Vick Is a No-Show For Capitol Hill Event

Michael Vick got an incomplete from Congress.

The Atlanta Falcons quarterback was scheduled to lobby yesterday on Capitol Hill, hoping to persuade lawmakers to increase funding for after-school programs. But Vick missed a connecting flight in Atlanta and failed to show for his appearance.

Vick's publicist, Susan Bass, said it wasn't his fault. The quarterback was in Tampa on Monday to play in teammate Warrick Dunn's charity golf tournament, then caught a flight to Atlanta that was supposed to arrive in time for him to make another flight to Reagan National Airport.

But the AirTran flight was late leaving Tampa, and Vick missed his connection and wound up stuck in Atlanta, Bass said.

"He was really mad," she said. "He was on the plane and everything, but the plane didn't come in until late."

AirTran, which has an endorsement deal with Vick, gave a different account of Vick's travel arrangements. While acknowledging that the flight from Florida was late getting into Atlanta, causing him to miss his 8:35 p.m. connection, airline spokesman Tad Hutcheson said the player was booked on a 10:50 p.m. flight, but Vick failed to show.

Vick's mother, Brenda Boddie, accepted an award from the Afterschool Alliance on her son's behalf. He was honored for his foundation's work with after-school projects.

· TENNIS: The total purse at Wimbledon will be 8.7 percent more than last year, with the male and female champion each taking home $1.4 million.

The only Grand Slam tournament on grass will offer total prize money of $22,572,011. The increase reflects female and male competitors getting equal pay from the first round to the final for the first time since Wimbledon began paying players in 1968.

Wimbledon, which starts June 25, also announced it would use instant replay technology for the first time, subject to final testing in May. . . .