FOOTBALL

MADDEN JOINING NBC AS GAME ANALYST

John Madden will join NBC as a game analyst when the network begins televising its newly acquired Sunday night football package in 2006.

Madden has spent the past three seasons teamed with Al Michaels on ABC’s now-defunct “Monday Night Football.” Before joining ABC, Madden teamed with Pat Summerall to call Fox’s lead game from 1994-2001. They were the top NFL announcing team on CBS for 13 seasons before that.

NBC is reportedly paying $600 million for a six-year contract that will allow the network to broadcast the NFL’s Sunday night game starting with the 2006 season. The Sunday night game was previously shown on ESPN, which will now televise the Monday night game.

JETS RELEASE REGGIE TONGUE

Safety Reggie Tongue was released yesterday by the Jets after starting all 16 games last season. Tongue played just one season with the Jets and had the second longest interception return in the team’s postseason history with an 85-yard touchdown run against Pittsburgh. The longest was 98 yards by Darrol Ray in 1982.

A second-round draft pick in 1996 by Kansas City, Tongue played four years with the Chiefs and four years with Seattle.

BASEBALL

GAGNE RETURNS TO DISABLED LIST

Dodgers closer Eric Gagne went on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with a sprained ligament in his right elbow, the same problem that sidelined him the first 35 games of the season. The All-Star didn’t know if he would need surgery, but acknowledged he was feeling “very nervous” and preparing for the worst.

After an MRI exam on Monday, Royals doctor Dr. Steven Joyce concluded Gagne sustained a second-degree sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament. Gagne aggravated the injury while pitching against Minnesota on Sunday. Dodgers manager Jim Tracy refused to speculate on how long he could be out.

TENNIS

MAURESMO DROPS FIRST GRASS MATCH OF SEASON

Top seeded Amelie Mauresmo lost yesterday in her first grass court match of the season, falling to Russian qualifier Vera Douchevina 6-4, 6-4 in the second round at the Eastbourne tournament in England.

Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova also struggled before beating Anna Chakvetadze 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in 1 hour, 50 minutes to reach the quarterfinals.

Also yesterday, fifth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia lost to Italian qualifier Roberta Vinci, fourth-seeded Anastasia Myskina defeated Venezuela’s Maria Vento-Kabchi in three sets, and eighth-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France rallied to beat American Amy Frazier 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

SOCCER

INTER MILAN TOPS ROMA FOR ITALIAN CUP TITLE Sinisa Mihajlovic scored on a free kick to give Inter Milan the Italian Cup with a 1-0 victory over AS Roma yesterday. Inter Milan outscored AS Roma 3-0 in the two-game series for its fourth Italian Cup title and first trophy since 1998, when it won the UEFA Cup.

Mihajlovic curled in a powerful free kick in the 52nd minute. The Serb helped make up for the absence of Brazil striker Adriano, who had scored both goals in the first game at Stadio Olimpico. Adriano missed the second leg because he was playing with Brazil at the Confederations Cup.

Inter Milan will play Serie A champion Juventus in the Italian SuperCup this summer.

CYCLING

ITALIAN GALLETTI DIES DURING RACE Italian cyclist Alessio Galletti died yesterday of heart and lung failure during a one-day race in northern Spain. The 37-year-old Galletti, of the Naturino-Sapore De Mare team, was riding in the Subida al Naranco between the town of Lugones and the Alto de Naranco mountain when he collapsed eight miles from the finish, race organizers said. Galletti had complained of chest pains earlier in the day.

– Associated Press