Sat, Sep 16, 2006 page18

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ Tennis
  Grosjean sacks coach

  Former French No.1 Sebastien Grosjean has sacked his US coach Brad Stine, saying he lacked motivation, L'Equipe sports daily reported on Thursday. Florida-based Grosjean has been working with Stine for the last two years but his recent results have been disappointing including second round defeats at both the French and US Opens. "It's all cyclical," he said. "I felt that there was a lack of motivation on Brad's part." The 28-year-old Grosjean will look for a new coach and in the interim will work with Alain Quintalet who was the physical fitness trainer of the French handball team.

  ■ Cycling

  Ullrich's DNA taken in raid

  German authorities secured DNA samples from former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich in a raid earlier this week on his Swiss residence, according to a report released on Thursday. Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung said in an advance release of its Friday edition that authorities had secured samples of the German rider's DNA that were to be compared with frozen blood seized at a Madrid clinic as part of a doping investigation that saw Ullrich and eight other riders forced to withdraw from this year's Tour. On Thursday, Germany's Federal Crime Office said Ullrich's main residence in Switzerland and nine other homes and offices were searched as part of a fraud investigation by Bonn prosecutors in connection with a Spanish doping probe linked to doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

  ■ Soccer

  Lippi rules out new role

  Italy's World Cup champion manager Marcello Lippi ruled out a supervisory role with the national team on Thursday and gave his backing to new coach Roberto Donadoni. "I will never be a supervisor of the national team because it is not my profession," Lippi said. "I am sure Donadoni will bring the best out of the players." Lippi stepped down as boss of Italy after guiding the Azzurri to the World Cup title in July. But his replacement, Donadoni, has yet to win in three games, prompting Italian soccer federation head Guido Rossi to reportedly consider bringing back the former Juventus coach as a supervisor. Lippi, who previously has mentioned of a return to club coaching, said that he was in no hurry to get back to work.

  ■ Tennis

  Williams girls get tax order

  A judge ordered Venus and Serena Williams to turn over tax returns to prosecutors who claim the documents prove the Grand Slam tennis champions lied about their father's involvement in their careers. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Winikoff said on Thursday that portions of the tax returns are relevant to a multimillion-dollar breach of contract lawsuit the sisters and their father, Richard Williams, face for withdrawing from a 2001 tournament. Promoters Carol Clarke and Keith Rhodes, principals in the CCKR company, allege in the lawsuit against the women, that their father committed them to play in a 2001 "Battle of the Sexes" match and they reneged on the deal. The sisters' lawyer said the tax returns are irrelevant. "There is nothing unusual about two successful daughters paying their father for coaching and for creating them," F. Malcolm Cunningham said. "Those payments have nothing to do with whether or not the dad had the authority to commit them to play in a battle of the sexes." The case against the sisters initially ended in a mistrial in December.

  ■ Blackhawks
  Lalime off the ice for months

  Goaltender Patrick Lalime, who signed a one-year, US$700,000 deal with the Blackhawks on July 1, was to have back surgery yesterday that will keep him off the ice for two to three months. While preparing for the National Hockey League team's training camp in Chicago, which opened on Thursday, Lalime experienced back pain. The Blackhawks' medical staff determined surgery was necessary. Lalime's absence leaves the job as backup to Nikolai Khabibulin up for grabs. Sebastien Caron, who signed a one-year deal last month, and Brian Boucher, who is in camp as an invitee, will likely compete for the position. A sixth-round pick of Pittsburgh in 1993, Lalime made an immediate impact upon his arrival to the NHL, setting a league record for the longest unbeaten streak by a rookie to start his career by going 14-0-2 with the Penguins in 1996-1997.

  ■ Rules

  New measures unveiled

  National Hockey League players will be allowed to use stick blades that are curved 1.9cm, 60mm more than last season, under a series of minor rules changes approved on Thursday by the league's board of governors. During regulation time or overtime but not shootouts, a player found to have a stick curved more than the new regulation will be assessed a minor penalty and a US$200 fine for the first offense. A second offense in the same season will be accompanied by a minor penalty, plus a fine of US$1,000. A third offense will result in a game misconduct penalty and an automatic one-game suspension. The suspension will double in length for any subsequent violation. The board also approved enhanced measures against diving and embellishment of actions in the attempt to draw a penalty. It also approved a rule change that will give the home team the choice of shooting first or second in a shootout.

  ■ Flyers

  Keith Primeau retires

  Keith Primeau, the former captain and emotional leader of the Philadelphia Flyers, retired from the National Hockey League on Thursday because of continuing post-concussion symptoms. Primeau, 34, trained furiously in recent months with hopes of returning to the team but was not given medical clearance to start training camp, which began on Thursday. "This was very difficult for me to accept," Primeau said. "I discussed it with family and friends before making the decision to retire from the game that I love," he said. Primeau met with medical people in the US and Canada in recent months and received treatment, but the concussion symptoms persisted. "We tried everything conventional and avant-garde," Flyers team physician Gary Dorshimer said. "But when you still have symptoms with exertion, you can't be cleared to play."
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