Vick to offer guilty plea today

Michael Vick's guilty plea to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge will cap one of the most rapid and startling falls from stardom in U.S. sports history. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to formally enter his plea today in Richmond, Va., following the path of three co-defendants who already have pleaded guilty.

In Vick's written plea agreement filed in federal court Friday, he admitted helping kill six to eight pit bulls and supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings.

With negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys out of the way, all that's left is for U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson to accept the plea and decide how much time Vick will spend in prison, and for the NFL to determine the fate of Vick's career. The NFL suspended him indefinitely and without pay Friday after his plea agreement was filed.

The plea agreement calls for a sentencing range of 12 to 18 months. But Hudson, who is known for handing down tough sentences, is not bound by any recommendation or federal sentencing guidelines and could sentence Vick to as much as five years in prison.

More football

Former first-round draft pick Chris Claiborne signed with Jacksonville, giving the Jaguars some much-needed depth at linebacker after backup Tony Gilbert was lost for the season with a torn biceps muscle in the game against Green Bay.

Basketball

Cheryl Ford scored 11 points, including a basket with 44 seconds remaining, and the Detroit Shock staved off elimination by beating the visiting New York Liberty, 76-73, in Game 2 of their first-round WNBA Eastern Conference playoff series. Deanna Nolan led Detroit with 16 points. ... Cappie Pondexter scored 25 points as the Phoenix Mercury blew a 22-point, second-half lead but recovered for a 95-89 win against visiting Seattle and swept the Storm in the best-of-three Western Conference semifinals.

James Posey and the Celtics have agreed to terms of a deal that will bring the former Miami Heat forward to Boston.

Track & Field

The 100-meter matchup in Osaka, Japan, between Tyson Gay, the latest American sprint sensation, and co-world record holder Asafa Powell was the most anticipated event of the world championships. Gay made it a one-man show when he surged ahead of Powell in the final 40 meters to win in 9.85 seconds. Powell couldn't even hang on for second. He was third in 9.96, behind Derrick Atkins' 9.91.

Soccer

Mia Hamm spoke yesterday before a record crowd of 4,800, many of them youngsters, at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Hamm entered the shrine with Julie Foudy. The two were the bedrock of the U.S. team that won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals from 1991 to 2004. The other inductees were Alan Rothenberg, who helped launch Major League Soccer, and defender Bobby Smith, who played for the Cosmos in the North American League.

Hockey

Samantha Hunt scored in overtime to lead Canada to a 4-3 victory against the United States in Lake Placid, N.Y., giving the Canadians a three-game sweep in the under-22 women's hockey series.

Boxing

Gary Russell Jr. dominated Roberto Marroquin, and Raynell Williams outlasted Hylon Williams in the final two matches of the U.S. Olympic boxing trials in Houston. Russell beat Marroquin, 18-14, to win the 119-pound (bantamweight) spot on the Olympic team, while Raynell Williams won, 24-22, to take the 125-pound (featherweight) berth.