Ex-prosecutor hired to probe NBA policies

Former federal prosecutor Lawrence B. Pedowitz was hired by the NBA to oversee a review of its policies regarding gambling and its referees in the wake of the Tim Donaghy scandal.

Pedowitz will study the NBA's anti-gambling efforts, as well as the processes the league uses to hire, train and monitor its officials.

"There is nothing as important as the integrity of our game and the covenant we have with our fans," commissioner David Stern said.

GRIFFIN KILLED Former Minnesota Timberwolves forward Eddie Griffin died last week when his sport-utility vehicle collided with a freight train in a fiery crash, the Harris County, Texas, medical examiner's office said.

Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin, 25, who began his tumultuous pro career with the Houston Rockets in 2001.

He was waived by the Timberwolves in March.

HURRICANES MOVING The University of Miami will play home football games at Dolphin Stadium starting in 2008, leaving the historic but decaying Orange Bowl after seven decades.

CASTILLE TO BE DISCIPLINED Alabama coach Nick Saban said cornerback Simeon Castille would be punished "internally" for his weekend arrest on a disorderly conduct charge, the fourth arrest in the same off-campus Tuscaloosa, Ala., bar district this summer. Castille is the son of former Broncos player Jeremiah Castille.

MOUNTAINEERS SUSPENDED West Virginia suspended cornerback Ellis Lankster and linebacker J.T. Thomas after they were arrested for transferring and receiving stolen property.

WOLVERINE RETURNS Michigan tight end Carson Butler has been reinstated to the team after being cleared of charges of attacking a student on St. Patrick's Day.

SOONERS PICK QUARTERBACK Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was chosen to start in the Sooners' opener against North Texas.

CHARGES DISMISSED A Bellefonte, Pa., judge dismissed five of seven charges against Penn State safety Anthony Scirrotto for an April off-campus fight.

KNIGHT DONATION The University of Oregon's plan to build a new basketball arena moved a giant step forward when Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, pledged $100 million to the university.

McCLURE AILING Duke junior men's basketball forward David McClure will be out six to eight weeks after surgery on his aching right knee.

LINDEN SIGNS Veteran forward Trevor Linden re-signed with the Vancouver Canucks, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $600,000.

CAR BAN LAUDED Despite a persistent gray haze, Beijing officials said an exercise that removed a million-plus private vehicles a day from the city's streets was a success that could mean a clearer sky during next summer's Olympics.

DONOVAN TARGETS MARK Landon Donovan could become the United States' career scoring leader when the Americans play Sweden in an exhibition soccer match today in Goteborg, Sweden. The forward is tied with Eric Wynalda with 34 goals for the men's national team.

PATIENCE PAYS John Isner waited through nine hours of rain, then beat Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4 in 57 minutes in the first round of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Conn.

HORSE EUTHANIZED Dance Smartly, who in 1991 became the first Canadian-bred horse to win a Breeders' Cup race, was euthanized last weekend after an injury in her Milton, Ontario, paddock. She was 19.