Oakland Coliseum

Two weeks after receiving the most votes of any college basketball player in the country in the Associated Press All-America team balloting, Maryland's Joe Smith will be named today as the Associated Press Player of the Year for 1994-95.The 6-foot-10 sophomore, who led the Terrapins to a 26-8 season and their second straight Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament, will be honored in absentia today at a luncheon in Seattle, site of this year's Final Four.According to published reports, Smith also will receive the United Press International Player of the Year award.

An update on the three teams battling the Ravens for the final wild-card spot Buffalo Bills (9-6) Pat Williams barely remembers the last time Buffalo made the playoffs, never mind played a meaningful game this late. "Finally, it means something," said Williams, the hefty defensive tackle. The Bills, however, aren't yet in the postseason for the first time since 1999, and they need help to get there. But few thought it would come to this after the Bills' 0-4 start. "Tom Jackson, Michael Irvin, we were the joke," said cornerback Troy Vincent, referring to two ESPN broadcasters.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Attention, please. We interrupt thi season's pennant races to bring you a heavyweight home-run bout.Jose Canseco vs. Cecil Fielder. Seven games in the next 10 days. Warning to pitchers: Floating curveballs or fastballs down the middle may be hazardous to your health.Canseco and Fielder launch their duel tonight, when the Oakland A's and Detroit Tigers begin a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum. Both teams need victories as they chase division leaders Minnesota and Toronto.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Following a bizarre trail that led them to a Phoenix call girl and a Texas bar, authorities Saturday arrested an Oakland Coliseum concessions manager accused of stealing more than $700,000 in receipts from refreshment sales at last weekend's baseball games.Thomas Edward Hagins, 29, of Berkeley, Calif., was arrested by FBI agents at a hotel near Dallas about 10 hours after authorities confiscated four boxes at the Dallas Greyhound station. The boxes were believed to contain most of the missing money, estimated at $773,000.

You can call me . . .The Elias Sports Bureau does more than keep up with batting averages and ERAs.The agency, after lengthy research, announced Thursday that New York Mets infielder Keith Miller has 32 nicknames, the most of any active major-league player. He surpasses Roger Clemens' 29. Among Miller's nicknames are "Oliver," "Fresh," "Goggles," "The Igniter," and "Mills" and "Millsie."Hot-dog vendor takes money, runsOakland Athletics fans got their red hots, and Thomas Hagins apparently hot-footed it out of town.

At Oakland (Calif.) ColiseumDay, Time, TV, StartersTonight, 10:05, Ch. 54, Rick Krivda (0-2, 3.90) vs. Ariel Prieto (2-5, 4.96)Tomorrow night, 11:05, None, Jamie Moyer (7-4, 4.45) vs. Steve Wojciechowski (1-1, 6.75)Sunday, 4:05, HTS, Scott Erickson (8-9, 5.56) vs. Ron Darling (4-7, 6.23)Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) and WTOP (1500 AM)Athletics updateOakland began an 11-game homestand last night with a 3-2 win over Seattle. The A's are sixth in the wild-card chase, six games behind Texas and a game ahead of the Orioles.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Orioles had a choice. They could look at yesterday's 9-6 defeat as an opportunity lost, or they could look on the bright side. No great harm done.The Oakland Athletics pounded David Wells for seven runs before there was an out in the bottom of the second inning, forcing the Orioles to settle for three victories in the five-game series at the Oakland Coliseum. Not bad in total, but not very satisfying after winning the first three games.The silver lining was in New York, where the Yankees lost again to the Seattle Mariners, and in Milwaukee, where the Chicago White Sox lost again.

If the baseball strike ends and Cal Ripken remains on schedule to break Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games, Orioles fans may need two tickets to see his record-breaking performance, one of them an airline ticket.Oakland Athletics general manager Sandy Alderson told the San Francisco Chronicle this week that the Orioles cannot expect much cooperation from the A's in the relocation of the record-breaking game, which is scheduled for Aug. 18 at the Oakland Coliseum. The club may only cooperate if it is ordered to accept a schedule change by American League president Gene Budig.