Taiwan Pulls Out of Little League Baseball

Taiwan, faced with accusations of rule violations, has withdrawn from Little League baseball.

Officials in Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series, said Taiwan had drawn players from an area with too large a population. There have been discussions of other alleged violations, but the population area seems to be the main one.

Taiwan, winner of 12 of the last 23 Little League World Series, is the defending champion.

College Basketball

Fourteen types of items are listed in subpoenas issued by a federal grand jury probing allegations that Fresno State basketball players shaved points, the Fresno Bee reported. The grand jury also has subpoenaed at least five people in the investigation of rumors focusing on guards Dominick Young and Chris Herren.

The Bee also reported that the IRS has joined the investigation because of the 90 tickets per game Coach Jerry Tarkanian received last season. Records subpoenaed by the grand jury show the coach’s personal business agent, Jose Elgorriaga Jr., provided 42 tickets to Kirk Vartanian, who the Bee has called a major local sports gambler and bookie.

North Carolina forward Antawn Jamison, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who led the Tar Heels in scoring last season with a 19.1-point average, is leaning toward returning to school instead of entering the NBA Draft, his father told the Charlotte Observer. . . . The Philadelphia Inquirer reported freshman Tim Thomas will leave Villanova to enter the NBA draft in June. . . . Jon Carlisle, a high school basketball star in Salt Lake City, reportedly has decided to play for Utah instead of Brigham Young. He was also being recruited by UCLA, Arizona and Stanford. . . . Henry Clark, 41, who served as the lead assistant at Cal State Bakersfield for eight years, has been named coach. He succeeds Pat Douglass, who left to become coach at UC Irvine. . . . Former Army coach Dino Gaudio was named coach of Loyola of Maryland.

Pro Football

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed quarterback Steve Walsh to a two-year, $1-million contract. Walsh was with the St. Louis Rams last season. . . . The deal that would sent quarterback Heath Shuler to the New Orleans Saints has hit a snag because the Washington Redskins are demanding a third-round draft choice. . . . The Cincinnati Bengals signed free-agent running back Scottie Graham to a two-year contract. Graham was with the Minnesota Vikings last season. . . . The Vikings re-signed unrestricted free agent running back Robert Smith to a one-year contract. . . . Kentucky basketball star Anthony Epps had a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys as a wide receiver. Epps was an all-state receiver in high school.

College Football

Washington quarterback Shane Fortney said Coach Jim Lambright last season accused him him of being disloyal to the Huskies to have knee surgery before the season ended.

“I was in pain and wanted to have the surgery,” Fortney said.

Lambright confirmed the story. “I think it should have been a pretty simple decision for him. [Redshirt freshman Jon] Minter was not ready, so the team needed Fortney to back up [Brock] Huard,” he said.

Tennis

No. 2-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia and No. 5-seeded Marcelo Rios of Chile were eliminated from the Open Seat Godo clay-court tournament at Barcelona. Magnus Larsson of Sweden defeated Kafelnikov, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round. Spain’s Albert Portas beat Rios, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3). . . . Richard Krajicek, undeterred by tricky winds and finishing with a 135 mph ace, defeated Neville Godwin of South Africa, 6-3, 6-4, in the second round of the Japan Open at Tokyo.

Jurisprudence

New York police officer Thomas Fursa, who was involved in the arrest of basketball player Anthony Mason last July, faces departmental charges that he tried to get $100,000 to change his testimony. Mason, a former Knick who is now with the Charlotte Hornets, scuffled with about 10 police officers after getting a parking ticket in the Times Square area.

Florida defensive back Elijah Williams is facing a misdemeanor charge of obstruction for lying to police during a sexual battery investigation, the Florida state attorney’s office said, but he will not be charged with sexual battery. After a March 4 incident, a 19-year-old student filed a sworn complaint of sexual battery against Williams. Bill Cervone, chief assistant for the state attorney, said the woman prefers to settle the matter privately through the university.

Miscellany

ABC Sports and the U.S. Figure Skating Assn. have reached an agreement that will keep USFGA-sanctioned events on ABC through 2007. ABC’s relationship with the association dates to 1964, when the network first telecast the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

An insurance claim of $25 million will be paid May 3 to the owners of Cigar because of his infertility. None of the 34 mares bred to Cigar is with foal.

Names in the News

Sprinter Ben Johnson, 35, the world’s fastest man before twice testing positive for performance-enhancing steroids, is in training and said his goal is to challenge Olympic 100-meter champion Donovan Bailey.

Craig Peterson, 26, a former Australian heavyweight champion, was found dead in his home in Santa Tereza, N.M., and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of foul play. Peterson last fought Jan. 28, and was stopped in the sixth round.

Right wing Joe Murphy of the St. Louis Blues was charged with diving under the influence of alcohol after being stopped for speeding through a St. Louis suburb.

U.S. national team goalie Kasey Keller lead Leicester to a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the League Cup final replay at Sheffield, England.

The Galaxy put midfielder Andrew Shue on injured reserve.