In Brief

baseball

In surprise move, White Sox hire ex-All-Star Ventura as manager

Former All-Star third baseman Robin Ventura was hired to replace Ozzie Guillen as manager of the Chicago White Sox, agreeing to a multiyear deal Thursday.

A longtime star with the White Sox, Ventura, 44, was hired by the club last June as a special adviser to director of player development Buddy Bell. Ventura is the 39th White Sox manager overall, including 17 who played for the team. “The passion is there to do it, I was asked to do it. I’m honored,” Ventura said.

Ventura played for a host of managers who could influence his style — Jeff Torborg, Gene Lamont, Jerry Manuel, Bobby Valentine, Joe Torre and Jim Tracy.

His selection came as a surprise. Most speculation had the White Sox’s top candidates as either Tampa Bay Rays coach Dave Martinez or Cleveland Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. Both were former White Sox players.

Guillen was released from his contract with one year remaining after eight seasons with the White Sox and immediately was hired by the Florida Marlins as their manager.

Also: The former landlord for Giants ace Tim Lincecum filed a lawsuit against the pitcher seeking $350,000 in damages, claiming the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner stole and destroyed items in the San Francisco apartment he rented.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court by Mindy Freile. She alleges that after Lincecum’s lease expired, he returned to living in the unit and “broke, stained, defaced, tore, injured or destroyed” her property.

colleges

Texas Christian likely to accept invitation to join jilted Big 12

After more than a year of watching their league get picked apart, leaders of the Big 12 Conference finally made a proactive move by voting to add Texas Christian as early as next season.

It was the first aggressive act by a league desperate to secure its membership amid dramatic shifts in conference affiliation. And if the Horned Frogs join the Big 12, it would be another sharp blow to the Big East, which was expecting to welcome TCU next season.

TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini Jr. suggested TCU is all but ready to join the Big 12. “These discussions with the Big 12 have huge implications for TCU,” Boschini said. “It will allow us to return to old rivalries, something our fans and others have been advocating for years. As always, we must consider what’s best for TCU and our student-athletes in this ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics. We look forward to continuing these discussions with the Big 12.”

TCU, which is leaving the Mountain West Conference, has a rising football program that won the Rose Bowl last season and will play in a sparkling new stadium next year. TCU also was a member of the old Southwest Conference that once included current Big 12 members Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor.

TCU’s move to the Big East, announced nearly a year ago, was supposed to be about stability and being in a conference with automatic access into the BCS. But Syracuse and Pittsburgh recently stunned the Big East by announcing plans to leave for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Without them, and without more changes, there will be only six other football teams in the Big East before TCU gets there next season.

miscellaneous

Beckham’s endorsements rise
30 percent to $23.9 million

David Beckham’s income from personal sponsorship deals rose 30 percent last year, signaling the enduring strength of the Los Angeles Galaxy player’s brand appeal.

According to figures released by Britain’s Companies House, revenue for the company that handle Beckham’s endorsements was $23.9 million in 2010.

In 2009, Footwork Productions received $18.3 million from companies including sportswear manufacturer Adidas.

In 2010, Beckham also signed a deal with Yahoo Inc. to be part of the Internet portal’s World Cup coverage after he was ruled out of the tournament because of injury.

The accounts also showed that the 36-year-old former England captain received $18.6 million from the company compared with $14.6 million the previous year.

Also: Gymnast Alicia Sacramone, the United States team captain at the Beijing Games, has a torn Achilles’ tendon and expects to have surgery Monday.

The London Olympics begin in less than 10 months, and USA Gymnastics said Sacramone’s recovery time won’t be known until doctors see exactly where the tear is. She suffered the injury in workouts in Tokyo, where the world championships begin Saturday.

Sacramone is the defending world champion in the vault.

Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt was cleared to defend his 400-meter title in London next year after the American won his appeal against an International Olympic Committee rule banning doping offenders from the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport annulled the IOC rule that bars any athlete who has received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next summer or winter games.

Authorities say former UNLV star Isaiah Rider has been arrested on suspicion of a probation violation in Mesa, Ariz. Court records show Rider, 40, had been ordered to restart domestic violence treatment and did not show up to three consecutive sessions.

Prosecutors dropped a marijuana possession charge against NBA veteran Marcus Camby after his arrest last month during a traffic stop in suburban Houston.

St. John’s basketball coach Steve Lavin, 47, had successful surgery to treat prostate cancer in New York. He is expected to return to his full-time coaching responsibilities after a recovery period.

NABO lightweight champion Sharif Bogere (20-0, 12 knockouts) headlines a boxing card tonight at Texas Station when he faces Francisco Contreras (16-0, 13 KOs) in the main event. The first bell is scheduled for 5 p.m.

England’s Ross McGowan shot 8-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Madrid Masters in Alcala de Henares, Spain. Australia’s Brett Rumford, Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano were tied for second.

UNLV lost to New Mexico 25-22, 25-17, 25-16 in a Mountain West Conference volleyball match in Albuquerque. The loss was the third straight for the Rebels (8-9 overall, 1-3, MWC).

Stephanie Thelen had 28 assists for UNLV, and Makenzie Moea’i added eight kills and four digs.

The UNLV doubles team of Lucia Batta and Aleksandra Josifoska were eliminated by Sacramento State’s Rebecca Delgado and Tatsiana Kapshai 8-3 during the second round of qualifying at the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif.