Center fielder Mark Kotsay was acquired by the Red Sox from the Atlanta Braves yesterday, only one day after Boston put J.D. Drew on the 15-day disabled list because of a lower back strain.
The 32-year-old Kotsay hit .289 with six home runs and 37 runs batted in 88 games with the Braves.
He was scratched from Tuesday night's starting lineup, raising speculation that a trade was pending. Kotsay then pinch hit and walked in the ninth inning.
Kotsay thought ahead to possibly joining the Red Sox.
"If that's the case, if I'm moved to a club that has postseason possibilities, you can't be disappointed as a player," he said. "I've had a lot of fun here and I've been happy with Bobby (Cox) and the organization."
The Braves acquired minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza in the deal. The 20-year-old hit .301 in 51 games for Class A Lowell of the New York-Penn League this season.
Atlanta obtained Kotsay from Oakland on Jan. 14. Coming off back surgery, he hit only .214 with one homer in 56 games for Oakland last year.
Kotsay has a .282 career batting average with 109 homers and 597 RBIs.
More pro baseball: No. 2 pick Alvarez claims Pirates deal not valid
Pedro Alvarez, the No. 2 pick in June amateur draft, was been placed on Major League Baseball's restricted list yesterday after his agent claimed the contract Alvarez agreed to with the Pittsburgh Pirates minutes before the Aug. 15 signing deadline is not valid.
Alvarez, the Vanderbilt third baseman, agreed to a minor league deal with a $6 million signing bonus, the amount the Pirates offered early in their negotiations with agent Scott Boras.
Boras would not comment on the deal after it was announced, and Alvarez has declined to sign the contract, the team said. Boras told the Pirates that Alvarez would not report unless the deal was renegotiated, the team said. He also claimed the agreement was reached after the midnight deadline for draft picks to sign on Aug. 15, according to the Pirates.
Pro football: Merriman to play despite 2 torn knee ligaments
Surgery will have to wait for Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman, who decided yesterday he'll play this season despite two torn ligaments in his left knee.
After spending several days seeking outside opinions, Merriman informed the team of his decision yesterday morning.
The star outside linebacker returned from Miami on Tuesday after seeking yet another opinion on his knee.
Merriman said last week he has two torn ligaments in his left knee and has been told by doctors that he could suffer a possible career-ending injury if he attempts to play without having surgery.
Merriman underwent surgery to repair cartilage damage five months ago, but has had persistent pain in the knee during training camp.
Merriman has made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons. He has 39 1/2 sacks in that span, more than any other NFL player.
More pro football: Jaguars' Harvey ends holdout, signs 5-year deal
Defensive end Derrick Harvey ended a 33-day holdout yesterday by signing a five-year, $23.8 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Harvey was the last first-round draft pick to sign, a lengthy holdout that frustrated coach Jack Del Rio and left the former Florida standout behind in preparation for the regular season.
The eighth overall selection in April, Harvey was expected to bolster a pass rush that struggled to pressure quarterbacks last season. But he missed all of training camp and the first three preseason games.
It was unclear whether Harvey would play in the preseason finale tonight at Washington. He did travel with the team to Washington, D.C.
Tennis: No. 2 Jankovic guts out tough 2nd-round win at US Open
Jelena Jankovic's leg cramped so badly, she couldn't take another step.
Luckily for the No. 2 seed in the U.S. Open, the agony occurred during her post-match run on the treadmill. Anyone who watched could clearly see she left about everything she had out on the court.
Jankovic outlasted Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-5 yesterday on yet another uncharacteristically mild August day in Flushing Meadows. She planned to take a 10-minute run on the treadmill but lasted only three when pain flared in the area of a knee injury sustained at Wimbledon.
Andy Roddick, who has battled a shoulder injury this summer that led him to skip the Beijing Olympics, was scheduled to close out the night session last against Fabrice Santoro — the oldest man in the draw at 35. The third night traditionally showcases the first men's match of the second round, but this year that was saved until today.
All women's matches yesterday were second-round pairings.
While Jankovic escaped an early exit, No. 8 seed Vera Zvonareva couldn't. Zvonareva was upended by Tatiana Perebiynis 6-3, 6-3 in the tournament's biggest upset yet.
No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova shook off an early break and rallied to a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over Sorana Cirstea. Fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva advanced over Pauline Parmentier 6-2, 6-1. No. 12 Marion Bartoli of France, No. 14 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and No. 15 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland also won.
Former champ Lindsay Davenport, the No. 23 seed, beat Alisa Kleybanova 7-5, 6-3.
No. 25 Francesca Schiavone was knocked out by Anne Keothavong 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, and Zheng Jie of China eliminated No. 26 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-4.
In men's first-round play, No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic shook off an injury to his left ankle in the third set and beat Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Djokovic rolled the ankle while going for a shot on the right sideline in the fourth game. After receiving on-court treatment, he wrapped up the match with a break of Clement's serve.
Fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko beat Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the No. 19 seed, moved on with a 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Santiago Ventura; and No. 18 Nicolas Almagro beat Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
Pro basketball: Warriors G Ellis out 3 months with ankle sprain
Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis will be out at least three months after severely spraining his ankle during an offseason workout.
Ellis, who got a six-year contract extension worth $66 million from the Warriors this summer, sprained his ankle and tore a deltoid ligament while working out at his home in Jackson, Miss., Warriors spokesman Raymond Ridder said.
Ellis underwent surgery yesterday to repair the ligament. Ellis' ankle will be immobilized for six weeks, followed by at least six weeks of off-court rehab before the guard can return to basketball workouts.
Ellis will miss training camp and the Warriors' preseason schedule, which includes a trip to China, along with at least the first month of the regular season.
More pro basketball: Oklahoma City to reveal new team name next week
Oklahoma City's new NBA franchise has finally set a date to announce its name and team colors.
The team said yesterday that it would unveil the name and colors simultaneously on its Web site and at a downtown event Sept. 3.
Clay Bennett's ownership group has applied for trademarks for six names: Thunder, Energy, Wind, Marshalls, Barons and Bison.
Oklahoma City television station KOCO has reported that the choice will be Thunder, but Bennett has refused to comment on what the name will be.
More basketball: Duckworth died of heart disease; 2 games will be in China
Oregon officials say an autopsy shows former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth died when his enlarged heart failed.
Duckworth died Monday at 44 on the Oregon coast, where he was on a goodwill tour for the team.
The Oregon State Police said yesterday the autopsy was done by Dr. Larry Lewman, a state medical examiner who concluded that Duckworth died of "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with congestive heart failure."
The police statement says the heart disease had combined with high blood pressure to result in "marked enlargement of his heart which had been failing for some time." ...
The Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors will travel to China in October to play two exhibition games, the NBA and Chinese Basketball Association said yesterday.
The NBA China Games tips off with the Bucks and Warriors meeting on Oct. 15 in Guangzhou and Oct. 18 at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena.
The NBA will host events in the cities as part of its Sichuan Province earthquake relief efforts.
The games will be televised live in the United States.
Boxing: Sources say De La Hoya finishing deal with Pacquiao
Oscar De La Hoya has nearly wrapped up a deal to finish his boxing career Dec. 6 against Filipino star Manny Pacquiao, two people with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press yesterday.
The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because any deal won't be announced until today, said De La Hoya's long-stalled talks with Pacquiao recently revived when the sides found an acceptable way to split the possible $100 million in revenue from what's certain to be boxing's most lucrative fight since De La Hoya's split-decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. last year.
Barring any last-minute changes of heart in a sometimes contentious negotiation, the fight will bring together boxing's most bankable star and arguably its most talented fighter at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The deal was first reported by ESPN.com.
It hasn't been an easy match to make. Both boxers must make physical sacrifices for the 147-pound bout, with De La Hoya dropping down to welterweight for the first time in nearly eight years while Pacquiao bulks up to the heaviest weight of his career by far.
The fighters' camps also argued over the split of the purse, with De La Hoya angling for 70 percent while Pacquiao pursued a 40 percent cut. The resolution to this impasse wasn't immediately clear, but should be announced Thursday.
Pro hockey: Sakic decides to not retire, signs new contract with Avs
Patience paid off for the Colorado Avalanche, who signed Joe Sakic to a one-year, $6 million contract yesterday after he decided to play a 20th season in the NHL rather than call it a career.
"Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing," the 39-year-old captain said in a statement released by the team. "I'm comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health. I'm ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season."
Because the Democratic National Convention is taking place this week at the Pepsi Center, the Avs' home, the team said it wouldn't hold a news conference until next week.
Sakic's agent, Don Baizley, told The AP that his client informed him of his decision late Tuesday night. The sides had been talking over the summer, so it didn't take long to finalize the contract.
Swimming: Torres has minor shoulder surgery
Dara Torres, the U.S. swimmer who won three silver medals in the Beijing Olympics at age 41, had surgery on her right shoulder yesterday.
Dr. Joseph Chalal shaved the outer end of Torres' collarbone during the arthroscopic procedure.
Torres, who missed gold by a hundredth of a second in the 50-meter freestyle in China, set an American record by competing in her fifth Olympics.
She has won 12 Olympic medals, tied with swimmer Jenny Thompson for most by an American woman, in a career that began as a 17-year-old in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Media: Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Mariotti resigns
Longtime Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti has resigned "to pursue other opportunities," the paper says.
Mariotti joined the Sun-Times in 1991 and has been a regular panelist on ESPN, the Sun-Times said in a post Tuesday evening on its Web site in which it called for Chicago Sports fans' take on his departure. Hundreds have responded.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Mariotti, whom it called "controversial," says he quit because the future of sports journalism "sadly is not in newspapers" but online.
Mariotti made headlines in 2006 when Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen launched a profanity-laced tirade against him before a game against St. Louis. Guillen later apologized.
