Fire coach Osorio heading to New York

Just when Fire president John Guppy had found the right coach torevive his squad on the fly into a playoff team, he has lost him.

Juan Carlos Osorio resigned Monday "for family and personalreasons" and was excused from the balance of his three-year contractto become coach of the New York Red Bulls. Insiders said Osorio'sfamily preferred moving to New York, where it has more relatives andfriends. The Red Bulls will compensate the Fire with draft picks,salary-cap allocation money and cash.

"We tried to do everything we could to help him address thosechallenges," Guppy said. "But at the end of the day, he made itclear that for personal reasons, he could not remain in Chicago. Andif somebody doesn't want to be somewhere, what are you going to do?"

Osorio, a native of Colombia, replaced Dave Sarachan in July whenthe Fire was 4-7-4 and coached it to a 10-10-10 regular-seasonfinish and playoff berth before losing to New England 1-0 in theEastern Conference final.

A key question is whether star Mexican midfielder CuauhtemocBlanco and Colombian defender Wilman Conde will stay with the Fire.They joined the team around the same time Osorio did and enjoyedinstant rapport with him.

Lacy J. Banks

NBA

SETTLEMENT IN ISIAH CASE

Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomasreached an $11.5 million settlement of the sexual-harassment casebrought by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders. A juryawarded her $11.6 million in punitive damages; this deal replacesthat.

The case was supposed to resume this week to see how much BrowneSanders was owed in compensatory damages. By settling, the Knicksavoided paying her legal fees, while Browne Sanders gets her moneyfaster and avoids the possibility of having her award reduced onappeal.

TWO SUITS VS. ARTEST DISMISSED

Two civil lawsuits against former Indiana Pacer Ron Arteststemming from the November 2004 brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hillswere dismissed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

JAMES READY TO RETURN

LeBron James is expected to be back in the Cleveland Cavaliers'lineup tonight against the Indiana Pacers. An injured left indexfinger caused James to miss Cleveland's last five games -- alllosses.

FOOTBALL

SAINTS OVERPOWER FALCONS

With Reggie Bush (partially torn knee ligament) watching from thesideline, Drew Brees passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns asthe visiting New Orleans Saints (6-7) romped past the AtlantaFalcons 34-14.

The Falcons (3-10) couldn't stop Brees, who led four scoringdrives that covered at least 75 yards, including one for 99. Bywinning, New Orleans boosted its wild-card hopes and kept Tampa Bayfrom clinching the NFC South title.

ROSE BOWL TIX ON SALE TODAY

The University of Illinois Athletic Ticket Office said Rose Bowltickets will go on sale to the general public today beginning at 9a.m. at Assembly Hall in Champaign, by calling 1-866-ILLINI-1 oronline at fightingillini.com.

WASHINGTON STATE TAKES WULFF

Eastern Washington coach Paul Wulff will become WashingtonState's new coach, a person familiar with the hiring process toldthe Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

ASSAULT CHARGE FOR SAUERBRUN

Denver police said Broncos punter Todd Sauerbrun was cited forsimple assault early Saturday after being involved in an altercationwith a cab driver.

FISHER WAITING AT FLORIDA STATE

Jimbo Fisher will succeed Bobby Bowden as Florida State's nextcoach -- someday. While Bowden, 78, will return for a 33rd seasonwith options to stay longer, offensive coordinator Fisher wasdesignated as "head coach-in-waiting."

BASEBALL

SEGUI ADMITS STEROID USE

Retired first baseman David Segui, who spent eight of his 15 MLBseasons with the Orioles, admitted that he used steroids andpurchased shipments from former New York Mets clubhouse attendantKirk Radomski, the Baltimore Sun reported on its Web site.

LO DUCA TO JOIN NATIONALS

Free-agent catcher Paul Lo Duca and the Washington Nationalsreportedly agreed on a one-year contract pending a physical.

HORSE RACING

BREEDERS' CUP EXPANDS TO 14

Three races were added to the Breeders' Cup for 2008, increasingthe two-day event to 14 races worth $25.5 million in prize money.