George Signs One-Year Contract With Cowboys

Running back Eddie George signed with the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, two days after being released by the Tennessee Titans.

George signed a one-year deal that includes a $1.5-million bonus, which was about what the Titans wanted to pay him for the season.

Add in his base salary and incentives and he could make upward of $4.5 million, more than he would have made under his previous deal with Tennessee, which tried to renegotiate the last three years of his contract, including the $4.25 million he was owed this year.

George was cut Wednesday, at his request, after he rejected Tennessee’s final offer. He left the Titans after playing eight seasons and gaining more than 10,000 yards.

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Center Barret Robbins was released by the Oakland Raiders, a week after he and two other players were fined three game checks for testing positive for the steroid THG.

Robbins confirmed that he had failed a physical and added: “I’m OK. I just don’t want to talk about this right now.”

Robbins, teammate Chris Cooper and free agent Dana Stubblefield were fined last week for the THG violation.

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Safety Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins has been fined $25,000 by the NFL for leaving the league’s rookie symposium for a day.

The fine is the largest leveled on a rookie for missing the mandatory seminars for first-year players. Ryan Leaf of San Diego and Ron Dayne of the New York Giants were fined $10,000 in 1998 and 2000 -- Leaf for leaving early and Dayne for not attending.

Taylor, who starred at Miami, was the fifth player chosen in April’s draft. He attended the first session on Sunday, June 27. He left the next day, then returned for the final session.

Golf

Don Pooley birdied three of the first five holes during an even-par round of 72 and shared the lead halfway through the Senior British Open at Portrush, Northern Ireland. He also shared the lead after the opening round.

Pooley is tied at three-under 141 with Mark McNulty (69), Peter Oakley (68) and Carl Mason (71). Tom Kite, who shot a 71, is among three players one stroke behind. Defending champion Tom Watson, his neck and shoulder ailing, is eight shots off the pace.

Annika Sorenstam took a three-shot lead at the Evian Masters in Evian, France, with an impressive seven-under 65 during a storm-filled third round. The world No. 1 had seven birdies to take the lead from second-round leader Karen Stupples.

Sorenstam is at 16-under 200. Stupples is second after a 69. Lorena Ochoa is four shots back in third place after a 67.

Carlos Franco tied his best round on the PGA Tour with a seven-under 63 to take the 36-hole lead at the U.S. Bank Championship at Milwaukee with a nine-under 131, one shot ahead of Rich Beem (66). Scott Hoch (65), Bo Van Pelt (68) and Patrick Sheehan (68) are two shots back.

Sihwan Kim of Fullerton beat defending champion Brian Harman of Savannah, Ga., 1 up, in a quarterfinal Friday morning then defeated Jon Curran of Hopkinton, Mass., 3 and 2, in an afternoon semifinal in the 57th U.S. Junior Amateur championship at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. He will play David Chung of Fayetteville, N.C., today in the championship match.

Jane Park of Rancho Cucamonga won her U.S. Girls’ Junior semifinal match, 4 and 2, over Hsiao-Ching Lu of Taiwan in Fort Worth. She’ll play Julieta Granada of Paraguay in the final today.

Tennis

Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Roddick, Gregory Carraz and Nicolas Kiefer advanced to the semifinals of the RCA Championships at Indianapolis.

Ljubicic overcame an on-court bee sting to upset third-seeded Sebastien Grosjean and will meet defending champion Roddick.

Ljubicic took a medical timeout in the opening set after a bee stung him in the buttocks. He returned to beat Grosjean, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.

Motor Racing

Ryan Newman, the last of 46 drivers to make qualifying attempts, knocked NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points leader Jimmie Johnson out of the top spot at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.

Newman’s fast lap of 132.360 mph in a Dodge won the pole for Sunday’s Siemen’s 300. Johnson claimed the outside of the front row with a fast lap of 131.984 in a Chevrolet.

Martin Truex Jr., driving in place of injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., qualified third in a Chevrolet at 131.660.

Truex knew his qualifying run would be wiped out. Earnhardt, burned in a crash during practice for a sports car event last Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, will start the race to earn championship points. The car will have to start from the rear of the field because of the driver change.

Miscellany

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired forward Drew Gooden in a four-player trade with Orlando, sending the Magic forward Tony Battie and two second-round draft picks. The Cavaliers also got rookie forward Anderson Varejao and 7-foot center Steven Hunter.

Maurice Greene was upset in the 100 meters at the Gaz de France track meet at Saint-Denis, finishing second to Francis Obikewelu of Portugal.

Obikewelu was timed in 10.06, easily beating Greene, the defending Olympic champion who finished in 10.14.

Natasha Kai had a hand in all the goals as the U.S. under-21 women’s soccer team defeated Finland, 3-0, in Dalvik, Iceland, in its opening game at the Nordic Cup. She was fouled in the seventh minute to set up Joanna Lohman’s penalty kick, scored from 16 yards out in the 18th minute and assisted on Carli Lloyd’s goal in the 30th minute.

Sound and Vision columnist Mike Penner is on assignment.