Bourdais Wins Delayed Montreal Champ Car Race

A victory by Sebastien Bourdais might have been the biggest step yet toward the Frenchman’s third consecutive Champ Car title.

Bourdais won the Montreal Grand Prix and his closest pursuers in the points failed to finish.

The race started Sunday in a steady rain, but was halted after six laps because of a downpour at the 2.704-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve track. A.J. Allmendinger took the lead from pole-winner Bourdais on the second turn when the Frenchman nearly spun off the slippery circuit.

The race resumed Monday morning on a nearly dry track. Allmendinger, the closest pursuer in the championship battle, was out front, with third-place Justin Wilson fourth on the track.

But Allmendinger, the only American in the lineup, was gone after the 14th lap, the victim of a broken axle, and Wilson also had an unlucky day. He was penalized for entering a closed pit road during a caution flag and then crashed as he tried to make up ground.

Allmendinger and Wilson began the race trailing Bourdais by 34 and 37 points, respectively. They head for the Sept. 24 race at Elkhart Lake, Wis. -- one of three remaining events -- tied for second place, 62 points behind the leader.

Bourdais inherited the race lead when Allmendinger’s car broke down, and went on to win for the sixth time this season and the 22nd time in 56 Champ Car World Series starts.

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COLLEGE SPORTS

Brand Says It Might Be Time to Work With NBA

NCAA President Myles Brand said it might be time for the NCAA to work with the NBA, other basketball organizations and even shoe companies on a plan that would better prepare high school athletes for success in college.

Because the NCAA is stepping up colleges’ and universities’ accountability for poor academic performance and graduation rates, Brand said it’s unfair to schools and student-athletes when the students arrive on campus without the academic background to take college-level courses.

“Maybe working together with the NBA and lots of others -- USA Basketball, the [Amateur Athletic Union], the National Federation of High Schools -- and including key elements such as the shoe companies

Brand said this during a visit to Hampton University, where he took questions from athletic department staffers.

Brand said he and NBA Commissioner David Stern, who this year said the NBA would consider becoming involved in helping secondary schools to better prepare their athletes, discussed the issue at a “summit” last year in Chicago. Another meeting is planned next month, Brand said.

The NCAA has hired Karen Morrison, Colorado’s associate athletic director, to lead the organization’s gender initiative.

Morrison takes over Sept. 25 as director of gender initiative and student-athlete well-being.

USC announced its 2006-07 women’s basketball schedule, including its Nov. 10 home opener against Long Beach State and 14 other games in the school’s new Galen Center.

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MISCELLANY

Jones’ Backup Sample

to Be Tested This Week

Marion Jones’ backup “B” drug sample from the U.S. track and field championships is to be tested late this week, her attorney said.

The “A” sample from the June 23 test was positive for the banned endurance-enhancer EPO. If the second test is positive, the five-time Olympic medalist could face a minimum two-year ban from the sport.

“I don’t expect we’ll have the results right away,” attorney Howard Jacobs said. “It will probably take a couple of weeks.”

Former U.S. national team defenders Alexi Lalas and Carla Overbeck, Olympian Al Trost, and builder Philip Anschutz were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame at Oneonta, N.Y.

D.C. United midfielder Domenic Mediate had surgery on his broken right leg and is out for the season.

The Ducks re-signed defenseman Bruno St. Jacques to a one-year deal. Jacques scored a goal in his only game with Anaheim last season.

The Boston Bruins signed Hobey Baker finalist T.J. Trevelyan to a multiyear contract.

Trevelyan, 22, played the last four seasons at St. Lawrence University. He had 78 goals and 76 assists for 154 points and 204 penalty minutes in 150 college games.

Jennie Finch pitched a two-hitter to lead the defending champion United States past North Korea, 7-0, in the softball world championships at Beijing.

In other games, Japan beat Venezuela, 7-1, Canada defeated Britain, 5-1, and Greece beat Botswana, 8-0.

Former All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Reardon was found not guilty by reason of insanity for robbing a jewelry store in December at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Two court-appointed psychiatrists, along with two defense psychiatrists, testified that Reardon was under the influence of a dozen prescription medications and that there was no reasonable explanation for the robbery.

His attorney said 50-year-old Reardon was distraught over the 2004 overdose death of a son and had been taking anti-depressants and mood stabilizers.