Sports Briefs February 28, 2012
Baseball
Seven groups of bidders for the Los Angeles Dodgers, including Magic Johnson and Stan Kroenke, will interview with baseball's ownership committee in the next step toward selling the bankrupt team by the end of April.
In the unusual process agreed to last year by Major League Baseball and current Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, MLB will consider groups for approval before McCourt then selects the winner of the auction, which is likely to be for a price of more than $1 billion.
• Boston Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek has decided to retire.
The Boston Globe cited anonymous sources in reporting that Varitek will announce his retirement at a press conference on Thursday.
Varitek spent all 15 of his big league seasons with the Red Sox. But GM Ben Cherington signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kelly Shoppach to one-year deals this winter to do the catching. Cherington offered Varitek an invitation to camp, but the Red Sox had been practicing for more than a week without him.
• Eric Chavez and the New York Yankees finalized a $900,000, one-year contract that allows the backup infielder to earn $3.05 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances.
The 34-year-old, a six-time Gold Glove winner, hit .263 with two homers and 26 RBIs last year, starting 33 games at third and playing a bit at first. He broke a bone in his left foot on May 5 after just 17 games and didn't return until July 26.
Football
Free agent linebacker Leroy Hill was arrested by police in Atlanta for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.
According to a statement from Atlanta police, Hill was arrested early Saturday after officers were called to an Atlanta condominium following a complaint about a marijuana odor. Officers said they confirmed the smell, obtained a search warrant and found partially smoked blunts and marijuana residue inside.
Hill has spent his entire NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks.
Basketball
Kentucky and Syracuse are the top two teams in The Associated Press' Top 25 for a fifth straight week, while Kansas moves up to a season-high No. 3.
Kentucky received 63 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel Monday with Syracuse getting the other two.
The Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks added some reinforcements for a playoff run, while Rick Nash's wish for a deal didn't come to fruition as the NHL trade deadline passed without any blockbuster moves.
Having won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history a year ago, the Predators are looking to take the next step - and beyond - by beefing up the offense with left wing Andrei Kostitsyn and two-way forward Paul Gaustad. Nashville also acquired defenseman Hal Gill earlier this month and sits in fifth place in the Western Conference.
The Canucks added four players: checking-line center Samuel Pahlsson, rookie forward Zack Kassian, defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani and forward Andrew Gordon.
The Chicago Blackhawks shuffling their defense Monday, picking up veteran Johnny Oduya from the Winnipeg Jets and sending John Scott to the New York Rangers.
Skiing
Bode Miller is setting aside his skis for the rest of the World Cup season because of a balky left knee.
The five-time Olympic medalist had a minor arthroscopic procedure performed on the knee earlier this month with the hope of quickly returning to the circuit.
- The Associated Press