BRIEFLY.

Byline: Staff and Wire Services

Welcome back: Asbury to be hired as Pepperdine men's basketball coach Pepperdine will formally introduce -- or re-introduce -- Tom Asbury as its men's basketball coach this afternoon.

Asbury led the Waves to three NCAA Tournaments during the early 1990s in his first stint at the Malibu school.

Eric Bridgeland, elevated to interim coach following the resignation of Vance Walberg on Jan. 18, will remain in that role for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. Asbury will take take full command of the program after the season, but will begin player evaluation and recruiting immediately.

-- Ramona Shelburne

New Jersey completed its trade of point guard Jason Kidd to Dallas.

The deal, which had been in the making since before the All-Star break, sent Kidd, forward Malik Allen and guard Antoine Wright to Dallas for point guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop and swingman Maurice Ager, plus retired forward Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell. New Jersey also gets two first-round draft picks and $3 million.

Phoenix and Denver will play the first NBA outdoor game in more than 35 years during the 2008-09 preseason Oct. 11 at the 16,000-seat Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The Suns defeated Milwaukee in a preseason game Sept. 24, 1972, at a baseball stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

FOOTBALL: Three NFL players were designated with the franchise tag: Carolina right tackle Jordan Gross, Baltimore outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and Kansas City defensive end Jared Allen.

San Francisco waived linebacker Derek Smith, cutting ties with its longtime leading tackler.

Houston receiver and kick returner Jerome Mathis was arrested and charged with choking his pregnant common-law wife.

Deputies went to Mathis's home Friday in Manvel, Texas, after getting a 911 call. Erica Smith told deputies the player had pushed her onto a bed and started choking her. The 26-year-old woman refused medical treatment but said she is six months pregnant.

PASSING: Bob Howsam, a former general manager of baseball's Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals and a founder of football's Denver Broncos, died in Sun City, Ariz. Howsam, 89, had heart problems, said his son, Robert Howsam.

TENNIS: German qualifier Denis Gremelmayr upset seventh-seeded Sam Querrey in the opening round of the SAP Open in San Jose. Querrey, a former Thousand Oaks High player, lost 5-7, 7-6 (1), 6-3.

SOCCER: Galaxy midfielder Kyle Martino's future with the team is in limbo after he was not among the 27 players who made the trip with the team to Hawaii for the first series of exhibitions. Team president Alexi Lalas said last week players who were not part of the team's plans wouldn't make the trip to nearly three-week trip to Hawaii, South Korea and China.

-- Billy Witz