Greene Pulls a Fast One in Return to 100

Maurice Greene returned from a 10-month absence Monday still looking like the world’s fastest man.

The American sprinter blazed past big-name rivals in 9.97 seconds to win the 100 meters at the Athens Grand Prix.

“It feels good to be back,” Greene said. “I’m not pleased with the time. But I have to be pleased with the race. It’s my first race back since Edmonton. My goal is to stay undefeated.”

Greene, 27, has been out of major competition because of an injured leg since winning the world title in Canada last year. At Athens, Greene beat American Bernard Williams and Britain’s Dwain Chambers, who were second and third in 10.06 and 10.08

Jurisprudence

The 27-year-old woman who accused Oakland Raider defensive tackle Darrell Russell of videotaping her being raped Jan. 31 by two of his friends testified at Alameda that she blacked out after Russell mixed her a drink.

The woman said she vaguely remembered looking up at a working video camera. The testimony came on the first day of a preliminary hearing. Russell is charged with 25 felonies as an accomplice in the alleged attack by Naeem Perry, 24, of Berkeley, and Ali Hayes, 27, of Oakland.

Russell, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who is serving a one-year NFL suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, has been free since posting bail. Under California law, Russell could be found guilty of crimes committed by either of his two friends if he did not intervene.

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Raider kicker Sebastian Janikowski, a two-time All-American at Florida State, has a June 18 appearance scheduled in Leon County (Fla.) Court on a reckless driving charge. Police say Janikowski received a ticket in the early morning hours of May 18. No other information was on the citation.

College Sports

Freshman right-hander Chris Niesel gave up one run in eight innings and Steve Sollmann drove in two runs for Notre Dame, which defeated top-seeded Florida State, 3-1, to win a best-of-three super regional at Tallahassee, Fla., and reach the College World Series for the first time in 45 years.

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Ryan Hollins, a 6-foot-11 center from Pasadena Muir High, has committed to play basketball at UCLA less than a week after visiting the campus.

Hollins had signed with Saint Louis, but was granted a release last month after Lorenzo Romar left to become coach at Washington. Romar recruited him again but Hollins chose the Bruins and will take their last scholarship. Hollins is ineligible next season under transfer rules, but he plans to appeal.

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Stanford guard Jamie Carey will transfer to Texas after sitting out the last two seasons because of concussions. Carey was the Pacific 10 women’s freshman basketball player of the year in 2000.

Pro Football

Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips walked out of the Montreal Alouettes’ training camp Saturday, accusing the team’s front office of dishonesty. Phillips, who hasn’t played since 1999 because of off-field problems, was upset when told he would only return kicks when Montreal opens its preseason schedule at Hamilton on Thursday.

Tennis

Mark Philippoussis and Natasha Zvereva received wild cards for Wimbledon. Philippoussis, making a comeback after several knee injuries, reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon three times. Zvereva, 31, also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon three times and won three doubles titles in the early 1990s. She hasn’t played in two years.

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The parents of Tommy Haas, the No. 3-ranked men’s player in the world, were seriously injured when they collided with a truck while riding their son’s motorcycle Saturday at Sarasota, Fla. A spokesperson at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla., said Peter Haas was in intensive care and his wife, Brigitte, was in fair condition. Both are 54.

Miscellany

Minnesota guard Betty Lennox was suspended for one game without pay and fined $500 by the WNBA for leaving the bench during an argument in the Lynx’s 76-72 loss to the Sparks on Saturday.

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NASCAR officials have asked the New Hampshire International Speedway to hold off on installing new “soft walls” until further testing determines they are as safe as possible for stock cars, track owner Bob Bahre said. That means the walls will not be in place for next month’s Winston Cup race, and they may not be installed in time for September’s race, Bahre said.

Passings

Bill Jennings, the football coach who led Nebraska over Oklahoma in 1959 to end his alma mater’s 74-game winning streak, died Saturday at Lawrence, Kan., of prostate and bone cancer. He was 84.