The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 187

The Palm Beach Post Sosa suspended eight games He appeals the decision by MLB in hopes of receiving a reduced suspension and plays in the Cubs" loss to the Yankees. 3B SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2003 PaSmBeachPost.com 'We think it would be particularly useful for people to take some time and slow this process charles steger, Virginia Tech president ufliitt to ii i am mm mo Big EaQSfi SCll Citing the Hurricanes' promises to stay, the legal action charges a conspiracy designed to 'destroy' the conference. Five desperate schools wage War of Roses (and Oranges) 1 proposed expansion Rutgers, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Connecticut and Pittsburgh. They contend that UM "made repeated public and private statements that it intended to remain a member of the Big East and that it had no intention of leaving to join any other conference." Those assurances, the lawsuit states, were made while UM and BC were "engaged in secret negotiations to leave the Big East to join the ACC." UM Athletic Director Paul Dee declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit but said the university had done nothing wrong. See BIG EAST, 10B Conn.

Syracuse, one of the three schools considering leaving the Big East, was not named because the plaintiffs found no evidence the school made promises to stay in the conference. The suit seeks unspecified damages, charging that UM, Boston College and the ACC conspired "on a scheme that is calculated to destroy the Big East and misappropriate its value for their benefit" The plaintiffs are the five schools left behind in the ACC's By JORGE MILtAN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer CORAL GABLES For weeks, talks had remained cordial between the Big East and the three schools contemplating leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference. That changed Friday when five Big East schools filed a lawsuit against the University of Miami and Boston College, seeking to keep them from defecting. The ACC also was named as a defendent in the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Hartford, Even as nasty divorces go, this one's getting uglier by the day. It's becoming increasingly difficult to figure out how much the Big East Conference loves the University of Miami and wants the Hurricanes to remain in the marriage, or how much five of its about-to-be-jilted member insitu-tions hate the Hurricanes and want to make them pay for giving up on the This is bigger than The War of the Roses, a hysterically funny mov- Greg Stoda ie if you could work around the emotional wickedness about a husband and wife digging in against each other on what became a fight to their deaths.

See STODA. 10B 3, BELMONT STAKES Post time: 6:38 p.m. TV: NBC, 5:30 p.m. Griese accepts two-year contract uu 1 i 1 -9- i A. I i tin The Dolphins will pay him a $1 million signing bonus.

7f til, That's Steup but Funnv 'i Harbor BmM c.nnv Hide's co-owners, gets When J.P. wnsara, u. jth wife Karen) and Ill i Zh ft a a i fl Sa, Js 11 lias sadness, we all do. and when one nas joy, By TODD ARCHER Palm Beach Post Staff Writer DAVIE Brian Griese was only 5 when his father retired from the Dolphins in 1980, but he was always a fan of the aqua and orange. Now, he will be wearing his father's old uniform.

Griese agreed to a two-year contract with the Dolphins on Friday, and the only thing holding up an announcement of the deal is a pending physical. Griese is expected to arrive in South Florida on Sunday and be introduced Monday. It took some work between the Dolphins and Griese's agent, Ralph Cindrich, to finalize a deal but Griese will receive a $1 million signing bonus with a $530,000 base salary this year. Both sides moved on the incentive structure, which consummated the deal. While it is for two years, Griese is due a sizable roster bonus next March, at which time the Dolphins would release him or work on a long-term deal.

The Dolphins had hoped to sign Griese earlier in the week so he could participate in the recent quarterback school. Instead, Griese will have just one mini-camp to get on-field work before training camp starts in late July. "No question this is the place he wanted to be," Cindrich said. "The arrangement is one that is excellent for the club and becomes fair for the player if he performs. And we're fine with that" The Dolphins were sticking by team policy not to comment on the matter until Griese passes a physical.

The Dolphins have made it clear that Jay Fiedler is their starter. Fiedler is 28-13 in three years as Miami's starter; Griese was 27-24 in four years as Denver's starter. Fiedler is due a roster bonus of $1.25 million next March, which would kick in the final year of his five-year contract Fiedler's See DOLPHINS, 10B Story and photos by HAL HABIB Palm Beach Post Staff Writer 'Common folks' from upstate NY. couldn't be happier as Funny Cide goes for the Triple Crown. SACKETS HARBOR, N.Y.

A magic wand. Sure, that's it Alice Holman runs the Candlelight Bed and Breakfast on the edge of town, and it's the last place the sun kisses good night in the village each day. Holman is searching to describe the enchanted ride Sackets Harbor has soaked up the past five weeks, and magical works as well as any. "It's like there was a magic wand that just tapped these people on the head and said, We're going to make them she says. "These people" are the handful of ordinary guys from Sackets Harbor who, over a couple of beers at a party, got the idea of each chipping in $5,000 to buy an ordinary thoroughbred or two.

A few deals later, the world knows the extraordinary result Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby, then the Preakness, and today is favored to become the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, which would earn a $5 million bonus. The wand touched more than them. Yes, these neighbors own a financial stake in Funny Cide, but an entire town has an emotional stake. The phrase "Our Horse" floats through this western New York village like the scent of hickory at dinnertime, leaving everyone in a dreamlike state you'd expect if Frank Capra directed Rocky and asked Norman Rockwell to sketch the poster. "I've always said in this town, with a population of only 1,386, when one family has sadness, we all do, and when one See SACKETS HARBOR, 8B Sackets Harbor NEW YORK Funny Cide to face five rivals in Belmont, 8B New York City NETS 87, SPURS 85 McPherson case ends in hung jury New Jersey shuts down Duncan, San Antonio The jury votes 5-1 to convict on gambling charges after 10 hours; prosecutors plan to retry the case after the mistrial.

f- awmmmmtmmntll urn afterward about the only holdout. Inconsistencies in the testimony of two witnesses also was an issue. It might have helped if prosecutors had cleared up details such as when McPherson was at McPherson NBA Finals Game 3: San Antonio at New Jersey, 8:30 p.m. Sunday TV: ABC win it at the end, but Stephen Jackson missed a three-pointer with 3 seconds left, and no one gained control of the loose ball before the final buzzer sounded. The series now heads to See NBA FINALS, 6B By CHRIS SHERIDAN The Associated Press SAN ANTONIO Jason Kidd's free-throw shooting, along with the defense of Dikembe Mutombo and Jason Collins against Tim Duncan, led the New Jersey Nets to an 87-85 victory against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night evening the series at one game apiece.

The Spurs had a chance to case, which was carried live on Court TV. The six-person jury was split 5-1 to convict one of the jurors said. The jury deliberated for more than six hours Thursday and another four hours Friday before announcing it was hopelessly deadlocked. "The person was concerned about the phone calls, that they might not have been made by McPherson himself," a juror told The Palm Beach Post By CHARLES ELMORE Palm Beach Post Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE The gambling trial of former Florida State quarterback Adrian McPherson ended in a hung jury and a mistrial Friday, sustaining his hopes of playing again but doing little to clear the air around him or FSU's football program. Judge Tim Harley said he had no choice but to declare a mistrial.

Prosecutors said they intend to retry the practice on days the calls to a gambling operation occurred, the juror said, but added there was no guarantee it would have mattered, at least "not to this person." In a rare interview with assembled See Mcpherson, iob Pavano power Marlins to 4-1 win against Angels, 5B Ferrero, unseededVerkerk advance to French Open final, 7B.