MetroStars Get Milutinovic but U.S. Job Still Undecided
Bora Milutinovic, the only man to guide four countries into the second round of the World Cup, became the New York-New Jersey MetroStars’ fifth coach in less than three years Monday.
The Serbian-born Milutinovic, 54, is expected to take over the Major League Soccer team today. He also is one of four candidates to replace Steve Sampson as coach of the U.S. national team. The other candidates for the U.S. position are D.C. United Coach Bruce Arena, former Portuguese national team coach Carlos Queiroz and Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira. Sampson’s replacement is expected to be announced before the end of October.
Milutinovic has a contract through the end of this season with an agreement to negotiate a longer-term deal. He replaces Alfonso Mondelo, who took over last December after Parreira departed to coach Saudi Arabia in the 1998 World Cup.
Despite clinching a playoff berth last month, the MetroStars (14-17) have lost their last six matches with one match remaining before the playoffs.
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Arguing it would monopolize income at the expense of smaller clubs, the International Olympic Committee announced that it is against any plans to create a European Super League that would bring together the richest soccer clubs. An IOC delegation headed by President Juan-Antonio Samaranch told European Union officials that lucrative television deals planned under the super league would not profit soccer as a whole.
Track and Field
An appeals court refused to lift Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson’s lifetime ban for steroid use. The decision comes close to 10 years after Johnson’s startling run at the Seoul Olympics, when he was timed in 9.79 seconds in the 100 meters but was stripped of his gold medal and world record.
Johnson was suspended for two years after testing positive for steroids at the 1988 Seoul Games. The ban was imposed after a meet in 1993, when Johnson tested positive a second time for steroids. A three-judge panel of Ontario’s appeals court rejected Johnson’s bid for reinstatement, ruling that a lower court was correct last summer when it upheld the lifetime ban imposed by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, track and field’s governing body.
The court heard from Johnson’s lawyer, Gary Boyd, then ruled without seeking comment from attorneys representing the IAAF.
Johnson’s agent and manager, Morris Chrobotek, has suggested that Johnson might try to take his case to Canada’s Supreme Court if he lost the appeal in Ontario.
Motor Sports
Stock car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has reached an agreement with Anheuser-Busch Inc. in what his team says is the largest sponsorship deal in Winston Cup history. The total value of the package is worth more than $10 million per year, according to what several industry sources told the Associated Press. Earnhardt, 23, and Anheuser-Busch Inc. announced their agreement for the driver to carry the Budweiser colors on his Winston Cup cars beginning next year and lasting through the 2004 season.
Pro Basketball
NBA owners and players discussed getting together for another bargaining session, but the idea was dismissed when the sides couldn’t agree on the ground rules.
Both sides are still waiting for a decision from arbitrator John Feerick, who will rule on the players’ grievance contending that some 220 players with $800 million worth of guaranteed contracts should be paid during the lockout. Feerick’s ruling is not expected until early next month.
Horse Racing
California Horse Racing Board investigators served accusations against seven thoroughbred trainers whose horses tested positive for the prohibited substance clenbuterol.
Trainers Vladimir Cerin, Peter Eurton, Paco Gonzalez, Bruce Headley, Declan Jackson, Darrell Vienna and Ted West have 15 days to request a hearing to contest the accusations. If any do not contest, the CHRB may take whatever action it deems appropriate. West was the only trainer to have more than one horse test positive. He had eight infractions, two with the same horse in races 10 days apart.
Los Alamitos Race Course is playing host to “The Million Dollar Shootout” amateur golf event in which contestants have a chance to win $1 million by making a hole-in-one onto the track’s infield. Details: (714) 236-4300, or visit the Web site at http/www.losalamitos.com.
Miscellany
Top-seeded Francisco Clavet of Spain moved up seven places in the world rankings to 24th by defeating France’s Arnaud Di Pasquale, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, to win the Romanian Open at Bucharest. In the doubles final, Romanians Andrei Pavel and Gabriel Trifu beat compatriots George Cosac and Dinu Pescariu, 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4).
John Daly said the shakes that moved him to tears at a recent golf tournament occur almost daily. But he also said he believes he has made strides in dealing with his alcoholism.
“It’s pretty much an everyday occurrence. Some days are better than others,” he said. “A lot of people still have them after being 20 years without a drink. So that scares me a little bit.”
