Hamm Helps U.S. Women to a Draw Against China
Mia Hamm stole the ball from the fingertips of goalie Han Wenxia just outside the penalty area and scored with five minutes remaining to give the United States a 1-1 tie with China in the DFB Jubilee soccer tournament Wednesday in Gattingen, Germany.
There were 40 fouls called, but the United States outshot China, 11-2, and managed a point from the draw and a chance at the championship, with its third game Saturday against Germany.
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In Major League Soccer: Juergen Sommer made three saves for his first shutout since Sept. 9, 1998 and Wolde Harris scored with five minutes left to give the visiting New England Revolution a 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards. . . . The Dallas Burn tied the Miami Fusion, 1-1, in 103-degree heat at Dallas.
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At least five police officers might face involuntary manslaughter charges in the deaths of 13 fans killed in a stampede after police fired tear gas during aJuly 8 World Cup qualifying game between Zimbabwe and South Africa in Harare, Zimbabwe, said Augustine Chihuri, the country’s police chief. . . . An Afghanistan official who detained visiting Pakistani soccer players and shaved their heads because he was offended by their exposed legs Saturday has been fired and arrested, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban militia said in Kabul.
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Julio Cesar Cortes, coach of the Guatemalan soccer team that tied the U.S. men Sunday, said that he has received death threats since suspending four players, including popular forward Guillermo Ramirez, from the national team. The suspensions have not been fully explained. . . . Argentina beat Ecuador, 2-0, to remain unbeaten and atop the standings in South America World Cup qualifiers. In other games, Colombia got past Peru, 1-0, and Bolivia beat visiting Chile, 1-0.
Jurisprudence
Bill Koch, the yachtsman who won the 1992 America’s Cup, was arrested at his Barnstable, Mass., home and charged with domestic abuse and threatening to commit murder while allegedly arguing with his wife and son.
The 60-year-old multimillionaire pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Prosecutors reached a deferred prosecution agreement with New Jersey-based Andy Miller, a sports agent accused of making improper phone calls to former University of Florida basketball player Mike Miller. The agent must pay $1,500 in investigative costs and participate in a debriefing session.
Tennis
Defending champion Conchita Martinez of Spain rallied from a set down to beat Bulgaria’s Magdalena Maleeva, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, and reach the quarterfinals of the $180,000 WTA Polish Open in Warsaw. Second-seeded Anke Huber also advanced to the final eight, eliminating Tathiana Garbin of Italy, 6-3, 6-3.
Marat Safin of Russia, playing well on clay this season, rallied past Andrei Pavel of Romania, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the second round of the $1-million Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.
Names in the News
Defenseman Alexei Zhitnik, vowing to rebound from a season in which he had only two goals and 13 points in 74 games, accepted the Buffalo Sabres’ qualifying offer of a one-year, $2.5-million deal. . . . John Van Boxmeer, the former coach and general manager of the Ice Dogs, was named the general manager of the year in a vote by the International Hockey League’s general managers. Van Boxmeer is now vice president of hockey operations for Coach-Sports, the parent company of the Ice Dogs.
Kentucky assistant Shawn Finney, 37, was hired as Tulane’s men’s basketball coach, replacing Perry Clark, who left for Miami. . . . Brian Bell, a 17-year-old star defensive back, died after collapsing while running laps on the track at Monsignor Edward Pace High in Opa-Locka, Fla. An autopsy revealed a birth defect in his heart. . . . Los Altos’ Karen Kurreck, a former time-trial world champion, and Mari Holden, America’s top time-trial rider, joined Nicole Freedman of Stanford on the U.S. women’s road cycling team for the Sydney Olympics.
Miscellany
Trainer Bob Baffert denied responsibility after the California Horse Racing Board alleged that one of his horses tested positive for morphine after winning a race at Hollywood Park on May 3.
In filing a complaint against Baffert, the racing board said the illegal painkiller was found in the system of Nautical Look, a 3-year-old filly that won a $58,650 turf allowance race. Baffert sent the horse’s urine sample to an independent laboratory in Texas, and that test also came back positive for morphine. Baffert will receive a hearing from the Del Mar stewards sometime after the meet opens Wednesday.
The San Antonio Spurs’ new arena will be named the SBC Center in a 20-year, $41-million deal with SBC Communications Inc. Opening is set for 2002. . . . Duke’s Jason Williams and Michigan State freshman-to-be Zach Randolph scored 19 points and the United States beat Uruguay, 122-73, in the opening game of the World Championship for Young Men qualifying tournament at Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. . . . Members of an inquiry into the deaths of six sailors during the 1998 Sydney to Hobart yacht race were told in Sydney, Australia, by maritime officials that race director Phil Thompson ignored pleas to abandon the event because of dangerous weather.
