Venturi says goodbye

Ken Venturi, retiring after 35 years in the broadcast booth, choked back tears Sunday as he worked his final golf tournament for CBS.

"You'll always be in my thoughts," Venturi said before signing off at the Kemper Insurance Open. "It's been a long time. I don't know where the time went — 35 years. It's unbelievable. I've really been very lucky."

Many players paid some form of tribute to Venturi as they finished their rounds. Chris DiMarco looked to the broadcast tower and clapped as he walked off the 18th green.

Justin Leonard doffed his cap. Greg Norman pointed to Venturi and threw his ball toward the booth, despite coming off a three-putt bogey.

"I've relished these 17 years," lead broadcaster Jim Nantz told Venturi. "I loved talking life with you. You won't be in that chair any longer, but as long as I'm here, you'll be my side."

CBS played a video tribute to Venturi, who said farewell with the words: "The greatest reward in life is to be remembered. Thank you for remembering me. God bless you."

Savoldelli wins Giro d'Italia

Paolo Savoldelli won the Giro d'Italia, maintaining a lead of nearly two minutes over American Tyler Hamilton through the final stage.

Italy's Mario Cipollini claimed the final leg for his sixth stage win of the race. He covered the 87-mile leg from Cantu to Milan in 3 hours, 35 minutes, 39 seconds.

Cipollini, of the Acqua e Sapone team, claimed his 40th stage win in the Giro, one short of the career mark held by Italy's Alfredo Binda .

The 29-year-old Savoldelli, of the Index-Alexia team, had considered retirement after a winless season last year. He claimed the pink jersey of overall leader from Australia's Cadel Evans on Thursday and defended it in a final attack by Hamilton in Saturday's time test at Monticello Brianza.

Hamilton, of the Danish-based team Tiscali, finished 13 seconds behind Savoldelli on Saturday and failed to make up for an initial overall gap of more than one minute.

"I did my best and now I'm aware that I can compete with the top riders," Hamilton said. "Savoldelli was stronger in the key stages. I must accept the result."

Sticking to tradition, cyclists avoided attacks during the closing stage and Savoldelli had the opportunity to toast with champagne along with teammates and rivals while pedaling toward Milan.

Junior Seau's brother shot

The brother of San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau was in serious condition after being shot in the head.

Tony Seau, 25, was shot just before midnight Friday at a party in Spokane, Wash., police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Witnesses told police that several arguments broke out at the party when revelers began yelling rival gang names. Seau was upgraded from critical to serious condition according to Cottam, who declined to identify the hospital where Seau was being treated.

Seau is a defensive lineman at Eastern Washington University. The 5-foot-11, 310-pound nose tackle, transferred to EWU in January from Palomar Junior College in San Diego County.

"I'm hanging in there," Junior Seau said. "I'm just trying to take care of my mom right now."

In brief

Former University of Washington football player Anthony Vontoure, 22, died in a struggle with sheriff's deputies, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said. "At no point did officers ever strike him, nor did they use any control holds," Lewis said, adding that Vontoure was on the ground being restrained by three civilians as he yelled men in "green masks" were coming to get him.

Drag racer Jerry Gannon died Sunday, a day after crashing at Atlanta Dragway. He was 50. Gannon, of Franklin Furnace, Ohio, was driving a jet-powered Funny Car on Saturday when his car hit a wall, then spun around and hit another wall before flipping and bursting into flames.

Running back Skip Hicks re-signed with the Tennessee Titans, agreeing a four-year contract.

Bob Knight is being courted for the big screen. Knight, Texas Tech's basketball coach, is scheduled to appear with actors Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler in the upcoming movie "Anger Management," according to a report in Sunday's editions of The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The film is scheduled for a June 2003 release.

The Philadelphia Eagles have sold the naming rights to their new stadium. Lincoln Financial Group, which has its corporate headquarters in Philadelphia, will pay $139.6 million for the right to name the stadium Lincoln Financial Field, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

American Shelia Burrell won the women's heptathlon in an international invitational meet in Austria. Burrell finished with 6,363 points. Sabine Braun of Germany was second with 6,299 points, and countrywoman Kathleen Gutjahr was third with 6,222.