Sports Desk

BASKETBALLHORNETS TO PLAY 35 GAMES IN OKLAHOMA CITYThe New Orleans Hornets will play 35 home games in Oklahoma City and six others in Baton Rouge, La., under terms of a temporary relocation agreement approved yesterday by the city council. The New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets normally play, was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and could take months to repair. But even if New Orleans is ready to welcome the team back before the season ends, the Hornets are locked into their 35 dates at the 19,675-seat Ford Center. Playoff games also would be played in Oklahoma City, and the Hornets will have the option to stay for an extra year.City Council members unanimously approved a lease that would provide financial support for the Hornets should their revenue drop in the temporary venue. If the team does not earn 5% more in local revenue than it made in New Orleans last season, taxpayers and local businessmen will pay the team as much as $10 million. If the team exceeds last season’s revenues by more than 5%, Oklahoma City would receive 80% of the proceeds to cover its expenses. If all the city’s costs are covered, the team and the city would split the remaining profits in half.BASEBALLORIOLES’ ROBERTS NEEDS SURGERY FOR TORN LIGAMENTS, TENDONSBaltimore second baseman Brian Roberts has ligament and tendon damage in his left arm and will need surgery that usually requires a recovery time of about six months. The All-Star and leadoff hitter remained hospitalized at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center yesterday, a day after a collision with the Yankees’ Bubba Crosby.A tendon in Roberts’s arm was torn off the bone when the elbow was dislocated, and he tore his ulnar collateral ligament, according to Orioles trainer Richie Bancells. Roberts’s pronator flexor tendon has to be sewn to the bone, and doctors will decide whether the ligament also needs to be repaired. Swelling must subside before Roberts can be operated on, and surgery is likely in about 10 days.Roberts’s .314 batting average was fifth in the AL and he finished his season with 45 doubles, 18 homers and 73 RBI.REPORT: PINIELLA WON’T RETURN AS D-RAYS MANAGERLou Piniella’s tenure as manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays apparently is coming to an end. According to a report yesterday on the web site of the Tampa Tribune, Piniella will not return to manage the Devil Rays next season.A Tampa native, Piniella will accept a $2.2 million buyout after the season and be free to pursue other managerial openings, according to the report. Both Piniella and the Devil Rays declined comment on the report.Piniella signed a four-year, $13 million contract with the Devil Rays after his negotiating rights were traded by the Seattle Mariners for outfielder Randy Winn after the 2002 season. However, the 62-year-old Piniella has been outspoken about the lack of commitment from Devil Rays’ ownership. Tampa Bay began the season with a payroll of under $30 million, the lowest in the major leagues.FOOTBALLVICK QUESTIONABLE FOR SUNDAYMichael Vick was held out of practice yesterday with a sore left hamstring, but the Atlanta quarterback said he may play Sunday at Buffalo even if he can’t practice the rest of the week. Second-year quarterback Matt Schaub, who made one start last season, ran the first-team offense yesterday. Vick had to slow down at the end of a 32-yard run in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s loss at Seattle when his hamstring began hurting. After Schaub finished off a touchdown drive, Vick tried to play in the Falcons’ final possession but again had to leave the game.COLLEGE FOOTBALLRITA FORCES RICE, HOUSTON TO POSTPONE GAMESRice and Houston postponed home games scheduled for Saturday, and Texas A&M has pushed up its game against Texas State, in anticipation of Hurricane Rita reaching the Texas Gulf Coast this weekend.The Aggies will play Texas State Thursday night instead of Saturday. Rice was scheduled to play Navy, but yesterday the game was rescheduled for October 22. Houston was to play Southern Mississippi on Saturday. No makeup date was announced, but school officials said they were looking at November 12 or 13.The Category 5 storm, packing winds of 165 mph, is expected to make landfall somewhere on the Gulf Coast of Texas early Saturday.TENNISSERENA WILLIAMS UPSET AT CHINA OPENSerena Williams was upset in the second round of the China Open on yesterday, losing to unheralded Sun Tiantian 6-2, 7-6 (7). Sun, ranked 127th in the world and fourth among Chinese players, took advantage of numerous errors by Williams, who said she was bothered by an ailing left knee.Williams, no. 9 in the world rankings, won last year’s event and is very popular in China. But the crowd cheered as Sun pulled off a surprise victory – the first of her career against a player ranked in the top 40.It was an error-filled match, with Williams spraying balls long, hitting drop shots short and double-faulting to fall to 4-5 in the second set. She managed to break Sun’s service in the next game, but lost in the tiebreak.– Associated Press

Sports Desk

Sports Desk

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