Saints Not Leaving Town

New Orleans Saint owner Tom Benson, who faced intense criticism last year when he appeared ready to relocate the NFL team to a more lucrative market, vowed Tuesday to stay in the Superdome through 2010.

“We have a contract with the state of Louisiana that goes through 2010. I expect to honor that contract, all right?” Benson told New Orleans business leaders and fans as part of a charm offensive intended to secure their support.

The Saints relocated to San Antonio after Hurricane Katrina in August and struggled through a mishap-plagued 3-13 season.

Rita Benson LeBlanc, Benson’s granddaughter and a Saint executive, said the team was asking corporate sponsors to commit to five-year leases for luxury suites at the Superdome.

She said the team was working to make regular seats more affordable given the economic distress of the city and the region, with some seats priced as low as $14.

“Our primary focus is to reach out to our fans,” she said.

The Oakland Raiders will try to lure fans back to the Coliseum with cheaper tickets after dropping an unsuccessful seat licensing plan.

The Raiders will offer eight tiers of tickets: the least expensive seats will cost $26; midrange seats will cost $61 and the best seats will cost $101.

An average ticket will cost $65.60. Last season, the average cost for a fan with a personal seat license was $67.31 and a single ticket with surcharges on average cost $70.90.

The New York Jets are attempting to renegotiate the contract of quarterback Chad Pennington, who sat out much of the last two seasons because of an injured throwing shoulder. Pennington signed a $64-million, seven-year deal two years ago.

The Arizona Cardinals re-signed quarterback Kurt Warner, a two-time most valuable player, to a three-year contract.

The Atlanta Falcons hired Joe Lombardi, the grandson of Hall-of-Fame coach Vince Lombardi, as a defensive assistant.

SOCCER

MLS Sets Size of Game Rosters at 18

Major League Soccer altered its game-day roster rules, deciding each team can dress 18 players for games.

Previously, teams were able to suit up 20 players at home and 16 on the road. As before, up to three substitutes a game may be used.

MLS also eliminated its system of caution points, which were based on the severity of infractions. Instead, a player would be suspended for one game if he accumulates five yellow cards. Reaching eight and 11 yellow cards would result in additional one-game suspensions. After that, each two yellow cards would cause another one-game suspension.

The league also decided the MLS Cup winner and the team with the most regular-season points will represent the United States in the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

TENNIS

Roddick Looks Strong in Victory at San Jose

Andy Roddick used crushing ground strokes to beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-3, 6-4, in the first round of the SAP Open at San Jose.

Wang Yeu-tzuoo upset fifth-seeded James Blake, 6-3, 7-5, in a later match. Wang, ranked 88th, turned 21 last week.

In other matches, qualifier Brian Wilson beat eighth-seeded Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), qualifier Justin Gimbelstob beat Bjorn Rehnquist, 6-1, 6-4, and Robin Soderling topped Andrei Pavel, 6-3, 6-4.

Fifth-seeded Carlos Moya of Spain rallied to beat Fabio Fognini of Italy, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Copa Telmex clay-court tournament at Buenos Aires.

MOTOR RACING

NASCAR to Police ‘Bump Drafting’

Two days after Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart said the bumping and banging at Daytona International Speedway must stop before somebody gets hurt or killed, NASCAR decided to begin policing what drivers call “bump drafting.”

The practice -- slamming into the rear of another car to maintain momentum -- is common at Daytona and Talladega, the only two NASCAR tracks that require carburetor restrictor-plates to choke horsepower and limit speeds.

Nextel Cup officials said that spotters in “zones” in the turns on the 2.5-mile Daytona track will feed information to NASCAR, which will then determine whether to penalize cars in Sunday’s season-opening race.

MISCELLANY

Ducks Send Penner to Minors During Break

The Mighty Ducks assigned Dustin Penner to their minor-league affiliate in Portland, Maine, in a move to keep the rookie left wing active during the two-week NHL break for the Olympics.

Penner scored his fourth goal in 15 games with the Ducks on Sunday in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

-- Eric Stephens

U.S. ski team member Dane Spencer was seriously injured in a fall at Big Mountain near Kalispell, Mont. Spencer, 28, was competing in the Doug and Rollie Smith Downhill Race when he fell after a jump.

He was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s intensive care unit with pelvis and back injuries and a concussion.

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf returned to football, becoming the quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M.;

Southern Illinois football Coach Jerry Kill had a cancerous tumor removed from a kidney last month. Kill, 44, is expected to make a full recovery.