Ducks Re-Sign Bryzgalov, Setting Up Duel at Goalie

Ducks goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov can now focus on battling Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the starting job after signing a two-year contract Wednesday worth nearly $2.4 million, nine days before training camp begins.

The 26-year-old Russian hopes to capitalize on his star turn in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.

Bryzgalov, after an informal workout Wednesday, said Coach Randy Carlyle would decide who plays. “It’s not my decision, and it’s not Giguere’s decision,” he said.

Bryzgalov sparked controversy in July after a Russian newspaper quoted him as saying that the team wanted to trade Giguere but couldn’t because “no one wants him.”

“It was a big misunderstanding,” Bryzgalov said, adding that he has a good relationship with the veteran goalie. “It was a little translation thing. When I read it in the newspaper, I was shocked.

Bryzgalov had sought a one-year contract in order to have arbitration rights after the season but opted for the two-year deal for more security and unrestricted free-agent status in 2008.

Bryzgalov was 13-12-1 last season as a rookie with a 2.51 goals-against average. But he made a name for himself in the postseason with three consecutive shutouts to tie an NHL playoff mark and a shutout streak of 249 minutes 15 seconds that is second in playoff history.

-- Eric Stephens

PRO BASKETBALL

Payton Re-Signs With the Heat

Point guard Gary Payton, 38, signed a one-year, $1.2-million deal to return to the Miami Heat, meaning the defending NBA champions have every player from last season’s playoff rotation under contract.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol will have surgery Friday to repair a broken left foot suffered in the FIBA world championships and is expected to be sidelined up to three months.

Danilo Pinnock, the 58th pick in the NBA draft, signed with the Lakers. Pinnock, a 6-foot-5 guard who entered the draft following his junior year at George Washington, was taken by the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Lakers for a 2007 second-round draft choice.

The Hornets, playing mostly in Oklahoma City since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, will begin training camp at New Orleans Arena on Oct. 3. Scheduled to return to New Orleans full time for the 2007-08 season, the Hornets will play six games in the city this season, with the rest in Oklahoma City.

JURISPRUDENCE

Sampson Gets Two Months in Jail

Former NBA and Virginia standout Ralph Sampson agreed to plead guilty today to mail fraud and serve two months in jail, his attorney said in Richmond.

James Roberts said Sampson will serve the jail term in Atlanta, where he lives, but Roberts said he will ask for a delay of Sampson’s incarceration until the spring of 2007.

A child support case led to the charges against Sampson.

A judge denied Maurice Clarett’s request for a survey to determine whether the former Ohio State star running back can get a fair trial in Columbus, Ohio, on gun charges.

Judge David Fais of Franklin County Common Pleas Court said he might consider a different county if it became clear during jury selection that Clarett could not get a fair trial.

Clarett’s trial is scheduled for Sept. 18.

FIGURE SKATING

Kwan to Skip Season After Hip Surgery

Figure skater Michelle Kwan, whose third try at Olympic gold was thwarted in February when she injured a groin muscle during her first practice in Turin, will skip the 2006-07 season to recover from August surgery on her right hip.

Kwan, 26, a nine-time U.S. champion and five-time world champion, said in a statement that she will attend classes at the University of Denver and after this year will “again evaluate all my options, including returning to competitive skating.”

-- Helene Elliott

MISCELLANY

Leslie Won’t Play for the U.S. Team

Sparks center Lisa Leslie withdrew from next week’s world basketball championships because of family medical problems. A three-time Olympic gold medalist, the 6-foot-5 center has played on U.S. teams since 1989.

Dan Goossen, heavyweight James Toney’s promoter, filed a protest with the World Boxing Council over last Saturday’s fight against Samuel Peter, asking for an immediate rematch.

Peter won the 12-round match at Staples Center by split decision, two of the three judges scoring the fight, 116-111, for Peter despite the fact Peter had a point deducted for hitting on the back of the head. The third judge had Toney winning, 115-112.

Saturday’s fight had been designated as an elimination bout to determine an opponent for WBC champion Oleg Maskaev.

-- Steve Springer

Formula One standout Michael Schumacher will announce his retirement Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix, the German newspaper Bild reported.

Schumacher, 37, is a seven-time champion who owns every major record in Formula One.

Tennessee center Major Wingate, suspended in May for violating unspecified team rules and university policy, was dismissed from the basketball team, Coach Bruce Pearl said. No details were given.

Former Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara signed a one-year contract to play for Olympiakos of the Greek league, giving him flexibility with the NBA, his agent said.

Two months after losing the World Cup final to Italy, France beat the Italians, 3-1, in a European Championship qualifier on Sidney Govou’s two goals and one by Thierry Henry in Saint-Denis, France.

Marco Materazzi, who admitted this week he insulted the retired Zinedine Zidane’s sister in the controversial head-butting during the World Cup final, missed the game under a two-game suspension for the incident.

Meb Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes, the Athens Olympic marathon silver medalist, will compete in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5. Keflezighi has finished second and third at New York the past two years.

The field is scheduled to also include defending champion and marathon world-record holder Paul Tergat of Kenya, as well as American marathoners Alan Culpepper and Dathan Ritzenhein.