Briefly

Jose Canseco said he spends about $30,000 a month to keep up the lifestyle that comes with being the first human to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single baseball season.

He might not be able to keep that spending for long, now that a Miami-Dade County jury has ordered the former baseball star and his brother Ozzie to pay more than $1 million in damages to two California men who claimed the brothers injured them during a bar fight four years ago.

On Tuesday, the jury determined that the Cansecos should pay Christian Presley and Alan Cheeks nearly $300,000 in punitive damages – $240,000 from Jose and $50,000 from Ozzie, who works as his brother’s personal trainer.

The decision came a day after jurors found the Cansecos liable for more than $738,000 in compensatory damages.

Presley claimed that the brothers broke his nose, while his colleague, Cheeks, suffered a busted lower lip. The fight began after Jose Canseco’s date that evening claimed she was groped by one of the men.

“This was not a bar fight. It was an attack,” Cheeks said after the verdict.

Afterwards, a visibly angry Jose Canseco, who denies hitting either of the men, said the two Californians lied about their roles in the Opium Garden tussle.

“This is nothing but an extortion,” Jose Canseco told reporters while staring at the two men. “I am appalled by the lies in this court, under oath; it’s a complete scam.”

Hockey

NHL hears Bertuzzi case

Todd Bertuzzi got his chance to tell the NHL why it should allow him to play hockey again.

Steve Moore, who might never play again because of the vicious hit Bertuzzi dealt him, believes the Vancouver Canucks forward hasn’t sat out long enough.

Bertuzzi, who landed a blindside punch to Moore’s head in a game nearly 14 months ago, had his long-awaited reinstatement hearing with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York. Yet the league is not going to rush into a decision on whether to let him back on the ice.

Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely following the hit on March 8, 2004. Moore, who was playing with the Colorado Avalanche, was left with a broken neck, a concussion and no guarantee that he’ll be able to play professional hockey again.

“At the conclusion of the hearing, Commissioner Bettman took the matter under advisement,” NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said in a statement. “There is no immediate timetable for a decision.”

Running

Duck reinstated by NCAA

Galen Rupp’s family must repay $6,100 in expenses to satisfy NCAA requirements for the runner’s reinstatement, which allows him to compete for the Oregon Ducks.

Greg Rupp, his father, said the settlement was reached late Friday after negotiations between Oregon and NCAA officials. The family released the amount of the repayment to stem speculation that it was a large sum.

The money will be donated by the university to a charity chosen by the Rupps.

Rupp, who graduated from Portland Central Catholic last June, holds national prep records in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters.

He enrolled at Oregon earlier this month, but had to wait for the NCAA review over whether he compromised his status while training and competing under coach Alberto Salazar.

Cycling

Italian Cipollini retires

Former world champion Mario Cipollini, one of the best Italian sprinters of all time, announced that he is retiring from cycling.

“To announce my retirement just a little more than a week before the Giro d’Italia comes as a painful but honest decision,” the 38-year-old was quoted as saying by the news agency ANSA. “The public will understand.”

The Giro d’Italia runs from May 7-29. In 2003, Cipollini surpassed Alfredo Binda’s 70-year-old record for the most stage victories in the Giro with 42.

Cipollini, nicknamed both “Lion King” and “Super Mario,” is famous both for his sprinting prowess and his outrageous outfits.

Women’s Basketball

Colorado finally finds coach

Colorado hired Tulsa’s Kathy McConnell-Miller to replace Ceal Barry as coach, ending a search that was prolonged when another coach accepted the job and then backed out.

McConnell-Miller takes over a program that thrived for 22 years under Barry but struggled to a last-place finish in the Big 12 last season, which led to Berry’s retirement.

Tulsa had won just 21 games in the three seasons before McConnell-Miller took over in 1999. It has averaged 15 wins since then and has gone to the WNIT two straight seasons. McConnell-Miller is 91-88 in six seasons at Tulsa.

“I feel like we’ve been blessed with some pretty good breaks to get her,” Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn said.

Auto Racing

NASCAR denies appeals

The National Stock Car Racing Commission has denied the appeals of team owner James Finch, driver Johnny Sauter and crew chief Joel Shear for having an illegal carburetor.

The infraction was discovered after the NASCAR Busch series race April 16 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The car, which finished 14th, was disqualified, and Finch and Sauter were docked all of their points for that event. Shear was suspended for four races and placed on probation until Dec. 31.

In their appeal, the trio contended the carburetor had been previously presented to and approved by NASCAR officials.

Horse Racing

Hollywood Park could close

More than six decades after Hollywood Park opened to horses, its future as a racing venue has become less than certain.

Attendance and profits are down at the landmark track, and owner Churchill Downs Inc. has begun soliciting and receiving developers’ offers for the 238-acre property, according to Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn.