Sports shorts

The Brainerd Youth Athletics Association is looking for a part-time, salaried football coordinator to handle BYAA football registrations and season responsibilities.

Send resume by Aug. 5 to BYAA, P.O. Box 432, Brainerd, MN 56401.

NHL, Wild release 05-06 schedule

ST. PAUL (AP) -- The Minnesota Wild will begin their new season at home on Wednesday night, Oct. 5, with a block party outside the arena for fans to celebrate before a game against the Calgary Flames.

In the NHL's new unbalanced schedule, the Wild will play each of their four Northwest Division foes -- including the Flames -- four times at Xcel Energy Center and four times on the road.

They face the other 10 teams from the Western Conference four times each, twice at home and twice on the road; play one road game each against the five Atlantic Division teams; and host one game each against the five Northeast Division teams. Minnesota will not face any of the Southeast Division teams this season.

The Wild will take the last half of February off, with the rest of the league, to accommodate player participation in the 2006 Winter Olympics. That means no All-Star game for the second straight season.

Half of the NHL's 30 teams have decided to cut ticket prices in light of the lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season; the Wild's costs have been the same since the 2003-04 season and will remain the same this year.

Selig rejects Rogers' appeal

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kenny Rogers' appeal of his 20-game suspension for shoving two cameramen was rejected Wednesday by commissioner Bud Selig, and the players' association said it will pursue a grievance before an arbitrator to overturn the penalty.

The commissioner, who heard the appeal by the Texas Rangers pitcher last Friday, said the suspension would begin with Wednesday night's game at Baltimore. Under baseball's rules, Selig decided the original penalty and also ruled on the appeal.

Selig imposed the suspension and a $50,000 fine for a June 29 videotaped tirade in which Rogers, a three-time All-Star, shoved two cameramen when he came onto the field for pregame stretching.

The players' association filed a grievance on July 8.