Webber Fined for Marijuana Possession

Chris Webber, already awaiting trial in Maryland for marijuana possession, second-degree assault and resisting arrest, was fined $500 for carrying marijuana in his luggage while passing through an airport at San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Customs officials said Saturday the Sacramento Kings’ forward--who was traded from Washington, in part, because of his off-court problems--was briefly detained Friday night. He then continued traveling to Barbados on a trip sponsored by a sporting goods company.

Webber, who had 11 grams of marijuana in his luggage, was traveling with Jerry Stackhouse of the Detroit Pistons and other athletes.

A customs dog on a routine inspection in the transit lounge at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport sniffed a carry-on bag that was tagged with Stackhouse’s name, customs said. Stackhouse denied the bag was his, and Webber admitted it belonged to him.

The customs department said that because of the small amount of marijuana involved, Webber was not cited for smuggling and would not be prosecuted for possession.

Tennis

Top-seeded Pete Sampras overcame a determined attack by Sweden’s Magnus Larsson to reach the ATP Championship finals for the second consecutive year.

Sampras needed 1 hour 34 minutes to post a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory at Mason, Ohio. He will defend his title today against Patrick Rafter, who beat Russia’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 7-5, 6-0.

Sampras can regain the No. 1 world ranking if he wins.

Mariano Puerta of Argentina defeated second-seeded Richard Fromberg of Australia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the San Marino International in Italy. Puerta advances to today’s final against third-seeded Domnik Hrbaty of Slovakia. Hrbaty defeated Carlo Costa of Spain, 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6).

Mariaan de Swardt of South Africa defeated third-seeded Lisa Raymond, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, to advance to the finals of the BostonCup at Wellesley, Mass. Seventh-seeded Barbara Schett of Austria beat Cara Black of Zimbabwe, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

Motor Sports

Jimmy Hensley, winless in 69 previous NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts, won the Federated Auto Parts 250 at Nashville to give Richard Petty his first series victory as a team owner. Hensley, 52, drove his Dodge from 30th place in the 34-truck field and became the first driver in series history to win from a provisional starting spot when he beat Tony Raines by 0.54 seconds to earn $38,905. Hensley averaged 72.831 mph.

Jeff Burton’s Ford started from the pole and ended up in front in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Pepsi 200 at Michigan Speedway, averaging 167.910 mph and edging Bobby Labonte by 0.225 seconds. Burton led all but 20 laps around the two-mile oval at Brooklyn and earned $36,100.

Michael Andretti turned in a record lap of 145.745 mph to earn the pole for today’s Texaco-Havoline 200, a CART champ car race at Elkhart Lake, Wis. Teammates Bryan Herta and Bobby Rahal will start second and third. . . . Billy Boat, still on crutches after an accident on June 28, hobbled to his car and then drove it on a track-record lap of 178.571 mph to claim the pole position for today’s Radisson 200, an Indy Racing League event at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado.

Mika Hakkinen drove his McLaren around the 2.4-mile Hungaroring circuit in one minute 16.973 seconds to take the pole for today’s Hungarian Grand Prix in qualifying at Budapest. . . . Alan Kulwicki, who died in a 1993 plane crash while he was the reigning NASCAP Winston Cup champion, is a finalist for induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala.

Soccer

Diego Serna scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 89th minute, as the Miami Fusion defeated the New York-New Jersey MetroStars, 3-1, before 10,271 in Major League Soccer match at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. . . . Chad Deering’s first goal of the MLS season gave Dallas a 1-0 victory over Colorado before 8,321 at Denver. Deering scored in the 57th minute with a shot from 25 yards that deflected off the near post. . . . Josh Wolff scored in the 80th minute as the Chicago Fire beat the San Jose Clash, 2-1, in an MLS game before 16,610 at Chicago.

Reigning world champion Norway qualified for next year’s Women’s World Cup tournament with a 2-0 victory over England at Lillestrom, Norway. Norway joins the United States--the host nation--Italy, Ukraine, China, North Korea, Japan and Brazil as qualifiers.

Miscellany

Tracy Bonner and Kathy Pesek won the women’s three-meter championship in the U.S. Diving Summer Nationals at Atlanta. Chris Mantilla and Bryan Gillooly won the men’s three-meter synchronized title. David Pichler and Michelle Davison won the three-meter individual championship.

The presidents of the eight Western Athletic Conference schools who previously announced they were leaving the league made it official at Fresno, voting formally to form their own league.