Blotter

Afflicted
?With leptospirosis, eight Americans and several others among the 304 competitors in last month's Eco-Challenge in Borneo. Dozens more U.S. participants have reported symptoms of the bacterial infection, which causes headaches, high fever and muscle pains, and can be fatal if not treated with antibiotics.

Wed
? U.S. Olympic women's weightlifting alternate Suzanne Leathers and her coach, Don McCauley, in an Aussie casino. Said Leathers, "The people we are with all the time were all going to be here, so we said, Why not Sydney?"

Won
?The U.S. Mid-Amateur golf championship, for players 25 and older, by Greg Puga, 29, a caddie at the Bel-Air Country Club. He earned a spot in the 2001 Masters.

Dropped
?By Disney-owned ABC, commercials in prime time for R-rated movies, after a government report blasted the entertainment industry for marketing violent material to youngsters. The only ABC program exempt from the policy will be Monday Night Football, whose viewers, Disney says, are predominantly adults.

Discovered
?A secret deal between Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and forward Joe Smith to pay Smith as much as $93 million over 10 years, in addition to his $1.75 million contract for 2000-01. NBA general counsel Joel Litvin called the arrangement "the most serious salary-cap offense that can be committed by teams, players or agents."

Flushed
?Simultaneously, some 500 toilets inside Minneapolis's Xcel Energy Center, home of the NHL's expansion Wild, in a test of the facilities. Wild exec Bill Roberson said "no damage was done to the arena."