IN BRIEF

BASEBALL

Furcal to sign with Dodgers over Braves

Rafael Furcal accepted a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers worth at least $30 million Wednesday, and the Atlanta Braves accused the star shortstop of reneging on a deal they thought was agreed to this week.

Furcal can make an additional $3 million if he remains healthy during the three guaranteed seasons of the contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal was not official.

A day earlier, Furcal, 31, had been close to accepting a $30 million, three-year offer from the Braves, his original major league team.

"From our perspective, we reached an agreement Monday night," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "They asked for a term sheet for us to sign on Tuesday morning, and we sent over the signed termed sheet. It was then that his agent (Paul Kinzer) informed us that (Kinzer's) partner had been in contact with the Dodgers."

Furcal hit .357 with five homers and 16 RBIs last season but was limited to 143 at-bats by back problems.

Also: Dave Smith, a former All-Star closer who holds the Houston Astros' record for games pitched (563), died in San Diego. He was 53.

Former major leaguer Tim Flannery said Smith apparently died of a heart attack, but the official cause of death wasn't known.

Smith, an All-Star with Houston in 1986 and 1990, had 216 saves in a 13-year career.

New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain's arraignment on drunken-driving charges has been delayed until next month.

He was to appear in court Wednesday, but his attorney asked that the arraignment be postponed until Jan. 26.

Chamberlain, 23, is charged with first-offense drunken driving and having an open alcohol container. He was pulled over Oct. 18 by the Nebraska State Patrol on the outskirts of Lincoln.

COLLEGES

Two JC cornerbacks sign to play for UNLV

The UNLV football team received commitments from two junior college cornerbacks on the first day of the early signing period.

Kenny Brown from the College of the Canyons and Warren Zeigler from the College of San Mateo sent in their letters of intent to play for the Rebels next season.

Also: Oklahoma defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger has undergone back surgery and will not play in the BCS national championship game against Florida on Jan. 8.

A backup, Granger played in 11 games during the season and recorded 20 tackles and two fumble recoveries.

Arizona State defensive tackle Lawrence Guy, a Western High School graduate, has been named a Freshman All-American by Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com and Phil Steele. Guy made 44 tackles, including 10 for loss and two sacks.

Coastal Carolina's athletic department was placed on two years probation by the NCAA and publicly reprimanded for violations involving a former women's golf coach.

Brian Ashley was not cited in the decision released by the NCAA, but he was the Chanticleers coach when a team member was given $500 to cover about two months of board and a graduate assistant given $100 with instructions to pay another golfer's university account.

MISCELLANEOUS

U.S. women's soccer team shuts out China

Heather O'Reilly scored off a rebound in the 34th minute, helping the United States beat China 1-0 in Detroit.

The victory gave the U.S. a record of 33-1-2 for 2008, extending its record for wins in a calendar year. The Americans won 28 of 34 matches in 2004.

Lindsay Tarpley helped put the U.S. ahead when her shot hit the crossbar and O'Reilly tapped home the rebound for her 25th international goal.

Also: Lindsay Davenport is pulling out of the Australian Open because she is pregnant with her second child.

The three-time Grand Slam singles champion and former No. 1-ranked woman gave birth to a son, Jagger, in June 2007. Davenport then returned to the tour, although she hasn't played since the U.S. Open in August of this year.

Just last week, the Australian Open announced Davenport would play in the tournament, which begins Jan. 19.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports will lay off about 65 employees as part of scaling back its Nationwide Series program next season.

The No. 9 Dodge will run a partial schedule in the second-tier NASCAR series in 2009. The team will continue to field at least three Sprint Cup Series teams -- for Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson.