In Brief

BASEBALL

Angels' big-money acquisition
Pujols strong in spring debut

His first time up for the Angels, Albert Pujols hit an RBI double.

So far, so good.

The new Angels slugger finished 2 for 3, ending his spring debut by popping up with the bases loaded in the third inning of Los Angeles' 9-1 win over an Oakland Athletics split-squad Monday in Phoenix.

"That was fun," Pujols said of batting in each of the first three innings. "Hopefully, we get to do that a lot this season."

Left-hander C.J. Wilson, the Angels' other big free-agent acquisition, tossed two scoreless innings in his spring debut.

Pujols agreed to a $240 million, 10-year deal over the winter, leaving the St. Louis Cardinals after 11 seasons.

Also: The Pittsburgh Pirates are closing in on a new contract with All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen, a person close to the situation told The Associated Press.

The proposed six-year, $51.5 million deal would keep McCutchen with the Pirates through the 2017 season with a club option for 2018. The 25-year-old hit .259 in 2011 and posted career highs in home runs (23) and RBIs (89).

Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford will be shut down this week to let his left wrist heal and it's unlikely he'll be ready to play by Opening Day.

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Crawford would be held out for five to seven days because inflammation. Crawford had surgery on his wrist in mid-January.

SPORTS AND THE LAW

Ex-major league star Dykstra
gets prison for auto scheme

Disgraced former New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra was sentenced to three years in a California state prison after pleading no contest to grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Cynthia Ulfig sentenced Dykstra after refusing to allow him to withdraw his plea and said the scam to lease high-end automobiles from dealerships by providing fraudulent information and claiming credit through a phony business showed sophistication and extensive planning.

Dykstra, 49, has had a series of recent legal troubles and the prison sentence is part of a post-career downward spiral for the stocky slugger known as "Nails" that has included a stint at a sober living facility.

Also: Nine more men have accused a now-dead Boston Red Sox clubhouse manager of sexual abuse, including assaults at Fenway Park and Memorial Stadium, former home of the Baltimore Orioles.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian said 11 men have now come forward to him to claim abuse by Donald Fitzpatrick between the 1960s and early 1990s.

Ten of the men worked in their teens as clubhouse attendants, including eight who worked for the Red Sox and two for the Orioles. Another man said he was 12 when Fitzpatrick lured him to his home with promises of baseball memorabilia, then molested him.

MISCELLANEOUS

Probe: Syracuse basketball
violated internal drug policy

Syracuse self-reported possible violations of its internal drug policy more than a year ago and an NCAA inquiry is under way, school officials said.

Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs for the university, said the inquiry does not involve any current student-athletes.

Yahoo! Sports reported that a three-month investigation it conducted showed that the Syracuse men's basketball program failed to adhere to the drug policy while playing ineligible players over the past decade.

The report, which cited anonymous sources, said at least 10 players since 2001 had tested positive for a banned recreational substance or substances.

The sources said all 10 players were allowed to practice and play at times when they should have been suspended by the athletic department. The report did not identify who tested positive.

Also: Bishop Gorman High School senior Shabazz Muhammad was named the Naismith High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.

Muhammad, a 6-foot-6-inch guard/forward, averaged 29.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season to lead Gorman (28-4) to its third Class 4A state title in four years.

Muhammad is scheduled to play in the McDonald's All-American Game on March 28 in Chicago.

The UNLV women's golf team carded a 33-over par 609 (306-303) to stand in fifth place after the first two rounds of the 15-team Bruin Wave Invitational in Valencia, Calif.

The Rebels, who were led by Charlotte Bank's 3-over 149 (75-72), trail leader and co-host Pepperdine (12-over 588) by 22 strokes. Oklahoma State (599) was second, followed by co-host UCLA (603), San Diego State (607) and UNLV.

Banks was in fifth place individually, six shots behind leader Christine Wong (3-under 141) of San Diego State.