<table> </table> <strong><span class="subhead">Galaxy soccer team hires Arena</span></strong></p><p>Former U.S. national soccer-team coach <strong>Bruce Arena </strong>will get his chance to turn around the <strong>David Beckham </strong>led Los Angeles Galaxy. He was hired as coach and general manager Monday. The Galaxy hasn&#8217;t won in more than two months.</p><p>&#8220;We have <strong>Landon Donovan </strong>and David Beckham as a starting point,&#8221; Arena said. &#8220;That&#8217;s fabulous. We have a good group of players to join in and make this a good team.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">What a race for trainer</span></strong></p><p>It would have been enough for trainer <strong>Linda Rice </strong>that Ahvee&#8217;s Destiny won the $83,250 Mechanicville stakes for New York fillies and mares Monday afternoon at Saratoga. But Rice also trains Canadian Ballet, Silver Timber and Karakorum Elektra &#8212; the horses that finished second, third and fourth respectively. All are owned by different groups. It is believed to be the first time ever at Saratoga in which the first four finishers of a race were trained by the same person.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Homerfest at World Series</span></strong></p><p>Four players from Mill Creek, Wash., hit home runs in a 16-hit attack that led to a 15-5 win over Hagerstown, Md., in the Washington team&#8217;s first win in the tournament. A loss would have shut them out of the next round.</p><p>Matamoros, Mexico, also hit four home runs in a 10-0 shutout of Yona, Guam. Willemstad, Curacao, also hit four homers against Guam in a 14-1 win. And in Waipahu, Hawaii&#8217;s 6-4 win over Rapid City, S.D., it was a two-run homer in the fifth that broke the tie. Mexico has clinched a berth in the international semifinals.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Locals playing in U.S. Amateur</span></strong></p><p><strong>Matt Ewald </strong>of Leawood opened with a 75 at the U.S. Amateur championship in Pinehurst, N.C. <strong>Dean Merrill </strong>of Kansas City shot 79. Other golfers from the area included <strong>Drew Lethem </strong>of Camdenton, Mo., 71; <strong>Connon McHenry </strong>of Jefferson City 72; and <strong>Jack Courington </strong>of Wichita 83.</p><p>The field will be cut to 64 golfers after two rounds of stroke play.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Elsewhere</span></strong></p><p>&#8226;The 144-golfer field for the FedEx Cup playoffs on the PGA Tour has been set. (List on C12.) Even though he hasn&#8217;t played since the U.S. Open, <strong>Tiger Woods </strong>was the points leader, ahead of <strong>Kenny Perry</strong>. <strong>Woody Austin </strong>was No. 34 on the list, <strong>Tom Pernice </strong>No. 67 and <strong>Michael Letzig </strong>No. 88.</p><p>&#8226;Oklahoma pass rusher <strong>Auston English</strong>, the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, practiced in contact drills with the Sooners for the first time this season. He missed early workouts because of an emergency appendectomy.</p><p>&#8226;A survey sponsored by Seventeen magazine showed that about 83 percent of teenage girls play sports. Basketball is the top choice. Results of the survey were published in the September issue, which hit newsstands last week.