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Sports briefs

By RODNEY PAGE, Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 8, 2000

MLS shortens its schedule to attract fans

In an attempt to expand its popularity, Major League Soccer has shortened its 2001 schedule. MLS teams will play 28 games, four fewer than in its first five seasons, and the regular season will last 24 weeks, two fewer than in the past.

The schedule, announced Thursday, was condensed mainly to reduce conflict with the NFL and to play games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, when crowds are larger. In 2001, 83 percent of the games will be on those days.

The Mutiny plays 22 of its 28 games on Saturday, including the first nine. It also plays a July 4 home match against New York/New Jersey. Five of its first seven games are on the road.

Each club plays four games against divisional opponents and two games (home and away) against non-divisional opponents.

Mutiny general manager Bill Manning said the team is close to signing an agreement to play Scottish Premier League team Glasgow Celtic in a Jan. 19 exhibition at the University of Tampa.

AUTOS: NASCAR's awards meeting at New York opened with president Mike Helton announcing changes, including one round of qualifying. Also, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway will go from 25 laps to 70 and include all past winners.

BOWLING: Bob Davidson beat John May 10-8 in a one-ball roll-off to win $6,000 and the PBA Tour's National Resident Pro Championship at Reno, Nev. Davidson and May tied at 224 in the title match.

COLLEGES: Florida State freshman Emma Breland and seniors Sarah Crawford and Rachael Watkin were named to All-Southeast Region teams by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Breland, on the second team, set an FSU record for points (31), shots (62) and assists (seven) in a season. Watkin, a midfielder, and Crawford, a goalkeeper, are on the third team. ... Kentucky athletes convicted of drunken driving won't lose their scholarships and will be allowed to practice with their teams during one-year suspensions under a revised student-athlete policy. ... Kara Grgas-Wheeler of Colorado won the Honda Award as the season's top woman cross-country runner. ... Scott Goodman, president of Sports World Inc., said his memorabilia company postponed a telephone auction of Billy Sims' 1978 Heisman Trophy, saying the former Oklahoma running back first must make overdue child support payments. ... The NCAA was awarded 20 Internet domain names in a U.N.-arbitrated dispute but failed to win control of 12 addresses that appeared to offer gambling on college sports.

GOLF: Prize money will be at least $1-million for at least 19 of the LPGA Tour's 37 events in 2001, commissioner Ty Votaw said. The Nabisco Dinah Shore, LPGA Championship and Women's British Open will have prize money of at least $1.5-million. The U.S. Open will have $2.75-million. ... The Screen Actors Guild fined Tiger Woods $100,000 for filming a Buick commercial near Toronto during the union's strike against advertisers. ... Woods combined with David Duval for 11-under-par 61 in the opening best-ball round of the World Cup of Golf in Bella Vista, Argentina. They were tied for fifth, four strokes behind Argentina's Eduardo Romero and Angel Cabrera and New Zealand's Frank Nobilo and Greg Turner. ... Fellow players voted Larry Nelson the senior tour player of the year, capping a season in which he won six times and earned more than $2.7-million. ... Wayne Riley birdied the 18th hole for a share of the lead at 6-under 66 with Craig Carmichael after the first round of the Ford Open in Adelaide, Australia. Seven players were one stroke behind.

PREPS: Taurean Moy of Booker T. Washington High in Memphis, Tenn., set national records for most three-pointers made and attempted, going 24-of-43 and scoring 83 points in his team's 115-59 victory over Manassas on Tuesday in Memphis. Wednesday, he was arrested by Memphis police on charges of domestic violence and possession of marijuana. A police report said an officer on patrol arrested Moy after seeing him strike a teenage female. Moy said he was with his girlfriend and the arrest was "a big misunderstanding."

SKIING: France's Raphael Poiree won the 10-kilometer biathlon sprint in Anterselva, Italy, to extend his World Cup lead to 37 points. In the women's 7.5-kilometer sprint, Norway's Gro Marit Istad beat Russia's Olga Pyleva.

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