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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Briefly

Compiled from wire reports The Spokesman-Review

Tiger Woods doesn’t feel as though he’s on a roll, but it sure seems that way.

Woods reached all the par 5s in two, had control of his irons, made one good escape from the trees and holed enough putts Friday for a 6-under-par 65 that gave him an early one-shot lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship at Norton, Mass.

Billy Andrade, inspired by watching fellow New Englander Brad Faxon win last week in Connecticut, holed an 8-iron from 156 yards for eagle on the 13th hole on his way to a 66, his best round since May. He was tied with Carlos Franco, Briny Baird and Steve Lowery.

No one else challenged them among the afternoon starters, although conditions were so tame that 60 players broke par and were within five shots of the lead.

•At Springfield, Ill., Sherri Turner and Tina Barrett shot 3-under 69s to move into a tie for the lead after two rounds of the LPGA State Farm Classic.

Turner and Barrett, each looking for their first victory since 1989, started the round a shot off the pace and got to 9-under 135 at the Rail Golf Club.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot 68 for a two-round total of 139. Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum, Idaho, shot 71 for a 145 and failed to qualify.

•At Pebble Beach, Calif., Hale Irwin and Dana Quigley opened with 6-under 66s to share a one-stroke lead after the first round at the Champions Tour Wal-Mart First Tee Open.

Walter Hall, Bob Gilder and Doug Tewell, playing at Pebble Beach, the host course, shot 67s, one stroke off the lead and a stroke ahead of a logjam of players, including former two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange.

Miscellany

Sanders challenges

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Deion Sanders challenged all professional athletes to donate at least $1,000 apiece through payroll deductions to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“The recent devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the aftermath of her wrath, there has been a loss of life, property, finances, homelessness and a multitude of atrocities. The people affected by this disaster (are) astronomical,” Sanders said.

Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn, a Louisiana native, challenged every NFL player to donate $5,000.

College football

BYU players acquitted

Two former Brigham Young University football players were acquitted of charges alleging they raped a girl at their apartment after she passed out from drinking.

B.J. Mathis and Ibrahim Rashada, who no longer are students at the Provo, Utah, school, were found not guilty of charges of aggravated sexual assault, obstruction of justice and furnishing alcohol to a minor.

•Thirteen Ball State players, more than half of them projected starters, were suspended for today’s season-opening game at No. 11 Iowa in a continuing investigation of NCAA violations.

The university said that 43 athletes in six sports improperly used a book loan program to obtain textbooks not required for their own courses or received improperly obtained textbooks from other players.

•Tulane football players now know what they’ll be doing this fall – playing football.

University president Scott Cowen said that the university in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans would field its team as well as operate other athletics programs even though classes won’t be possible on the campus for the fall semester.

Basketball

Lakers hire Kareem

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA MVP and the leading career scorer in league history, has been hired by the team as a special assistant coach.

Abdul-Jabbar, 58, played in the NBA for 20 seasons – six with the Milwaukee Bucks and 14 with the Lakers. He scored 38,387 points before retiring in 1989.

•Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao had arthroscopic surgery to repair his dislocated right shoulder and is expected to miss the start of the season.

The 6-foot-11 Varejao, a key contributor off Cleveland’s bench as a rookie last season, was injured last month while playing for his native Brazil in a World Championship qualifying game in the Dominican Republic.

Soccer

U.S. can clinch berth

When the American and Mexican national soccer teams meet tonight at sold-out Columbus (Ohio) Crew Stadium, regional bragging rights will be at stake, and the winner will clinch a berth in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Mexico once could look down upon the paltry soccer efforts of its neighbor, and it still holds a 29-11-10 margin in the all-time series.

The U.S. has shut out Mexico in seven of their last nine meetings.

Hockey

Theodore signs

The Canadiens re-signed goaltender Jose Theodore to a three-year, $16 million contract.

Theodore, who will turn 29 on Sept. 13, is entering his ninth season with the Canadiens. Montreal’s second choice, the 44th overall, in the 1994 entry draft, he played in a career-high 67 games with the Canadiens in 2003-04.

He won the Vezina (top goaltender) and Hart (MVP) trophies in 2002.