Let's just not say they hugged it out.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Harold Reynolds and ESPN have settled Reynolds' lawsuit over his firing as a baseball analyst two years ago. Reynolds, a former Oriole, was suing for $5 million after ESPN bounced him for what the network apparently believed was sexual harassment but what Reynolds contended was a "brief and innocuous" hug with a female intern.

Reynolds' statement: "My family and I are ecstatic. This was a matter of principle, and I stood on principle and never wavered. All of my goals were met, and now I look forward to concentrating on the game I love."

ESPN termed the settlement "economically compelling," and spokesman Mike Soltys said: "It was a fraction of his demands and substantially less than what it would have cost us to litigate the case. Our confidence in both the appropriateness of our action and our legal position never wavered."