IN BRIEF

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Oregon star tailback James
charged with domestic violence

Oregon tailback LaMichael James, one of the top freshmen in the nation, was arrested on domestic violence charges after his girlfriend said he grabbed her neck and pushed her to the ground during an argument outside his apartment in Eugene, Ore.

James, 20, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges of menacing, strangulation and assault. He remained in the Lane County Jail on $40,000 bail, according to a jail deputy.

James rushed for 1,546 yards last season, the ninth-highest total in the nation and the most ever by a Pac-10 freshman.

Also: Miami quarterback Jacory Harris will miss spring practice because of an injury to his throwing hand. The news was expected after Harris struggled with a balky thumb for much of the second half of last season.

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett, who passed for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, is expected to miss spring practice after sustaining a broken bone in his left foot during conditioning drills. He is expected to fully recover in three to four months.

One of two men charged with wielding knives in the fight that ended with the fatal stabbing of Connecticut football player Jasper Howard is free after posting bail. State Department of Correction spokesman Brian Garnett said Hakim Muhammad's family posted the $450,000 bond Friday in Vernon, Conn.

TENNIS

McEnroe goes without Roddick,
Blake on Davis Cup squad

For the first time in his career as captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team, Patrick McEnroe is preparing to play without Andy Roddick or James Blake, who are both taking a break from the annual international team event.

McEnroe selected John Isner, Sam Querrey and the doubles pairing of twins Bob and Mike Bryan to the team that will play against Serbia in the first round March 5 to 7. For the first time since 2000, neither Roddick nor Blake will be on the roster, a span of 25 Cup matches.

Also: Shahar Peer, denied a chance to play in last year's Dubai Championship due to her Israeli citizenship, upset top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Defending champion Venus Williams beat Olga Govortsova 7-5, 6-0, but second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was upset by qualifier Regina Kulikova, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

Tennis star Anna Kournikova's mother was formally charged with felony child neglect in Palm Beach, Fla. She was arrested in January and released from the Palm Beach County Jail after posting a $3,000 bond. Alla Kournikova could face up to five years in prison if convicted of the third-degree felony charge.

Palm Beach police say the 46-year-old left her 5-year-old son home alone while she ran errands, but he escaped the house. Someone passing by found the boy and called police. He told authorities he jumped out a second-story window. He was not seriously injured.

MISCELLANEOUS

UNLV men's golf one shot
out of first in Hawaii tourney

The UNLV men's golf team shot 9-under-par 279 in the first round of the John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, one shot off the lead in the 15-team tournament.

California and Southern Methodist were tied at 278. Cal's Stephen Hale had the individual lead at 7-under 65, with UNLV's Derek Ernst in a three-way tie for second at 68. The three-round event continues today.

Also: Matt Kenseth, eighth in Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500, has a new crew chief one week into the NASCAR season. Todd Parrott will replace Drew Blickensderfer atop the No. 17 Ford pit box this weekend in California. Blickensderfer led Kenseth to consecutive wins to start last season, including the Daytona 500.

The team performance dropped off after the two wins, and Kenseth failed to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship for the first time since its 2004 inception.

A full brother of ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro finished second in a race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. It was his second start of the year. Lentenor finished a half-length behind winner Doubles Partner in the 1 1/8-mile race on the turf course. The race drew a field of 11 3-year-olds.

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin faces DUI and speeding charges in Arizona. Scottsdale police said an officer pulled over Khabibulin's Ferrari shortly after midnight Feb. 8 after the car was clocked at 70 mph in a 45 mph zone. He was arrested after a field sobriety test.

Former 10,000-meter world champion Moses Tanui was injured and former world championship runner David Lelei killed in an auto accident on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, the Daily Nation newspaper reported.

Tanui sustained serious leg and chest injuries and was rushed to Nairobi Hospital, where his condition was described as being "out of danger."