Mets, Manuel agree on two-year contract
baseball
Jerry Manuel and the New York Mets agreed yesterday on a two-year contract that includes a club option for 2011. Manuel took over on an interim basis June 17, when New York was 34-35. After the Mets built a 3 1/2 -game lead in the National League East in September, they lost 10 of their final 17 games and were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season for the second straight year. They finished at 89-73.
More Mets:: Authorities in the Dominican Republic have issued an arrest warrant for pitcher Ambiorix Burgos on charges stemming from a hit-and-run accident that killed two women. Burgos is accused of abandoning the victims and fleeing the crash scene Tuesday, charges that can carry six months to two years in prison.
Orioles:: Play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne will be returning to MASN next season. Thorne said the Orioles have picked up his option for another year. ... Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts will share stories and memories next Saturday during the "Voices of the Game" series at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Et cetera: : Cleveland acquired minor league outfielder Michael Brantley from the Brewers to complete the CC Sabathia trade made in July. Brantley, 21, hit .319 with 80 runs scored at Double-A Huntsville. ... St. Louis announced that pitching coach Dave Duncan has agreed to a one-year contract with an option for 2010. ... Infielder Wes Helms and the Marlins agreed to a two-year, $1.9 million contract. ... Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will have surgery Tuesday on his sore right shoulder. ... Eddie Brinkman - who set the American League record for shortstops with 72 straight errorless games, a mark Cal Ripken Jr. broke in 1990 - has died. Brinkman, who also played for the Senators, was 66.
S. Ellis out 2-4 weeks; Westbrook appears ready
nfl
Top draft pick Sedrick Ellis will be lost to the New Orleans Saints for two to four weeks with a right knee injury. The defensive tackle, the No. 7 overall selection in April's draft, tore the medial meniscus in his knee during the Saints' win Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers and had arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear yesterday morning. Ellis started all four games this season for the Saints (2-2) and has 11 tackles and one sack.
Eagles: : Running back Brian Westbrook (ankle) was a full participant in practice for the first time in two weeks and appears likely to play tomorrow when Philadelphia hosts the Redskins. Westbrook, who is listed as questionable, had five touchdowns in the first two games.
Seahawks: : Deion Branch will start for Seattle tomorrow against the Giants, eight months after the veteran receiver had reconstructive knee surgery. Receiver Bobby Engram (shoulder) will also make his season debut.
Redskins:: Shawn Springs, Jason Taylor and Stephon Heyer (sprained shoulder) sat out practice again, although coach Jim Zorn held out hope Springs (strained calf muscle) would play tomorrow against the Eagles. As expected, defensive end Taylor (calf) was officially ruled out.
Panthers: : The NFL fined defensive end Julius Peppers $10,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. ... Jordan Gross' streak of 84 consecutive starts will end, while fellow starting tackle Jeff Otah (sprained right ankle) is doubtful for tomorrow's game against the Chiefs. Gross was knocked unconscious during Sunday's win over Atlanta and did not practice all week.
Jaguars: : Safety Reggie Nelson (knee) and cornerback Drayton Florence (groin) are out against Pittsburgh tomorrow, coach Jack Del Rio said.
Vick:: Michael Vick's lawyers have asked a federal bankruptcy judge to appoint a mediator to help settle his financial obligations with creditors. Vick, once the highest-paid NFL player, is serving a 23-month federal prison sentence after his conviction on dogfighting charges last summer.
No. 8 BYU wins 15th straight game
et cetera
Max Hall threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns and No. 8 Brigham Young extended its winning streak to 15 games by beating host Utah State, 34-14. The Cougars (5-0) converted three turnovers into 17 points while pulling ahead 24-0 in the first quarter and held on despite some sloppy moments. Utah State (1-4) became the first team to score on BYU in nearly a month with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the Aggies were down 34-0 at the end of the third quarter.
More college football: : Former Nebraska star Lawrence Phillips was sentenced to 10 years in prison, two years after he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. ... Tennessee (1-3) will replace starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton with Nick Stephens tonight against Northern Illinois. ... Mesa State College senior offensive lineman Trevor Wikre fractured his right pinkie so severely in practice Tuesday, doctors told him he needed immediate surgery. His season and career would be finished. Instead, Wikre told them to amputate the finger. He's now missing a good portion of his pinkie. "This game means that much to me," Wikre said. "This team means that much to me." ... Louie Sakoda kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to cap an 11-point rally over the final 89 seconds and give No. 15 Utah (6-0) a 31-28 victory over visiting Oregon State (2-3) on Thursday night.
: Pro basketball: : The Los Angeles Sparks' Candace Parker received the Most Valuable Player award, becoming the first player to win the award along with the Rookie of the Year honors. Parker averaged 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. ... Katie Smith scored 22 points and the Detroit Shock built a big lead in the first quarter, then hung on to defeat the host San Antonio Silver Stars, 69-61, and take a 2-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. ... Free-agent point guard Shaun Livingston signed a two-year contract with the Miami Heat, the first significant step in what he hopes is a comeback from a serious injury to his left knee 19 months ago. Livingston averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 assists in parts of three seasons with Los Angeles.
Golf: : Jeff Overton shot a 3-under-par 69 to take a one-shot lead over Tag Ridings (68) in the blustery PGA Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, N.Y. ... Na Yeon Choi of South Korea survived the changing wind and decreasing temperatures to shoot a 1-under 71 at the LPGA Samsung World Championship in Half Moon Bay, Calif., giving her a 4-under 140 total and a two-stroke lead over Angela Stanford (73), Lorena Ochoa (73), Paula Creamer (74) and Song-Hee Kim (73).
College basketball: : Florida coach Billy Donovan signed a contract extension he agreed to in June 2007. The contract will pay him $3.5 million a season through 2012-13. Donovan is 285-115 in 12 seasons at Florida.
Soccer: : Freddy Adu, Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley and ex-Terps Maurice Edu and Danny Califf are among 23 players on the roster for the Americans' World Cup qualifier against Cuba next Saturday. A win in the match at RFK Stadium would send the United States into the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
NHL: : Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau received a multiyear contract extension for leading the team to first place in the Eastern Conference last season.
Horse racing:: Dream Empress pulled away down the stretch to win the $500,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes and capture the first of seven "win and you're in" Breeders' Cup berths being awarded at Keeneland's fall meet.
Tennis: : Venus Williams beat third-seeded Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-2, at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a semifinal with Jelena Jankovic, who edged seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5).