Briefly
NFL owners eliminated the horse-collar tackle Tuesday in Washington, then maintained the suspense for at least one more day regarding the sale of the Minnesota Vikings and the selection of a site for the 2009 Super Bowl.
Beyond those formalities, the first day of a two-day owners’ meeting put on full display stark differences among the teams over revenue sharing, which need to be resolved before a new collective bargaining agreement is reached with the players’ union. Somewhat related was New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson’s confirmation that he has been offered more than $1 billion for his team, an offer he didn’t accept but used to illustrate the financial problems that might prompt him to move the franchise elsewhere – perhaps to Los Angeles.
“What would it take to keep it in New Orleans?” Benson said. “We need to work out a reasonable situation.”
The proposed $600 million sale of the Vikings to New Jersey real estate developer Zygmunt Wilf was discussed by the league’s finance committee and could be approved by the owners today, although some details in the agreement between Wilf and current owner Red McCombs are holding up the process.
Also on the agenda today is the selection of a 2009 Super Bowl site. Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Tampa, Fla., are the contenders.
“The Vikings and free-agent kicker Paul Edinger agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
Auto racing
Earnhardt changes crew chief
Still seeking his first win of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. replaced his crew chief in Charlotte, N.C., in an attempt to turn around his team.
Steve Hmiel, the longtime technical director at Dale Earnhardt Inc., will replace Pete Rondeau on an interim basis beginning with this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
“The Long Beach (Calif.) Grand Prix will be sold to an affiliate of the Champ Car World Series for $15 million, ensuring the race will remain a stop on the series’ schedule.
Dover Motorsports, Inc., parent company of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, announced that Aquarium Asset Management was making the purchase, which must be approved by the Long Beach City Council. A vote on the matter could come as early as June 7.
Hockey
NHL labor talks to resume today
Hoping to build off momentum from last week, the NHL and the players’ association will resume labor talks today and Thursday in Chicago, back in a smaller-group format and without their respective leaders.
The sides are returning to the table just five days after concluding four straight days of meetings that featured 22 hours of full negotiations between Thursday and Friday.
Soccer
Two more refs face lifetime bans
Two more referees face lifetime bans for their parts in Germany’s match-fixing scandal.
The German soccer federation (DFB) in Frankfurt, Germany, charged Juergen Jansen and Wieland Ziller with two counts of plotting to manipulate games.
The DFB said both referees received money for plotting to fix games for the benefit of a Croatian gambling ring.
“U.S. midfielder Eddie Lewis will be available for next month’s World Cup qualifiers after missing almost a month following surgery for appendicitis, and DaMarcus Beasley might be returning soon, too.
Miscellany
UCLA wins men’s tennis title
UCLA’s Kris Kwinta defeated Baylor’s Lars Poerschke 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to lift the Bruins to their 16th NCAA team tennis title at College Station, Texas, and ruin the Bears’ run at an undefeated season.
The Bruins battled back from a 3-1 series deficit to upset the defending champion Bears 4-3.
UCLA, which won its first championship in five tries since 1984, battled back in the third sets of the last three matches.
The loss halted Baylor’s 57-match winning streak and ended its bid for the fifth undefeated season in NCAA history.
“Oklahoma State safety Vernon Grant was killed in a car accident in Dallas, coach Mike Gundy said.
The 22-year-old Grant died Monday night after his car was broadsided while he attempted to cross traffic onto an interstate ramp, said Senior Cpl. Donna Hernandez, a Dallas police spokeswoman. Grant, of Duncanville, Texas, died later at a hospital.
“Rimouski Oceanic (1-1) defeated the Ottawa 67s (1-1), by a 4-3 score in Memorial Cup round-robin play at London, Ontario. Rimouski meets Kelowna today.
“Goaltender Marek Schwarz of the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League has signed a two-year contract with Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic, the Giants said in a release.