Arlington Officials Say Track Will Close

Arlington International Racecourse in suburban Chicago, home of the Arlington Million, announced Monday it will close next month, after completing the season, because of competition from riverboat casinos.

Owner Richard Duchossois, who said the track has lost $60-70 million since 1988, left open the door to resume racing at the track, but said it won’t happen next year.

Arlington faces competition from three Illinois riverboats within 70 miles of the track. Three Indiana boats also are within driving distance.

Arlington is one of three Chicago-area tracks to offer thoroughbred racing. The others are Hawthorne Race Course and Sportsman’s Park, which are located just a few blocks from each other southwest of the city.

Basketball

The Boston Celtics signed first-round draft picks Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer.

Terms weren’t disclosed but under the rookie salary cap, Billups, a guard from Colorado who was selected third overall, could get a maximum of $8.3 million over three years. Mercer, a forward from Kentucky who was chosen sixth, can get $6.1 million over three years.

The Indiana Pacers signed veteran free agent Mark West and rookie Mark Pope.

West averaged 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds for the Cleveland Cavaliers last season.

Pope, a 6-foot-10 forward from Kentucky, was the 52nd player taken in the 1996 draft but played in Turkey last season.

Center Bill Wennington signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bulls.

The Utah Jazz re-signed guard Jeff Hornacek to a two-year contract.

Shaun Stonerook, Jermaine Tate and Trent Jackson were dismissed from the Ohio State team for failing to live up to their obligations as student-athletes, according to new Coach Jim O’Brien.

Stonerook, a 6-foot-7 forward, was the Buckeyes’ leading rebounder as a sophomore last season.

The women’s American Basketball League has reached agreement on contracts with Fox Sports Net and the Black Entertainment Network.

Fox Sports Net will televise 16 regular-season ABL games on Sunday nights, plus seven playoff games.

In addition, the Black Entertainment Network will televise 12 Saturday night games.

Hockey

Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks dismissed reports that he wants to be traded, saying he will report to training camp today.

The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with defenseman Alexander Karpovstev.

The Carolina Hurricanes signed left wing Gary Roberts to a multiyear contract.

Jurisprudence

A former equipment manager at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 24 teenage boys from 1969 to 1988.

Gordon Stuckless, 47, faced 22 indecent assault charges and two counts of sexual assault. He is to be sentenced Oct. 10.

Miscellany

The bodies of two Russians who disappeared during an Asia-to-Europe car race were found in their vehicle at the bottom of a river in Kazakstan.

Rinat Faizov and Alexander Dubravitsky apparently were unable to get out of their sinking car after driving into the Kuan-Darya River.

Brazil won, 3-0, eliminating the United States from medal contention at the under-17 World Cup soccer tournament at Alexandria, Egypt.

CBS Sports extended its contract to televise the U.S. Open tennis tournament through 2004. The agreement is worth a reported $33 million a year for four years, up from the current $27 million.