COSTA MESA Rodman gets ready to hit...

COSTA MESA

Rodman gets ready to hit the boards

Dennis Rodman announced on Tuesday that he has signed a contract

to play for the Orange County Crush, a new American Basketball Assn.

team based at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

The team will make its debut on Sunday against the Long Beach Jam

in Long Beach and play its home games in a tent on the Speedway track

at the fairgrounds.

Rodman said he will use this opportunity to make a comeback into

the NBA. The ace rebounder, who won five NBA championships with the

Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls, left the league in March 2000,

when he was released by the Dallas Mavericks after less than a month

with the team.

Rodman has agreed only to playing home games for the Crush, his

agent said. The Crush will play their first few home games at the

Bren Center in UC Irvine because their tent on the fairgrounds is not

yet ready, team officials said.

* Orange County fairgoers will pay $1 more to attend the 2005

fair, after fair board members voted Thursday to hike the price for

adults to $8 and for children ages 6 to 12 to $4 for next year.

Various discounts still will be available, including free kids’ days

and canned food and book drives.