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Big Ben's Thursday Rumors & Notes

Baseball Rumors & Notes

Carl Everett is the perfect kind of guy to jump-start the White Sox's lineup. And he is available for any team that is willing to part with pitching that comes with shelf life. Would the ChiSox trade Jon Garland for Everett?

Looking to upgrade their beleaguered bullpen from the left side, the Yankees are watching what the Reds do with Gabe White and the Pirates do with Scott Sauerbeck. "There is no other reason they are shopping White than to cut salary," a source said of the Reds. That kind of money is steep for a second lefty in the pen, especially since the Reds aren't going to take a penny of Sterling Hitchcock's $6 million. It's possible the Yankees would pay all of Hitchcock's salary but the veteran lefty has pitched well recently.

Cubs manager Dusty Baker said the team will not trade reliever Juan Cruz.

Armando Benitez - rumored to be trade bait - and Met management denied the "Barber of Shea-ville" allegation. GM Steve Phillips said, "Armando wasn't anywhere near" Sanchez's reported in-game cut. Nevertheless, a source close to the team reiterated yesterday that Benitez was in fact Sanchez' cut man. The April 30 incident occurred in St. Louis, the source told The Post late Tuesday night.

Last week, Matt Anderson lost his closer's job. Wednesday, he lost his major league job. The Tigers sent Anderson to Triple-A Toledo and called up left-hander Steve Avery. Catcher Brandon Inge said the demotion appeared to leave Anderson "torn up."

Six teams haven't been able to unlock Bruce Chen's boundless potential, but the Red Sox want to take a shot. The Sox claimed the left-handed pitcher on waivers from the Houston Astros yesterday, becoming his fifth major league team in the last two seasons and seventh overall. Chen, 25, will be activated tomorrow

Speaking on WFAN yesterday, Art Howe confirmed that at some point, Mike Piazza will switch positions. Just not now. "It's just a matter of time until he does play first, but we have to get the timing right," the manager said. "I'll definitely sit down and discuss it in the future. I don't think it's the right time right now."

Who Knew? On Tuesday night, the Tigers' Dmitri Young became the first player to have two triples and two homers in the same game since the Giants' Willie Mays in 1958.

Mike Sweeney finally had enough of a nagging pain in his left wrist. So, on Tuesday, the Royals sent him to have a magnetic resonance imaging test. The MRI, trainer Nick Swartz said, showed a ligament sprain. Sweeney, after Tuesday night's game, acknowledged that the wrist pain could have affected his hitting.

Mo Vaughn said he will seek a second opinion on how best to alleviate the pain in his left knee and said he was leaning toward visiting California Angels orthopedist Lewis Yocum, who helped repair his left biceps muscle two seasons ago. If Vaughn is unable to continue his career -- a distinct possibility given his age (35) and the severity of the damage to his knee -- Phillips said that insurance would pay 75 percent of the roughly $29 million remaining on Vaughn's contract, which runs through next season.

Yanks star Jason Giambi admitted to that he's been suffering from patella tendinitis in his left knee since the beginning of season.

Ailing New York bench coach Don Zimmer said he will rejoin the Yankees tomorrow in Oakland. Zimmer, who was hospitalized last Thursday with a gastrointestinal disorder, wasn't expected to back until the team returned home next week. "I'm tired of watching my wife's soap operas and baseball until two in the morning," Zimmer said yesterday. "So I'm coming out [tomorrow]."

Bad Team Man The Indians entered last night's game on pace to go 47-115.

Catcher Robert Machado arrived at Camden Yards yesterday and found his jersey hanging in Cal Ripken's old locker in the far corner of the clubhouse. Nothing should surprise him these days. The Milwaukee Brewers released Machado, 29, this spring, and the Orioles signed him to a minor league contract and put him on the disabled list with a hamstring injury. He reported to Sarasota, Fla., to rehab the leg, and appeared in only nine games at Ottawa.

Outfielder Wendell Magee,who spent the past few seasons with the Tigers, signed with Toledo. He was released by Cleveland during spring training.

Yanks SS Erick Almonte made his club-leading ninth error of the season Tuesday night and is statistically the worst-fielding shortstop in the majors. He couldn't pick up the ball after stopping a grounder Tuesday, which Joe Torre termed "an error of inexperience.

Dusty Baker is searching for a decent left-handed pitcher to throw batting practice to Cubs hitters in preparation for the Cardinals' lefty relievers. "We're desperately searching," Baker said. Broadcaster Dave "Otto threw [Tuesday]. In San Francisco we had two lefties, one that traveled all the time. So how come the Cubs can't find a left-handed batting-practice pitcher in the third-largest city in the United States? "How many guys can get off work at 11 in the morning?" Baker said. "You've got to find someone working the night shift. How many guys are available at 11:30 every day ... unless he's unemployed?"

Now we know. Even if Ozzy the osprey had not been struck by a baseball thrown by a former pitcher for the Daytona Beach Cubs, his days were numbered. The results are in on Ozzy's necropsy (awful word), released by the excellent Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland -- and the official cause of death was septic shock, due to a ruptured liver abscess. It doesn't excuse 19-year-old Jae-kuk Ryu for taking four shots at Ozzy before bring him down from a nest at Daytona's Jackie Robinson Ballpark. But if the fastball didn't get him he was, shall we say, "day to day" anyway.

NFL Rumors & Notes

Bobby Taylor has a new pair of agents, and they'd like to get their client a contract extension with the Eagles before the start of the 2003 season.

The fact that Ravens coach Brian Billick felt compelled to deny the speculation of a trade for Jags QB Mark Brunell shows that there's much interest and talk around the league in how the Jaguars' quarterback situation is going to play out now that Byron Leftwich has been drafted with the seventh pick to join Brunell and David Garrard.

Free agent safety Sammy Knight from the Saints has lowered his contract demands significantly in recent days, according to a source. Both the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers are interested in signing Knight.

The Chiefs were still in the market for a veteran punter after free agent Craig Hentrich told them Wednesday he would re-sign with the Tennessee Titans. Unless the Chiefs move quickly, the only punter they will have under contract at their three-day minicamp that begins Friday is Canadian Football League veteran Noel Prefontaine.

Michael McCrary has been excused from Ravens minicamp. The veteran defensive end is expected to announce his retirement next month and likely will work as an assistant coach during training camp.

Former Jags coach Tom Coughlin is only interested in being a head coach, and he isn't ruling out coaching in college. "It would all depend on the job and the opportunity," Coughlin said. "I'm not going to rule out anything. I was flattered to be recognized with Alabama in terms of the integrity issue and the discipline issue." Coughlin, who had at least one year remaining on his Jaguars contract, said he may do radio or television analysis this upcoming NFL season.

Are the Bengals interested in free agent defensive end Peppi Zellner? Has the fifth-year veteran visited, or will he visit, Cincinnati? Depends on whom you ask. The former Cowboys defensive end was not in Cincinnati on Wednesday, contrary to some published reports in Cincinnati and Washington. The Redskins have made Zellner an offer.

A punch to the stomach left Helen Dunne with post-traumatic stress syndrome, a psychologist testified Wednesday in a suit that names Rams running back Marshall Faulk as the ex-boyfriend who hit her. But during cross-examination, a lawyer for Faulk tried to make jurors wonder whether blame should be put on abuse by other men that Dunne had described to the psychologist, Terrence Rohen. The public battle completed its third day in St. Louis County Presiding Judge Barbara Wallace's court.

When Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier said at the end of last weekend's minicamp that the club wouldn't be able to keep all four running backs currently on the roster come September, speculation immediately centered on Kenny Watson becoming the odd man out. The Redskins now might keep all four running backs.

Vikings LB Chris Claiborne, who reportedly had trouble maintaining his weight while playing for Detroit, weighed in this week at 254 pounds. "He looks great," Tice said

Bill Parcells has made his mark in Dallas. Already, dominoes, cell phones and playing cards are banned in the Cowboys locker room, as is eating. Last weekend, before every practice, the players had to run four 50-yard sprints. When an offensive player made a mistake, the whole offense had to run across the field and then to a fence in the distance, touch it, and run back.

Some Miami players have placed small purple mirror balls on strings over the adjoining lockers belonging to Junior Seau and Zach Thomas. The balls are South Beach trinkets that signify a strong friendship.

The left side of the Vikings' offensive line is in place, and coach Mike Tice could not be more pleased. His vision for the entire unit, anchored by left tackle Bryant McKinnie, became clearer this week as the Vikings wrapped up developmental camp Wednesday afternoon at Winter Park. Knowing they have an entire offseason to prepare the 6-foot-8, 343-pound McKinnie for the 2003 season has Tice excited.

Saints QB Aaron Brooks threw passes Monday for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right shoulder in January, Haslett said. Brooks lightly tossed short passes to members of the team's athletic training staff for about 30 minutes and reported no complications from the work Tuesday.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said a backup plan is in place in case the deal with San Antonio falls through. The logical choice would appear to be a return to Thousand Oaks, Calif., or Wichita Falls, two previous Cowboys camp sites.

It took two trips to the Masters, but Lions quarterback Joey Harrington finally met his second cousin, Padraig Harrington of Ireland. Padraig is one of the world's top golfers, and his star shines brightest on the European Tour. Joey was at the Masters in 2002 and waited off the 18th green after one of the early rounds to meet Padraig. When Padraig closed his round with a double bogey, Joey figured it wasn't a good time to make acquaintances. They finally met this year.

Titans fans soon won't have to rely on car flags or magnets to show their allegiance while traveling — they'll be able to show off a specialty license tag, as well. A process started almost six years ago should be finalized by this fall and allow the state to issue license plates with a Titans logo and helmet. It will join specialty tags issued for at least a dozen other NFL teams

NBA Rumors & Notes

Doug Collins, like several other Wizards front-office employees, was recruited by Jordan and his job is likely in jeopardy. If Jordan's hires are let go, the total severance cost, including Jordan's payoff, could easily exceed $20 million.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Michael Jordan won't have a problem finding a job in the NBA if he wants one and that he would have a spot for him at any time. "M.J. can help any organization," Cuban said in an e-mail. "The bigger question is what does M.J. want to do."

Mavericks coach Don Nelson, whose coaching contract expires at season's end, has made passing references to his tenuous status, but Wednesday he candidly discussed the possibility that he might be entering his final days as Dallas' coach.

A source close to former New Orleans Hornets coach Paul Silas indicated yesterday that Silas and the Raptors have communicated with each other. The source said Silas also has been speaking with the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers.

Fired Hornets coach Paul Silas will attend tonight's Western Conference semifinals game between the Mavericks and Sacramento Kings as a guest of his close friend, Mavs coach Don Nelson. But Nelson said this isn't the first step toward the former New Orleans Hornets coach succeeding Nelson as coach of the Mavericks. "That's not why he's coming in," Nelson said. "But, if it was determined that I wasn't coming back ... he'd be the No. 1 guy on the sheet, as far as I'm concerned.

The Celtics are trying to woo Danny Ainge to head their basketball operation, but Ainge said last night the job has yet to be formally offered to him.

John Weisbrod, the chief operating officer of the Orlando Magic, actually sent a letter of apology to angry fans in the wake of the Motown Meltdown. If this isn't an ultimatum for Coach Doc Rivers and GM John Gabriel, I don't know what is. Although Weisbrod said Gabriel and Rivers are safe for another season, that's as far as he would go.

The Portland Trail Blazers might contact Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe to fill an opening created Wednesday by the resignation of president and general manager Bob Whitsitt, according to a source in Portland's front office.

Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo said he has interest in Toronto's head-coaching vacancy. Carlesimo has spoken with coach Gregg Popovich about his interest, but has not yet talked with Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald.

Nets head coach Byron Scott said in a radio interview yesterday that many NBA players feel uncomfortable playing in Boston because the city has been slow to accept black athletes. "I know a lot of black players feel that way," said Scott, appearing on the Mike and the Mad Dog Show on WFAN. "I know we did in the 80s, we knew you couldn't go to certain places -- and that was their own players (who felt that).

For this to work out, the Hornets' master plan had better include the hiring of Jeff Van Gundy, the best candidate in a lean NBA coaching market. It had better produce the one candidate who has more coaching skins on the wall than former Hornets coach Paul Silas, a guy who will immediately command the respect of the players because of his resume and instantly conjure images of "winner" when he enters the locker room. To meet that standard, it's going to take Van Gundy.

Michael Jordan should head back to Chicago.

Don Chaney is still weeks away from finalizing his new staff but the Knicks head coach is leaning toward making Dave Cowens his top assistant, according to a person close to Chaney.

The agent for Timberwolves point guard Terrell Brandon said Wednesday his client's retirement "is pretty much imminent." "I think Terrell's probably not going to play, and that's pretty much what's going to happen, I presume,'' Bill Duffy said. "We don't believe anything other than that is going to be an option.''

Political ambitions could be in the near term for Philadelphia 76ers general manager Billy King, who confirmed he has been approached by Democrats in Washington about his interest in running for the U.S. Senate next year against Republican incumbent Arlen Specter. King, 37, who was named by Sports Illustrated last week as one of the most influential minority figures in American sports, called the attention ''flattering'' and said he wanted to run for political office at some point.

New Jersey forward Kenyon Martin was still wearing his bracelet from Pascack Valley Hospital, where his young daughter, Cierra Reign Martin, is still staying. Cierra was born prematurely on Saturday morning, and will be in the hospital until she gains a little more weight. Martin hoped she would be coming home soon, but still didn't have a timetable for when. Cierra's mother, Heather, is doing fine.

Former NBA players Adrian Dantley, Mark Price and Scott Brooks will help at the Denver Nuggets offseason workouts.

College Rumors & Notes

Dolphins quarterbacks coach Mike Shula is expected to be offered the job as football coach at the University of Alabama by today and could be introduced this weekend if he accepts.

Dana Altman of Creighton and Steve McClain of Wyoming continue to be the most hotly discussed candidates for the men's basketball coaching vacancy at Iowa State. But Iowa State athletic director Bruce Van De Velde could go back in time to pick his coach. Van De Velde hired Stew Morrill away from Colorado State to replace Larry Eustachy at Utah State. Now, after Eustachy resigned Monday, he could try to hire Morrill again.

Florida State has turned its attention to allegations by Adrian McPherson's attorney that "top stars" may have received cash in exchange for autographed items.

If the ACC lures Miami, Boston College and Syracuse away from the Big East Conference, everybody who cares about college football had better buckle up. We are in for a bumpy ride. The Pac-10 has long said that if the Big Ten ever made its move and went to 12 teams the Pac-10 would not stand still. There have been rumors about Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah and a host of other schools as the most likely new members. Utah of the Mountain West appears to be a lock, and don't be surprised if the Pac-10 also takes a run at BYU.

Derek Delach, whom authorities charged with bookmaking after a 31/2-month investigation into whether former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson gambled, may go to trial in mid-August.

Mizzou announced Wednesday that star juniors Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding will return to MU rather than make themselves available for the NBA draft.

Junior-college center Robert Whaley will not be part of the University of Cincinnati basketball program until felony charges are resolved, and he will be permanently dismissed if convicted.

Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill and former Notre Dame and North Carolina assistant Fred Quartlebaum had telephone conversations with members of the Fordham search committee late last week. Wichita State assistant Jean Prioleau, a former Fordham star from Teaneck, N.J., spoke to a member of the committee yesterday.

If Miami leaves for the ACC then Central Florida might replace them in the Big East.

Arety's Angels, a topless bar in Pensacola, Fla., displays a sign in reference to former Alabama football coach Mike Price. The $10,000,000 in the sign refers to the contract opportunity Price lost when he was fired.

Odd Notes & Stuff

Mike Tyson and promoter Don King, who are engaged in dueling $100 million lawsuits against each other, will find themselves in the same legal boat today. WBC heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis plans to file a $20 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against Tyson and a $35 million lawsuit against King for allegedly interfering with a contract between Lewis and Tyson. The lawsuit against King also seeks $350 million in punitive damages.

A late-night journey to a Florida strip club during a spring break trip has cost 15 varsity baseball players at Massapequa High School the remainder of their season and the school suspended two coaches yesterday because of the incident, officials said.

Empire Maker, second as the ballyhooed 5-2 favorite in last Saturday's Kentucky Derby, will not run in the May 17 Preakness, trainer Bobby Frankel told The Post yesterday from California.

When ESPN decided to televise all 63 games in the recent NCAA women's basketball tournament, women's sports advocates trumpeted that decision as a turning point. But when TV ratings for the tournament showed a 9 percent drop-off from a year ago, those same advocates chalked it up to the growing pains associated with a new product.

Defenseman Calle Johansson, the Washington Capitals' all-time leader in games played, will not return to the team next season. Johansson, 36, met with General Manager George McPhee on Tuesday night and they agreed it would be in the best interests of both parties if Johansson pursued other options.

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