Whoa, Nellie: ABC’s Jackson Will Return

Keith Jackson unexpectedly ended his six-month retirement Tuesday, deciding to return to ABC’s college football telecasts this season.

Jackson, who retired in January after 32 years with the network, will no longer be the network’s top play-by-play man. Instead, he will work Pacific 10 Conference games and the Rose Bowl to keep travel to a minimum from his Los Angeles home.

“It was a relatively easy decision, and I know it sounds self-serving to retire and resurface,” Jackson said. “I guarantee I wouldn’t have done it if I couldn’t stay in the West.”

In January, Jackson, 71, said the Fiesta Bowl was his final game, but ABC Sports President Howard Katz persuaded him to return in a regional role.

Jackson will remain with analyst Bob Griese, his broadcast partner of the past 12 years, for 12 or 13 games in 1999.

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Fox sued Turner Broadcasting and its parent company, claiming Turner’s new regional entertainment network violated a non-compete agreement the two media companies signed three years ago.

Fox Sports Net South asked a Superior Court judge in Atlanta to restrain Turner from offering its new network, known as Turner South.

Pro Football

Dan Marino has signed a two-year contract extension with the Miami Dolphins that goes through the 2001 season.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but the deal is believed to include a signing bonus of about $6.4 million. The contract was designed primarily to create about $2 million in salary-cap space for the Dolphins.

“I believe that if we are to have success again this year, Dan will be a big part of that,” Dolphin Coach Jimmy Johnson said. “He performed extremely well last season, and I know he will do everything he can to have an even better year in 1999.”

Michael Irvin, whose role in the Dallas Cowboy offense and the team’s future appear to be diminishing, missed a mini-camp practice while meeting with owner Jerry Jones.

Irvin, who has skipped twice-weekly voluntary workouts since May, returned for an afternoon session and appeared to be his usual jovial self, throwing around smaller defenders and loudly berating players he beat.

When it was over, he walked to the locker room without stopping to talk to reporters, saying only, “Not today.”

The former all-pro receiver is at odds with management because it hasn’t offered to extend his contract beyond this season. There also has been talk of the Cowboys trying to trade Irvin.

Jurisprudence

A man arrested for running in front of a field of thoroughbreds racing down the stretch on Preakness day conceded that the state has enough evidence to charge him.

Prosecutors now have 30 days to file formal charges against Lee Ferrell, 22, of Bel Air, Md., his attorney Frederic Heyman said.

Heyman has previously said Ferrell does not remember the incident, which occurred three races before the Preakness Stakes on May 15. Heyman has described Ferrell as a troubled person who has been diagnosed as suffering from manic depression.

As the horses rounded the track, Ferrell made his way to the track from the infield, went over a fence separating the fans from the turf course, staggered to the inside rail, which he pounded with his fist before ducking under, and walked onto the track.

As the horses approached him, he stood with his fists clenched and arms raised. As the horses charged by on both sides, Ferrell could be seen in videotape replays apparently punching at two horses.

Ferrell did not admit guilt during a brief hearing at Baltimore City District Court. But he conceded there is probable cause for the charges to be filed.

Former NBA player Greg “Cadillac” Anderson was sentenced to five months in a Houston jail for participating in a cocaine deal.

Anderson broke into tears after he was sentenced Monday in federal court in Biloxi, Miss.

The former backup center for the Atlanta Hawks faced up to three years in prison for the charge of conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute. Anderson pleaded guilty to the charge after he was caught during an FBI sting operation at the Grand Casino Bayview Hotel in May 1998.

Charges that Seattle Seahawk running back Ahman Green assaulted his former girlfriend have been dismissed in Kirkland, Wash., after the woman told prosecutors she would not return for his trial.

Kirkland Municipal Court Judge Mariane Spearman dismissed the charges Monday with prejudice, meaning Green cannot be charged again.

Miscellany

Joe Dumars, who recently retired as an active player after 14 years with the Detroit Pistons, joined the club’s front office as vice president of player personnel.

Michigan forward Brandon Smith, who averaged 8.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 30 games last season, injured his right knee in a pickup game and likely will miss the first two months of next season.

Three UCLA players--pitchers Josh Karp and Jon Brandt and outfielder Bill Scott--made the USA Baseball National Team.

Yugoslav clubs will be allowed to take part in next season’s European Cups competitions due to improved conditions in the country, the Union of European Football Assns. said in Nyon, Switzerland.

Partizan Belgrade will play in the qualifying phase of the Champions Cup and Red Star Belgrade and Vojvodina will play in the UEFA Cup.

UEFA banned Obilic, which finished second in the league, from taking part “for moral and ethical reasons,” because of the involvement with Zeljko Raznatovic. The former team president, still a team official, was known as “Arkan” and was indicted for war crimes following his role as a Serb paramilitary leader.

Stefan Lovgren and Pierre Thorsson each scored six goals as Sweden defeated Russia, 25-24, to win the world handball championship at Cairo.