rule prohibiting altercations in another team's pit area. He was fined $5,000 for not controlling other team members and was placed on probation until Dec. 31. The fight in Stewart's pit Sunday happened after Stewart, running third, bumped Kahne, the race leader, on a restart midway through Sunday's race. Kahne spun headfirst into the wall, putting him out of the race. Baldwin and his crew went to Stewart's pit, where a heated discussion turned into a shoving match. Only Baldwin was penalized by NASCAR.