PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not visit Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait as part of a USO tour that started this week, citing a family illness.

Roethlisberger previously said he would visit with U.S. troops and help open the Pat Tillman Center, a United Services Organization facility named for the late Arizona Cardinals player. Tillman was killed in action last year in Afghanistan.

Roethlisberger said security was not an issue in his decision, which was announced in a statement released by the Steelers. The tour started Tuesday and runs through April 7.

"The only thing that could have interrupted my plans to participate in this tour would have been a family issue, and, unfortunately, that is something that I am faced with at the present time," Roethlisberger said, according to the statement.

Roethlisberger did not reveal the illness or the family member involved.

Matt Slamecka of Butler finished in second place in the boys Under-14 division at the Lakevue Easter Classic USTA Tournament last weekend at the Lakevue Racquet Club.Slamecka defeated Bryan Hogg of Wexford 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Anlu Wang of Pittsburgh 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals before dropping a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Thomas Teper of Florida in the finals.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The four-race suspension Kevin Harvick's crew chief got for rigging his gas tank Wednesday was upheld by an appeals committee.Todd Berrier admitted making the tank appear full when it actually wasn't during a qualifying run earlier this month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. NASCAR implemented a rule this season requiring all cars to qualify with full tanks. A lighter tank would make the car faster.In addition to the suspension, Berrier was fined $25,000. Harvick was docked 25 points, as was car owner Richard Childress.

PHOENIX - Baseball's owners unanimously approved the sale of the Oakland Athletics to Los Angeles real estate developer Lewis Wolff Wednesday, all but finalizing a deal in the works for about a year.The owners spoke via conference call to approve the sale, the next-to-last step necessary for Wolff and his group of investors to assume control of the team.Now, the parties just have to hold the closing, sign the documents and complete the transaction.The A's, who planned a news conference back in Oakland Friday to formally introduce Wolff as the new owner, hoped to have everything complete by Monday's season opener in Baltimore.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo advanced to the semifinals in the Nasdaq-100 Open by beating 17-year-old Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4.Mauresmo's opponent today will be unseeded Kim Clijsters, who won her 12th match in a row by beating fifth-ranked Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-1 in 56 minutes.Coming back from a career-threatening wrist injury that sidelined her much of last year, Clijsters was ranked 133rd before winning the Indian Wells title this month and will climb into the top 30 next week. That means she'll likely be seeded in May at the French Open, where she's a two-time runner-up.Unseeded David Ferrer and No. 29 Rafael Nadal advanced to an all-Spanish semifinal. Ferrer swept No. 26 Dominik Hrbaty 6-2, 6-3, and the 18-year-old Nadal beat No. 25 Thomas Johansson 6-2, 6-4.