Softball Hoosiers to open season

Softball Hoosiers to open season\nSoftball Hoosiers to open season Friday\nWhen the 2003 campaign begins there will be a different face in the dugout for the IU softball team. The girls have a new coach in Sara Hayes, who has replaced 15-year veteran coach Diane Stephenson. \nHayes, who has been described as demanding and competitive, has spent the last two seasons as head coach at Northern Iowa. Before heading up the Panthers, she was an assistant coach at DePaul from 1995-2000, where she was a major factor in bringing the Blue Demons to among the country's top teams. \nThis season's squad features two pitchers who, combined, started 31 games last season. There are only nine other position players who have significant playing time under their belt from last year. During the past few years, IU softball teams have not repeated their success in the Big Ten in the mid-1990s. \nNBA All-Star games gets 9.7 overall rating\nATLANTA -- Michael Jordan's final NBA All-Star game generated an overnight rating of 9.7 for Turner Network Television.\nAbout 4.9 million households watched the Sunday night game, making it the largest metered market audience for a basketball game, college or pro, in cable history, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the first time TNT has televised the game.\nJordan, playing in his 14th All-Star game, scored 20 points in the West's 155-145 double overtime victory against the East.\nThe cable rating is the percentage of all homes with cable service, whether or not they are in use. About 82 percent of the country is wired for cable. Overnight ratings measure the 55 largest TV markets in the United States, covering nearly 70 percent of the country.\nGreen surprises Earnhardt in pole qualifying\nDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeff Green knocked favored Dale Earnhardt Jr. off the Daytona 500 pole Monday in qualifying at Daytona International Speedway.\nThe unheralded Green, driving a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, posted a lap of 186.606 mph only moments after Earnhardt's Chevy had taken the top spot at 186.382 mph.\nGreen, whose only previous Winston Cup pole came at Bristol in the August race in 2001, beat Earnhardt by just 0.058 seconds.\nGreen teammate Robby Gordon was third at 185.927 mph, while Earnhardt's teammate Michael Waltrip was fourth at 185.460 mph.