Illinois Governor Signs Statewide Ephedra Ban

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the nation’s first statewide ban on ephedra Sunday in Chicago, flanked by the parents of a 16-year-old football player who died of a heart attack after taking the diet supplement.

“It’s a good first step, but it’s not enough,” Blagojevich said. He and other lawmakers urged other states and the federal government to adopt similar bans.

Ephedra, blamed for nearly 120 deaths, drew more national attention after officials investigating the February heatstroke death of Baltimore Oriole pitching prospect Steve Bechler linked it to a diet pill containing ephedrine, ephedra’s active ingredient.

The herbal supplement is sometimes marketed as an athletic performance enhancer.

The drive for a ban in Illinois began last September with the death of 16-year-old Sean Riggins of Lincoln, whose father said he was taking the supplement to help make the first-string football team.

“We have to make sure that [young athletes] can no longer go to the store and buy ephedra as easily as they can chewing gum,” Blagojevich said. The ban took effect immediately.

Earlier this month, nutritional supplement retailer General Nutrition Centers said it would stop selling products containing ephedra.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a law last week banning the sale of all diet supplements to children under 18.

Soccer

Ante Razov scored twice on penalty kicks, and Damar Beasley and Justin Mapp had first-half goals to help the Chicago Fire beat the Colorado Rapids, 4-0, in front of 9,076 at Naperville, Ill., in Major League Soccer.

Razov scored in the eighth minute and on a penalty kick in the 75th minute. Mapp had his first goal in the 38th minute off an assist from Beasley, who scored in the 32nd minute for the Fire (2-1-3).

Colorado is 0-4-1.

Charmaine Hooper had two goals and an assist and Homare Sawa had a goal and an assist to lead the Atlanta Beat to a 3-1 victory over the Boston Breakers in a Women’s United Soccer Assn. game at Boston.

The loss ended Boston’s 13-game home unbeaten streak dating to August 2001. Atlanta (4-1-2) moved into second place, two points behind Washington.

Boston (3-3-2) got its only goal from Dagny Mellgren.

The announced attendance of 3,518 was the smallest in the Breakers’ history.

Miscellany

Running back Lawrence Phillips signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, 2 1/2 weeks after being released by the Montreal Alouettes for failing to meet behavior standards.

The signing reunites Phillips with Jim Barker, the former head coach at Montreal who signed with Calgary in January. Contract terms were not released.

Montreal did not explain why the former NFL first-round draft pick was released, saying in a statement that he “did not meet the minimum behavioral standards expected” of the organization.

The 28-year-old Phillips walked out on the Alouettes midway through the 2002 season. He returned a few days later and helped Montreal win the Grey Cup in November.

Chris Phillips scored 29 seconds into overtime as Salisbury University won the NCAA Division III lacrosse championship with a 14-13 victory over Middlebury at Baltimore. The win gave the Sea Gulls (19-1) their fourth national championship.

Werner Schlager became the first Austrian in 66 years to win the men’s world table tennis championship, beating South Korean Joo Se-Hyuk in six sets, 11-9, 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10, at Paris.

Passings

Norma Mae Huggins, the mother of Cincinnati basketball Coach Bob Huggins, died Saturday at Altman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, of colon cancer. She was 68.