BASEBALL

BONDS ASKS FEDERAL JUDGE TO TOSS OUT PERJURY CASE

Barry Bonds asked a federal judge to dismiss perjury charges against him yesterday, arguing the indictment is “scattershot” and noted for its “striking inartfulness.”

Bonds was charged in November with lying to a grand jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs. In the motion filed in San Francisco federal court, the former San Francisco Giant neither admits nor denies taking the drugs, but argues the questions asked by prosecutors during a December 2003 grand jury appearance were vague, ambiguous and confusing.

The lawyers said “the questions posed to him by two different prosecutors were frequently imprecise, redundant, overlapping and frequently compound.”

Prosecutors asked Bonds several times whether personal trainer Greg Anderson supplied him with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs beginning in 2000. Bonds answered “no” or “not at all,” but his lawyers argued the questions were not clear.

FOOTBALL

FALCONS HIRE JACKSONVILLE COORDINATOR AS COACH

The Atlanta Falcons hired Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Smith as their new head coach last night.

“Mike possesses all of the key qualities we were looking for in a head coach,” said general manager Thomas Dimitroff, in his first month on the job.

Dimitroff said the 48-year-old Smith, a 26-year NFL coaching veteran, “has strong experience with winning teams, a track record of success, a solid, smart approach to the game, and high character and integrity.”

Smith, the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator since 2003, had his second interview with the Falcons on Friday. He has never been an NFL head coach, but Falcons quarterback Byron Leftwich, who was with Smith in Jacksonville for four years, says Atlanta made the right choice.

“I’ve played against his defense more than anybody in the world,” Leftwich said. “I did it every day in practice for four years. I think he’s a great guy for the job.

PRO BOWL REDSKINS TO WEAR JERSEY NO. 21 TO HONOR TAYLOR

Sean Taylor, the first player voted posthumously to the Pro Bowl, will have his jersey number worn at the game by two of his former Washington Redskins teammates.

The NFL announced yesterday that tight end Chris Cooley and tackle Chris Samuels will both wear No. 21 at the game Feb. 10 in Honolulu.

Taylor died November 27, a day after being shot at his home in Florida. The 24-year-old safety was leading the NFL in interceptions at the time. He was chosen the following month for the NFC team in balloting among coaches, players and fans.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

MAYO MAY HAVE BROKEN RULE BY ACCEPTING LAKERS TICKETS

Southern California freshman standout O.J. Mayo might have violated an NCAA rule by accepting free tickets to Monday night’s NBA game between Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers from Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. Mayo told reporters Tuesday he had received the tickets, which were located behind courtside seats near mid-court at Staples Center and had a face value of $230 each.

“We don’t know the specifics of the situation and won’t be able to comment,”NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said yesterday in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

FEDERER DEFEATS BLAKE, ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS

It’s fine for Roger Federer to talk about the tension and nerves players feel before a Grand Slam semifinal. He is about to play in his 15th in a row, after all.

But while it might reassure Novak Djokovic to hear that the man he’ll be facing in his first Australian Open semifinal experiences some nerves too, he’d better be wary of the rhetoric.

“I remember when I made my first Grand Slam semifinals or my finals, I was so nervous,” Federer said in an almost confiding tone, after beating James Blake 7–5, 7–6 (5), 6–4 yesterday. “Now it’s been so many that it’s almost become some sort of a routine. That’s helped me a great deal being able to cope with those moments.”