USOC Draws Up a New Strategy

The U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors endorsed a five-part plan Friday aimed at keeping U.S. athletes competitive while sustaining the USOC’s administrative efforts to and through the Beijing Summer Games in 2008.

The plan includes a focus on such disparate issues as improving the USOC’s dismal international relations strategies, winning bunches of medals at the Games with sportsmanship and developing “capable, motivated and empowered” staff at USOC headquarters in Colorado Springs, Chief Executive Jim Scherr said during a board meeting in La Jolla.

The USOC is also eager to explore the feasibility -- amid consultation with NBC, the longtime U.S. broadcast rights holder for the Games -- of an Olympic sports-only channel on cable TV, Scherr said.

The USOC board action came amid brief presentations by the five would-be U.S. candidates for the 2016 Summer Games: Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asserted afterward that Los Angeles offers “the assets, the infrastructure, the political will, the public-private partnership to make this happen.”

The USOC has not announced a timeline for opting into or out of the 2016 race. The International Olympic Committee will make the 2016 selection in 2009.

-- Alan Abrahamson

GOLF

Curtis Leads by One

After Rounds of 62-65

Ben Curtis made a five-foot birdie putt on his final hole, giving him a one-stroke edge over Jose Coceres at the midway point of the Booz Allen Classic at Potomac, Md.

Curtis followed his first-round 62 with a six-under-par 65 at the TPC at Avenel, putting him at 15 under and setting a tournament record for best score after 36 holes.

South Korea’s Shi Hyun Ahn shot a one-under 71 to retain a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Wegmans LPGA at Pittsford, N.Y.

Allen Doyle had nine birdies -- six on putts of less than 10 feet -- in a seven-under 64 that gave him a one-stroke lead over Gil Morgan after the first round of the Commerce Bank Championship at East Meadow, N.Y.

Colin Montgomerie shot his second consecutive five-under 68 to take a two-shot lead after two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, Scotland.

UCLA’s Hannah Jun was eliminated in the second round of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at Pueblo, Colo. Jun dropped a 19-hole decision to Michigan State’s Sara Brown.

TENNIS

Gasquet and Bjorkman

Advance at Nottingham

Defending champion Richard Gasquet and Jonas Bjorkman won semifinal matches to advance to the championship of the Red Letter Days Open at Nottingham, England.

Gasquet defeated Robin Soderling, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5), and Bjorkman, a two-time winner of the event, cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Andreas Seppi.

Justine Henin-Hardenne defeated fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, to reach the final of the Hastings Direct tournament at Eastbourne, England.

Henin-Hardenne will face fifth-seeded Anastasia Myskina in today’s final after Myskina defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Michaella Krajicek upset top-seeded Elena Dementieva, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, and advanced to the final of the Ordina Open in Den Bosch, Netherlands. Krajicek will play Dinara Safina, who beat 2002 winner Eleni Daniilidou, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

On the men’s side, defending champion Mario Ancic reached the final by beating Marcos Baghdatis, 7-6 (4), 6-3. Ancic will meet Jan Hernych, who defeated Florent Serra, 6-2, 7-6 (3).

MOTOR RACING

Ecclestone: Formula One

Doesn’t Need the U.S.

Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone took aim at the future of the U.S. Grand Prix, saying it wouldn’t matter if the series no longer raced in America.

“Why do we need to worry so much about America?” Ecclestone told the Times of London. “America has never really taken to open-wheel racing. They talk about the big audiences for NASCAR, but we get as many viewers in Italy alone as they do for NASCAR in the States.”

F-1’s contract with Indianapolis Motor Speedway expires this year, and it’s not clear whether either side wants to renew. Last year’s event was a debacle, with 14 drivers refusing to race because of safety concerns with their Michelin tires. The race returns there next week.

Sebastien Bourdais won the provisional pole at the Grand Prix of Cleveland on his final lap, leapfrogging A.J. Allmendinger at the Champ Car qualifying session. Bourdais posted a lap of 56.851 seconds just before Allmendinger recorded 56.965 seconds on his final lap.

A thunderstorm washed out qualifying for the Indy Racing League’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway, and series points leader Helio Castroneves was awarded the pole.

HOCKEY

Bertuzzi Goes to Panthers

in a Five-Player Deal

The Florida Panthers acquired forward Todd Bertuzzi in exchange for goaltender Roberto Luongo as part of a five-player trade with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks also sent goaltender Alex Auld and defenseman Bryan Allen to the Panthers in exchange for defenseman Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round pick in today’s draft.

The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with Rod Brind’Amour for a five-year contract worth $18 million, keeping the veteran captain with the franchise he helped lead to the Stanley Cup.

MISCELLANY

Man Accused of Shooting

Francis Faces Life in Prison

DeAnthony Norman Ford, the man accused of shooting and killing USC basketball player Ryan Francis on May 13 in Baton Rouge, La., has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

If convicted, Ford, 19, faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder charge and between 10 and 50 years on the attempted murder charge. Bond was set at $350,000.

-- Ben Bolch

Gary Barta has been named athletic director at Iowa. Barta, the athletic director at Wyoming, will begin his new duties Aug. 1.

Washington right-hander Tim Lincecum (12-4, 1.94 ERA) won the Golden Spikes Award as the top player in amateur baseball.

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers was arrested and charged with hitting his wife in the face on a street not far from Boston’s Fenway Park. He pleaded not guilty to assault charges.

New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jammal Brown was free on bond after his arrest on a domestic abuse complaint from his wife in Mandeville, La.

Former heavyweight Clifford Etienne, who learned to box while in prison, was sentenced to 150 years behind bars for a crime spree that included an attempt to shoot police officers in Baton Rouge.