Sports briefs Monday, August 4

| The Associated Press

8/3/2008 - 8/4/08

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves say longtime broadcaster Skip Caray, the son of famous Chicago Cubs voice Harry Caray, has died in his sleep. He was 68 years old.

The team says Skip Caray died in his Atlanta home on Sunday. He had several ailments in the last year but had recovered enough to continue calling Braves home games at Turner Field.

Caray was drawn into broadcasting by his father, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Skip Caray was in the middle of his 33rd season with the Braves.


OCEANPORT, N.J. — Big Brown barely bounced back from his last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes with a victory in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

The win was in doubt until the final strides, when Big Brown staged a furious rally under jockey Kent Desormeaux and beat
20-1 long shot Coal Play by 13/4 lengths before a cheering crowd of 45,132 at Monmouth Park.

The Haskell was Big Brown's first race since his Belmont flop eight weeks ago ended the colt's quest to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.


CHICAGO — Cubs closer Kerry Wood faced batters on Sunday but probably will not return from a pesky blister on his right index finger until later this week.

Sidelined since July 11, Wood had hoped to return from the disabled list during Chicago's upcoming series against Houston. Instead, manager Lou Piniella said he likely will not be activated until the Cubs host St. Louis next weekend.

Wood threw 30 pitches to hitters from the Wrigley Field mound after warming up and getting some work done in the bullpen hours before Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. And he did it without the protective pad he had worn recently.


HOUSTON — Billy Wagner has a strained left forearm and will have his second MRI in two weeks on Tuesday, leaving the New York Mets without their closer and starter John Maine.

Maine was placed on the
15-day disabled list Sunday with a mild strain in his right rotator cuff. He left Monday's game in Florida because of pain in his shoulder.

Wagner said he felt pain in his forearm on Tuesday, when he earned his 27th save with a scoreless ninth in the Mets' 4-1 win over Florida. He blew a save chance on Saturday night and said his arm felt strong, but he struggled to locate his pitches.


ALBUQUERQUE — Prosecutors have dropped charges against a man accused of shooting at three University of New Mexico football players and a recruit outside a strip club in December 2006.

Prosecutors say the victims could not identify 27-year-old Erminio Gonzalez as the shooter.

He had been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and shooting at or from a motor vehicle.

Una Smiley, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive lineman from Honolulu who was shot during the recruiting visit, had to undergo surgery for a severed nerve in his leg after the shooting. He later signed with Oregon State.