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Sports digest

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001

Gonzalez nears 1-year contract with Indians

Free agent outfielder Juan Gonzalez is close to signing a one-year contract with the Indians and could finalize the deal today if he passes a physical.

Gonzalez

Gonzalez was to arrive in Cleveland on Monday and be examined by Indians doctors today, the Associated Press reported.

The 31-year-old Gonzalez, a two-time American League MVP, likely would play rightfield and bat cleanup as a replacement for Manny Ramirez, who signed with Boston last month. The contract is expected to be worth about $12-million and would include a mutual option for the 2002 season.

MORE BASEBALL: Designated hitter Harold Baines, 42, who needs 145 hits to reach 3,000, agreed to a minor-league contract with the White Sox, who invited him to spring training as a non-roster player. ... Outfielder Orlando Merced was among 13 players who agreed to minor-league contracts with Houston. ... A month after signing Alex Rodriguez to a record $252-million, 10-year contract, Texas is hiking ticket prices for individual games in 2001 about $2 each.

SOCCER: Mutiny midfielder Steve Ralston signed a three-year contract with MLS. Terms were not disclosed. Ralston has spent five seasons with the Mutiny and was voted to the league's Best 11 in 2000 after recording 17 assists and five goals. Ralston is the Mutiny's all-time leader in points (111), games played (152), games started (151) and minutes (13,279). He is 98 minutes behind Kansas City's Peter Vermes for most minutes played in league history. ... Sven-Goran Eriksson will continue to coach Italian champion Lazio, club president Sergio Cragnotti said after a meeting about the team's recent run of defeats. ... Alberto Malesani was fired as coach of Parma, a day after his team lost at home to last-place Reggina.

GOLF: CBS Sports named Peter Oosterhuis as lead analyst for most PGA Tour events the network will televise this year without Ken Venturi, who said he will work six, including the Masters.

TENNIS: Thomas Enqvist and Alex Costa will miss the Australian Open because of injuries. Enqvist is to have surgery on his shoulder and foot. Costa has an injured shoulder. ... Jennifer Capriati beat Tatiana Panova 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round of the Adidas International in Sydney, Australia. ... Martina Hingis began the year atop the WTA world rankings ahead of Americans Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams and Monica Seles. ... Marcelo Rios became the first leader of the 2001 ATP Champions Race after winning the Qatar Open.

TRACK AND FIELD: Maurice Greene, Stacy Dragila and Nick Hysong are among the Olympic gold medalists expected to compete on USA Track & Field's four-meet indoor Golden Spike Tour this year. The tour begins with the Millrose Games at New York on Feb. 2, followed by the Tyson Invitational at Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 10; the Golden Spike Invitational at Pocatello, Idaho, Feb. 17; and the USA Championships at Atlanta, March 2-3.

OLYMPICS: Bela Karolyi, who coached three gold medal gymnasts, is out as coordinator of the USA Gymnastics women's national team, the organization said. ... Gold medalist gymnast Claudia Presecan is training to become a coxswain with Romania's rowing team, the sports newspaper Pro Sport reported.

AUTO RACING: A land mine exploded during the Dakar Rally, blowing off the left foot of a Portuguese driver in a support car. The man, Jose Eduardo Ribeiro, was airlifted by a United Nations helicopter to a hospital in the Canary Islands, a spokesman said. Doctors said he is under observation and his life is not in danger, said Concha Cardenal, the spokeswoman at Gran Canarias Hospital. His car had strayed from the course when it triggered a land mine buried in the desert, the U.N. spokesman added.

BOXING: The IBF was denied a request for its court-appointed monitor to be removed. The monitor had been installed to oversee the sanctioning body after the corruption indictment of its now-convicted founder Robert W. Lee.

BUSINESS: Online sports retailer MVP.com has laid off 36 more employees, leaving it with 43 at its Chicago headquarters or a quarter of its original staff. Spokeswoman Paula Davis said the cuts were part of a restructuring plan announced late last year by the company, which has the financial and name backing of Michael Jordan, John Elway and Wayne Gretzky.

OBITUARY: Forest Pressnell, who once dressed next to Babe Ruth and pitched in the first night game in Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, died at age 94.

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