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No Olympic berth for U.S. baseball

PANAMA CITY, Panama - The defending champion U.S. baseball team will be at home in the summer while countries like the Netherlands and Italy compete for an Olympic medal in Athens.

Manager Frank Robinson and his team of mostly minor-leaguers were beaten at their game, falling 2-1 to Mexico on Friday - a loss that eliminated them from a qualifying tournament.

The Americans were among the favorites to win in Greece. And there was a chance future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens would have pitched for them.

Not to be.

"I can't believe it," said Tom Lasorda, who managed the 2000 U.S. team to the gold in Sydney. "It's a shock and a disgrace that the Americans won't be represented in the Olympics. Baseball is America's game. It doesn't belong to the Japanese or the Cubans or the Koreans or the Italians. This is sad, very sad."

Mexico was a heavy underdog in this quarterfinal, but got a tiebreaking home run in the ninth from Luis A. Garcia off Brian Bruney. Bruney had 26 saves in the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor-league system this season.

The U.S. team went 3-0 in pool play while Mexico lost all three games but advanced when the Bahamas forfeited by failing to show. The two finalists in this tournament reach the Olympics. Canada and Colombia meet today to decide which plays Mexico on Sunday to decide one of the spots. Cuba is favored for the other spot.

BRIBERY TRIAL: A former finance director for two Olympic bid chiefs admitted he helped hide questionable spending and turned state's evidence to avoid federal prosecution. Rod Hamson, who left the Salt Lake Organizing Committee after the bid scandal blossomed in 1999, testified that bid chief Tom Welch got Ernst & Young auditors to back off from closely examining the lavish spending on IOC delegates who awarded Utah the 2002 Winter Games. Hamson was in charge of preparing checks and vouchers - and, he said, doctoring books to disguise what the government contends were bribes.

SWIMMING: Michael Phelps can collect a $1-million bonus if he wins seven gold medals in Athens or at the 2008 Beijing Games. The bonus is part of an extension the 18-year-old American signed with the swimsuit manufacturer Speedo. Phelps set seven world records in 41 days last summer. He is the world-record holder in the 200-meter butterfly, 200 individual medley and 400 IM. In July at the World Championships, he broke five individual world records, the first to accomplish that feat at a single international meet. He won four golds and two silvers.

OBITUARY: Dutch swimmer Rie Mastenbroek, who won three golds and one silver at the 1936 Berlin Games, died of heart failure in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Mastenbroek, who was 84, set seven world records in her career and in 1997 was awarded the Olympic Order, the IOC's highest honor.

In the men's short program at the Cup of China in Beijing, China's Gao Song was the surprise winner, defeating favorite Tim Goebel of the United States. Goebel, an Olympic bronze medalist, was skating for the first time since pulling out of Skate America after problems with his skates caused him pain during training. He finished second despite falling on a triple axel. In the pairs free skate, China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo topped teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian.

BOXING: Glencoffe Johnson and Clinton Woods fought to a disputed draw in a bout for the vacant IBF light heavyweight title in Sheffield, England. Johnson, a Jamaican-born American, appeared to have a clear edge in the 12-round contest. One judge scored it 116-112 for Johnson, but another had it 115-113 for Woods and the third 114-114. With the title still vacant, it was unclear if they would be given a rematch.

SOCCER: Preki, Ante Razov and John Spencer were voted as finalists for the MLS MVP award. Preki had 12 goals and a league-high 17 assists for Kansas City. Razov had 14 goals for Chicago, and Spencer had 14 for Colorado. The winner will be announced Nov.21.

TENNIS: Anastasia Myskina rallied from two breaks down and a 4-1 deficit in the first set to beat Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-3 in round-robin play at the WTA Championships in Los Angeles. Myskina is 1-1 in the Black group. The top two in the Black and Red groups advance to the semifinals. ... Mary Pierce, who lives in Sarasota, will play for France against Russia in the Fed Cup semis on Nov.19-20 in Moscow. She replaces Nathalie Dechy, who has an injured wrist.