Celtics open against James, Cavaliers

The Celtics will open the defense of their 17th NBA championship with a game Oct. 28 against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Banknorth Garden. An NBA source also said the Celtics will visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day in a nationally televised matchup. The NBA is expected to release the full 2008-09 schedule today . . . Unrestricted free agent Earl Boykins signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal to play with Virtus Bologna of the Italian league. The 32-year-old point guard will be the highest-paid player in Italy for the 2008-09 season. The 5-foot-5-inch Boykins has played for eight teams in 10 NBA seasons.

Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks said quarterback Curtis Pulley has been kicked off the squad for violating team rules. Brooks made the announcement at the team's preseason media day. Pulley was arrested on traffic charges last month in Hardin County. In June, he also received a citation for marijuana possession in Louisville. Pulley missed last season because of academic reasons. Pulley had been competing with sophomore Mike Hartline to succeed Andre Woodson as the Wildcats' starting quarterback . . . Versus will televise 23 games this season, up from 19 last season, including five Ivy League games. Harvard will be shown twice, against Cornell Oct. 11 and Yale Nov. 22. Other games to be televised are Dartmouth-Columbia Oct. 25, Brown-Penn Nov. 1, and Princeton-Yale Nov. 15.

Jim Ruschioni (Monoosnock CC) and Paul Nunez (Longmeadow CC) shot 5-under-par 67 to complete a four-stroke win at the Massachusetts Senior Four-Ball Championship at Crestview CC in Agawam. It was the third title for the pair, who won back-to-back crowns in 2003 and 2004. Jon Fasick (New England CC) and his brother, Carter (Indian Meadows GC), shot 2-under 70 to finish second, one shot ahead of Peter Costello and Tony Messina of Cohasset GC and Frank Mullins and Dan Reagan of Thorny Lea GC. First-round co-leaders Robert Tribou (Pocasset GC) and his brother William (Poquoy Brook GC) were disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard Monday. Bob Tribou disqualified the team before the final round, explaining they signed for a birdie when it should have been a par on a hole in Round 1 . . . Australia's Stephanie Na and Duke standout Amanda Blumenherst shared medalist honors by shooting 4-under 140 after two days of stroke-play qualifying at the US Women's Amateur Championship at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club. Na and Blumenherst advanced as top seeds for match play, which begins today after a playoff among 10 golfers to determine the final six spots. Alison Walshe of Westford followed a first-round 68 with a 75 to finish at 1-under 143, tied for sixth. She advances to match play . . . The Royal & Ancient and US Golf Association announced a rules change that will reduce the size and shape of grooves in most clubs in 2010, the first time equipment has been scaled back in nearly 80 years. Research had shown that sharper, deeper grooves produced so much spin that players could hit into the rough and still control iron shots to the green.

Curlin is heading back to dirt for his next race - the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga - but his majority owner says that doesn't necessarily mean the turf experiment is over. Jess Jackson announced that the reigning Horse of the Year next will run in the $500,000 Grade 1 Woodward Aug. 30. Curlin made his turf debut last month, finishing second in the Man o' War Handicap at Belmont Park. Jackson said he considered sending Curlin out on another grass track for his next race but decided to keep the horse closer to home and on a more familiar surface - at least for now . . . Trainer Rick Dutrow confirmed that Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown will not run in the $1 million Travers Aug. 23.

Kevin Dineen isn't going anywhere after the Sabres elected to keep him as coach of the Portland Pirates, Buffalo's new American Hockey League affiliate. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier cited Dineen's record in his three previous seasons with the Pirates (135-76-13), his ability to develop talent, and his familiarity with the team. The Pirates had been the Anaheim Ducks' affiliate . . . Lars Anderson hit a grand slam in the first inning off recently demoted big leaguer Adam Eaton, powering the Portland Sea Dogs' 13-3 rout of the host Reading Phillies in an Eastern League game . . . Former No. 1 Marat Safin continued his slow climb back toward the top of the tennis rankings with a 6-3, 6-4 win over John Isner in the first round of the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. Safin started the season with a five-match losing streak and dropped from No. 57 to No. 93 before reversing the trend, and entered No. 44 . . . Croatia's Mario Ancic withdrew from the US Open with a recurrence of mononucleosis, the second straight year the 25th-ranked player was forced to miss the tournament.