Dowd: Players should face suspension

Baseball
John Dowd, the lawyer who headed baseball's investigation of Pete Rose, wants commissioner Bud Selig to suspend players who don't cooperate with the steroids probe spearheaded by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. Dowd said Selig should try to overturn the 1980 arbitration decision in a case involving Ferguson Jenkins, which upheld a player's right to refuse to answer questions from baseball management if it jeopardized his legal position in a criminal case. "I tell you what, it's time that stuff was challenged," Dowd said yesterday in a telephone interview during which he criticized the players' union. "They already have too much power on this whole [steroids] issue anyway, in my opinion. And they've abused it. It's really disgraceful what the union's done here." . . . The Cincinnati Reds placed outfielder Ryan Freel on the 15-day disabled list after he suffered contusions to his head and neck in a frightening collision with right fielder Norris Hopper Monday. Freel, 31, was released yesterday from Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, where tests on his neck and head came back normal . . . Mets outfielder Shawn Green, 34, went on the 15-day disabled list because of a broken right foot, the first time he's been on the DL in his major league career.

Colleges

Reade Seligmann, one of the three former Duke lacrosse players cleared of rape charges last month, will transfer to Brown University in the fall. "I am looking forward to just being a student again," Seligmann said. Seligmann said he appreciated the loyalty of his Duke teammates and coaches during the past year but was moving on. "I know that they will understand why I cannot return to Duke," he said. Seligmann was indicted, along with Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans, on charges of rape, kidnapping, and sexual offense. A woman had told police she was attacked by three men at a March 2006 party where she was hired to perform as a stripper. The season was canceled, and Seligmann and Finnerty, both sophomores, were suspended; Evans graduated the day before he was indicted. The rape charges were dropped in December. Durham County district attorney Mike Nifong, who initially led the investigation, before turning it over to state prosecutors, goes on trial next month for ethics violations connected to his handling of the case. Seligmann's announcement came a day after the Blue Devils lost to Johns Hopkins, 12-11, in the NCAA Division 1 championship game in Baltimore . . . Tickets are on sale for next year's men's lacrosse championships, which will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough over Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26). Tickets will admit holders to the Div. 1 semifinal games May 24, the Div. 2 and 3 championship games May 25, and the Div. 1 championship game May 26. This year's event drew a record crowd of 48,443 to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, topping the 47,062 who came to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia last year to see Virginia top UMass, 15-7 . . . Kansas basketball guard Brandon Rush will have surgery to repair torn ligaments and be sidelined up to six months. Kansas coach Bill Self said the Jayhawks' leading scorer injured his right knee in a pickup game last week when he landed awkwardly . . . New Mexico guard Darren Prentice, forward Roman Martinez, and assistant Craig Neal sustained minor injuries when their snorkeling boat's 60-foot mast hit a bridge and collapsed during an exhibition trip Monday in Nassau, Bahamas. Prentice had a gash under an eye, Martinez was cut on an ankle, and Neal was struck on a knee by falling debris, although none of the injuries was serious enough to prevent the players or coach from participating in the exhibition yesterday . . . Washington State women's basketball coach June Daugherty, 50, was released from Providence Everett Medical Center, a week after nearly dying of a sudden cardiac arrest . . . Perry Schatzow hit an infield single to drive in the winning run in the 10th inning as Kean beat Emory, 5-4, in Grand Chute, Wis., for its first Div. 3 baseball title.

Horse racing

Eight horse racing standouts from three centuries have been elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. Horses Mom's Command, Silver Charm, and Swoon's Son, jockeys Jose Santos and John Sellers, and trainers Henry Forrest, Frank McCabe, and John Veitch make up the 52d Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted Aug. 6 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Mom's Command, bred and owned by Massachusetts businessman Peter Fuller and primarily ridden by his daughter, Abby, was the champion 3-year-old filly of 1985. "Of course, I'm thrilled to have her elected to the Hall of Fame. I think she does deserve it and I think the fact that my daughter rode her is one of those things that is just marvelous," said Fuller, 84. "I have a fellow who teases me, 'You're the only fellow who bred the horse and the jockey,' which I think is pretty cute." Mom's Command compiled a record of 11-2-1 in 16 starts, all in stakes, and earned $902,972. She was euthanized Feb. 3 at the age of 25 at Fuller's farm in New Hampshire. Other highlights from the 2007 class: Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness; Swoon's Son was a top stakes horse during a four-season career in the 1950s, winning 30 of 51 starts; Santos, 46, the rider of Funny Cide, winner of the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, has ridden more than 4,000 winners in North America since arriving from Chile in 1984 (Santos is recovering from a broken back suffered in a spill in February at Aqueduct); Sellers rode from 1955 through 1977, and led the nation in victories (328) in 1961 when he rode Carry Back to victories in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness; Forrest trained two Kentucky Derby champions -- Kauai King in 1966 and Forward Pass in 1968, who finished second but was elevated when Fuller's colt, Dancer's Image, was disqualified; McCabe worked the later part of the 19th century, training three consecutive Belmont winners (Inspector B., 1886; Hanover, 1887; Sir Dixon, 1888); and Veitch, 61, trained four champions, but his best-known horse is Hall of Fame member Alydar, who was part of the great rivalry with Affirmed in 1977 and 1978.

Football

Broncos receiver David Kircus's job is no longer in jeopardy over allegations that he threw a punch that put a man in the hospital May 20. Coach Mike Shanahan, who had pledged to release Kircus if it was determined he was at fault in the fight, said Kircus passed a lie detector test administered by an expert. "If he flunked the test, he would not be with us," Shanahan said. "He wanted to take the test. He said, 'Coach, if I flunk it, I won't be on this football team. If I do pass it, I'll be on this team.' I said, 'Hey, that's fair enough for me.' Kircus, who is charged with second-degree assault, is accused of assaulting Jeff Krieger, 26, in the driveway of Krieger's Centennial, Colo., home . . . The Bears signed linebacker Michael Okwo, a third-round draft choice out of Stanford, and guard Josh Beekman, a fourth-round pick from Boston College, to four-year contracts . . . Tennessee Titans running back LenDale White did not make it back in time for the organized team workouts. "I'm anxious to hear what kind of excuse he has," said coach Jeff Fisher. "Everybody else managed to make it back," Fisher said. "He didn't, so I don't know, I guess he had things that are more important to him than what we're doing." White has had other issues this offseason, reporting for the Titans' offseason program at approximately 260 pounds, then suffering a hamstring injury . . . Authorities had a search warrant issued May 23 to look for as many as 30 dog carcasses on the 15-acre property in Surry County (Va.) owned by Michael Vick that is at the center of a dog fighting investigation, but the warrant has not been executed . . . Wide receiver Ryan Kelly, a Worcester State product, signed with his hometown Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. Kelly's father, Brian, also played for the Eskimos (1979-87) and is in the CFL Hall of Fame.

hockey

Ron Wilson will return to coach the San Jose Sharks next season, despite another disappointing playoff run, general manager Doug Wilson said . . . The Phoenix Coyotes introduced Don Maloney, 48, as their general manager job. Terms of his contract were not disclosed, but the club said it was a multiyear deal. Maloney comes to the Coyotes from the New York Rangers, where he served as assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel. He spent 10 seasons in the Rangers' front office, working closely with president and general manager Glen Sather, after playing 10 1/2 seasons as a left wing for the team . . . Mike Milbury resigned as the New York Islanders vice president of sports properties, continuing his steady withdrawal from the team's operations since he stepped down as general manager during a January 2006 shakeup. Before Milbury resigned as GM, he had worked under four ownership groups, hired six coaches, and had two stints behind the bench . . . Kevin Dineen, coach of the AHL's Portland Pirates, spent part of the Memorial Day weekend in the Cumberland County Jail. Dineen, 43, reported to jail Sunday to serve a 48-hour sentence on a driving-to-endanger conviction that stemmed from a drunken-driving arrest last June, authorities said . . . Clem Jodoin, who led the Lewiston Maineiacs to their first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship, is walking away a winner. Jodoin told the team Monday he is stepping down as coach and general manager in order to spend more time with his family.

Basketball

The Charlotte Bobcats are in the midst of talks with Rod Higgins about becoming general manager, a move that would reunite him with former boss Michael Jordan. Over the weekend, Golden State granted the Bobcats permission to speak to Higgins, who has served as the Warriors' GM for the past three seasons. Higgins was assistant GM with the Wizards from 2000-2003, when Jordan was the team's president of basketball operations. Higgins also played in Chicago during Jordan's rookie season with the Bulls in 1984-85 . . . Lakers center Kwame Brown, 25, underwent reconstructive surgery on his left ankle and might not be ready for the start of training camp in October . . . Lakers owner Jerry Buss, 74, was arrested early yesterday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. Buss was taken into custody shortly before 1 a.m. after he drove his gold Mercedes-Benz station wagon the wrong way on a street in Carlsbad, Calif. "Although I was driving only a short distance, it was a bad decision and I was wrong to do it," Buss said in a statement issued by the Lakers. "It was a mistake I will not make again." A 23-year-old woman in the vehicle with Buss wasn't arrested, police said . . . Possible No. 1 overall draft choice Greg Oden signed a three-year contract worth at least $3 million to become a spokesman for Topps trading cards. Part of his contract is a card featuring him and Hall of Famer Bill Russell celebrating the 50th anniversary of the company's first basketball set . . . Cappie Pondexter scored 23 points and the Phoenix Mercury rallied from a 17-point deficit without leading scorer Diana Taurasi for nearly 26 minutes in beating visiting Sacramento, 76-75, in WNBA action. Taurasi, the WNBA's leading scorer a year ago, was ejected with 4:55 left in the first half after picking up a flagrant foul and two technical fouls within 67 seconds. It was the first time she has been ejected in her four-year WNBA career . . . Becky Hammon scored 26 points to lead San Antonio to a 82-71 win in Houston . . . Tamika Catchings scored 21 points as the Indiana Fever pulled away from host Minnesota in the second half for an 89-75 victory and their third consecutive 3-0 start to a season. Seimone Augustus scored 23 points to lead the Lynx, but it wasn't enough to overcome Minnesota's defensive lapses and the team fell to a league-worst 0-5 -- the worst start in franchise history.

Miscellany

World record-holder Asafa Powell won the 100 meters in Belgrade with the fastest sprint in the world this year (9.97 seconds) . . . Cyclist Erik Zabel will remain with the Milram team despite last week admitting to doping during the 1996 Tour de France when he rode for Team Telekom (now called T-Mobile) . . . The Austrian Olympic Committee imposed lifetime Olympic bans on 14 team officials linked to the blood doping scandal at the 2006 Turin Games. The 14 would be denied accreditation for all Olympics, and any Austrians found guilty of a doping offense in the future will be banned for life from the Olympics, AOC president Leo Wallner said. Wallner said the AOC took action against the team officials because banned equipment was found in their living quarters. The decision was made whether they were directly involved in doping or not . . . Three Nordic skiers from Kazakhstan and one from Russia were given two-year doping bans by the International Ski Federation . . . Olympic gold medalist Laure Manaudou injured her left foot in a freak accident and will be sidelined for four weeks. The French swimmer was hurt when teammates launched her into the pool to celebrate a meet in Rome