Penske Appeal for Top Indy Racer Denied

The decision that deprived Al Unser Jr. of a victory and practically ended his hopes of repeating as IndyCar champion has been upheld, the sport’s sanctioning body announced Tuesday.

“It is the opinion of the stewards that the protest was not well founded,” IndyCar said in a statement dismissing the appeal by Penske Racing.

Unser was disqualified from the Budweiser-G.I. Joe’s 200 at Portland, Ore., on June 25 when a post-race inspection revealed that his Penske-Mercedes had less than the required two inches of ground clearance. The victory was taken away three hours after the race and awarded to Jimmy Vasser.

Team spokesman Dan Luginbuhl said the denial would be appealed to a three-judge panel. Under IndyCar rules, no one involved in the race, in the decision to strip Unser of the victory or in the denial of the protest can be empaneled.

Tennis

Top-seeded Marc Rosset of Switzerland defeated Czech Jaroslav Bulant, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, in their first-round match at the Skoda Czech Open at Prague. Second-seeded Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine lost to Nicklas Kulti of Sweden. Medvedev retired from the match after losing the first set, 5-7, complaining of stomach problems.

Golf

Mark McCumber overcame an early deficit for the second consecutive day, making up two strokes on Loren Roberts to score a 2-up victory in the U.S. final of the World Championship of Golf at Kohler, Wis.

“That’s a strategy I cannot afford emotionally to keep doing,” said McCumber, who beat U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin, 1 up, in Monday’s semifinals on Blackwolf Run’s River Course after falling behind by four strokes.

“The seven or eight hairs I have left on the top of my head are now down to about two. It’s not a strategy on purpose, trust me.”

McCumber earned $200,000, Roberts $150,000. The winner of the 36-hole final on Dec. 31 will have made $1 million in the competition that began with 32 players.

Jurisprudence

Randy Moss, West Virginia’s top high school football player, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery stemming from a racial fight at school, then announced he will play at Florida State.

Four-time batting champion Bill Madlock faces a bench warrant for his arrest after failing to appear in court on charges he wrote $6,500 in bad checks. The no-bail warrant was issued after Madlock failed to show up Friday in Las Vegas Justice Court on the felony charges.

A 28-year-old resort worker, whose name was not released, accused of threatening Boris Becker and the tennis star’s manager has been arrested, according to Munich police. Becker took the threats seriously and kept his wife and young son out of Germany for several months last year as over 20 calls making threats and demanding money went to the Munich office of his manager, Axel Mayer-Woelden.

Pro Basketball

The Lakers released their 1995 exhibition schedule, assuming a new NBA collective bargaining agreement is reached, and it includes scheduled games against the Seattle Sonics on Oct. 13-14 at Honolulu.

Names in the News

Oliver McCall will defend his World Boxing Council heavyweight title against Frank Bruno in Britain on Sept. 2. . . . Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka underwent surgery to repair part of the artificial right hip he received in 1984. . . . St. Peter’s promoted former assistant Rodger Blind to men’s basketball coach, less than two months after the school unexpectedly fired Ted Fiore. . . . The Mighty Ducks and restricted free agent Joe Sacco agreed to terms on a new three-year contract that will pay the right wing $1.45 million over three years. The team also agreed on a new contract with minor league defenseman Jason Marshall. . . . The Tampa Bay Lightning signed veteran defenseman Bill Houlder from the St. Louis Blues to a multiyear contract.