George Wants to Be Raider, and That’s All There Is to It

Quarterback Jeff George told his agent Thursday that he wants to play for the Oakland Raiders and to drop negotiations with any other team.

The Raiders and agent Leigh Steinberg reportedly have agreed to a five-year, $25-million deal, which would require the team to restructure its payroll. It was about $5 million over the $41.5-million NFL salary cap.

Part of that restructuring would probably involve releasing or trading Jeff Hostetler, the Raiders’ starting quarterback for four seasons.

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The Houston Oilers are closer to leaving Texas a year early for Tennessee, according to television reports late Thursday. Houston stations KTRK and KRIV reported that Harris County Judge Robert Eckels has agreed to a proposal by Oiler owner Bud Adams that the team buy out the last year of its Astrodome lease for $5.25 million.

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The Associated Press confirmed that Bill Parcells’ contract with the New York Jets will make him the highest-paid coach in NFL history, at $2.4 million for each year he coaches. . . . The Kansas City Chiefs will not try to re-sign free-agent defensive end Neil Smith. . . . The Philadelphia Eagles waived quarterback Rodney Peete. . . . Center Jesse Sapolu, a member of four of San Francisco’s five Super Bowl teams, was waived along with fullback Tommy Vardell in payroll-cutting moves to get the 49ers under the salary cap.

Golf

Brian Claar and Mike Reid, the first players off the tee, took advantage of a perfectly still morning and soft greens to shoot 10-under-par 62s and share the first-round lead in the Hawaiian Open at Honolulu.

Tiger Woods used his driver only once in shooting a 68, four shots behind leader Lucas Parsons in the Australian Masters at Melbourne.

Baseball

Baseball’s security head, Kevin Hallinan, is investigating Albert Belle’s testimony that he gambled on pro football, college basketball and golf games, and Belle probably will get, at most, one year’s probation, as long as major league officials determine he did not bet on baseball, a source close to acting Commissioner Bud Selig told the Associated Press.

An arbitrator ruled that Kansas City outfielder Tom Goodwin will be paid $1.05 million instead of the $1,795,000 he asked. Goodwin earned $312,000 last season. . . . Pitcher David Weathers avoided a salary arbitration hearing with the New York Yankees, agreeing to a $435,000, one-year contract. . . . The San Francisco Giants have acquired pitcher Rene Arocha from St. Louis, completing a December trade that sent catcher Tom Lampkin to the Cardinals.

Miscellany

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Jenny Thompson and Orange County schoolgirl Amanda Beard won their first races since the Atlanta Games, Thompson taking the 100-meter freestyle in 55.47 seconds and Beard the 200-meter breaststroke in 2:30.73 in the U.S. National Swimming Championships at Buffalo, N.Y.

Morena Gallizio of Italy led after two slalom runs, with a combined time of 1 minute 25.92 seconds, with the downhill set for today in skiing’s World Championships at Sestriere, Italy.

Angie Stevenson, 33, a top cross-country ski racer and biathlete, died of what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.