Briefly in sports

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 24, 2004 by Capital-Journal

Rasheed

Wallace

stays with the Pistons

John Olerud

released by Mariners

Jamie

McMurray

wins first-ever Busch pole

Hoops: Wallace inks $57 million,

five-year contract with Pistons

Rasheed Wallace seems very comfortable in his new home.

Meeting with reporters Friday morning after signing a $57 million, five-year contract to remain with the Detroit Pistons, Wallace strolled into the news conference looking as if he was walking into his living room.

Wallace sported flip flops, white socks, blue shorts, a matching top, and an NBA championship hat --- the product of the title he helped Detroit win.

"It's definitely great to be back," he said. "The next five years, we definitely got to do it a couple more times."

The Pistons acquired Wallace with an expiring contract from Atlanta in a three-team deal just before the trading deadline on Feb. 19 for reserves and two No. 1 picks.

MINNESOTA'S NICOLE OHLDE, a rookie from Kansas State, scored 15 points and had six rebounds in the Lynx's 65-61 loss to the Washington Mystics. Alana Beard scored 23 points, including two free throws with 1:11 remaining, to lead the Mystics, ending Minnesota's six-game winning streak.

PACERS FIRST-ROUND draft pick David Harrison was returning to Indianapolis to have his left knee examined after spraining it during a summer league game Wednesday. Colorado product Harrison, a 7-foot center, sprained his knee during the third quarter. He finished with 22 points.

THE KANSAS' MEN'S TEAM announced times and ticket prices for its preseason tour of Vancouver, British Columbia, Sept. 4-6, KU officials said Friday.

The games, city, time and ticket prices are: Sept. 4 --- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 2 p.m., $15; Sept. 5 --- Langara College, Vancouver, 1 p.m., $10, and University College of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, 9 p.m., $15; Sept. 6 --- Simon Fraser, Burnaby, 12:30 p.m., $3.

Fans interested in buying tickets should call the KU ticket office at 1-800-34-HAWKS.

Baseball: Mariners release

ex-AL batting champion Olerud

Former AL batting champion John Olerud was released Friday by the last-place Seattle Mariners.

Olerud was hitting .245 with five homers and 22 RBIs in 77 games when he was designated for assignment last week. He was in the final year of his contract, earning $7.7 million this season.

The 35-year-old Olerud hit an AL-leading .363 with Toronto in 1993, when the Blue Jays won their second straight World Series title. He has a career average of .295.

The Mariners tried to trade Olerud but couldn't work out a deal. They were able to deal shortstop Rich Aurilia to San Diego this week after designating him for assignment.

THE BAT BABE RUTH used to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium more than 80 years ago is on display at a Cleveland sports show and could be sold for more than $1 million this year.

The bat is among the memorabilia displayed at The National Sports Collectors Convention, which runs through Sunday.

The owner of the bat, SportsCards Plus, said in June that it planned to auction the bat. On Thursday, Sotheby's said it would handle the auction Dec. 2 in New York.

THE CHICAGO CUBS began a thorough inspection of the concrete on the underside of Wrigley Field's upper deck Friday after a team employee found a third piece of concrete that apparently fell from the 90-year-old stadium's upper deck.

After concrete chunks fell at different spots on June 9 and July 16, a team employee found a small fragment Wednesday.

General: McMurray takes his

first Busch Series pole at Loudon

Jamie McMurray grabbed the first pole of his NASCAR Busch Series career on Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway at Loudon.

It came on his first try in the car owned by fellow Nextel Cup star Rusty Wallace.

"It's really cool that we won the Busch pole, especially getting to drive for Rusty," said McMurray, who replaced fired rookie Billy Parker in the No. 66 Dodge.

"I'm still a little intimidated by the guy," McMurray said of his new car owner. "He's one of the guys I don't talk to a lot in the garage. He's always busy, it looks like, but I'm really excited about driving for him."

THERE WILL BE NO REMATCH of last year's title match in the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. Defending champion Andy Roddick did his job by defeating sixth-seeded Dominik Hrbaty in their quarterfinal match. But 12th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer ousted 2003 runner- up Paradon Srichaphan in the other quarter.

Roddick defeated Hrbaty 6-2, 6-3, and Kiefer saved five break points in a tiebreaker before defeating Srichaphan 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5).

Ivan Ljubicic upset third-seeded Sebastien Grosjean. He'll meet Roddick in one semifinal today and Gregory Carraz will play Kiefer for the second spot in Sunday's title match.

SERENA WILLIAMS knocked off Vera Zvonareva of Russia, 4-6, 6-3, 6- 3 and joined Lindsay Davenport in the JPMorgan Chase Open semifinals.

Venus Williams defeated 11th-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy, and No. 3 Davenport beat seventh-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia in the quarterfinals at Carson, Calif. Elena Dementieva of Russia, downed countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova, for the final semifinal berth.