England Edges Colombia
Michael Owen scored three goals, and England completed a sweep of its two-game trip to the United States with a 3-2 victory over Colombia on Tuesday as David Beckham delighted the crowd in his professional debut in the United States.
Although Beckham saw little of the ball for much of the game, he set up Owen’s third goal in the 58th minute with a bending cross that his Real Madrid teammate volleyed at the near post to earn raves from the announced crowd of 50,807 at East Rutherford, N.J.
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Francesco Totti signed a five-year contract with AS Roma to make him the fifth highest-paid player in the world at about $12.8 million a year.... Amado Guevara’s goal in second-half injury time to give the MetroStars (4-3-3) a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire (5-5-1) in an MLS game at East Rutherford.
Pro Football
Green Bay Packer Coach Mike Sherman is excusing Brett Favre from the team’s voluntary minicamp that starts today, saying he wants the quarterback to be raring to go when training camp starts in July. Sherman also asked Favre to skip the post-draft minicamp this spring because of the emotional wear and tear he had been under the previous 18 months, when he lost his father to a heart attack and his brother-in-law to an ATV accident. His wife, Deanna, had treatment for breast cancer.
The Green Bay Packers will retire Reggie White’s jersey, No. 92, during halftime of their home opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 18. White, who suffered from a respiratory ailment, died Dec. 26 at 43.
College Baseball
Cal State Fullerton picked up four of the Big West Conference awards as junior Ricky Romero was named pitcher of the year and right fielder Sergio Pedroza was selected as co-player of the year with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Kyle Blumenthal.
Romero, a left-hander, is 12-4 with a 2.80 earned-run average and 129 strikeouts. Pedroza, a junior, lead the Titans with a .346 average, 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in. Fullerton’s George Horton was named coach of the year for the second consecutive season, and right-hander Wes Roemer was named freshman pitcher of the year.... USC sophomore Ian Kennedy was named Pacific 10 Conference pitcher of the year.
Kenny Holmberg had three hits, including a two-run homer, to lead top-seeded Embry Riddle (Fla.) to a 6-3 victory over fourth-seeded Biola in an elimination game in the NAIA World Series at Lewiston, Idaho.
Miscellany
The International Weightlifting Federation rejected the appeals of Hungarian weightlifters Ferenc Gyurkovics, Zoltan Kovacs and Zoltan Kecskes, all of whom were suspended for two years for doping at the 2004 Olympics.
Robby Gordon said he wasn’t being critical of Danica Patrick when he said she had an unfair weight advantage in the Indianapolis 500. Rather, he said he was simply discussing a flaw in the Indy Racing League’s rules.
“The only thing I was saying was that I have a problem with the rule, not any particular driver,” Gordon said. “I’ve been impressed with Danica ... and I certainly did not mean to disrespect her or any other driver.”
Gordon said last week that because Patrick weighs only 100 pounds, her car is lighter than those of everyone else in the field.
Cyclist Mario Cipollini of Italy was questioned by Italian police in Florence as part of an investigation involving six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.
Cipollini was summoned because his former team manager Vincenzo Santoni told police that Armstrong had put pressure on the Italian to stop Filippo Simeoni from riding in his team in the 2004 Tour.
Armstrong was put under formal investigation in August for “private violence” against Simeoni after he chased the Italian down during Stage 18 of the 2004 Tour de France.
Avenger player Silas Demary, who set an Arena Football League record with 13 1/2 sacks this season, was selected the league’s lineman of the year.
Six-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater defeated C.J. Hobgood in the final of the Globe WCT Fiji on the island of Tavarua. It was the second consecutive victory for Slater, who moved into first place on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ World Championship Tour.
Devine Racing, which bought the L.A. Marathon in November from co-founders William Burke and Marie Patrick, announced plans for the New Las Vegas Marathon to be held Dec. 4. Burke and Patrick will organize the event.
