NBA Players Drop Complaint

In a sudden and surprising shift in strategy Thursday, the National Basketball Players Assn. withdrew its complaint of unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board.

The withdrawal was made a few hours before the board’s regional director was to issue his recommendation on the union’s contention that NBA owners illegally imposed a lockout before bargaining to an impasse, as required by federal law.

“I assume they came to the recognition that this was a loser,” Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik said. “This is obviously a defeat for the union strategy of litigation instead of negotiation.”

Only a week ago, Commissioner David Stern, Granik and six owners walked out of a negotiating session after receiving the players’ latest offer.

The next key date in the stalemate is Aug. 24, when arbitrator John Feerick will convene a hearing on the players’ grievance contending that about 220 players with guaranteed contracts should be paid during the lockout.

Union officials indicated that they withdrew the NLRB complaint so they could concentrate their efforts on winning the Feerick hearing.

Tennis

Pete Sampras defeated Jan-Michael Gambill, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, to move into the quarterfinals of the ATP Championship at Mason, Ohio.

Sampras overwhelmed Gambill in the first-set tiebreaker, winning the first six points, then broke Gambill once in the second set and served out the rest of the way.

Vince Spadea advanced with his second upset of the tournament, beating eighth-seeded Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-3. Spadea defeated Andre Agassi, 6-2, 0-6, 7-6 (7-2), Wednesday night.

Among the remaining seeded players, No. 3 Petr Korda of the Czech Republic beat No. 14 Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5; No. 5 Patrick Rafter of Australia beat Todd Martin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; and No. 7 Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia defeated Scott Draper of Australia, 6-3, 6-3.

Seventh-seeded Carlos Costa of Spain defeated Mariano Hood of Argentina, 6-4, 7-5, in the second round of the San Marino International tournament. In another match, Vincenzo Santopadre of Italy upset eighth-seeded Davide Sanguinetti, also of Italy, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Top-seeded Amanda Coetzer of South Africa advanced to the quarterfinals of the BostonCup, beating Nana Miyagi of Japan, 6-3, 6-3, but fourth-seeded Silvia Farina of Italy was upset by Cara Black of Zimbabwe, 1-6, 6-2, 7-5, at Wellesley, Mass.

Top-seeded Andrew Park of San Marino beat Lesley Joseph of Rock Hill, S.C., 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals of the USTA boys 16-18 championships at Kalamazoo, Mich.

Beach Volleyball

Dane Blanton will be trying to repeat his victory of last year when the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals tour comes to Hermosa Beach. Blanton and Canyon Ceman defeated Jose Loiola and Kent Steffes at the Hermosa Beach Grand Slam last year.

This year, Blanton is teamed with Eric Fonoimoana, and they have yet to win. They are seeded No. 4 this weekend.

Play begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends with the championship match Sunday at 2 p.m. Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson are seeded No. 1. Loiola, voted most valuable player on the tour last year, and Emanuel Rigo are seeded second. Kent Steffes and Mike Whitmarsh are third.

Auto Racing

Jeff Burton won the pole for Saturday’s Busch Grand National Pepsi 200 at Brooklyn, Mich., with a speed of 177.052 mph in a Ford.

Qualifying was halted for more than an hour after Gary Laton’s Chevrolet spun and hit the wall between the first two turns. Laton was airlifted to a hospital in Ypsilanti, Mich., where he was listed in critical condition with head and neck injuries.

Miscellany

Athletes should be required to sign forms declaring they do not use banned drugs, the international volleyball federation said in a proposal to the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC has called a special executive board meeting next week in Lausanne, Switzerland, to prepare for a worldwide anti-doping conference in January. The move follows recent scandals that have tarnished cycling, swimming, track and field and other sports.

In a letter to IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, FIVB chief Ruben Acosta of Mexico suggested the IOC set up a task force of doctors and coaches to study the doping problem.

South American champion Brazil will join Russia, Mexico and the host United States in next month’s exhibition U.S. Women’s Cup, the last major women’s soccer event in America before the 1999 World Cup.

The U.S., which won the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics, plans two foreign tours and 14 international exhibitions in 1999 before the June 19-July 10 world championship.

Tom Dolan, who had struggled earlier in the meet because of an asthma attack, bounced back to win the 400-meter individual medley in 4:16.33 at the U.S. swimming championships at Clovis, Calif.

Mark Ruiz won the gold metal in the men’s one-meter springboard, recording three scores of 9.0 on a reverse 2 1/2 somersault at the U.S. National Diving Championships at Atlanta.

In women’s platform competition, Danielle Guarneri moved into first place on her second effort of the optional five-dive quarterfinals, a back dive with 2 1/2 somersaults that was awarded 65.25 points.

Names in the News

Donovan Bailey, the Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder at 100 meters, could be competing again in less than two weeks after tearing a muscle in his left thigh Wednesday at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Switzerland.

General Manager Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers offered a five-year contract to star center Eric Lindros, two weeks after the executive challenged Lindros to start earning the money he was being paid, Gord Kirke, Lindros’s attorney said.