Redskins’ Taylor Will Avoid Jail

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor reached an agreement with prosecutors to drop felony charges against him and pleaded no contest Thursday to two misdemeanors in an assault case, avoiding any jail time that might have derailed his NFL career.

The deal calls for Taylor to be put on 18 months’ probation, talk about the importance of education at 10 Miami-Dade County schools and contribute $1,000 for scholarships to each of those schools. He must also pay $429 in court costs.

Taylor, 23, had been scheduled to go to trial July 10. He had faced a maximum of 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor charge stemming from a confrontation last June after his all-terrain vehicles were taken.

The NFL could still impose a fine or suspend Taylor for one or more games, his attorney said, but league officials did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

The Redskins also declined to comment but have publicly supported Taylor in the past.

When Taylor and some friends located the people who had the vehicles, the two sides eventually fought and Taylor hit and shoved at least one person, a prosecutor said in court.

Prosecutors had first accused Taylor of pointing a gun during the dispute, but he denied having a weapon. That accusation was dropped in the deal.

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Cindy Rarick, who has won more than $2 million in her career on the LPGA Tour, was charged with driving while intoxicated during the Corning Classic in New York.

Police Lt. Jeffrey Spaulding said Rarick was arrested downtown late Saturday. Spaulding said a plainclothes officer noticed that Rarick was driving without headlights and not wearing a seat belt just after 11 p.m. She was arrested 10 minutes later.

Spaulding said a uniformed officer stopped Rarick’s car and performed field sobriety tests that indicated she was intoxicated.

Rarick, 47, was charged with driving while intoxicated, driving with a blood alcohol content of more than .08%, refusal to submit to a breath test, operating without headlights and driving without a seat belt.

Spaulding said officers took Rarick to the Corning Police Department and later released her. She is scheduled to appear in Corning City Court on June 22.

SOCCER

Netherlands Defeats Mexico in Tuneup

The Netherlands overcame Jared Borgetti’s first-half goal to beat Mexico, 2-1, at Eindhoven, Netherlands, in an exhibition between teams expected to reach the second round of the World Cup.

Faced with the possibility the teams could meet in the second round, Dutch Coach Marco Van Basten fielded a lineup filled with backup players and a third-string goalie.

Mexico fielded its top lineup for the first half, then made six replacements.

John Heitinga tied the score when he headed Wesley Sneijder’s corner kick in the 52nd minute past goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.

Ryan Babel scored five minutes later.

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Longoria Named Finalist for Golden Spikes Award

Long Beach State third baseman Evan Longoria is one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, presented by USA Baseball and awarded to the top player in college baseball.

Longoria, the co-Big West player of the year, led the conference in slugging (.603) and on-base percentage (.468), while batting .353 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs.

The other finalists are Texas outfielder Drew Stubbs, Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum, North Carolina pitcher Andrew Miller and Vanderbilt pitcher David Price.

The 2006 Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced on June 23rd at 10 a.m. PST on ESPNU.

HOCKEY

Hall of Famer Trottier Returns to Islanders

Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier is coming back to the New York Islanders to serve as executive director of player development.

Trottier, 49, starred on New York’s four straight Stanley Cup championship teams in the 1980s and holds several club records.

He went on to win two more titles in Pittsburgh with Mario Lemieux and the Penguins before starting his coaching career.

Trottier was an assistant in Pittsburgh from 1994 to 1997 and then took over as head coach of Portland in the AHL.

He returned to the NHL the following season and spent four years as an assistant on the Colorado Avalanche staff, winning a seventh Stanley Cup ring in 2001.

One year later, Trottier -- inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 -- took over as coach of the rival New York Rangers.

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The Kings signed forward Ned Lukacevic and goaltender Daniel Taylor to entry-level contracts.

Lukacevic, 20, was a fourth-round draft pick in 2004. He played last season with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League.

Taylor, 20, was a seventh-round draft pick in 2004. He played for the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League last season.

-- Chris Foster

MISCELLANY

USC, Colorado State Cancel Football Game

USC and Colorado State have mutually agreed to cancel their 2008 football game scheduled for Sept. 6 in Denver.

USC says it plans to replace the game with a home game, giving the school seven games at the Coliseum. The Trojans haven’t played as many as seven home games since the 2000 season.

USC beat Colorado State, 49-0, at the Coliseum in 2004 in the only game between the schools.

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Two of UCLA’s 2006 football games are on the list of Fox Sports Net’s early selections of Pacific 10 Conference contests. The Sept. 2 opener against Utah will kickoff at 4 p.m. at the Rose Bowl. The Nov. 18 game at Arizona State will kickoff at 8:15 p.m.

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Cerritos senior Rory Hie won the CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. individual title at the SCGA Members Golf Course in Murrieta. He shot a six-under-par 66, then made a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff with Jamie Lovemark of San Diego Torrey Pines. Hie also won the Southern Section individual title last Monday, making him the first player since Tiger Woods in 1991 to win both titles in the same year.

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Three UCLA women’s golfers are on the 2006 National Golf Coaches Assn. All-American team, it was announced this week. Freshmen Jane Park and Tiffany Joh were first team selections, and sophomore Amie Cochran was named to the second team.