Football
• NFL suspends Bucs CB Talib: Tampa Bay’s defense was jolted Saturday when the NFL suspended cornerback Aqib Talib four games without pay for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The fifth-year pro said in a statement released by the team that he took an Adderall pill without a prescription “around the beginning of training camp." He will not appeal the ban, which begins today against the Kansas City Chiefs. Talib was the 20th overall pick in the 2008 draft and is one of the team’s top defenders with 18 career interceptions.
Hockey
• NHL, union might resume negotiations on Tuesday: Labor negotiations between the NHL and the locked-out players’ association may resume Tuesday after a four-day break. The location and the agenda have yet to be determined. The sides held two days of talks this week in New York without discussion of hockey-related revenue — the core economic issue that has prevented the NHL regular season from starting on time. The 28-day lockout has already wiped out the entire preseason and the first three days of the regular season. The NHL announced last week that all games have been canceled through Oct. 24. A deal will have to be struck soon to prevent more cancellations and provide an opportunity to make up the lost games and have a full 82-game season. The NHL still says it is waiting for a new proposal from the union, with the owners adamant players accept a significant drop from the 57 percent of revenue they received under the salary cap in the last contract.
Tennis
• Murray to meet Djokovic in final: Two-time defending champion Andy Murray beat Roger Federer 6-4, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters on Saturday, setting up a rematch of the U.S. Open final against Novak Djokovic. Djokovic reached his 10th final of the season when he beat fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-4 in the first semi. It was Djokovic’s tour-leading 69th victory of the year.
Motor sports
• Webber takes Korean GP pole: Mark Webber took the pole position for the Korean Grand Prix on Saturday, upstaging Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. The Australian stormed to the pole on the last lap of qualifying, finishing 0.074 seconds ahead of Vettel. Hamilton was third, followed by championship leader Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.
Cycling
• Martin wins Beijing race: Tony Martin of Germany successfully defended his Tour of Beijing title Saturday while Steven Cummings of Britain beat Ryder Hesjedal in a two-man sprint to claim the fifth and final stage. Canada’s Hesjedal led the final climb to tear apart the leading group of breakaway riders on the 113.5-mile stage, but neither he nor Cummings could threaten Omega Pharma-QuickStep’s Martin for the overall victory. In the overall standings, Martin was 40 seconds ahead of Francesco Gavazzi of Astana. Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Sky was another six seconds back.
Baseball
• Brewers’ K-Rod arrested last month: A prosecutor says Milwaukee Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez was arrested last month on a domestic violence complaint involving his girlfriend. Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said in an email Saturday that Rodriguez has not been charged and that any possible charges would be misdemeanors. Schimel says deputies arrested Rodriguez at his Town of Wales, Wis., home early Sept. 18 after responding to a 911 call from his girlfriend, with whom he lives and has a child.
Basketball
• NBA plans China facility: The NBA and a Chinese partner say they plan to open a basketball center near Beijing. The partners say the facility in Tianjin, a port city east of the Chinese capital, will include NBA-style basketball courts, a fitness center, a restaurant and other features, according to NBA China and the Yatai Lanhai Investment Group. The announcement was made as the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers played exhibition games in Beijing and Shanghai. Basketball in China is hugely popular, and the NBA has made faster progress in developing a fan base and business opportunities than other American sports such as baseball, football and ice hockey.
— From wire reports
