Sports briefs for November 21, 2003

Friday, Nov. 21, 2003 | 11:06 a.m.

An agreement to play 22 Montreal Expos home games next season in either San Juan or Monterrey could be finalized "within 36 to 72 hours. Or 54 hours, somewhere in that range," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said after Thursday's owners' meeting.

The players association and Major League Baseball are in talks to allow the Expos to play home games in two different cities for a second straight season.

In other news, commissioner Bud Selig defended baseball's steroid testing program. He also said he wants the 2004 season to begin in Japan and reported progress on having a World Cup before the 2005 season.

He refused to comment on the possibility of reinstating Pete Rose.

When baseball's other 29 teams bought the Expos before the 2002 season, the hope was to have the team in a new home in time for 2003. Last January, DuPuy said baseball hoped to find a permanent home for the team in 2004, but on Thursday he finally acknowledged that no longer is possible.

The team is being sought by Northern Virginia; Portland, Ore.; and Washington, D.C. However, none has been able to complete financing for a new ballpark.

DuPuy said he has "every expectation" the Expos will be moved before the 2005 season.

UNLV eliminated

UNLV was eliminated by host San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference tournament. The Aztecs won in three games to improve their record to 18-13. UNLV, which was led by Leiana Oswald's 18 kills plus 10 kills and six blocks from Sheila Ocasio-Clemente, fell to 11-17.

Investor accused

Shawn Scott, a Las Vegas investor, has been accused along with associates of bilking an upstate New York harness racetrack of $7.5 million in questionable loan fees. A lawsuit filed in federal court by three shareholders claimed Scott lied to gain control of the stock of Vernon Downs' parent company, Mid-State Raceway Inc.

Changes for Fed Cup

The United States will open next year against Slovenia in the Fed Cup, which will have a new format after 2004. The top-seeded Americans, who play France for this year's title this weekend, return to Europe for first-round matches April 24-25 in World Group play. The draw was today, a rest day before the final.

Messier will play

New York Rangers forward Mark Messier will play in Saturday's outdoor exhibition game for former Edmonton Oilers against former Montreal Canadiens. The game will be followed by the first outdoor regular-season game in NHL history between the Oilers and Canadiens.

Turkey matches off

Two soccer games in Turkey were postponed by the sport's European governing body because of the series of terrorist bombings in Istanbul. One of the matches was a UEFA Cup game between Israel's Maccabi Haifa and Spain's Valencia.

Prairie View firing

Prairie View A&M fired first-year coach C.L. Whittington after the Panthers went 1-10. Athletic director Charles McClelland will handle football administration duties until a new coach is hired.