Michigan delves into football program

Randy Johnson believes he will pitch again this season for San Francisco, albeit as a reliever. The 45-year-old Big Unit is on the 60-day disabled list and has been sidelined since July 6 with a strained left shoulder. He was examined yesterday morning by team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki and the club hopes Johnson will be able to throw off the mound by later in the week . . .The Dodgers acquired infielder Ronnie Belliard from the Nationals for a minor leaguer and a player to be named. The Dodgers sent Single A pitcher Luis Garcia, a 22-year-old righthander, to the Nationals. Belliard, 34, hit .246 with five home runs and 22 RBIs for Washington.

Kimi Raikkonen held off Force India driver Giancarlo Fisichella to win Formula One’s Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, the Ferrari driver’s fourth triumph at the high-speed track in the past five years. The former world champion, who started sixth, immediately overtook pole-sitter Fisichella after the safety car came in following accidents on the opening lap - including one involving overall F1 leader Jenson Button - and held for a .9-second victory. Championship contender Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, who had retired with engine failures in the last two races, finished third to gain on Button . . . Ryan Briscoe grabbed the IndyCar series points lead by stringing together quietly consistent finishes. Then he took control by putting on a remarkable wheel-to-wheel show under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night in Joliet, Ill. Briscoe made an aggressive move for the lead going into the final lap of the race, pulling alongside fellow title contender Scott Dixon as the white flag flew. After going side-by-side with their wheels inches apart, Briscoe nosed ahead at the finish line to win by .0077 seconds. Dixon finished second, followed by Mario Moraes and the third remaining championship contender, Dario Franchitti . . . Carl Edwards passed Marcos Ambrose on the final turn to win the crash-filled NASCAR Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Tina Thompson scored 21 points and Candace Parker had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists to lead the Sparks to a 91-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun in Los Angeles . . . Shameka Christon scored 18 points and Janel McCarville added 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in her return from a sprained ankle, spurring the Liberty to a 77-63 victory over the Chicago Sky in New York . . . Crystal Langhorne had 18 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Mystics to an 81-75 victory over the Minnesota Lynx in Washington.

The United States excelled in the world rowing championships in Poznan, Poland. The women’s eight world captured the gold medal with three locals competing - Katherine Glessner (Northeastern), Laura Larsen-Strecker (Radcliffe) and Anna Goodale (Camden, Maine) and the coxed pair, Troy Kepper, Henrik Rummer and Marcus McElhenney won as well . . . In MLS action, Dane Richards’s goal gave the New York Red Bulls a 1-0 upset over Columbus in East Rutherford, N.J. . . . Julien Baudet scored his first goal of the year in the 55th minute, lifting host Colorado to a 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo . . . Earlivic, driven by David Ingraham, rallied to score the biggest upset in the history of the Joseph Carney Memorial Trot at Rockingham Park. Earlivic went off at 25-1 in the field of seven trotters . . . In the main event of UFC 102 on Saturday night in Portland, Ore., Randy Couture lost a unanimous decision to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the heavyweight division. Nogueira, 33, won all three rounds over Couture, 46.