Sports in brief

HORSE RACINGJockey Baze found dead at Churchill

Michael Baze, the 24-year-old jockey who rode this year's Kentucky Derby second-place finisher Nehro to his only win, was found dead in his vehicle Tuesday at Churchill Downs. Baze, of Glendora, Calif., was pronounced dead at 4:47 p.m. EDT in his vehicle parked in the stable area of the track, Jefferson County deputy coroner Jim Wesley said. There were no signs of foul play and the case was being treated as a death investigation, Louisville police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said. An autopsy was planned. Baze was a cousin of Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze, the all-time leading rider in thoroughbred racing, and son of retired jockey Mike Baze, Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher said.

LACROSSE

New lacrosse league team for LI?

A new professional indoor lacrosse league, planning to begin play in January, will include a metropolitan-area franchise that could be based at Nassau Coliseum, New York team owner Michael Xirinachs confirmed yesterday.

Former NBA Development League president Phil Evans, introduced as commissioner of the North American Lacrosse League at a noon news conference in Manhattan, did not announce franchise cities. But a source said six teams will be revealed on a weekly basis over the next six weeks, after Sports Business Journal reported Monday that New York; Charlotte, N.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Hershey, Pa.; Lexington, Ky.; and Wilkes-Barre, Pa., will be the charter members.

Xirinachs, 51, is a St. John's University graduate who owns the wealth management firm Emerald Asset Advisors in Cold Spring Harbor

GOLFWoods returns from injuries

About all Tiger Woods can say about the injuries to his knee and Achilles tendon is that he is "good enough to play" in The Players Championship. Woods says he practiced on the range Monday for the first time since the Masters. His first round of golf since he tied for fourth at Augusta National was Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass.NFLFormer Jet Faneca retiring

Eight-time All-Pro guard Alan Faneca has announced his retirement after 13 seasons in the NFL. The former Jets and Steelers standout played last season with the Arizona Cardinals. The 34-year-old lineman played 10 seasons with Pittsburgh before signing a five-year contract in 2008 with the Jets, who released him after the 2009 season.-- AP