Padres ace Peavy rejects trade to the White Sox

Jake Peavy is staying with the San Diego Padres.

The ace pitcher turned down a trade to the Chicago White Sox, choosing Thursday to remain with his longtime team.

The Padres and White Sox had reached an agreement but needed the 2007 Cy Young Award winner to waive his no-trade clause.

“As of right now, this is the best place for us to be. We made that decision for the time being,” Peavy said before Thursday night’s game against San Francisco.

Peavy said he would answer additional questions about his decision after Friday night’s start.

Peavy, who turns 28 later this month, is 3-5 with a 3.82 earned-run average. He made his major league debut with San Diego in 2002.

GOLF

PGA Tour rookie Nitties has lead

PGA Tour rookie James Nitties finished with four consecutive birdies for a five-under-par 65 and a share of the first-round lead with Ken Duke in the HP Byron Nelson Championship at Irving, Texas. Mike Weir, Scott McCarron, Charles Howell III and Brad Adamonis shot 66s.

--

Scott Hoch bogeyed the final two holes for a four-under 66 and share of the first-round lead with Tom Purtzer in the 70th Senior PGA Championship at Beachwood, Ohio. . . . France’s Karine Icher and South Korea’s Hee Young Park shot eight-under 64s to share the first-round lead in the final LPGA Corning Classic at Corning, N.Y.

--

USC freshman Jennifer Song shot a one-under 71 to take a two-stroke lead in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship and help the Trojans top the team standings at Owings, Md. Purdue’s Maria Hernandez (72) and UCLA’s Maria Jose Uribe (77) were tied for second at two over. USC had a 26-over 890 total for a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Arizona State. No. 2 UCLA is three strokes back.

PRO FOOTBALL

Childress says no Favre -- for now

Brad Childress says Brett Favre “was worth a conversation,” but the Minnesota Vikings coach insists the veteran quarterback remains retired -- as far as he knows.

Asked whether he could completely rule out the possibility of signing the 39-year-old Favre, Childress declined.

However, the coach says he’s not currently “entertaining” the idea and is more focused on the players currently on the team.

MOTOR RACING

Newman wins NASCAR pole

Ryan Newman turned a lap at 188.475 mph to grab the top starting spot for the Coca-Cola 600 at Concord, N.C.

Kyle Busch will start second Sunday in NASCAR’s longest race after a lap of 188.258. Points leader Jeff Gordon qualified third.

ETC.

Cassell retires, becomes coach

Sam Cassell, who won three NBA titles in a 15-season career that included a stop with the Clippers, announced his retirement as a player and immediately joined the coaching staff of the Washington Wizards.

--

Maria Sharapova was defeated by Alona Bondarenko, 6-2, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Warsaw Open tennis tournament. . . . Russia’s Denis Menchov took the overall lead at the Giro d’Italia after winning a grueling individual time trial at Riomaggiore, Italy. Menchov overtook Italy’s Danilo Di Luca for the pink jersey. . . . Former San Diego Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf has been indicted by a grand jury in Randall County, Texas, on drug and burglary charges. The 33-year-old is suspected of breaking into an apartment and stealing the painkiller hydrocodone. . . . The Minnesota Timberwolves hired former Indiana Pacers executive David Kahn to run their basketball operations, four days after Portland assistant general manager Tom Penn rejected the job. . . . Former Miami quarterback Robert Marve will transfer to Purdue instead of walking on at Tennessee. . . . William “the Refrigerator” Perry, 46, has been released from a South Carolina hospital after a monthlong stay for complications of a nervous system disorder.