Briefly

BASEBALL

Baseball's plan to eliminate two teams by next season was dealt asevere blow when Minnesota courts put off until Dec. 27 an appeal ofthe injunction that forces the Twins to play in 2002.

Many baseball officials have said mid-December is the deadlinefor deciding whether the Major Leagues will have 30 or 28 teams nextyear. Baseball had hoped to hold a dispersal draft of players byDec. 15.

Baseball and the Twins had asked for the hearing to take placebefore Dec. 7, citing the need for teams to make key decisionsbefore Dec. 20, the last day to offer contracts to unsigned playerson rosters.

* The Expos made sure they could still call Olympic Stadium home,should they survive to see the 2002 season. Threatened withelimination, the Expos signed a one-year lease with the provincialgovernment board that operates the stadium. The team also reservedthe right to unilaterally cancel the contract.

* The Houston Astros re-signed infielder Jose Vizcaino, agreeingto a $1.7 million one-year contract. Vizcaino, the second player tosign among the 155 free agents, hit .277 with one home run and 14RBI in 107 games this year.

GOLF

* Pat Perez broke the course record at Bear Lakes with a 9-under63 and took a two-stroke lead over Tommy Armour III (67) at thehalfway point of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament in West PalmBeach, Fla.

Perez was at 18-under 198 through 54 holes.

Seventeen-year-old Ty Tryon had a 71 to drop from a tie for 33rdinto a tie for 61st at 210. Tryon, a junior in high school who madethe cut in two PGA Tour events this year, is trying to become theyoungest player to earn his tour card. Only the top 35 and tiesafter the six-round tournament will have exempt status next year.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

* Air Force suspended 12 players, including wide receiver RyanFleming, from the team's season finale today against Utah forviolating curfew.

TENNIS

* Cedric Pioline and Fabrice Santoro foiled Australia's gamble,beating late substitutions Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-1 Saturday to give France a 2-1 lead in the Davis Cup finalin Melbourne, Australia.

Rafter and Hewitt now must win in Sunday's reverse singles matchfor Australia against a rested Nicolas Escude and SebastienGrosjean.

A win by either of the French players would give France its ninthDavis Cup and help avenge Australia's win over France in Nice in1999.

SOCCER

* Breaking with tradition dating to the start of the World Cup,FIFA decided that the champion will no longer get an automaticberth, starting with the 2006 tournament in Germany.

BOXING

* Former junior welterweight champion Zab Judah was fined $75,000and suspended six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission forthrowing a stool and putting a glove to a referee's chin afterlosing a match last month.

SKIING

* Former Olympic champion Picabo Street, coming back from seriousleg injuries that nearly ended her skiing career in 1998, finishedfifth in the World Cup women's downhill in Lake Louise, Alberta.

Isolde Kostner of Italy, the overall World Cup champion in thedownhill last season, kept up her uncanny dominance at Lake Louisewith her second victory in as many days.

* Bill Johnson returned to the slopes, skiing down Oregon's MountHood just eight months after a frightening crash left the 1984Olympic downhill champion in a coma with a brain injury.