BRIEFLY : FLYERS' LINDROS EXPECTED TO SIGN 1-YEAR EXTENSION.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

There's no signature yet, so for now the Philadelphia Flyers will have to settle for a handshake and an assuring phone call when it comes to Eric Lindros's contract status.

Carl Lindros, the star center's father and agent, said Friday his son would follow through on a handshake agreement with the club and sign a one-year, $8.5 million deal, plus incentives, that would prevent him from becoming a restricted free agent. The Lindroses said they called Flyers chairman Ed Snider this week about their decision.

Whether it leads to a longer-term deal the club hopes Lindros will sign remains to be seen.

The two sides reached the handshake deal in September after they were unable to agree on a five-year extension. At the time, Eric Lindros said the one-year deal would eliminate the distraction of having contract negotiations go on during the regular season.

Carl Lindros said Eric is progressing well in his recovery from the collapsed right lung that forced him to miss the last two weeks of the regular season and the playoffs.

The center is experiencing muscle pain in his chest in the area where he was injured but doctors say pain is normal for the type of injury Lindros suffered and should go away in about six months.

NFL: Brian Blades, who ranks second on Seattle's all-time list for receptions (581), receiving yards (7,620) and fourth in touchdown catches (34) during an 11-year career, was released by the team. The 33-year-old had been hampered by injuries over the past few seasons and had fallen to the second team on the Seahawks depth chart behind Joey Galloway and Mike Pritchard.

GOLF: Tiger Woods nearly holed a 274-yard 2-iron on the 11th hole and then grabbed a one-shot lead after two rounds of the PGA's Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, when Lee Janzen double-bogeyed the final hole.

A pair of 2-irons on the 539-yard, par-5 11th left Woods just two feet below the cup. His eagle putt got him to 10-under and into a tie with Janzen.

A birdie at the par-5 15th put Janzen, who had started the day with a two-stroke lead, ahead of Woods by a shot heading into the final hole. But his finish with a 6 capped a 2-under 70 that left him at 9-under 135.

Woods, playing in the group immediately behind Janzen, parred out after the eagle to finish with a 66 for a 36-hole total of 10-under 134.

David Duval played a span of six holes on the back nine in 6-under on the way to a 68 that left him at 4-under 140.

Tournament founder and course designer Jack Nicklaus, functioning well in his second tournament with a new ceramic hip, shot his second consecutive 74 and barely made the cut. Defending champion Fred Couples shot a 74 and missed it by a shot.

Looking for his first victory in more than 14 months, Lee Trevino birdied six of the last nine holes for a 67 and joined a six-way tie for the lead in the Cadillac NFL Golf Classic senior event in Clifton, N.J.

Northwestern sophomore Luke Donald shot an even-par 72 to hold the lead at 3-under 213 heading into the final round of the NCAA men's golf championships at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

MOTOR SPORTS: Dick Trickle set a Busch Grand National record in qualifying for the MBNA Platinum 200 at Dover Downs in Delaware. He took his Chevrolet around the high-banked concrete oval in 155.213 mph for the seventh pole of his Busch career.

The condition of Steve Fried, the chief mechanic for rookie driver Robby McGehee critically injured in a crash at Sunday's Indianapolis 500, has been upgraded to fair.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) LINDROS

(2) BLADES