In brief

Lance will train with team

By wire services
Published September 8, 2005

PARIS - Lance Armstrong plans to train with his team this winter, increasing speculation he will end his retirement and attempt an eighth straight Tour de France win.

"It's definitely an open possibility, I know he is on the bike," Discovery Channel team director Johan Bruyneel told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"He absolutely wants to be part of the training camp in December and wants to get fit to compete with the guys there," Bruyneel said, adding that Armstrong can decide to return as late as February.

When Armstrong retired in July after his seventh straight Tour win, Bruyneel had to decide whether to recruit a new team leader. He opted not to do so, suggesting the door may have been kept open for the Texan.

"We didn't really look for somebody to replace him," Bruyneel said. "For one there is nobody, not a strong leader like he was. Without him we have a very good team ... but not the favorites."

"We will express ourselves only if and when he decides to come out of retirement," spokesman Christophe Marchadier said. "There is nothing to stop him coming back on the Tour as a professional cyclist."

Armstrong, who turns 34 later this month, won this year's Tour by a comfortable margin - 4 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of Italian Ivan Basso and 6:21 ahead of Jan Ullrich of Germany.

Chris Latham hit a first-inning grand slam, sending the United States to a 12-6 victory over Puerto Rico at the Baseball World Cup in Amsterdam.

The Americans (4-0) lead Group B in the 18-team tournament, followed by Japan, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Taiwan. The best four teams from each of the two groups advance to the Sept. 14 quarterfinals.

The U.S. team is managed by Davey Johnson and consists of professionals not on 40-man major league rosters.

FIGURE SKATING: Jennifer Kirk, 21, the U.S. bronze medalist in 2004, has retired and plans to move back to her hometown of Boston, attend television broadcasting school and coach.

HORSE RACING: Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness, will lose most of its racing next year because of competition from neighboring tracks with slot machines. The Baltimore track will feature cards for only 18 days, compared to 61 scheduled dates this year.

OLYMPICS: Los Angeles will bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, pledging to hold the Games at no cost to taxpayers. The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles were the first to turn a profit, heavily involving corporate sponsorships in the Games. Los Angeles also hosted the 1932 Olympics, the only U.S. city to hold the Summer Games twice. Other cities considering bids include Chicago, Rome and Tokyo.

NBA: Free agent point guard Damon Jones, who averaged 11.6 points and 4.3 assists last season with Miami, reached agreement on a four-year, $16.1-million contract with Cleveland. ... Free agent center Calvin Booth, who averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 51 games for Dallas and Milwaukee last season, signed with Washington. ... Denver signed free agent guard Earl Watson, who averaged a career-high 7.7 points and 4.5 assists in 80 games last season with Memphis.

TRIAL: The teenage girl who has accused former Orlando Magic TV analyst Jack "Goose" Givens of a series of sex crimes told jurors in Orlando the one-time college basketball star groped her in her family's pool and then in her bedroom. The soft-spoken 15-year-old also said she and Givens had carried on a series of sexually oriented conversations online over a six-month period, calling their discussions "inappropriate."

[Last modified September 8, 2005, 01:50:14]