IN BRIEF

BASEBALL

Giants pitcher Lincecum faces marijuana possession charges

San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges after a traffic stop in his home state of Washington.

A state patrol spokesman said Thursday that Lincecum, the 2008 Cy Young Award winner and former University of Washington star, was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 in the town of Hazel Dell, about four miles north of the Oregon border, on Oct. 30.

An officer approached Lincecum's 2006 Mercedes and smelled marijuana as the pitcher rolled down his window. Lincecum immediately complied with a request to hand over the drug and a marijuana pipe from the car's center console, the spokesman said.

The amount measured was 3.3 grams.

Also: Pitcher John Lackey and outfielder Matt Holliday were among 79 players who filed for free agency Thursday, the first possible day. Outfielder Jason Bay, first baseman Carlos Delgado, pitcher John Smoltz and reliever Billy Wagner also filed.

About 100 more players are potentially eligible to file by the Nov. 19 deadline.

Jamie McCourt, the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, lost her bid to be reinstated as the team's chief executive during a hearing in the couple's messy divorce.

Jamie McCourt was fired last month by her husband, who claims she was having an affair with her bodyguard-driver, also a Dodgers employee who was fired, and was doing a poor job in her role as chief executive.

The Dodgers declined a $10 million mutual option on pitcher Jon Garland for next season, making him eligible for free agency. The right-hander will get a $2.5 million buyout.

The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins for left-handers Jose Alvarez and Hunter Jones. Hermida, the Marlins' first-round draft pick in 2002, hit .259 this season with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.

Veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu agreed to a $19 million, two-year contract to stay with the Los Angeles Angels rather than test the free-agent market. He hit .293 with 15 home runs, 103 RBIs, 30 steals and 94 walks this season.

Former Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle was named hitting coach of the Texas Rangers. He replaces Rudy Jaramillo, who had the job for 15 years before rejecting a one-year deal after the season. Jaramillo then got a three-year contract to become the Chicago Cubs' hitting coach.

The Atlanta Braves and pitcher Tim Hudson are nearing agreement on a three-year deal. Atlanta has a $12 million option on Hudson, a right-hander who was 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in seven starts this season after his return from elbow ligament-replacement surgery.

The Arizona Diamondbacks declined Chad Tracy's $7 million option and will pay the infielder a $1 million buyout.

Infielder Mark Kotsay agreed to a $1.5 million contract to remain with the Chicago White Sox.

MISCELLANEOUS

Williams will fight Martinez in December at Atlantic City

Paul Williams finally found an opponent for his next bout, choosing Sergio Martinez to replace injured Kelly Pavlik on a Dec. 5 card at Atlantic City.

Williams spent the fall preparing for a showdown with Pavlik, but the middleweight champ backed out of two dates because of an infection in his left hand. The bout was canceled last month.

Williams (37-1, 27 knockouts) is a two-time welterweight champion who can fight in several weight classes. Martinez (44-1-2, 24 KOs) is the WBC 154-pound champion but will move to 160 pounds to face Williams.

Also: Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin, the NBA's third-leading scorer at 30.6 points a game, has a hairline fracture in his left wrist. The team said treatment options are being evaluated.

Kings forward Andres Nocioni was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of drunken driving. He was pulled over around 2 a.m. in downtown Sacramento, Calif., when an officer noticed his car weaving, and a field test was conducted.

The NCAA cleared freshman Lance Stephenson to play at Cincinnati without having to miss any games.

There were questions about whether the 6-foot-5-inch forward would be eligible because of his involvement in a documentary. He averaged 28.9 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists as a senior at a Brooklyn, N.Y., high school.

Sophomore Jamie Smith had 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the UNLV women's basketball team to a 67-42 exhibition win at Cal State Los Angeles.

Cursty Jackson had 18 kills to lead the UNLV women's volleyball team (7-14) to a 27-25, 25-22, 25-20 win at UNR (8-17).

U.S. Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer was suspended for one year by a Belgian anti-doping tribunal, accused of failing to report her whereabouts to drug-testing officials three times. The 18th-ranked Belgian has denied any wrongdoing and said on her Web site she planned to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Boston Bruins center David Krejci will stay away from the team for the next three to five days while he is quarantined with the swine flu.