Archives

NEW YORK, Thursday (AFP) - Two major golf tournaments were cancelled while a long-awaited fight and 30 more baseball games were postponed on Wednesday as US sports officials debated when to resume play after devastating terrorist attacks.

The five million-dollar World Golf Championships event in St. Louis and the regular US PGA Tour stop, the Tampa Bay Classic, were both cancelled along with Senior PGA Tour and developmental tour events.

"The PGA Tour and its members, out of respect for the victims and their families of Tuesday's terrorist actions, have determined that the best course of action is to refrain from playing our normal schedule this week," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said.

Major League Baseball postponed games set for Wednesday and Thursday. Also postponed was the world middleweight unification title fight between Puerto Rico's Felix Trinidad and American Bernard Hopkins scheduled here Saturday.

While golf star Tiger Woods and baseball record-chaser Barry Bonds were sidelined, tennis players resumed competition in Hawaii and auto racers planned to compete this weekend even as American football struggled with its decision.

Woods had flown into St. Louis on Monday to conduct a clinic and several top European players had arrived early, although some US players were unable to travel to the last major tuneup before the Ryder Cup.

Baseball officials wiped out two more full days of games, bringing the total to 45, but ESPN reported the owners were tentatively planning to resume play Friday and reschedule postponed games for early October.

The plan would push back the start of the playoffs and likely delay the World Series, baseball's best-of-seven finals in America's pastime for nearly a century.

Whenever games resume, tightened security is anticipated to help ensure the safety of participants and spectators.

National Football League owners said a decision would be made by Thursday afternoon about whether or not to stage American football games Sunday. When US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, NFL games were played in what officials later said was a mistake.

Players and union leaders sought cancellation of Sunday's schedule even as US Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, pushed for NFL games.

"We're trying to show the American people we're trying to get back to normal as quickly as possible," McCain said. "It's appropriate to send a message to the terrorists of the world that you are not going to destroy the fundamentals of a free and open society. Football is a very big part of American society.

"It's probably appropriate to have the NFL games this Sunday."

But Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, told NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue that it was wrong to play games Sunday, including matches set in Washington and the New York suburbs where damage was done.

"Do we really want to play games in Washington and New York?" Upshaw said. "It's just not appropriate in my opinion."

New York Giants offensive lineman Lomas Brown said NFL players were not ready to play.

"Guys aren't thinking about playing this weekend," Brown said. "Minds and hearts are really on the victims. It really hit home. It was very devastating."

Also uncertain is the fate of the World Wrestling Championships, set to start here in two weeks at Madison Square Garden with delegations from around the world.

Collegiate American football, a major US sports attraction from small towns to big cities, was divided after the National Collegiate Athletic Association left decisions about playing scheduled Saturday games to conferences.

Definitely postponed were top-ranked University of Miami's home game against the University of Washington and Arizona State University's game against UCLA at the famed Rose Bowl.

"The games themselves are insignificant in the face of what has happened," NCAA President Cedric Dempsey said.

Qualifying sessions for Indy Racing League and closed-cockpit NASCAR events were cancelled, with starting grids for Sunday races to be set by season points. But Championship Auto Racing Teams plans to conduct its German 500 as planned.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager