World hoops event continues Monday
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Team USA will play Russia Monday night at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis when second round play begins at the World Basketball Championships.
The top three teams from preliminary round Pools A and B -- Spain, Yugoslavia, Angola, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Turkey -- advanced to second round Group E and the top three from preliminary round Pools C and D -- United States, Germany, China, Argentina, New Zealand and Russia -- advanced to second round Group F.
The top four teams from Group E and Group F will reach the quarterfinals, which begin Thursday.
"We know everybody is out here trying to beat us," said Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace of Team USA. "We need to get out there and take control of the game."
Team USA beat Algeria by 50 points in the first preliminary round game and followed with victories over Germany, 104-87, and China, which features Yao Ming, 84-65.
Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics scored 19 points and Shawn Marion of the Phoenix Suns had 15 in Saturday's win over China.
The crowds came to see China's 7-5 Ming, the top overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft of the Houston Rockets. There were 22,619 at the RCA Dome and they saw the Chinese giant collect 10
points, six rebounds and two blocks, even making a three-pointer.
Despite a 1-2 record in pool play, China advanced to the second round and will meet Argentina Monday in the second round at the RCA Dome.
Also advancing from Pool C was Germany, which is led by Dallas Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki. Germany plays New Zealand Monday at the RCA Dome.
In other second round games, Yugoslavia meets Puerto Rico and Brazil plays Angola at Conseco and Spain faces Turkey at the RCA Dome.
The 16-team tournament began Thursday, with Yugoslavia and perhaps Argentina given the best chance of toppling Team USA.
Cubs put P Prior on DL
CHICAGO, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Rookie pitcher Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs, the second overall pick in the 2001 draft, Monday was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring.
Prior suffered the injury while running the bases in the fifth inning of Saturday's 8-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He tried to warm up at the start of the sixth, but could not continue.
Saturday's loss dropped Prior to 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA this season. He is tied for 11th in the National League with 147 strikeouts, despite making just 19 starts.
The 6-5 Prior, who turns 22 this Saturday, won his major league debut on May 22 after spending less than two months in the minor leagues. He posted a 5-2 record in nine games at Double-A West Tennessee of the Southern League and Triple-A Iowa of the Pacific Coast League. He struck out 79 over 51 innings.
Prior did not pitch in the Cubs' organization after signing with the team last year at the conclusion of a stellar college career at Southern California.
To take Prior's spot on the roster, the Cubs recalled southpaw Steve Smyth from Iowa. Smyth was 1-2 with a 9.98 ERA in four starts with Chicago. He got the ball in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Cubs also released veteran lefthander Donovan Osborne. He was 0-1 with a 6.19 ERA in 11 appearances, with the last one coming on May 9.
The 33-year-old Osborne has battled arm trouble throughout his career and missed all of the previous two seasons. He is 47-46 with a 3.96 ERA in 154 career appearances, including 138 starts.
Chicago (57-79) was expected to contend for the National League Central lead this year, but got off to a terrible start and replaced manager Don Baylor with Bruce Kimm. Currently, they are 19 games behind first-place St. Louis.
Angels activate Salmon, Cook
ANAHEIM, Calif., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Anaheim Angels got some reinforcements over the weekend as they fight for a postseason spot, activating outfielders Tim Salmon and Julio Ramirez and southpaw Dennis Cook from the 15-day disabled list.
Anaheim, which has a 2 1/2-game lead over Seattle in the American League wild-card race, also recalled lefthander Mark Lukasiewicz from Triple-A Salt Lake of the Pacific Coast League.
Salmon missed 16 games with a deep bone bruise in his left hand after being hit in a game against Toronto.
The Angels did not miss a beat in his absence, going 10-6 without the 34-year-old slugger. They trail first-place Oakland by 3 1/2
games in the AL West.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said Salmon could see playing time during this week's road trip to Tampa and Baltimore.
"I was very happy about everything with Tim," Scioscia said, "not only the way he felt where he had no discomfort, but with the way he was hitting. We'll probably get him some simulated activity, a few batting-practice sessions, and work him into a game. I think that's the best course of action for us right now."
After hitting .183 in April with two home runs and 11 RBI, he has hit .325 with 16 homers and 65 RBI since, raising has season average to .297.
Cook, 39, has not pitched since July 5 because of a torn left labrum. The injury was believed to be season-ending, but he went 0-1 with a 17.18 ERA in two rehabilitation starts for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in the California League. Cook is 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA in 33 relief appearances for Anaheim.
Ramirez, sidelined since June 16 with a strained left calf, is hitting .292 with a home run and five RBI in 12 games with the Angels. He spent most of the season with Salt Lake, batting .273 with two homers and 10 RBI in 39 games.
Disgruntled Biekert dumped by Raiders
OAKLAND, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Veteran linebacker Greg Biekert, who was involved in bitter contract negotiations, has been waived by the Oakland Raiders. He played for them for the past eight years.
Biekert left the team Aug. 27 when it rejected his demand to be paid $2.5 million this season. The club was offering $1 million.
The former seventh-round pick has started 89 consecutive games, but he was about to become a part-time player because of the rapid development of rookie Napoleon Harris, the team's first-round draft pick this year out of Northwestern.
Biekert also was a victim of the recent signing of defensive tackle Sam Adams. Also, according to the Oakland Tribune, Biekert was due to make a $500,000 roster bonus next March 1 and $4 million in salary.
"It was a total surprise to him and to the coaches," said Biekert's attorney, Jack Mills. "But he understands this is what happens in pro football, although it doesn't usually happen when you are still playing at the top of your game. It's not like he was sitting on the bench."
"I think it's evident Greg wants to play and he wasn't going to be in a starting role here, and he wanted to be in a position where he could go somewhere and play and still contribute," said new Oakland coach Bill Callahan."
Biekert, 33, said he is relieved that the impasse is now settled. His agent has spoken with officials of Detroit and Minnesota, among others.
"In a way, I'm glad this phase of it is officially over," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I'm ready to play somewhere else now and I hope I can land with one of those teams so I can get back to work as soon as possible."
Biekert has been the Raiders' leading tackler almost every year since they returned to Oakland in 1995. Last year, he led the team with 101 tackles, and was second in making stops either at or behind the line of scrimmage with 14. He also had a career-high three sacks.
The Raiders, getting down to the 53-player roster limit, also axed veteran kick returner/wide receiver Reggie Barlow, defensive back Johnnie Harris, linebacker Mike Jones, a 12-year veteran, and rookie quarterback Ronald Curry.
Reports: Peete to be Panthers' starting QB
CHARLOTTE, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Journeyman quarterback Rodney Peete likely will be named the starter by new coach John Fox for the Carolina Panthers for their season opener, at home Sept. 8 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Peete, 39, would succeed Chris Weinke, who has not performed well during his tenure with the team.
ESPN and the Charlotte Observer both reported Monday that sources say Fox is likely to bench Weinke in favor of Peete and move rookie Randy Fasani to the No. 2 spot, which would drop Weinke to third on the depth chart. A final decision was to be made late Monday.
Peete is a 14-year NFL veteran out of Southern California who was a backup the last two seasons for Dallas and Washington, respectively.
The Observer reported that neither Peete nor Weinke had solid preseasons, but Peete, who has 72 career pro starts, is very familiar with the offensive system of coordinator Dan Henning. The two worked together in Detroit in 1992 and '93.
In the preseason, Peete, who missed time because of a knee injury and a family emergency, completed just 9-of-19 passes for 68 yards in two games. Weinke completed 35-of-59 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
When Weinke came out of Florida State in 2001, he already was 29, having played baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays organization for four years. He was the Panthers' No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft.
In his rookie campaign, he threw for 2,931 yards and 11 touchdowns, but was very erratic. Carolina went just 1-15 last season, the final 15 in succession.
Chiefs WR Morris to miss season again
KANSAS CITY, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Chiefs found out late Sunday that, for the second time in as many years, they will be forced to live without wide receiver Sylvester Morris, who still is hampered by a knee injury.
The 6-3, 212-pounder from Jackson State, who first suffered the injury during a team-mandated offseason workout in 2001, enjoyed one of the most prolific receiving campaigns by any rookie in Chiefs history in 2000, producing a team rookie-record 48 receptions for 678 yards with three touchdowns.
The former first-round selection, 21st pick overall, missed the 2001 season because of that injury, which was a torn ACL in his right knee, and has never fully recovered.
"I don't think Sylvester Morris' career is in jeopardy," said Coach Dick Vermeil. "We all know he made a tremendous effort to come back off that knee (injury). He can look good one day and the next he can't go. It's safer for his own career and the stability of his knee to just take a slower pace and give him a lot more time to gradually work that thing back to 100 percent."
It means the Chiefs will begin the regular season with two players, Johnnie Morton and Eddie Kennison, who were not even with the team last year. Morton was with Detroit and Kennison with New Orleans, and both were signed as free agents during the offseason.
The Chiefs also have asked the NFL for two-week roster exemptions for tight end Tony Gonzalez and defensive tackle Ryan Sims, who was their No. 1 draft pick this year. Both signed last week after lengthy holdouts.
Kansas City also will play the first six weeks of the regular season without fellow wideout Marvin "Snoop" Minnis, who has yet to practice because of a broken foot received in minicamp in May. He was placed on the physically unable to perform list.
The Chiefs open the regular campaign Sept. 8 at Cleveland.
Bucs DE Warner suspended by NFL
TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- As part of the process to trim its roster down to the league mandated 53 players, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Ron Warner has been suspended.
Neither the team nor the league indicated why he why he was suspended. Warner, who spent the 2001 season on the team's practice squad, has been placed on a reserve list.
"It's a confidential policy," said new coach Jon Gruden. "All I can say is he has been suspended by the Commissioner for four games and his future with the Buccaneers will be determined after that."
If his suspension is over by then, Warner would be eligible to return for the Bucs' fifth regular season contest, Sun., Oct. 6 at Atlanta.
Coaches poll has several changes
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Colorado plummeted 11 spots and Louisville fell completely out of the rankings when the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll was released Monday.
Colorado (0-1) fell 11 spots to 17th after losing to in-state rival Colorado State, 19-14, in one of Saturday's biggest gridiron upsets. The Buffaloes lost their fourth straight season opener under Coach Gary Barnett, who just got a new long-term contract.
Louisville (0-1), considered an outside contender for a BCS berth in the race for the national championship, was stunned by in-state rival Kentucky, 22-17, on Sunday. The Cardinals were 18th in last week's poll, then dropped out after losing at home to a school that was 2-9 last season.
Colorado State (2-0), which beat Virginia in its opening game, moved into the poll this week at No. 20. The other new entrant is Notre Dame (1-0), which trounced Maryland, 22-0, Saturday in its first game under new coach Tyrone Willingham.
Maryland (0-1) was 20th in the previous poll, but dropped out after the losing the Kickoff Classic to the Fighting Irish.
The top five spots in this week's poll remained unchanged.
Defending national champion Miami (1-0) routed Florida A&M, 63-17, for its 23rd straight win and remained atop the poll. Miami received 49 first-place votes and 1,500 points in the nationwide poll of 61 coaches.
The winning streak will be on the line this Saturday when the Hurricanes visit No. 6 Florida (1-0), which routed Alabama-Birmingham, 51-3, last week in its first game under new coach Ron Zook. Texas (1-0) beat North Texas, 27-0, and is
second in the poll with five first-place votes and 1,410 points.
Oklahoma (1-0), Tennessee (1-0) and Florida State (2-0) complete the top five.
Oklahoma received four first-place votes and Florida State two, with the final No. 1 vote going to No. 12 Washington State (1-0).
Michigan (1-0) needed a last-second field goal to escape with a dramatic 31-29 win over Washington (0-1) and moved up three spots to seventh. The Huskies dropped five spots to 14th.
Nebraska (2-0), Ohio State (1-0) and Virginia Tech (2-0) complete the top 10. Virginia Tech dominated LSU (0-1) on Sunday, 26-8, behind a pair of scoring runs by tailback Lee Suggs. The Tigers fell nine spots to 23rd.
Georgia (1-0) is 11th, is followed by Washington State, Oregon (1-0), Washington, Michigan State (1-0), Southern California (0-0), Colorado, Marshall (1-0), South Carolina (1-0)
and Colorado State.
USC opens its season Monday night against Auburn.
Wisconsin (2-0), North Carolina State (2-0), LSU, Notre Dame and Penn State (1-0) complete the poll.
The coaches' poll is part of the Bowl Championship Series formula which determines the participants in the national championship game. The top two teams in the ratings meet in the game, which this season will be played at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 3.
NFL cuts leave big-name players on waivers
JACKSONVILLE, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- NFL cutdown day Sunday was not kind to a number of former star players, including wide receiver Darnay Scott of the Jacksonville Jaguars and running back Terry Allen of the New Orleans Saints.
Scott, the long-time Cincinnati Bengal, became the victim of a numbers game when the Jags re-signed All-Pro Jimmy Smith, who was a holdout in the preseason and has the most receiving yards of any player in the league over the last 10 years.
The Jags were given a two-week roster exemption for Smith. They will have to cut another player if Smith is activated for the game at Kansas City on Sept. 15. He has 562 catches for 7,972 yards the past six seasons.
Scott was hampered in the preseason by an injured shoulder which limited his practice time.
"What we brought Darnay here to do he was unable to do," said Jacksonville Coach Tom Coughlin. "I told him I had no problem with his attitude. It's very unfortunate."
Also axed on Sunday were backup quarterback Anthony Wright and rookie wideout Woodrow Dantzler, a star quarterback at Clemson, by the Dallas Cowboys; defensive back Keith Lyle by the Atlanta Falcons; offensive lineman Tre Johnson by the Cleveland Browns; defensive back Terry Fair by the Detroit Lions;
quarterback Kent Graham and running back Travis Prentice by the Houston Texans; offensive lineman Jim Pyne by the Colts; wide receiver Jeff Ogden by the Miami Dolphins; wide receiver Sean Dawkins by the Minnesota Vikings; backup quarterback Todd Husak by the New York Jets; defensive back Chad Cota by the San Francisco 49ers; defensive back Terrell Buckley by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; running back Skip Hicks by the Tennessee Titans; and quarterback Tee Martin by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Among those players who are hurt and got injury settlements as part of the waiver process were wide receivers Frank Murphy of Tampa Bay and Will Blackwell of St. Louis; and tight end Desmond Clark of Denver.
Denver also cut placekicker Ola Kimrin from Sweden, who booted a 65-yard field goal last week in a preseason game against Seattle.
Kimrin had little chance of sticking with the Broncos with Jason Elam, who has a 63-yarder in the record books and is regarded as the best kicker in the NFL, in front of him. Elam's kick tied him with Tom Dempsey for the longest official field goal in league history.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a blow to their defense as they had to place starting left end Marcus Jones on injured reserve, knocking him out for the entire 2002 season.
Jones suffered a knee injury in the Bucs' third preseason game against Washington on Aug. 24 and had surgery two days later. He could have been placed on the physically unable to perform list, which would have made him eligible at Week 6.
"It was a very tough decision for us," said Coach Jon Gruden. "It was in the team's best interest. We felt putting Marcus on injured reserve was the best thing to do for this football team. Although he will be missed, we've got to respond to this challenge and, obviously, Greg Spires and some of these young guys can help us do that. We're confident we can move on from here, although Marcus is a big loss to this team."
Jones, a first-round pick in the 1996 draft, emerged as a strong pass rusher in 2000, when he recorded 13 sacks and 50 tackles.
The Falcons signed defensive end Ellis Johnson, cut last week by the Colts.
He spent his first seven seasons with Indianapolis, but requested and was granted his release because he did not feel comfortable in the scheme of new coach Tony Dungy.
Johnson, a starter since 1997, had 61 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks last season. His best season was in 1998, when he had 75 tackles and eight sacks.
The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Marvin "Snoop" Minnis on the physically-unable-to-perform list.
The former Florida State star had 33 receptions for 511 yards as a rookie last year, but broke his right foot in a May minicamp and has been unable to practice.
