Quantrill Was On Snowmobile

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Paul Quantrill admitted yesterday that the toboggan accident in which he broke his right leg actually was a snowmobile accident in the woods just north of his home in Port Hope, Ontario.

The 30-year-old right-hander had surgery Tuesday to insert a stainless steel rod in his right leg and is expected to need at least three months to recover. He and his wife, Alyson, spoke to the media at the hospital where he had the surgery.

Blue Jays General Manager Gord Ash confirmed snowmobiling is one of the excluded sports written into a standard player's contract. So is tobogganing.

"Whatever the implications may be, we just don't want to be dishonest about it," Quantrill said. "We don't feel good as people, so we said, `Let's get this out in the open and deal with it.' "

Ontario Provincial Police said Quantrill never reported the accident to them. Because police are required by law to investigate all motor vehicle accidents involving injury, the OPP said it will investigate the matter further.

Quantrill led Toronto pitchers with 82 appearances last season. He was 3-4 with seven saves and a 2.59 earned-run average.

He said the only reason he originally said it was a tobogganing accident was because he was worried about the public's perception of a well-paid baseball player recklessly endangering his career on a snowmobile.

"Maybe I made the wrong decision here, but it was a scary time and in some ways embarrassing," Quantrill said.

"At this point, I would rather forfeit the entire contract than have to feel poorly about myself."

Winter sports

A victory in the 500-meter race and a third in the 5,000 gave Dutchman Rintje Ritsma a commanding lead in the all-round European Speedskating Championships in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Skating alone in the 500, Ritsma registered a personal best of 36.74 seconds.

Norwegian Eskil Ervik won the 5,000 meters in 6:32.55, followed by Belgium's Bart Veldkamp in 6:35.43.

Dutchwoman Tonny de Jong won the only women's event yesterday, the 500 meters, in 39.50.

-- In West Allis, Wis., Jennifer Rodriguez won both women's races to lead a U.S. sweep in the North American regional trials for the World Allround speedskating championships. Rodriguez, of Miami, won the 500-meter race in 40.81 and the 3,000 in 4:21.78.

KC Boutiette of Tacoma won the men's 500 in 37.11.

-- Mayumi Fukuda won the women's snowboard cross event in a photo finish and Drew Neilson took the men's contest by a wider margin as Canadians dominated the event in Copper Mountain, Colo. Kara Willman of Seattle was fourth in the women's race.

Horse racing

Mike Pegram of Mount Vernon is a finalist for three Eclipse Awards. He was nominated as Outstanding Owner, his Silverbulletday was nominated for Top 2-Year-Old Filly and his Real Quiet was nominated as Top 3-Year-Old Colt or Gelding.

Tennis

Switzerland's Patty Schnyder defeated top-seeded Mary Pierce of France 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 in the final of the Australian women's hardcourt tennis championships in Gold Coast.

-- In Doha, Qatar, top-seeded Tim Henman advanced to the semifinals of the $1 million Qatar Open by defeating American Jeff Tarango 6-4, 6-7 (15-13), 6-4.

Boxing

Vinny Pazienza, a former five-time world champion, stopped Undra White at 2:55 of the ninth round in a non-title super middleweight bout in Ledyard, Conn.

Courts

Former Ohio State track star Chris Nelloms faces a life sentence after being found guilty of repeatedly raping a 12-year-old girl.

Nelloms dropped his head when he heard the verdict in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in Dayton, Ohio.