Seattle group set to buy WNBA’s Storm

A group of Seattle women, led by former deputy mayor Anne Levinson, will buy the WNBA’s Seattle Storm from SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett for $10 million, it was announced Tuesday.

The purchase option for the franchise was finalized in the last few days, ensuring the Storm will remain in Seattle, while Bennett continues his push to move the SuperSonics to his hometown of Oklahoma City.

TENNIS

Baghdatis, Roddick

advance in Australia

Marcos Baghdatis defeated Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, early today at the Kooyong tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Andy Roddick defeated Ivan Ljubicic, 6-3, 6-0, and Marat Safin defeated Andy Murray, 6-1, 6-4. Fernando Gonzalez won after David Nalbandian withdrew with a back injury.

Former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero reached the second round of the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday on a walkover when wild card Mario Ancic withdrew from their scheduled match because of a stomach ailment.

Eleni Daniilidou upset top-seeded Alona Bondarenko, 6-3, 6-3, in a second-round match at the Hobart International in Hobart, Australia.

Lindsay Davenport has entered the Pacific Life Open, to be held March 10-23, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

JURISPRUDENCE

Former Georgia Tech player released in Israel

Will Bynum, a former Georgia Tech basketball standout now playing in Israel, was released to house arrest after being accused of running over a man after leaving a nightclub brawl.

Maccabi Tel Aviv spokesman Nitzan Seraro said Bynum was at the club celebrating his 25th birthday. Bynum was accosted inside the club by people who later smashed his car windows, Seraro said. The injured man, a 22-year-old disc jockey at the club, remained hospitalized.

Former New Jersey boxing commissioner Larry Hazzard Sr. is suing state Attorney General Anne Milgram, claiming she ousted him for exposing errors by a subordinate.

New Mexico State freshman basketball player Herb Pope has waived his right to a preliminary hearing on a drunk driving charge filed by police who say they found Pope passed out in a running car near Coraopolis, Pa., on Dec. 28.

BASEBALL

Rockies, Giles agree

to minor league deal

Second baseman Marcus Giles and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Giles spent last season with the San Diego Padres, batting .229 with four homers and 39 runs batted in in 116 games. He was an All-Star with Atlanta in 2003, when he batted .316 with 21 homers and 69 RBIs.

Japanese pitcher Masumi Kuwata has signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the veteran right-hander said on his website. Kuwata, 39, made his major league debut with the Pirates on June 10, 2007, and had a 0-1 record with a 9.43 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances.

SOCCER

Goalie Solo rejoins

U.S. women’s team

Goalkeeper Hope Solo, who was dropped from the U.S. women’s team after last year’s World Cup semifinal, is back on the team and headed to China. Solo, who was critical of her benching in favor of veteran Briana Scurry after a 4-0 loss to Brazil, will play with the American team at the Four Nations Tournament in Foshan, China.

U.S. women’s soccer captain Kristine Lilly is expecting her first child and will miss the Beijing Olympics.

Shaun Wright-Phillips scored a goal himself and forced an own goal in injury time to give 10-man Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Everton in the first leg of the English League Cup semifinals.

Chivas USA President Shawn Hunter said the team is interested in signing a player such as forward Alecko Eskandarian, a former No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 Major League Soccer draft. --

Jaime Cardenas

MISCELLANY

UCSB’s Cunningham

says he will retire

Former UCLA basketball coach Gary Cunningham, the athletic director at UC Santa Barbara since September 1995, will retire next summer.

Cunningham arrived at UCSB after serving as athletic director at Fresno State, Wyoming and Western Oregon State College. Before that, he played basketball at UCLA under John Wooden and later served as an assistant under Wooden and the Bruins’ head coach for two years.

The Coliseum Commission will convene today for its monthly meeting and is expected to continue to work on lease negotiations with USC. School officials have said they plan to focus this month on a deal to stay at the Coliseum, but will resume efforts to strike a Rose Bowl deal if progress stalls.

Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has apologized after joking during Friday’s telecast of the PGA Tour’s opening event that today’s young players should “lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley.” Tilghman apologized in a statement issued by the Golf Channel.

“I used some poorly chosen words,” she said. “I have known Tiger for 12 years and I have apologized directly to him. I also apologize to our viewers who may have been offended.”

The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals announced the first indoor national beach volleyball tour. the 2008 AVP Hot Winter Nights Tour will stage 19 events beginning Jan. 10 in Oklahoma City. The tour concludes with the final stop Feb. 23 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

PASSINGS

Dooley, 77, coached

Bears from 1968-71

Jim Dooley, who succeeded George Halas as coach of the Chicago Bears, died, his daughter said. He was 77. Dooley coached the Bears from 1968-71.