Poutiainen Wins Close Giant Slalom

Tanja Poutiainen made up more than a half-second on her second run for a World Cup victory Friday in Aspen, Colo., edging Sweden’s Anja Paerson by .09 seconds in a giant slalom.

It was her second World Cup victory.

Trailing Croatia’s Janica Kostelic by .6 seconds after her first run, Finland’s Poutiainen didn’t hold back on her second run at Aspen Mountain. She finished with a two-run total of 2 minutes, 12.49 seconds at the World Cup’s only U.S. stop for women, adding the giant slalom title to her victory in a slalom last February in Finland.

Kostelic, a two-time World Cup overall champion who won three gold medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, appeared to be headed toward her first victory in nearly two years with a stellar first run.

Kristina Koznick was the top American, finishing 24th -- 3.69 seconds off the lead.

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Olympics

The International Olympic Committee executive board recommended that Ivan Slavkov be ousted from the governing body for violating ethics rules and “seriously tarnishing” the organization’s image.

Slavkov, Bulgaria’s top Olympic official, has been suspended from the IOC since Aug. 7 after being implicated in a BBC television investigation into alleged corruption in the bid city process.

A final decision goes to the full IOC general assembly, which meets in July in Singapore.

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Tennis

The Fed Cup will switch to the Davis Cup’s format next year in an attempt to generate more interest in the top team event in women’s tennis while shortening the season.

The draw for 2005 was held a day before Russia plays defending champion France for the Fed Cup title.

The Fed Cup will no longer play the semifinals and finals at a single venue in one week. Instead, it will employ the Davis Cup format used by the men in which the semifinals and finals are held separately and all matches are played on a home-and-away system.

An eight-nation World Group composed of the United States, Russia, France, Italy, Belgium, Argentina, Spain and Austria will compete for the Fed Cup trophy in World Group I.

The eight nations in World Group II -- Slovakia, Switzerland, Germany, Indonesia, Thailand, Croatia, Czech Republic and Japan -- will compete for promotion to the top group.

The number of rounds will be reduced to three, with the first one played on April 23-24.

The United States, which has won the Fed Cup 17 times, will host 2001 champion Belgium in the first round.

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Speedskating

American Apolo Anton Ohno and China’s Yang (A) Yang won 1,500-meter races in World Cup short-track speedskating in Madison, Wis.

Ohno relied on his trademark style of starting back in the pack and passing skaters on the final laps, winning his second 1,500 of the season in 2 minutes, 20.061 seconds.

“It’s a dangerous scenario,” the 2002 Olympic gold medalist said of his racing plan. “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Canada’s Mathieu Turcotte (2:20.118) and Charles Hamelin (2:20.196) completed the top three in the 1,500.

Yang, competing again after taking a year off, won her first gold medal of the season, crossing in 2:36.521.

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Baseball

Former New York Yankee hitting coach Rick Down was hired for the same job by the Mets, reuniting him with new Manager Willie Randolph.

The Mets also hired former major league catcher Tom Nieto to be their catching instructor.

Down was the Yankee hitting coach in 2002 and 2003. He was fired after New York’s batters slumped in losing the 2003 World Series to Florida. Last season, Down was coordinator of minor league instruction for the Yankees.

He also has been a hitting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.

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Hockey

A minor league hockey player sitting in the stands at a game in Wheeling, W.Va., was suspended after dropping his pants to fans in the crowd.

Dan Sullivan of the Reading Royals was suspended for 12 games and fined an undisclosed sum by the ECHL for “making multiple obscene gestures” during the Nov. 7 game against the Wheeling Nailers.

The Royals already had indefinitely suspended Sullivan for his actions. Team spokesman John Curtis said Sullivan most likely would not play for the club again.

Sullivan, who was in the stands with another player, began arguing with fans and dropped his pants, according to Wheeling fans and one of the team’s owners.

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Soccer

The UCLA men’s and women’s teams continue their quests for NCAA championships today with playoff matches.

The Bruin men will play host to St. John’s in a third-round match at 7 p.m. at Drake Stadium.

A UCLA victory would put the team into the quarterfinals against the winner of Maryland-Creighton. The final four will be played at the Home Depot Center on Dec. 10 and 12.

UCLA’s women’s team, which won home games against Pepperdine, San Diego and Duke, will play today at Ohio State in a quarterfinal match beginning at 9 a.m. PST. A Bruin victory would put the team into the final four to be played at Cary, N.C., on Dec. 3 and 5.

The Galaxy will play host to Mexican Primera Division side CID Necaxa at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Home Depot Center.