Fanfare 9/11

Baseball

Owning two professional teams is becoming a burden for Tom Hicks. So the owner of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars is reluctantly ready to unload the NHL club.

Hicks said the sale of the Stars would help him concentrate more on the Rangers, who will finish last in the AL West for the third straight season.

"I am totally committed to transform the Texas Rangers into a team that competes every year for a division championship and eventually win its share of World Series championships," he said.

College

Colorado coach Gary Barnett believes his concussion-plagued quarterback, Craig Ochs, will miss the next two games but be recovered to play on Oct. 5 against Kansas State.

Ochs underwent four hours of neurological examinations on Monday and had further tests on Tuesday.

Ochs, a 21-year-old junior, departed at halftime of Saturday night's 34-14 win over San Diego with his third concussion in the past year.

Basketball

Chicago Bulls second-round draft pick Roger Mason injured his shoulder in a pickup game and could be sidelined four to five months.

The 6-foot-5 guard, who was plagued by shoulder problems at Virginia, hurt the shoulder Thursday in a game with Michael Jordan and other NBA players.

The Bulls selected Mason with the 31st overall pick.

Football

Chicago Bears cornerback R.W. McQuarters and defensive end Phillip Daniels, both starters, will each miss at least a month with injuries suffered in the season opener against Minnesota.

McQuarters sprained a ligament in his left knee and Daniels sustained a second-degree sprain of his left ankle, the team announced on Tuesday.

Reggie Austin will replace McQuarters in the starting lineup. Free agent signee Keith McKenzie will fill in for Daniels.

High school

The Illinois high school governing body upheld a one-year suspension for Pontiac coach Mike Peterson, ruling he violated state bylaws when he recruited a player.

The Illinois High School Association board of directors on Monday also upheld the Aug. 28 ruling that placed Pontiac on probation for the 2002-2003 season.

The school is still eligible for postseason play, and Peterson can return to coaching after the suspension. The student, a senior, will not be allowed to play this season.

Peterson said after the ruling that if he violated IHSA bylaws, he did so unintentionally and it did not warrant a suspension. The Pontiac coach won 109 games and a state championship in 14 seasons.

-- From wire reports