For The Record

ARRESTED For allegedly impersonating Blues winger Keith Tkachuk
and two other NHL players, Elander Mark Lachney. The 35-year-old
from Denham Springs, La.,was apprehended in Pineville, La.,
after a five-month manhunt that involved the NHL, FBI, Secret
Service and law enforcement agencies from four states. In 1995
Lachney--who is 5'11", weighs 180 pounds and "doesn't look like
he works out," according to a police source--was sentenced to
four years in prison on two counts of filing false public records
while impersonating the 6'2", 227-pound Tkachuk. Authorities
suspected Lachney was at it again in February when Tkachuk was
called by his bank regarding a request for a credit card in his
name to be mailed to Louisiana. Lachney, who police say left
messages for them saying, "You can't get me, I'm too smart,"
later allegedly secured $10,000 in loans using the aliases of
Tkachuk, Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch and Flyers center Jeremy
Roenick. When he was arrested, he had Louisiana driver's licenses
in the names of all three players. He was charged with bank fraud
and identity theft, both felonies. Tkachuk said he's "happy the
thing is over."

EUTHANIZED Three American saddlebred show horses, including
two-time World's Grand Champion Wild-Eyed And Wicked, due to the
effects of a poison injected into their left forelegs by an
unknown assailant. Five horses were attacked on the night of June
28 at the Double D Ranch in Versailles, Ky. (Two are expected to
survive.) The poison caused rapid deterioration of tissue and
nerves in the animals' lower legs. "The legs were swollen to
three times the normal size," says Dr. Ric Redden, an equine
podiatrist who treated the animals. "It was very painful." In the
past horses have been murdered for the purposes of collecting
insurance. However, none of the Double D horses, which were worth
a combined $3 million, was insured for more than a token amount.
"It was apparently done just to get rid of them," says Kayce Bell
of the American Saddlebred Horse Association. "We're just
sickened by what's happened."

DEPARTED After five seasons as Bucks coach, George Karl, 52, who
led Milwaukee to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001 but hadn't
won a playoff series since. Neither the team nor Karl would say
if the coach quit or was fired. In 2001 Karl signed a two-year
contract extension worth $14 million, the richest contract in pro
sports for a coach who isn't also a general manager. But the
Bucks are rebuilding, and Karl was hesitant about working next
year as a lame duck. Karl has spoken of wanting to take a year
off to watch his son, Coby, play basketball at Boise State, where
he will be a redshirt freshman this fall.

WALKED In the first inning of a Northern League game between the
St. Paul Saints and the Gary SouthShore Railcats, former White
Sox outfielder Minnie Minoso, 77, the first man to play pro
baseball in seven decades. When Minoso, who retired from
full-time play in 1964, led off as the Saints' DH, Railcats
pitcher Tim Byrdak paid homage by using an exaggerated old-school
windup on the first two pitches, both balls. After Byrdak
reverted to form, Minoso ran the count to 3 and 1, then fouled
off a 90-mph fastball before ball four. He left for a pinch
runner. "It was great," said Byrdak, 29. "And when they came in
after the game and said the lineup card with our names on it was
going to the Hall of Fame, it was like Christmas."

COLOR PHOTO: COURTESY PINEVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT (LACHNEY) Lachney

COLOR PHOTO: ICON SPORTS MEDIA (TKACHUK) Tkachuk

COLOR PHOTO: ADAM M. BETTCHER (MINOSO)