Dodgers' Schmidt set to finally return

Baseball
Jason Schmidt, the Dodgers' primary offseason pitching addition, will return from a nearly seven-week layoff because of an inflamed right shoulder to start Tuesday night in San Diego. The Dodgers made the decision to return Schmidt to their rotation after he threw six shutout innings last week in a rehabilitation start, then followed that with an impressive bullpen session yesterday in Pittsburgh . . . Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz's scheduled start today was pushed back to Tuesday because of discomfort in his right shoulder and an injured right pinkie . . . Chris Smith pitched five scoreless innings and retired the final 14 batters he faced as the host Portland Sea Dogs earned a doubleheader split with the Connecticut Defenders, 7-0. Clay Buchholz tossed a three-hitter and had 11 strikeouts, but the Sea Dogs lost the opener, 1-0.

Football

Ron Burton, Ben Coates, and Stanley Morgan were named finalists for the Patriots' Hall of Fame. One of the three will be inducted, with fans to decide the honor via online voting (starting tomorrow on Patriots.com). Running back Burton played for the team from 1960-65, collecting 1,536 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Coates, a tight end, played for the Patriots from 1991-99. In 142 games, he totaled 490 receptions for 5,471 yards and 50 touchdowns. Morgan played wide receiver for the Patriots from 1977-89 and caught 534 career passes, a franchise record that stood for 17 years.

MIKE REISS

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau was arrested at his home in Zionsville, Ind., and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Police found liquor being served at Trudeau's home for a high school graduation party, a release from the Boone County Sheriff's department said. Trudeau played for the Colts from 1986-93 . . . As part of a charity promotion, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson has agreed to race a horse. A 4-year-old colt named Restore the Road will race Johnson on the turf at River Downs Saturday. The horse will run 1 furlong -- an eighth of a mile -- while Johnson covers half that distance. The money will go to coach Marvin Lewis's foundation and Feed The Children.

Cycling

Floyd Landis rode in the Teva Mountain Games, a nice little race on a mountain bike in Vail, Colo. The Tour de France champion entered the event to raise money for charity. He finished an unofficial 49th, nearly 25 minutes behind the first-place finisher in a two-hour grind through the mountains . . . Italian Danilo Di Luca retained the overall lead and Paolo Savoldelli won the 20th stage individual time trial of the Giro d'Italia. Savoldelli completed the 26.7-mile course from Bardolino to Verona in 52 minutes 20 seconds. Di Luca leads Andy Schleck by 1:55 in overall standings going into today's final leg.

Colleges

The Brown baseball team was eliminated from the NCAA tournament, falling to Wake Forest, 4-2, in regional action in Round Rock, Texas. James Cramphin went 8 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on six hits and a walk. The Demon Deacons' Ben Hunter got the win, striking out 10 in eight innings, while giving up an earned run on six hits and two walks . . . Defending national champion Arizona ousted DePaul, 3-0, in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. DePaul had beaten Arizona State, 3-1. Baylor knocked out Texas A&M, 7-4, but was ousted by Northwestern, 7-0. Northwestern will play Tennessee today; Arizona faces Washington . . . Dave Smalley, 72, who coached the men's and women's basketball teams at Navy during more than 50 years there, died of complications from cancer.

Miscellany

Carl Edwards's hard push to the finish line was slowed only by the caution flag. Edwards had the car to beat under green and that was enough to win the wreck-filled Busch Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Edwards, who passed Matt Kenseth with 13 laps left in the Dover 200, extended his overall points lead . . . Helio Castroneves won his fourth pole this season in time trials for the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. . . . Shannon Briggs's hold on the heavyweight title slipped away at the quick hands of Sultan Ibragimov, who easily outpointed the World Boxing Organization champion in Atlantic City.