Sampras Will Play in L.A.

Pete Sampras, who recently said that he will play at least one more tennis season, will compete in next summer’s Mercedes-Benz Cup at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

Sampras has not played a competitive match since defeating Andre Agassi for the U.S. Open title in September and will skip the Australian Open next month before beginning his 16th season on the tour.

The Mercedes Benz Cup will be played July 25-Aug. 3 and Sampras will try to win the tournament for the third time. He won titles in 1991 and 1999.

Agassi has won the tournament the last two years.

Sampras, who has won a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, did not play in the tournament last year. He was a finalist in 2001.

Miscellany

Lance Armstrong, who went from having a 50% chance to live because of cancer in 1996 to four straight Tour de France cycling championships, was named the Associated Press male athlete of the year.

Armstrong and Barry Bonds were the top two vote-getters for a second straight year, only this time the San Francisco Giant star finished second. Armstrong received 45 first-place votes and 292 points from sports writers and broadcasters. Bonds had 31 first-place votes and 233 points.

“Uh-oh, hopefully he’s not mad,” Armstrong said, referring to Bonds. “It’s nice to be recognized.”

Tiger Woods, who won the award 1999 and 2000, finished third for the second year in a row. He received seven first-place votes and 110 points.

Winning one Tour would have secured Armstrong’s place in cycling history. Capturing four in row has put him among the greatest riders ever.

A victory in 2003 -- the 100th anniversary of the race -- would tie the record of five. Spain’s Miguel Indurain (1991 to ‘95) is the only rider to win five in a row.

World champion sprinter Michelle Freeman was in a car accident in Florida that killed her mother and one other person, and left Texas women’s track coach Beverly Kearney critically injured.

According to an accident report filed by the Florida Highway Patrol, Freeman was driving a sport utility vehicle about 35 miles west of Jacksonville at 7:57 a.m. when the vehicle crossed the median and swerved back, causing it to roll.

Killed in the accident was Ilrey A. Sparks, 40, of Austin, Texas, an academic counselor for women’s athletics at Texas. Freeman’s mother, Muriel Wallace, 63, who also lived in Austin, also was killed.

“This is an incredibly tragic day for our university,” Christine Plonsky, Texas women’s athletic director, said. “We’ve lost one of our finest staff members in Ilrey Sparks. Threads of her work run through every male and female student athlete she’s touched.

“Our prayers are with everyone and with Bev Kearney,” Plonsky said. “We hope she’s on her way to a full recovery.”

Freeman, 33, a former world indoor champion in the 60 meters who also won bronze in the 400-relay for Jamaica in 1996, was at the hospital in good condition.

Sparks’ toddler daughter, Imani, 2, was also in the vehicle and was in fair condition.

The Texas Rangers took another step toward shoring up their bullpen by signing right-hander Esteban Yan to a one-year deal.

Yan, 27, went 7-8 with a 4.30 earned-run average and 18 saves in 55 games last season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

His signing comes four days after the Rangers signed two-time All-Star closer Ugueth Urbina to a one-year deal for $4 million with another $500,000 deferred.

New Zealand’s Alfa Romeo led Britain’s Canon Leopard by about four nautical miles today as the leading yachts entered Bass Strait in the annual Sydney to Hobart race.

All but two of the 57 entries are still in the 630-nautical-mile race on the island state of Tasmania.

Trumpcard and Valheru withdrew within the first hour Thursday after collisions.

The race record of 1 day 19 hours 48 minutes and 2 seconds set in 1999 by Danish 60-footer Nokia is not expected to be threatened because of light winds and relatively calm seas.