SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Former New York Yankees shortstop and longtime minor league team owner Joe Buzas has died at 84.

Buzas, who died Wednesday, owned the Salt Lake Stingers of the Pacific Coast League – the AAA franchise for the Anaheim Angels. He had been ill for several years, the team said.

Buzas began his playing career in 1941. He was the Yankees’ opening-day shortstop in 1945, but played only 30 games in the major leagues and batted .262.

After a shoulder injury cut short his playing career, Buzas spent a decade as a manager in Puerto Rico before moving up to ownership.

He bought his first team, the Allentown (Pa.) Red Sox, for $25,000 in 1956, and later moved it to Bristol, Conn. He moved the team to New Britain in 1983, and it won the Eastern League title that year behind the pitching of Roger Clemens.

Charpentier gets

one-year extension

WASHINGTON (AP) – Goaltender Sebastien Charpentier signed a one-year contract extension with the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

The deal keeps Charpentier with the team through next season and includes a team option for 2004-05.

Charpentier has appeared in 13 games this season as a backup to Olaf Kolzig. Charpentier has a 4-6-1 record, 2.58 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. He has also played 12 games with Portland of the AHL.

Charpentier was selected by the Capitals in the fourth round of the 1995 draft. He made

Decision next week on World Series homefield

NEW YORK (AP) – Baseball players plan to decide next week on whether to approve management’s plan to give the league that wins the All-Star game home-field advantage in the World Series.

The union held a telephone conference call with players earlier this week. Union lawyer Gene Orza said Thursday no decision was made.

“We’ll have a decision before opening day,” he said.

The season starts March 30, when World Series champion Anaheim plays at home against Texas.

Since the start of the World Series in 1903, home field has alternated between the American and National leagues. Commissioner Bud Selig proposed the change after last year’s All-Star game in Milwaukee ended in a 7-7, 11-inning tie when both leagues ran out of pitchers.

Former Miami safety Al Blades killed in car crash

MIAMI (AP) – Former Miami and San Francisco 49ers safety Al Blades was killed early Thursday when the car he was riding in crashed into a bridge and plunged into a canal. He was 26.

Blades, the brother of former Miami and NFL players Bennie and Brian Blades, was pronounced dead at Parkway Regional Medical Center, hospital spokesman Drew Landmeier said.

Artest suspended

for two games

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Pacers swingman Ron Artest was suspended by the NBA for the fifth time this season Thursday, getting a two-game ban for a flagrant foul five seconds into a game.

The latest penalty means Artest will have missed 11 games this season – 10 handed down by the NBA, one by his team.

This time, the league upheld a call on Artest early in Wednesday night’s game against Boston, which drew an automatic two-game suspension for exceeding the limit on flagrant-foul points.

Boston’s Paul Pierce went up for a layup after the opening tip and was slapped hard on the head from behind by Artest.

As the referees signaled a flagrant foul, Artest stood impassively with his arm raised above his head.