Donaghy pays $30,000 as part of his plea deal

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has forfeited $30,000 in restitution to the government under his plea deal in a basketball gambling scam.

Donaghy, who admitted to betting on games he officiated, made the payment last month, according to court records. Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn that is prosecuting the case, confirmed the payment.

The veteran referee pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn court to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he officiated. He was released on $250,000 bond and is set to be sentenced Nov. 9.

TENNIS

Thigh injury forces Serena Williams to retire

Serena Williams retired because of a sore right thigh while trailing Patty Schnyder, 6-0, 3-0, in the first round of the Zurich Open in Switzerland.

Trailing 3-0 in the first set, Williams had the tape on her right thigh removed. She won only nine points in the set.

Amelie Mauresmo struggled to beat Eleni Daniilidou, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli advanced by defeating Peng Shuai, 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-1.

Roger Federer played his first match on tour in more than five weeks, defeating Robby Ginepri, 7-6 (2), 6-4, in the second round of the Madrid Masters in Spain.

David Nalbandian rallied past Arnaud Clement, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, and Ivo Karlovic served 17 aces in beating Marat Safin, 6-3, 6-4.

Tickets for the 61st Davis Cup final between the U.S. and defending champion Russia, to be held Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 at the 12,000-seat Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore., sold out in less than 30 minutes.

GOLF

Woods reaches lucrative deal with Gatorade

Tiger Woods will have his own brand of sports drink next year under an endorsement deal with Gatorade that marks a couple of firsts for the world’s No. 1 golfer -- his first U.S. deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement.

Gatorade says it will introduce “Gatorade Tiger” in March, with more products to follow.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Golfweek magazine reported last month it was for five years and could pay Woods as much as $100 million.

British Open champion Padraig Harrington led by one shot after the first round of the two-day PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda.

Harrington shot a three-under-par 67 with six birdies and three bogeys at the Mid Ocean Club in Tuckers Town.

The four-man event brings together the winners of the year’s four majors. Woods, who won last year’s title in Hawaii by two strokes over Jim Furyk, chose not to play.

U.S. Open winner Angel Cabrera was a shot behind Harrington while Furyk, who took Woods’ place, was four shots off the lead along with Masters champion Zach Johnson.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Assistant Hopkins in line to replace Boeheim

Assistant Mike Hopkins will succeed Jim Boeheim as Syracuse coach when Boeheim decides to retire.

Hopkins, who played guard at Syracuse from 1988 to 1993, is in his 13th season on Boeheim’s staff. Boeheim, 62, has given no indication he plans to retire any time soon.

JURISPRUDENCE

Fantasy baseball group wins court ruling

A federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling that lets a fantasy baseball company use players’ names and statistics without paying a licensing fee.

In a 2-1 decision, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled that CBC Distribution and Marketing Inc. doesn’t have to pay the players, even though it profits by using their names and statistics.

The Major League Baseball Players Assn. had argued that companies like CBC are essentially stealing money from players, who charge big fees to endorse things like tennis shoes and soft drinks.

MISCELLANY

Las Vegas Arena team is moving to Cleveland

The Arena Football League will relocate the Las Vegas franchise to Cleveland, where former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar will run the team.

Home games will be played at Quicken Loans Arena, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers.

Authorities announced a string of punishments for Stockton’s Franklin High football program for improperly recruiting student athletes from American Samoa.

Franklin will have to forfeit 19 victories over the last three seasons and will be banned from competing in the playoffs for the next four years, a regional commissioner of the California Interscholastic Federation said.

Fourteen students and their families flew to California on tickets purchased by the coach’s mother and stayed in motels paid for by school personnel, authorities said.

The WNBA will announce that it has awarded a franchise to Atlanta, the Associated Press reported.

The National Lacrosse League canceled its 2008 season after failing to reach a labor agreement with the union. The 14-team league, which averaged 10,283 fans last season, was scheduled to open Dec. 27.

Ashkan Dejagah, a German under-21 international of Iranian descent who refused to travel to Israel for a soccer match, will continue to play for the German national team. . . . Gabriel Milito and Lionel Messi scored goals to lead Argentina to a 2-0 over Venezuela, in a World Cup soccer qualifying match at Maracaibo, Venezuela.