IN BRIEF
BASEBALL
Pitchers Smoltz, Penny to sign with Red Sox
Pitchers John Smoltz and Brad Penny are on their way to the Red Sox. Outfielder Rocco Baldelli was already in Boston, holding up his new jersey.
After missing out on Mark Teixeira, the biggest free-agent prize of the offseason, the Red Sox were poised to make a series of smaller deals that would essentially complete their roster. They announced Baldelli's signing Thursday night at the annual dinner of the Boston Baseball Writers Association, with more news expected soon.
General manager Theo Epstein would not confirm the deals for Smoltz, 41, or Penny, 30, but as he spoke Penny was on his way out of Boston after completing his physical.
Smoltz, who spent his first 21 years with the Atlanta Braves, reached a preliminary agreement with the Red Sox worth about $5 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person said Smoltz will have the chance to make another $5 million in performance bonuses.
The deal was expected to be announced next week.
Also: Career saves leader Trevor Hoffman closed his deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
A person familiar with the negotiations said the sides reached agreement on a $6 million, one-year contract.
Hoffman can make an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses, based on games finished.
Hoffman, 41, had pitched for the San Diego Padres since 1993, but the team recently withdrew its offer for next season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms with 15 free agents, including longtime big league shortstop Juan Castro.
Castro, 36, signed with the Dodgers in 1991 and began his major league career with them four years later. He has a .228 batting average in 984 career games with the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles.
Scott Hairston and the San Diego Padres avoided arbitration, agreeing to a $1.25 million, one-year contract.
Hairston, San Diego's opening-day center fielder in 2008, hit .248 in a career-high 112 games. His 17 home runs and 42 runs scored were career bests.
The Chicago Cubs wrapped up their $30 million, three-year deal with Milton Bradley after the mercurial outfielder passed a physical.
Bradley, who joined his seventh team in 10 years and fifth in the last five, has seen his onfield production overshadowed by his outbursts and flashes of anger.
A switch-hitter, Bradley batted .321 with 22 home runs for Texas while leading the American League with a .436 on-base percentage last season.
Former American League Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa has agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Yankees.
The 30-year-old shortstop, bidding to make the team as a backup infielder, is guaranteed $66,000 under his deal.
GOLF
Ogilvy takes early lead in PGA's opening event
Geoff Ogilvy opened the PGA Tour season without making bogey on his way to a 6-under-par 67 and a one-shot lead in the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Kapalua, Hawaii -- a score that only surprised him because of the location.
In his eight previous rounds on the Plantation course, Ogilvy had never shot better than 72. But the former U.S. Open champion is coming off a victory in the Australian PGA and a tie for sixth in the Australian Open last month, and he was just as sharp in taking the first-round lead by one stroke over Ernie Els, Kenny Perry and Johnson Wagner.
Davis Love III, who won the final event of 2008 at Disney, and Ryuji Imada were in a group at 69.
Also: Steven Jeppesen of Sweden and Trevor Fisher Jr. of South Africa shot 8-under 63s to share the first-round lead in the Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa.
MISCELLANEOUS
Nadal ousted from Aussie Open tuneup
Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was eliminated from the Qatar Open in Doha, and Roger Federer advanced to the semifinals of the tuneup for the Australian Open.
Nadal lost to Gael Monfils of France 6-4, 6-4, and Federer saved three set points to defeat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, 6-2, 7-6 (6). The Swiss star trailed 5-1 and 6-3 in the tiebreaker, reeling off five straight points to win.
Also: Venus Williams showed no signs of rustiness after a four-week break, defeating No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-2, 6-2 at an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong ahead of the Australian Open.
Former mixed martial arts light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been ordered to complete community service and attend therapy for leading Costa Mesa, Calif., police on a chase in which he rammed three cars.
Jackson pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to felony police evasion against traffic and misdemeanor reckless driving for the chase on July 15.
The 30-year-old apologized and claimed he was delirious from lack of sleep and food when he fled police cars, narrowly missing pedestrians and cyclists.
Gillett Evernham Motorsports has reached a merger agreement with Petty Enterprises, creating a four-car team that will ensure the famed No. 43 races in 2009.
The name of the new team was not released, but it's believed the parties are leaning toward re-branding the organization Richard Petty Motorsports to capitalize on the seven-time NASCAR champion's name.
Texas Christian football coach Gary Patterson has agreed to a new contract that runs through the 2014 season.
The deal came a few weeks after strong speculation that Kansas State was interested in hiring Patterson to lead his alma mater. The Wildcats eventually brought Bill Snyder out of retirement.
The Pittsburgh Penguins ended any debate about whether they should re-sign Jordan Staal, locking up the 20-year-old center with a $16 million, four-year contract.
The deal starts next season and runs through the 2012-13 season.
Wendy Macpherson of Henderson, a 20-time Professional Women's Bowling Association champion, has joined legendary bowlers Mark Roth and John Petraglia in being elected to the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in the Superior Performance category.
The trio will be inducted May 1 at the USBC Convention in Reno.
The Clark County School District's athletic office announced it has rescheduled almost all of the nearly 70 events that were postponed in December due to inclement weather.
A rare snowstorm forced the postponement of all athletic events involving Southern Nevada Class 4A schools on Dec. 17 and 18. Three soccer matches on Dec. 15 and 16 also were postponed.
The list of rescheduled events and dates can be found at nevadapreps.com.
