IN BRIEF

BASEBALL

Orioles' Markakis set to sign $66 million deal

Right fielder Nick Markakis reached a preliminary agreement on a $66 million, six-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles, and reliever Ryan Madson struck a $12 million, three-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies as players and teams rushed Monday to settle salary arbitration cases.

Markakis hit a career-high .306 with 20 homers and 87 RBIs for the Orioles last season, his third in the majors.

Pitcher Felix Hernandez received a sevenfold salary increase, agreeing to a $3.8 million, one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Four prominent closers agreed to one-year deals: Bobby Jenks of the Chicago White Sox ($5.6 million); Huston Street of Colorado ($4.5 million); Kevin Gregg of the Chicago Cubs ($4.2 million); and Mike Gonzalez of Atlanta ($3.45 million).

St. Louis announced deals with right-hander Todd Wellemeyer ($4.05 million), and the New York Mets reached terms with reliever Duaner Sanchez ($1,687,500).

Agreements were also reached between the Los Angeles Angels and catcher Mike Napoli ($2 million), Texas and right-hander Frank Francisco ($1,615,000), Kansas City and left-hander Jimmy Gobble ($1.35 million), and the Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Jason Repko ($500,000).

Also: The Boston Red Sox traded David Pauley to the Baltimore Orioles for Randor Bierd in a swap of right-handed pitchers,

MISCELLANEOUS

New Sprint Cup team carries Petty banner

Richard Petty, stock car's king and at 71 still among the most recognizable faces in racing, will have a presence under a rebranding of the new team created by the merger of his organization with Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

The new team will be called Richard Petty Motorsports, capitalizing on the seven-time champion's marketability. The announcement was made during the first day of the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Petty and GEM principal owner George Gillett agreed to merge their teams this month in a partnership that keeps the sponsor-strapped Pettys in racing.

Also: Scott Riggs will drive for the new Tommy Baldwin Racing team in the Sprint Cup series. Riggs drove last year with Haas CNC Racing.

Senior forward Joe Darger sat out of UNLV's basketball practice because of a sore back, but he said he will play Wednesday when the Rebels (14-4, 2-2 Mountain West Conference) face Brigham Young (14-3, 2-1) at Provo, Utah.

Darger is averaging 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.

Renee Montgomery scored 21 points to help No. 1 Connecticut (18-0) rout No. 2 North Carolina (17-1) 88-58 in women's basketball, dominating a matchup of unbeaten teams from start to finish in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Soccer superstar Kaka decided to stay with AC Milan, ending talks over a record-breaking transfer bid from Manchester City reported to be worth about $150 million.

Kimmie Meissner, the 2006 women's world champion, withdrew from this week's U.S. Figure Skating Championships because of a hip flexor injury she suffered running on a treadmill.

Claude Lemieux is back in the NHL after a 51/2-year absence. The San Jose Sharks recalled the 43-year-old from their minor league affiliate in Worcester, Mass.

Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Evgeny Artyukhin was suspended two games without pay by the NHL for a knee-to-knee hit in a game against Florida.