News Update: Some quick hits on things you might have missed:



The Vin Baker arbitration hearing was held on Monday and the decision is expected on Thursday.



The NFL players union asked an arbitrator Tuesday to make Terrell Owens a free agent, claiming San Francisco didn't have the rights to trade the wide receiver to Baltimore. The arbitrator is Stephen Burbank of Penn Law School. You can read a previous rant here.



The NBA players union is not happy about a drug test that Damon Stoudamire took in an effort to clear his name. Dan Wasserman, a union spokesman, said: "In general we don't think it's a good idea for players to engage in freelance drug testing. We have procedures in place that should be adhered to." I understand the problems with unsupervised drug testing, but it seems that in the current times, players unions should be encouraging drug tests in order to ensure both the health and competitive balance for their members. This is the time for professional athletes to come clean-- literally and figuratively. The ball is in their court.



New Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis “plans to take control of preparations for the 2004 Olympics, naming himself Culture Minister in his new cabinet.” Karamanlis has said that other than political appointees, he will not “change any key personnel involved in Olympic preparations." Some experts fear that the election of the new conservative Prime Minister could cause problems in the Olympic preparations, especially if the mostly socialist workers strike in response to government policies.

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