Baseball
YANKEE STOCK?: Never mind rooting for the New York Yankees. Fans may soon be able to own a piece of their favorite team.
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has considered going public with the team - apparently in the wake of their World Series victory over Atlanta last weekend, the New York Post reported today.
He could sell just 49 percent of the club and raise an estimated $200 million, while still remaining the team's principle owner, the Post reported. Other analysts estimate the Yankees' entire worth between $200 and $250 million.
Basketball
COUSY SPEAKS: To Bob Cousy, Shaquille O'Neal isn't quite ready to tread among the giants of basketball.
Cousy, the Boston Celtics great, offered his personal list Thursday of additions and deletions from "NBA at 50." He came to Springfield to sign copies of the new coffee table book at a shopping mall.
The book lists a poll of the 50 best players in NBA history picked by a panel of current and former players, coaches, general managers, team executives and media.
They picked O'Neal. Cousy didn't.
"He basically hasn't won anything significant, and even his individual numbers haven't been that extraordinary," Cousy said. "I think frankly they did Shaq a disservice."
SUSPENSIONS: Denver Nuggets suspended rookie guard Jeff McInnis, their second-round draft choice from North Carolina, for conduct detrimental to the team. McInnis missed his fourth straight day of practice - absences that coach Bernie Bickerstaff referred to as "excused."
- Center Rony Seikaly was placed on the suspended list by the Golden State Warriors. Seikaly, a holdout for training camp and the preseason, continued to be the source of trade rumors, although GM Dave Twardzik denied a deal was imminent.
Football
INDIANA FIRES MALLORY: Bill Mallory, who briefly lifted Indiana from the depths of Big Ten football mediocrity, was fired.
The Hoosiers, who had only five winning seasons in almost 40 years before Mallory arrived, went to six bowl games after.
Since 1994, however, Indiana has won only four games and currently has a 13-game Big Ten losing streak.
INELIGIBLE 'HORNS: Texas declared receiver Mike Adams, cornerback Bryant Westbrook and safeties Tre Thomas and Chris Carter ineligible after learning an agent paid for their lunch during a weekend meeting.
SUPER BOWLERS: Miami was awarded the Super Bowl in 1999, Atlanta in 2000, and Tampa in 2001 by NFL owners at their meetings. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue had essentially promised a Super Bowl to Tampa, which is building a new stadium.
Horse racing
CIGAR RETIRED: Cigar, the super horse that captured the imagination of racing fans from California to Dubai, retired.
The owners of the 6-year-old star announced the retirement, ending the career of the horse that equaled the modern-day record of 16 straight wins.
Tennis
AMERITECH OPEN: Defending champion Magdalena Maleeva lost to Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, while second-seeded Lindsay Davenport beat Argentine Paola Suarez 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 in the second round of the Ameritech Cup in Chicago. Top-seeded Monica Seles bested Romania's Irina Spirlea 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
Golf
SARAZEN OPEN: Todd Barranger, who skipped golf for nine months after discovering he had testicular cancer in February 1995, shot a 7-under-par 65 for a one-shot lead over defending champion Frank Nobilo in the opening round of the Sarazen Open World Championship.
Barranger, who qualified for the tournament by winning the Thailand Open, highlighted his bogey-free round with an eagle-3 on the 520-yard 14th at The Legends course.
Barranger was grouped with Jack Nicklaus, who shot 71, and Sam Torrance .
Tied for third, three shots back, were Fred Couples, Craig Stadler, John Cook, Scott Hoch and Zimbabwe's Nick Price.