Tyson’s Plea May Send Him Back to Prison

Mike Tyson’s probation officer will file court papers by Monday in Indianapolis that could lead to the former heavyweight boxing champion’s returning to prison.

George Walker, the chief probation officer for Marion Superior Court, said Thursday that Tyson’s no-contest plea to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland on Tuesday appears tantamount to a probation violation.

Tyson served three years on a 10-year sentence in Indiana for raping a beauty pageant contestant. He was convicted in 1992, and his probation expires in March.

Judge Patricia Gifford, who presided at Tyson’s trial and will decide if Tyson violated his probation, was unavailable for comment.

“The judge can do everything, from nothing all the way to imposing the originally suspended sentence, and anything in between,” Walker said.

The judge also could modify the sentence or Tyson’s probation.

Tyson recently regained his boxing license and has a fight planned for Jan. 16 against Francois Botha in Las Vegas. His license was revoked for biting Evander Holyfield’s ears during a 1997 title fight.

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National League umpire Joe West is appealing a drunk-driving conviction by a Pitt County judge in North Carolina after admitting to having drunk several beers before driving home.

District Court Judge Jim Martin sentenced West on Wednesday to two years of unsupervised probation, 24 hours of community service and a $100 fine. West’s attorney appealed the decision to Superior Court, which means a 12-member jury will hear the case.

Golf

Stuart Appleby, tuning up for next week’s Presidents Cup and still grieving his wife’s death, shot a three-under-par 69 to take the lead in the first round at the Australian Open at Adelaide.

“I have lived the nightmare for four months,” Appleby said. “One minute I’m good, one minute I’m bad.”

Renay Appleby, a promising golfer who caddied for her husband, died in a London traffic accident after the British Open.

On a day when the tough par-72 Royal Adelaide Golf Club course lived up to its reputation, only 13 players in the 126-man field broke par.

A stroke behind Appleby were Greg Norman of Australia, playing his first regular tournament since surgery on his left shoulder in late April, Rick Gibson of Canada, Peter Senior and Kenny Druce of Australia and Stephen Scahill of New Zealand.

Appleby and Norman will play for the International team against the United States in next week’s Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Defending champion Nick Price overcame strong winds to fire a five-under 67 and take a two-stroke lead in the first round of the $2.57-million Million Dollar Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.

Tied for second at 69 were Mark O’Meara, Justin Leonard and Bernhard Langer. Ernie Els was next at 70, and Tiger Woods was five strokes back at 72 in the 12-man field.

The teams of Meg Mallon-Steve Pate and Cindy McCurdy-Russ Cochran posted tournament record-tying 10-under best-ball 61s to share the first-round lead in the JCPenney Classic at Palm Harbor, Fla., an event that pairs LPGA and PGA Tour pros in team competition.

“It was a perfect day,” Pate said. “There was virtually no wind, the greens were soft and this format is a lot easier than the alternate shot.”

Miscellany

Frederik deBurghgraeve of Belgium broke his short-course world record in the 100-meter breaststroke in the FINA Swimming World Cup at College Station, Texas. DeBurghgraeve lowered his 1996 mark from 59.02 seconds to 58.79.

Megan Quann, 14, of Puyallup, Wash., swam a 1:07.41 in the 100 breaststroke, breaking Tracy Caulkins’ 1981 record of 1:07.47.

Former World Championship skiing medalist AJ Kitt underwent surgery after breaking his right wrist during a training run in the first leg of the Ford Downhill Series at Aspen, Colo.

The NHK Trophy, the final event of the figure skating Grand Prix, opened in Sapporo, Japan, with French pair Marina Annissina and Gwendal Peizerat leading in the compulsory program of ice dancing.

The San Jose Lasers used a 33-12 edge in the third quarter to rout the Colorado Xplosion, 94-72, in an American Basketball League game before 3,685 at San Jose. Dana Wynn had 29 points for Colorado.

Seeking to prevent more teams from leaving for the United States, a parliamentary subcommittee in Canada recommended federal tax breaks for professional franchises and athletes.

Opposition lawmakers objected to the plan, saying it would be politically unacceptable to help out millionaire owners and players at a time when many other Canadians face hard times.

Four cyclists from the TVM team took banned drugs during the Tour de France, judicial sources said in Reims, France.

The judge investigating the Dutch team has called seven cyclists to a Reims court for questioning.

Judge Odle Madrolle interviewed Dutchmen Joroen Blijlevens, Tristan Hoffmann, Servais Knaven and Bart Voskamp; Belgium’s Hendrick van Dijk, and Ukraine’s Peter van Petegem and Sergei Outschakov.

TVM withdrew from the Tour de France during the race, saying police tactics made it impossible for its riders to compete.

Two German distance runners admitted taking a blood-thinning substance but denied blood doping.

Damian Kallabis, the 3,000-meter steeplechase champion in the European Championships at Budapest in August, and Stephane Franke, the 10,000 bronze medalist, confirmed taking HES, which helps blood circulation.

The substance was not banned at the time, but the German Athletics Federation put it on the list of banned drugs as soon as the confessions became public.

FIFA’s executive committee confirmed Michel Zen-Ruffinen of Switzerland as the new general secretary for soccer’s world governing body.