Caddie ‘Squeeky’ Medlen Loses Battle With Leukemia

Jeff “Squeeky” Medlen, the wiry man with the high-pitched voice who carried Nick Price’s bag to victory in the British Open and two PGA Championships, died Monday less than a year after he was found to have leukemia. He was 43.

“Squeek was more than a friend to me,” Price said in a statement. “He was a part of my family. He was a huge part of my success and I will always be grateful for his loyalty.”

College Sports

The Cal State Northridge men’s soccer team, cut last week to meet budgetary and gender-equity requirements, will be reinstated for a final season in 1997, university officials said.

The decision, expected to be announced today, came out of a meeting between soccer Coach Marwan Ass’ad, booster club members, university President Blenda J. Wilson and officials from the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Northridge announced last week that four men’s sports--baseball, soccer, swimming and volleyball--would be eliminated, citing an $800,000 budget deficit and a need to meet gender-equity laws. Ass’ad said the soccer program could turn a profit, and gender-equity regulations don’t need to be met until 1998.

Pro Football

With the future of the Seattle Seahawks seemingly at stake, a proposal to tear down the 21-year-old Kingdome and replace it with a fancy open-air stadium was in doubt Tuesday night. The “no” votes held a slim lead, 649,605 to 648,455, or 50 percent for each side. However, thousands of votes remained to be counted in King County, the state’s most populous.

The Oakland Raiders put quarterback Jeff Hostetler, 36, on waivers, a move that had been expected since the team signed free agent Jeff George to a long-term contract in February. Hostetler is likely to sign with the Washington Redskins later this week. Hours after San Francisco 49er owner Edward DeBartolo appeared before a grand jury investigating former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards’ business dealings, a DeBartolo-controlled company pulled out of a Louisiana casino project. . . . Tight end Ted Popson signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jurisprudence

Prosecutors in the case against NBC announcer Marv Albert asked for employee records from the hotel where he was staying when he allegedly committed a sexual assault Feb. 12. . . . Mark Allen, a six-time Ironman triathlon champion from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif., and Greg Harris, a former San Diego Padre pitcher, sued their financial manager, John W. Gillette Jr., alleging misappropriation of their investments. Gillette is a business partner of San Diego Charger linebacker Junior Seau.

Tennis

Pete Sampras’ path to his fourth Wimbledon title in five years does not include a big server, but Sampras will have to face Swede Mikael Tillstrom in the first round. On the women’s side, top-seeded Martina Hingis could face Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport en route to the semifinals.

French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, playing for the first time on grass, was routed, 6-1, 7-5, by big-serving Greg Rusedski in the Nottingham Open in England. Austria’s Thomas Muster, seeded second, was upset, 6-4, 6-2, by Moroccan Karim Alami in the Heineken Trophy tournament at Rosmalen, Netherlands. . . . Peter Graf has dropped his appeal and will be in jail by August to serve the rest of his time for income tax evasion.

Soccer

Alexi Lalas scored his ninth international goal and Jovan Kirovski got his fourth as the United States defeated Israel, 2-1, in a soccer exhibition at Jacksonville, Fla. . . . Ecuador qualified for the second round of Copa America with a 2-1 victory over Chile at Cochabamba, Bolivia. A last-minute penalty shot goal by Marcelo Gallardo gave Argentina a 1-1 tie with Paraguay for a spot in the second round.

Names in the News

Scotty Bowman is “leaning toward” returning to coach the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings for another year, according to a published report. . . . Darius Michalczewski has relinquished the International Boxing Federation light-heavyweight championship he won Friday by defeating Virgil Hill because he can’t be ready to fight William Guthrie by July 19, a date ordered by a U.S. federal court. Guthrie and Darrin Allen will fight for the vacated title. . . . George Strugar, a lineman who played for the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets, has died of lung cancer. He was 63. Strugar also was a thoroughbred horseman. Memorial services will be held Saturday at San Marino Community Church.