Cubs' Prior to make 1st start of season

Baseball

Mark Prior will make his first start of the season today in Chicago against the Detroit Tigers after missing the first 2 1/2 months with a strained shoulder. ``It's been a long, hard road, but I'm glad that Mark's getting back on the mound," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. ``Hopefully, we can keep him on the mound all year long." Already on a slower-paced program to avoid the elbow problems he experienced the previous two springs, Prior strained a muscle in his right shoulder in March and began the season on the disabled list for the third straight year . . . The New York Mets placed left fielder Cliff Floyd on the disabled list because of a sprained left ankle. Floyd was injured June 6 at Los Angeles running the bases in the top of the second inning and had to be helped off the field. His DL assignment is retroactive to June 7 . . . Aaron Small, struggling this season after going 10-0 last year, was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees, who recalled pitcher T.J. Beam from Triple A Columbus. If Small clears waivers, he will join Columbus. ``We just feel he's more suited to be a starter," manager Joe Torre said. ``At this point in time, we need relievers." . . . Ron Calloway drove in three runs and sparked a ninth-inning rally with a two-run single to lead the Pawtucket Red Sox to an 11-7 victory over host Richmond.

Rice's Eddie Degerman lost his no-hit bid -- and his lead -- in the seventh inning, but the second-seeded Owls came back to beat Georgia, 6-4, in the College World Series in Omaha. After the Owls' 2-0 lead became a 4-2 deficit, they rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to win for the 38th time in 41 games. Joe Savery, who went 3 for 3, put the Owls in front again with a two-run single. Rice (56-11) advanced to tomorrow's game against Miami, which beat Oregon State, 11-1. Georgia (47-22) will play a Bracket 2 elimination game against Oregon State . . . Houston's Brad Lincoln, one of the top two-way college baseball players in the country, was named winner of the Dick Howser Trophy, the Heisman Trophy of baseball. The righthander was 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA, and struck out 152 in 127 2/3 innings for the Cougars. He was one of the team's top hitters, with a .295 batting average, 14 home runs, and a team-leading 53 RBIs.

Basketball

Colorado guard Richard Roby will return to the team next season instead of testing the NBA draft. ``I felt it was the best decision for me," Roby said in a statement released by the school. ``I'm not a gambling man and I know coming back for my junior year can help me be a better player and show my leadership." Although the 6-foot-6-inch, 195-pound shooting guard participated in a number of NBA predraft camps, he did not hire an agent and therefore retained his eligibility . . . UCLA guard Arron Afflalo also withdrew from the NBA draft, allowing him to return for his junior season. Jordan Farmar, the other half of the Bruins' star backcourt, declared for the draft the same day in April as Afflalo. Neither player signed with an agent, so Farmar is eligible to return, too. ``He's still formulating his decision," coach Ben Howland said . . . Villanova's Kyle Lowry believes he doesn't need two more seasons with the Wildcats to get ready for the NBA. And the point guard doesn't need a diploma to know the smart decision was to build off the buzz now of a solid sophomore year. Lowry's decision to remain in the NBA draft and forgo his final two years of eligibility was not exactly a surprise for the Wildcats. Lowry is projected as a late first- or early second-round draft pick because of his unique ability to rebound and defend well with his speedy 6-foot frame . . . The University of New Orleans hired Brent ``Buzz" Williams as its men's head coach. The 33-year-old Williams spent the past two years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M.

Tennis

Roger Federer moved into the final of the Gerry Weber Open with a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 victory over sixth-seeded Tommy Haas in Halle, Germany. The three-time Wimbledon champion will play Tomas Berdych in the final. Berdych beat Kristof Vliegen, 6-3, 6-2, in the other semifinal . . . James Blake beat defending champion Andy Roddick, 7-5, 6-4, in London and advanced to the Queen's Club final against Lleyton Hewitt. Hewitt won his semifinal match earlier in the grass-court tournament, beating Tim Henman, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 . . . Maria Sharapova was upset by 81st-ranked Jamea Jackson, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals of the DFS Classic in Birmingham, England, just the fourth loss in 37 matches on grass for the top seed. Jackson will play Vera Zvonareva, a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 winner over qualifier Meilen Tu in the other semifinal . . . Bill Moffitt, the father of tennis star Billie Jean King and former major league pitcher Randy Moffitt, has died at his home in Prescott, Ariz. He was 88.

Miscellany

Ricky Williams needed a little time to get going in his CFL debut. After gaining 8 yards in the first half, the former Dolphins running back finished with 97 yards on 18 carries in the Toronto Argonauts' 27-17 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the regular-season opener for both teams. The Argos, especially in the first half, seemed content to use Williams as a decoy rather than a ballcarrier. The former Heisman Trophy winner had three carries, and two catches for 24 yards in the half. In the fourth quarter, with Toronto protecting a 24-17 lead, he had 11 carries for 72 yards, including a 35-yard run after rookie Jermaine Mays's interception put the Argos at their 20-yard line . . . Henrik Nystrom of Sweden shot a 3-under-par 68 to retain his two-shot lead after the third round of the Saint-Omer (France) Open.