*BASEBALL: Free agent reliever Danys Baez reportedly has agreed to a two-year contract with the Phillies. … Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell is expected to be ready for spring training after having surgery on his right thumb. … Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his younger brother, Yankees infield prospect Brandon Laird, were arrested after a brawl in the lounge area of Phoenix’s NBA arena during Wednesday’s Suns-Celtics game.
*COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Montana promoted wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad, 52, to head coach a week after Bobby Hauck left for UNLV. … Cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford is leaving Florida to become defensive coordinator at Louisville. … Redskins assistant coach Stump Mitchell has been offered the head coaching job at Southern University…. Defensive coordinator John Chavis will stay at LSU after drawing interest from Georgia for its vacant coordinator position. … Southern California coach Pete Carroll says linebacker Uona Kaveinga is transferring to BYU.
*WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Lindsay Schrader had 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead No. 3 Notre Dame (11-0) to a 74-69 victory over No. 18 Vanderbilt (11-2). … Coach Jim Foster earned his 700th win as sixth-ranked Ohio State (15-1) beat Northwestern 86-60.
*TENNIS: After missing the ATP World Tour Finals because of an injured left knee, Andy Roddick is back on the court. The 27-year-old American said his knee isn’t perfect after his first practice session for the Brisbane International, a tune-up for the Jan. 18-31 Australian Open. … Robin Soderling and David Ferrer advanced to the semifinals of the season-opening exhibition event in the United Arab Emirates. On Friday, Soderling faces top-ranked Roger Federer while Ferrer faces No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
*HOCKEY: The Wolves jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and Peter Mannino had a career-high 45 saves in a 4-1 AHL victory in Peoria. … Five-time defending champion Canada beat the United States 5-4 in a shootout to clinch a bye into the semifinals of the world junior hockey championship. Earlier, Sweden beat Finland 7-1 to advance to the semifinals.
*OLYMPICS: Snowboarder Kevin Pearce, a top-ranked halfpipe rider with a good chance of making the U.S. Olympic team, was knocked unconscious when he hit his head during a training run. The Olympic qualifiers are next week in Mammoth Mountain, Calif. … Olympic cross-country ski champion Christian Hoffmann, 35, retired after Austria’s anti-doping agency suspended him for his involvement in an alleged blood doping.
*ALSO: American forward Eddie Johnson has been loaned from Fulham to the Greek soccer club Aris through June. … NASCAR’s Robby Gordon is among the 378-driver field for the 16-stage Dakar Rally, which starts Saturday in South America for the second straight year. … Bill Powell, the first African American to build, own and operate a golf course, died in Canton, Ohio. He was 93.
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EDITED FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
