FOOTBALL

Report: Leinart Ends Holdout, Agrees to Deal

The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Matt Leinart have reached an agreement in principle on a six-year contract, according to a report late last night on ESPN.com. According to sources, the contract could be worth as much as $50.8 million if all incentives are reached. The deal does call for $14 million in guaranteed money.

Earlier yesterday, Cardinals coach Dennis Green criticized Leinart and his representatives for rejecting “a more than generous” offer from the team.

Green said the sides were at odds over the total value of the contract, which the coach said was among the top five of this year’s deals with draft picks.The main issue had reportedly been the size of escalation clauses that would give Leinart additional money the more he plays.

BASKETBALL

Injured Arenas Won’t Play in Worlds

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas strained his groin during practice yesterday and won’t play for the United States at the world championships.

With Arenas out, the Americans must cut one of their 13 remaining players before the world championships. Team USA plays South Korea in an exhibition game today and open the worlds against Puerto Rico on Saturday in Sapporo, Japan.

Gooden, Cavs Agree On 3-year Deal

All Drew Gooden has ever wanted was a place in the NBA to call home. Now he’s got one. Gooden, who has played for three teams and six coaches in four seasons, agreed in principle on a threeyear, $23 million contract and will resign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, his agents said yesterday.

The Cavs’ top rebounder last season, Gooden has been a solid complementary player to All-Star forward LeBron James, who committed to a three-year contract extension with the Cavaliers in July.The 24-year-old Gooden averaged 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds last season.

HORSE RACING

Barbaro Walks Outside, Grazes on Grass

How’s this for a breath of fresh air? Barbaro is enjoying daily outings outside his intensive care stall to pick his own grass, enjoy the warm weather and stretch his recovering legs.

Barbaro stepped outside his ICU stall and started daily walks on a grassy area near the unit last week for the first time since having catastrophic injuries in the Preakness nearly three months ago. The Kentucky Derby winner, also recovering from a severe case of laminitis on his left hoof, continues to show signs he’s on the road to recovery.

“It’s a big step just to know he feels good enough that you can take him out of the stall and walk him around like a normal horse and he eats grass like a normal horse,” Dean Richardson, chief surgeon at the New Bolton Center, said yesterday. “That doesn’t mean he’s healed. It just means things are going well right now.”

HOCKEY

Rangers: Ortmeyer Has Pulmonary Embolism

New York Rangers forward Jed Ortmeyer has been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Ortmeyer, who didn’t immediately return a phone message left yester by the Associated Press, is scheduled to undergo more tests later this week, the Rangers said.

A pulmonary embolism is the sudden blockage of an artery in the lung, usually caused by one or more blood clots.