Names in the Game

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Chris Berman ... couldn't ... go ... all... the ... way -- to jury duty. Berman was excused Wednesday after spending about two hours in awaiting area for potential jurors.

Friday, February 18th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Chris Berman ... couldn't ... go ... all... the ... way -- to jury duty. Berman was excused Wednesday after spending about two hours in awaiting area for potential jurors. He was not called onto a panel for questioning.

Court officials said Berman had trouble reading a newspaper because he was dogged by fellow jurors and courthouse workers who wanted to talk sports or get autographs. ESPN is based in Bristol, Conn.
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NEW YORK (AP) -- New York Giants' running back Tiki Barber is getting an early start on what could be his future career. Starting March 1, Barber will be the morning sportscaster for WCBS-TV. He will continue in that post until the beginning of the Giants' training camp in July.

Barber, who plays mostly as a kick returner and third-down back, will be entering his fourth season. He also has appeared in off-Broadway theater.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- Three Olympic hopefuls have been awarded a total of $18,000 by the William E. Simon Endowment for the support of athletes. The money goes to Bonny Warner, a three-time Olympic luger now training in bobsled; Kathleen Urschel, a silver medalist in the 1996 Paralympics and Joseph McShinsky, a 15-year-old luger.

Warner is a member of the U.S. women's bobsled "B" team and will receive $7,500. Urschel, a cyclist who is blind and deaf, is seeking to become the first woman to win a gold medal in the sport. She also gets $7,500. McShinsky, a member of the U.S. Junior national luge team, will receive $3,000.
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Purdue women's basketball coach Kristy Curry and her husband and assistant, Kelly, are expecting their first child in late August. "We're really excited," she said. "I'm 33, and we've reached a point where we've been married for over three years. It's something that is important to us. We weren't sure it was going to happen this quick, but it did."

The timing couldn't be better. The baby is expected during the basketball off season and after the July recruiting period. Kelly Curry, 32, who is an assistant coach for his wife, called his wife's pregnancy "a dream come true." "I've always wanted kids. Kids are a big reason Kristy and I both love to coach," he said. "We've always talked about having a family of our own. We couldn't be happier."
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PENINA, Portugal (AP) -- Olivier Edmond started well in the Portuguese Open on Thursday, then struggled with a 1-under-par 71. But he's grateful to be playing at all. The Frenchman has been away for nine months, fighting testicular cancer. "I've got my life back again," an emotional Edmond said after his round. "Now I need to get some legs. You forget how fast a competitive round goes. You forget the concentration it takes."

Edmond, the European Tour's 1998 rookie of the year, began chemotherapy in July. He plans on playing 25 tournaments this year after entering only 10 last year.
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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- Oliver Bierhoff, the AC Milan striker and German national team captain, appealed Thursday for a streamlined Champions League, the top club competition in Europe. "This league should be a competition of champions, with maximum two teams per country," Bierhoff said. "Now, in some cases we have four teams from a country. We, the players, would like a reduction," he said.

Bierhoff said smaller clubs could face financial ruin unless UEFA reforms the Champions League. Bierhoff joined a growing number of Germans seeking a smaller Champions League. Bayern Munich business manager Uli Hoennes said the league should go from the first round straight to the knock out stage, eliminating a second round-robin group stage.