Former Receiver Blooms Into World Cup Winner

Jeremy Bloom, the former University of Colorado receiver who gave up football to concentrate on skiing and the Turin Olympics, led a U.S. sweep in men’s moguls Thursday with his first freestyle World Cup victory of the season at Park City, Utah.

Bloom overtook qualifying leader Toby Dawson with a faster and more difficult final run, completing a 720-degree turn off both jumps on the Champion course at Deer Valley, and finished with a score of 27.05. Nathan Roberts of Park City placed second (26.18) and Dawson, skiing with a broken bone in his foot, placed third (25.79).

It was a big day for the Americans. U.S. skier Michelle Roark won her first World Cup freestyle event in six years, and teammate Hannah Kearney placed third (25.04) in women’s moguls. Margarita Marbler of Austria was second (25.30).

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Americans Chris Soule and Eric Bernotas swept the first two places in a men’s skeleton World Cup race at St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Baseball

All-Star outfielder Lance Berkman, expected to sit out the start of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing flag football, avoided salary arbitration when he agreed to a $10.5 million, one-year contract with Houston.

Dodger Manager Jim Tracy and major league players Chris Gomez and Chad Cordero will be among those participating in an autograph session to raise money for tsunami victims at UC Irvine on Sunday. The event will be held from noon-2 p.m. at Anteater Park. Donations for the fundraiser will be collected at the entrance gate.

Right-hander Hideo Nomo agreed to a minor league contract with Tampa Bay. He would get an $800,000, one-year deal if added to the major league roster and have the chance to make an additional $700,000 in performance bonuses.

Japanese infielder Tadahito Iguchi and the Chicago White Sox completed their $4.95-million, two-year contract. Iguchi will make $2.3 million in 2005 and $2.4 million in 2006. Chicago has a $3.25-million option for 2007 with a $250,000 buyout.

Arizona reliever Mike Koplove agreed to a $2-million, two-year contract.

Milwaukee outfielder Brady Clark agreed to a $1.15-million, one-year contract. Clark batted .280 with seven homers and 46 runs batted in in 138 games last season with the Brewers.

Atlanta settled its final salary arbitration case, agreeing to a one-year deal with reliever Kevin Gryboski for $877,500. The Braves also reached a preliminary agreement with right-handed reliever Jay Powell on a minor league contract. He pitched last season in Texas.

Infielder George Arias agreed to a minor league contract with Washington after spending the last five seasons in Japan.

Former Colorado pitcher Denny Neagle pleaded not guilty to a solicitation charge stemming from allegations that he offered a woman $40 for sex.

Soccer

Referee Robert Hoyzer admitted to fixing matches in Germany’s lower divisions and German Cup competition and said he was ready to cooperate with prosecutors to clear up the country’s biggest soccer corruption scandal in more than 30 years.

The German soccer federation accused Hoyzer of manipulating the outcomes of at least five games in Germany’s lower divisions and the German Cup after betting on them.

He initially denied the charges.

Horst Hilpert, the head of the German soccer federation, said his committee was questioning 14 other match officials.

Ronald Cerritos, San Jose’s career scoring leader, returned to his former MLS club when D.C. United traded him to the Earthquakes for a fourth-round draft pick.

Cerritos played for the Earthquakes from 1997 to 2001, scoring 55 goals and getting 38 assists.

Miscellany

Former three-time world champion Felix Trinidad will fight for the second time since coming out of retirement when he meets reigning 154-pound champion Winky Wright on May 14 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The fight will be held at 160 pounds with no titles at stake.

A judge rejected an effort by Rick Neuheisel’s lawyers to disallow tape recordings made by NCAA investigators as evidence in the coach’s lawsuit against the University of Washington and the NCAA.

Arnold Palmer, 75, married fiancee Kathleen Gawthrop of Tiburon, Calif., in an intimate beachside ceremony on Oahu’s North Shore on Wednesday night. Palmer was married once before. His wife of 45 years, Winnie, died in 1999.

David M. Davis, president of the 2005 Tournament of Roses and chairman of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Football Committee for the Jan. 4, 2006, bowl championship series national-title game at the Rose Bowl, was named to the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame board of directors.

T.J. Simers has the day off.