Sports briefs for October 23, 2003

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003 | 11:07 a.m.

A time trial in the Alps, cobblestone roads, changes to the scoring system. The 2004 Tour de France will have new wrinkles as Lance Armstrong bids for a sixth title.

The race has been revamped to "make sure the favorites never feel settled and keep the suspense going until the very end," tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc said today.

The 2,071-mile race will start July 3 in Liege, Belgium, and finish in Paris on July 25. There will be six mountain stages, one fewer than this year, but a climbing time trial is being added.

Expos back in San Juan?

Baseball and its union are moving closer to an agreement that would shift 22 Montreal Expos games to San Juan for the second consecutive season.

Rebels advance

Six of eight UNLV singles players were still alive after the first round of the ITA Mountain Regional Men's Championships, which began Wednesday at UNLV. Ninth-seeded Henner Nehles and 14th-seeded Aviram Salomon will be joined in the second round by Rebels teammates Marko Blagojevic, Milos Blagojevic, Romain Massaro and Sean Margulis.

Team bus crashes

A bus carrying Florida A&M University's cross-country team to a tournament overturned on a highway today near Blacksburg, S.C. Nineteen people were hospitalized, but none of the injuries appeared life-threatening.

Avalanche gets help

Colorado Avalanche acquired left winger Steve Konowalchuk from the Washington Capitals after learning Paul Kariya will be out indefinitely with a sprained right wrist.

Pak 13th vs. men

Se Ri Pak shot an even-par 72 today to tie for 13th out of 126 entrants in her first round against men at the Korean tour's SBS Super Tournament at Yongin.

Gladiators add two

The Gladiators signed offensive specialist Terrill Shaw and wide receiver/linebacker Maurice Bryant.