BASEBALL

METS SIGN TOP DRAFT PICK HUMBER

The Mets signed first-round pick Philip Humber yesterday, the third pick in the 2004 draft. The right-handed pitcher from Rice got a $3 .7 million signing bonus and will be at the Mets minicamp in Port St. Lucie, Fla., today and tomorrow. He went 13-4 with a save and a 2.27 ERA in 20 games with the Owls last season.

GONZALEZ REJOINS INDIANS

Juan Gonzalez hasn’t been the same since he led Cleveland to the playoffs in 2001. The Indians are giving him another chance. Gonzalez, 35, agreed to a minor league deal with Cleveland yesterday that could pay him up to $2.55 million if the oft-injured slugger can stay healthy.

Gonzalez’s production has dropped since he had 35 homers and 140 RBI in 2001,primarily because of injuries. The outfielder, who played with Kansas City last season, has 434 career homers.

DODGERS, LOWE FINALIZE $36M DEAL

Derek Lowe, the second-winningest pitcher in baseball over the past three years, finalized a $36 million, four-year contract with the Dodgers yesterday after Los Angeles completed its trade to send Shawn Green to Arizona. Lowe was 14-12 with a 5.42 ERA in 33 starts with the Red Sox last season, then went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA during three postseason starts and one relief appearance.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

SYRACUSE HIRES ROBINSON AS COACH

Texas co-defensive coordinator Greg Robinson was hired as coach at Syracuse yesterday, his first head coaching job in a 30-year career.

Robinson, 53, was an NFL assistant for 14 years, including stints as defensive coordinator with Kansas City and Denver. He was an also an assistant with the Jets from 1990-94.He succeeds Paul Pasqualoni, who was fired eight days after Syracuse lost to Georgia Tech 51-14 in the Champs Sports Bowl.

CONFERENCE USA STRIKES DEAL WITH ESPN

Conference USA announced a six-year deal with ESPN yesterday to have the league’s football and men’s and women’s basketball games broadcast by the network. The deal begins with the 2005-06 season and runs through 2010-11. ESPN will carry the C-USA football title game next year, and will have first pick of 10 regular-season games a season to televise on ESPN or ESPN2. It will have first selection of six men’s basketball and three women’s basketball games each season to show on ESPN and ESPN2, plus the conference championships.

HORSE RACING

NYRA FACES CRITICISM OVER FINANCES

As it continued to lose millions of dollars a year, the New York Racing Association spent more than $1 million on employees and vendors for “inappropriate, unsupported and excessive” expenses, state Comptroller Alan Hevesi said yesterday.

The expenses, including country club memberships and golf outings for the wives of the association’s executives, were improperly deducted from NYRA’s tax returns, Hevesi said. The travel and entertainment practices cut by more than $500,00 the amount NYRA should have paid the state to operate the race tracks from 2002-04.NYRA also understated its tax liabilities, Hevesi said. The information arose as part of a 2003 court imposed deferred prosecution agreement between the association, the state, and federal prosecutors.

Charles Hayward, the new president of NYRA, said yesterday’s report will be followed by other critical studies of NYRA’s past management, including one about purchasing practices.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

NO. 4 WAKE FOREST POUNDS MARYLAND

Justin Gray continued his torrid shooting streak, scoring 25 points while making a season-high six 3-pointers to lead no. 4 Wake Forest to an 81-66 win over Maryland last night.

Gray, who had 31 points in Saturday’s win at Clemson, made his first four 3s of the game while pushing the Demon Deacons (14-1) to an early lead.

Maryland (9-4) played poorly in its second-straight lopsided loss. The Terrapins were coming off a 36-point loss at no. 3 North Carolina.

BASKETBALL

WILLIAMS IN TALKS TO JOIN CBA TEAM

Jayson Williams talked with the Idaho Stampede of the Continental Basketball Association, hoping a roster spot there would be the first step in a return to playing in the NBA.

The former NBA All-Star was acquitted in April of the most serious charge in the 2002 shooting death of a limousine driver at his mansion, but was convicted on four counts stemming from a failed bid to conceal the shooting. He still faces retrial on a charge of reckless manslaughter.

Williams, 36, played nine seasons for the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 7.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. He retired in 2000 because of knee injuries.

– Associated Press