CBS Forces Sale of Firm With Ties to Gambling

SportsLine.com Inc. has sold its gambling subsidiary, VegasInsider.com, to closely held Sports Information Ltd. of Britain for an undisclosed amount.

The sale was forced by Viacom Inc.’s CBS network, which owns 39.9% of SportsLine.com, when the NCAA complained about the network’s association with gambling. SportsLine.com produces the NCAA basketball tournament’s Web site for CBS.

SportsLine.com said in February that it intended to sell VegasInsider.com., which provides gambling information on the Internet, and Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which helps casinos set betting lines.

CBS acquired the NCAA’s Internet rights as part of an 11-year, $6-billion contract to televise the men’s college basketball tournament.

Hockey

Mike Sullivan, 35, became the youngest coach in the NHL when Boston hired him, only a season removed from a 10-year career in which he played with some players still with the Bruins.

Sullivan was in charge of Boston’s AHL affiliate at Providence, R.I., last season when the Bruins fired coach Robbie Ftorek with nine games to play. Sullivan had replaced Ftorek on an interim basis.

Defenseman Derian Hatcher, a 12-year veteran, won’t be offered a new contract by the Dallas Stars before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next week, General Manager Doug Armstrong said.

Jurisprudence

King defenseman Joe Corvo’s assault trial in Boston, which was scheduled to start Monday, was continued to Oct. 27.

Corvo, who allegedly attacked a woman in November when he was with the Kings’ top minor league team, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon -- his foot -- and indecent assault and battery, both felonies. He also is charged with simple assault and battery, a misdemeanor.

Seattle Seahawk tight end Jerramy Stevens was sentenced in Kirkland, Wash., to two days in jail for reckless driving, and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and court costs, and to perform 25 hours of community service by picking up litter on roadways.

Former American League most valuable player Jose Canseco was ordered to jail without bond in Miami to await a July 21 hearing on whether he violated probation by testing positive for steroids June 3.

Canseco had been under house arrest for earlier violating his probation stemming from a nightclub brawl.

Golf

Two-time U.S. Senior Open champion Hale Irwin dropped out of this week’s U.S. Senior Open at Toledo, Ohio, because of a back injury.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia won four skins worth $60,000 to take the lead on the first day of the Telus Skins Game at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.

Ian Leggatt of Canada won two skins worth $35,000 and Vijay Singh had one for $15,000. John Daly was shut out.

Miscellany

University of Pittsburgh receiver Billy Gaines, who was 19, had consumed enough alcohol to be more than 1 1/2 times over the legal limit for an adult to drive when he fell from a catwalk in a church and later died, authorities said.

Police are investigating what led Gaines into the upper reaches of a church at Homestead, Pa., at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and whether charges should be filed in his death.

Jose Antonio Aguirre (30-1-1, 19 knockouts) of Mexico retained his World Boxing Council title in the 105-pound division, stopping Keitaro Hoshino (23-10, six KOs) of Japan in the 12th round at Yokohama, Japan.