Knee Injury Knocks Lalive Out of Olympics

American skier Caroline Lalive needs surgery on her injured left knee and is expected to miss the Olympics.

She’s heading to the United States from Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, where she was injured during a World Cup training run, the U.S. Ski Team said Thursday.

Lalive, 26, named Wednesday to what would have been her third Olympic team, was hurt in downhill practice at Cortina d’Ampezzo when she landed awkwardly after a jump.

The preliminary diagnosis was that Lalive broke her left kneecap, according to U.S. Ski Team medical director Melinda Roalstad.

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Canada’s Mellisa Hollingsworth-Richards finished third in the season’s World Cup women’s skeleton final race at Altenberg, Germany, good enough for her to secure the season’s overall points championship. Switzerland’s Maya Pedersen won the race.

No American women finished among the top 10, the worst showing by the national team this season.

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Orvie Garrett was selected by the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation as its new Olympic skeleton coach, two days after Tim Nardiello was denied a credential for the Olympics.

Garrett’s appointment still must be approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee, which isn’t allowing Nardiello to coach the four-person skeleton team after an inquiry into his conduct revealed what the USOC considered ethical violations.

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Rena Inoue and John Baldwin of the U.S. won the pairs title at the Four Continents figure skating competition at Colorado Springs, Colo. Inoue and Baldwin finished with 168.89 points, almost 12 points ahead of Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau of Canada.

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto increased their lead in the dance competition. Their overall score of 97.51 points was almost 14 ahead of fellow Americans Morgan Matthews and Maxim Zavozin.

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Atlanta Thrasher goalie Kari Lehtonen withdrew from Finland’s Olympic team, saying he hasn’t fully recovered from a groin injury.

Finland will be allowed to name a replacement for Lehtonen.

BASEBALL

Moreno to Take Stand in Name Change Trial

Angel owner Arte Moreno is expected to take the witness stand today in Orange County Superior Court, more than one year after his name change prompted the city of Anaheim to sue the team.

The city alleges the new name -- the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -- violates the purpose of a stadium lease clause requiring the team name to “include the name Anaheim therein.”

The primary lease negotiators have testified the clause was intended to allow Disney to use the city’s name before or after a nickname, not to permit the addition of another place. The Angels have not contested the intent of the two men but have argued that Moreno is not bound by it because it is not explicit in the lease.

Former Anaheim mayor Tom Daly is scheduled to precede Moreno on the witness stand.

-- Bill Shaikin

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The World Baseball Classic set its pitch limits and mercy rules, designed to protect pitchers in the early stages of spring training and cut short one-sided games.

Pitchers in the first round of games, scheduled March 3-10, will be limited to 65 pitches. The amount rises to 80 pitches for the second round, set for March 12-16, and 95 for the semifinals on March 18 and the championship March 20. A 30-pitch outing must be followed by one day off, and a 50-pitch outing must be followed by four days off. No one will be allowed to pitch on three consecutive days.

All games will use designated hitters. Games will be stopped after five innings when a team is ahead by 15 or more runs and after seven innings when a team is ahead by at least 10 runs. A game can be stopped in the middle of an inning if a team reaches the threshold.

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Pitcher Gil Meche agreed to a $3.7-million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners and avoided salary arbitration.

SOCCER

Galaxy, Chivas USA Add Some Players

Chivas USA selected Florida Atlantic forward Drew Helm with the first choice in the MLS supplemental draft and chose Princeton defender Darren Spicer in the second round. Spicer, a graduate of Diamond Bar High, was the Ivy League player of the year in 2004.

Chivas USA also announced the hiring of Zak Abdel as goalkeeper coach. Abdel was the Galaxy’s goalkeeper coach from 1998 to 2004.

The Galaxy chose Old Dominion defender Trevor McEachron with its first-round choice, Cal State Northridge midfielder Dan Paladini in the second round, Loyola Marymount midfielder Armando Melendez in the third, and San Diego State forward Matt Couch in the fourth. Chivas did not have a fourth-round pick.

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Ewerthon and Diego Milito scored two goals each and Zaragoza defeated FC Barcelona, 4-2, at Madrid, to end Barcelona’s Spanish-record 18-match winning streak.

MISCELLANY

Devers Returns to Competition Next Month

Gail Devers will return to the track next month at the Millrose Games in New York, her first race since the 2004 Olympics. Devers, 39, will run in the 60 hurdles at the Millrose Games on Feb. 3 in Madison Square Garden.

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Former Pittsburgh Steeler lineman Terry Long committed suicide by drinking antifreeze, a revised death certificate shows, and did not die as a direct result of football-related head injuries.

The Allegheny County coroner ruled in September that Long, 45, who had attempted suicide before, died of meningitis.

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Lucas Luhr won the pole for the Rolex 24 sports car endurance race at Daytona International Speedway with a lap of at 123.230 mph. The German will co-drive the No. 23 Alex Job Racing/Emory Motorsports Porsche Crawford with fellow Porsche driver Mike Rockenfeller and Patrick Long in the 24-hour race, which starts Saturday.

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Clipper owner Donald Sterling and radio and television talk-show host Jim Rome will be among 17 people inducted in the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the new Milken Jewish Community Center in West Hills. Information: (310) 553-6325