In Brief
BASEBALL
Brewers GM Melvin declines
to discuss re-signing of Fielder
Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said it's hard for any team to improve on a franchise-record 96-win season and a National League Central title. It will be even harder if they lose Prince Fielder in free agency.
"It was a special year for all of us, a special year for a lot of the players, too," Melvin said Wednesday. "There wasn't a whole lot of people that picked us to go to the World Series or to even win our division."
Milwaukee lost to St. Louis in the NL Championship Series on Sunday night, finishing with two error-filled flops after being within two games of reaching the World Series.
Melvin declined to answer most questions about Fielder and potential negotiations with the soon-to-be free agent because his staff is still in the process of evaluating the season. Melvin said he hasn't had any conversations yet with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras.
Also: Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden said in an interview that aired on ESPN's "E:60" that he missed the ticker-tape parade celebrating New York's World Series win in 1986 because he was using drugs.
Gooden, who said he became hooked on cocaine during the '86 season, claimed he watched the parade on television at the Long Island apartment of a drug dealer he did not even know. Gooden said at the time that he missed the parade celebration because he overslept.
The 1985 National League Cy Young Award winner said he was too high and paranoid to join his teammates for the parade up Broadway in Manhattan.
Gooden described his first experience with cocaine as a 21-year-old star pitcher as "love at first sight, unfortunately."
Former Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra changed his plea from not guilty to no contest on charges of auto theft and providing a false financial statement.
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Alex Karnanen said the 48-year-old faces up to four years in prison as part of a plea deal.
Dykstra and two co-defendants are accused of trying to lease and then sell high-end cars from several car dealerships in January by claiming credit through a phony business.
MISCELLANEOUS
Top-ranked LSU suspends
three players for Auburn game
Top-ranked Louisiana State suspended star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, defensive back Tharold Simon and running back Spencer Ware for Saturday's home game against Auburn.
A person familiar with the decision said the three players ran afoul of the team's drug policy, offering no further details.
Mathieu has been one of the stars of the first half of the college football season. He has forced four fumbles, recovering three and returning two for scores. He also has two interceptions and 42 tackles, including 1½ sacks.
Mathieu has made so many big plays in nationally televised games, a grass-roots Heisman Trophy campaign sprouted for the 5-foot-9-inch defensive back nicknamed "Honey Badger."
Also: The NCAA reinstated Boise State defensive tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe after he served a six-game suspension for taking improper benefits worth $13,600 before and after he enrolled at the university.
Miami defensive tackle Micanor Regis will not play Saturday against No. 20 Georgia Tech after being suspended one game for punching a North Carolina player last weekend.
Regis was not penalized on the play, on which he punched North Carolina wide receiver Dwight Jones in the groin area after Jones caught a pass and was brought down.
Five UNLV singles players and two doubles teams advanced on the first day of the USTA/ITA Mountain Regional Men's Tennis Championships at Darling Tennis Center.
Johannes Markel, Rene Ruegamer, Alex Bull, Tamas Batyi and Bernard Schoeman all won their singles matches. In doubles, Batyi and Brian Kenyon, and Bull and Ruegamer notched wins.
The tournament, with more than 100 players, runs through Sunday.
After four consecutive years of men's finals postponed by rain, the U.S. Open is looking into changing its schedule as soon as next year and could become the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to switch permanently to a Monday finish.
Tournament director Jim Curley said the U.S. Tennis Association started discussions last month with broadcaster CBS about finding a way to heed top players' calls for a day off between the men's semifinals and final.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will miss seven to 10 days with an injury to his right shoulder.
Brodeur was hurt Oct. 13 making a save in the first period of a game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Keegan Bradley held off a final-round charge from Charl Schwartzel to win the PGA Grand Slam exhibition in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Bradley's par-71 left him at 4-under 140 for the tournament and a shot ahead of Schwartzel, who tied the course with a 65 to improve from 3 over to 3 under.
