Sports briefs 10/30/04

Baseball

• A Chicago Cubs official issued a reminder to angry fans Friday that longtime game analyst Steve Stone wasn't forced out of the Cubs broadcasting booth -- he quit.

"I think we have to do the best we can to remind everybody that we, the Cubs and WGN-TV, invited Steve back and we were hoping he would come back," said John McDonnough, the Cubs senior vice president of marketing and broadcasting, speaking in a conference call with reporters.

Stone announced Thursday that he was resigning, less than a month after he came under fire for on-air comments critical of the baseball team's performance and managerial strategy.

Basketball

• Forward Qyntel Woods, already suspended by the Portland Trail Blazers following allegations of dog fighting, has been suspended without pay for five games by the NBA for violating the league's drug policy. The NBA suspension announced Friday starts with Wednesday night's season opener at Golden State. The league and its players' association do not reveal details about drug testing. The Trail Blazers suspended Woods without pay during the preseason after a television news report linked him to dog fighting. Sheriff's deputies and Oregon Humane Society officials have twice searched his home for evidence. No criminal charges have been brought in the case.

Indiana guard Reggie Miller broke a bone in his left hand in the Pacers' preseason finale against Denver on Friday night. Miller, 39, was injured in the first quarter and left holding his non-shooting hand. He will be examined Saturday.

Andrei Kirilenko signed a six-year, $86 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz, a deal that took three months of negotiations. The fourth-year All-Star forward from Russia has been with the team longer than any other current player.

"This is the team which I love and is where I want to stay for the rest of my career," Kirilenko said Friday.

Figure skating

• Former world champions Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China won the pairs title Friday night in Skate Canada, the second Grand Prix event of the season. Another Chinese couple, Qing Pang and Jian Tong, took second overall. Dorota Zagorska and Mariusz Siudek of Poland won the bronze.

Golf

• Jeff Sluman and Jonathan Byrd tied for the second-round lead at 10-under 132 on Friday at the Chrysler Championship, the PGA Tour's final full-field tournament of the year. Byrd birdied five holes on the back nine to shoot his second straight 66. Sluman was eight shots worse than his course-record 62 in the opening round, but still shot a 1-under 70. Vijay Singh, moving closer to a $10 million year, had a 69 and was only two shots behind at 8-under 134.

Carin Koch and Grace Park each shot a 6-under 66 and shared the first-round lead at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic in South Korea. Jill McGill andDalhousie Golf Club touring professional Karen Stupples are one shot back after 5-under 67s.

Tennis

• Jiri Novak made Tim Henman's life as miserable Friday as he did at the Olympics, toppling the second-seeded player 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Swiss Indoors tournament. In the semifinals, Novak will play Stefan Koubek, who posted his third impressive victory in a row. He defeated Ivan Ljubicic 2-6, 7-5, 7-5. Also advancing to the semifinals were seventh-seeded Nicolas Massu and No. 4 David Nalbandian.

--From wire reports