Sports digest 3/12/02

AREA

SOUTHEAST BASEBALL FINALLY RETURNS TO HOME FIELD TODAY

Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team hopes to finally play its first home game at 2 p.m. today when Evansville visits Capaha Field.

The Indians (3-6) had a scheduled three-game home series against Northern Iowa wiped out because of bad weather early this month.

Southeast, which had Tuesday's scheduled doubleheader at Lipscomb rained out, has won three of its last four games.

Senior second baseman Clemente Bonilla recently became the Indians' all-time leader in career assists with 345 and tied the Ohio Valley Conference record for career walks with 167.

Evansville was 5-4 prior to a scheduled game Tuesday at St. Louis.

Southeast tennis team opens OVC season today

Southeast's women's tennis squad will open its OVC scheduled today with a 2 p.m. match at Murray State.

The Otahkians, who went winless in the conference last season, are 0-2 overall. The Racers are 5-4.

ELSEWHERE

BASKETBALL

Shaquille O'Neal, who led the Lakers to NBA championships the last two years, says he'll likely undergo surgery on his ailing arthritic right big toe after the season. It ccould cause him to miss some playing time next season.

Speaking before the Lakers faced the Charlotte Hornets, O'Neal pegged the possibility he'd have surgery at over 80 percent.

Football

La'Roi Glover, the NFL sack leader in 2000, is now a Cowboy, the biggest-name free agent signed by Dallas since Deion Sanders seven years ago. Glover, who slipped from 17 sacks to eight last season, signed with the Cowboys after being cut by the Saints for salary cap reasons. It was one of three moves made by NFL teams.

New England signed the tall wide receiver it felt it needs, adding 6-foot-4 Donald Hayes. He provides an option to Troy Brown and David Patten, both 5-10, the starters on New England's Super Bowl winner last season.

And New Orleans re-signed kicker John Carney and signed cornerback Dale Carter and wide receiver Jake Reed from Minnesota.

Tennis

Andre Agassi, last weekend's winner in Arizona and the defending champion in the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, Calif., made a quick exit when he lost his opening match to Michel Kratochvil. Kratochvil won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6), dropping Agassi's record in tiebreakers this year to 1-6 -- which also accounts for the only sets he's lost.

-- From staff, wire reports