Tarkanian’s Tickets Wound Up With Bookie

Fresno State basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s personal business agent turned game tickets over to a suspected sports bookie, the Fresno Bee reported Thursday.

Athletic department records show that the bookie got at least 42 tickets and his brother eight from Jose Elgorriaga Jr. during the season. Tarkanian receives 90 tickets to each home game as part of his contract and said he gives Elgorriaga four to six tickets for each game.

University officials and the FBI are investigating rumors of point-shaving. The investigations have focused on guards Dominick Young and Chris Herren. Both have denied shaving points. The Times reported that members of a Southern California bookmaking ring were told Fresno State players were fixing games.

Horse Racing

After Gary Stevens opened the door, Jerry Bailey rode Singspiel to victory in the Dubai World Cup, giving him the winning mount in the $4-million race for the second consecutive year.

Bailey, riding Singspiel after Stevens passed up the chance, sent the 5-year-old British horse through on the rail to beat Siphon, the favored Santa Anita Handicap winner, by 1 1/4 lengths. Sandpit, who is Siphon’s stablemate, finished third, another 1 1/2 lengths behind Singspiel.

Bailey won the inaugural running of the Dubai race last year with Cigar. His estimated share of the $2.4-million winner’s purse is $240,000, and the winning jockey also received a new Mercedes.

Football

Leroy Hoard, who revived the Minnesota Vikings’ running game after they resuscitated his career last season, agreed to a $1.6-million, two-year contract.

Defensive end Al Fontenot joined the Indianapolis Colts with a four-year contract, a move that could mean Colt fixture Tony Siragusa will not return. Fontenot’s contract is believed to be worth $4 million.

The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed defensive end Kevin Henry, meaning he will remain the replacement for the departed Ray Seals.

Running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka has recovered faster than expected from major knee surgery and has been cleared to take part in a mini-camp the Carolina Panthers are holding this month.

Jurisprudence

Washington Redskin owner Jack Kent Cooke’s wife should be deported because of her guilty plea in a drug case, the Justice Department argued before a federal appeals court panel.

The proceedings were closed to the public, in part because details about Marlena Ramallo’s role as a Drug Enforcement Agency informant were discussed, her attorney said.

A 26-year-old woman testified that Cleveland Indian relief pitcher Jose Mesa raped her by forcing his hand into her pants while driving from a bar to a motel.

The woman also admitted under cross-examination that she was drunk at the time and did not leave Mesa’s presence despite several opportunities to get away.

Golf

Defending champion Scott McCarron got off to a good start in the Freeeport-McDermott Classic in New Orleans. He shot a first-round 65, seven under par, on the 7,116-yard course, tying him with David Toms and Larry Rinker.

John Jacobs, Isao Aoki, J.C. Snead and Gil Morgan all birdied five of the last nine holes to finish at six-under 66 in the Tradition at Scottsdale, Ariz. Simon Hobday also had a share of the five-way tie for the lead.

Calvin Peete withdrew after a car taking him to the tournament was involved in a collision. Peete, 53, told officials he was not injured.

Miscellany

Ricky Craven was in serious but stable condition after hitting the wall during the opening session of Winston Cup practice at the new Texas Motor Speedway. Meanwhile, rain postponed the opening round of qualifying for Sunday’s Interstate Batteries 500, although NASCAR’s Winston Cup drivers did get in both scheduled practice sessions.

Marquette’s Mike Deane became the first coach ever suspended from the NCAA tournament when he was banned for one game for his behavior during a first-round matchup with Providence.

World-class triathlete Judy Flannery, 57, was killed Wednesday in Poolesville, Md., when a car driven by an unlicensed 16-year-old swerved across a center line and hit her, according to police.

Sports filmmaker Bud Greenspan won a George Foster Peabody Award for his Olympics documentary.

Tennis

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario became the first defending champion in a quarter-century at the Family Circle Cup at Hilton Head, S.C., to lose before the quarterfinals, falling to 13th-seeded Amanda Coetzer, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0. . . . Defending champion Pete Sampras withdrew from the Salem Open in Hong Kong because of a wrist injury. . . . Defending men’s national champion Stanford (14-1) will play top-ranked UCLA (18-1) today at 1:30 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.