Lewis Is Awarded Judgment

Heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis won a $1.175 million judgment Friday, then lashed out against those who didn’t support him in his suit against a lawyer accused of failing to protect his interests.

“Obviously they weren’t behind me,” Lewis said after he emerged from a federal courtroom in New York. “They profess that they’re with me but they’re not.”

A jury of seven women and one man awarded the damages after Lewis accused the lawyer, Milton Chwasky, of letting promoter Panos Eliades siphon money from the boxer’s expense account. Lewis won an $8 million verdict against Eliades for fraud in February.

Jethro Eisenstein, a lawyer for Chwasky, promised to appeal the latest verdict, saying his client believes “the legal process is not over.”

College Football

Gino Guidugli threw four touchdown passes as Cincinnati beat East Carolina, 42-26, at Greenville, N.C., to clinch a share of the Conference USA championship. The Bearcats earned a bid to the New Orleans Bowl, where they will face North Texas on Dec. 17.... Tulane accepted an invitation to play Hawaii in the inaugural Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Day in Honolulu.

*

Dennis Franchione was officially introduced as Texas A&M;’s football coach, saying this was the job he has always coveted.

“Texas A&M; has been a place that always has been on a short list for me,” said Franchione, who left Alabama after two years and accepted a six-year contract.

Baseball

The Texas Rangers found a replacement for Ivan Rodriguez before they even officially let the 10-time All-Star catcher go.

The Rangers acquired catcher Einar Diaz and right-hander Ryan Drese from the Cleveland Indians for first baseman Travis Hafner and right-hander Aaron Myette.

*

Frank Thomas will stay in Chicago after all, agreeing with the White Sox on a one-year contract with three mutual options that guarantee the slugger $22.5 million.

Under the new contract, Thomas could make more than $36 million if he becomes a top producer again.

He gets $5 million in 2003. He can then exercise options for $6 million in 2004, $8 million in 2005 and $10 million in 2006.

*

The players’ association agreed to allow the Montreal Expos to move 22 home games to Puerto Rico next season.

Miscellany

Veronica Zepeda, a junior from Riverside, scored two goals and defending champion Santa Clara advanced to the title game of the NCAA Women’s College Cup with a 2-1 victory over North Carolina at Austin, Texas. Santa Clara will play West Coast Conference rival Portland in Sunday’s championship. The Pilots beat Penn State, 2-0, in the other semifinal.

*

Hilde Gerg of Germany won the season’s first World Cup downhill at Lake Louise, Canada, in a time of 1 minute 33.72 seconds. Kirsten Clark of the United States was third (1:34.05).

*

Apolo Anton Ohno won the 1,500-meter final at a World Cup short-track speedskating meet in Bormio, Italy. Ohno defeated the Canadian pair of Jean-Francois Monette and Jonathan Guilmette, winning the race in 2 minutes 20.348 seconds.