NEW YORK – Concerns about swine flu prompted CONCACAF to cancel the rest of its under-17 soccer championship in Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the United States had clinched spots in the semifinals of the tournament, being played in Tijuana.

But after the Mexican government announced it was closing schools nationwide, CONCACAF said Monday it would abandon the tournament “to safeguard the health of players, officials and fans.”

Health officials say 20 deaths in Mexico are confirmed to be from swine flu, which is also suspected of causing more than 100 other deaths there.

The U.S. team, which had won all three of its group matches, was heading back to Bradenton, Fla., where the players and coaches are based.

“Our primary concern is the safety of our athletes and all of the athletes that were involved in the tournament,” said Neil Buethe, spokesman for US Soccer. “If CONCACAF feels this is the best decision to ensure the safety of all the athletes, we support that.”

Varnado to test waters

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State forward Jarvis Varnado announced Monday that he has declared for the NBA draft but won’t hire an agent.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound junior from Brownsville, Tenn., said in a school news release that he wanted to get a feel for his draft status. By not signing with an agent, he could return to Mississippi State.

NEW YORK – Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger joined the board of U.S. organizers bidding to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022.

Kissinger was chairman of the advisory committee of the successful bid in 1988 for the 1994 World Cup and became vice chairman of the organizing committee. He previously was part of the failed U.S. bid for the 1986 tournament, when FIFA said it would be moved from Colombia. Mexico wound up hosting.

“I don’t think we have a huge chance in 2018. I think it will probably go to Europe,” Kissinger said Monday. “We’ll certainly contest for it. And just as ’86 guaranteed that we got it in ’94, so I think bidding for 2018 will give us a great chance for 2022.”

FIFA’s executive committee will vote on the 2018 and 2022 hosts in December 2010, and many think the 2018 vote will come down to England or Spain. Kissinger thinks Russia, which has never hosted soccer’s showcase, will get strong consideration.

Next year’s tournament is in South Africa, and Brazil will stage the World Cup in 2014.

“I think Europe will probably get it in 2018,” he said. “Our best shot is ’22, but I hope we can get it in ’18. But it’s hard to believe Europe will let it go three times in a row.”

Kissinger received FIFA’s order of merit in 1996, with the governing body saying his “support for football from the high-profile position of his public office has contributed greatly to raising its visibility and credibility in the United States.”

Kissinger views President Obama as an asset in the campaign for the tournament, saying he believes the new administration is viewed favorably around the world.

“We know that Obama is very interested in sports,” Kissinger said. “I think as we go along we should be able to get a hearing at the White House, get him to say something favorable about us.”

No stampedes in 2010?

JOHANNESBURG – The organizer of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa said problems that often lead to stadium stampedes won’t be an issue during the tournament.

Danny Jordaan spoke Monday, a day after a stampede at a World Cup qualifying game in Ivory Coast killed at least 19 people.

Jordaan said many African fans buy tickets when they reach the stadium and often arrive late. He said a typical scenario involved impatient crowds outside hearing a goal has been scored.

“It triggers a stampede that leads to disaster,” Jordaan said. “Those things will not occur in the Confederations Cup or the World Cup. It is impossible.”

For the Confederations Cup this year and the World Cup in 2010, tickets must be bought well in advance. Jordaan said those without tickets will be stopped miles away, and fans will be urged to arrive when gates open three hours before a game.

The Los Angeles Sol's Shannon Boxx (right) attempts a header shot over the Washington Freedom's Sonia Bompastor (left) and Becky Sauerbrunn during the first half of a Women's Professional Soccer match Sunday in Carson, Calif.

CARSON, Calif. – Allison Falk isn’t used to playing in front of large crowds. The nearly 15,000 at the Home Depot Center didn’t bother her, though.

Falk and Camille Abily each scored and the Los Angeles Sol blanked the Washington Freedom 2-0 on a blustery Sunday in the inaugural game of the Women’s Professional Soccer league.

The Sol (1-0) and Freedom (0-1) were the first to play their games in the seven-team WPS, a league in the works for nearly three years before being finalized in late 2008.

“The whole game was surreal. It was an amazing experience,” said Falk, who graduated from Stanford in 2008. “I think this is probably one of the bigger crowds I have played for, but you just have to get out there and just play.”

Girls held up flags from every country before the game and soccer great Mia Hamm was part of the pregame hoopla. Hamm, who has twin daughters, was excited about the new league.

“As a mother of twins, who one day might be out on the field themselves, the opportunity for young girls and women to play world class professional soccer in their country is something very special,” she said.

“What was the attendance?” Sol coach Abner Rogers asked.

It was 14,832 at the Home Depot Center – which has a capacity of 27,000. The Sol were initially expecting somewhere around 10,000.

“That’s great. Everyone’s been waiting a long time for this. Hopefully they enjoyed it,” Rogers said.

Armstrong riding again

Lance Armstrong is back on the bike.

Three days after surgery to fix his broken right collarbone, Armstrong posted a photo of himself training on his Twitter feed Saturday afternoon.

“Got on the spin bike for half an hour today,” the seven-time Tour de France champion wrote.

The 37-year-old American cyclist was expected to resume training almost immediately to meet his goal of racing in the Giro d’Italia, which begins May 9.

He also plans to ride in the Tour this July, his first since 2005.

Surgeon Doug Elenz inserted a stainless steel plate and 12 screws to stabilize the broken collarbone Wednesday, two days after Armstrong crashed in the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain.

ZURICH, Switzerland – FIFA on Monday asked for a full report into what caused a soccer stadium tragedy that killed at least 19 people in the Ivory Coast.

In addition to the deaths, 132 people were wounded on Sunday when the crowd stampeded before a World Cup qualifying match against Malawi in the capital Abidjan.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter sent a message of sympathy to the victims, and asked for a report from the Ivorian soccer association and city authorities.

“I wish to express extreme sorrow and extend our condolences to the Ivorian football community and, most importantly, to family, friends and loved ones following the tragic deaths in Abidjan yesterday,” Blatter said in a statement.

FIFA, soccer’s global governing body which organizes the World Cup, said it had asked for the reports “to establish the sequence of events that happened outside the stadium before the match.”

Ivory Coast state television reported that prime minister Guillaume Soro has convened an emergency cabinet meeting later Monday to discuss the incident.

The stadium was packed with spectators, many drawn to see star striker Didier Drogba return from England to play for his home country.

The crush set off a panic 40 minutes before kickoff. Witnesses said fans at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium rushed toward the field, causing a wall to come down and setting off a stampede.

The match went ahead as scheduled. Ivory Coast won 5-0 with Chelsea striker Drogba scoring twice.

It was the first match in the final stage of African qualifying for the 2010 World Cup being played in South Africa. It also counted toward qualifying for the 2010 African Cup of Nations hosted by Angola next January.

Danny Jordaan, who heads the 2010 World Cup organizing committee, pledged on Monday that the problems which too often lead to stadium stampedes on the continent would not be an issue during the tournament. Jordaan said fans without tickets would be “stopped kilometers away.”

In June last year, 10 people died in an overcrowded stadium before a World Cup qualifying match between Liberia and Gambia.

The victims at the Samuel K. Doe Stadium in Monrovia suffocated when dozens of people fell from upper-level seats onto spectators below after a metal barrier gave way.

That match also went ahead after the tragedy.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – No. 7 Andy Roddick beat defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-2 Friday and will face No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.

Nadal, trying for his second Indian Wells title in three years, rolled to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Juan Martin del Potro.

No. 2 Roger Federer, who won the title three consecutive years beginning in 2004, faces No. 4 Andy Murray on Saturday in the other semifinal.

Roddick’s game was solid all-around against No. 3 Djokovic. The error-prone Serbian made 30 unforced errors, 18 more than his American opponent.

“I don’t think he had his best day, by any means,” Roddick said. “I mixed up the paces pretty well. I hit my forehand when I had to. The chip was a pretty good neutralizing shot for me.

“I was hitting it pretty firm, and I didn’t really miss any returns. I think that’s a big thing for me.”

Nadal covered the court extremely well in his win over del Potro, keeping the ball in play even when the Argentine had him racing from side to side. Often, Nadal would be on the run and slash a winner crosscourt or down the line.

On the women’s side, defending champion Ana Ivanovic and Vera Zvonareva earned spots in Sunday’s final. Ivanovic defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-3. Zvonareva beat Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3.

MLS to grow to 18 teams

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland will join Major League Soccer in 2011 along with Vancouver, British Columbia, as the league expands to 18 teams.

The Seattle Sounders became the 15th team Thursday, beating the New York Reds Bulls 3-0 in their opener. The Philadelphia area was awarded a 2010 expansion team last year, and Vancouver on Wednesday was picked to become MLS’ second Canadian team, following Toronto.

Flowing Wells High School senior Skye Schultz was an offensive force and led her team to the 2009 Class 4A Division I soccer state championship. She is the 2009 Tucson Citizen Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

Girls Player of the Year

WHO: Skye Schultz, Sr., Flowing Wells High School

WHAT SHE DID: Schultz had 28 goals and 19 assists in her senior year, leading the Flowing Wells soccer team to the Class 4A Division I state championship over Sahuaro. She logged 123 goals in her high school career.

She will attend the University of Texas at El Paso on a soccer scholarship this year.

QUOTABLE: “I am really flattered about the whole thing,” Schultz said. “I’m still in shock about how we . . . came together to win the state championship in my senior year.”

Girls Coach of the Year

WHO: Dave Kruszewski, Sahuaro

WHAT HE DID: Led Sahuaro to its first state final game in 25 years. His Cougars finished undefeated in the 4A Kino Region, beating Sabino, Cienega and eventual state champion Flowing Wells.

QUOTABLE: “I was very pleased with the season,” said Kruszewski. “Sahuaro had some great teams, but for whatever reason they weren’t able to make it to the final game. This year’s team expected to be (in the state finals). That was the difference.”

• • •

“(At the team’s first practice) I told them, ‘Feb. 14 (the date of the title game) – this is the team that is going to take you there.’ ”

FIRST TEAM

F Jasmine Schultz, So., Flow. Wells

F Ashley Willoughby, So., Marana

F Lily Haspert, Sr., Sahuaro

MF Skye Schultz, Sr., Flowing Wells

MF LeeAndra Smith, So., Palo Verde

MF Taylor McCarter, Sr., Sahuarita

MF Leilani Skinner, So., Douglas

D Alex Balcer, Sr., Catalina Foothills

D Christina Farrell, Sr., Iron. Ridge

D Rachel Krenzer, Sr., Sabino

GK Cat Lena, Jr., Salpointe

SECOND TEAM

F Taya Simmons, Sr., Cat. Foothills

F Melina Vasquez, So., Palo Verde

F Miranda Brower, Sr., Sahuaro

MF Elly Havel, Sr., Catalina Foothills

MF Ashley Wright, Sr., Salpointe

MF Nicola Hermes, Sr., Cienega

MF Rebekah DeJonghe, Sr., Salpointe

D Jessica Syswerda, Sr., Cienega

D Jade Carr, Jr., Marana

D Cory Vega, Sr., Douglas

GK Brooke Anderson, Jr., Flow. Wells

HONORABLE MENTION

BUENA: Amanda Buttner, Molley Ward. CDO: Megan Baker, Kristen Rizzo, Cara Beauchamp. CAT. FOOTHILLS: Katerina Rowan, Brianna Williams. CIENEGA: Tori Rhodes, Tori Slattery, Cady Cartwright, Alicia Parrott. DES. CHRISTIAN: Caitlin Duran, Emily Holz, Haleigh Powell. DES. VIEW: Karina Orduna. DOUGLAS: Elise Urquijo, Alexis Romero, Michelle Chavez, Elizabeth Clark. FLOW. WELLS: Katie Saxton, Mayra Gonzales, Celeste Carrera. IRON. RIDGE: Brooke Seavitt. MARANA: Tori Stocker, Lauren Garcia. PALO VERDE: Darian Williams, Kanasha Smith, Sam Rogers, Melina Vasquez. PUEBLO: Cynthia Quintero. PUSCH RIDGE: Chelsea Ruland. RINCON/UNIV.: Amanda Brady, Tamara Pridgett. SABINO: Mary Bowen, Annie Teece. SAHUARITA: Kristin Speer, Espy Garcia. SAHUARO: Kara Crawford, Kathy Fisher, Briana Simpson, Tarah Gutierrez. SALPOINTE: Kelli Ford, Aundrea Montoya. TUC. HIGH: Dixie Bungard, Sophia Babuca.

Sahuaro coach Dave Kruszewski led the Cougars to the 4A-I state championship game and is the Tucson Citizen Girls Soccer Coach of the Year.

———

ALL-STARS

Wednesday: Wrestling

Thursday: Soccer

Friday: Basketball

Online: tucsoncitizen.com/all-stars

Canyon del Oro High School scoring machine Nick Marshall led the Dorados to the school's first-ever boys soccer state championship, earning him 2009 Tucson Citizen Boys Soccer PLayer of the Year honors.

Boys Player of the Year

WHO: Nick Marshall, Sr., Canyon del Oro High School

WHAT HE DID: Marshall led the Dorados to their first boys soccer state championship.

Marshall, who has given a verbal commitment to play in college at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, scored 39 goals this season along with 12 assists.

Marshall also served as the place-kicker for the past two seasons for Canyon del Oro’s football team.

QUOTABLE: “This is pretty big. It’s nice everyone is following me through my soccer career,” Marshall said of family and friends who have been a part of his high school soccer career. “It puts more pressure on me. I’ve got to be a better player going into college.”

Boys Coach of the Year

WHO: Roxanne Taylor, Rincon/University

WHAT SHE DID: Taylor coached the Rangers to their third-consecutive boys soccer state championship game – the past two in Class 5A Division II and one in Class 4A Division I in 2007.

Rincon finished with a 19-6 overall record and won the 5A-II Southern Region championship, earning the No. 3 seed in the 5A-II state tournament.

With a 1-0 win over Nogales on Jan. 6, Rincon put Taylor in elite company, handing the coach her 300th-career coaching victory.

QUOTABLE: “I’m really proud of the accomplishments,” Taylor said. “I always have to put it back on the team. If I didn’t have great players, then I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m lucky every year we get better and better players.”

FIRST TEAM

F Donny Toia, Jr., Canyon del Oro

F Nick Marshall, Sr., CDO

F Mihn Vu, Sr., Rincon/University

MF Colin Anderson, Sr., Rinc./Univ.

MF Jann Nash, Sr., Sabino

MF Tony Lopez, Sr., Douglas

MF Fabian Romero, Jr., Sunnyside

D Phillip Porter, Sr., Salpointe

D Conner Muir, Sr., Canyon del Oro

D Abi Del Castillo, Sr., Douglas

GK Martin Encinas, Sr., Tucson High

SECOND TEAM

F J.C. Henson, Sr., Buena

F Ramon Acosta, Sr., Douglas

MF Blake Brennan, Jr., Salpointe

MF Joe Caito, Sr., Tucson High

MF Mike Valacich, Sr., CDO

D/F Rajiv Morales, Sr., Sunnyside

D Oscar Ortega, Jr., Sunnyside

D Niko Dougall, Jr., Salpointe

D Liam Beatty, Sr., Sabino

D Brice Nzeukou, Sr., Rincon/Univ.

GK Michael D’Arrigo, Sr., Cat. Foot.

HONORABLE MENTION

BUENA: Josh Rieffer, Declan Fulton. CDO: Ronald Tadoum, Eric Edwards. CATALINA: Mario Moraga, Ramon Vega. CAT. FOOTHILLS: Garrett Brown, Bryan English, Kyle Larson. CHOLLA: Rocky Farruggia. CIENEGA: Matt Cahill. DOUGLAS: Francisco Cruz, Jesus Cuevas, Ricky Smith, Martin Paco. IRON. RIDGE: Ben Ambrosio. MTN VIEW: Nick Peppe. PALO VERDE: Assani Igulu. PUEBLO: David Quevedo. PUSCH RIDGE: Matt Horrigan, Mitch Woody, Casey Vick. RINCON/UNIVERSITY: Fernando Mendez, Jeff Amlee, Tyler Heffernan, Lorenzo Portugal. SABINO: Paul Neff, Chase Ronsman, Jeff Weiler, Alex Elenas-Long. SAHUARITA: Eddie Maynard. SAHUARO: Dan Bacon, Zach Winans. SALPOINTE: Sergio Carrillo, Dylan Kelly. SUNNYSIDE: Ricardo Velazco. TUCSON HIGH: Jorge Bravo, Chris Marrone.

Rincon/University boys soccer coach Roxanne Taylor won her 300th career game this year and is the Tucson Citizen Boys Soccer Coach of the Year.

BAGHDAD – Police say an Iraqi soccer player has been shot dead just as he was about to kick what could have been the tying goal in a weekend game south of Baghdad.

Police Maj. Muthanna Khalid says a striker from the Buhairat amateur team was facing only the goalie during a Sunday match in Hillah when a supporter of the rival Sinjar club shot him in the head in the final minute of play.

Sinjar was leading 1-0 when the shooting occurred. Khalid said a spectator was arrested.

More Iraqis are turning out for sports events now that security is improving. Major matches in Baghdad are heavily guarded but security in amateur games in smaller cities is often lax.

LONDON – David Beckham may be honored by World Cup organizers with a special ceremony if he breaks England’s all-time appearance record at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Danny Jordaan, the 2010 chief executive, said Thursday that he planned to approach Nelson Mandela and ask the former South African president to host a ceremony.

The 33-year-old Beckham has played 108 times for England and could match Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances at the World Cup. England leads its qualifying group and has nine more matches scheduled this year.

“I will discuss it with Mandela,” Jordaan said. “(Beckham) is a great role model and we look forward to having him in our country.”

Citing Beckham’s impact at Manchester United, Real Madrid, the Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, Jordaan said the veteran’s presence would boost the event in South Africa should England qualify.

“He has become a global brand,” Jordaan said. “He has played in the big leagues and the main markets.”

Beckham played in England’s 2-1 exhibition win at South Africa in 2003, but was substituted in the 51st minute after breaking his wrist.

CSU suspends linebacker

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Colorado State has suspended linebacker Ricky Brewer for the 2009 season for violating team rules.

The university announced the suspension on Thursday, declining to specify the nature of Brewer’s infraction because of privacy issues. He will continue to practice with the Rams during his suspension.

Brewer was second on the team with 103 tackles last year. He will retain his final season of eligibility and return in 2010 for his senior season.

In a statement released by the school, Brewer says he made an error in judgment and apologized.

Hewitt advances

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Two-time champion Lleyton Hewitt beat Jan Hernych 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday.

Hewitt, once the top-ranked ATP Tour player in the world, won this event in 2002 and 2003 and lost to Roger Federer in the 2005 final.

POMONA, Calif. – Former Arizona State University kicker Tony Zendejas was acquitted Tuesday of drugging a woman at his San Dimas restaurant and raping her.

Zendejas, who played 11 seasons in the NFL before retiring in 1995, was initially charged with four felony sex charges – two of which were dismissed during the trial. Defense attorney Timothy Younger said the jury deliberated 90 minutes before acquitting his client of the remaining charges in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

“I’m not surprised at all,” Younger told The Associated Press.

He said prosecutors had little evidence against his client but “seemed to decide they wanted to move forward with this case no matter how much evidence we showed them of Tony’s innocence.”

NFL notes

FALCONS: Atlanta bulked up its depleted linebacker corps, signing free agent Mike Peterson on Tuesday. The 32-year-old Peterson played the last six seasons with the Jaguars.

49ERS: Quarterback Alex Smith is staying with San Francisco after agreeing to restructure his contract.

JAGUARS: Dallas signed former Jacksonville Jaguars safety Gerald Sensabaugh to a one-year deal on Tuesday.

Beckham suffers injury

MILAN – David Beckham hurt his right ankle during practice with AC Milan on Tuesday, although the injury does not appear serious.

The Italian league club said it will evaluate the former England captain over the next few days. Milan plays at Siena on Sunday.

The injury comes three days after Beckham extended his loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy through the end of the Serie A season.

<h4>Going right over him </h4>
Texas forward Damion James (above) collides with guard LaceDarius Dunn and another Baylor player for an offensive foul during Monday's game in Austin, Texas.

GLENDALE – We rarely pass up an opportunity to stick the needle in Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, the Bidwill family or Ken Kendrick of the Arizona Diamondbacks when they go cheap.

We generally have left Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes alone because the guy’s team is bleeding something like $30 million a year, and he can’t even charge for parking.

Anyway, we understand that these ultimately are businesses they run.

However, we always have figured that, if you aren’t willing to pay what it takes to compete, then this should not be your business.

Go open a bank or a mortgage company, where the government will bail you out if you make a mess of it.

That’s why, when it comes to money battles in pro sports, The Heat Index typically comes down on the side of the player, especially if that player also happens to be a great person on and off the field.

It also is what makes this whole Kurt Warner situation so bothersome.

As you probably know, the Cardinals offered Warner a two-year contract extension reportedly worth a total of $20 million.

Seeking a two-year, $28 million deal, he did not sign, became a free agent and now is visiting other teams, including the San Francisco 49ers.

“I don’t know that he has a choice,” Warner’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, said.

No choice? Right.

It’s a classic agent maneuver, putting the screws to the Cardinals, who are under pressure to keep a Super Bowl team intact.

He knows everybody loves Warner and that the Cardinals would get ripped if they don’t pay.

But this is no the time for that stuff.

Not when the people who ultimately make all of those millions available to pro athletes – fans – are hurting so badly.

Not when people are losing their jobs and homes.

Not when businesses large and small are going under.

Not when the very league that allowed Warner to hone his decision-making and polish his quick delivery – the Arena Football League – is on the verge of going belly up.

No, we don’t want to hear it right now.

This is no time to be greedy, and that goes for ownership and players.

In fairness to Warner, what he and his teammates pulled off has aided the Cardinals financially in a big way.

Had the Cardinals lost their first playoff game to Atlanta, season-ticket renewals likely would have been dismal in this economy.

And Warner will be 38 in June. Because he had to play his way into the NFL instead of coming in as a high draft pick, he didn’t get big money upfront.

But everybody is getting squeezed right now. We’re all making choices. Despite what his agent says, Warner has one, too.

Rich or richer.

Sanchez gets full ride

Pima men’s soccer player Travis Sanchez has received a scholarship to play for Oregon State University.

“I am really excited about this opportunity,” Sanchez said in a news release. “After I visited the campus, I knew this was going to be a good place for me. I liked the coaches, the facilities and the players seemed like really good guys.”

Sanchez, from Las Cruces, N.M., was voted to the first-team All-ACCAC in both his seasons with the Aztecs.

Citizen Staff Report

Serena tops Venus in N.Y.

NEW YORK – Serena Williams wore down sister Venus to win the Billie Jean King Cup on Monday night, finishing off the return of women’s tennis to Madison Square Garden with a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The Williams sisters gave the crowd exactly what it wanted by advancing to the championship of the one-night exhibition but Venus was never the same after she was broken in a marathon game in the first set.

Serena Williams won $400,000 of the $1.2 million purse as women’s tennis returned to the Garden after a nine-year absence.

Venus Williams reached the final by beating Jelena Jankovic 6-4, and Serena advanced with a 6-3 win over Ana Ivanovic.

The Associated Press

Marshall could miss time

DENVER – Denver Broncos star receiver Brandon Marshall faces a possible suspension even though a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a fight with his fiancée was dismissed in an Atlanta court Monday.

Municipal Judge Clinton Deveaux dismissed the case after Marshall and his fiancée, Michi Leshase Nogami-Campbell, both of whom were charged with disorderly conduct, refused to testify against each other.

Despite being in the clear from a legal standpoint, the Pro Bowl receiver might still be disciplined for repeated violations of the league’s personal conduct code, which gives commissioner Roger Goodell the authority to punish players.

The Associated Press

Web head

NUMBER OF THE DAY

Big East schools ranked in the men’s AP Top 25 this week, the most of any conference. Other top leagues:

ACC 5

Big Ten 3

Big 12 3

Pac-10 3

Five leagues tied with 1

QUOTABLE

'It's really good to get (Sunday) behind me - another one of the big steps.'

ALEX RODRIGUEZ,

Yankees third baseman, on meeting with MLB representatives Sunday about his past use of banned performance-enhancing substances

———

ON THIS DATE

1984: Peter Ueberroth, president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, is elected commissioner of baseball by major league team owners.

1987: Mike Tyson adds the WBA heavyweight crown to his WBC heavyweight crown with a unanimous 12-round decision over James “Bonecrusher” Smith in Las Vegas.

2001: Maurice Greene equals his world record in the 60-meter dash, running 6.39 seconds in a semifinal heat at the USA Indoor Championships in Atlanta.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Cats need to learn how to finish off opponents

Re: UA men’s basketball

• Ya know, we are good. The problem is we need to learn to finish right now. If we are so bad like all of you think we are, then I don’t think we would have beaten both Washington schools, Kansas, UCLA, Gonzaga, USC, Houston, etc. So please spare me the lecture on how “bad” we are. You look at our losses and I think two out of the 11 were blowouts and the rest we had a chance to win. So please! We will be fine for Thursday and Saturday. ASU may have 21 wins, but with their cupcake schedule to be only one game over 20 wins is ridiculous.

JUST A FAN

• I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no heart.

They seemed at times desperate, aloof and nonchalant. No sense of urgency, no desperation, no killer instinct.

SPDWSWANGUY

• It has been a long season thus far, but there are still games to be played and this group will be playing in every game this year. As opposed to recent years when some of the players obviously threw in the towel before Valentine’s Day and the rest were left to limp into the postseason.

JJ FORD

Got a beef? E-mail: sports@tucsoncitizen.com (sports@tucsoncitizen.com). Call: 573-4635 Fax: 573-4569. Write: Sports sound-off, P.O. Box 26767, Tucson 85726-6767

AC Milan's David Beckham prepares to give his shirt to a fan after the UEFA Cup round of 32 first leg soccer match between Werder Bremen and AC Milan in Bremen, Germany, on Wednesday. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

MILAN – AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said the club was closer to completing David Beckham’s transfer from the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“In the past few hours we have taken steps forward,” Galliani told La Gazzetta dello Sport after arriving back in Milan following the team’s 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup late Wednesday.

There have been conflicting reports the past few days over the state of the negotiations following the expiration of Friday’s Major League Soccer-imposed deadline.

Milan’s owner, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has said he is hopeful that the England international star would remain with AC Milan.

Speaking after a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Berlusconi said: “I would like it if he stays with Milan because his passing is essential.”

Leipheimer keeps lead

PASO ROBLES, Calif. – Mark Cavendish won a stage for the second straight day and two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer kept his race lead for the fourth straight day Thursday after the fifth stage of the Tour of California.

Cavendish completed the 134.3-mile road race – the longest stage in the event – from Visalia to Paso Robles in 5 hours, 7 minutes and 28 seconds. He beat Tom Boonen for the second straight day.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who began the day in fourth place, finished 19th in the main field. Armstrong remained 30 seconds behind Leipheimer.

Injury postpones title bout

LAS VEGAS – Light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson’s rematch with Antonio Tarver has been postponed after Dawson injured his hand during training this week.

Dawson (27-0, 17 KOs) was scheduled to fight Tarver (27-5, 19 KOs) on March 14 at the Palms casino in Las Vegas.

The fight was a contractually obligated rematch of their bout on Oct. 11, which Dawson won in a one-sided unanimous decision to claim the IBF’s 175-pound belt.

Dawson, who apparently was injured during a sparring session, attempted to secure a bout with fellow undefeated champion Joe Calzaghe last year before agreeing to fight Tarver again.

The rematch wasn’t immediately rescheduled.

‘Big’ race for U.S. bobsledders

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Todd Hays knows what’s at stake, and so do the rest of his teammates on the U.S. bobsled team.

“This is the big race, the most important race of the year,” Hays said of the bobsled world championships. “The results determine our funding for the Olympic year. We’re looking to have a huge result here.”

Fortunately for the U.S. team, the “here” is the U.S. team’s home track at Mount Van Hoevenberg.

The competition starts Friday with the first two heats of the women’s competition. Bobsledding concludes March 1 with the final two heats of the men’s four-man, with the skeleton competition squeezed in between.

<h4>Please remove your face from my hand </h4>

North Carolina's Cetera DeGraffenreid is fouled by Georgia Tech's Brigitte Ardossi during the first half in Chapel Hill on Sunday. North Carolina won 73-50.

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BOCA RATON, Fla. – Mark O’Meara said Sunday that Tiger Woods looks better than ever and is ready to return to the PGA Tour, but he stopped short of saying the world’s No. 1 player would be at the Accenture Match Play Championship that starts Feb. 25.

Speculation has increased over the past week that Woods would make his debut in Marana, because his wife gave birth to their second child – a boy named Charlie Axel – last Sunday.

Woods has not played since reconstructive surgery on his left knee a week after winning the U.S. Open in June.Tom Jenkins, a co-leader at the Allianz Championship on the Champions Tour, had said Saturday that O’Meara told him Woods had planned to return at Match Play, and if not then, play Doral and Bay Hill in Florida.

O’Meara has been close friends with Woods since he joined the PGA Tour in 1996 at age 20.

“He hasn’t told me personally when he’s going to start back, but I know he’s pretty much almost ready to start back, so I wouldn’t be surprised,” O’Meara said. “But I don’t make his schedule, and I know that everybody always wants me to tell everybody when he’s going to play, but I don’t know what he’s going to play.”

Woods is the defending champion at Match Play and has an endorsement deal with Accenture. He is expected to be in Arizona next week for a corporate obligation, although that doesn’t mean he will play.

Woods has until Friday to decide.

Beckham injured in Italy

MILAN, Italy – David Beckham hurt his hamstring in AC Milan’s 2-1 loss to Inter Milan on Sunday, days after his MLS team cut off talks of transferring him to the Italian side.

Beckham, who is on loan to AC Milan through March 9, played 56 minutes before being replaced. He appeared fatigued, having also played a half for England against Spain on Wednesday.

The English superstar had wanted to make a permanent move to AC Milan, to better prepare him for one last go-round with England in the 2010 World Cup. After the Los Angeles Galaxy rejected the Italian team’s first offer, MLS commissioner Don Garber set a deadline to conclude talks.

When Milan didn’t counteroffer by Friday, the Galaxy announced the matter closed.

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti remained hopeful to sign Beckham, despite the Galaxy and MLS – which owns Beckham’s five-year Galaxy contract – ruling out further talk about a deal.

A-Rod apologizes to writer

TAMPA, Fla. – Alex Rodriguez has called Sports Illustrated’s Selena Roberts to apologize for critical comments he made during an ESPN interview.

Roberts was co-author of the Feb. 7 article on SI’s Web site that reported he was on a list of 104 players who tested positive for steroids during baseball’s anonymous 2003 survey. Rodriguez told ESPN two days later that he had used banned substances from 2001-03 while playing for Texas.

“I know this lady from Sports Illustrated, Selena Roberts, is trying to throw things out there that in high school I tried steroids. I mean, that’s the biggest bunch of baloney I’ve ever heard in my life,” he told ESPN, adding that “this lady is coming out with all these allegations, all these lies.”

Roberts said Sunday that Rodriguez called her last Wednesday. She didn’t want to comment on the call until Rodriguez holds a news conference after arriving at spring training Tuesday.

She is writing a book “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez,” due for publication by HarperCollins on April 14.

Armstrong perseveres

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Lance Armstrong finished among the leaders in the Tour of California’s opening stage on an exasperating Sunday that included drenching rain, a flat tire and the theft of his time-trial bike.

Armstrong persevered through his profoundly gloomy day to finish fifth in the stage, although he was awarded a finish time identical to that of 17 other riders in a large peloton directly behind surprise winner Francisco Mancebo of Spain.

Armstrong led a chase group that never quite caught up to the soaked race leaders on the final miles of a grueling 107-mile grind.

But the day began inauspiciously and got worse before a solid finish by Armstrong, who might have been rethinking his comeback during five frigid hours in the rain – if he hadn’t already endured much tougher struggles with cancer and doping allegations during a historic racing career that includes seven Tour de France titles.

“Holy hell. That was terrible,” Armstrong wrote on his Twitter feed about 15 minutes after finishing. “Maybe one of the toughest days I’ve had on a bike, purely based on the conditions. I’m still freezing.”

His time-trial bike was stolen from the Astana truck in Sacramento along with the race bikes of teammates Steve Morabito, Yaroslav Popovych and Janez Brajkovic.

The Bounce: Tiger looks ready but will he play here?

QUOTABLE

'I love them all, but I have not seen anybody take control of a basketball game as consistently as Steve Nash does.'

JOHN McCAIN,

Arizona senator, on the pick of his favorite Suns player

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SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Vote cast for keeping Pennell

Re: UA basketball

I’m getting tired of hearing about “interim” head coach Russ Pennell. If he isn’t picked up as our new coach, the administration is more messed up than I thought.

SNAKE 6

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ON THIS DATE

1970: Joe Frazier retains his world heavyweight title with a fifth-round knockout of Jimmy Ellis.

1997: Jeff Gordon, 25, becomes the youngest winner of the Daytona 500 after Dale Earnhardt crashes 12 laps from the end to prolong his Daytona 500 jinx.

2001: Philadelphia coach Larry Brown earns his 1,000th professional win, including his record in the ABA. Brown, 1,000-707 overall, ranks third on the career list behind Toronto’s Lenny Wilkens and Miami’s Pat Riley.

Sahuaro High School's Chloe Newell (right) gets the ball past Flowing Wells' Erika Beltran during their game Jan. 20. The teams play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Class 4A Division I state championship at Tucson High.

MESA – The state championship run of the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy girls soccer team ended a day earlier than the team would have liked.

For the Canyon del Oro and Douglas boys and Sahuaro and Flowing Wells girls soccer teams, Saturday brings one final chance to win state championship trophies.

CDO plays No. 2 Scottsdale Chaparral at noon Saturday at Tucson High for the Class 4A Division I boys soccer championship. Douglas plays Phoenix Cortez for the 4A-II boys title at Arizona State University at 3 p.m.

Also at Tucson High, the Flowing Wells and Sahuaro girls teams play at 2:30 p.m. for the 4A-I girls state title.

For the Pusch Ridge girls, it didn’t take long in Friday’s Class 1A/2A/3A semifinal game at Mesa Mountain View High School to realize it was going to be a long night.

Phoenix Northwest Christian took an early 2-0 lead with goals in the first and ninth minutes and cruised to a 3-1 win to beat Pusch Ridge and advance to Saturday’s state championship.

“It brought them down mentally and it was hard to win that back after they were up two,” Pusch Ridge coach Betsy Souza said.

Northwest Christian sophomore Caitlyn Mains scored both of the early goals. A shellshocked Pusch Ridge team wasn’t able to mount a comeback.

“I think their nerves were definitely on them,” Souza said, “and this is one of the few opportunities to get this far.”

The Lions were able to muster just two shots on goal in the first half as Northwest Christian controlled possession.

Pusch Ridge got on the board in the 36th minute as Laura Calvert deflected a ball off of Northwest Christian’s Ashlyn Jacks, which skirted past Crusaders goalie Abby Irwin.

“To get that one back, I thought there might be a chance,” Souza said.

But Northwest Christian scored again in the 46th minute to end the drama.

Despite the loss, Souza is happy with what this year’s team has built for the future.

“We actually have, I think, some good freshmen coming in next year,” Souza said. “I’m looking for some good results next year as well.”

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SOCCER PLAYOFFS

Saturday

4A-I girls championship: No. 9 Flowing Wells vs. No. 3 Sahuaro (2:30 p.m., Tucson High)

4A-I boys championship: No. 5 Scottsdale Chaparral vs. No. 2 Canyon del Oro (noon, Tucson High)

4A-II boys championship: No. 5 Phoenix Cortez vs. No. 2 Douglas (3 p.m., Arizona State University; TV – Cox 7)

TEMPE – Douglas defender Abi Del Castillo began experimenting with a somersault throw-in two years ago in practice, and it paid enormous dividends on Saturday.

In the 36th minute of the Class 4A Division II title game at Arizona State University’s Soccer Stadium, Del Castillo took a few quick steps on the right sideline, flipped and winged the ball into the box, where senior midfielder Tony Lopez soared through a crowd and headed it into the net for the game’s only goal.

No. 2 Douglas, which three years ago shared a championship with Cave Creek Cactus Shadows in a 1-1 tie, disposed of No. 5 Phoenix Cortez 1-0 for the first outright title in school history.

“Total elation,” Douglas coach Ken Cormier said. “We’ve scored a lot of goals on Abi’s throw-ins. It takes a lot of teams by surprise. I didn’t teach it to him, I don’t know how he does it, I just hope we can find someone else to throw in like that (next season).”

Del Castillo was less descriptive after the game, but obviously just as happy.

“It’s awesome,” Del Castillo said after the trophy presentation. “I have no words.”

Lopez, also a senior, battled through a devastating ankle injury that kept him out a month to make it back in time for the playoffs.

“I just played my heart out every game after I was back, gave it my all, and got the goal today,” Lopez, a team captain, said. “That play, I was just waiting and waiting, and it got there, and when it got there, I went for it.”

For Lopez’s coach, it was nice to see Lopez’s four-year varsity career come full circle.

“He was a kid as a freshman that scored our goal in the state championship game,” Cormier said. “To end his career like that is unbelievable.”

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.