BRIEFLY : GRADUATION RATE DROPS.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

NCAA athletes, with the exception of white female players, are losing ground in the classroom.

Led by an alarming dip among white male basketball players, Division I athletes who entered school in 1991 showed the first overall drop in graduation rates in four years.

According to NCAA statistics released during the weekend, 57 percent of Division I athletes who were freshmen in 1991 had graduated by 1997. For each of the three previous years, the rate was 58 percent.

The NCAA began tracking graduation rates in 1984, using a formula that counts all transfer students - even if they go elsewhere and graduate - against the rates of their original school. It allows six years to complete a degree program. Thus, graduation rates for the 1992 freshman class will be compiled and announced next year.

Almost every category for the 1991 entering class - which includes males, females, blacks, whites, football and basketball - took a tumble.

White male basketball players were hardest hit, plunging from 58 to 47 percent.

``That's a significant change,'' NCAA spokesman Wally Renfro said. ``We've seen changes before, but I'm not sure we've had that big of a change.''

White females athletes, holding steady at 70 percent for the third straight year, retained the highest rate among all classifications and were the only group not to decline.

BASEBALL: Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio showed improvement Sunday following a relapse last week in his fight against pneumonia and a lung infection.

``He's not dying,'' said longtime friend and attorney Morris Engelberg, who complained about the media's portrayal of DiMaggio's illness.

``His X-rays the last two days show he's improved. He's lightly sedated, but he's sitting up. He's breathing much better.''

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Carlos Delgado hit two home runs and drove in five runs to lead the Major League Baseball All-Stars to a 10-7 win over the Japan All-Stars in Game 2 of their seven-game series in Japan.