White Sox Find Leadoff Hitter in Phillips

The Chicago White Sox, searching for a leadoff hitter, found one in the Angels’ free-agent outfielder Tony Phillips, and signed him Saturday to a two-year contract.

“We are pleased to sign a player with Tony’s experience and offensive abilities,” General Manager Ron Schueler said. “He’s the leadoff hitter we have been looking for to complete our order.

“We think his mix of extra-base power and ability to get on base as a switch-hitter will make him a potent threat in our lineup ahead of Frank Thomas, Harold Baines and Robin Ventura.”

Last year, Phillips, 36, batted .261 with 27 homers and 61 RBIs. He had 119 runs scored and 113 walks.

Contract figures were not revealed.

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Free agent pitcher Ben McDonald, who was slowed by shoulder problems for much of last season with the Baltimore Orioles, signed a two-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers, who have an option for a third year, reportedly offered McDonald $6 million over two years.

Football

Notre Dame’s Derrick Mayes scored two touchdowns to lead the North to a 25-10 victory over the South in the Senior Bowl at Mobile, Ala.

Mayes scored on a 30-yard pass from Ohio State’s Bobby Hoying, then put the North up, 15-10, with another catch with two seconds left in the first half.

The South had trouble getting anything going against the North defense led by UCLA linebacker Donnie Edwards, who made six tackles. The South finished with minus-25 yards rushing.

The Hula Bowl in Honolulu today will give NFL scouts another opportunity to check on college seniors before the draft. Each team will showcase three quarterbacks. The East Has Brook Berringer of Nebraska, Scott Milanovich of Maryland and Jon Stark of Trinity, while the West will rotate Washington’s Damon Huard, Kansas’ Mark Williams and Texas A&M;’s Corey Pullig.

Michigan State will cut back its scholarships and recruiting after an investigation uncovered NCAA rule violations, according to a report in the Lansing State Journal. The university did not disclose what infractions were discovered.

The university said it has voluntarily reduced the number of new football scholarships it will offer from 25 to 23, cut the number of campus visits by prospective recruits from 54 to 48, and restricted an assistant coach from recruiting.

Golf

Patty Sheehan posted a second-round 71 despite 40-degree temperatures to retain the lead in the $450,000 LPGA HealthSouth tournament at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Sheehan’s 36-hole total of seven-under-par 137 leads Kristi Albers and Jane Geddes by two strokes.

Defending champion Jim Colbert shot a two-under-par 70 for a share of the second-round lead with South Africa’s John Bland at seven-under 137 in the Senior Tournament of Champions in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Lee Trevino, Bob Murphy, Tony Jacklin and Graham Marsh are one shot off the lead.

Winter Sports

Picabo Street took second place to Italy’s Isole Kostner in the women’s World Cup downhill at Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy. It was the first win for an Italian woman at their home course in 28 years.

Switzerland’s Bruno Kernen became the 13th skier in history to win two consecutive World Cup downhill races on the same course at Veysonnaz, Switzerland.

Armin Zoeggeler of Italy edged American Duncan Kennedy to win a World Cup luge event at Koenigssee, Germany. . . . Randy Weber of Steamboat Springs, Colo., won his third consecutive national ski jumping title at Lake Placid, N.Y. . . . Gunda Niemann of Germany won the women’s 3,000 meters at Heerenveen, Netherlands, to lead the European speedskating championships. . . . Reigning aerials champion Nikki Stone of Westborough, Mass., collected her first victory of the season in Breckenridge, Colo. Vassilli Vorobov of Belarus won the men’s event. . . . Austrian Andreas Goldberger and Ari-Pekka Nikkola of Finland tied for first in a World Cup ski jumping event in Sapporo, Japan.

Miscellany

Second-period goals by Paul Lawless and Jeff Greenlaw lifted the Cincinnati Cyclones to a 3-1 International Hockey League victory over the Ice Dogs in Cincinnati.

The San Diego Marathon will be run today at 7:15 a.m. in Carlsbad, but it could be overshadowed by a race half its length, beginning 25 minutes earlier. A half-marathon will feature Olympic hopefuls Marie Boyd of Albuquerque and Anne Marie Lauck of Marietta, Ga., in the women’s division and Arturo Barrios, Alberto Salazar and Steve Plasencia in the men’s.

Undefeated Russian-born junior welterweight Kostya Tszyu of Australia defended his International Boxing Federation title by stopping Hugo Pineda of Colombia in the 11th round at Sydney, Australia. Welterweight Hector Lopez of Los Angeles scored a unanimous decision over Colombian Ener Julio in a 10-round bout.

Jani Sievinen of Finland set a short course swimming record of 4 minutes 6.03 seconds in the 400-meter medley at the Finnish championships in Lappeenranta.

Kalusha Bwalya scored two goals, leading Zambia to a 5-1 victory over Burkina Faso in an African Cup of Nations match in Johannesburg, South Africa.

KABC radio is once again bringing back “Sportstalk,” this time with former Dodger pitcher Jim Gott as the host. Gott’s first show will be Monday from 7-9 p.m.

Robby Gordon ran out of gas three miles from the finish but refueled and beat Paul Simon by 31 seconds to win the 200-mile Trophy Truck off-road race in Parker, Ariz.