Former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks agreed to a $12-million, two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, a person familiar with negotiations told the Associated Press.
In addition, the Red Sox agreed to an $875,000, one-year contract with right-handed reliever Matt Albers and sent utilityman Eric Patterson to the San Diego Padres to complete a trade for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
Jenks, who expects to set up right-hander Jonathan Papelbon, has the chance to make more with performance bonuses. He saved 27 games last season but lost his closing job at the end of the year when he struggled with injuries.
MORE BASEBALL: Japanese batting champion Tsuyoshi Nishioka and the Minnesota Twins reportedly reached preliminary agreement on a three-year contract worth about $10-million. ...
The Oakland Athletics acquired outfielder Josh Willingham from the Washington Nationals, who received two prospects. ...
The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a $12-million, three-year contract with reliever Matt Guerrier. ...
Pitcher Kerry Wood reportedly is returning to the Chicago Cubs, agreeing to a one-year, $1.5-million contract. ...
The Colorado Rockies acquired catcher Jose Morales from Minnesota, sending minor league pitcher Paul Bargas to the Twins. ...
The Washington Nationals re-signed Chien-Ming Wang, who is trying to come back from shoulder surgery and hasn't pitched since July 2009.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: LSU will take away two football scholarships and limit recruiting visits in hopes the NCAA will accept the self-imposed discipline as its mandated punishment for rules violations discovered by the school in 2009. Last spring, LSU reported football recruiting violations that included improper telephone contact, transportation and housing involving a former assistant coach and player.
SWIMMING: Ryan Lochte snapped swimming's world-record drought, setting the first individual mark since high-tech bodysuits were outlawed at the start of the year. The American won the 400-meter individual medley at the short-course world championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 3 minutes, 55.50 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Laszlo Cseh of Hungary by nearly 2 seconds.
Former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks agreed to a $12-million, two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, a person familiar with negotiations told the Associated Press.
In addition, the Red Sox agreed to an $875,000, one-year contract with right-handed reliever Matt Albers and sent utilityman Eric Patterson to the San Diego Padres to complete a trade for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
Jenks, who expects to set up right-hander Jonathan Papelbon, has the chance to make more with performance bonuses. He saved 27 games last season but lost his closing job at the end of the year when he struggled with injuries.
MORE BASEBALL: Japanese batting champion Tsuyoshi Nishioka and the Minnesota Twins reportedly reached preliminary agreement on a three-year contract worth about $10-million. ...
The Oakland Athletics acquired outfielder Josh Willingham from the Washington Nationals, who received two prospects. ...
The Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a $12-million, three-year contract with reliever Matt Guerrier. ...
Pitcher Kerry Wood reportedly is returning to the Chicago Cubs, agreeing to a one-year, $1.5-million contract. ...
The Colorado Rockies acquired catcher Jose Morales from Minnesota, sending minor league pitcher Paul Bargas to the Twins. ...
The Washington Nationals re-signed Chien-Ming Wang, who is trying to come back from shoulder surgery and hasn't pitched since July 2009.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: LSU will take away two football scholarships and limit recruiting visits in hopes the NCAA will accept the self-imposed discipline as its mandated punishment for rules violations discovered by the school in 2009. Last spring, LSU reported football recruiting violations that included improper telephone contact, transportation and housing involving a former assistant coach and player.
SWIMMING: Ryan Lochte snapped swimming's world-record drought, setting the first individual mark since high-tech bodysuits were outlawed at the start of the year. The American won the 400-meter individual medley at the short-course world championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 3 minutes, 55.50 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Laszlo Cseh of Hungary by nearly 2 seconds.
Bobby Gonzalez may be headed back to a court. Just not the basketball kind. The Millburn (N.J.) Police Department charged the former Seton Hall coach with shoplifting and criminal mischief Monday for the alleged theft of a $1,395 men's satchel from the Polo Ralph Lauren store in the Short Hills Mall. The police say the satchel was taken out of the store June 29, but Gerry Krovatin, Mr. Gonzalez's attorney, said the incident was "a misunderstanding and a series of miscommunications." Mr. Gonzalez, who also formerly coached Manhattan, was fired in March, the day after one of his Seton Hall players was ejected from what would be the Pirates' last game of the season for punching an opposing player below the belt. The coach himself was assessed his seventh technical foul of the year for arguing. He is suing the university, alleging breach of contract.
—Aditi Kinkhabwala
Cano Gets a Chance To Take His Hacks
In the midst of a breakout season, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano will participate in the home-run derby for the first time. Mr. Cano was tied for 10th in the American League with 16 home runs going into Tuesday's game against the Athletics. He'll compete next week, a day before the All-Star Game, against Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, Boston's David Ortiz, Toronto's Vernon Wells, Milwaukee's Corey Hart, St. Louis's Matt Holliday and two other players who have yet to be announced.
—Brian Costa
'Get Off My Mound' Proves Popular
The Yankees had some fun with the Alex Rodriguez-Dallas Braden saga Monday when players gathered in the trainer's room in the visiting clubhouse at the Oakland Coliseum. When Mr. Rodriguez walked in, Robinson Cano emerged wearing a "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt. The ensuing laughter could be heard throughout the clubhouse. The Athletics started selling the shirts recently to cash in on the ballyhooed feud between the Yankees third baseman and the Oakland pitcher, though Mr. Braden told reporters he objected to the shirts. Mr. Rodriguez was more amused by them, saying, "I hope I get a cut" of the profits.
Bobby Gonzalez may be headed back to a court. Just not the basketball kind. The Millburn (N.J.) Police Department charged the former Seton Hall coach with shoplifting and criminal mischief Monday for the alleged theft of a $1,395 men's satchel from the Polo Ralph Lauren store in the Short Hills Mall. The police say the satchel was taken out of the store June 29, but Gerry Krovatin, Mr. Gonzalez's attorney, said the incident was "a misunderstanding and a series of miscommunications." Mr. Gonzalez, who also formerly coached Manhattan, was fired in March, the day after one of his Seton Hall players was ejected from what would be the Pirates' last game of the season for punching an opposing player below the belt. The coach himself was assessed his seventh technical foul of the year for arguing. He is suing the university, alleging breach of contract.
—Aditi Kinkhabwala
Cano Gets a Chance To Take His Hacks
In the midst of a breakout season, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano will participate in the home-run derby for the first time. Mr. Cano was tied for 10th in the American League with 16 home runs going into Tuesday's game against the Athletics. He'll compete next week, a day before the All-Star Game, against Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, Boston's David Ortiz, Toronto's Vernon Wells, Milwaukee's Corey Hart, St. Louis's Matt Holliday and two other players who have yet to be announced.
—Brian Costa
'Get Off My Mound' Proves Popular
The Yankees had some fun with the Alex Rodriguez-Dallas Braden saga Monday when players gathered in the trainer's room in the visiting clubhouse at the Oakland Coliseum. When Mr. Rodriguez walked in, Robinson Cano emerged wearing a "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt. The ensuing laughter could be heard throughout the clubhouse. The Athletics started selling the shirts recently to cash in on the ballyhooed feud between the Yankees third baseman and the Oakland pitcher, though Mr. Braden told reporters he objected to the shirts. Mr. Rodriguez was more amused by them, saying, "I hope I get a cut" of the profits.
Some say the USA is a contender for the men's hockey gold in Vancouver this Winter Games. American forward Bobby Ryan is one of them. Today, the Anaheim Duck score the first goal in the tournament for the Americans en route to a 3-1 victory over what looked like a strong Swiss team early on.
The goal was a bitter-sweet moment for the New Jersey native. In this game, Swiss goalie, Jonas Hiller was foe, rather than a fellow Duck. Ryan's commanding goal with 61 seconds left in the first period, broke a silence, perhaps an awkward one, between the two NHL teammates.
After Ryan out-muscled Thierry Paterlini, a loose puck drizzled to the high slot where Ryan snapped it home before Hiller could regroup from the action in front of the net. The feat became the shot heard throughout Vancouver and can legitimately be logged as monumental. Hiller boasted a .919 NHL save percentage coming into the Olympic tournament.
Chants of U.S.A.! U.S.A.! tore through Swiss crowd efforts to fire-up their sqaud, which also rosters three other players with NHL experience. Mark Streit of the New York Islanders, Yannick Weber, who's skated with Montreal and Luca Sbisa, who started the season in Anaheim, represent Switzerland.
Most Swiss players play in domestic pro leagues or in Europe. Americans know how such a match-up feels. Even those not alive when Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig, a couple of college kids, took on a NHL-caliber Soviet team know how the tourney unfolded in 1980.
There isn't an amateur on the 2010 American roster, just as 30 years ago, there were no pros among Herb Brooks' rag-tag bunch of scrappers.
Ryan, like several others on hand, was unsure how the Canadian fans would react. Some figured the Americans would get booed out of the building. While the U.S. isn't a folk hero, it is not the proverbial bad guy--yet. Ryan said an eventual match-up with Canada could change all that.
"I thought for sure we were getting booed today,'' Ryan said. "I came out expecting that. But I think the fans were just excited to get things under way. When we play Canada I'm sure it will be a different story.''
Some fans were cheering for American Ryan Kesler, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks.
The U.S. plays Norway Thursday, Feb. 18., which some predict to be a warm-up game for an anticipated match-up with Canada.
Some say the USA is a contender for the men's hockey gold in Vancouver this Winter Games. American forward Bobby Ryan is one of them. Today, the Anaheim Duck score the first goal in the tournament for the Americans en route to a 3-1 victory over what looked like a strong Swiss team early on.
The goal was a bitter-sweet moment for the New Jersey native. In this game, Swiss goalie, Jonas Hiller was foe, rather than a fellow Duck. Ryan's commanding goal with 61 seconds left in the first period, broke a silence, perhaps an awkward one, between the two NHL teammates.
After Ryan out-muscled Thierry Paterlini, a loose puck drizzled to the high slot where Ryan snapped it home before Hiller could regroup from the action in front of the net. The feat became the shot heard throughout Vancouver and can legitimately be logged as monumental. Hiller boasted a .919 NHL save percentage coming into the Olympic tournament.
Chants of U.S.A.! U.S.A.! tore through Swiss crowd efforts to fire-up their sqaud, which also rosters three other players with NHL experience. Mark Streit of the New York Islanders, Yannick Weber, who's skated with Montreal and Luca Sbisa, who started the season in Anaheim, represent Switzerland.
Most Swiss players play in domestic pro leagues or in Europe. Americans know how such a match-up feels. Even those not alive when Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig, a couple of college kids, took on a NHL-caliber Soviet team know how the tourney unfolded in 1980.
There isn't an amateur on the 2010 American roster, just as 30 years ago, there were no pros among Herb Brooks' rag-tag bunch of scrappers.
Ryan, like several others on hand, was unsure how the Canadian fans would react. Some figured the Americans would get booed out of the building. While the U.S. isn't a folk hero, it is not the proverbial bad guy--yet. Ryan said an eventual match-up with Canada could change all that.
"I thought for sure we were getting booed today,'' Ryan said. "I came out expecting that. But I think the fans were just excited to get things under way. When we play Canada I'm sure it will be a different story.''
Some fans were cheering for American Ryan Kesler, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks.
The U.S. plays Norway Thursday, Feb. 18., which some predict to be a warm-up game for an anticipated match-up with Canada.