BRIFELY TWO USC FRESHMAN TO SIT WITH INJURIES.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

USC freshmen basketball players Gabe Pruitt and Emanuel Willis are out of practice for several days because of injuries. Pruitt sprained his ankle while Willis is experiencing respiratory problems. USC remains without point guard Dwayne Shackleford, who underwent knee surgery last week.

- Scott Wolf 

--Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey received a two-year contract extension after leading the Irish to three NCAA tournaments in four seasons.

--Boo Wade, expected to compete to be Wisconsin's starting point guard this season, is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team.

Coach Bo Ryan announced the move, saying Wade needed to ``concentrate on some personal issues,'' and there was no timetable for his return. Ryan didn't give any details.

SOCCER: Malcolm Glazer, 76, American owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, has increased his shareholder stake in publicly traded English soccer giant Manchester United to 28.11 percent.

The move puts Glazer in a position to possibly take over the $1.3 billion club which is perhaps the world's most lucrative and popular sports team with an estimated 50-75 million supporters worldwide.

Negotiations with the club stalled Monday. Manchester United's board of directors said it would reject a potential takeover plan by Glazer, as currently structured, out of fear that it would leave the team leveraged with onerous debt.

--Two-time winner Landon Donovan is among three finalists for the 2004 Honda Award as the men's National Soccer Player of the Year.

Other finalists selected by more than 200 sports journalists around the country and announced Monday are Carlos Bocanegra, a finalist last year, and DaMarcus Beasley.

BASEBALL: Former Arizona Diamondbacks player Alex Cabrera hit a two-run home run to lead the Seibu Lions to a 7-2 win in Game 7 of the Japan Series in Nagoya, Japan. It is the Lions' first title since 1992 and ninth overall.

Takashi Ishii gave up three hits in six scoreless innings as the Pacific League champion Lions became the first team since 1989 to clinch the championship by winning the final two games of the best-of-seven series on the road.

--Charles Seaver, the father of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver and a top amateur golfer in the 1930s, died Monday at 93.

He died in Pebble Beach, Calif. after a short illness, the New York Mets said.

--Robert Merrill, the opera baritone who felt equally comfortable on opening night at the Metropolitan Opera House or opening day at Yankee Stadium, has died. He was 85.

MOTOR SPORTS: Mexican tourism promoters announced that a new $70 million racetrack near Mexico's Caribbean coast will host Formula One races starting in 2006.