John Andretti Is Fired by Petty; Fittipaldi Picked

John Andretti was fired Tuesday by Petty Enterprises, where he has driven the famed No. 43 car since 1998.

Christian Fittipaldi will replace him, beginning with this weekend’s race at Michigan Speedway.

Kyle Petty said the decision was made this week and the team informed sponsor General Mills.

Andretti was in his second stint with the Pettys. He drove 11 races for them in 1994, then returned to the team in 1998 to take over the car number Richard Petty made famous en route to seven Winston Cup championships.

Andretti is the nephew of Mario Andretti and cousin of Michael Andretti, who retired last month after the Indy 500.

In four-plus seasons with the Pettys, Andretti won one race and two poles.

Tennis

Andre Agassi’s 1,000th match was tougher than expected, a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Australia’s Peter Luczak in the second round at the Queen’s Club grass-courts tournament in London.

Third-seeded Andy Roddick had an easier time, defeating South African qualifier Rik De Voest, 6-3, 6-2.

In the day’s big upset, fourth-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand lost to Mario Ancic of Croatia, 6-3, 6-3.

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Top-seeded Roger Federer bounced back from his first-round French Open upset by beating Sargis Sargsian, 7-5, 6-1, at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

Karol Kucera, who had lost six consecutive matches, upset defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov in a three-hour struggle, 6-1, 6-7 (8), 7-6.

Jurisprudence

Seattle Seahawk tight end Jerramy Stevens pleaded guilty to reckless driving after prosecutors agreed to drop a drunken driving charge. He will be sentenced June 23.

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Attorneys for Sacramento King forward Chris Webber and his father have filed motions asking a federal judge to dismiss a number of charges against them. Webber’s attorney, Steve Fishman, said there was no evidence to support former Michigan booster Ed Martin’s claim that he gave Webber and his family $280,000, the Detroit News reported. Martin died in February.

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University of Washington fullback Zach Tuiasosopo faces up to three months in jail if convicted of charges he punched windows out of four cars after getting drunk at a sorority party. Tuiasosopo was arrested May 10.

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Neil Papiano, attorney for Bob Baffert, said he would ask for a rehearing after an appeals court overturned an earlier decision regarding a morphine positive on Nautical Look, one of the trainer’s horses, more than three years ago.

If the rehearing is denied, Papiano said the matter will then, at some point, be heard by an administrative law judge.

Colleges

An NCAA official said the organization has made it clear that gambling isn’t tolerated, suggesting Washington football Coach Rick Neuheisel should have known better than to buy into an NCAA basketball tournament pool.

“The gambling rule is not vague,” said Bill Saum, the NCAA’s director of agents, gambling and amateur activities. Saum wouldn’t discuss Neuheisel or Washington directly, citing NCAA policy.

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Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner urged the NCAA or an outside mediator to intervene in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s plan to expand by adding three Big East Conference schools, so as to avoid a long, expensive legal battle.

NCAA president Myles Brand said his organization had no authority in such cases.

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Cal State Northridge has turned in its men’s basketball program to the NCAA for possible rules violations that reportedly center on the academic standing of junior guard John Clark. Clark, a transfer from Grossmont College, was declared academically ineligible Jan. 27.

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Former Fresno State athletic department administrators failed to sufficiently report violations that primarily involved men’s basketball players, according to an NCAA enforcement staff-issued letter.

The joint Fresno State-NCAA investigation focused on the university’s alleged lack of institutional control, historically one of the most severe charges the NCAA can levy.

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Lew Perkins was hired as Kansas athletic director, ending a search to replace Al Bohl, who was fired in April.... Lee Moon was fired as Wyoming athletic director.

Miscellany

Sami Kapanen and Eric Chouinard signed two-year contracts to stay with the Philadelphia Flyers.

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Van Chancellor, coach of the WNBA’s Houston Comets, will coach the two-time defending champion U.S. women’s basketball team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.