Briefs | Auto Racing: Jeff Gordon earns pole for NASCAR event

Auto racing

Gordon leads qualifiers for Sunday's event in Delaware: Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon won the pole for Sunday's Camping World RV 400, a NASCAR Sprint Cup event in Dover, Del.

Gordon, with a lap of 157.061 mph, gained his 66th career pole. He is 11th among 12 drivers in the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup, which has nine races remaining. Gordon is 99 points behind co-leaders Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.

Greg Biffle of Vancouver, Wash., is third in the standings and will start in fifth. Johnson will start in 20th, and Edwards will start in 22nd.

Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw qualified in 36th; he is not in the Chase.

NBA

Miles is suspended without pay for violating terms of anti-drug program: Boston Celtics forward Darius Miles, 26, has been suspended without pay for 10 games for violating the terms of the anti-drug program at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Miles' suspension will begin with the first game of the regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play. He has missed the past two league seasons because of knee injuries.

President Bush salutes Celtics: President Bush welcomed the Boston Celtics to the White House to celebrate the team's 17th league championship and said, "Celtic pride is back."

Players, owners and coaches presented Bush with a jersey and an autographed basketball and said they would send a $100,000 check to the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Ike.

After the ceremony, Celtics captain Paul Pierce said meeting the president made him more nervous than playing in the NBA Finals.

"I got real nervous back there, my hands were sweaty," Pierce said. "I was more nervous right here today."

Mavericks owner Cuban says Howard has apologized: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said forward Josh Howard realizes his comments about the national anthem were wrong and said the player has apologized.

Howard's comments, in a video posted on the Web site YouTube, show him on a football field at a charity flag-football game.

As the national anthem plays in the background, Howard approaches a camera and uses a profane term while explaining he doesn't celebrate the anthem and adds, "I'm black."

College basketball

USC's Simmons to have surgery: USC sophomore guard Marcus Simmons will miss from 8 to 12 weeks after having surgery to remove additional bone growth in his left leg because of complications from an ankle injury last season.

NHL

Selanne signs tryout agreement: Forward Teemu Selanne, a 10-time All-Star who is 38 years old, has signed a tryout agreement with the Anaheim Ducks while negotiations continue on a standard contract.

Soccer

MLS match is postponed: The Houston Dynamo postponed today's home Major League Soccer match against San Jose until Oct. 15 because of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

The Dynamo listened to recommendations of city officials in postponing the match.

Olympics

IOC to examine doping cases: The International Olympic Committee plans to examine several pending doping cases from the Beijing Games this weekend.

An IOC disciplinary commission will meet Sunday to consider sanctions against, among others, the silver and bronze medalists from Belarus in the men's hammer throw.

Vadim Devyatovskiy and Ivan Tsikhan tested positive for traces of testosterone after the final Aug. 17.

Cycling

Arroyo wins 19th stage: David Arroyo of the Caisse d'Epargne team won the 19th stage of the Spanish Vuelta, and fellow Spaniard Alberto Contador of the Astana team kept the overall lead with two stages to go.

The event ends Sunday in Madrid.

Arroyo covered 90 miles from Las Rozas to Segovia in 3 hours, 27 minutes, 3 seconds.

Contador leads teammate Levi Leipheimer, an American, by 1 minute, 17 seconds.

Seattle Times news services