Lakers’ Buss Needs Medical Attention

Laker owner Jerry Buss was taken to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center on Tuesday night after requiring medical attention during a charity event at the Beverly Hilton.

While medical personnel reported Buss, 69, complained of chest pain while being taken from a ball room to an ambulance on a stretcher, Buss later told team officials that he had not.

According to Laker spokesman John Black, Buss said he suffered from a sharp pain in his neck after turning his head during a performance by musician B.B. King.

While he put his head between his legs to soothe the pain, Buss told Black, he did not lose consciousness and did not require CPR.

Buss underwent a series of tests at the hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, and he told Black he expected to be released Tuesday night.

At the conclusion of a whirlwind travel schedule that included stops in Hawaii, New York and Carlsbad, Buss was attending The Carousel Ball when stricken.

Buss’ son, Johnny, was at the event with him and tending to him with the paramedics.

Tim Brown

Tennis

Qualifier Agustin Calleri stunned third-seeded Marat Safin, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), in the second round of the inaugural Tennis Masters Madrid.

Calleri, a 26-year-old Argentine, had to play two weekend qualifying matches to get into the main draw of the $2.9-million indoor tournament.

Eighth-seeded Carlos Moya beat Fernando Gonzalez 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4); fifth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero outlasted Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-5, and qualifier Jan-Michael Gambill defeated Andrei Pavel, 7-6 (3), 6-3.

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American qualifier Ashley Harkleroad beat Marlene Weingartner of Germany, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round of the VUB Open at Bratislava, Slovakia.... Kim Clijsters overcame a head cold to beat Daja Bedanova, 7-5, 6-2, in the opening round of the Swisscom Challenge at Zurich.... Michael Chang defeated Jeff Salzenstein, 6-3, 7-6 (1), in the first round of the $25,000 USTA Challenger of Burbank at the Burbank Tennis Center.

Miscellany

Purdue guard Kenneth Lowe is expected to sit out three to four weeks of practice because of a broken right thumb.... Former Cincinnati player Donald Little pleaded guilty to punching a former roommate, and faces up to 1 1/2 years in prison.... Syracuse is investigating whether Billy Edelin violated NCAA rules by participating in recreational basketball leagues while serving a university-imposed suspension last year.

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Heavyweight prospects Duncan Dokiwari (19-1, 16 knockouts) of Lagos, Nigeria, and Tali Kulihaapai (10-2, six KOs) of Honolulu will meet in a scheduled eight-round fight in the main event of a five-bout card tonight at the Irvine Marriott.

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Pleasantly Perfect, winner of the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 6 and a late-blooming contender for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Arlington Park on Oct. 26, won’t run in the race.

Pleasantly Perfect bled slightly from the nostrils after the Goodwood, as well as after a workout in February, and Illinois rules prevent a two-time bleeder from running within 30 days of the most recent bleeding incident.

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Fourstardave, who won at least one race at Saratoga for seven consecutive years, had a heart attack while jogging at Belmont Park and died at age 17.

The gelding won 21 races and earned $1.6 million.