Former Steeler Woodson Narrows Choice to 49ers

Free-agent cornerback Rod Woodson of the Pittsburgh Steelers apparently has decided that he wants to sign with the San Francisco 49ers and has told other NFL teams that he’s no longer considering their offers.

“Rod informed various teams that he has decided that he wants to play in San Francisco,” his agent, Eugene Parker, said Thursday. “We have yet to work out all the details so we don’t have a contract but we have discussed parameters.

“I do know that they would like him there and Rod wants to be there and we should be able to work that out. We expect to be putting something together with the 49ers within the next two or three weeks.”

The timetable for signing with San Francisco has been delayed while the 49ers clear room for Woodson under the salary cap.

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Free agent safety Mark Carrier, a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Chicago Bears, has reached agreement with the Detroit Lions, reportedly worth $2.4 million over three years. Carrier, a former USC and Long Beach Poly standout, has 675 tackles and 20 interceptions in seven NFL seasons.

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The Buffalo Bills signed free agent defensive tackle Mark Gunn, who played with New Orleans and Philadelphia last season. . . . Unrestricted free agent tight end Pat Carter re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

Tennis

Richard Krajicek, peaking in time for his Wimbledon title defense, routed Germany’s Hendrik Dreekmann, 6-0, 6-3, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Heineken Trophy tournament at Rosmalen, Netherlands.

Scott Draper of Australia and Karol Kucera of Slovakia split two sets before rain halted play in their quarterfinal match at the Nottingham Open in England.

Monica Seles was down a set to Brenda Schultz-McCarthy when rain washed out their quarterfinal of the Eastbourne grass-court tournament in England.

Bjorn Borg of Sweden beat Guillermo Vilas of Argentina in the opening match of the ATP Senior Tour at Prague, Czech Republic.

Miscellany

The 28th Annual Southern California Special Olympics Summer Games will have opening ceremonies tonight at 7 at UCLA, then multi-sport competition will be held there Saturday and Sunday.

The 30th annual L.A. Watts Summer Games, the largest high-school athletic competition in the nation, will begin this weekend at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Details: (888) 525-2974.

Supporters of a financing plan for a new football-soccer stadium in Seattle held their lead on the state of Washington ballot measure with about 95% of the votes counted.

A Utah judge has reduced firearms charges against former Brigham Young football player Derik Stevenson, after he successfully completed his probation.

Ronnie Fields, who played last season in the CBA after having left high school in Chicago following the 1995-96 season, heads a list of seven players who have withdrawn their names from consideration after having declared as early entry candidates for the next week’s NBA draft.

Former world champion John “The Beast” Mugabi overcame a fourth-round knockdown and won the vacant Australian super-middleweight boxing title with a unanimous decision over Jamie Wallace at Gold Coast, Australia.

Oakland and Alameda County officials have reached a tentative agreement with the Golden State Warriors to drop a requirement that the team sell personal seat licenses for season tickets.

Ireland upset the United States, 2-1, in the World Youth Soccer Championship at Shah Alam, Malaysia, leaving the teams tied for second place in Group C.

Names in the News

Former world welterweight champion Carmen Basilio, 70, underwent six-way heart bypass surgery in Rochester, N.Y., and is listed in guarded condition. . . . London boxing promoter Frank Warren was arrested by British customs officers and questioned about alleged evasion of taxes. . . . British shotputter Paul Edwards, banned for four years in August of 1994 after failing two drug tests, is appealing before the High Court of England, hoping to persuade a judge to allow him to compete at the World Track and Field Championships in August.

Forward Damion Walker received a transfer-release from his basketball scholarship at Texas Christian and is considering enrolling at New Mexico.

UCLA high jumper Amy Acuff was named to the GTE Academic All-American spring women’s at-large team. Acuff, an NCAA outdoor high jump champion, is a biology major with a 3.32 grade-point average.