Orioles Sign Kamieniecki to New Contract

Scott Kamieniecki’s reward for a productive, injury-free season came Friday when the Baltimore Orioles signed the right-hander to a $6.1-million, two-year contract.

The deal includes a club option for a third season and incentives that could make the contract worth $11.3 million.

“We’re really glad to have Scott back,” Oriole General Manager Pat Gillick said. “He did such a great job for us this year, that in some ways he was our MVP.”

Kamieniecki, 33, signed a minor league contract with Baltimore last January and was expected to start the season in the bullpen. But an injury to Rocky Coppinger thrust Kamieniecki into the role of the No. 4 starter. He was 10-6 with a 4.01 earned-run average.

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The Dodgers are scheduled to open the 1998 season on the road March 31 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers will open at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 7, and will host the Milwaukee Brewers, the newest member of the National League, on April 27.

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Vic Lombardi, who started two games in the 1947 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers, died in Fresno following heart surgery. He was 75. Lombardi was a starting pitcher for the Dodgers for three seasons, posting records of 10-11, 13-10 and 12-11. He started two games in the 1947 World Series against the New York Yankees.

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Rafael Belliard, who hit .211 with one homer and three RBIs in 72 games for the Atlanta Braves last season, has agreed to a minor league contract. . . . There is little chance that major league players will compete in the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, Australia, USOC Executive Director Dick Schultz said. The Olympics are scheduled Sept. 16-Oct. 1, the final two weeks of the regular season.

Golf

Scott Verplank shot a four-under-par 67 to take an eight-shot lead at the PGA Tour/Nike Tour qualifying tournament in Grenelefe, Fla. He is 17 under par after three rounds in the six-round tournament. The top 35 finishers and ties earn their 1998 PGA Tour cards.

Dan Forsman and Catriona Matthew shot a seven-under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead after two rounds at the $1.5-million JCPenney Classic at Tarpon Springs, Fla.

Davis Love III and Phil Mickelson moved four strokes ahead of their nearest competitors midway through the Million Dollar Challenge at Sun City, South Africa.

Winter Sports

Russian skaters Elena Ivanova and Julia Soldatova placed first and second during the ladies short program at the world junior figure skating championships at Saint John, Canada.

Andreas Schifferer led a top-five sweep for Austria by winning the men’s World Cup downhill at Beaver Creek, Colo.

Second place was grabbed by Hermann Maier, who clocked 1:41.34 down the steep, technical course. Third place went to Stefan Eberharter in 1:41.45.

Germany’s Katja Seizinger won a second women’s World Cup downhill race in two days at Lake Louise, Canada.

Seizinger, who led a 1-2 German finish Thursday, will try for a triple in a super-G race Saturday.

Barbara Niedernhuber won her first luge World Cup race and her German teammates Susi Erdmann and Sylke Otto completed a sweep of the first three places at Igls, Austria.

American Liz McIntyre won the moguls competition in the freestyle skiing World Cup at Tignes, France.

McIntyre scored 24.74 points to defeat Marja Elfman of Sweden, and Tatjana Mittermayer of Germany came in third.

Jurisprudence

Three men accused of trying to sell championship rings once owned by Red Sox great Ted Williams back to the slugger’s son were under arrest in Boston after a police sting operation.

The rings, which Williams had given to his son, John Henry Williams, were offered to the younger Williams for $90,000.

The arrests were made Thursday night when the younger Williams and an undercover FBI agent met with two of the accused men for the exchange of the rings and money.

Daniel P. Dunn, Gary Raso and Philip Castinetti are charged with possession of stolen property. They face up to 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

John A. Spano Jr. of Dallas, who tried to buy the New York Islanders was in U.S. District Court in Boston on bank fraud charges after failing to appear for a plea hearing earlier this week.

U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern said Spano led Fleet National Bank and four other financial institutions to believe that he was a wealthy man, capable of buying the NHL team and sustaining it through a rebuilding period.

Maurice “Mo” Brown, a Rutgers basketball player has been charged with burglary, lewdness and harassment for allegedly entering a female student’s dormitory room while she was sleeping at New Brunswick, N.J.

Miscellany

Jeremy Pope scored four goals and had five points and Merrill Moses had seven saves to lead Pepperdine to a 13-8 victory over UC Davis in the semifinals of the NCAA Water Polo Championships at Fort Lauderdale Fla. In the other semifinal, USC defeated Queens College, 14-6, and was led by Luke Daniels and Mateo Juric who scored three goals apiece. USC will face Pepperdine in the championship Sunday.

The Fresno State University president’s advisory council has approved a code of conduct for student athletes calling for automatic suspensions of those charged with a felony and expulsion from the team if they are convicted.

Martina Hingis and Iva Majoli remained undefeated in the Masters of Champions tournament at Frankfurt, Germany and qualified for the semifinals. Hingis, the world’s No. 1 player, defeated Anke Huber of Germany 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), after previously defeating Mary Pierce of France and Amanda Coetzer of South Africa.

Rodney Jones will go for his 14th consecutive victory Monday night when he defends his NABO junior middleweight crown against Craig Kitka at the Forum.

For the first time, the Goodwill Games will award prize money for track and field athletes and bonus money for world records. The largest bonus for the 1998 games will be $100,000 and will be awarded to an athlete setting a world record.