Shortstop-Rich Rangers Deal Clayton to White Sox

Royce Clayton knew his days with the Texas Rangers were over as soon as the team signed Alex Rodriguez and hoped for a trade to a winning team.

Living up to their promise of treating him kindly, the Rangers sent Clayton to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday for right-handed pitchers Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack.

“I know I have a lot of good years left at shortstop,” said Clayton, who batted .242 with 14 homers last season. “I know I can help.”

Chicago won the American League Central and had the league’s best record last season. Although the White Sox led the American League in double plays, Jose Valentin committed more errors than any shortstop in the majors.

Valentin recently was re-signed to a $15.5-million, three-year contract knowing he might be changing positions. He’ll become either an outfielder or a utility player who plays almost every day but not always at the same spot.

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Third baseman Fernando Tatis and right-handed reliever Britt Reames were traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Montreal Expos for pitchers Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. . . . The Chicago Cubs announced the signing of relief pitcher Tom Gordon to a two-year, $5-million contract. The Cubs also are working on an extension for outfielder Sammy Sosa, who has one season left on a four-year, $42.5-million contract. . . . Pitcher Curt Schilling signed a three-year, $32.5-million contract extension with the Arizona Diamondbacks . . . Right-handed reliever Mike Jackson agreed to a one-year, $250,000 contract with the Houston Astros. Jackson, 35, had 94 saves for the Cleveland Indians from 1997 to 1999 before sitting out last season because of a shoulder injury. . . . Former all-star Gregg Jefferies, 33, is retiring after 14 seasons in the major leagues.

Soccer

D.C. United, the most successful franchise in Major League Soccer’s brief history, has been taken over by the league.

United’s payroll and overall operations have been gradually taken over by the league because of the inability to find new investors, according to a league source, speaking on condition of anonymity. The story was first reported by the Washington Post.

A Molotov cocktail was thrown at Inter Milan’s team bus as it arrived at San Siro for an Italian Cup game against Parma. Players and coaches fled the vehicle. There were no injuries, but a brief fire caused damage to the bus. . . . The U.S. men’s soccer team, preparing for the start of the final round of World Cup qualifying in February, will open its 2001 schedule Jan. 27 with an exhibition game against China at Oakland.

Jurisprudence

A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said investigators expect to receive the police reports on Los Angeles Avenger quarterback Todd Marinovich’s case today and then consider whether felony charges will be filed. Marinovich was arrested Wednesday by Los Angeles police on suspicion of drug possession. He was released after posting $10,000 bail. Police are testing the seized evidence, which they suspect is heroin.

Rae Carruth was making more than $650,000 and had no reason to worry about the cost of supporting another son, Carolina Panther officials testified in Charlotte, N.C.

Carruth, a former Panther wide receiver, is charged with plotting to kill his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who died Dec. 14, 1999.

Marty Hurney, director of football operations for the Panthers, testified that Carruth was in the middle of a four-year contract when the shooting occurred. He signed a $1.3-million signing bonus before the 1997 season and had earned more than $1 million in his first two seasons, he said.

German wrestling authorities refused to lift the suspension of Alexander Leipold, who was stripped of his freestyle gold medal after the Sydney Olympics for doping.

Miscellany

Top-seeded Rick Leach and Ellis Ferreira lost their second consecutive tennis match in the World Doubles Championship at Bangalore, India, virtually knocking them out of contention.

Leach and Ferreira lost to Jamie Oncins of Brazil and Daniel Orsanic of Argentina, 1-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Tiger Woods, Karrie Webb and Larry Nelson were landslide winners as players of the year by the Golf Writers Assn. of America.

Nick Faldo, at the center of a Ryder Cup personnel dispute last year, will be welcomed back to the European team in 2001 if he is in the top 12 on the qualifying list, captain Sam Torrance said.

Spain’s Paralympic basketball team is returning gold medals from the Sydney Games because nearly all of its players had no mental handicaps.

The Spanish Paralympic Committee said that 10 of 12 players were not handicapped.

Michael D’Asaro Sr., who won three gold medals in fencing at the Pan Am Games and coached the 1976 U.S. Olympic fencing team, died Tuesday in Los Angeles of brain cancer. He was 62.

Sprinter Marion Jones, wrestler Rulon Gardner and the Olympic baseball team are the U.S. Olympic Committee’s sportswoman, sportsman and team of the year.

The national track and field Hall of Fame research collection will move to the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles and will be open early next year, executives of USA Track & Field said. . . . USC’s Angela Williams, a two-time NCAA 100-meter champion, has entered the women’s 50-meter dash at the 41st annual Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet Jan. 20 at the Sports Arena.