SPORTS SHORTS

A number of members of the University of Minnesota athletic department will be in playing in a golf fund-raiser Friday, July 15 at the Legacy Courses at Cragun's in East Gull Lake.

Attending are U of M head men's golf coach Brad James, Director of Men's Hockey Operations Mark Bahr, assistant volleyball coach Dave Boos, assistant football coach Gordy Shaw, Associate Athletic Director-Development Mike Halloran and Wes Sweigard from the ticket office.

Raiders ink top men's golfer

Justin Spear of Battle Lake has chosen to attend and play golf for the Central Lakes College Raiders men's golf team for the 2005-06 season.

Spear was a five-time all-conference golfer at Battle Lake and advanced to the state tournament three times, finishing as runner-up his junior year and fourth this past spring.

Wie's birdie sends her into second round

LEBANON, Ohio (AP) -- Michelle Wie took another step toward a possible Masters invitation.

Wie made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge Will Claxton 1-up in her first match at the men's Amateur Public Links on Wednesday.

The 15-year-old, who will be a high school junior this fall, is the first female to qualify for a men's U.S. Golf Association championship. She's playing in the APL because the winner traditionally gets an invitation to play at Augusta.

Wie still has a long way to go. She would have to win five more matches before getting the coveted invitation.

"Tomorrow's a whole new day," she said when asked about her upcoming match.

Wie advances to play C.D. Hockersmith of Richmond, Ind., in the second round on Thursday. The third round of match play follows in the afternoon.

Rockies trade Wilson, get Byrnes in deals

DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Rockies traded outfielder Preston Wilson and picked up outfielder Eric Byrnes in a pair of trades with Washington and Oakland on Wednesday.

The Rockies sent Wilson to the Nationals for right-hander Zach Day, outfielder J.J. Davis and a player to be named later or cash. Colorado also sent left-hander Joe Kennedy and right-handed reliever Jay Witasick to the Athletics for Byrnes and minor league prospect Omar Quintanilla.

Wilson was one of Colorado's more popular players and led the majors in RBIs just two years ago, but is due $5.7 million the rest of this season and will become a free agent when it's over. Though he has 15 homers and 47 RBIs, Wilson has been plagued by a sore knee and hit just .258 with 77 strikeouts.

Red Sox ace Schilling activated off DL

BOSTON (AP) -- Curt Schilling was activated Wednesday after spending 2 1/2 months on the disabled list, and will be in the bullpen when the Boston Red Sox begin the second half of the season Thursday night against the New York Yankees.

Schilling is expected to work in relief until he's ready to pitch long enough to reclaim his spot in the rotation after going on the disabled list April 29 with a bone bruise in his right ankle.

Man who botched '41 World Series dies

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) -- Mickey Owen, whose infamous dropped third strike proved costly to the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1941 World Series against the New York Yankees, died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 89.

Owen, a four-time All-Star in 13 major league seasons over a 17-year span, later became a county sheriff in his native southwest Missouri. He died at the Missouri Veterans Home.

He had Alzheimer's disease for a number of years, according to Ken Rizzo, president and owner of the Mickey Owen Baseball School in Miller.

Owen broke into the majors in 1937 with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1942, he was the first player to hit a pinch-hit homer in an All-Star game.

But it was the lapse in the 1941 World Series that came to define his career.

Brooklyn had a 4-3 lead in Game 4 when Owen dropped a third strike on Tommy Henrich that would have been the final out. The Yankees went on to score four runs after the passed ball and won 7-4 for a 3-1 lead in the World Series they eventually won in five games.