Briefs | Man U reaches UEFA Champions League final

Soccer

Manchester United blanks Barcelona: Manchester United set up the first all-English final in the history of the UEFA Champions League, beating visiting Barcelona of Spain 1-0 Tuesday on Paul Scholes' goal in the 14th minute.

After winning the home-and-home semifinal on 1-0 aggregate, Man U will meet Chelsea or Liverpool in the final May 21 in Moscow.

Chelsea hosts Liverpool today; the teams tied 1-1 last week.

Ronaldo goes into hiding: Brazilian striker Ronaldo, who plays for AC Milan of Italy, reportedly went into hiding after an incident with cross-dressing prostitutes that prompted police to investigate whether to charge one with trying to extort money from the athlete.

Ronaldo, in Brazil recovering from knee surgery, canceled two TV appearances and local media said he will continue physiotherapy at his home.

Bradley dies: Gordon Bradley, who coached a New York Cosmos team that included icon Pele, died. He was 74.

College basketball

NCAA official says North Carolina won't be penalized: North Carolina players had what a school official called an extraordinary chance to share the court with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

So extraordinary that an NCAA rule appears to have been broken — and the NCAA is apparently going to ignore it.

"This was a unique situation and not an NCAA issue," Eric Christianson, NCAA media relations director, wrote in an e-mail message to The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C. "It certainly was a great opportunity for the student-athletes to interact with a presidential candidate."

Tar Heels coach Roy Williams watched from the sideline. According to NCAA bylaws, coaches are not allowed to watch pickup games during the offseason.

B. Hansbrough to transfer to Notre Dame: Mississippi State guard Ben Hansbrough, who averaged 10.5 points last season, is transferring to Notre Dame and will have two seasons of eligibility after sitting out 2008-09. He is the brother of All-American forward Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina.

Tennis

The monetary thrill of victory: Wimbledon singles champions will each receive $1.49 million this year, an increase of 5.8 percent from last year.

Golf

British Open to delay drug testing: British Open officials said they will delay testing for performance-enhancing drugs until next year to make sure golfers are educated about the program.

LPGA Tour to have event in China: The LPGA Tour will host a $1.8 million tournament from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26 in Haikou, China — its first event in that country.

Auto racing

Schrader to replace Franchitti: Ken Schrader will replace the injured Dario Franchitti in the No. 40 Dodge in Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia.

Franchitti broke his left ankle in a crash Saturday in Talladega, Ala.

Moss plans truck-series team: Standout NFL receiver Randy Moss announced the formation of Moss Motorsports and said he hopes to have a team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the second half of the season.

Equestrian

Safety investigation: United States Equestrian Federation officials were preparing to impose new safety rules — including suspensions for certain dangerous jumps — after a Saturday accident that resulted in the death of a horse, Frodo Baggins, and critical injuries to rider Laine Ashker, 24.

The spill occurred during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.

Frodo Baggins was one of two horses who had to be euthanized during the competition.

Seattle Times news services