Olympics briefs

By Compiled from Times wires

U.S. team counting on 3 Rays

SYDNEY, Australia -- The 24-man U.S. baseball team roster announced Thursday includes three Devil Rays prospects: pitcher Bobby Seay, catcher Pat Borders and infielder Brent Abernathy.

Matt White, also with the Devil Rays organization, pitched in several preliminary games but didn't make the cut. Two other team members with Florida connections are infielder Doug Mientkiewicz, a former FSU player now with the Minnesota Twins organization, and Brad Wilkerson, a former University of Florida outfielder playing in the Montreal farm system.

Seay will be among 11 pitchers on the U.S. squad, coached by former Los Angeles Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda, in the eight-team tournament.

BASKETBALL: Allan Houston hurt his wrist in practice and might have to sit out the U.S. team's first game against China on Sunday. Houston jammed his right wrist when he and Shareef Abdur-Rahim collided. Houston had surgery on the wrist three summers ago.

DRUGS: Science journal Nature questioned the IOC's drug-testing efforts and said some athletes will still be able to get away with using human growth hormone. "Although the scientists developing the tests are confident that they could have been readied in time for Sydney, the IOC refused to sanction funding for the necessary validation studies," the journal said. "As a result, unscrupulous athletes know that they can abuse hGH with impunity." ... . Francois Carrard, IOC director general, said no positive results were reported from 269 out-of-competition tests and 149 controls for the hormone EPO. The World Anti-Doping Agency had said at least 10 positive results were recorded among the more than 2,000 unannounced, out-of-comopetition tests it conducted since April. ... Weightlifter Traian Ciharean was cut from the Romanian team after reports he failed testing. Ciharean reportedly tested positive for a prohibited substance in July. ... Triple jump champion Stamatis Lenis, 22, of Greece, who was stopped for carrying a natural drug banned in Australia, arrived. Lenis and coach Stavrou Zougouridis were stopped by customs officers Saturday for carrying the natural Russian drug Ekdisten. Tests revealed the drug contained Ecdysterone, a natural substance used to aid an athlete's recovery. The drug isn't banned by the IOC as a performance-enhancing drug.

GYMNASTICS: Stephen McCain's right ankle has healed well enough to keep him in the U.S. lineup. Coach Peter Kormann named McCain one of three all-around competitors. Five-time national champion Blaine Wilson and Paul Hamm also will compete in all six events. Team captain John Roethlisberger was nursing a calf strain, but that won't keep him from competing. Roethlisberger, a three-time Olympian, will work on the pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and high bar. ... An injured toe will keep France's Ludivine Furnon, the European floor exercise champion, from competing on the floor and balance beam. Furnon is keeping her options open for the uneven bars and the vault.

TENNIS: Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador, the 13th seed, and 1999 French Open finalist Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine withdrew, citing injuries.

THE TORCH: Thousands cheered as the logo of five rings was lighted on Sydney's Harbor Bridge and the torch wound its way through downtown. Australian sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor carried the torch into the Sydney Opera House grounds, then gave it to Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, who handed it off to singer Olivia Newton-John.

TRACK AND FIELD: Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic gold medals, thinks that Marion Jones never should be in the position of trying to win five golds.

"It's unfair that her camp or her people put her in that situation -- to have to run two relays," Lewis said.

Jones is attempting to win golds in the 100 and 200 meters, 400 and 1,600 relays and the long jump. The two relays will be contested on the final full day of track and field, and Jones is inexperienced at running the long relay.

TRAFFIC: Problems continued, with water polo players missing a scrimmage because their driver took them to the wrong university and a cyclist injured slightly after being knocked off her bike by a car as she rode back to the athletes village after training. Organizers said they brought in 150 extra bus drivers and will draft in another 100 over the next couple of days. Tour guides will accompany some drivers to show them the routes. Also, around 100 more soldiers will assist hundreds of military personnel already involved in the Games. Some will be used as bus drivers.