Chemist’s Lab Is Raided in BALCO Probe

Federal agents raided the laboratory and home of an Illinois chemist who authorities suspect created one of the steroids at the heart of the BALCO sports doping scandal, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

Investigators with the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation division and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration searched Thursday in Champaign, Ill., at the home and laboratory of chemist Patrick Arnold, the newspaper reported.

BALCO founder Victor Conte and vice president James Valente identified Arnold as the source of a once-undetectable steroid called “the clear.”

Conte, Valente, track coach Remi Korchemny and Greg Anderson -- the longtime friend and personal trainer of San Francisco Giant slugger Barry Bonds -- pleaded guilty to distributing steroids to elite athletes and will be sentenced next month.

Golf

John Huston continued his recent solid play, posting a second consecutive six-under-par 66 to take the second-round lead in the Chrysler Classic at Greensboro, N.C.

Huston is at 12-under 132, one shot better than K.J. Choi (69) and two in front of Justin Rose (65) and D.J. Trahan (69).

Bruce Summerhays had five birdies during a six-hole stretch and shot a six-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over R.W. Eaks in the first round of the SAS Championship at Cary, N.C. Summerhays had seven birdies in his best opening round of the year.

Motor Racing

While most of the attention is on the 10-man NASCAR Nextel Cup Series championship battle, Elliott Sadler is chasing an 11th-place finish that would pay his team a $1-million bonus.

Sadler got a leg up on the competition by winning the pole for Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama with a fast lap of 189.260 mph in a Ford.

Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo., site of 10 Indy Racing League events in the last nine years, will be shut down and sold to a company that plans to move equipment to other race venues and to sell off the track’s 1,200 acres.

Rob Johnson, president of the raceway, said the track would be sold to Rocky Mountain Speedway Corp., a subsidiary of International Speedway Corp. of Daytona Beach, Fla.

Tennis

Lleyton Hewitt withdrew because of a groin injury and Robby Ginepri lost in the quarterfinals, eliminating the second- and third-seeded players from the Thailand Open at Bangkok.

Top-seeded Roger Federer, the defending champion, reached the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Gilles Muller.

Federer will play sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen, who defeated Wang Yeu-tzuoo, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Top-seeded Kim Clijsters took another step in her bid to regain the No. 1 ranking, defeating Francesca Schiavone, 6-4, 7-5, to reach the semifinals of the Fortis Championships at Luxembourg.

Clijsters will play fourth-seeded Nathalie Dechy, who defeated fifth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova, 6-1, 6-4.

Pro Basketball

The Lakers and center Vlade Divac have agreed to extend a deadline on a decision about his future until Oct. 21.

The Lakers originally had until Friday to exercise a one-year, $5.4-million option or buy out the 37-year-old Divac for $2 million. They also could have bought him out and tried to re-sign him for about $1.1 million.

The Lakers might keep Divac if they need an experienced post player, assuming that Divac shows he is healthy and in shape after an injury-marred 2004-05 season.

Divac, who has considered retirement, played only 15 games last season because of back problems and averaged 2.3 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Neil Olshey, a Clipper assistant coach and director of player development the last two seasons, has been promoted to director of player personnel.

Gary Sacks, a longtime scout who had been assistant director of player personnel, was promoted to director of scouting.

They replace Barry Hecker, who headed the player personnel department for four seasons before the team declined to renew his contract over the summer.

Steve Smith is retiring after a 14-year NBA career that included a title with the San Antonio Spurs. The 36-year-old guard was the fifth pick in the 1991 draft and averaged 14.3 points in the NBA.

The Miami Heat signed restricted free-agent forward Jason Kapono to an offer sheet. Charlotte will have seven days to match the Heat’s offer.

The Bobcats extended a qualifying offer to Kapono in June. He averaged 8.5 points in 81 games last season.

The Boston Celtics acquired point guard Dan Dickau from the New Orleans Hornets for a second-round draft choice in 2006.

Jurisprudence

David Harrison of the Indiana Pacers pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Nov. 19, 2004, that started when Detroit Piston center Ben Wallace shoved Ron Artest.

Harrison’s teammates -- Artest, Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson -- entered the same pleas on the same charge last week and were sentenced to a year of probation, community service, anger management counseling and a $250 fine.

Boxing

Alleging that HBO and promoter Dan Goossen are trying to steal World Boxing Council super-lightweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. from him, promoter Bob Arum filed suit in a Nevada district court.

Named as defendants were HBO, parent company Time Warner, Goossen, Mayweather and Mayweather’s manager, Al Haymon. Arum is seeking to prevent Mayweather from fighting under the Goossen banner. Arum is also asking for monetary damages.

Arum claims an attempt is being made to break his three-party agreement with Mayweather and HBO, and replace it with one designating Goossen as the promoter.

Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones Jr. fight for the third time in less than two years tonight at Tampa, Fla., with Tarver’s International Boxing Organization light-heavyweight title on the line in the 12-round bout.

Tarver (23-3, 18 knockouts) won with a stunning second-round knockout in May 2004, after Jones (49-3, 38) had won a decision in November 2003.

Meanwhile, at the Reno Events Center, Chris Byrd will defend his International Boxing Federation heavyweight title against DaVarryl Williamson. Also on the card, James Toney meets Dominick Guinn in a 10-round heavyweight bout.

Miscellany

Andy Irons kept his hopes alive for a fourth consecutive world surfing title with a victory over Damien Hobgood in the final of the Quiksilver Pro France at Hossegor.

Kelly Slater, ahead of Irons in the World Championship Tour point standings, could have clinched his seventh world title with a victory but was eliminated by Hobgood in the quarterfinals. Slater leads Irons, 7,896 to 7,128, with two events remaining.

Kansas City Wizard midfielder Preki announced that he would retire from professional soccer after the completion of the MLS season.

The two-time MLS most valuable player and eight-time MLS All-Star will end his 26-year professional career as arguably the best player in MLS history.

The University of Arizona will pay for the funeral and burial of women’s basketball star Shawntinice Polk.

An NCAA bylaw allows the university to do so, senior associate Athletic Director Kathleen “Rocky” LaRose said..

The funeral will take place Sunday in the gymnasium at Hanford, Calif., High School, which is Polk’s alma mater. The cost will be about $7,500, LaRose said.

Polk, who would have been a senior this season, collapsed and died at McKale Center on Monday. A blood clot in a lung caused the death, according to Pima County medical examiner Eric Peters.