Kenny Anderson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jim Valvano concluded negotiations with the New Jersey Nets late Friday and reached an agreement to become head coach of the NBA team, according to a source close to the negotiations.The source told The Charlotte Observer that the agreement allowed Valvano to take over the team as soon as he wanted but that he is not expected to do so until after Christmas.Valvano, 45, who won the national title at North Carolina State, is believed to have agreed to a five-year, $2.7 million contract, which would rank among the top half of NBA salaries for head coaches.

BaseballSt. Louis Cardinals -- Announced that broadcaster Jack Buck, 70, will go into semiretirement next year, working few, if any, road games. His son, Joe Buck, 25, who joined the team full time in 1991, will become the primary announcer on road games and share those duties with his father on home games.BasketballNew Jersey Nets -- Fined All-Star G Kenny Anderson $500 for missing Wednesday's practice.Phoenix Suns -- Waived rookie F Aaron Swinson.Seattle SuperSonics -- Suspended G Vincent Askew without pay for last night's game for refusing to re-enter Wednesday night's game.

Moves Baseball ANGELS: Agreed to terms with P Francisco Rodriguez, P Mickey Callaway, P Rich Fischer, P Bobby Jenks and OF Robb Quinlan. BREWERS: Agreed to terms with P Luis Martinez and P Ben Diggins to one-year contracts. METS: Signed 1B Tony Clark to minor-league contract and invited him to spring training. RANGERS: Agreed to terms with P Doug Davis, P John Koronka, IF Marshall McDougall, IF Michael Young and OF Ryan Ludwick on one-year contracts. RED SOX: Agreed to terms on two-year contract with OF Kevin Millar.

Baseball ANGELS: Placed 1B Benji Gil and P Troy Percival on 15-day DL. Recalled P Brendan Donnelly and IF Clay Bellinger from Triple-A Salt Lake. BLUE JAYS: Placed P Chris Carpenter on 15-day DL. BRAVES: Placed P Greg Maddux on 15-day DL. Purchased contract of P Aaron Small from Triple-A Richmond. BREWERS: Placed P Ray King on 15-day DL, retroactive to April 4. CUBS: Placed OF Moises Alou on 15-day DL. EXPOS: Optioned P Dicky Gonzalez to Triple-A Ottawa. Assigned IF Luis Figueroa to Ottawa.

Baseball Boston Red Sox -- Added P Peter Hoy, P Paul Quantrill, OF Jeff McNeely and SS John Valentin to their major-league 40-man roster.Detroit Tigers -- 1B Dave Bergman filed for free agency.Florida Marlins -- Named Dean Jordan VP of communications.Pittsburgh Pirates -- Named Mark Driscoll executive director of broadcasting and advertising sales.St. Louis Cardinals -- Named Jack Krol manager of Class AAA Louisville; Scott Melvin manager of rookie league Johnson City; and Mauricio Nunez manager of rookie league Arizona club.

A year ago, Loyola was in the midst of a 10-game losing streak and opened the season with an 1-11 record. But Saturday's 88-65 win over the University of Maryland Baltimore County gave the Greyhounds something they never got last season: their fifth victory.The Greyhounds are 5-4 and off to their best start since the 1986-87 season, when they finished 15-14 before losing in the semifinals of their conference tournament. That was the last time Loyola had a winning season."I'm pretty pleased where we are," said coach Tom Schneider, who took Lehigh and Penn to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.

COLLEGE PARK -- They aren't as raucous as Duke's Cameron Crazies, nor are they as genteel as Dean's bunch at North Carolina, and Lord knows, the Maryland crowd has been maligned for selective passiveness.But this year, when the Maryland Terrapins have needed it most, their home crowd at Cole Field House has risen to the occasion and made its presence felt.Take last night's 96-93 thriller over Georgia Tech for example. The Terps had plenty of opportunities and excuses to let the Yellow Jackets slip out with a win, but a rowdy gathering of 14,500 refused to let their team give it away.

When they tipped off the 44th annual All-Star Game in Minneapolis last week, there were two sets of teammates in the starting lineups: Scottie Pippen and B. J. Armstrong of the Chicago Bulls, and Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson of the New Jersey Nets.But while the Bulls reside at the top of the Central Division, the Nets' two All-Stars find themselves striving for a .500 season.Baltimore fans will get a look at the Nets tonight in the last of the Washington Bullets' four games this season at the Baltimore Arena.

After initially seeking a three-year deal, Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson says he is now pursuing what he describes as "the last contract I sign."A pending free agent, Anderson, 33, was encouraged by a meeting with owner Peter Angelos last month. The market's second-most attractive outfielder behind Kenny Lofton, Anderson became even more optimistic after watching a recent TV interview in which Angelos reaffirmed his commitment to keep him in Baltimore. Anderson is seeking a deal that would average $6 million a season.

Kenny Anderson will not play basketball for at least two weeks, probably longer, because of a broken bone in his left wrist. The perpetrator, John Starks, is out $5,000, with no time off for lousy behavior.And Rod Thorn, the NBA's man in charge of sitting in his Fifth Avenue office and staring at videotape, will call this another splendid example of the way the league "protects its players." Believe it or not, the player being protected here turns out to be Kenny Anderson.What's missing in Thorn's ruling -- a slap on both of Stark's healthy wrists -- is a little bit of consistency.