Zampese Leaves Cowboys; Coach Search Continues

The Dallas Cowboys’ coaching search carousel is expected to spin into next week with owner Jerry Jones still trying to replace Barry Switzer and now needing an offensive coordinator as well.

Ernie Zampese was named offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Zampese, who spent the last four seasons as offensive coordinator for Switzer, replaces Larry Kennan in that position with the Patriots.

Green Bay Packer offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis interviewed with Jones for a second time Thursday for the Cowboys’ head-coaching vacancy. That brings Lewis even with former San Francisco coach George Seifert and former UCLA coach Terry Donahue.

As a replacement for Zampese, Jones has his eye on Brian Billick of the Minnesota Vikings, who are claiming the Cowboys tampered by talking to him at the Senior Bowl.

*

Joe Pendry, who spent the last three season with the Carolina Panthers, was named offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. Terms of his contract were not disclosed.

*

Miami Dolphin linebacker Derrick Rodgers was arrested in Los Angeles and booked for investigation of drunk driving after a confrontation with police officers.

Winter Sports

Kristina Koznick, who grew up skiing at night in Minnesota, won a slalom in Are, Sweden, on Thursday for the first World Cup victory of her career and the first win this season for the United States.

She had two second-place finishes earlier this season. This time, she held off Hilde Gerg of Germany to win by 0.31 seconds.

*

Jennifer Botterill and Kathy McCormack scored second-period goals as Canada defeated the United States, 4-2, at Colorado Springs, Colo., Wednesday night to take the pre-Olympic women’s hockey series, 7-6.

*

A snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow on Mammoth Mountain forced officials to reschedule the final Olympic halfpipe qualifying event.

The adjusted schedule calls for halfpipe today with giant slalom Saturday. The first Olympic snowboard team will be announced Saturday night.

*

Two skiers left off the U.S. Olympic freestyle team asked an arbitrator to hear their appeal to be added to the squad.

Stacey Blumer, seven-time U.S. champion and defending overall World Cup champion, filed the appeal for herself and moguls skier Jim Moran.

Baseball

The Cleveland Indians signed designated hitter Geronimo Berroa to a $2.2-million, one-year contract. Berroa, 32, hit .283 with 26 homers and 90 RBIs last season with Oakland and Baltimore.

Dennis Martinez, 42, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since Seattle released him last May, agreed to a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. . . . The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a minor league contract with longtime Chicago White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen. . . . Outfielder Pete Incaviglia, already invited to spring training by Detroit, agreed to a minor league contract with the Tigers.

A San Diego task force is recommending a downtown site for a new Padre ballpark, a warehouse district a few blocks from San Diego Bay.

The plan now goes to Mayor Susan Golding, who along with the city council and the Padres must negotiate how to pay for the ballpark, estimated to cost between $200 million and $240 million.

Miscellany

Former World Boxing Council light-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr., bored and in search of a challenge, has found one. Jones will move up to the heavyweight division on May 2 when he takes on former undisputed heavyweight champion Buster Douglas in Atlantic City, N.J.

Jones, 29, is eight years younger than Douglas. Douglas weighed 235 pounds for his last fight, last July. Jones weighed 175 in August when he last fought.

Mike Saffer, a 6-foot-6, 295-pound offensive lineman from Tucson Sabino High, has committed to UCLA. He was a Parade magazine All-American.

Scott Howard-Cooper, who covers the Lakers for The Times, was awarded first place in game story writing by the Professional Basketball Writers Assn. of America for his account of the Utah Jazz victory over the Chicago Bulls in Game 4 of last season’s NBA finals.