Pacers

Baseball GIANTS -- Announced retirement of player development director Jack Hiatt. Named Fred Stanley player development director. ORIOLES -- Fired pitching coach Leo Mazzone. Announced that P Rob Bell, P Victor Santos and C J.R. House have elected to become free agents. NATIONALS -- Sent IF Tony Batista and IF D'Angelo Jimenez outright to Triple-A Columbus. Basketball PACERS -- Exercised 2008-09 contract options on F Ike Diogu, F Danny Granger and F Shawne Williams. Colleges TOWSON -- Suspended football CB Eric Clark and LB Trent Covington indefinitely.

Moves Baseball BLUE JAYS -- Activated P Roy Halladay from 15-day DL. Optioned P Jesse Litsch to Double-A New Hampshire. DIAMONDBACKS -- Agreed to four-year contract with P Max Scherzer. INDIANS -- Recalled OF Franklin Gutierrez from Triple-A Buffalo. Optioned P Mike Koplove to Buffalo. PADRES -- Agreed to contract with P Jeremy McBryde. Claimed OF Hiram Bocachica off waivers from Athletics. Basketball BOBCATS -- Named Rod Higgins GM. GRIZZLIES -- Named Marc Iavaroni coach. PACERS -- Named Jim O'Brien coach.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Teams in the NBA often rebuild after losing seasons, renovating their rosters or their image and, in a few cases, both. The Indianapolis Pacers could be undergoing the biggest overhaul in the league this season, trying to win a few more games without losing any more fans. Beginning their 40th season this week, a team that won a franchise-record 61 games as recently as three years ago has seen its status as one of the league's elite dissolve and watched its reputation torn apart with two highly publicized incidents of antisocial behavior.

Baseball AMERICAN LEAGUE Orioles 7, Blue Jays 5 Twins 7, Royals 3 Indians 15, Red Sox 3 Yankees 4, Devil Rays 1 NATIONAL LEAGUE Cardinals 6, Nationals 2 Rockies 6, Phillies 3 Pgs 7-9F NBA PLAYOFFS Pacers 107, Nets 95 Bulls 109, Heat 90 Nuggets 94, Clippers 87 Pg 3F

Regarding New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis' decision to charge into the stands during a game in Chicago on Wednesday night because he believed a fan was threatening his wife and children - everyone did what they had to do. Davis certainly did. And so did NBA commissioner David Stern yesterday. Davis, a respected veteran, did what any right-thinking person would do. He put his family's safety above all other concerns. As president of the NBA players union, he surely knew he could be suspended for leaving the bench and going into the stands during a timeout, but he didn't care.

Indianapolis -- As he finished an interview one morning last week at Conseco Fieldhouse, Sarunas Jasikevicius excused himself politely. The whirlpool awaited, and Jasikevicius was in a bit of a hurry to get there ahead of his new teammates with the Indiana Pacers. "Before the veterans," he said with a smirk. Four months shy of his 30th birthday, Jasikevicius is quickly learning the rules of being an NBA rookie. With the Pacers, it also means carrying the bags of the veterans off the team bus before games and bringing them doughnuts before practice.

Former Maryland guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, a collegiate role player who became a pro star in Europe, has agreed to a three-year contract with the Indiana Pacers, according to his agent. The deal is reportedly worth $12 million for Jasikevicius, 29, who has won three consecutive Euroleague championships, including the past two with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and earned Most Valuable Player honors during this year's finals. He's probably best known, however, for his performance during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, scoring 28 points and making three key three-pointers down the stretch in a 94-90 upset of the United States.

EVEN THOUGH IT didn't last very long, in a way it's a relief that the Washington Wizards' NBA playoff series against the Miami Heat is over. It allows more time to concentrate on the most intrigue-filled, riveting series left, maybe the most of the whole postseason when all is said and done. It's not the Phoenix-Dallas Western Conference semifinal, although that's the sexiest one, and the one featuring the newly minted Most Valuable Player as well as the fastest pace and the most points.