Bird's status with Pacers up in air

Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird wants to stick around for the team's expected offseason overhaul, but he's not sure he'll be orchestrating it. The former Celtics great said yesterday he won't know his plans until he meets with team owners Melvin and Herb Simon. "I want to wait to talk to the owners and see what they want," Bird said after the Pacers' shootaround. "I will say that I'd like to be here because I enjoy this." . . . Amid New York media reports that the Knicks have spoken to Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh about taking over the team, president of basketball operations and head coach Isiah Thomas seemed more amused than annoyed after practice. "Honestly, I have not read [the reports], so I can't even comment about them because I haven't read them," Thomas said. "However, it's probably safe to say that every two weeks you write this story. So there's a rumor every two weeks for the last two years, so we'll keep going here and keep working." . . . Larry Harris is out as Bucks general manager, according to owner Herb Kohl. Harris asked for an early decision on the status of his contract that would have expired in June, Kohl said. By mutual agreement, he was relieved of his responsibilities so he could pursue other opportunities . . . Lawrence Academy senior point guard Stevie Mejia is the Mass. Gatorade boys' basketball player of the year.

Goaltender Rick DiPietro will miss the rest of the New York Islanders season because of hip surgery. The former Boston University star was operated on in Vail, Colo. He is in the second season of a landmark 15-year contract. This marks the second straight year the 26-year-old goalie has needed hip surgery. The left one was operated on after last season's playoffs. He was injured during the All-Star skills competition in January and has played through the pain since . . . Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen has been cleared to rejoin the team six months after having open heart surgery . . . Former University of Maine forward Rob Bellamy of Westfield signed with the Flyers . . . Chris Collins had a pair of goals and Tuukka Rask stopped 27 shots to earn his first professional shutout as the Providence Bruins beat the host Norfolk Admirals, 7-0, to become the first AHL team this season to reach 100 points.

The Colts re-signed free agent defensive end Josh Thomas, who started seven games last season after three-time Pro Bowler Dwight Freeney suffered a season-ending foot injury in November. In 2007, Thomas had a career-high 55 tackles, 1 sack, and 14 quarterback pressures. He also forced a fumble and knocked down three passes . . . The Packers agreed to a two-year, $5.4 million deal with free agent linebacker Brandon Chillar, who played the last four seasons with the Rams . . . Steelers receiver Cedrick Wilson was charged with assaulting his estranged girlfriend at a suburban restaurant near Pittsburgh. In January, Wilson and Lindsey Paulat had a fight at Wilson's home that ended with her holding police at bay for several hours.

Star running back Branden Ore will not play for Virginia Tech next year, a decision reached after meetings with coach Frank Beamer. Ore would have been a redshirt senior. On his Facebook profile he said he's making life decisions. "We have decided that it would be best for Branden to pursue other opportunities," Beamer said in a statement. "Branden has had many great moments here at Virginia Tech, and we wish him well." In January, a federal jury convicted one of Ore's friends of possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute . . . Terrelle Pryor, the highly touted western Pennsylvania quarterback, announced he will play for Ohio State. The 6-foot-6-inch, two-sport star played at Jeannette Senior High School near Pittsburgh, where he had one of the greatest prep careers in state history . . . An autopsy was inconclusive on the death of 19-year-old Ereck Plancher, a Central Florida football player.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, in a rematch of their Australian Open semifinal in the fourth round of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif. Tsonga beat Nadal in Melbourne. US players James Blake and Mardy Fish also advanced to the quarterfinals. In a women's quarterfinal, Maria Sharapova remained undefeated in 2008, wiping out Daniela Hantuchova, 7-6 (6-2), 6-1 . . . Former boxing champion Reggie Johnson has been indicted in Houston on theft charges, accused of receiving more than $120,000 in grant money for youth boxing camps that never took place. Johnson, a middleweight and light heavyweight champion in the 1990s, is accused of funneling money from the Red Cross intended for youth enrichment camps in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita . . . Floyd Landis began the final step in his appeals process in the first of a five-day closed hearing in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in New York. Landis hopes CAS will restore the 2006 Tour de France title that was stripped after an arbitration hearing last year in which arbitrators ruled he used performance-enhancing drugs . . . Dwayne De Rosario helped the host Houston Dynamo advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals, scoring twice in a 3-1 victory over CSD Municipal of Guatemala.