In Brief
pro basketball
Timberwolves' Rambis, Love deny rift over playing time
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis and Kevin Love say they're on the same page about the power forward's playing time.
Love was in the game for less than nine minutes in Wednesday's season opener, and Rambis pinned it on a preference for backup Anthony Tolliver's energy and defense.
Love complained about his role last season and left the locker room Wednesday without speaking to the media, but after practice Thursday he said he and Rambis are fine and that any speculation about a rift has been blown out of proportion.
Also: Allen Iverson has agreed in principle to a $4 million, two-year contract with the Turkish professional team Besiktas.
Iverson is expected to officially sign with the club this weekend and will begin his overseas career the week of Nov. 8.
Iverson and Besiktas officials will hold a news conference in New York today.
The 2001 NBA Most Valuable Player has been out of work since leaving the Philadelphia 76ers in March to deal with family issues. His manager, Gary Moore, said not one NBA team contacted Iverson in the offseason.
The Memphis Grizzlies exercised contract options on guard O.J. Mayo, forward Darrell Arthur and center Hasheem Thabeet.
Mayo has averaged nearly 18 points per game since being the third overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
The Grizzlies also exercised the fourth-year option on Arthur, a reserve forward. Memphis acquired his draft rights during the 2008 draft.
Memphis also exercised its third-year option on Thabeet, the second overall pick in the 2009 draft.
baseball
Girardi, Yankees near accord on contract for three years
Joe Girardi and the New York Yankees have agreed on the outline of a $9 million, three-year contract for the manager, according to a baseball official familiar with the negotiations.
Although the agreement is not complete, the sides "are dotting the 'i's and crossing the t's,' the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The person said the deal is "going to get done."
Also: San Francisco Giants outfielder Jose Guillen, left off the team's postseason roster, is linked to a federal investigation into shipments of performance-enhancing drugs, The New York Times reported on its website.
The story, citing several unidentified lawyers, said federal authorities told Major League Baseball they were looking into shipments of human growth hormone, allegedly sent to Guillen's wife in the Bay Area.
That was just before the postseason began, The Times said. Guillen was left off the Giants' roster for all three rounds because of a nagging neck injury, according to manager Bruce Bochy.
Sandy Alderson was chosen as the New York Mets' general manager and is now responsible for rebuilding a big-spending organization beset by problems on and off the field.
Alderson will be introduced today at a Citi Field news conference.
The Phillies have cut ties with 47-year-old pitcher Jamie Moyer.
Moyer was 9-9 with a 4.84 ERA in the final season of a $14.5 million contract he signed after helping Philadelphia win the World Series in 2008.
Moyer has 267 career wins. He missed the second half of this season with an elbow injury.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield is the recipient of the 2010 Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a major league player who gives back through community service and excels on the field.
A jury was chosen in the DUI manslaughter trial of former baseball player Jim Leyritz, who is accused of driving drunk before causing a crash that killed a 30-year-old mother of two.
The six-person panel, plus two alternates, was seated after four days of intense questioning by the prosecutor and Leyritz's attorney in the high-profile case. Testimony is scheduled to begin Monday, with the trial expected to last about four weeks.
miscellaneous
Wozniacki secures top ranking with victory over Schiavone
Caroline Wozniacki wrapped up the year-end No. 1 ranking after rallying to beat Francesca Schiavone 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 at the WTA Championships at Doha, Qatar.
The 20-year-old Dane is the 10th woman to end the season on top and the youngest since Martina Hingis in 1997. She replaced the injured Serena Williams at the top this month and has won more titles (six) and more matches (61) than any other player in 2010.
"It's really great; that is something I've dreamed about since I was a little girl," she said of the No. 1 ranking. "I'm really happy, really proud about what I've achieved this year."
Also: Joe Affrunti, James Hahn and Brendan Steele shot 6-under-par 66s to share the first-round lead in the Nationwide Tour Championship, the final chance for all three to earn 2011 PGA Tour cards through the developmental circuit money list.
The top 60 earners qualified for the season-ending tournament at Daniel Island Club at Charleston, S.C. The final top 25 will earn spots on the PGA Tour.
Spain's Pablo Larazabal shot a 5-under 66 to take the first-round lead in the Andalucia Masters, while Germany's Martin Kaymer struggled in his attempt to overtake Tiger Woods in the world rankings.
Kaymer needs to win or finish in a second-place tie with no more than one other player to supplant Woods at No. 1. Kaymer shot a first-round 72, leaving him six shots off the pace and tied for 28th at Valderrama at Sotogrande, Spain.
Tiger Woods said he's looking forward to giving something back to Thailand, his mother's home country, when he makes a quick visit for the first time in 10 years to play a one-day skins tournament next month.
The Nov. 8 event is part of celebrations marking King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60th year on the Thai throne. Prize money for the one-day event goes to charities overseen by the 82-year-old king.
Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver was retired because of concern over bone bruises in his legs and will become a stud horse.
Super Saver and jockey Calvin Borel romped in the slop at Churchill Downs on May 1, beating Ice Box by 2½ lengths to give trainer Todd Pletcher his first Derby victory.
FIFA's ruling executive committee will reconvene today in Zurich, Switzerland, when it is expected to discuss decisions that could change the shape of the scandal-hit 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.
The committee's two-day meeting began with a four-hour session Thursday, during which FIFA said it did not directly deal with issues surrounding the two bid races, which have been clouded by allegations of bribery, vote-selling and collusion.
The World Anti-Doping agency has praised the testing at this year's Tour de France but wants cycling's governing body to be more aggressive about when it conducts tests.
