Work starts to keep Bills in Buffalo

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and state Senator Charles Schumer will meet with Bills owner Ralph Wilson to explore ways to keep the team in Buffalo. With NFL approval, Wilson scheduled some Bills exhibition and regular-season games at the 50,000-capacity Rogers Centre in Toronto. The decision has led to speculation the franchise will one day move north. "Commissioner Goodell is committed to doing anything he and the league can to keep the Bills in Buffalo," Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said yesterday after meeting with Goodell in Washington. "Hey, I can't speculate what's going to happen in the future," Wilson said last week when asked about the Bills moving north. "But don't worry. Don't worry right now." . . . Suspended Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones has hired his two attorneys as his agents. Nashville-based attorney Worrick Robinson confirmed that Jones signed the contract last month for Robinson and Manny Arora to act as his agents . . . Stump Mitchell followed Jim Zorn to the Washington Redskins, joining the team as running backs coach. Mitchell, the Seattle Seahawks' running backs coach since 1999, will also have the title of assistant head coach. Meanwhile, Zorn was waiting to hear whether Tennessee Titans assistant head coach Sherman Smith will accept the job as offensive coordinator . . . Glenn Pires was hired as the Atlanta Falcons' linebackers coach, filling out new coach Mike Smith's staff. Pires was an assistant with the Miami Dolphins the last five years.

Shaquille O'Neal doesn't expect to make his debut for the Phoenix Suns until after the All-Star break. After working out for a third straight day with his new team, O'Neal said he wanted to make sure his injured hip was completely healed and that he knew enough of the offense before playing his first game with the Suns. "The hip feels pretty good," O'Neal said. "I have to get the wind up a little bit more and get in tune with what's going on. You want to be a piece of the puzzle that fits in." . . . Lakers center Chris Mihm underwent surgery to remove a screw from his right heel. Recovery time is six weeks.

Horse-collar tackles, already banned by the NFL, may be outlawed in college football, too. That rule change is among those proposed by the NCAA Football Rules Committee. Other suggestions include making chop-block enforcement less complicated and ignoring incidental face-mask contact. The proposals put forth by the committee during meetings this week in Indianapolis go to the NCAA membership for comment . . . Syracuse head football coach Greg Robinson hired Dan Conley, the former Orange star, to be coach linebackers . . . Daniel Hackett could miss the rest of the basketball season because of a stress fracture in his lower back, leaving Southern California without one of its top guards . . . Stacy Johnson-Klein, a former women's basketball coach at Fresno State, said she would accept a $6.62 million award so she could put an end to her high-profile gender discrimination case against the school.

Top seed James Blake beat fellow American Robert Kendrick, 7-5, 7-5, in their rain-delayed first-round match at the Delray Beach (Fla.) International. The clash was halted after just 17 minutes Tuesday and more persistent showers meant Blake, ranked 12th in the world, also had to spend most of yesterday waiting for the weather to clear. A good day for the US included victories for Sam Querrey and Vincent Spadea . . . Nicolas Mahut upset Juan Carlos Ferrero, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), to reach the quarterfinals of the Open 13 in Marseille. Mario Ancic stunned Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3). The top three seeds, Novak Djokovic, Richard Gasquet, and Mikhail Youzhny, won in straight sets . . . Top-seeded Carlos Moya beat Olivier Patience, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0, in the second round of the Brazil Open in Costa Do Sauipe. Moya will face Oscar Hernandez, who defeated Sergio Roitman, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 . . . Australian Open semifinalist Daniela Hantuchova beat Yanina Wickmayer, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the Diamond Games quarterfinals in Antwerp. Fourth-seeded Patty Schnyder beat Ai Sugiyama, 6-3, 6-4.

In a battle of three of the world's best skaters, Daisuke Takahashi took the early lead. The reigning world silver medalist edged two-time US champion Evan Lysacek and Olympic bronze medalist Jeffrey Buttle to win the men's short program at the Four Continents championships in Goyang, South Korea. Takahashi scored a season-best 88.57 points, giving him a solid lead over defending champion Lysacek (84.06) and Buttle (83.85). Wakefield's Stephen Carriere was fourth. In pairs, Americans Rena Inoue and John Baldwin were third with 57.40 points . . . AC Milan forward Ronaldo ruptured a tendon in his left knee in a 1-1 draw with Livorno, and the Brazilian was carried off the field in tears . . . Tour de France champion Alberto Contador likely won't get to defend his title after Tour organizers excluded the Astana cycling team from this year's race because of past doping issues. Astana pulled out of the race last year after Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a blood transfusion after his stage victory. "It is a real blow for me and all of us at Astana," Contador said. .content>