USC, Coliseum Commission still trying to find solution

USC and the Coliseum Commission are talking, but it’s unclear whether they’re speaking the same language.

The school received a lease proposal Thursday, a day after the commission held a special meeting to hammer out an offer. Although neither side is talking, sources familiar with the negotiations say the commission’s proposal neither cedes control of the stadium nor commits to structural improvements.

USC has offered to invest $100 million in the Coliseum in exchange for a master lease agreement that would allow it to run the stadium.

Last week, after considering a lease offer from USC, the Rose Bowl Operating Co. urged the school to continue trying to work out its differences with the commission. Officials from the Pasadena stadium also stressed the importance of UCLA’s approval of any proposed deal, since it is the main tenant.

USC issued a three-sentence statement Thursday afternoon saying it was evaluating the commission’s lease proposal and intends to present a response Monday.

“Our goal remains to secure a viable improvement plan for the Coliseum,” USC spokesman James Grant said in the statement.

Apparently, there has been some progress as a result of USC pushing the commission for a long-term deal, a situation that has attracted the attention of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The commission’s lease negotiations with the state, which have gone unresolved for a decade, could be nearing an end.

The commission could know by as soon as Monday how much the state plans to charge for rent, according to a source familiar with those separate negotiations.

-- Sam Farmer

JURISPRUDENCE

Vick wrote judge a letter asking for leniency

Michael Vick declared “I am not the bad person or beast I’ve been made out to be” and asked for leniency in a letter to the federal judge who sentenced him to 23 months in prison for a dogfighting conspiracy.

Vick made his handwritten plea from jail as he awaited Monday’s sentencing by Judge Henry E. Hudson. His five-page letter and several others from Vick supporters, including baseball great Hank Aaron and former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, were released by the U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and am ashamed that my actions hurt animals and allowed animals to be hurt and killed,” Vick wrote. “ . . . Your Honor, I just ask for a second chance.”

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback’s appeal wasn’t enough to overcome Hudson’s finding that Vick lied at various times about his hands-on role in helping kill pit bulls and about his marijuana use, which was detected by a drug screening.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Houston is set to hire Oklahoma’s Sumlin

Oklahoma assistant coach Kevin Sumlin will be hired as Houston’s football coach, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Sumlin has spent the last five years on Bob Stoops’ staff at Oklahoma.

Chris Burkhalter, Houston’s associate athletics director, said that a news conference had been scheduled for today but didn’t elaborate.

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Clemson linebacker Cortney Vincent is expected to start in the Chick-fil-A Bowl even though he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving last weekend.

SOCCER

England gets approval to hire Capello as coach

The Football Assn. approved the appointment of Fabio Capello, the former AC Milan, AS Roma and Real Madrid coach, as England’s new soccer coach, but both sides must still finalize the terms of the contract.

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Clarence Seedorf scored to give AC Milan a 1-0 win over the Urawa Reds at Yokohama, Japan, and set up a Club World Cup final against Boca Juniors on Sunday. Seedorf scored in the 68th minute after the Champions League winner had dominated possession. Boca beat Etoile Sahel of Tunisia, 1-0, on Wednesday.

MISCELLANY

Leslie will return to the Sparks next season

Lisa Leslie will return to the Sparks in May for the start of the 2008 season after sitting out last summer to give birth to a baby girl. The team announced Leslie’s return Thursday, along with its summer schedule.

The Sparks will open the WNBA season with a five-game trip starting May 17 in Phoenix.

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The USTA announced that La Jolla has been selected as the site for the 2008 Fed Cup quarterfinal on Feb. 2-3 between the United States and Germany. The matches will be played at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

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The McLaren team apologized for its role in the Formula One spy scandal.

In a letter to FIA’s World Motorsport Council, McLaren chief operating officer Martin Whitmarsh expressed his embarrassment that secret Ferrari documents were widely spread through his team.

McLaren was fined $100 million in September by the WMSC for unauthorized possession of confidential Ferrari materials.

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At Villach, Austria, Thomas Morgenstern won his fourth consecutive World Cup ski jumping event, becoming the third jumper to open the season with four straight victories. Morgenstern joined Austria’s Andreas Felder in 1984 and Finland’s Janne Ahonen in 2004 as the only skiers to sweep the first four events.