PALLONE UNDER INVESTIGATION

A lawyer for National League umpire Dave Pallone says his client wants to return to baseball, but first must dispel allegations he was part of a sex ring involving teenage boys.

Lawyer E. Stewart Jones said Thursday Pallone adamantly denies the charges, which were broadcast by a local television station.But Jones did say the umpire is being investigated by the Saratoga County district attorney's office.

The National League announced Monday Pallone had requested a leave of absence until the end of the season, a request that was granted.

Several men, including an Episcopal priest and a millionaire insurance executive, have been convicted in Saratoga County on charges of having sex with teenage boys. A report on Schenectady's WRGB-TV Tuesday night said Pallone was involved in the scandal.