Sports briefs 2/14/04

Baseball

Frank McCourt finally bought the Dodgers on Friday, taking over the team from News Corp. less than a week before Los Angeles starts spring training. McCourt announced Oct. 10 he had agreed to buy the team along with Dodger Stadium and adjoining real estate, plus training facilities in Vero Beach, Fla., and the Dominican Republic. Baseball owners voted Jan. 29 to approve the sale.

Basketball

The Boston Celtics put Vin Baker on waivers, the next step in releasing the suspended former all-star from a contract that would pay him $36 million over the next 2 1/2 seasons. Baker was suspended indefinitely on Jan. 23 for violating a testing program he agreed to last season when he left the team to check into alcohol rehab. He missed his 10th consecutive game on Thursday night, triggering a clause in the agreement that would allow the Celtics to release him. By placing Baker on waivers, the Celtics initiated the process of terminating his contract. Unless another team claims him before Wednesday morning -- an exceedingly slim possibility -- Boston can release him.

Former NBA center Manute Bol was charged with hitting his daughter, cutting her lip and interfering with a police officer. Bol also was injured and needed medical treatment, West Hartford Police Capt. Lori Coppinger said. Bol, 43, was arrested early Wednesday, police said. He was in court Thursday and is to return Feb. 26. He also was charged with assault, making threats and disorderly conduct. The 7-foot-7 Bol spent 11 seasons in the NBA with four teams.

Boxing

Former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier was arrested and accused of assaulting a woman. Frazier was taken into custody and was to be charged with simple assault and reckless endangerment, police spokeswoman Maria Ibrahim said. He was in jail awaiting arraignment. The victim was described by police as the mother of Frazier's son. Authorities gave no further description of the woman. The 58-year-old Frazier was a champion in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Hockey

Flyers center Jeremy Roenick could miss the rest of the regular season after breaking his jaw in a victory over the New York Rangers. The All-Star had surgery at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York on Friday, a day after he was hit in the face with a puck, leaving him bloodied on the ice and briefly unconscious. Roenick, Philadelphia's second-leading scorer, was hurt early in the third period Thursday night when a puck struck him on a shot by the Rangers' Boris Mironov.

Motorsports

Martin Truex lived up to his billing Friday, starting his first full season in the Busch Series by winning the pole for the Hersey's Kisses 300 at Daytona International Speedway. Truex, driving for Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, turned a fast lap of 181.138 mph, barely beating the 181.108 of Ron Hornaday Jr.

Tennis

Top-seeded Andy Roddick advanced to the semifinals of the Siebel Open with a 6-3, 7-6 (7) victory over Joachim Johansson . Roddick pounded 27 aces to 14 for Johansson in the first meeting between the two 21-year-old big servers. After breezing through the first set in 25 minutes, Roddick had to battle to win the second. He jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the tiebreaker but couldn't hold it as he was forced to chase down hard groundstrokes in the corners. Roddick, ranked third in the world, improved to 10-2 this year.

-- From wire reports