Sports briefs 9/14/05

Baseball

• Prosecutors dropped a drunken driving charge against former baseball star Dwight Gooden on Tuesday, and he pleaded not guilty to fleeing an officer and a new charge of reckless driving after a traffic stop last month.

Gooden, 41, did not appear in court and entered a written plea. His attorney, Peter Hobson, said the new charge was not part of a plea agreement.

Tampa police said Gooden sped away after his BMW was pulled over for swerving and braking erratically on Aug. 22. Police said his breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot, as he twice refused to get out of the car for a sobriety test.

* A computer system shut down and caused several of the light towers above Jacobs Field to go dark in the sixth inning, causing a 21-minute delay in Tuesday night's game between the Indians and Oakland Athletics.

Football

* Chiefs running back Larry Johnson turned himself in to police Monday night after an altercation he had with his girlfriend early Saturday at a Kansas City bar.

Police Department spokesman Darin Snapp said Johnson was cited for domestic abuse assault. Johnson posted bond and was released, with a court date set for Sept. 20 on the municipal charge.

* The Chicago Bears agreed to terms Tuesday with offensive tackle John St. Clair and waived offensive tackle Marc Colombo to make room on the roster, the team said.

St. Clair, the St. Louis Rams' third-round draft pick in 2000, has started 30 of 46 career games played during five seasons in the NFL, the Bears said. He started 14 games as right tackle in his first season with the Miami Dolphins in 2004 but went to a backup role at guard during the preseason before being waived by Miami on Sept. 7.

With the Rams, St. Clair played in 16 games plus one playoff contest as a reserve in 2003. He started a career-high 16 games, including three at left tackle with the Rams in 2003.

Motorsports

* The Indy Racing League will cut eight weeks and three events from its schedule in 2006, move its race at Watkins Glen, N.Y., to the week after the Indianapolis 500 and finish the season for the first time at Chicagoland Speedway.

The league is dropping races at California Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Pikes Peak International Raceway, leaving a 14-race schedule from late March through early September. Other races, including one or more of the three left off next year's schedule, could be added later, IRL president Brian Barnhart said Tuesday.

Hockey

* Right wing Scott Young, who spent four seasons in St. Louis before going to Dallas, is returning to the Blues.

The Blues said Tuesday they had signed Young, an unrestricted free agent. The 37-year-old Young had his best season with the Blues in 2000-01, with 40 goals, 73 points and a plus-15.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"Scott Young is a returning veteran who knows the organization and what the coach expects," general manager Larry Pleau said. "He adds speed and will contribute valuable time on the power play."

In 16 NHL seasons, Young has 324 goals, 384 assists and 708 points. He was originally chosen by the Hartford Whalers in the first round (11th overall) in the 1986 draft.