In Brief
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Michelle Wie was 3 under Wednesday before a 50-minute weather stoppage and 2 over after it, undermined again by one miserable hole as stroke-play qualifying concluded in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
Wie, the defending champion, had a three-putt triple-bogey with a penalty stroke - one day after a four-putt double-bogey in the first round left her shaking her head. But her 1-under 71 and two-day total of 141 was good enough to tie her for sixth place with three others.
The top 64 players - all at 149 or better - advanced to the first round of match play, which continues until a 36-hole championship match on Sunday.
WIMBLEDON, England - Nary a point was played in the 74 matches scheduled Wednesday at the All England Club, Wimbledon's first complete rainout since 1999. Because sprinkles interrupted action Monday and Tuesday, too, only 83 of 160 matches have been finished, the fewest in 13 years through Day 3.
LOS ANGELES - Derek Fisher, a key member of the Los Angeles Lakers the past eight seasons, opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Wednesday the team expected such a decision.Kupchak said the Lakers will be aggressive in trying to keep Fisher, who joined them as a first-round draft pick in 1996.Fisher would have earned $3 million from the Lakers in each of the next two seasons had he not opted out. He can't sign with anyone, including his former team, until the middle of next month.Fisher played in all 104 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 21.6 minutes and 7.1 points in 82 regular-season games and 23 minutes and 7.5 points in 22 postseason games. He was a member of the Lakers' three straight title teams starting in 2000.He made one of the most memorable shots in a playoff game in years, hitting an 18-foot running jumper at the buzzer to give the Lakers a 74-73 victory over San Antonio in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.SOCCERLISBON, Portugal (AP) - Three-time champion Germany was eliminated from the European Championship, losing its final first-round game to the Czech Republic 2-1 as the Netherlands advanced by beating Latvia 3-0.Germany, which would have moved on to the quarterfinals with a victory, was eliminated in the first round for the second straight European Championship. The Czechs, who already had clinched a berth in the quarterfinals, started nine backups.In the quarterfinals, England (2-1) plays host Portugal (2-1) on Thursday, defending champion France (2-0-1) meets Greece (1-1-1) on Friday, Sweden (1-0-2) plays the Netherlands on Saturday and the Czech Republic faces 1992 champion Denmark (1-0-2) on Sunday.FOOTBALLPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - An Oregon assistant football coach violated NCAA recruiting rules when he tried to lure a junior college transfer to the school in January 2003, resulting in a two-year probation for the school.The Pacific-10 school remains eligible for postseason play and does not lose any scholarships, NCAA spokeswoman Kay Hawes said.The assistant, Gary Campbell, was suspended without pay for one week during the last school year, and he was not allowed to recruit until January. The university also restricted the number of coaches allowed off campus to recruit last season.The case was resolved without a formal hearing. The NCAA's governing body agreed with the university's proposed penalties and did not impose additional sanctions.MILTON, Fla. (AP) - Former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon has been placed on probation for 12 months after pleading no contest to a drunken driving charge.McMahon, 44, who led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl win in 1986, was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and pay about $850 in fines and costs, Assistant State Attorney Andy McGraw said. McMahon's driver's license was suspended for six months.McMahon was pulled over in November after police received two calls about a pickup that was recklessly going through traffic and nearly causing accidents. McMahon failed a field sobriety test and had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit in Florida, police said.Defense lawyer Tommy Ratchford said McMahon asked him to drop a legal challenge to the results alleging the breath testing machine had been improperly maintained. McMahon admitted he had been drunk and was willing to accept whatever penalty the judge gave him to resolve the case, Ratchford said.BASEBALLPHOENIX (AP) - Maricopa County prosecutors will not pursue a felony charge against San Diego Padres prospect Matt Bush, who was arrested for allegedly biting a bouncer escorting him out of a bar.Bill FitzGerald, a spokesman for the County Attorney's Office, said that the case was sent back to the city of Peoria, meaning no felony charges would be filed. The shortstop, the No. 1 pick in this month's amateur draft, could face misdemeanor counts.Bush, who received a $3.15 million signing bonus, was arrested Sunday at a bar across the street from the Peoria Sports Complex, where the Padres train and sponsor a rookie-level team.COLLEGE SPORTSBOSTON (AP) - Northeastern accepted an invitation to join the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in 2006.Northeastern, currently a member of the America East Conference for all sports except football, will be the northernmost school in the CAA.Northeastern will compete in 12 sports, including basketball, in the CAA, but will remain in the Atlantic 10 for football.GOLF
