Sports briefs 12/27/03

Baseball

Paul Owens, general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies' 1980 World Series championship team, died Friday. He was 79. Owens, nicknamed "The Pope" because of his resemblance to Pope Paul VI, also managed the Phillies' team that won the National League pennant in 1983. He signed and helped develop some of the team's major stars of the 1970s and 1980s, including Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, Bob Boone and Greg Luzinski.

The Montreal Expos added some much needed power to their lineup Friday, signing third baseman Tony Batista to a one-year contract. Batista, a two-time All-Star, hit .235 with a team-leading 26 home runs and 99 runs-batted in last year with the Baltimore Orioles. He averaged 31 home runs a season over the last five years, including a career-high 41 for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2000.

College

Josh Harris passed for 386 yards and three touchdowns to lead Bowling Green to a 28-24 victory over Northwestern in the Motor City Bowl on Friday night. Bowling Green (11-3) took the lead for good on Harris' 3-yard touchdown pass to Cole Magner with 4:06 left. Harris, who also ran for a TD, set a Motor City Bowl record for completions with 38 in 50 attempts. Magner also set a game record for catches, finishing with 12 for 97 yards.

Football

Pro Bowl linebacker LaVar Arrington has agreed to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension with the Washington Redskins, his agent said Friday. The deal includes $26.5 million in bonuses, most of which become available immediately. Under Arrington's current contract, he would have earned just under $10 million in salary and bonuses for the next three seasons. Arrington was selected to his third consecutive Pro Bowl last week. He has career highs this season with 112 tackles, seven forced fumbles and 13 quarterback pressures. He also has six sacks.

-- From wire reports