In brief

Baez reluctant to accept a setup role

By wire services
Published December 31, 2005

Danys Baez does not want to be a setup man. But that is what the Rays closer will become with the Mets if a trade is completed.

"I don't know if I want to be a setup guy," Baez said Friday from his home in Miami. "I want to be a closer. But if they trade me I don't have a choice. If they want me to be a setup guy, that's what I'll do."

It is believed Tampa Bay wants right-hander Aaron Heilman in return or a package that also could include right-handed starter Jae Seo.

Baez last season had a Rays-record 41 saves. But the Mets have $43-million tied up in Billy Wagner, who last season had 38 saves for the Phillies.

"What I want is to be a free agent (after 2006) and then I can control what happens," Baez said. "This way, I don't have any choice. But whatever happens, I'll be ready."

- DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times staff writer

ELSEWHERE: Florida signed infielder Wes Helms and catcher Miguel Olivo to one-year contracts. ... Outfielder Eric Byrnes agreed to a one-year, $2.25-million contract with Arizona.

Jeremy Bloom secured a trip to the Winter Games in Turin, Italy, winning the freestyle skiing Olympic trials in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Bloom scored 27.82 points in the moguls finals to beat out Travis Mayer for first place. Hannah Kearney won on the women's side.

FIGURE SKATING: Olympic pairs figure skating champions Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were married in front of 100 guests during a private ceremony in Banff, Alberta.

ICE DANCING: Tanith Belbin will become an American citizen today after President Bush signed an appropriations bill speeding up the process.Belbin, from Canada, and partner Ben Agosto, the U.S. champions, are considered medal contenders in Turin.

SKIING: Bjoern Lind of Sweden won the men's event and Alena Sidko of Russia won the women's race in a World Cup cross country meet in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. ... Hannu Manninen of Finland won a World Cup Nordic combined event in Oberhof, Germany.

SPEEDSKATING: Derek Parra earned a spot on the U.S. team by finishing third in the 1,500 meters in Kearns, Utah. Chad Hedrick won the national championship with a time of 1 minute, 42.80 seconds. Joey Cheek was second. Jennifer Rodriguez of Miami, who had already clinched a spot on the Olympic team, won the women's 1,500 in 1:55.81. The other spots went to Chris Witty (1:56.45), Catherine Raney (1:57.44) and Maria Lamb (1:58.03).

BROADCASTING: Larry Krueger, the radio talk show host fired for making racially tinged comments about the San Francisco Giants, was hired by KGO radio in San Francisco to provide commentary during afternoon sports updates.

HORSE RACING: New York leaders and racing officials agreed to a $30-million bailout of the New York Racing Association, keeping the operator of New York's three premier thoroughbred tracks - Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct - from seeking bankruptcy protection.

MOTORSPORTS: Two years after its racing assets were sold to Champ Car in federal bankruptcy court, the stockholders of Championship Auto Racing Teams Inc. approved the company's plan to dissolve and liquidate its assets.

TENNIS: Peter Wessels won his singles match and helped Michaella Krajicek win the mixed doubles as the Netherlands beat China 2-1 in Perth, Australia, to reach the main draw of the Hopman Cup. ... Viktoria Azarenka, a 16-year-old from Belarus who is the world's top-ranked junior female, received a wild-card entry for next week's ASB Women's Tennis Classic in Wellington, New Zealand.

[Last modified December 31, 2005, 00:48:13]