Briefly

Earnhardt Jr. takes pole at Bristol in record qualifying time

Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned an event-record qualifying lap Thursday to win the pole for the NASCAR Busch Series Food City 250 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt Jr. had a fast lap of 126.570 mph for his first pole in a Busch event since July 2003 at Daytona and his ninth in the series overall.

Tony Raines was second-fastest at 126.537 mph, and Kenny Wallace was next at (126.071).

Wallace held the pole with 49 of the 51 cars finished qualifying. The last two, however, were Earnhardt Jr. and Raines.

“I’m kind of glad (Dale) Jr. beat me that bad because I would have been really disappointed if Tony (Raines) caught me out of left field,” Wallace said.

Hockey

NHL labor discussion turns sour

An NHL executive accused the players’ association of conducting “a charade” and said the union has no interest in working out a new labor deal before a lockout would be imposed in three weeks.

The sides concluded a two-day negotiating session in Ottawa, but came away seemingly further apart than ever. The current collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15, and more and more it appears as though a lockout will occur before any common ground is reached.

“We want to move the process along. They’re looking to stall,” NHL executive vice president Bill Daly told The Associated Press. “It’s clear that they’re engaged in a charade. They want to fill the time between now and Sept. 15, force a lockout and take their chances.

“That’s unfortunate for the sport, unfortunate for the players, and certainly unfortunate for our fans.”

NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin disputed the claims in an interview with the AP and said that it’s the NHL which has been getting ready for a lockout since 1998 in order to get an economic system based on a salary cap.

“To suggest that players are trying to get locked out is absolutely ludicrous,” Saskin said. “It’s obviously (commissioner Gary Bettman’s) approach to try use his lockout to put economic pressure on the players to try to force them to agree to a system they would never negotiate across the table.”

“Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks pleaded not guilty in Vancouver, British Columbia, to an assault charge stemming from a hit on Steve Moore during a game that left the Colorado Avalanche forward with a broken neck.

“A minor league hockey player appeared in court in Hamilton, Ontario, a day after he was charged with swinging his stick at an opponent who was left bleeding and convulsing on the ice.

Hamilton Bulldogs forward Alexander Perezhogin was charged with assault causing bodily harm. He injured Cleveland Barons defenseman Garrett Stafford on April 30 in an American Hockey League playoff game.

Assault causing bodily harm carries a maximum prison term of 10 years.

Stafford swung his stick at Perezhogin, catching him with a glancing blow on the back of the helmet. Perezhogin retaliated with a two-handed, baseball-like swing to Stafford’s face as the Cleveland player was on his knees. Stafford went into convulsions with blood gushing from his face and was rushed to the hospital. He sustained a concussion and needed 20 stitches for the facial gash.

“The Phoenix Coyotes signed center Petr Nedved and traded center Daymond Langkow to the Calgary Flames for two players.

College football

Tressel picks Zwick for opener

Justin Zwick will start at quarterback for No. 9 Ohio State in its season opener after the former heralded recruit beat out fellow sophomore Troy Smith for the job in preseason practice.

Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel offhandedly announced that Zwick would start against Cincinnati on Sept. 4. Tressel even hedged a bit after saying Zwick would start and said Smith will see action against the Bearcats.

“Wisconsin running back Dwayne Smith will not play for the Badgers again because of a recently discovered heart disorder.

Little League baseball

Mexico advances to championship

At South Williamsport, Pa., Alan Camarillo hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning to propel Guadalupe, Mexico, into the International Championship game with a 6-2 win over Panama City, Panama, in the longest game in Little League World Series history. Mexico will play Willem Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles in the International Championship on Saturday.

Sean McIntyre drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and finished with two RBIs, leading Thousand Oaks, Calif., to a 3-1 win over Preston, Md., to advance to the U.S. Championship against Richmond, Texas.

The World Championship is Sunday.

Tennis

Blake pulls out of U.S. Open

James Blake pulled out of the U.S. Open, citing illness, the third straight Grand Slam tournament he’ll miss. Blake, ranked 76th, was not specific about why he withdrew, tournament referee Brian Earley said.

“Former tennis star Roscoe Tanner was arrested in Santa Ana, Calif., for allegedly failing to pay child support, an Orange County sheriff’s official said.

The 52-year-old Tanner, a finalist at Wimbledon in 1979, was taken into custody at a doughnut shop in Laguna Niguel on a fugitive warrant from Somerset County, N.J., according to Jim Amormino of the Sheriff’s Department. Tanner allegedly owes more than $80,000 in back child support.

Skiing

Former ski jump champ arrested

Former world champion ski jumper Matti Nykanen and his wife were arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide after a stabbing in southern Finland, police said in Helsinki, Finland.

“Nykanen is the chief suspect and his wife, Mervi Tapola, is suspected of aiding him,” Chief Inspector Pasi Nieminen said. “Both suspects were drunk when we brought them in on Tuesday, the day of the stabbing.”

Police detained the couple after a 59-year-old man was severely stabbed at a summer cottage in Nokia, 110 miles northwest of Helsinki, Nieminen said.

If found guilty, Nykanen and Tapola each face a maximum nine-year prison sentence.

Miscellany

Wallace recovers from surgery

Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace had an emergency appendectomy and was recovering. Wallace underwent surgery Wednesday night for acute appendicitis at Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital in Richmond, Va. Team doctor Ben Paolucci said Wallace is doing well and will be discharged today or Saturday.

“Mountain West Conference football and basketball games will move from ESPN to College Sports Television in the fall of 2006. The seven-year, $82-million deal includes coverage on television, radio, satellite radio, video-on-demand and the Internet.