Baird leads by one at Zurich Classic

Briny Baird shot a 3-under-par 69 on Friday in the second round to take a one-stroke lead over Peter Lonard (70) and Jay Williamson (69) at the Zurich Classic in Avondale, La.

Baird, who birdied the final two holes, is making his 254th career start on the tour without a victory. His best finishes were a tie for second at the 2001 John Deere Classic, and ties for second at the 2003 Buick Open and 2004 Funai Classic.

•At Palm Coast, Fla., Lonnie Nielsen, a career club professional who had a mediocre PGA Tour career, birdied six of his last 10 holes for a 6-under 66 and one-stroke lead in the Champions Tour Ginn Championship.

•Angela Stanford followed her course-record and career-best 10-under 62 on Thursday with a scrambling 3-under 69 for a 13-under 131 total and a one-shot lead over Lorena Ochoa in the LPGA’s Safeway International at Superstition Mountain, Ariz.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., is tied for 20th at 140, and Rathdrum’s Tracy Hanson is another shot back.

Soccer

Romario retires

Soccer star Romario announced his retirement, ending two decades at the pinnacle of Brazil’s national sport.

The 42-year-old striker told Rio de Janeiro’s O Dia newspaper that he was out of shape and physically unable to return after months of inactivity.

Courts

Trial postponed in Taylor murder case

A Miami judge has postponed the trial of four men accused in the slaying of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor until August.

•Herb Rich, a three-sport star at Vanderbilt and defensive captain of the New York Giants when they won the NFL title in 1956, died Friday at Nashville, Tenn. He was 79.

College basketball

Charlotte extends Lutz

Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz received a five-year contract extension that will keep him at the school through the 2012-13 season.

•TCU is set to hire Kent State’s Jim Christian as its new coach, a person with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed.

Miscellany

Swim record falls

Eamon Sullivan broke his 24-hour-old world record in the 50-meter freestyle at the Australian swimming championships and Olympic trials in Sydney, Australia. It was the fourth time in the past six weeks the record has been broken, now standing at 21.28 seconds.

•Olympic time-trial champion Chris Hoy and former rowing world champ Rebecca Romero won Britain’s fifth and sixth gold medals in the world track cycling championships at Manchester, England.

•At Federal Way, Wash., Albert Subirats helped Arizona move into position for its first NCAA men’s swimming title, winning the 100-yard butterfly for his third career NCAA victory.