*AUTO RACING: NASCAR has suspended all testing at its sanctioned tracks next season in a cost-cutting measure that should help teams save several million dollars in their 2009 budgets.
*COLLEGE BASKETBALL: President Barack Obama may have won the election, but his brother-in-law came up short in his trip to Washington in his debut game as Oregon State coach. Greg Robinson, brother of Obama’s wife, Michelle, and the Beavers fell 47-45 to Howard in the season opener for both teams on Friday night. … Marquette will be without freshman center Chris Otule for at least a month after he fractured his foot. … Villanova senior guard Dwayne Anderson is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot, the team said Friday. Anderson, a projected starter, averaged 6.5 points last season.
*COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Five Florida State wide receivers will miss Saturday night’s homecoming game against Boston College for their roles in a midweek campus fight, coach Bobby Bowden said Friday. Taiwan Easterling, Bert Reed, Corey Surrency, Cameron Wade and Richard Goodman will sit out Saturday’s crucial Atlantic Coast Conference contest.
*GOLF: Seve Ballesteros is improving following brain surgery on a malignant tumor and is likely to be released from intensive care next week. The golfer’s condition “continues to improve,” Madrid’s La Paz hospital said Friday in a statement. “It is likely that next week he will leave the intensive care unit.” The 51-year-old Spaniard underwent a 61/2-hour operation on Oct. 24 to remove the brain tumor and reduce swelling around the brain. … Angela Stanford shot a 6-under 66 on Friday in the second round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, to take a two-stroke lead over LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng.
*MARATHON: New York City Marathon officials say a 41-year-old man who collapsed during the race has died. Race organizer New York Road Runners says the man died Thursday in a New York City hospital. The group did not identify him. This is the third death connected to the Nov. 2 marathon.
*NBA: Steve Nash and Matt Barnes of Phoenix and Rafer Alston of Houston were suspended for their roles in a fight. Alston and Barnes were suspended for two games without pay and Nash for one. The league also fined Shaquille O’Neal $35,000 and Tracy McGrady $25,000 on Friday for their actions during the Rockets’ 94-82 win in Phoenix on Wednesday. … Jazz point guard Deron Williams was sidelined again for Friday’s game against Charlotte. Sixth man Andrei Kirilenko also sat out with a sprained right index finger and center Mehmet Okur missing his third straight game to be with his ill father in Turkey. … Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari received another cortisone shot for his ailing back and will have an “extended period of rest” while seeking additional opinions on treatment. … Devin Harris returned to the Nets’ starting lineup Friday night against the Hawks after missing three games with a sprained left ankle. … The New York Post reported Friday that Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Stephon Marbury met Thursday for preliminary discussions about a buyout. Marbury confirmed the meeting before the Knicks faced the Oklahoma City Thunder. … Nuggets center Steven Hunter is expected to be sidelined at least 12 weeks after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday.
*NFL: Rams running back Steven Jackson will not play Sunday against the 49ers because of his injured right thigh. Jackson did not practice Friday. By sitting out at San Francisco, he will have missed three of the last four games.
*TENNIS: Andy Murray ousted defending champion Roger Federer from the Masters Cup, rallying for a 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5 victory in Shanghai, China. Federer appeared to be bothered in the third set by the sore back that has bothered him recently. The Swiss star received treatment three times Friday but refused to quit. Murray will face Nikolay Davydenko in Saturday’s semifinal while Gilles Simon will meet Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal.
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EDITED BY BOB FOLTMAN FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
