Sharpe to Join Ravens; Rams Lose Two Players

Free-agent tight end Shannon Sharpe said on his Web site Wednesday that he has agreed to a four-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Bob Eller, the Ravens’ director of operations, confirmed the team reached an agreement with the seven-time Pro Bowl selection, but would not provide the length of the deal or financial terms.

Sharpe, 31, who sat out most of last season with Denver because of a broken collarbone, is the Broncos’ career receiving leader with 543 catches for 6,872 yards.

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The Tennessee Titans wasted little time finding a new right tackle, signing Fred Miller away from the St. Louis Rams on Wednesday less than 48 hours after losing Jon Runyan to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Miller is one of two players leaving the Super Bowl champions, and a third may be on his way out too.

Defensive end Jay Williams, an unrestricted free agent who had four sacks as a reserve for the Rams last season, signed with the Carolina Panthers.

Linebacker Charlie Clemons, a restricted free agent, was signed to an offer sheet by the New Orleans Saints. The Rams have seven days to match the offer.

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Miami Dolphin wide receiver Tony Martin’s bankruptcy case has been dismissed in Miami, ending an investigation of his assets and allowing him to get back property that had been frozen. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert A. Mark accepted Martin’s request to dismiss the case.

Miscellany

Bud Selig pretty much said Pete Rose has no chance of getting back into baseball as long as Selig is commissioner. While Selig hasn’t officially responded to Rose’s application for reinstatement, he made his strongest public statement yet on the all-time hits leader. “There is not a scintilla of give in that area,” Selig said during a speech in Madison, Wis.

Glenn McDonald, a former NBA player and Long Beach State women’s basketball coach, was hired as an assistant with the WNBA’s Sparks, joining Coach Michael Cooper.

Laurence Tieleman of Italy defeated sixth-seeded Jim Courier, 7-6 (2), 6-0, in second round of the St. Jude tennis tournament at Memphis, Tenn.

Sebastian Janikowski, the kicker for national champion Florida State, was charged with one count of bribery after he allegedly offered a Tallahassee police officer $300 to release his roommate, State Atty. Robin Freeman said.

Mexico’s Jorge Lacierva surprised two-time International Boxing Federation junior-flyweight champion Mauricio Pastrana with a unanimous decision at Miami, and two-time IBF junior-lightweight champion John John Molina stopped Juan Carlos Suarez in the eighth round. . . . Fernando Vargas signed a multiple-fight deal with HBO minutes before an announcement of his junior-middleweight title defense against Ike Quartey. The fight against Quartey is set for April 15 in Las Vegas. . . . Former world champion Terry Norris lost a bid to get a new boxing license after Nevada officials expressed concern about his speech and the possibility he might have brain damage. . . . Chuck Hull, the ring announcer for most of the big Las Vegas fights of the 1980s, has died in Las Vegas. He was 75.

Jason Gardener of Britain won the 60-meter sprint with a time of 6.48 seconds in the indoor Cagigal Memorial meet at Madrid, with Ato Boldon finishing third.

A minor injury has led to the retirement of Soaring Softly, the champion female turf horse of 1999.

The Teamsters union in Chicago has mailed letters to Arena Football League players inquiring if they would like to join their union and have the Teamsters negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the owners. The league’s 2000 season is threatened by a labor dispute after several players filed a class action antitrust suit against the AFL.

Tommy Hawkins, Dodger vice president of communications, will be honored Feb. 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at a dinner benefiting the Children’s Burn Foundation. Details: (818) 907-2822.