Galaxy, Milan close to deal on Beckham

March 3, 2009

An agreement that would allow David Beckham to finish the season with AC Milan before reporting to the Los Angeles Galaxy is close to being finalized, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The deal calls for Beckham to miss the first 17 games of the Major League Soccer season before rejoining the Galaxy in mid-July, the Times reported on its website yesterday, citing a person close to the negotiations. The Times said the person requested anonymity because the deal was not signed. Beckham had been due to report to Los Angeles March 9. The proposed agreement would allow him to remain with AC Milan until the Italian season ends May 31. If that's the case, his first appearance with the Galaxy would be July 18 in New York. Beckham would remain under contract with the Galaxy until the end of this calendar year, when his buyout clause takes effect. He then would be free to return to AC Milan. Financial terms of the proposal are unknown.

The Rangers should know soon whether forward Sean Avery, their former agitator, will be back to their lineup. The Stars placed Avery on re-entry waivers at noon yesterday and by that time today the NHL will announce the lowest-seeded team that put in a claim for him. The Rangers cleared room on their roster by sending forward Mark Bell to Hartford . . . Stars forward Steve Ott was suspended one game by the NHL for attempting to injure the Ducks' Travis Moen during a fight Saturday in Anaheim's 4-3 victory. Ott did not play Sunday against Pittsburgh and is eligible to return tonight when the Stars play the Sharks. Ott's hand made contact with Moen's eye, which game officials ruled was an eye-gouge and gave him a match penalty for attempting to injure . . . Andrew Conboy, a 20-year-old left wing suspended by Michigan State this season for punching a Michigan player to the ice, signed a three-year contract with the Canadiens.

Boston College goaltender Molly Schaus, Harvard forward Sarah Vaillancourt, and University of New Hampshire forward Jenn Wakefield are among the 10 finalists for the 12th annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award given to the top player in Division 1 women's college hockey. Schaus is BC's first finalist. Three finalists will be announced March 10 and the winner will be named March 21 in Boston . . . Boston University's men's hockey team remained No. 1 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today polls. Northeastern was fourth in both polls.

Churchill Downs announced it is beefing up safety requirements ahead of this year's Kentucky Derby. The company is enacting more than 20 changes, ranging from enhanced drug testing to limits on whips and racing ages, in time for the start of the spring meet in Louisville. The dirt track will be subjected to rigorous performance testing using a robotic hoof device that aims to simulate the force and speed of a horse. . . . Julio Canani, the trainer for leading Derby contender The Pamplemousse, was arrested in Sierra Madre, Calif., on suspicion of drunk driving . . . An accident involving eight horses at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto left one driver with a broken ankle and sent two others to the hospital with unknown injuries. The accident occurred on the backstretch of the Ontario Boys Pacing Series when favorite Warp Speed fell, unseating driver Mario Baillargeon, who suffered the broken ankle.

Serena Williams wore down sister Venus to win the Billie Jean King Cup, finishing off the return of women's tennis to Madison Square Garden with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. The Williams sisters gave the crowd exactly what it wanted by advancing to the championship of the one-night exhibition. Serena won $400,000 of the $1.2 million purse as women's tennis returned to the Garden after a nine-year absence. Earlier in the evening, Serena beat Ana Ivanovic, and Venus defeated Jelena Jankovic.

The Denver Nuggets have suspended Carmelo Anthony for tonight's game in Detriot for an "in-game transgression" Sunday against Indiana, said Rex Chapman, vice president of player personnel. Chapman did not elaborate on what Anthony did to earn the one-game suspension . . . Allen Iverson will miss a third straight game tonight because of a back injury. Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said the team will know more about Iverson's status tomorrow after he is examined by doctors at Georgetown . . . A dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket launchers attacked vehicles carrying members of Sri Lanka's national cricket team in east Pakistan, wounding at least two players and killing five police officers, officials said . . . The TD Banknorth Garden will host the first World Championship of Skateboarding held in the US, July 24-25. The event is the second stop of the season-long Dew Tour . . . The Boston Athletic Association will host a 5K road race the day before the 113th Boston Marathon. For more information go to www.baa.org . . . Lance Armstrong will race twice in Europe in the next stage of his preparations for a return to the Tour de France. Armstrong will take part in the 185-mile Milan-San Remo race from northern Italy to near Nice March 21, then head to Spain for the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon from March 23-28 . . . Racecar driver and "Dancing with the Stars" champ Helio Castroneves faces possible prison time if convicted at a tax evasion trial that began with jury selection in Miami.