Sports briefs 1/20/06

Baseball

• Theo Epstein is rejoining the Boston Red Sox, 2 1/2 months after he turned down a three-year, $4.5 million offer to remain as general manager. Epstein and Red Sox management issued a joint statement Thursday saying he will return to the organization full-time, but they did not specify his capacity except to say it will be in baseball operations.

* Baseball owners unanimously approved the sale of the Cincinnati Reds, on Thursday to a group headed by produce mogul Robert Castellini.

Basketball

• New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis was suspended five games by the NBA on Thursday for entering the stands during a game at Chicago to confront a fan he thought was harassing his wife.

While the ruling by NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson showed the league accepted Davis' argument that he believed his wife was in trouble during Wednesday's game, it also made clear that entering the stands would not be tolerated.

Davis' suspension started Thursday night against Detroit.

-- From wire reports