In brief

Three sentenced in Breeders' Cup scam

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The mastermind behind the betting scam that nearly produced a $3-million payoff at the Breeders' Cup ended up with the least amount of jail time possible -- a year and a day.

Computer programmer Chris Harn, who worked for a company that processes horse-racing bets, could have received more than seven years in prison if he had not helped authorities, Judge Charles Brieant said.

Co-defendant Glen DaSilva was sentenced to two years in prison and Derrick Davis got three.

The former fraternity brothers tried to pull off the Pick Six betting coup during the Breeders' Cup in October. The three men have been out on bail since pleading guilty. They were members of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Drexel in Philadelphia in the 1990s.

The judge said they might have gotten away with the scam under other circumstances: "A little less arrogance and they would have done it on a day other than the Breeders' Cup."

Prosecutor Stanley Okula said authorities could have made the case without Harn but his assistance helped end it sooner. Harn told authorities how he used Autotote's system to rig the bet and implicated his co-defendants.

After the sentencing, Breeders' Cup host Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill., was authorized to release money to bettors who had picked five of six winners.

COLLEGES: LSU abandons fund-raiser

LSU will look for new ways to raise funds rather than ways to change state law. The school had hoped to raise $7-million per year, beginning in 2004, by attaching "donations" -- ranging from $75 to $600 -- to the price of season tickets. They would have applied to more than 50 percent of the seats at Tiger Stadium. But state law prohibits the school from using more than 12 percent of the seats for fund-raising. LSU had planned to ask the Legislature to repeal that law, but those plans were abandoned when it became evident, after talking to more than 75 legislators, that such a request would not pass.

FOOTBALL: Former Miami and San Francisco 49ers safety Al Blades was killed after the vehicle he was riding in crashed into a bridge and plunged into a canal in Miami, police said. Blades played for the Hurricanes from 1996-2000 and was considered the vocal leader of the secondary during much of his career. He was named to the All-Big East Conference first team in 2000. Blades signed as a free agent with the 49ers and spent two years on their roster. ... Florida offensive lineman Maurice "Mo" Mitchell was not at practice because of a death in the family.

TRACK: Florida sophomore Candice Scott set a school record in the hammer throw at the Florida State Relays in Tallahassee. She threw 220 feet, 31/2 inches, the second-best throw in NCAA history.

WRESTLING: Johnny Thompson easily won his first two matches, helping Oklahoma State take an early lead in its bid for a 31st championship in Kansas City, Mo. Seven Cowboys reached the quarterfinals. OSU was the only team to qualify 10 wrestlers for the meet. Two more were still in the consolation bracket.

TENNIS: Heat big winner at Nasdaq

Serves turned shaky and willpower wilted in the scorching sun at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne. Trailing Jean-Rene Lisnard 3-6, 6-1, 2-1, teen prodigy Richard Gasquet retired in the third set with a heat-related headache. Meilen Tu won a midday marathon, beating Bethanie Mattek 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), and then left the stadium court on a stretcher with heat exhaustion. The temperature peaked at 88, one degree short of the record for the date, and the heat index was 97. For the second day, the WTA Tour invoked its rules for extremely hot weather, allowing a 10-minute break after the second set.

LABOR UNION: Top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt and 50 other pro players want to form their own labor association. The players say the ATP ignores their concerns over declining prize money, a drop in worldwide popularity and accountability for financial planning. The new group would examine the ATP's financial records and player licensing agreements, along with the players' pension plan.

ET CETERA

FIGURE SKATING: The referee picked for the women's event at next week's World Championships in Washington will be replaced after protesting the way the International Skating Union has implemented its interim judging system. Ron Pfenning, who refereed the controversial pairs event at the Salt Lake City Olympics, learned of his removal in a letter from ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta.

MARATHON: Sunday's D.C. Marathon has been canceled because of the war in Iraq and security concerns. Race director John Stanley made the decision Wednesday night after his office received more than 1,200 calls and e-mails from worried runners.

WINTER SPORTS: Bode Miller easily won his first U.S. Alpine National Championships super-giant slalom title in a race that 47 competitors failed to finish. Skiing first after a two-hour delay caused by a steady rain, Miller traversed Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1 minute, 18.99 seconds. ... Finland's Matti Hautamaeki set a world record with a ski jump of 227.5 meters in qualifying for the final World Cup event of the season in Planica, Slovenia.

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