Enquirer news services

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Tech's sudden re-entry in the Atlantic Coast Conference expansion picture created quite a stir on campus Thursday and could put the Hokies in the position of facing a difficult decision.

"It's absolutely a double-edged sword," William C. Latham, a member of the school's Board of Visitors, said of the ACC's reconsideration of the Hokies. "It's too simplistic to call it a can of worms - it's a bucketful of worms."

ACC leaders decided during a conference call Wednesday to again consider Virginia Tech in an expansion plan that also targets Miami, Syracuse and Boston College of the Big East. ACC presidents previously had rejected Tech as a target.

Since the ACC decided May 16 to go after only the other three schools, Virginia Tech joined four other Big East football schools in a lawsuit against the ACC, Miami and Boston College, accusing them of conspiring to destroy the Big East. Before that, school officials had lobbied hard to be included if the ACC decided to expand.

If they got an invitation and decided to jump leagues, the Hokies would be portrayed as traitors who looked out only for themselves. If they chose to keep fighting for the Big East, "We'd have a lot of people very unhappy," Latham said.

Tennis

HEWITT SUES: Lleyton Hewitt is suing the ATP for $1.5 million, contending he was unfairly fined for failing to give an interview to ESPN in Cincinnati last August.

Lawyers for the Australian star say the organization that runs men's tennis damaged his reputation and acted in bad faith. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in South Australian Supreme Court, said Rob Aivatoglou, the player's manager.

The ATP said it had not been served with the lawsuit, but said Hewitt's claims were "without merit."

Originally, Hewitt was fined $106,000. It was later reduced to $20,000.

Gymnastics

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS: They are separated by eight years, four titles and one child.

Still, Paul Hamm and Blaine Wilson aren't that far apart: They are, by almost every account, the two best male gymnasts in America.

The 28-year-old Wilson, a new father, begins the quest for his sixth national title today at the U.S. Championships in Milwaukee. Standing in his way is 20-year-old Hamm, the face of the future for U.S. gymnastics.

Where three years ago Hamm was fighting to make a name for himself and earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, now he is the defending national champion.

Wilson, meanwhile, is looking at things differently - as a father and as a competitor who knows there's more to accomplish in this global sport than being the best in the United States.

"It's good to do well at national competitions like this, but winning a world medal or an Olympic medal - that's my goal in the latter part of my career," Wilson said.

Track and field

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS: Tim Montgomery began his bid for a second straight 100-meter national title, and a chance to compete for his first world title, by running the fastest first-round time on a wind-swept Thursday night at the U.S. track and field championships in Stanford, Calif.

Montgomery's time of 10.04 seconds matched his best of the year, though it was far from the world record of 9.78 he set last year.

Football

TITANS: Defensive end Jevon Kearse, who has had two operations on his left foot since breaking it in last season's opener, has been running outside for the first time this week at the Titans' final minicamp of the offseason.