FOOTBALL

DRAFT MOVES TO JAVITS CENTER

The NFL draft will be held next month at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center instead of Madison Square Garden, partly because of opposition by Garden management to the construction of a Manhattan stadium for the Jets. The agreement with the Javits center, used for trade conventions and other events, is for one year only, the league said yesterday.

The NFL had been considering a number of sites, including the possibility of moving the draft from New York. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello noted that the league’s contract with the Garden had expired. But he added that opposition to the stadium by the Dolan family, owners of the Garden, “was a factor in our decision.” The draft, which had been held in MSG’s theater, will take place April 23-24. The Javits center is about four blocks from the Garden, adjacent to the site where the proposed stadium would be built.

GOLF

MICKELSON TIED FOR LEAD AT DORAL

Phil Mickelson made 10 birdies, including six on his last eight holes, for an 8-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Jose Maria Olazabal, Brian Davis, and Marco Dawson yesterday in the Ford Championship at Doral. Ninety-seven players in the 144-man field broke par on the Blue Monster, a record for the opening round at Doral. The previous mark was 90 sub-par scores in the first round of 2001.

Mickelson now is 46 under par his last eight rounds, dating to that 60 in the FBR Open. Tiger Woods did his best to keep pace, making three straight birdies before the turn, settling for pars on the two par 5s on the back nine, and making a 15-foot par putt on the last hole for a 65.

Doral has 11 of the top 12 players in the world ranking, one of the strongest fields of the year, and most of them delivered the performance everyone expected. U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen was at 67, while no. 1 Vijay Singh birdied three of his last four holes for a 68. David Toms, coming off an overwhelming victory in the Match Play Championship, showed he’s human with only a 69.

BASEBALL

GIAMBI, SIX OTHERS ASKED TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

Former slugger Jose Canseco and several players he has accused of joining him in abusing steroids, including the Yankees’ Jason Giambi, have been invited to testify before a House committee.

“There’s a cloud over baseball, and perhaps a public discussion of the issues, with witnesses testifying under oath, can provide a glimpse of sunlight,” said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.

Davis and the top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, announced yesterday that they were inviting Canseco and six other former or active players, including Giambi and former St. Louis Cardinal Mark McGwire, to testify at a March 17 hearing.

A spokeswoman for Waxman, who last week wrote Davis to urge hearings on baseball’s response to the steroid scandal, said they don’t know if the players will agree to attend. Commissioner Bud Selig has also been invited.

Canseco, in a recently released book, admits using steroids and alleges that he injected the drugs with McGwire and introduced steroids to other stars, including Rafael Palmeiro of the Orioles. Palmeiro is also on the invitation list, as are Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, Orioles slugger Sammy Sosa, and Frank Thomas of the White Sox. Major League Baseball and the players’ association in January agreed to a tougher steroid-testing program in the wake of allegations that Giambi and Barry Bonds were steroid users. Bonds has denied knowingly taking the drugs.

BASKETBALL

PAYTON NEARS RETURN TO CELTICS

Gary Payton is on the verge of signing with the Boston Celtics, coach Doc Rivers said yesterday, a week after the nine-time All- Star was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. That deal brought former Celtics captain Antoine Walker back to Boston, where he played seven seasons before being shipped out 1 1/2 years ago.

Danny Ainge said Payton is expected to clear waivers today at 10 a.m. He has already agreed to sign with the Celtics, reportedly for close to the veteran’s minimum salary. Payton was traded to Atlanta with Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart, and a first-round draft pick at the NBA trading deadline.

The Celtics have won three straight since adding Walker’s inside presence to the lineup, including a 104-101 victory over the Lakers on Wednesday. If the Celtics can re-sign Payton, who was waived by the Hawks on Tuesday, the trade looks even better.

“It’s not done,” Rivers said, “but it’s done.”

– Associated Press