BRIEFLY : DECISION DUE TODAY ON TYSON SENTENCING.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson once again faces jail time and the possible loss of his boxing license. It all depends on a judge's decision.

Tyson goes to court today to be sentenced on two counts of second-degree assault stemming from an altercation following a minor traffic accident in Maryland in August. The sentence will help determine whether Tyson will have to return to jail in Indiana for violating probation for a rape conviction, and it could lead boxing authorities to strip him of his license once again.

Tyson's lawyers will ask for probation. In a memo this week to Judge Stephen Johnson, they argued Tyson would become a ``useful and contributing member of the community'' if he were spared jail time, received more psychiatric help and continued to perform volunteer work.

OLYMPICS: Stung by outrage over the Olympic bribery scandal, officials revealed a sweeping reorganization plan for the committee running the 2002 Winter Games.

``We want to move into the next era, the next phase,'' said Robert Garff, chairman of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Critics clamoring for a role will get some of the 17 or 18 new spots on SLOC's board of trustees. The board's executive committee will be replaced with a new management group ordered to keep a tight rein on planning.

TENNIS: Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia was upset by little-known Slovakian Dominik Hrbaty at the Marseille Open in France. Hrbaty beat a tired-looking Kafelnikov, who flew into France from Melbourne on Monday, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 in a second-round match.

In her first match since losing in the semifinals of the Australian Open, Lindsay Davenport began defense of her Pan Pacific title in Tokyo with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Mary Fernandez.

Also reaching the quarters was Steffi Graf, who defeated Russia's Elena Lithovtseva 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

FOOTBALL: The Cincinnati Bengals gave permission to receiver Carl Pickens to try to negotiate a trade. Pickens' first two choices are Dallas and Miami.

Mike Sanford, who coached Keyshawn Johnson, Johnnie Morton and Curtis Conway at USC, was hired as wide-receivers coach of the San Diego Chargers. Sanford, 43, spent the last two years as quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame.

Sanford will be reunited with new Chargers head coach Mike Riley, who was USC's offensive coordinator during Sanford's tenure as the Trojans' receivers coach.

BASEBALL: Charges stemming from an altercation between Cleveland Indians outfielder Wilfredo Cordero and his wife's former husband were dropped after the two men reached an agreement, lawyers said.