Wizards fire Doug Collins
WASHINGTON, May 31 (UPI) -- The Washington Wizards continued their purge Friday by firing Coach Doug Collins.
Collins was hired by then-president of basketball operations Michel Jordan, who was let go by team chairman Abe Pollin on May 7. In two years with Jordan on the court and Collins on the sidelines, the Wizards packed the MCI Center but went 74-90 and missed the playoffs both seasons.
"I was disappointed I wasn't able to take the team to the playoffs and give the fans of Washington a taste of what the playoff experience is all about," Collins said. "It was a great experience to coach in front of sellout crowds every night."
Collins had two years worth a reported $10 million remaining on his contract. Pollin said he let go of his coach to give him other opportunities.
Pollin still is searching for an executive to run the basketball operations. That person will have the task of selecting the Wizards' next coach.
According to the Washington Post, Wes Unseld is expected to take an indefinite leave of absence once a new executive is hired. He has been with the team for 33 years, serving as general manager the past seven.
Serena, Andre roll on in Paris
PARIS, May 31 (UPI) -- Defending champion Serena Williams crushed Austrian Barbara Schett, 6-0, 6-0, to steamroll into the fourth round Friday at the French Open.
Andre Agassi also advanced while Wayne Ferreira was forced out of the tournament with a hip injury.
Williams needed just 40 minutes on a hot day to remind anyone watching that she is undeniably the most dominant force in the women's game. The victory was so comprehensive that Schett managed just two winners.
The 21-year-old American opened the year by winning her first three tournaments, including her fourth straight major at the Australian Open. She is the fifth woman in history to hold all four Grand Slam singles crowns at once.
Justine Henin-Hardenne was almost as emphatic in her match against Madagascar's Dally Randriantefy, needing just 50 minutes to wrap up a 6-1, 6-1 win.
The fourth-seeded Belgian next faces No. 19 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, a 6-3, 6-4 victor over No. 14 Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.
On the men's side, Agassi continued his bid for back-to-back Grand Slam titles with a routine victory over Belgium's Xavier Malisse.
The second seed from Las Vegas, who won his eighth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, posted a 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 victory in 2 hours, 9 minutes.
Agassi, 33, showed little effect from the shock and exertion he endured in the second round, when he was forced to fight back from two sets down to get past 19-year-old Croatian Mario Ancic.
Agassi's fourth-round foe will be Brazilian Flavio Saretta.
Mariners win fourth straight
MINNEAPOLIS, May 31 (UPI) -- Jeff Pineiro struck out a career-high 12 batters in recording his second career shutout Friday night, carrying Seattle past Minnesota, 6-0.
Randy Winn scored twice and drove in a run as the Seattle Mariners posted their fourth straight win.
Pineiro (5-4) recorded his third career complete game and first shutout since June 12. He scattered four singles and two walks and bettered by one his previous career high for strikeouts in a game.
Ben Davis plated the game's first run with a single in the second and Seattle tacked on two runs in the fourth. Seattle has won 11 of 14 and evened the season series with Minnesota at two games apiece.
Twins starter Kyle Lohse (4-4) allowed three runs and eight hits in eight innings. He walked one and struck out three.
Other American League results: Baltimore 8, Texas 1; Cleveland 7, Chicago 3; Toronto 13, Boston 2; New York 6, Detroit 0; Tampa Bay 8, Anaheim 6; Kansas City 11, Oakland 6.
Maddux outduels former teammate
NEW YORK, May 31 (UPI) -- Backed by four solo homers, Greg Maddux outdueled Tom Glavine Friday night as the Atlanta Braves downed the New York Mets, 5-2.
While the matchup between the two likely future Hall of Famers took center stage, the Braves' offense stole the spotlight at the expense of Glavine, who spent his first 16 seasons with Atlanta before signing a multi-year contract with New York.
Gary Sheffield, Julio Franco, Mark DeRosa and Chipper Jones all homered off Glavine. Atlanta has hit 55 homers in May, tying the National League record for homers in a month. St. Louis accomplished the feat in April 2000 and the New York Giants did it in July 1947.
The homers helped make a winner of Maddux (4-5), who held the Mets to two runs and seven hits in five innings. The four-time Cy Young Award winner walked one and struck out two en route to his first win in six starts.
Darren Holmes, Ray King and Roberto Hernandez combined for 2 2/3 hitless innings and John Smoltz struck out the final four batters for his 20th save.
Glavine (5-5) lost to his former team for the second time in less than a week. The former Cy Young Award winner gave up five runs and nine hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out one.
Glavine also allowed four homers in a game for the first time in his career.
Other National League results: Houston 9, Chicago 1; Philadelphia 12, Montreal 5; Cincinnati 4, Florida 3 in 11 innings; Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 3.
Sorenstam, Jones share lead
AURORA, Ill., May 31 (UPI) -- In her return to the LPGA Tour Friday, Annika Sorenstam flirted with history and broke her own course record with a 10-under-par 62.
That gave her a share of the lead at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic with Rosie Jones.
Sorenstam took advantage of soft conditions early Friday while Jones played late in the day and finished her round with consecutive birdies. The co-leaders had a three-stroke lead over Canada's Lorie Kane and Angela Stanford.
A week after playing in a PGA Tour event, Sorenstam burned Stonebridge Country Club, totaling eight birdies, two eagles and two bogeys. She had thoughts of her second career 59 after she reached 9-under with an eagle at No. 14.
"There were four left and I was 9-under at the time, and I added it up," said Sorenstam, who carded the only 59 on the LPGA Tour two years ago in Phoenix. "That would be a magic number again, so I was playing a little aggressive."
Sorenstam, who last year matched a tour record with an 11-shot victory here, played Nos. 15-17 in 1-over, but finished with a tap-in eagle.
Perry stays hot at Memorial
DUBLIN, Ohio, May 31 (UPI) -- Five days after winning the Colonial, Kenny Perry shot a 4-under-par 68 Friday to take the lead after the second round of the Memorial.
"Everything that can go my way is going my way," he said after posting an 11-under 133 halfway total at Muirfield Village. "Every button I push is the right one."
Perry had a one-stroke lead over Lee Janzen (67) and South African Retief Goosen (67) while Fiji's Vijay Singh (69) and Spike McRoy (68) were three shots back.
Three-time champion Tiger Woods trailed by five after bogeying the last hole for a 71.
David Cone announces retirement
NEW YORK, May 31 (UPI) -- New York Mets righthander David Cone announced his retirement Friday, limping away with five World Series rings and a perfect game to his credit.
Cone hung up his cleats only five appearances into his comeback, blaming a bad hip instead of a 40-year-old arm that has worked through nearly 3,000 innings in the major leagues.
After sitting out a year, Cone returned to the Mets this season and earned a roster spot in spring training. He made four starts before aggravating a lingering hip injury that sent him to the disabled list.
He pitched two innings of relief in Philadelphia on Wednesday, but felt too much pain in his arthritic hip to continue.
"I've had problems with my hip and I've always been able to manage it, but it became unmanageable," he said. "After all the years, I thought it would be my arm. I never thought it would be the hip."
Cone retired on the same day the Mets were expected to activate lefthander John Franco, a 43-year-old who has not pitched in more than a year due to "Tommy John" surgery. Franco is second on the all-time saves list with 422.
Ryan Newman claims NASCAR pole
DOVER, Del., May 31 (UPI) -- Ryan Newman won the pole Friday and teammate Rusty Wallace gave Penske Racing a 1-2 start for Sunday's NASCAR race at Dover International Speedway.
Newman captured his fourth pole of the year and 11th career with a speed of 158.716 miles per hour in a Dodge Intrepid. He drove around the one-mile concrete track in 22.682 seconds.
Wallace, who set the track record of 159.964 mph in 1999, clocked in at 22.883 to take the outside spot.
Wallace was dominant at Dover in the mid-1990s, including a run of three straight victories beginning in the fall of 1993. He has earned three poles and started in the first five in six of the last eight visits to Dover.
Jeremy Mayfield made it a Dodge sweep of the top three positions. Points leader Matt Kenseth was fourth in a Ford Taurus and defending race winner Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
Report: Evans tests positive for marijuana
NEW YORK, May 31 (UPI) -- Defensive tackle Josh Evans of the New York Jets may be suspended by the NFL for again violating the league's substance abuse policy.
The New York Times reported Friday that three people familiar with the results of a recent test for marijuana taken by Evans came up positive.
The paper said Evans vehemently denied using pot and has appealed the test results.
He has been suspended twice before, and could be banned if the appeal fails.
