FanFare 12/11/02

Baseball

Jaret Wright will try to resurrect his career in San Diego after agreeing to a $725,000, one-year contract with the Padres on Tuesday. San Diego also agreed to a $1.3 million, two-year contract with free-agent infielder Dave Hansen. Wright, 26, was let go by the Indians in October after spending the first half of the year on the disabled list with shoulder problems. He has undergone two operations on the shoulder since June 2000 and had surgery on his elbow in 2001.

Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Lee Thomas is staying on with the Boston Red Sox as special assistant to the general manager. Thomas had been a special assistant under interim GM Mike Port. He was among candidates for the job before Theo Epstein was hired last month.

Roger Clemens says he isn't worried about his contract talks with the New York Yankees. Clemens, a free agent, wants to return to his team of the last three years, and agents Randy and Alan Hendricks have been negotiating with the team. "Randy and Alan are handling it. I think it's in a little break right now," Clemens said.

The Astros signed left-handed pitcher Jesus Sanchez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Sanchez, 28, was 0-0 with a 12.96 ERA in eight games in relief for the Chicago Cubs last season.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays reached agreement with the Yokohama Bay Stars to sell first baseman Steve Cox to the Japanese club. The Devil Rays are first required to ask release waivers on Cox, who had expressed interest in playing in Japan.

Free-agent third baseman Norihiro Nakamura met with New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips, who is seeking a replacement for Edgardo Alfonzo. "We had a good meeting. We got to know each other," Phillips said after the session at Shea Stadium. "I told him we'd be back to him in a couple of days. The player is going back to Japan tomorrow. He's got to assess what he wants to do. He has decisions to make."

Basketball

The Dallas Mavericks placed forward Eduardo Najera on the injured list and replaced him with guard Adam Harrington before Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Najera underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Dec. 6 and will be out for six to eight weeks. Najera averages 8.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 15 games this season.

Grant Hill sat out Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Bulls, giving his left ankle a rest after playing three games in four nights.

Wesley Gregg, a former hotel security guard says he overheard a police detective make a toast to Allen Iverson's "next felony" last summer, days before the NBA star was charged with threatening two men with a gun. Gregg told Iverson's lawyers he was working a late-evening shift at a Philadelphia hotel July 8 when he spotted the lead detective in the investigation dining with other officers at the hotel's bar and heard him boast "he is going down" when a news story about the 76ers player appeared on TV.

Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors will miss two weeks with a strained right knee after colliding with a teammate during practice. Carter missed 10 games earlier this season because of an injured left knee. The latest injury was diagnosed as a mild strain of his patella tendon.

Celtics forward Tony Battie was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA for kicking a basketball that hit a referee.

Football

A committee of Phoenix-area leaders, including Gov.-elect Janet Napolitano and city mayors, are pursing a Super Bowl in 2008 or 2009 for the planned Arizona Cardinals stadium. The committee said it will try to persuade NFL officials to play another Super Bowl in the state, with the bid to be presented March 23-26 during the owners meeting in Phoenix.

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Tyrone Robertson was suspended for one year by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the second time this season. Robertson, Buffalo's seventh-round pick in last year's draft, served a four-game suspension from Oct. 2-28.

Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis said he still hasn't decided whether to take the head coaching job at Michigan State. "Not tonight," Lewis said after a long day of regular team meetings at Redskins Park. "Mondays and Tuesdays aren't good days to worry about that stuff." n Kentucky junior defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson announced he will forego his final season of eligibility and enter this summer's NFL draft.

Punt returner Darrien Gordon, whose 5.1-yard return average ranked him 14th in the NFC, was waived by the Green Bay Packers. The Packers also waived running back Jay Graham. He was signed as a free agent Nov. 21.

Motorsports

NASCAR expanded its effort to reach out to a younger fan base by signing off on an officially licensed SpeedPark to be located in the heart of the stock-car racing community. NASCAR SpeedPark will be located in the Concord Mills, N.C., mall and be the third licensed park in the chain started by Burroughs & Chapin Co. The park will sit on more than seven acres and feature five indoor and outdoor go-kart tracks, a multilevel adult track, games, miniature golf, laser tag and other amusements.

-- From wire reports