Dispersal Draft

The Soul drafted wide receiver/defensive back Lamar Campbell in the second round (19th overall) of the Arena Football League dispersal draft yesterday. Campbell, a Chester native, returns to the area where his football career began. A Strath Haven graduate who played in the Big 33 Game in 1993, Campbell spent his first arena season with the Indiana Firebirds a year ago and has four years of playing experience in the NFL. From 1998 to 2002, he appeared in 63 games and started 18 with the Detroit Lions.

Contentious negotiations between the WNBA and the players' union have caused the women's pro league to cancel next weekend's pre-draft camp in Chicago. WNBA officials "called and said it was off," said Villanova senior Trish Juhline, who competed in the All-Star Challenge last night sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association at Georgia Tech, an event related to this weekend's women's Final Four. The pro players have been without a contract since last season ended on Sept.

The Independence own the No. 2 pick in today's Women's Professional Soccer dispersal draft, but team officials say they won't select the world's best player, Marta, even if she is available. The dispersal draft came about after the Los Angeles Sol disbanded last week. Marta was picked by FIFA as the world's best player for the fourth straight season. The 23-year-old Brazilian led the WPS with 10 goals last season. The expansion Atlanta Beat had owned the top pick in the dispersal draft, but traded it to the St. Louis Athletica for three players.

Goalie Karina LeBlanc was looking forward to a season of playing professional soccer in Los Angeles, but she is glad to take a detour to Philadelphia. LeBlanc was selected by the Independence with the second overall pick in yesterday's Women's Professional Soccer dispersal draft. The draft came about after LeBlanc's former team, the Los Angeles Sol, folded last week. LeBlanc represented Canada in the 2003 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics. Last season for the Sol, she had a record of 11-3-5 and a 0.53 goals against average and was selected to the league All-Star Game.

It might not take the sting out of losing last year's championship series, but the Kixx started the new Major Indoor Soccer League season by making a positive statement last night. Competing against the same Milwaukee team that swept them, three games to none, in the championship series, the Kixx opened the season with a 16-11 win over the Wave before 4,879 at the First Union Spectrum. "It's a nice way to get the season started in front of our fans," Kixx coach Omid Namazi said.

The Ottawa Rough Riders were missing some pertinent data when they chose Derrell Robertson in the fourth round of the Canadian Football League's dispersal draft of players from the defunct Las Vegas Posse. The defensive end died following an auto accident late last year. Robertson played for Mississippi State in the late 1980s. His name was never removed from the draft list. "I don't know how it happened," Ottawa coach Jim Gilstrap told the Ottawa Sun. "The league didn't know until we told them.

THE RUMORS THAT ARE flying around the Arena Football League aren't pretty. They range from suspending operations for a year to folding the league completely. At this point, though, they are just rumors. League spokesman Chris McCloskey declined to comment beyond a statement the AFL recently issued. "The AFL is working on long-term structural improvements which have unfortunately delayed some important events, such as the release of the 2009 schedule, the Dispersal Draft, and the beginning of free agency.

The Wings are back. The National Lacrosse League announced yesterday that the 2008 season would be played after all. The season was canceled Oct. 16 when a collective-bargaining agreement between the 14 owners and the league's players could not be reached. But the sides reached a seven-year accord, and a new schedule is expected to be announced next week. "We've gone through a whole range of emotions over the last week," Wings coach Dave Huntley said. "We are very excited to be back.

The Soul of the Arena Football League said yesterday they had acquired wide receiver/defensive back DeAuntae Brown in a trade with the Grand Rapids Rampage for a future consideration. They also released wide receiver/linebacker Kevin Mason and offensive/defensive linemen Ken Bouie and Joe Wylie. Brown ranked fifth on the Rampage last season in tackles despite playing in only seven games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. The first pick in the 2003 dispersal draft, Brown began the 2003 season with the Dallas Desperados.

Hoping to bolster its defense, the Philadelphia Union acquired Under-23 U.S. National Team defender Michael Orozco yesterday. Orozco - a former American Olympian who has played for Union team manager Peter Nowak - is on loan from the Mexican First Division team San Luis FC, where he played the last three years. The Union were able to sign Orozco after a deal with the New York Red Bulls. As part of the transaction, the Union sent the Red Bulls allocation money in exchange for New York's top spot in the Major League Soccer allocation order.

Even after losing all those games and an embarrassing sexual harassment lawsuit, Isiah Thomas has a place with the New York Knicks. Thomas was rehired Friday by the team as a consultant, two years after he was fired as its coach and president. Thomas, a Hall of Famer with the Detroit Pistons, had a dismal run as team president from December 2003-April 2008, with the Knicks never winning a postseason game despite often having the league's highest payroll. He was also the coach the final two seasons, getting dismissed after a 23-59 season in 2007-08.

Goalie Karina LeBlanc was looking forward to a season of playing professional soccer in Los Angeles, but she is glad to take a detour to Philadelphia. LeBlanc was selected by the Independence with the second overall pick in yesterday's Women's Professional Soccer dispersal draft. The draft came about after LeBlanc's former team, the Los Angeles Sol, folded last week. LeBlanc represented Canada in the 2003 World Cup and the 2008 Olympics. Last season for the Sol, she had a record of 11-3-5 and a 0.53 goals against average and was selected to the league All-Star Game.

The Independence own the No. 2 pick in today's Women's Professional Soccer dispersal draft, but team officials say they won't select the world's best player, Marta, even if she is available. The dispersal draft came about after the Los Angeles Sol disbanded last week. Marta was picked by FIFA as the world's best player for the fourth straight season. The 23-year-old Brazilian led the WPS with 10 goals last season. The expansion Atlanta Beat had owned the top pick in the dispersal draft, but traded it to the St. Louis Athletica for three players.

Hoping to bolster its defense, the Philadelphia Union acquired Under-23 U.S. National Team defender Michael Orozco yesterday. Orozco - a former American Olympian who has played for Union team manager Peter Nowak - is on loan from the Mexican First Division team San Luis FC, where he played the last three years. The Union were able to sign Orozco after a deal with the New York Red Bulls. As part of the transaction, the Union sent the Red Bulls allocation money in exchange for New York's top spot in the Major League Soccer allocation order.

THE RUMORS THAT ARE flying around the Arena Football League aren't pretty. They range from suspending operations for a year to folding the league completely. At this point, though, they are just rumors. League spokesman Chris McCloskey declined to comment beyond a statement the AFL recently issued. "The AFL is working on long-term structural improvements which have unfortunately delayed some important events, such as the release of the 2009 schedule, the Dispersal Draft, and the beginning of free agency.

Derrick Rose did not take long to adjust to the college game. The highly touted freshman guard from Chicago had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in his collegiate debut last night as No. 3 Memphis beat visiting Tennessee-Martin, 102-71, in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic . Lester Hudson had 35 points for Tennessee-Martin (0-1). Connecticut reserve tailback Lou Allen, a redshirt junior, has been suspended indefinitely for an unspecified team rules violation, coach Randy Edsall of the No. 16 Huskies (8-1)

The Wings are back. The National Lacrosse League announced yesterday that the 2008 season would be played after all. The season was canceled Oct. 16 when a collective-bargaining agreement between the 14 owners and the league's players could not be reached. But the sides reached a seven-year accord, and a new schedule is expected to be announced next week. "We've gone through a whole range of emotions over the last week," Wings coach Dave Huntley said. "We are very excited to be back.

When the Kixx visit the expansion Detroit Ignition in tomorrow's Major Indoor Soccer League championship game, they will be playing a team that some would characterize as having beginner's luck. While the Ignition weren't picked to win the MISL title in this, their first year, the expectations were high, and they came from a familiar source. The architect of the Ignition's success has been team president Greg Bibb. He was the Kixx' executive vice president and general manager from January 2003 to September 2005 before heading to Michigan with the challenge of building a team.

With a little luck and a win tonight over the Baltimore Blast, the Kixx will have put last year's mess behind them and all but clinched a spot in the Major Indoor Soccer League playoffs. "There are no guarantees," Don D'Ambra, the Kixx' player-coach and leading scorer with 26 goals, said of his team's postseason prospects. "But I think we'll make it. It's in our hands. " The Kixx (15-11) are in second place in the standings behind the Detroit Ignition (17-10). Defending champion Baltimore (15-12)

Ken Burkhart, 89, a former big-league pitcher and umpire who made one of the most disputed calls in World Series history, died Wednesday. Mr. Burkhart, who retired from umpiring in 1973, had emphysema and died at the Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee, in Knoxville. He was 27-20 in five seasons with St. Louis and Cincinnati before an elbow injury ended his pitching career. During the first game of the 1970 World Series at Cincinnati, Baltimore catcher Elrod Hendricks grabbed Ty Cline's chopper in front of the plate as Mr. Burkhart moved out, ruling it a fair ball.