In Sports from United Press International

Iverson does not have broken thumb

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- All-Star guard Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers will be listed as day-to-day with a right thumb sprain.

He suffered the injury on the final play of regulation in the Sixers' 101-99 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night.

"Allen had an MRI (Thursday) which demonstrated a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament and a small incomplete fracture of his right thumb," said 76ers team physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy. "He will stay in a splint and be examined daily."

Despite the injury, Iverson still gave his all, according to Coach Larry Brown.

"He doesn't change, he doesn't back down; he still tried," Brown said. "I didn't notice when he got hurt. He had mentioned he got hit on the drive."

During training camp on Oct. 4, Iverson suffered a fracture of his right third finger and missed the Sixers' first preseason game on Oct. 8 against San Antonio. He was expected to miss 2-4 weeks with the injury, but returned to practice on Oct. 9 and played at Washington on Oct. 10.

In 2001-02, Iverson missed 22 games because of injury. He missed the final 14 games of the regular season with a left hand fracture, but returned for the first round of the playoffs against Boston. He also missed training camp and the first five games of the season following right elbow surgery. All told, because of various injuries, Iverson has missed 56 regular season and playoff games in his career because of injury or suspension.

Iverson, who led the NBA in scoring last season with 31.4 points per game for the second straight season and third time in four seasons, is averaging a team-best 28.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.25 steals in 43.0 minutes per contest. He likely will not play Friday night when the Sixers host the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his playing status will be a game-time decision.

Carter to be sidelined a month

TORONTO, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Veteran small forward Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors, who had his strained left quadriceps tendon examined Thursday in Birmingham, Al., by noted sports physician Dr. James Andrews, likely will not play for about a month.

He was bothered by the reoccurrence of the injury in Wednesday night's loss this to the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Dr. Andrews confirmed the Raptors' diagnosis," said Glen Grunwald, Raptors' Senior Vice-President and General Manager. "He spoke to our team physician, Dr. Paul Marks, and agreed with the treatment plan to date, and recommended continued rehabilitation therapy be employed to resolve Vince's quadriceps tendon problem. Dr. Andrews also recommended against any further surgery."

Carter will not accompany the Raptors on their upcoming road trip to Indiana Saturday) and Orlando on Tuesday. He has missed the past two games after suffering the injury at the 6:17 mark of the first quarter during last Saturday's contest at Houston.

Carter has averaged 12.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 26 minutes in three games this season.

Clemens officially files for free agency

NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Six-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees Thursday was one of two players to file for free agency.

The hard-throwing righthander is guaranteed $10 million whether or not he re-signs with the Yankees. He joined San Francisco Giants outfielder Tom Goodwin and brought to 152 the number of players who have opted for free agency since the filing period began on Oct. 28.

Players have four more days to submit paperwork with the Players Association.

Clemens, 40, will receive $10 million from the Yankees next season, even if he pitches for another team. Bothered by groin and foot injuries, he made just 29 starts in 2002 and was 13-6 with a 4.35 ERA. The Texas native needs seven victories to become the 21st pitcher to reach the 300.

He has said a number of times to remain in pinstripes and get his 300th career victory as a Yankee.

"It would be great," Clemens said recently. "I won my 200th game in New York and to have an opportunity to win 300 would be a great thrill for me and my family. I want to try and share that moment with my teammates and the (Yankee) fans and my family, who sacrificed a lot to allow me to do what I do."

The 6-4, 238-pounder became the seventh member of the American League East champions to file for free agency, joining pitchers Ramiro Mendoza and Mike Stanton, infielders Alex Arias, Ron Coomer and Robin Ventura and outfielder John Vander Wal.

Goodwin, 34, is the seventh member of the Giants to file since they were beaten by Anaheim in Game Seven of the World Series.

He hit .260 with one home run, 17 RBI, and 16 stolen bases in 78 games.

Dec. 7 is the final day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their free agents or lose negotiating rights through May 1.

Baker to speak with Cubs

CHICAGO, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Chicago Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry Monday will finally get a chance to interview Dusty Baker for the team's managerial vacancy.

Hendry, who is running the team's organizational meetings in Arizona, said he talked to Baker, who is the leading candidate for the job, Thursday, when set up the meeting.

"We had a nice conversation, 10, 12 minutes," Hendry said late Thursday. "Everything was great. I enjoyed talking to him."

Baker was going out of town on a hunting trip, which will delay a face-to-face conversation until Monday.

Hendry said they likely will meet out west somewhere, either Arizona or California. He was to attend the general managers meeting this weekend in Tucson.

Baker became available when San Francisco management Wednesday decided to end talks with the three-time National League Manager of the Year. He led the Giants to the World Series, but San Francisco lost in seven games to the Anaheim Angels.

Baker, 53, became a free agent on Thursday and is highly sought, but will not interview with Seattle, Mariners GM Pat Gillick told MLB.com, baseball's website.

With the Cubs, Baker would face a tall order. The team has not posted back-to-back winning seasons since 1971-72.

Under Baker's guidance, the Giants reached the World Series this year for the first time since 1989. The Cubs haven't been to the Fall Classic since 1945, and haven't won it since 1908.

Baker managed the Giants for 10 seasons, compiling a record of 840-715. San Francisco finished first or second in its division eight times in Baker's 10 seasons at the helm.

So far, Hendry has talked to four candidates for the managerial opening, including Buck Showalter, Ken Macha, Bob Melvin, and Fredi Gonzalez. Showalter took the Texas Rangers job, and Macha did the same in Oakland.

Hendry met with Melvin in Arizona this week, but has not formally interviewed anyone since Oct. 16.

Baker signed a two-year, $5.5 million deal with the Giants in 2001, and his salary was second only to New York Yankees counterparts Joe Torre. Hendry has said that money is not an issue in the hiring process.

Mariners re-sign Wilson

SEATTLE, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The Seattle Mariners Friday re-signed veteran catcher Dan Wilson, who has spent the last nine years with the team.

Wilson, inked a two-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"I am glad we got this worked out to remain in Seattle for another two seasons," said Wilson, who hit a career-high .295 last season. "This is where my family and I have called home for the last nine years and I am looking forward to continuing our team's success on the field."

On Thursday, the Mariners worked out a one-year contract with popular designated hitter Edgar Martinez, the so-called "Ancient Mariner," who made his major league debut with Seattle in 1987.

Wilson, 33, is the Mariners' all-time leader in games caught with 1,027 since being acquired in 1993 from Cincinnati.

"Bringing Dan back was a high priority for the Mariners," said Seattle General Manager Pat Gillick. "His veteran leadership and the way he handles the pitching staff are integral parts of our ballclub."

Wilson played in 115 games last season, with six home runs and 44 RBI. He hit .314 in the first half of the season, and his .295 average was the highest ever by a Mariner catcher.

Wilson, an All-Star in 1996, owns a lifetime .266 batting average in 1,089 games with Seattle and Cincinnati.

Last month, the Mariners saw Lou Piniella sign a multi-year contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after allowing the winningest manager in team history out of the final year of his contract.

Piniella led the team to three American League Championship Series appearances and an AL record 116 wins in 2001, but the Mariners finished third in the AL West this past season.

Seattle is also in danger of losing two prominent free agents -- pitcher Jamie Moyer and first baseman John Olerud.

Mazzone to be back in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Braves Friday reached a tentative agreement with their long-time pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

Contract terms were not disclosed, but Mazzone will receive a significant raise from the $200,000 he made this past season. Dave Duncan

of the St. Louis Cardinals is the highest-paid pitching coach in baseball at more than $400,000 a year.

The New York Mets had asked permission to speak to Mazzone, whose contract was to expire on Dec. 31, but his preference was to remain in Atlanta.

"Leo is going to remain a Brave," said Braves General Manager John Schuerholz. "He wanted to remain and of course we wanted him back."

The Mets probably were hoping that they could use Mazzone to would help in their efforts to sign free agent pitcher Tom Glavine.

Now that Mazzone is returning to Atlanta, he may be the key to retaining Glavine and fellow starter Greg Maddux, who also is a free agent.

Mazzone, 54, has been Cox's pitching coach in Atlanta since June 1990. Under Mazzone's guidance, the Braves' pitching staff has been no worse than second in the major leagues in ERA each year since 1992.

Mazzone, known for nervously rocking back and forth on the bench, is coming off a season many consider his finest with the Braves, transforming journeymen pitchers Chris Hammond and Darren Holmes into effective relievers as the Braves boasted baseball's best bullpen.

Miami hope to avoid ambush

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Larry Coker, the coach of the No. 1 college football team in the country, knows that his defending national champions may be in for a huge fight Saturday when the Hurricanes travel to Knoxville to play Tennessee.

Coker knows the 'Canes cannot afford a repeat performance from last week, when Miami trailed much of the contest before finally turning back lightly-regarded Rutgers, 42-17.

"You can't live on the edge week in and week out, quarter by quarter, because if you make a key mistake, you have no chance to win," said Coker, who is 20-0 as Miami's coach.

All four of the remaining unbeaten teams in Division I-A play road games this weekend, and Miami has the most difficult task.

No. 2 Oklahoma (8-0) visits Texas A&M in a key Big 12 game, and No. 3 Ohio State (10-0), which nudged ahead of Miami into second in the latest BCS poll, travels to Purdue in the Big Ten.

The remaining unbeaten, No. 16 Bowling Green (8-0), plays at Northern Illinois in a Mid-American matchup.

Miami recorded the 500th win in school history last week and won for the 15th straight time on the road.

Tennessee (5-3) dropped out of the national championship sweepstakes a long time ago, but the Volunteers can have an impact on the title chase and salvage their season with a win on Saturday.

The Volunteers have lost to Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

Without star wide receiver Kelley Washington, who remains sidelined with head and neck injuries, staying close will be difficult for the Vols.

On defense, the Volunteers must contain running back Willis McGahee, who ran for 187 yards and two scores against Rutgers.

The only previous meeting between the teams was Tennessee's 35-7 win in the Sugar Bowl following the 1985 season.

Last week, when four unbeaten teams fell, Oklahoma (8-0) rolled to a 27-11 win over Colorado behind three touchdown passes by Nate Hybl. If Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops wants to guard against overconfidence, he need only remind his team about its last visit to College Station.

The Sooners won their first national championship in 15 years in 2000, but barely escaped with a 35-31 win over the Aggies.

Oklahoma had two defensive stands in the final minutes and overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Colorado's Chris Brown last week became the first back to rush for 100 yards against the Sooners since Deuce McAllister of Mississippi in the 1999 Independence Bowl.

While the BCS race remains a mess, Oklahoma appears to be in control of its own destiny. The Sooners are on top of the poll for a third straight week.

Ohio State will look to improve to 11-0 for only the second time in school history when it visits Purdue. The Buckeyes went 11-0 in 1975, but lost to top-ranked UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State routed Minnesota last week, 34-3, and overcame the absence of injured freshman running back Maurice Clarett by holding the Golden Gophers to just 112 total yards.

Bowling Green faces what could be its toughest test of the season when the Falcons visit Northern Illinois in a showdown for first place in the East Division of the MAC.

Bowling Green has won 11 straight games while Northern Illinois has won its last five.

Three of the schools that fell from the ranks of the unbeaten try to bounce back this week in games against unranked opponents.

No. 7 Virginia Tech (8-1), which lost to Pittsburgh, visits Syracuse in a Big East contest. The Hokies will be without tailback Kevin Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Panthers.

No. 8 Georgia (8-1) can clinch at least a share of the SEC East title when it visits Mississippi. The Bulldogs last week suffered a 20-13 loss to Florida (6-3), which moved up to 17th in the poll and visits Vanderbilt.

10th-ranked Notre Dame (8-1), which was stunned last week by Boston College, seeks its 39th consecutive victory against Navy when the schools

meet in Baltimore.

No. 13 North Carolina State (9-1) also lost last weekend, falling to Georgia Tech, 24-17. The Wolfpack visit No. 25 Maryland (7-2), which moved into the polls this week by winning for the sixth straight time. Their matchup likely will decide the ACC race.

No. 23 Pittsburgh (7-2), which moved into the rankings for the first time since 1991 with its win in over Virginia Tech, plays Temple.

Texas (8-1), which moved up three spots to No. 4 in the latest BCS poll, hosts Baylor, which will be playing its first game since the firing of Coach Kevin Steele, who will lead the team until the end of the season.

No. 5 Washington State (8-1), the only remaining unbeaten in the Pac-10, plays host to No. 15 Oregon (7-2). Saturday's other matchup between ranked teams has No. 12 Kansas State (7-2) visiting No. 23 Iowa State (7-3) in the Big 12.

In other games, No. 6 Iowa (9-1) hosts Northwestern, No. 9 Southern California (6-2) is at Stanford, No. 14 LSU (6-2) is at Kentucky, No. 18 Florida State (6-3) visits Georgia Tech, No. 19 Penn State (6-3) entertains Virginia (6-3), No. 21 Colorado (6-3) is at Missouri, and No. 24 Arizona State (7-3) welcomes California.

No. 20 Colorado State (8-2) is the only ranked team idle this week.

Davis unlikely for Jacksonville game

ASHBURN, Va., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- When the Washington Redskins travel to Jacksonville Sunday to play the Jaguars, they likely will be without veteran running back Stephen Davis a second straight week.

The Spartanburg, S.C., native suffered a knee injury Oct. 27 in the team's 26-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He left that game in the second quarter and did not play in the team's 14-3 victory at Seattle last Sunday.

Coach Steve Spurrier said the team will wait until this weekend to make an official decision on Davis, the former Auburn star, who himself remains optimistic.

"I'm still trying to get better," Davis said after practice Thursday. "It's better than it was last week."

If he is out, Spurrier said the team will keep all six of its wide receivers active for the game.

Davis, who holds the Redskins' single-season rushing record, is expected to be replaced in the starting lineup by Kenny Watson, who was a wide receiver in college at Penn State.

He gained a career-high 110 yards on 23 carries, and also caught four passes for 42 yards against the Seahawks.

Also getting playing time at Seattle was rookie Ladell Betts, the former star at Iowa, who had five carries for 37 yards.

This season, Davis has rushed for 528 yards on 123 carries, an average of 4.3 yards per carry. In his nearly seven NFL seasons, he has 5,498 yards on 1,299 carries. He has gone over 1,000 yards three times, and gained a team-record 1,432 in 2001.

NFL suspends Bush

NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Veteran linebacker Lew Bush of the Kansas City Chiefs has been suspended for four games by the National Football League for a substance abuse violation.

Bush was fingered for using ephedrine, which was banned last year because, in tests, the drug was linked to heart rhythm difficulties, strokes, and seizures, as well as other serious medical conditions.

His agent, Harold Lewis, told reporters that the ephedrine was contained in a drug he was using, and that he was not aware of its presence. Ephedrine is found in some common, over-the-counter cold medicines.

"It was not a steroid or marijuana, not cocaine or some other illegal drug," Lewis said. "It was ephedrine. Lew is very upset and frustrated by the whole situation. He feels like he let his team down and his coaches and his wife and children down. But we're prepared to accept the action from the league and move on."

Bush, in his 10th NFL season and also has played for the San Diego Chargers, signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2000. The 6-2, 250-pounder, who played collegiately at Washington State, will next be eligible to play Dec. 8, when the St. Louis Rams come to town.

His place on the Chiefs' 53-man roster has been filled by wide receiver Marvin "Snoop" Minnis.

Chiefs activate Minnis

KANSAS CITY, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Chiefs have activated second-year wide receiver Marvin "Snoop" Minnis from the disabled list.

Minnis, 25, suffered a broken right foot May 3 during the club's mini-camp, and subsequently was placed on the Reserve/Physically-Unable-to-Perform list on Sept. 1.

Minnis, a native of Miami, originally entered the NFL as Kansas City's second pick in the third round of the 2001 draft. He was the 77th pick overall.

The 6-1, 172-pounder appeared in 13 games during his rookie campaign, and had 33 receptions for 511 yards and one touchdown.

He made a name for himself early when he became the first Chiefs rookie to score on Opening Day in six years, hauling in a 30-yard scoring reception against Oakland. He was also the first rookie to start at wide receiver for the club on Opening Day since Henry Marshall did it against San Diego.

Minnis enjoyed his best day as a pro with a four-catch, 89-yard performance against Denver on Dec. 16, 2001 that included a career-long 56-yard reception in overtime.

The former Florida State product was an All-American in 2000, leading FSU with 63 catches for 1,340 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Alexander done for 2002

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Veteran wide receiver Derrick Alexander of the Minnesota Vikings, who was hurt last Sunday in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will not play again this season.

Alexander Thursday was placed on the injured list, which ends his season. He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee which will require surgery.

The 6-2, 206-pounder, who played collegiately at Michigan, has been hampered by injuries the past two years. He finishes the campaign with just 14 receptions for 134 yards and one touchdown.

In his pro career, Alexander, who was in his 10th season, also has played for Cleveland, Baltimore and Kansas City. He has 417 catches for 6,971 yards, an average of 16.7 yards per reception, and scored 40 touchdowns.

He had career-highs with 78 receptions for 1,391 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2000 while with the Chiefs. Last season, he caught only 27 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns.

Holliday shelved by knee injury

GREEN BAY, Wis., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday of the Green Bay Packers, who only returned to the team this week, will be out 2-5 weeks with a torn MCL in his right knee.

Holliday suffered the injury Monday night against the Miami Dolphins in his first game action in six weeks. He missed the previous four games because of a torn pectoral muscle, which has not yet fully healed.

The knee injury is believed to have occurred on the first play of the third quarter, but Holliday continued to play and did not indicate that he was in pain after the game. On Tuesday, however, he woke up with knee swelling.

The MCL tear was discovered on an MRI, and he has undergone an arthroscope.

"Initially, he wanted to play through it," said Coach/General Manager Mike Sherman. "But in talking to the doctors, it just felt like it would be a debilitating injury for him, and our best choice and his best choice was to have surgery. It's disappointing, but he's not discouraged. He told me he'd be back as soon as possible."

Likely to replace Holliday is rookie Aaron Kampman, who started the four games Holliday missed because of the pectoral injury.

"It's hard to deal with the loss of a player like Vonnie, but we have experienced some games without him obviously and have been okay," Sherman said. "The emergence of Aaron Kampman certainly has helped us deal with this. This is not a major knee surgery, it's just a scope, it's meniscus. We can go in there and clean that up. I'm very confident he'll be back in two (weeks). Vonnie's a very fast healer, he's proven to be that."

Until this year, Holliday had remained relatively injury-free. Over his previous four seasons, he played in at least 12 regular season games, including two 16-game seasons.

The Packers also have signed defensive lineman Jared Tomich, who played both tackle and end for the Packers in training camp this year, and was among their final cuts.

Spartans lose Ager to foot injury

EAST LANSING, Mich., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The men's basketball team at Michigan State has lost freshman guard Maurice Ager likely for the balance of the calendar year after he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot.

Ager is expected to be sidelined 4-6 weeks. No surgery will be required.

The 6-4, 180-pounder, a native of Detroit, started Michigan State's first exhibition contest against the Magic Johnson All-Stars when Kelvin Torbert was sidelined by ankle surgery. Ager scored 12 points in 26 minutes of the exhibition contest.

"It's disappointing for us, but even more disappointing for Maurice because he was really starting to play better and better," said MSU Coach Tom Izzo. "It's another bit of adversity that we'll have to deal with."

Ager possibly could return for the game against Virginia on Dec. 4. The highly-regarded freshman averaged 24.5 points and seven rebounds per contest last winter in his senior year at Detroit Crockett High School.

Kim leads at Shiga

SHIGA, Japan, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Mi Hyun Kim used spectacular iron play Friday (Thursday night in the United States) to set up six straight birdies and fired a 7-under-par 65 to grab the lead after the first round of the Mizuno Classic.

The 25-year-old Korean got a new set of irons a week ago, but had not been comfortable with them. She made a two-degree adjustment two days before the start of this tournament.

"My irons didn't work last week because they were too upright," she explained. "We fixed them a little bit flatter this week. My irons worked good, second shots are almost at every pin."

Kim, not exaggerating, made four of her seven birdies were from one or two feet, and none was longer than the 15-footer she made at the 170-yard 12th hole to grab sole possession of the lead.

"I had a lot of birdie chances - 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18," she said. "In the afternoon, the greens were a little slower, so every putt was short of the hole and I couldn't hit them far enough."

Two other Koreans, Grace Park and Gloria Park, join Japan's Chieko Amanuma in second place after shooting 6-under 66s.

Canada's Lorie Kane had the best round of the 19 North Americans in the 78-player field, carding a 67 that left her tied for fifth with Hiromi Kobayashi of Japan and Woo-Soon Ko of Korea.

Annika Sorenstam began her fourth crack at her 10th win of the season with a 3-under 69. The Swedish superstar is a victory away from becoming the first player in 34 years to claim 10 LPGA Tour titles in a season. She won her ninth five weeks ago at the Samsung World Championship, but has come up empty in the last three events.

Sorenstam won this event last year at the Musashigaoka Golf Course in Saitama-ken, beating England's Laura Davies by three strokes.

She is fourth on the LPGA money list with $1,027,534.

This penultimate event on the LPGA schedule also is the last tournament players can earn enough money in to move into the top 30 in earnings, which comes with a berth in the season-ending ADT Championship.