In Brief: Around the horn

Even if the NCAA changes its rules about conference championship games, the Big Ten will stay just the way it is. Passing up possibly millions in revenue, the conference won't put an end-of-year championship game in place. A title game could generate up to $15 million for the league, but conference commissioner Jim Delany said the game would weaken the appeal for late-season traditional matchups like Michigan vs. Ohio State.... On the eve of the Dallas Cowboys training camp, new coach Bill Parcells made a statement. As usual, it came without words. Mr. Parcells cut young safety Keith Davis who had been recuperating from being shot earlier this summer outside a Dallas strip club. Mr. Parcells said he told his team that they should not hang out at questionable spots-that he wants not just good players, but good citizens.... By the end of July, Toronto pitcher Roy Halladay wasn't just riding a 15-game win streak; he hadn't been beaten in more than three months since the Yankees scuffed him for five runs and a loss on April 15th. Since then, the Blue Jays right-hander has compiled a 3.08 ERA in 20 starts.... Meanwhile, Atlanta pitching icons Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux are floundering. Mr. Glavine, now with the Mets, has a 6-11 record and an ERA over 5.00. The Braves' Mr. Maddux had a winning record near the end of July-but just barely (9-8) -and the former Cy Young award winner posted a 4.55 ERA. Neither pitcher has finished the season with a losing record since 1990 when a 24-year-old Mr. Glavine went 10-12 for the Braves.