Moe, Lindh Win Downhills at U.S. Skiing Championships

Tommy Moe talked of future success after winning the downhill Thursday in the U.S. Championships at Sugarloaf/USA in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.

Hilary Lindh’s future involves retiring from competition, after her downhill victory.

The two Alaskans, Moe from Anchorage and Lindh from Juneau, were in the spotlight at the championships, which end the U.S. competitive ski season.

Moe, 27, who has missed the last seven weeks because of a hand injury and who missed most of last season because of a knee injury, covered the downhill course in 1 minute 23.26 seconds, 0.21 seconds ahead of AJ Kitt.

Lindh, 27, announced her retirement last week after 13 years on the U.S. ski team. She finished in 1:26.61, more than a second ahead of Megan Gerety.

Football

Jim McMahon, 37, who threw only four passes in a backup role for the Green Bay Packers last season, says he is retiring. The Packers are interviewing Heath Shuler and Steve Bono to be their backup quarterback.

Baltimore Raven officials and free-agent safety Brock Marion had an embarrassing situation when they reached an agreement on a four-year contract, only to hold a news conference announcing that no deal had been reached after team owner Art Modell said he wanted doctors to take another look at the injured shoulder that sidelined Marion last season with Dallas.

The Packers and center Frank Winters, who has started 75 games in a row, agreed to contract terms. . . . The Miami Dolphins signed free-agent safety George Teague, who played with Dallas last season, to a three-year, $2.1-million contract. To make room under the salary cap, the Dolphins terminated the contract of cornerback Robert Bailey. . . . Because of stadium conflicts with baseball’s Padres, San Diego State has moved its 1997 football opener against Navy to Friday, Sept. 5, at 11:30 a.m.

Tennis

Briefly upstaged by a rat, Venus Williams, 16, kept cool and won her home-state debut in the Lipton Championships at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Williams led, 6-1, 0-1, when fans began shrieking because of a rodent scurrying through the stands. It took tournament workers 15 minutes to capture the rat, and it took Williams longer to regain momentum before beating Ginger Helgeson Nielsen, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

In men’s play, Andrian Voinea of Romania was a winner by default when Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina angrily slammed a ball that hit a linesman in the stomach. Zabaleta was ahead, 2-1, in a final-set tiebreaker at the time.

Names in the News

Tony Zale, who battled boxing legend Rocky Graziano for the world middleweight championship during the 1940s, died at 83 in Portage, Ind. Family members said Zale had suffered from Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. . . . Boxer Tommy Morrison was arrested in Fort Scott, Kan., on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, violating the terms of a suspended sentence for carrying a loaded handgun. . . .

A jury in Albuquerque found Steven Bartlett guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Jeff Unser, a nephew of former Indianapolis 500 champions Bobby and Al Unser Sr., and Lee Benjamin. Bartlett will be sentenced on May 7. . . . Indianapolis Colt linebacker Quentin Coryatt was acquitted of a handgun charge by a Marion (Ind.) County jury. . . . NASCAR Truck series driver John Nemechek remains in a coma in extremely critical condition in a Florida hospital after suffering severe head injuries during a wreck in Sunday’s NASCAR Truck series race. . . . Laker owner Jerry Buss will receive the Starlight Foundation of California President’s Award for his commitment to children at a sports auction April 5. Details: (310) 286-0271.

Miscellany

Led by sophomore Lindsay Benko’s victory in the 500-yard freestyle, the USC women’s team was in fifth place after the first day of the NCAA swimming championships at Indianapolis. Defending champion Stanford leads.

Iowa’s Joe Williams pinned his two opponents to help give the No. 2 Hawkeyes a slim lead after the first two rounds of the NCAA wrestling championships at Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Easy Goer, Exceller and 1956 Kentucky Derby winner Needles were put up for consideration in the Modern Male category for the National Thoroughbred Hall of Fame. In the Female Horse category, the nominees were Bold ‘N Determined, Bowl Of Flowers and Lamb Chop. Gary Stevens, Jacinto Vasquez and the late Jack Westrope were nominated in the jockey category, and the trainer nominees were Willard Proctor, Phil Johnson and Virgil “Buddy� Raines. In the horse of yesteryear category, the nominees were Endurance By Right, Princequillo and Granville, the first winner of horse-of-the-year balloting in 1936. The names of the inductees will be announced during the week before the Kentucky Derby on May 3.

Seville, Spain, was selected by the International Amateur Athletic Federation over Palo Alto as the site for the 1999 world track and field championships.