Larkin to Work for Nationals

Shortstop Barry Larkin, a 12-time All-Star who spent his 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, has retired and joined the Washington Nationals in their front office as a special assistant.

“I just felt it was time,” Larkin, 40, said Sunday from his home in Orlando, Fla. “I had some opportunities with other teams to play, but I didn’t feel that I could make the commitment as a player with another team.”

The Reds, his hometown team, had rejected his overtures to return for a 20th season, deciding to turn the position over to younger players.

In 2,180 games, Larkin batted .295 with 198 home runs and 960 runs batted in. He helped the team win the 1990 World Series and was the National League most valuable player in 1995.

*

Pitcher Ben Sheets and the Milwaukee Brewers agreed to a $6-million, one-year contract.

Tennis

Top-seeded Andy Roddick defeated Cyril Saulnier, 6-0, 6-4, in 50 minutes to win the SAP Open at San Jose and earn the 16th title of his career.

*

Second-seeded Gaston Gaudio beat wild card Mariano Puerta, 6-4, 6-4, in an all-Argentine final in the ATP Buenos Aires.... Third-seeded Joachim Johansson beat Ivan Ljubicic, 7-5, 6-4, in the final of the Open 13 at Marseille, France.... Dinara Safina beat second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, to win the Open Gaz de France at Paris.

Winter Sports

Germany, which failed to win a single individual medal in two weeks of competition at Bormio, Italy, won the new team event in the Alpine Skiing World Championships.

Austria and the United States were heavy favorites but had to settle for second place and fourth place, respectively. France finished third.

*

Host Latvia defeated Belarus, 5-4, at Riga to clinch a spot in the hockey tournament at next year’s Olympics. At Kloten, host Switzerland beat Denmark, 4-2, to clinch a berth, and Kazakhstan qualified with a 1-0 victory over France at Klagenfurt, Austria.

Arena Football

Andy Kelly’s eight touchdown passes lifted host New Orleans over San Jose, 62-61.... Clint Stoerner threw three touchdown passes to lead Dallas over Columbus, 35-31, at Dallas.... Keith Gispert’s 21-yard field goal with three seconds left lifted Chicago over Colorado, 49-48, at Denver.... Tony Graziani’s six touchdown passes led host Philadelphia over Nashville, 59-48.

Miscellany

Dennis Rodman had 12 rebounds to help Long Beach beat Ontario, 108-106, in an ABA game in the Pyramid.... Ai Miyazato shot a six-under-par 67 to lead Japan to a two-stroke victory in the Women’s World Cup at George, South Africa.

*

Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia set a world record in the women’s indoor pole vault, clearing 15 feet 11 3/4 Saturday at Kiev, Ukraine. She had set the previous mark of 15-11 1/4 last year.

*

Adriano Moraes of Brazil scored 796 points to win the Professional Bull Riders Tour Anaheim Open in the Arrowhead Pond. Greg Potter of Australia was second with 786 points, and Zack Brown of Chino Hills was third with 626.

*

New Zealand beat Argentina, 34-5, to win the IRB Sevens USA rugby tournament at the Home Depot Center.

*

Lou Hudson, 60, a former star of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, was in stable condition in a Salt Lake City hospital a day after suffering a stroke, the team said.

*

Gloria Halpern, the mother of Jeff Halpern of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, was among four people killed in a crash Friday night at Davie, Fla.