Sports digest 4/3/02

Boxing

Mills Lane, who has refereed some of boxing's biggest fights, was hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a stroke. Friends said the 64-year-old Lane was found unconscious in his home Monday morning and was taken to St. Mary's Regional Medical Center. Lane suffered speech loss and weakness in his right side and was listed in stable condition.

Lane, a former district judge, gained national attention when he disqualified Mike Tyson for biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997.

Colleges

The University of Tampa has been placed on probation for a year and its women's soccer team banned from postseason play because its founding coach improperly paid players' tuition and violated recruiting rules, the NCAA said.

Hockey

Jeremy Roenick, the Flyers' second-leading scorer, returned to the lineup against Boston after missing seven games with a partial tear of his right ACL.

Roenick was hurt after a hard hip check by Ben Clymer in the second period of a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 18. He was expected to miss up to four weeks.

Miscellaneous

Bob Costas is expanding his role at HBO under a multiyear contract that includes appearances on "Inside the NFL." HBO declined comment. However, the cable network did announce that it will hold a news conference today, but wouldn't say why.

Costas, a 12-time Sports Emmy winner who joined HBO a year ago for his show "On the Record," couldn't be reached for comment.

-- From wire reports