FanFare 9/28/02

Baseball

Baseball's labor settlement is likely to become official next week. Lawyers for players and owners, who agreed to the deal just hours before the scheduled start of a strike on Aug. 30, are hoping to sign a memorandum Monday that outlines the terms, union lawyer Michael Weiner and management lawyer Frank Coonelly said.

Basketball

The Celtics have been sold to a local investment group for a reported $360 million. The purchase by Boston Basketball Partners LP requires league approval. The Celtics, one of the NBA's original and most storied franchises, scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss the sale, team spokesman Jeff Twiss said. No terms were immediately announced, but CNBC reported a price of $360 million.

Miles Dabord, the brother of missing former NBA player Bison Dele, remained in critical condition, a day after his mother planned to ask doctors to take him off life support.

Boxing

Two-time junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas is disputing claims by the Nevada Athletic Commission that he used steroids before his loss to Oscar De La Hoya two weeks ago.

Golf

Tiger Woods lost two more matches in Ryder Cup play as Europe took a narrow lead over the United States on the opening day at The Belfry. The Americans trailed 3-1 after the morning's best-ball matches but made a strong comeback in the afternoon's alternate-shot play, cutting the margin to 4 1/2 to 3 1/2.

Loren Roberts sank two long birdie putts on his last three holes and PGA rookie Pat Perez made nine birdies to share the second-round lead at the Texas Open.

Motorsports

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won his second pole of the season, turned a fast lap of 177.924 mph on the 1.5-mile tri-oval in his Chevrolet to win the pole for Sunday's Protection One 400 at Kansas Speedway. He watched as that speed, a Winston Cup record at the 2-year-old track, withstood challenges from rookies Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman.

Michael Waltrip won his first Busch Series pole in five years, earning the inside front start for today's Mr. Goodcents 300 at Kansas Speedway. Waltrip's Chevrolet turned in a quick lap of 174.831 mph.

Tennis

Left-hander Feliciano Lopez upset top-seeded Marat Safin 7-6 (2), 7-5 in the second round of the Salem Hong Kong Open. Second-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero advanced to the semifinals by defeating Anthony Dupuis 6-4, 6-4.

-- From wire reports