Cause of skater’s death still undetermined

Christopher Bowman soared to the heights as U.S. figure skating champion. He crashed off the ice, though, ending up dead on the floor of a cheap motel room in Los Angeles 1 1/2 months after being arrested for misdemeanor theft.

The 40-year-old skater’s death initially was reported as a possible drug overdose, but “we don’t have anything that points specifically” to that as the cause, assistant chief Ed Winter of the coroner’s office said Friday.

Investigators also were considering Bowman’s death Thursday was the result of an accident or natural causes. The two-time Olympian was 6 feet and weighed an estimated 300 pounds.

He battled drug problems, and underwent treatment at least twice – in 1988 and 1992. He was an admitted cocaine addict.

Baseball

MLB adds department

Major League Baseball launched a department of investigations, a permanent branch of the commissioner’s office responsible for looking into drug use in the sport.

•Free-agent outfielder and former Seattle Mariner Mike Cameron reached a preliminary agreement on a $7 million, one-year contract with Milwaukee.

•Closer Chad Cordero and the Washington Nationals agreed to a $6.2 million, one-year contract.

•Reliever Eddie Guardado and the Texas Rangers agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract.

•The home of the Cleveland Indians will be called Progressive Field as part of a naming rights deal with Progressive Corp., worth nearly $58 million over 16 years. The stadium had been known as Jacobs Field since it opened in 1994.

Miscellany

Choi extends lead

K.J. Choi closed with three straight birdies for a 5-under-par 65 and a two-shot lead in the Sony Open at Honolulu. He was at 11-under 129, two shots clear of Kevin Na.

•Jean-Baptiste Grange of France won a World Cup super-combi at Wengen, Switzerland, besting Daniel Albrecht of Switzerland and Bode Miller of the United States. He finished with a combined time of 2 minutes, 20.61 seconds.

•A nephew of former heavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick was sentenced to life in prison for his murder. Harold Berbick, 21, will be eligible for parole in 20 years. His accomplice, Kenton Gordon, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Police said the two beat the 54-year-old to death in October 2006.

•Purdue football coach Joe Tiller will retire after next season and be replaced by new associate head coach Danny Hope.

•Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston and Louisville linebacker Lamar Myles said they will leave school early and declare for the NFL draft.

•The U.S. volleyball team qualified for the Beijing Olympics, beating Puerto Rico 3-0 in the final of the NORCECA Continental Olympic Qualifying Championship at Caguas, Puerto Rico.

•Andy Roddick started and finished with aces in a 7-5, 6-3 win over Marcos Baghdatis today to claim his third consecutive Kooyong Classic title at Melbourne, Australia.

•Seventh-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany won his second ATP Tour singles title, beating fourth-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 7-6 (4), 7-5 today in the Heineken Open at Auckland, New Zealand.