PITTSBURGH - Raul Mondesi might want to return to the Pittsburgh Pirates this season after all, a Pittsburgh newspaper reported today.

Mondesi's pay was withheld for most of the season because of a civil suit, and the outfielder returned to his native Dominican Republic last Saturday.

On Monday, he said he wouldn't play again for Pittsburgh this year because it was too difficult for him to concentrate on baseball and he didn't want to be a distraction to the Pirates.

But now, Mondesi is leaving open the possibility of coming back when his legal troubles are resolved.

"Maybe I'll come back. Maybe I'll stay here," Mondesi told the newspaper during an interview in the Dominican Republic.

Mondesi will probably remain in the Dominican Republic until at least mid-June, when a Dominican court is scheduled to hear his appeal.

STATE COLLEGE - Penn State gave football coach Joe Paterno a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the Nittany Lions past his 80th birthday."Coach Paterno's program has become a model for the integration of college football into the fabric of an institution of higher education," Penn State president Graham B. Spanier said in a prepared statement.Terms of the contract were not released.Paterno's contract was scheduled to expire after the 2004 season, and Penn State's recent lack of success on the field - they've had losing records three of the last four years - had some questioning whether Paterno would return.But Paterno, 77, has maintained that he's not ready to retire and that he wants to continue coaching as long as he's healthy."I appreciate this extension and show of confidence in me and our football program," Paterno said in a written statement. "I still enjoy coaching and I'm excited about the upcoming season and the incoming recruiting class. Penn State's future is bright and we are determined to have a team which in the future will again be in the mix for a national championship."