Sports Briefing
Eddie Robinson struggling with Alzheimer's

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College football

Robinson has Alzheimer's: Eddie Robinson, college football's second-winningest coach, has Alzheimer's, his wife said.

"He's pretty bad," Doris Robinson said yesterday in Grambling, La. "He gets a little bit worse every day. He comes to the table for breakfast, but after that he wants to go right to bed."

During his 57 years at Grambling, Robinson compiled a record of 408-165-15. John Gagliardi of St. John's, Minn., passed Robinson last season and has 414 wins.

Robinson, 85, started showing signs of the disease soon after his retirement from Grambling after the 1997 season, his wife said.

The Robinsons could go out to lunch as recently as two months ago, Doris Robinson said. Eddie Robinson can no longer do that.

"If I let myself, I could cry," Doris Robinson said. "But I don't have time to do that. I never thought I would be the strong one, but I have to be now."

Gators linebacker jailed: Florida linebacker Taurean Charles remained in jail a day after he was arrested at an off-campus party and charged with aggravated battery, a second-degree felony. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley immediately suspended Charles, 19, from the team.

Soccer

U.S. beats Australia: Mia Hamm's latest goal unloaded a burden just in time for the Olympics.
 
Hamm scored her 150th career goal and the U.S. national team beat Australia 3-1 in a pre-Olympic warmup before a sellout crowd of 10,276 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.

Hamm scored in the 76th minute to break a 1-1 tie.

Brazil to final: Brazil reached the final of Copa America for the first time since 1999, beating Uruguay 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in Lima, Peru.

Brazil advanced to Sunday's South American championship game against Argentina, which beat Colombia 3-0 Tuesday.

Newcastle signs Kluivert: England's Newcastle United, which missed qualifying for the Champions League last season, signed Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert from Barcelona on a three-year contract.

Tennis

Serena triumphs: Serena Williams defeated Eleni Daniilidou 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) yesterday at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Carson, Calif. It was Williams' first match since losing the Wimbledon final to Maria Sharapova.

Lindsay Davenport, seeded third, defeated Anne Kremer 7-5, 6-2 at the Home Depot Center.

Grosjean holds on: Third-seeded Sebastien Grosjean beat Julien Jeanpierre 6-7 (6-9), 6-2, 6-2 at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. Top-seeded Andy Roddick was leading Swiss qualifier Michel Kratochvil 6-4, 2-5 before rain suspended play.

Novak advances: Second-seeded Jiri Novak rallied to defeat Christophe Rochus 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the quarterfinals of the Croatia Open in Umag.

Schuettler wins: Top-seeded Rainer Schuettler came back to beat Andreas Seppi 4-6, 7-6 (15-13), 6-0 at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

Diving

Colwill wins title: Chris Colwill won the men's 1-meter springboard title (a non-Olympic event) at the U.S. National Diving Championships in Mission Viejo, Calif.

Olympics

Security budget: Responding to a request from Greece, the United States committed 400 American special-forces soldiers to help protect the Olympics, a U.S. counterterrorism official said, as security costs for the games swelled to a record-breaking $1.5 billion.

Boxing

Laila Ali on card: Laila Ali will defend her WIBA heavyweight title on the undercard of Mike Tyson's bout July 31 against Danny Williams in Louisville, Ky.

Muhammad Ali's daughter (17-0) will be challenged by Monica Nunez (9-1) of the Dominican Republic in a 10-round bout.

College basketball

One more year: College of Charleston forward Bernard Jackson, who missed two seasons with knee injuries, has been given another year of eligibility by the NCAA.

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