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Roddick rolls to crown in France
Top- seeded Andy Roddick beat France’s Gael Mon* ls 6- 3, 6- 2 Sunday to win the Lyon Grand Prix, completing the tournament without dropping serve. Roddic k, w ho n ow h as 2 0 career
ATP titles, defeated a 19- yearold opponent appearing in his
third career ATP * nal. Mon * ls
won at Sopot, Poland, and was
runner- up at Metz this season.
“ Gael is a great young player
and everyone in France should
be v ery exc ited a bout h im,”
Roddick said. Roddick won his
* fth title of the year following
wins at San Jose, Houston,
Queen’s Club and Washington.
Also: Andre Agassi quali * ed for
the Tennis Masters Cup in China, leaving only two spots open in the season-ending showcase. Agassi made the eight- player * eld for the Nov. 7- 13 event in Shanghai when David Nalbandian lost in the Swiss Indoors semi * nals. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Sa * n also are quali * ed. The * nal two spots will be determined at thisweek’s Paris Masters.
Jim Tracy, Paul Lo Duca, Shawn Green and Adrian Beltre are gone. So is Paul DePodesta. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ general manager was the latest out the door of Dodger Stadium, * red Saturday night by owner Frank McCourt after two tumultuous years of strange trades, suspect signings — and 91 losses this season. “ Our high expectations were not met,” McCourt said. “ Itwas dif * cult, but at the end of the day, that’s my job, to make dif * cult decisions.” Saying the team needs a strong foundation, McCourt listed among his criteria for a new GM the ability to evaluate player talent, communication skills, and experience. He set no timetable for hiring either a GM or a manager to replace Tracy, but did say that processwill be on hold until a GM is in place. Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, now a special adviser to McCourt, said he was not interested in being either the GM or returning as manager. uKonerko
Tennessee diver named Woman of Year
Tennessee diver Lauryn McCalley is the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year. McCalley, a native of Moultrie, Ga., is the second Tennessee athlete and the sixth swimmer or diver to earn the honor. McCalley, * nished with her career for the Vols, has a 3.93 grade- point average while majoring in microbiology. She expects to graduate in May and hopes to represent the USA in the 2008 Olympics. She already has started graduate school in Georgia with the help of an NCAA scholarship. The NCAA Woman of the Year award, announced Saturday in Indianapolis, recognizes seniors participating in intercollegiate athletics for achievements in their sport, academics and community services.
Dodgers ) re GM DePodesta Mexico’s Garcia wins Marine Marathon
Ruben Garcia of Mexico won the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday in Arlington, Va., overcoming a tight left hamstring near the end. Garcia pulled away from runner- up Carl Rundell of the USA aand * nished in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 14 seconds. Susannah Kvasnicka of the USA captured the women’s division ( 2: 47: 07), running uncontested from near the start in a race that featured 27,822 entrants and a scenic route highlighted by Washington landmarks.
Italy won’t budge on doping laws
Italy’s deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini said Sunday in Rome that the Italian government would not be pressured into changing their strict doping laws for next year’s Winter Olympics in Torino. The International Olympic Committee ( IOC) is concerned some athletes could end up with jail sentences at the Feb. 10- 26 Games and have asked the Italians to relax their legislation. “ Sanctions must remain, and the IOC should not be asking for a moratorium,” Fini said. “ It would be wrong to close one eye and not apply Italian laws in doping cases just for the Games.” Athletes face disquali * cation for doping offenses under IOC rules, but in Italy an athlete found guilty of doping risks a prison sentence of up to three years.