Official Scorer

Curt Schilling's ERA fell from 4.13 to 3.18 yesterday without throwing a pitch. Schilling was charged with nine earned runs in 2 2/3 innings Thursday in the Phillies' 10-3 loss to the New York Mets. But yesterday, official scorer Bob Kenney changed Bernard Gilkey's third-inning single to an error on third baseman Scott Rolen. As a result, eight of Schilling's runs became unearned. The Mets scored eight runs in the third inning - one on Rolen's error and seven after the error.

The Sixers can cry foul about the scoring error that might have cost them Thursday night's game in Orlando, but a league spokesman said yesterday that they probably don't have any other recourse. When Rick Mahorn committed a foul late in the third period, it was Philadelphia's fifth foul and should have resulted in free throws for the Magic's Terry Catledge. But the official scorer said it was the fourth foul, and Orlando got the ball instead and scored a basket. At the period's end, the error was spotted, and since NBA rules specify that such "correctable errors" have to be rectified before the start of another period, Catledge was awarded - and made - the two free throws.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will not manage Saturday's game against Atlanta in order to attend to a personal matter, a team official said Friday. It is just the second time Manuel, who is in his sixth season as manager, will miss a regular-season Phillies game. Bench coach Pete Mackanin will manage the team in Manuel's absence. Manuel, 66, said the personal matter is not related to his own health. Since spring training began, Manuel has constantly said he has more energy after losing nearly 50 pounds in the last year.

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat must replay the final 51.9 seconds of their game last month because the NBA said the official scorer ruled incorrectly that Shaquille O'Neal fouled out. This will be the first time since 1982 the league has sent teams back on the court for a replay. The Hawks won, 117-111, at home in overtime Dec. 19. The NBA said yesterday the replay will be held before the teams' next scheduled game - March 8 in Atlanta. Play will start from the time after O'Neal's disputed sixth foul.

This is The Year of the Hitter and The Year of the No-Hitter. Even by baseball standards it's crazy. On one hand you've got the Phils' Len Dykstra, a career .268 hitter, swinging along at a .400 clip for two months, and the Tigers' Cecil Fielder, fresh from Japan, making like Babe Ruth in the United States. On the other hand, hardly a week goes by when somebody doesn't flirt with a no-hitter or actually pitch one. The topper came Friday night. First, there was Oakland's Dave Stewart, fighting his first mini-slump of the season.

Hideo Nomo just missed becoming the fifth pitcher since 1900 to throw two no-hitters in a season. Nomo allowed only a questionable single in the seventh inning as the Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-0, last night. Nomo, who pitched a no-hitter April 4 at Baltimore in his debut with Boston, struck out six and walked five through six innings. Torii Hunter lined the first pitch of the seventh to rightfield. Darren Lewis, an outstanding defensive player, started back, then raced in. The ball ticked off his glove as he slid.

It would be a great story to tell the grandchildren, as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur would readily acknowledge. There's a problem, though, a problem with the story of how Brodeur was credited last night with scoring a goal against the Flyers. The problem? "I don't remember touching the puck," Brodeur said. It was the second goal of his NHL career - the first came in a 1997 playoff game - but this one was clearly the more bizarre. Brodeur made a third-period save as a delayed penalty was being called against the Flyers.

The worst team in baseball turned a classic moment into a nightmare yesterday. Andy Hawkins stepped into baseball history when he threw a complete-game no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox, but he will live in infamy as being part of only the 11th team to lose a game without allowing a hit. Hawkins, on the verge of being released three weeks ago, succumbed to a surreal eighth inning as three Yankees errors led to four Chicago runs, turning...

On Wednesday, in a Ches-Mont meet against visiting Coatesville, Downingtown's Allison Glitz and Trish MacDonald crossed the finish line together in 21:55. "Our coach tells us just to stay together and run to win," said Glitz, referring to Bill Schmidt. "Earlier in the year, we would race each other at the end, but now we try to finish together. " At some meets, the official scorer will give them a tie for first, but in others the scorers will insist that one be ruled the winner.

Andy Dougherty, 79, the preeminent St. Joseph's University athletic historian and a local sports treasure for six decades, died yesterday at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He had been hospitalized for 46 days with complications after having his gallbladder removed. Mr. Dougherty, inducted into the Big Five Hall of Fame in 1989, was the sports information director at St. Joseph's from 1972 to '83. But the 1948 St. Joe's graduate was an upbeat fixture on Hawk Hill and around Philadelphia sports long before and after he drew a full-time paycheck from St. Joseph's.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will not manage Saturday's game against Atlanta in order to attend to a personal matter, a team official said Friday. It is just the second time Manuel, who is in his sixth season as manager, will miss a regular-season Phillies game. Bench coach Pete Mackanin will manage the team in Manuel's absence. Manuel, 66, said the personal matter is not related to his own health. Since spring training began, Manuel has constantly said he has more energy after losing nearly 50 pounds in the last year.

The Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat must replay the final 51.9 seconds of their game last month because the NBA said the official scorer ruled incorrectly that Shaquille O'Neal fouled out. This will be the first time since 1982 the league has sent teams back on the court for a replay. The Hawks won, 117-111, at home in overtime Dec. 19. The NBA said yesterday the replay will be held before the teams' next scheduled game - March 8 in Atlanta. Play will start from the time after O'Neal's disputed sixth foul.

Andy Dougherty, 79, the preeminent St. Joseph's University athletic historian and a local sports treasure for six decades, died yesterday at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He had been hospitalized for 46 days with complications after having his gallbladder removed. Mr. Dougherty, inducted into the Big Five Hall of Fame in 1989, was the sports information director at St. Joseph's from 1972 to '83. But the 1948 St. Joe's graduate was an upbeat fixture on Hawk Hill and around Philadelphia sports long before and after he drew a full-time paycheck from St. Joseph's.

The Pennsylvania Road Warriors spilled out of two vans and shuffled toward the visitors' locker room at cozy Campbell's Field last night, wearing the drained looks of nomads. Like all the others during their Atlantic League baseball season, the Road Warriors' day was spent in a hotel, where they tried to recover the sleep lost on yet another long bus ride, this one from Central Islip, N.Y., the night before. As he often does, manager Bert Pena canceled batting practice. "Everyone's usually too tired for BP, so we usually have it once a week," said Wellington Sanchez, a 26-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic.

Hideo Nomo just missed becoming the fifth pitcher since 1900 to throw two no-hitters in a season. Nomo allowed only a questionable single in the seventh inning as the Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-0, last night. Nomo, who pitched a no-hitter April 4 at Baltimore in his debut with Boston, struck out six and walked five through six innings. Torii Hunter lined the first pitch of the seventh to rightfield. Darren Lewis, an outstanding defensive player, started back, then raced in. The ball ticked off his glove as he slid.

It would be a great story to tell the grandchildren, as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur would readily acknowledge. There's a problem, though, a problem with the story of how Brodeur was credited last night with scoring a goal against the Flyers. The problem? "I don't remember touching the puck," Brodeur said. It was the second goal of his NHL career - the first came in a 1997 playoff game - but this one was clearly the more bizarre. Brodeur made a third-period save as a delayed penalty was being called against the Flyers.

It came in the rain. It came in the gloom. It came with eight games remaining on the Phillies' schedule. For while, it appeared that it wouldn't come at all. In their long and sometimes checkered history, the Phillies have lost 100 games in a season 14 times since 1900. Their 63rd win of the season came yesterday, 10-5, against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, which means they won't lose 100 games this season. And while that might not sound like a cause to break out the champagne or organize a parade down Broad Street, it's a nice, little accomplishment for a team that was 30-72 on July 27 and seemed destined for a season of historic ineptitude.

Curt Schilling's ERA fell from 4.13 to 3.18 yesterday without throwing a pitch. Schilling was charged with nine earned runs in 2 2/3 innings Thursday in the Phillies' 10-3 loss to the New York Mets. But yesterday, official scorer Bob Kenney changed Bernard Gilkey's third-inning single to an error on third baseman Scott Rolen. As a result, eight of Schilling's runs became unearned. The Mets scored eight runs in the third inning - one on Rolen's error and seven after the error.

This was a conversation with ghosts. And, as he always does, John Lucas worked the room. He would find a way to fend off the specters of 9-73. Those ghosts were out there last night, swirling through the CoreStates Spectrum, reminding the crowd of 6,811 that the last time the 76ers were 0-4 they staggered home with the worst record in NBA history. That was 1972-73. None of the current Sixers can even relate to that era. But they knew they were 0-3 going into last night's game against previously unbeaten Washington, and they were openly wondering when, and where, they would claim their first victory.

It's been a really good week for whining, fussing and fighting, especially on those teams that have nothing left to play for except their contracts and their egos and their sense of total disproportion. The most fascinating thing about the Rob Dibble-Lou Piniella rumble was that it made Dibble such a complete player. He has now hit for the cycle - he has hit players, a fan, a coach and, now, a manager. Dibble has been reprimanded for throwing at batters and baserunners, and fought opponents on the field during his stormy four-year career.