FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) – Steve Nicol won the MLS Coach of the Year award Wednesday for taking over the struggling New England Revolution and leading them to the championship game.
The Revolution, 8-1-3 in their last 12 games, play the Los Angeles Galaxy for the title Sunday in Foxboro.
Nicol was New England’s assistant coach when Fernando Clavijo was fired May 23 with a 2-4-1 record. Nicol was named interim coach and led the Revolution to a 10-10-1 record in the regular season.
In the playoffs, the Revolution beat Chicago in the quarterfinals and Columbus in the semifinals.
Nicol settled on a regular lineup and emphasized defense. In their last 10 games, the Revolution allowed five goals, two on penalty kicks.
Voting for the award was completed before the playoffs. Other finalists were Mike Jeffries of Dallas and Sigi Schmid of Los Angeles.
Last year’s winner was Frank Yallop, who led San Jose to the MLS championship.
NEW YORK (AP) – Joe Cannon of the San Jose Earthquakes won the award as Major League Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year, posting eight shutouts in 26 games this season.
Carlos Bocanegra of the Chicago Fire was selected as the Defender of the Year. Bocanegra, rookie of the year in 2000, is the youngest winner of the award at 23 years, 5 months.
BASEBALL
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Everywhere the Anaheim Angels go, the question is the same: Pitch to Barry Bonds or walk him?
Listening to the talk at Edison Field, it seems the Angels will be playing only against Bonds in the World Series, trying to devise a plan to somehow beat him, 25 on 1.
Of course, San Francisco will have 25 players on the roster when the first all wild-card World Series opens Saturday night. But Bonds is the focus, which puts Scott Schoeneweis in the spotlight. Bonds is 1-for-7 against the left-hander with four strikeouts, no walks and no home runs.
CHICAGO (AP) – The Chicago White Sox invoked a contract clause that drastically reduces Frank Thomas’ salary, clearing the way for the two-time MVP to become a free agent.
The White Sox sent Thomas a letter on Oct. 6 telling him they were invoking a “diminished skills” clause in his contract, a lawyer with knowledge of the talks said on condition of anonymity. That clause would reduce his base pay to $250,000, and defer most of his nearly $10 million salary.
DETROIT (AP) – Kirk Gibson returned to the Detroit Tigers, joining manager Alan Trammell’s staff as a bench coach on the team he led to a World Series title.
DENVER (AP) – The Colorado Rockies hired former major leaguers Sandy Alomar, Jamie Quirk and Dave Collins as coaches and rehired Rick Mathews as bullpen coach.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The trial over Barry Bonds’ record 73rd home run baseball began with two men and their respective lawyers still deadlocked over ownership of the coveted ball.
Opening statements by attorneys for Alex Popov and Patrick Hayashi are set to begin Wednesday before San Francisco Superior Court Judge Kevin McCarthy.
FOOTBALL
HOUSTON (AP) – Five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Tony Boselli will miss the rest of the season for the expansion Houston Texans after failing to fully recover from three shoulder surgeries in the past year.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Tony Brackens decided to end the charade, calling it quits on a season in which his injured knee kept him from practicing regularly or playing up to his standards.
The Jacksonville Jaguars placed their all-time sack leader on injured reserve, allowing him to have surgery on the ailing left knee that made him a shell of his former Pro Bowl self.
DENVER (AP) – Broncos strong safety Kenoy Kennedy was suspended by the NFL for one game without pay for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Miami receiver Chris Chambers.
He will miss Denver’s game next Sunday at Kansas City, but will not be fined.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Terrell Owens won’t get any trouble from coach Steve Mariucci for autographing his touchdown ball with a pen he stored in his sock before presenting it to his financial adviser in the front row Sunday.
However, Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren called Owens’ celebration “shameful” and “a dishonor to anyone who ever played this game,” and Seattle defensive lineman John Randle – who once celebrated a sack by crawling on the ground and lifting his leg like a dog near a fire hydrant -called it “embarrassing for the league.”
MIAMI (AP) – Green Bay Packers fullback Najeh Davenport reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on charges he broke into a university dormitory and defecated in a woman’s closet.
Defense attorney Richard Sharpstein said Davenport will have to do community service in the agreement reached with prosecutor Herbert Walker III.
BASKETBALL
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was released from a hospital early Wednesday after he collapsed when he apparently tore a neck muscle at a fund-raising dinner.
Buss, 69, was released early Wednesday from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and returned home, Lakers spokesman Bob Steiner said.
John Black, another team spokesman, said Buss had severe pain in his neck while he was at the Carousel of Hope Ball at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
HOCKEY
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – A former Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman testified that he was pressured to play in a 1998 playoff series while injured, aggravating a broken foot that prematurely ended his 18-year NHL career.
Dave Babych is suing Comcast-Spectacor, owner of the Flyers, and team physician Dr. Arthur Bartolozzi, claiming his injury was mistreated and he was misled about its severity in the interest of keeping him in the lineup.
TENNIS
MADRID, Spain (AP) – Qualifier Agustin Calleri stunned third-seeded Marat Safin 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) in the inaugural Tennis Masters Madrid second round.
Eighth-seeded Carlos Moya saved a match point before beating Fernando Gonzalez, fifth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero outlasted Jarkko Nieminen, and No. 7 Sebastien Grosjean advanced when Xavier Malisse was forced to retire because of a wrist injury.
ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) – Fresh off a tournament title, Kim Clijsters overcame a head cold to beat Daja Bedanova 7-5, 6-2 in the Swisscom Challenge opening round.
Also, qualifier Alexandra Stevenson countered 11 double faults with 10 aces to beat Ai Sugiyama, seventh-seeded Daniela Hantuchova eliminated Janette Husarova, eighth-seeded Anastasia Myskina defeated Lisa Raymond, and Patty Schnyder beat Denisa Chladkova.
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) – Rita Grande beat Tathiana Garbin 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the VUB Open second round.
Qualifier Ashley Harkleroad beat Marlene Weingartner, and Mariana Diaz-Oliva beat Magui Serna.
