By BOB MATTHEWS
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

The latest joke in the LeBron James saga was an Ohio judge reducing the high school superstar's suspension for "improperly accepting gifts" from the rest of the season to two games (including the one he already had missed) and allowing the school to pick the second game he must sit out. Naturally, that game will be against an opponent his team could easily beat without him. That's hardly a slap on the wrist.

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Here's a suggestion New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner won't like: give the home-field advantage in the World Series to the team with the lower player payroll.

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The highlight of another non-productive offseason for the Baltimore Orioles was not making ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian's list of the four "worst of the worst" teams in the majors this season. Unless he knows much more than we do, the Orioles definitely belong in the same dismal can't-win company as Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.

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This has to be the first time in NBA history that a team one game above .500 at the All-Star Game break (the 24-23 Los Angeles Lakers) is a co-favorite to win the championship.

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My all-time worst sports observation was made three weeks into this NBA season: "The Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Yao Ming making an NBA All-Star Game would be the eighth."

Yao continues to make a mockery of that opinion. He not only will start in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game as a rookie, he is this week's cover subject for both Sports Illustrated ("The Year of Yao Ming: He Shoots, He Scores, He Sells") and ESPN The Magazine ("A Week in the Life of the NBA's Hottest and Funniest Superstar").

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My initial reaction to Sonny Vaccaro of Adidas saying James' shoe contract deal will exceed $30 million is that a lot of kids must be wearing overpriced sneakers.

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Cheers to the NFL for favoring the most logical and practical solution to the overtime controversy: first team to score six points wins. A team winning the coin flip could earn the victory with a TD on first possession but couldn't win with one field goal.

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It will be interesting to see if the Cincinnati Bengals have the courage to select quarterback Carson Palmer No. 1 overall in the 2003 NFL draft, considering the lack of success the team has had picking QBs (Akili Smith No. 3 overall in 1999; John Walsh No. 213 overall in 1995; David Klingler No. 6 overall in 1992; Donald Hollas No. 99 overall in 1991; Erik Wilhelm No. 83 in 1989; and Doug Gaylor No. 99 in 1986). The last Cincinnati QB pick to pay off was Boomer Esiason (No. 38 overall in 1984).

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Sure, Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt made a mistake knocking quarterback Peyton Manning and coach Tony Dungy for a lack of fiery leadership, but if the Colts decide to move him because of the incident, they'd probably miss him more than he'd miss them. If he were cut loose, it wouldn't take long for a contending team to sign the most accurate field-goal kicker in history (137 of 161 for .851 to Orlando Mare's 160-of-192 for .833).

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It is time to take action to eliminate the current fad of fans storming the court immediately following home victories in nationally-televised college basketball games. It is only a matter of time before there is a major incident involving serious injury to fans, players, coaches and/or officials.

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It looks like the best bet in advance wagering on the Kentucky Derby is to avoid the 2-year-old juvenile champion. The leg injury to Vindication and this week's announcement that he'll miss the 2003 Triple Crown campaign extends two streaks: since the Breeders' Cup Juvenile began in 1984, no winner of the race has gone on to win the Derby; and the last 2-year-old champion to win the Derby was Spectacular Bid in 1979.