IN BRIEF
BASEBALL
Texas icon Ryan hired as president of Rangers
Nolan Ryan was hired Wednesday as president of the Texas Rangers, reuniting the Hall of Famer with the team he pitched for at the end of his incredible career.
The Rangers introduced the 61-year-old Texas native with the fanfare of a major free-agent signing, bringing the career strikeout leader into a packed stadium hall that cheered after a highlight video trumpeted the return of The Ryan Express.
Ryan threw an unmatched seven no-hitters and won 324 games in a record 27 major league seasons. The last five of those came with the Rangers and included his final two no-hitters and 5,000th strikeout.
Also: Relief pitcher Trever Miller agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The left-hander spent the past two seasons with Houston.
Reliever Vinnie Chulk and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a $837,500 contract for this season, avoiding salary arbitration.
Reliever Brendan Donnelly, alleged in the Mitchell Report to have purchased steroids, agreed to a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians.
Outfielder Bobby Kielty agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox.
BASKETBALL
Bryant to take part in All-Star 3-point contest
Kobe Bryant will take part in the 3-point shooting contest at All-Star Weekend against a field that includes defending champion Jason Kapono and the last repeat winner, Peja Stojakovic.
Phoenix’s Steve Nash, Detroit’s Richard Hamilton and Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson also were chosen to take part in the event, which will take place Feb. 16 in New Orleans during All-Star Saturday.
Also: Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis will undergo season-ending surgery on a torn left quadriceps muscle, his agent, Jeff Fried, told a Houston TV station.
Francis has been out since Dec. 15 with the injury.
Arizona sophomore guard Nic Wise had knee surgery and could miss four to six weeks.
Wise leads Arizona with 89 assists and 41 steals. He averages 8.3 points per game.
Oklahoma center Longar Longar is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right leg.
MISCELLANEOUS
U.S. soccer team ties Mexico in exhibition
Jozy Altidore made his first start for the U.S. national soccer team and scored a go-ahead goal late in the first half, but Jonny Magallon’s second goal gave Mexico a 2-2 tie in an exhibition game in Houston.
Oguchi Onyewu also scored for the Americans, who twice blew leads but extended their home unbeaten streak against Mexico to 10 games (8-0-2).
Also: Rick Tocchet is rejoining the staff of Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky after an absence of two years as he dealt with legal issues surrounding his involvement with illegal gambling.
Tocchet was sentenced in August to two years’ probation after pleading guilty to promoting gambling and conspiracy to promote gambling.
All-Star defenseman Dion Phaneuf has signed a six-year contract extension with the Calgary Flames.
Shane Mosley’s former strength and conditioning coach, Derryl Hudson, has filed a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court over statements the boxer made that the coach gave him steroids without his knowledge.
Notre Dame tight end Will Yeatman was charged in South Bend, Ind., with misdemeanor counts of drunken driving and criminal recklessness after allegedly driving a car on a campus sidewalk with his headlights off on Jan. 28.