Sports digest 4/7/05

Baseball

George Bamberger, a former major league pitcher who managed Milwaukee's "Bambi's Bombers" teams in the late 1970s, died of cancer. He was 80. Bamberger, who also managed the New York Mets, died Sunday at home in North Redington Beach, Fla., according to Garden Sanctuary Funeral Home and Cemetery in Seminole.

One of the bats Joe DiMaggio used when he set the longest hitting streak in major league history is up for sale. MastroNet Inc., a Chicago-based Sports and Americana auction house, began taking bids Monday on DiMaggio's bat. The bat, one of three known to be used during the 56-game streak, was found 60 years after a former teammate stored it in the attic of his mother's home in Ohio. Tommy Henrich's daughter, Patricia, found the bat when preparing the family home for sale. Henrich was DiMaggio's teammate on the New York Yankees, and was given the bat as a gift soon after DiMaggio set the record in 1941. Doug Allen, president of MastroNet, calls the recent find one of the great treasures of baseball memorabilia. Letters of authenticity originate from Tommy Henrich and are provided by two bat experts. The bidding opened at $20,000 and ends April 23.

Basketball

Jason Kidd, who missed nine games with a bone bruise in his left knee, was activated Tuesday night by the New Jersey Nets. Kidd was not in the starting lineup against the Milwaukee Bucks. He last played March 18 in an 89-71 loss to the Detroit Pistons

College

Former BYU coach LaVell Edwards and Penn State star Lydell Mitchell were among 14 players and coaches selected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Former coach George Welsh also will be inducted along with punter Ray Guy of Southern Mississippi, defensive back Jack Tatum of Ohio State, running back Bob P. Anderson of Army, nose guard Tony Casillas of Oklahoma, linebacker Frank Emanuel of Tennessee, guard-linebacker Wayne Harris of Arkansas, quarterback Joe Kapp of California, tight end James Mandich of Michigan, quarterback Andre Ware of Houston, defensive tackle Tracy Rocker of Auburn, and tight end Charles Young of Southern California. They will be inducted during an awards dinner in New York on Dec. 7.

University of Colorado receiver and world champion skier Jeremy Bloom takes his high-profile case against the NCAA back to court today. The 22-year-old Bloom wants a three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals to force the NCAA to allow him to play football and accept endorsements for his freestyle skiing career at the same time. The NCAA says its rules allow student-athletes to earn a salary as a professional athlete in a different sport, but clearly prohibit earning any endorsement money.

Hockey

Something finally went right for the Washington Capitals: They won the NHL's draft lottery. The Capitals, coming off their worst season in 26 years, leaped ahead of Pittsburgh and Chicago to gain this year's No. 1 overall draft pick at Tuesday's lottery in New York. The consensus prospect for the top selection is Russian forward Alexander Ovechkin, who has evoked comparisons to Pittsburgh great Mario Lemieux. The draft is June 26-27 in Raleigh, N.C.

Tennis

Martina Navratilova lost her first singles appearance in the United States in more than 10 years, falling to Milagros Sequera 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 at the Bausch & Lomb Championships. The 47-year-old Navratilova, impressive in the first set, lost the last four games of the second, and lost her serve twice to fall behind 3-0 in the third. She rallied to 3-2 down, but was broken again in the seventh game. Sequera was a last minute replacement for Kristina Brandi of Puerto Rico, who withdrew because of a left foot injury.

-- From wire reports