BASEBALL

GOSSAGE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY SOME PLAYERS USE STEROIDS

Goose Gossage can understand why some players would try steroids. With major league salaries so high, finding a way to extend a career is an awfully tempting proposition.

“Chances are, I probably would have done it, too,” Gossage said yesterday.

That doesn’t mean baseball’s newest Hall of Famer is giving Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds a free pass on their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. Whether throwing a fastball or speaking his mind, Gossage has never been one to let up — and he’s not about to start.

“I’ve been in that situation, trying to prolong my career with the money that was out there to be made at this time in baseball. I can’t sit here and say that I would not have done it,” he said.

FOOTBALL

FALCONS INTERESTED IN INTERVIEWING PETE CARROLL

The Atlanta Falcons are interested in Southern California coach Pete Carroll for their head coaching job. A person familiar with the team’s coaching situation told the Associated Press yesterday that the Falcons want to speak with Carroll, who is on vacation in Hawaii. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Falcons have not officially met with Carroll.

BASKETBALL

SUNS’ HILL UNDERGOES APPENDECTOMY, OUT 2-3 WEEKS

Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill underwent an appendectomy on Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks. Hill felt ill after arriving at the US Airways Center for Wednesday morning’s shootaround. At first, the Suns assumed he had the same flu that teammate Raja Bell recently had. But after being taken to see a physician, it was determined to be more serious.

GOLF

ANCHOR SUSPENDED 2 WEEKS FOR ‘LYNCH’ COMMENT

Golf Channel suspended anchor Kelly Tilghman for two weeks yesterday for saying last week that young players who wanted to challenge Tiger Woods should “lynch him in a back alley.”

Tilghman was laughing during the exchange Friday with analyst Nick Faldo at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, and Woods’s agent at IMG said he didn’t think there was any ill intent.