THE DAY IN SPORTS

A new, unflattering biography of Alex Rodriguez reportedly says he may have used steroids as early as high school and even after he joined the New York Yankees.

Rodriguez admitted in February to using steroids while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03 but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in February 2004. He brushed off a question Thursday about details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts’ upcoming book “A-Rod” that cast doubt on his earlier statements.

“I’m not going there,” he said, after homering in an extended spring training intrasquad game in Tampa, Fla. Rodriguez has been rehabilitating from hip surgery in March and hasn’t played for the Yankees this season.

The New York Daily News reported Thursday that Roberts’ book offers a portrait of the three-time American League most valuable player as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly and a player who tipped opponents to pitches in blowout games, hoping the favor would be returned someday.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

USC’s Robinson is Hall of Famer

Former USC coach John Robinson and Heisman Trophy winners Tim Brown and Gino Torretta were among 18 players and coaches to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Others selected for induction in December by the National Football Foundation are: Ohio State’s Chris Spielman; Penn State’s Curt Warner; New Mexico State’s Pervis Atkins; Arizona’s Chuck Cecil; Auburn’s Ed Dyas; West Virginia’s Major Harris; Brigham Young’s Gordon Hudson; Alabama’s Woodrow Lowe; Stanford’s Ken Margerum; Texas’ Steve McMichael; Iowa’s Larry Station; Georgia Tech’s Pat Swilling; Nebraska’s Grant Wistrom; and former Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson.

The NFF’s veteran’s committee selected Williams Lewis, who played center for Harvard from 1892-93.

Robinson, who guided USC’s football team to a national title in 1978, was selected in his second year on the ballot. He had a record of 104-35-4 in 12 seasons during two coaching stints with the Trojans.

Robinson won five Pacific 10 Conference titles and led his teams to eight bowl games, including three Rose Bowl victories.

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Kevin Prince is UCLA’s No. 1 quarterback, Coach Rick Neuheisel announced -- a designation that came with a warning label that has already been memorized.

“It’s nice to have the position, but they can take it away just as quickly as they gave it to me,” Prince, a redshirt freshman from Encino Crespi High, said in a conference call.

If he can hold the position until the fall, Prince would be the first freshman quarterback to open a season for UCLA since Bret Johnson in 1989.

Kevin Craft, a senior who started the Bruins’ 12 games last season but had 20 passes intercepted, will compete with freshman Richard Brehaut for the backup spot.

-- Chris Foster

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Former UCLA football player Nate DeFrancisco, 89, died Tuesday in Fairview, Texas. Story, Section A.

BASKETBALL

Rose, Mayo lead all-rookie team

Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Memphis guard O.J. Mayo are unanimous selections to the NBA All-Rookie team. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, New Jersey center Brook Lopez and Miami forward Michael Beasley are also on the first team.

Clippers guard Eric Gordon and Minnesota forward Kevin Love are part of the second team.

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College basketball players will have to decide more quickly whether they plan to stay in the NBA draft. A new rule approved by the NCAA’s Board of Directors requires early entrants to withdraw from the draft by May 8.

Current rules allow players to make that decision by June 15. The change will take effect this fall.

ETC.

Pepperdine, USC win in volleyball

All-American Paul Carroll contributed 33 kills to help Pepperdine defeat Cal State Northridge, 27-30, 40-38, 30-26, 30-23, in a semifinal match of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation volleyball tournament at UC Irvine.

No. 2-seeded Pepperdine will play No. 5 USC in Saturday’s final. The Trojans upset top-seeded Irvine, 30-25, 30-25, 30-27.

-- Eric Sondheimer

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Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic advanced to the Rome Masters quarterfinals with straight-sets wins. Nadal extended his clay-court winning streak to 27 matches with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Robin Soderling.

Federer avenged last year’s quarterfinal loss to Radek Stepanek by beating the 16th-seeded Czech, 6-4, 6-1. Djokovic defeated 13th-seeded Tommy Robredo, 6-1, 6-1.

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Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt dropped out of a weekend track meet in Jamaica after being slightly injured in a car crash. Bolt hurt his left foot Wednesday when he stepped on thorns as he got out of the wrecked BMW, according to a statement from his agent, Ricky Simms.

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Phoenix Coyotes President Doug Moss denied a report that the NHL has taken control of the cash-strapped hockey club. Glendale (Ariz.) City Manager Ed Beasley told the Arizona Republic that the league is running the team and has promised to reimburse the city for parking fees and security costs at Jobing.com Arena, which is in Glendale.

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Boxer Antonio Margarito has filed a lawsuit against the California State Athletic Commission in an effort to have his yearlong boxing license revocation lifted so he can resume fighting as soon as possible, the former world welterweight champion’s promoter, Bob Arum, said.

Margarito was suspended in February for attempting to fight Shane Mosley with hand wraps tainted by a plaster-like substance.

-- Lance Pugmire