Barkley Fined in Bar Altercation

Charles Barkley of the Houston Rockets was fined Friday and ordered to make community-service visits to two children’s programs to settle charges filed after he was accused of throwing an Orlando, Fla., bar patron through a window.

“I had allowed myself to be provoked by a malicious bar patron, and I realize in hindsight that I compounded the problem by not being initially more cooperative with the officers present,” Barkley wrote in a letter of apology to the judge.

Barkley, 34, who did not attend the hearing, was ordered to pay $320 in fines and court costs.

Barkley told police he was provoked when Jorge Lugo, 20, threw a glass of ice at a table Barkley was sharing with three women.

*

Washington Wizard forward Juwan Howard is seeking $20 million from a Connecticut woman who accused him of sexual assault.

The suit seeks compensation for emotional distress caused by the charges made by the woman.

The grand jury in Montgomery County in Maryland did not hand down an indictment.

Boxing

Mike Tyson will begin his comeback with a fight as early as October if Nevada boxing authorities agree to give him a new boxing license, a Tyson advisor said in Las Vegas.

Shelly Finkel said Tyson will apply next month for the license.

A day after filing suit to sever his ties with Don King, unbeaten International Boxing Federation champion Felix Trinidad announced in New York that he had signed an eight-fight deal with rival promoter Dino Duva.

The first of the eight fights is expected to be a November middleweight title unification bout against Ike Quartey.

Super middleweight Mauricio Amaral’s fight with Canadian Eric Lucas at Montreal was called off after the Brazilian fighter was found to be blind in his right eye.

Hockey

Pat Quinn returned to coaching when he was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Quinn, 55, was president-general manager of the Vancouver Canucks for 11 years until last fall. He also coached the Kings, the Canucks and the Flyers.

Golf

In danger of missing only his second cut in 42 events as a professional, Tiger Woods roared back with a 5-under-par 67 that put him at 1-under 143 midway through his defense of the Western Open title at Lemont, Ill. Joe Durant shot a 67 to take the lead alone at 9-under 135.

Annika Sorenstam, Alicia Dibos, Tina Barrett, Caroline McMillan and Moira Dunn dodged the thunderstorms and shot five-under 66s to share the first-round lead in the ShopRite LPGA Classic at Absecon, N.J.

Charles Coody used a new short putter to make eight birdies en route to a six-under 66 and a one-shot lead over defending campion Bruce Crampton and Dave Stockton after one round of the Cadillac NFL Golf Classic at Clifton, N.J.

Ed Cuff of Temecula and Bobby Rodger of Redlands will meet today for the California Amateur title today at Pebble Beach.

Jurisprudence

A Camden, N.J., judge sentenced former WBA heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon to five years probation and 364 days in jail for smoking pot with a teenage girl and taking part in sexual activity with her last year.

Two Oregon State football players were among four men arrested after they were accused of sexually attacking a woman during a party Wednesday at Corvallis, Ore.

Starting tailback Jason Dandridge and linebacker Calvin Carlyle could each face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of sodomy, unlawful penetration and sex abuse.

Louisiana State running back Cecil Collins was kicked off the team after being arrested in Baton Rouge, La., for unauthorized entry and sexual battery.

Miscellany

The Harbor City Narbonne High girls’ basketball team, which was stripped of its City Section 4-A championship for rules violations, lost its appeal to the state office of the California Interscholastic Federation, Narbonne Principal Pat Donahoe said.