Sampras beaten in Davis Cup
HOUSTON, April 6 (UPI) -- Alex Corretja rallied from two sets down Friday to stun Pete Sampras and draw Spain even with the United States, 1-1, after the opening day of the Davis Cup quarterfinals.
Andy Roddick gave the Americans the lead with a straight sets victory over Tommy Robredo in the first match of the tie and Sampras produced 6-4 decisions in the first two sets against Corretja. But the Spaniard won a third-set tiebreaker, 7-4, then closed out the match, 7-5, 6-4.
Sampras was heavily favored since the matches are being played on grass. The American doubles team of James Blake and Todd Martin will try to put the United States in front today against Juan Balcells and Corretja.
In other quarterfinal action, Russia took a 2-0 lead against Sweden, Argentina leads Croatia, 2-0; and defending champion France is tied with the Czech Republic, 1-1.
Bonds homer wins it for Giants
SAN FRANCISCO, April 6 (UPI) -- Barry Bonds belted a two-run homer off former teammate Alan Embree in the 10th inning Friday to lift the San Francisco Giants to a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Bonds had homered twice in each of in San Francisco's first two games, but was pitched around in his first four at bats against San Diego.
Embree, however, was forced to pitch to Bonds after Steve Reed (0-1) hit Rich Aurilia to open the 10th. After fouling off a fastball, Bonds lined a curveball just over the right field wall for his fifth home run.
Bonds raised his career home run total to 572, one shy of Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew for sixth place all time.
Tim Worrell (1-0) notched the victory after recording the final out of the 10th.
Other National League results: Philadelphia 6, Florida 2; Pittsburgh 2, Chicago 1; Montreal 8, Cincinnati 7; New York 9, Atlanta 3; St. Louis 5, Houston 1; Milwaukee 6, Arizona 2.
Yankees hand Devil Rays their first loss
NEW YORK, April 6 (UPI) -- Andy Pettitte tossed six scoreless innings and combined with two relievers on a three-hitter Friday as the New York Yankees opened their home schedule with a 4-0 triumph over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
It was the first loss of the season for Tampa Bay.
Pettitte (1-0) was hammered in his last start, which came in Game 6 of World Series, but he was masterful in dealing with the Devil Rays. After an injury-plagued spring, the 29-year-old lefthander had all his pitches working.
The Devil Rays managed just a pair of doubles off Pettitte, who did not walk a batter and struck out six. One of those six was first baseman Steve Cox -- the 1,000th strikeout of Pettitte's career.
Pettitte got offensive support from Nick Johnson, Alfonso Soriano and Derek Jeter, who drove in a run apiece. Rondell White had three hits in his first home game as a Yankee, but Jason Giambi continued to struggle, going none for five and hearing a smattering of boos from the crowd.
Other American League results: Cleveland 10, Detroit 1; Anaheim 3, Texas 1; Boston 3, altimore 0; Minnesota 4, Toronto 3; Kansas City 5, Chicago 2.
Maddux goes on DL
ATLANTA, April 6 (UPI) -- For the first time in his career, four-time Cy Young award winner Greg Maddux is headed for the disabled list.
The Braves announced following Friday night's game against the New York Mets that Maddux will be placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 26, with an inflamed nerve in his lower back.
The move will be effective Saturday and the righthander, who is in his 17th season, will be eligible to return Wednesday.
Maddux, who turns 36 on April 14, was scheduled to start for the Braves on Opening Day against Philadelphia but was scratched the previous day. He was scheduled to make his first appearance of the season Sunday against the New York Mets.
Last season, Maddux also missed his Opening Day assignment due to a toe injury. He finished the season with a 17-11 record, his fewest wins since going 15-11 in 1996.
Lakers fall without Shaq
BOSTON, April 6 (UPI) -- With Shaquille O'Neal on the bench and Kobe Bryant off his game, the Los Angeles Lakers suffered their worst loss of the season Friday night, a 99-81 setback to the Boston Celtics.
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 33 points.
O'Neal, bothered all season by an arthritic toe, sat out his second straight game with a sprained right wrist. The superstar center's absence clearly was felt as Los Angeles managed just 24 points in the paint.
Bryant, who nearly picked up the slack for Shaq in Wednesday's loss at New Jersey, was not up to the task in this one. He made just five of 25 shots as the Lakers were a season-low 34 percent from the field.
Other NBA results: Detroit 92, Philadelphia 88; Indiana 97, Phoenix 87; Miami 102, Milwaukee 97; New Jersey 110, Orlando 85; Washington 91, Charlotte 77; Memphis 99, Houston 81; Toronto 98, Chicago 96; Sacramento 117, Utah 109.
Blues win in possible playoff preview
ST. LOUIS, April 6 (UPI) -- Keith Tkachuk and Pavol Demitra each scored twice Friday night as the St. Louis Blues dominated early and cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in a possible first-round playoff preview.
While Chicago is second in the league with 26 home wins, it is just 13-18-7 on the road and has just one victory in its last seven contests away from the United Center (1-4-2).
The Blackhawks are fourth in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Blues. The top four teams have home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
St. Louis stormed to a 3-0 lead in the first period, during which it outshot Chicago, 20-5.
Tkachuk got things going at 3:49, Mike Eastwood doubled the Blues' lead 6 1/2 minutes later and Demitra made it 3-0 with 2:45 to go in the period.
Any hopes of a Blackhawks' comeback vanished when Demitra scored on the power play 29 seconds into the second.
Steve Thomas had the lone goal for Chicago, which has lost two in a row after winning four straight.
Other NHL results: Dallas 3, Colorado 1; Buffalo 3, Florida 1; Ottawa 0, Washington 0; New Jersey 3, Atlanta 1.
Elkington shares BellSouth lead
DULUTH, Ga., April 6 (UPI) -- Hampered by injuries over the past two years but loaded with confidence, Steve Elkington kept the lead for the second straight day Friday at the BellSouth Classic, matching Phil Mickelson's 36-hole score with a 3-under-par 69.
The Australian led after an opening-round 66, showing glimpses of the player who won 10 titles in the 1990s. After reaching 11-under 133, he expressed confidence in winning again.
"I won 10 tournaments in the '90s, and I have two young children that I have spent a lot of time with early on, and I'm only 39," said Elkington, whose flop shot at the sixth hole set up his last birdie. "I have plenty of time."
Elkington, who has won a PGA Championship and two Players Championships, has had time to recover from back, hip and wrist injuries. And he has been unaffected by a sinus ailment that has plagued him throughout his career.
"I feel fit now, but I think I have got a lot of good golf, to be honest with you," he said. "I am strong, I am big. I hit the ball plenty far enough. I have got all the experience now, and I think that is what helps you out here now."
But nothing can help Elkington reach Augusta National for next week's Masters. The world's 162nd-ranked player failed to qualify and not even a win this week will get him there.
Speeds fast in Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 6 (UPI) -- Newly repaved Texas Motor Speedway produced the fastest speeds of the year Friday as Bill Elliott recorded a top lap of 194.224 miles per hour to win the pole for the NASCAR Winston Cup Samsung/RadioShack 500.
Already NASCAR's all-time fastest driver at 212.809 mph at Talladega in 1987 in the days before restrictor plates, Elliott used his Dodge Intrepid to knock Elliott Sadler off the pole after a lap of 193.071 mph in a Ford Taurus.
The speeds are so fast and the grip on the track is so good, many of the drivers complained that the G-forces entering the turns could lead to some extreme stress in Sunday's race at the 1 1/2-mile oval.
Elliott admitted his pole-winning effort was aided by a lengthy delay after Frank Kimmel crashed in the first turn. By the time the track was cleared, cloud cover had cooled the racing surface, allowing Elliott to gain an advantage.
During the 1980s, Elliott was NASCAR's fastest driver, regularly upping the speeds at Daytona and Talladega. But when Bobby Allison's airborne car nearly cleared the fence in front of a crowded grandstand in 1987, series officials began the restrictor-plate era to keep speeds well under 200 mph.
Those plates are used only at those two tracks, however, so the ovals at Texas and Atlanta have become the fastest tracks on the circuit. Elliott also won the pole at Atlanta last month with a lap of 191.542 mph.
Friday's pole was the 53rd of Elliott's career -- the most of any active Winston Cup driver.
Clippers fine Olowokandi
LOS ANGELES, April 6 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Clippers Friday fined Michael Olowokandi $50,000 for "behavior detrimental to the team."
The move came two days after he criticized teammates and the organization following a 99-87 loss to Utah.
"We didn't play together," Olowokandi said Wednesday. "I've said this before and I'll go on the record and say it again. Whenever you have a group of guys that are very uncertain of their future on the team, that will always happen.
"Whenever you have that situation, you will never, ever, ever have a basketball team. Not this year, not next year, not 10 years from now. I don't care how many players you draft and lottery picks you get, you will never have a basketball team."
The top overall pick in the 1998 draft, Olowokandi is one of a handful of Clippers who are eligible for new contracts or extensions this summer, and the belief is owner Donald Sterling will not sign everyone, breaking up the young, improving team.
