Jurisprudence

Ned Harkness, former coach and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings, was sued Friday for money New York state says he owes the Olympic Regional Development Authority.

Harkness had a company house and a company car. He had five weeks of vacation and a salary of $126,270 when he retired in 1993.

But Harkness allegedly billed the Olympic authority for almost $190,000 worth of time, phone calls, airline tickets and credit card use, according to the lawsuit.

New York Attorney General Dennis C. Vacco, seeking reimbursement for the Olympic group, filed the suit against Harkness in Essex County Supreme Court in Albany.

Ahmad Shareef, 24, a former Pitt basketball player, has been accused of credit card fraud. He was arrested Thursday in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh when he tried to pick up airline tickets he is accused of buying with a stolen credit card.

A travel company employee called police when he recognized Shareef’s voice as he called to order tickets under different names. Police were waiting for Shareef when he arrived and signed “Steve Jones” on the documents needed to claim the tickets.

Shareef, who played basketball at Pitt from 1991 to 1993, also faces charges of resisting arrest and receiving stolen property. Nine tickets bought by Shareef were worth $3,614.

Former marathon runner Dick Beardsley, runner-up in the 1982 Boston Marathon, pleaded guilty to forging prescriptions to obtain painkillers.

Beardsley, 40, of rural Frazee, Minn., admitted in Clay County District Court at Moorhead that he made copies of a blank prescription form in order to get five types of painkillers.

Beardsley, who was among the world’s best distance runners in the early 1980s, will be sentenced in about a month. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Soccer

Los Angeles Galaxy winger Harut Karapetyan of Van Nuys has been called up to join the Armenian national team. Karapetyan, 24, leaves today for Marseille and will train in France with the squad for five days.

The team will then go on a three-game tour of Chile that includes a match against the Chilean national team, part of Armenia’s warmup for World Cup ’98 qualifying.

Meanwhile, Galaxy defender Arash Noamouz on Thursday underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee and will be sidelined six to eight weeks.

Miscellany

A leaky roof at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., has sent water dripping onto the court and the seats on several occasions, including during a nationally televised basketball game.

But the contractor who is being blamed for the problem, Chris Anderson, says he’s not to blame.

Officials from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority have not canceled any events but said they will have to spend as much as $400,000 to fix the problem.

The leak, which dripped water onto the court during the NCAA Final Four last spring, originally was thought to have been caused by condensation from a ventilation system. But officials are now saying that the problem stems from unsuitable foam used to fill joints and creases on the roof.

German-owned Morning Glory regained the lead and was on schedule to beat the 21-year-old record in the Sydney-to-Hobart sailing race in Australia.

For the first time, girls will have a chance to compete for their own trophies in the NFL Gatorade Punt, Pass and Kick competition.

Sixteen girls will compete for national honors in four age divisions on Jan. 5 at Foxboro, Mass., during halftime of the New England Patriots’ divisional playoff game. Until now, girls had to match their football skills against boys.

Canada, the four-time defending world junior hockey champion, extended its winning streak to 18 games over three years at the junior national tournament with a 4-1 victory over Germany at Geneva.

Names in the News

Katerina Maleeva, the middle of three tennis-playing sisters from Bulgaria, is retiring from the WTA Tour next week. Maleeva, 27, won 11 singles titles in her 13-year career, and represented Bulgaria at the Olympics in Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta.

The Boston Red Sox signed pitcher Johnny Ruffin to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Ruffin was 1-3 with a 5.49 earned-run average in 49 games for Cincinnati last season, all as a reliever.

Broadcaster Bill Hewitt, play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1951 until 1981, died Wednesday at 68.

Former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Rafael Ruelas will fight Jan. 23 at the Country Club in Reseda. An opponent has not been determined.

Veteran car builder and mechanic Marc Reno was named crew chief for the Winston Cup cars Robert Yates fields for Ernie Irvan. Reno, 42, replaces Larry McReynolds, who left Robert Yates Racing last month to become crew chief for owner Richard Childress and driver Dale Earnhardt.