Maria Riesch wins second straight World Cup slalom title

Olympic champion Maria Riesch of Germany won her second straight World Cup slalom title with a third-place finish in the final race of the season at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on Saturday.

Marlies Schild of Austria won the race by a big margin, with teammate Kathrin Zettel placing second. But Riesch’s third place was enough to give her the slalom title with 493 points, just three ahead of Zettel.

“It was not a very good day on the slope for me,” Riesch said. “The first run was not good at all, and in the second I never managed to release the hand brake. I was really very, very lucky to get the title.”

Riesch, who won the combined gold medal at the Olympics, could have lost the title if Zettel had won.

Schild, the Olympic silver medalist, had a comfortable lead after the first run and increased it to a massive 1.20 seconds over Zettel. Schild clocked an aggregate time of 1:49.57. Riesch was 1.90 seconds behind in third.

Reinfried Herbst gave Austria its only men’s title of the season when he clinched the slalom crystal globe in the final race at Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Felix Neureuther delighted his hometown crowd by winning the race for his second career victory. First-run leader Manfred Pranger of Austria finished second, and Olympic bronze medalist Andre Myhrer of Sweden was third.

FOOTBALL

LaDainian Tomlinson flew home to San Diego to consider his options after spending a day with the New York Jets and leaving without a deal.

The free agent — the eighth-leading rusher in NFL history — was on a flight Saturday morning after his visit.

He arrived in New Jersey on Thursday night after meeting with the Minnesota Vikings and spent Friday touring the Jets’ facility in Florham Park.

It was uncertain if Tomlinson would decide between the Jets and Vikings or visit other teams. He has not commented on his plans or visits with the Jets and Vikings.

California has hired former NFL players Akili Smith and Ronnie Bradford as administrative assistants on the coaching staff.

Coach Jeff Tedford said Smith will work with the offensive coaches and Bradford will work with the defense.

Smith spent the last two seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Grossmont College in San Diego. He played college ball at Oregon when Tedford was an assistant. He was the third overall pick by Cincinnati in 1999 but lasted only four years in the NFL.

BASEBALL

Center fielder Denard Span and the Minnesota Twins have agreed to a $16.5-million, five-year contract, a deal that includes a $9-million team option for 2015.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Jared Mitchell is going to have surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left ankle.

The team said the operation is set for Tuesday.

MOTOR RACING

Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull will start Formula One’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, while Michael Schumacher will start in seventh place in his comeback with Mercedes.

Vettel set a fastest time of 1 minute 54.101 seconds to edge Ferrari pair Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, who have both won at the desert track in Sakhir.

Qualifying for the IndyCar season opener on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was postponed because the main straight lacked enough grip to make racing safe.

Drivers ran practice sessions on Saturday, giving officials time to try to improve track conditions overnight. Qualifying was rescheduled for Sunday morning ahead of the race.

ETC.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last year conducted its fewest tests since 2003, logged its third-fewest drug violations and recorded its second-most out-of-competition tests.

Statistics released last week by USADA reveal the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based organization performed 7,131 domestic tests in 2009, including 4,765 away from events without prior notice, and sanctioned 20 athletes for using performance-enhancing drugs.

The L.A. Marathon, to be held March 21 on its new Stadium to the Sea course, has reached its capacity of 25,000 registrants. This is the first time in the 25-year history of the event that the race has sold out.

New York Islanders captain Doug Weight will have shoulder surgery that will certainly finish his season and could also end the center’s 18-year NHL career.

The 39-year-old Weight has a torn rotator cuff and labrum in his left shoulder, injuries suffered in November.