IN BRIEF

pro basketball

Stern warns of 'consequences' without progress this weekend

Regular-season games could be at stake when NBA owners and players meet this weekend. And those might not be all that is lost, commissioner David Stern warned Wednesday, without real headway toward a new labor deal.

"All I'd say to that is that there are enormous consequences at play here on the basis of the weekend," Stern said. "Either we'll make very good progress, and we know what that would mean -- we know how good that would be, without putting dates to it -- or we won't make any progress, and then it won't be a question of just starting the season on time, it will be a lot at risk because of the absence of progress."

Talks between negotiators ended after two days Wednesday so they could return home before summoning their bargaining committees to New York for the most important stretch of the lockout. They will meet Friday and are prepared to talk through the weekend if progress toward a new collective bargaining agreement is being made.

Training camps have been postponed, and 43 games scheduled for the first week of the preseason have been canceled.

Also: Kobe Bryant said it's "very possible" he will play in Italy during the NBA lockout, adding the country is like home because he spent part of his childhood there. Virtus Bologna has made numerous contract offers to the Los Angeles Lakers star, the latest for $2.5 million for 10 games.

college football

LSU QB Jefferson rejoins team after battery charges reduced

A Baton Rouge, La., grand jury reduced charges against Jordan Jefferson to a misdemeanor for his involvement in a bar fight, and the Louisiana State quarterback's suspension from the top-ranked Tigers was lifted.

Jefferson, who testified before the grand jury, is now charged with simple battery and faces maximum penalties, if convicted, of up to six months in jail and fines up to $500.

Jefferson and reserve linebacker Josh Johns were initially booked with felony second-degree battery in the Aug. 19 fight. The grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to bring any charges against Johns. Four men sought treatment at hospitals after the brawl.

LSU coach Les Miles said both players would be welcomed back at practice today, but that he was unsure if Jefferson would be ready to play Saturday against Kentucky.

Miles stressed that Jarrett Lee, who has started LSU's first four games, will remain the starter for the foreseeable future. But the coach added that he envisions Jefferson seeing action in most of the remaining games because of his ability to scramble and run the option.

Also: Minnesota coach Jerry Kill returned to practice, three days after checking into the Mayo Clinic to seek more treatment for seizures that have been plaguing him the past three weeks. He said he plans to be on the sideline when the Golden Gophers play at No. 19 Michigan on Saturday.

Kill said his condition is not life-threatening and tried to downplay the severity of the seizures, even though he said they might look frightening.

miscellaneous

Man charged after throwing
banana on ice at NHL player

Police in London, Ontario, have charged a 26-year-old man for throwing a banana on the ice toward Philadelphia Flyers player Wayne Simmonds during an NHL preseason game Sept. 22.

Chris Moorhouse of London, Ontario, was served a summons for engaging in a prohibited activity under the provincial trespassing act. If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $2,000.

London Police Chief Brad Duncan said at a news conference the offense did not meet the threshold of a hate crime or mischief. Simmonds is black.

Also: NASCAR made no major changes to the 2012 Sprint Cup Series schedule, aside from flipping a few race dates and moving the start of the season back one week.

The Daytona 500 opens the season Feb. 26, one week later than usual. NASCAR had to schedule 38 races over 40 weeks because of the later start to the season. The Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be March 11.

Las Vegas teenager Dylan Kwasniewski has clinched the Rookie of the Year award with two races left in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season. Kwasniewski became the youngest driver to race in the series when he made his debut in April at age 15. He has two victories this year.

Kaia Kanepi, ranked 43rd, upset top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Dave Hill, a 13-time winner on the PGA Tour who made three Ryder Cup appearances and won the 1969 Vardon Trophy for the tour's lowest-scoring average, died Tuesday in Jackson, Mich., at age 74. He suffered from emphysema for several years.