Mancuso rounding into Olympic form
WINTER SPORTS
American Julia Mancuso has her ski boots back and seems to be peaking for the Olympics. She finished second in a World Cup downhill yesterday at Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, duplicating her finish in Friday's super-G. The races were the final speed events before the Turin Games, which start in less than two weeks. ''Gold medals are my goal, I'm just making my way," said Mancuso, who finished 0.05 seconds behind Austrian winner Renate Goetschl. In December, Mancuso left her boots in a hotel in Canada after a fourth-place finish in the season's opening downhill. The boots traveled to Aspen, Colo., and France before she got them back earlier this month. Without her favorite boots, she cracked the top 10 only twice. American Lindsey Kildow finished ninth . . . With Bode Miller taking the weekend off to rest for the Olympics, American Steven Nyman, 23, had a career-best effort in a World Cup downhill at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Hermann Maier led an Austrian sweep, but Nyman took advantage of an early start to place fourth, 0.44 seconds behind Maier and 0.16 from a third-place medal. Teammate Daron Rahlves finished 14th . . . World sprint champion Joey Cheek won the 500 meters and finished second to American teammate Shani Davis in the 1,000 at a speedskating World Cup meet in Collabo, Italy. Cheek, who will compete in the 500, 1,000, and 1,500 in Turin, beat Yuya Oikawa of Japan in the 500 by 0.32 seconds. He finished in 35.11. Davis edged Cheek by 0.06 to win the 1,000 in 1:09.26 . . . Competing in her first international event as a senior figure skater, Katy Taylor, 16, won the women's title at the Four Continents competition in Colorado Springs.
NBA
Anderson's dismissal stuns Hornets
The New Orleans Hornets' reaction upon learning of Chris Andersen's dismissal from the NBA for violating the league's drug policy ranged from anger to dismay to compassion. The Hornets were in Memphis to play the Grizzlies last night, without the reserve forward known to teammates as ''Birdman," whose dismissal was announced by the league Friday. ''You're a little shocked. You're a little disappointed. I even got angry at first," coach Byron Scott said. ''But then you have to start thinking about the person. Bird obviously needs some help in dealing with this situation, so then you start having compassion for him as a person. You stop thinking about the basketball part of it." Andersen, 27, averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 32 games this season, his fifth in the NBA.
BASEBALL
A's reward Ellis with $6 million deal
The Oakland Athletics signed Mark Ellis to a two-year, $6 million contract, rewarding their second baseman for his strong comeback season from a major shoulder injury. The A's avoided salary arbitration by reaching a deal with Ellis, who bounced back from a year off to bat a career-high .316 with a career-best 13 home runs and 52 RBIs. General manager Billy Beane had been leaning toward a one-year contract for Ellis, but the sides began talking about a multiyear deal Friday and quickly reached an agreement. ''I was almost positive it would be a one-year deal, so I was surprised," Ellis said.
MISCELLANY
Bailey gets a kick out of final race
Jerry Bailey was about to board the final mount of his career in the paddock at Gulfstream Park when his horse, Silver Tree, kicked him in the hip. ''Guess I went out with a bang," said Bailey, 48, who headed into retirement with a sore side and a rueful smile following a second-place finish. Silver Tree was three-quarters of a length short in a bid for a come-from-behind victory in the $500,000 Cloverleaf Farms Turf Stakes. Bailey's earlier mounts finished 11th and fourth, so he concluded his 31-year career with 5,893 victories, the last coming aboard Shakespearesister in a $33,000 allowance race Friday . . . Henrik Stenson shot a 1-under-par 71 to retain his one-stroke lead after the third round of the Qatar Masters in Dohar. Stenson, at 11-under 205 heading into the final round, leads Paul Broadhurst (67) and Niclas Fasth (68). Defending champion Ernie Els had a 69 to move within six shots of the leader . . . Loren Roberts moved a step closer to a Hawaiian sweep on the Champions Tour, shooting his second straight 6-under 66 to take a four-stroke lead over Scott Simpson in the Turtle Bay Championship at Kahuku . . . Asafa Powell, the world record-holder at 100 meters, finished third (48.01) in a 400-meter race at Kingston, Jamaica, his first competition since being sidelined by a groin injury last June . . . Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson led two touchdown drives with his legs, not his arm, gaining 63 yards on nine carries as the North topped the South, 31-14, in the Senior Bowl at Mobile, Ala. . . . Markus Beyer stopped Alberto Colajanni of Italy in the 12th round in Berlin to retain his WBC super middleweight title for the fourth time.
