BASEBALL

IZTURIS PASSES GARCIAPARRA IN NL VOTING

Cesar Izturis of the Los Angeles Dodgers continued his surge to grab the lead among shortstops in the latest National League All-Star voting, released yesterday. Not among the top five at his position when the first NL balloting results were released on June 1, Izturis picked up 209,284 votes in the past week to take the top spot ahead of St. Louis’s David Eckstein and injured Cub Nomar Garciaparra with 469,967.

TRACK AND FIELD

JAMAICA’S POWELL BECOMES WORLD’S FASTEST MAN

Asafa Powell broke the world record in the 100 meters yesterday with a 9.77 clocking at Olympic Stadium in Athens. Powell shaved one hundredth of a second off Tim Montgomery’s record of 9.78 set in Paris in 2002.

The 22-year-old sprinter already had the world’s fastest time this year, a run of 9.84 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational on May 8. Powell is only the fourth non-American to hold the 100 world record since 1912. Donovan Bailey of Canada (1996), Armin Hary of West Germany (1960), and Percy Williams of Canada (1930) are the others.

FOOTBALL

BCS SEARCHES FOR VOTERS

The Bowl Championship Series has a plan for a new college football poll, and hired a company yesterday to find voters. The new poll, which would be added to the BCS weekly rankings, would consist of former players, coaches, administrators, and members of the media.

Harris Interactive, a marketing research and polling firm that operates The Harris Poll, “is in the process of contacting a random sample of individuals nominated by the conferences and Notre Dame to determine interest in participating in the poll,” BCS coordinator and Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said in a statement released yesterday.

WINSLOW UNDERGOES KNEE SURGERY

Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair the right anterior cruciate knee ligament that he tore in a motorcycle accident. Winslow, who will miss the 2005 season, will begin a rehabilitation program immediately.

On Monday, Winslow disclosed for the first time that in addition to the knee injury, he lacerated his liver and kidney, bruised his right shoulder, and cracked a bone in his upper right leg in the crash. The Browns are expected to ask Winslow to return a portion of a $4.4 million bonus he got in March.

GOLF

WIE QUALIFIES FOR U.S. AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS

Michelle Wie became the first female player to qualify for an adult male U.S. Golf Association championship yesterday, tying for first place in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament. The 15-year-old star from Hawaii, second Sunday in the LPGA Championship, matched Artie Fink Jr. at 3-over 145. Wie, trying to earn a spot in the 2006 Masters, opened with an even-par 71 and shot a 74 in the rain-delayed second round.

– Associated Press