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Mascot gives ref a peck, gets flag

MONTREAL - Blitz, the Alouettes' mascot, got a reprieve - and a stern reprimand - after being given a penalty for pecking an official during a Canadian Football League game Sunday.

Alouettes coach Don Matthews wanted the bird mascot cut after drawing a 15-yard penalty for knocking an official on the head during Montreal's 30-10 victory over the Ottawa Renegades.

Team spokesman Louis-Philippe Dorais said the mascot will keep his job, but will be confined to the sideline. He didn't reveal the identity of the person in the costume.

Blitz, a giant lark who likes to bounce up and down on his inflatable head, had taken to joining the Alouettes' celebrations in the end zone. While celebrating Kwame Cavil's 28-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, Blitz tapped an official with his head, apparently while trying to peck the ref on the cheek. The official responded by throwing a flag.

Southern Mississippi has reported three rules violations by the basketball program to Conference USA and the NCAA. Athletic director Richard Giannini called the violations secondary, but the school announced that assistant basketball coach Luster Goodwin resigned and two junior college transfers involved in the violations are academically ineligible. The university said the self-reported violations included unethical conduct involving Goodwin, a nonpermitted transportation benefit and a practice violation "that occurred when a student-athlete participated in individual workouts before being officially admitted" to the school.

VOLLEYBALL: Eckerd sophomore hitter Brittany Kauss was named Sunshine State Conference player of the week after leading the Tritons to a 3-0 record with averages of 4.67 kills, 2.89 digs and 1.44 service aces.

GOLF: The USF women's team was in 11th place, 31 shots back of Miami and Notre Dame, after 36 holes of the Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C.

Shane Mosley took time off from celebrating his win over Oscar De La Hoya to offer some advice about dealing with a loss. Then he offered De La Hoya another fight "as long as the money is right." Refusing to let De La Hoya's talk of an investigation into the judging of Saturday's 154-pound fight tarnish his win, Mosley said De La Hoya needs to accept his loss and move on. "He needs to take some time to cool off and understand what's done is done." A spokeswoman for De La Hoya said he was looking at his options, but that no one in his camp wanted to talk about them. Promoter Bob Arum, however, claimed he had evidence of a conspiracy involving a Nevada Athletic Commission member to get the three judges to vote against his fighter.

Defending America's Cup champion Alinghi of Switzerland beat Oracle BMW Racing by 26 seconds on San Francisco Bay in the opening race of the Moet Cup. SUI-64, the sloop that beat Team New Zealand 5-0 in Auckland in March, was skippered by Jochen Schuemann and not Russell Coutts, who is sitting out this regatta. The seven-race Moet Cup is a rematch of the America's Cup challenger final in January, when Alinghi beat San Francisco-based Oracle 5-1. Earlier, Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison, piloting USA-76, beat Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli by 27 seconds in the opener of the five-race owner-driver series.

Funny Cide is likely to return to racing early next month, although it's doubtful the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner will make it to the Breeders' Cup on Oct. 25. "I'd like to get a race for him the first week of October and then maybe the Cigar Mile in November," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "I'd like to win the 3-year-old championship with him. If he wins those, he'd have a great shot at it." Funny Cide finished a dull third in the Haskell Invitational on Aug. 3 in his last start. The 3-year-old gelding was scratched from the Travers Stakes on Aug. 23 because Tagg said the horse wasn't healthy enough to run.

NHL: The Los Angeles Kings acquired goaltender Milan Hnilicka from the Atlanta Thrashers for future considerations. In 30 games with Atlanta last season, Hnilicka had a 4-13-1 record, 3.56 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.

CYCLING: Germany's Erik Zabel won a sprint to the finish in Sabadell in the 121-mile 10th stage of the Tour of Spain, and Isidro Nozal extended his overall lead to just under two minutes.