Harrington

The Colorado Rockies did not alter their offer to Matt Harrington by the Tuesday deadline set by the pitcher, probably ending negotiations between the team and the former Palmdale High star. Harrington, selected seventh in the amateur draft last year, asked the Rockies to amend their most recent offer, a $4 million, seven-year deal that included a $1.5 million signing bonus. Harrington is seeking $4 million over four years with a $2.4 million bonus.

His second cousin is Detroit Lion quarterback Joey Harrington, a fact that Padraig Harrington of Dublin, Ireland, is quick to point out. "Back in Ireland, the Irish say everybody is related to everybody anyway," Harrington said. "Terrible. I'm not even the top sportsman in the family."

The list of certainties in life is a short one. Death and taxes . . . and a victory by pitcher Matt Harrington. The Palmdale High senior was close to a sure thing whenever he took the mound and is The Times' Valley pitcher of the year. He finished with an 11-0 record, a 0.54 earned-run average and 126 strikeouts and only 21 walks in 65 1/3 innings.

Joey Harrington already had the look, the arm and the bank account of a starting NFL quarterback. Now he has a victory. The rookie from Oregon threw for 267 yards and a touchdown, and didn't make any costly mistakes, as the Lions beat New Orleans, 26-21, Sunday to hand the Saints their first loss. Harrington gave the Lions their first win of the season and only the third in 20 games for Coach Marty Mornhinweg.

Pitcher Matt Harrington of Palmdale High has been rated the No. 6 prospect in the nation by Baseball America magazine. Other players from the region in the top 100 are pitcher Jamie Shields of Hart at No. 11, infielder Conor Jackson of El Camino Real at No. 25 and pitcher Chris Cordeiro of Thousand Oaks at No. 71. All signed letters of intent this week--Harrington with Arizona State, Shields with LSU, Jackson with California and Cordeiro with UCLA.

Pitcher Matt Harrington of Palmdale High has been rated the fourth-best high school prospect in the nation by Baseball America magazine. Scott Heard, a catcher at Rancho Bernardo in San Diego, is No. 1 on the magazine's top 100 list. Pitcher Jamie Shields of Hart is No. 16, shortstop Conor Jackson of El Camino Real is No. 34, outfielder Jason Kubel of Highland is No. 50 and pitcher Jesse Kozlowski of Westlake is No. 95. Harrington, who signed with Arizona State, has a fastball clocked at 94 mph.

The short putt went to the right in the fading light, just the break Padraig Harrington needed. The Irishman won the Honda Classic for his first PGA Tour title when Vijay Singh missed a 2 1/2 -foot putt to bogey the second playoff hole. "I thought it was a gimme," Harrington said. "I shouldn't have missed," Singh said. If Harrington was lucky, he was also due; he has been a runner-up 26 times in worldwide events.

Detroit Lion quarterback Joey Harrington was released from the hospital Tuesday after undergoing a procedure to repair an abnormal heart rhythm. Dr. Claudio Schuger, director of clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Henry Ford Hospital, said Harrington's heart is structurally sound. "For all practical circumstances, Joey is healed," Schuger said.

After spending 12 years in various jobs as an assistant basketball coach, Seth Greenberg's dream of becoming a head coach came true Thursday when he was named to succeed Joe Harrington at Cal State Long Beach. "There's always been a driving force inside me to be a head coach," the 33-year-old Greenberg said before a news conference in Long Beach. "I don't remember a time in my adult life when I didn't want to be one."

Matt Harrington of Palmdale High made his professional debut for the independent St. Paul Saints on Friday night. Harrington's fastball was clocked between 86 and 92 mph in a two-inning stint before a sellout crowd that included 12 major league scouts who hope he will be available for the June 5 draft. The Colorado Rockies, who made him the seventh pick last season, retain his rights until Wednesday.