Miller Struggles, Loses Overall Lead

Bode Miller isn’t off to the same flying start as last season.

The American finished eighth in a World Cup super-G Friday at Val Gardena, Italy, and lost his short-lived lead in the overall standings.

Hans Grugger of Austria won his first career super-G, and Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway finished fifth to regain the lead he lost to Miller a week ago. Miller, though, trails by only two points.

Miller has won only one race this season, a giant slalom in Beaver Creek, Colo., earlier this month.

Miller had great split times, but did not finish strong at the end of his run.

“I’m not sure what went wrong, but Bode got smoked on the bottom of the course,” U.S. speed Coach John McBride said.

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Shani Davis’ bid to make both U.S. speedskating teams ended when he fell in the semifinals of the 1,000 meters, the final event of the national short track championships at Marquette, Mich. Davis, a world-record holder in long track and already qualified for that team, wanted to make the short track squad as well -- an unlikely quest in a sport where nearly all skaters specialize in one or the other.

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Mao Asada took advantage of a mistake by world champion Irina Slutskaya of Russia, leaving the Japanese teenager in first place entering today’s free program at the Grand Prix skating final in Tokyo.

Asada landed a triple flip-triple loop to score 64.38 points. Slutskaya did a double flip instead of a planned triple and landed awkwardly, finishing second with 58.90 points. Miki Ando of Japan was third. Alissa Czisny of the United States was sixth.

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Silke Kraushaar gave Germany its 61st consecutive victory in women’s luge, winning her third World Cup event this season in snowy, slow conditions at Lake Placid, N.Y. In men’s doubles, the American team of Christian Niccum and Patrick Quinn finished fourth and forced a race-off next week with Preston Griffall and Dan Joye for the second and final doubles berth on the U.S. Olympic team.

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Shaun White of Carlsbad qualified first out of 118 riders for the second halfpipe contest at the Chevrolet U.S. Snowboard Grand Prix in Breckenridge, Colo.

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BASEBALL

Washburn Agrees to Deal With Mariners

The Angels made no effort to retain free-agent pitcher Jarrod Washburn this winter, but it appears they’ll get their fill of the left-hander during the next four years. Washburn, according to industry sources, has agreed to terms with the American League West-rival Seattle Mariners on a four-year deal worth at least $35 million.

Washburn went 8-8 in 29 starts last season and ranked fourth in the league with a 3.20 earned-run average, but the Angels, concerned about Washburn’s occasional arm problems and convinced youngsters Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders are close to big-league ready, did not want to make a huge financial investment in the 31-year-old.

Because the Angels did not offer salary arbitration to Washburn last week, they will not receive draft-pick compensation from the Mariners.

The first four slots of the Angels’ 2006 rotation are set with Bartolo Colon, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana. Newcomer Hector Carrasco will compete with Saunders and Weaver for the final rotation spot, but the Angels have also expressed interest in free-agent starters Kevin Millwood and Jeff Weaver.

-- Mike DiGiovanna

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Kansas City agreed to one-year deals with second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.

Trying to rebound from a team-record 106-loss season, the Royals also agreed to a two-year, $8-million deal with pitcher Scott Elarton and finalized their agreement with backup catcher Paul Bako.

Grudzielanek’s contract calls for a $4-million salary next season. If he has 500 plate appearances, he gets a $3-million player option for 2007.

Mientkiewicz, a former Gold Glove first baseman best known for taking the ball from the final out of Boston’s World Series win in 2004, gets a $1.85-million deal with $700,000 in performance bonuses based on games and plate appearances.

The Red Sox filed a lawsuit against Mientkiewicz to gain possession of the ball, but the team announced it was dropping the suit after the sides determined to go to arbitration.

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Alex Rodriguez told the New York Yankees he won’t play in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, only two days after saying he was leaning toward being on the Dominican Republic’s team.

Baseball officials said at last week’s winter meetings that Rodriguez had agreed to play in the tournament but had not decided whether he wanted to play for the United States or the Dominican Republic.

The third baseman was born in New York, but his parents are Dominican.

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Roger Clemens, the 43-year-old free agent pitcher, said he won’t make a decision on his future until late January or early February.

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Hall of Famer Tom Lasorda will be honored by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation at a banquet at the Beverly Hilton tonight for his contributions to the game.

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JURISPRUDENCE

Tribunal Says Urbina Must Remain Jailed

Pitcher Ugueth Urbina must remain in a Caracas jail until his trial on attempted murder charges, a Venezuelan tribunal decided after prosecutors formally presented their evidence.

Urbina faces charges of attempted murder, conspiring with others to commit a crime, illegal deprivation of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into one’s own hands. If found guilty of all four crimes, he would face up to 20 years in jail. The judge in the case has yet to set a trial date.

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A breach-of-contract lawsuit contending that tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams and their father reneged on promises to play in a 2001 “Battle of the Sexes” match won’t be retried until late next year.

The new trial won’t be held until at least November in deference to their tennis season, attorneys in the case said.

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MISCELLANY

Mission Viejo’s Reuland Will Attend Notre Dame

Konrad Reuland, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end from Mission Viejo, has committed to Notre Dame, picking the Fighting Irish over USC and UCLA.

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AC Milan will play at Bayern Munich Tuesday as the second round of the Champions League begins play. Other matches include Liverpool at Benfica, Lyon at PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal at Real Madrid.

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Chelsea Georgeson of Australia clinched the ASP Women’s World Championship in the season-ending surfing event in Hawaii. Her nearest rival, Sofia Mulanovich, was eliminated in the quarterfinals.