IN BRIEF

TRACK AND FIELD

Rodgers captures 100 at U.S. Championships

Mike Rodgers has proved he's America's best sprinter this side of Tyson Gay.

Wearing his trademark headband, Rodgers sped down the track in 9.91 seconds, beating a depleted field in the finals Friday at the U.S. championships in Eugene, Ore. Darvis Patton was second and Monzavous Edwards third.

In the women's race, Carmelita Jeter outleaned Muna Lee at the finish to beat her by one-thousandth of a second for her first national title. Jeter finished in 10.776 seconds. Lauryn Williams took third to round out the world championship squad bound for Berlin this summer.

Rodgers opened a big lead on Patton, then held on at the end. Now he has an outdoor crown to go with his 2008 indoor title and four other wins this season.

Olympic bronze medalist Walter Dix wasn't in the field for the finals, pulling up just before the finish line with a right hamstring injury in the semifinals. He joined Gay on the sideline for the marquee race.

Gay didn't line up, keeping his vow to run only one race at the championships. He was using the event as a tuneup. He ran a wind-aided time of 9.75 in the prelims Thursday, then left, having already qualified for this summer's world championships in Berlin in the 100 and 200.

HOCKEY

Reinsdorf-led group offers to buy Coyotes

A group led by Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has offered to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes for $148 million and keep the team in Arizona.

The offer, submitted in bankruptcy court documents, is $64.5 million less than the bid by Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who wants to move the franchise to southern Ontario.

Reinsdorf's offer calls for a new arena lease with the city of Glendale, Ariz., and unspecified new agreements with other creditors, including the NHL, which has been funding the club.

Also: Scott Niedermayer told the Anaheim Ducks he intends to return next season.

The defenseman, who turns 36 in August, informed general manager Bob Murray of his decision Thursday. Murray called Niedermayer "irreplaceable" after the Ducks were eliminated by Detroit in the second round of this season's playoffs.

The Ducks hope to have a deal with Niedermayer by August.

Veteran Claude Lemieux became an American citizen.

The Canadian-born Lemieux swore his allegiance to the United States in a naturalization ceremony in Phoenix, saying afterward he wants to share citizenship with his family. His second wife and three of his four children are American.

The 43-year-old with four Stanley Cup titles came out of retirement in December to play for the San Jose Sharks.

The Detroit Red Wings want a new deal to play at Joe Louis Arena.

The team says it will not exercise an option to renew its lease at the arena, but wants to continue talks with the city on a new deal. Christopher Ilitch, Ilitch Holdings Inc. president and chief executive, said the current lease is 30 years old and not competitive to other arena leases in the NHL or professional sports.

MISCELLANEOUS

U.S. soccer president eyes historic moment

If the United States follows its upset of European champion Spain with a victory over South American champion Brazil in Sunday's Confederations Cup final in Johannesburg, South Africa, it would be the greatest back-to-back wins in American soccer history.

U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati ranked Wednesday's 2-0 victory over the world's top-ranked team alongside the 1989 victory at Trinidad and Tobago that gave the U.S. its first World Cup berth since 1950, a first-round win over Colombia at the 1994 World Cup, and wins over Portugal and Mexico en route to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals.

"I think people generally agree that this would be in that same group. I wasn't around in the 1950 game," Gulati said, referring to what many regard as the No. 1 U.S. win, the 1-0 upset of England at the 1950 World Cup.

Also: The Iranian soccer federation has denied reports that national team players were punished for wearing green wristbands in solidarity with the political opposition in their country during a World Cup qualifier last week.

Soccer's world governing body said it received a letter from the Iranian federation "which stated that no disciplinary action has been imposed on any players of the Iran national team by any authority."

Tickets are on sale for the Las Vegas Invitational college basketball tournament, which will be Nov. 27 and 28 at the Orleans Arena.

Illinois, Oklahoma State, Utah, Bradley, Wofford, Southern, Seattle and Presbyterian will play in the tournament. Four games will be played each day.

Tickets can be purchased at the Orleans Arena box office.