Briefly
The Los Angeles Dodgers have received permission to interview Seattle Mariners adviser Pat Gillick to replace fired general manager Paul DePodesta.
No interview date has been set for Gillick, who led Toronto to consecutive World Series titles in the 1990s and was a general manager with Baltimore and the Mariners.
“He’s expected to be interviewed sometime in the near future,” team spokesman Josh Rawitch said Sunday.
Owner Frank McCourt also interviewed Gillick for the position in February 2004, but instead chose DePodesta, who he fired Saturday.
Gillick has also interviewed with the Philadelphia Phillies to replace Ed Wade, who was fired Oct. 10 as general manager.
Gillick won five A.L. East titles and consecutive championships (1992-93) in Toronto, led the Orioles to the ALCS in 1996 and 1997, and helped the Mariners to the ALCS in 2000 and 2001. Seattle tied a major league record with 116 wins in 2001 and the Mariners’ 393 victories during Gillick’s four seasons were the most in baseball.
McCourt has set no timetable for hiring a GM, but did say the search for a manager to replace Jim Tracy will be on hold until a GM is in place.
Tennis
Roddick surges to Lyon crown
Top-seeded Andy Roddick beat France’s Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-2 to win the Lyon Grand Prix in Lyon, France, completing the tournament without dropping serve.
Roddick, who has 20 career ATP titles, defeated a 19-year-old opponent appearing in his third career ATP final.
“I’ve won five titles this year, which isn’t bad for a terrible year, as people keep saying,” Roddick said. “Of course, I would trade five titles for one Grand Slam but that’s not the way it works. You have your ups and downs.”
“Kim Clijsters won before a home crowd in Hasselt, Belgium, for her ninth title this year, defeating Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-3 in the Gaz de France Stars final.
The top-seeded Clijsters, who missed much of last season because of a wrist injury, did not lose a set all week. In beating her third-seeded opponent, she won her 30th career title.
“Sweden’s Thomas Johansson captured his first title of the season, winning the St. Petersburg (Russia) Open by defeating Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer 6-4, 6-2.
Johansson, seeded second and ranked 15th, earned his ninth career title. He also won this tournament in 1997.
“Russia’s Nadia Petrova captured her first WTA title, defeating Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the Generali Ladies final in Linz, Austria.
Petrova, a successful doubles player, is set to rise one spot to No. 9 in the rankings. She had lost her previous four finals, including two this year.
“Fernando Gonzalez of Chile defeated qualifier Marcos Baghdatis 6-7 (8), 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to win the Swiss Indoors title in Basel, Switzerland, and improve his chances of qualifying for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup.
Gonzalez can qualify for the eight-player Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, on Nov. 7-13 by winning this week’s Paris Masters. Two spots remain open in the elite field.
“Andre Agassi qualified for the Tennis Masters Cup in China.
Agassi made the eight-player field for the Nov. 7-13 event in Shanghai when David Nalbandian lost Saturday in the Swiss Indoors semifinals.
Already in are Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin.
Figure skating
Canadians win ice dance
Canadian champions Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon emerged from “Somewhere In Time” to stand atop the ice dance podium at Skate Canada in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The Canadians got gold, $18,000 and universal approval for their new romantic free dance to music from the 1980 film starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve.
Dubreuil and Lauzon jumped ahead of top-seeded Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov of Ukraine.
Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov of the United States won bronze.
Marathon
Garcia, Kvasnicka finish first
Ruben Garcia of Mexico won the Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Va.
Susannah Kvasnicka of Great Falls, Va., captured the women’s division, running uncontested from the 2-mile mark in a race that featured 27,822 entrants.
Garcia pulled away from runner-up Carl Rundell after about 20 miles and finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 14 seconds. Kvasnicka completed the 26.2 miles in 2:47:07.
“Wilfred Kigen led a Kenyan sweep of the men’s race at the Frankfurt (Germany) Marathon, winning in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 29 seconds.
Russia’s Alevtina Biktimirova broke the course record in the women’s race with a time of 2:25:12.