AROUND THE MAJORS

A memorial service for Bo Belinsky will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Stadium Club at Dodger Stadium. Belinsky, a flamboyant pitcher who spent his most memorable years in baseball with the Angels, died last week in Las Vegas.

He had been battling bladder cancer in recent years.

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Right-hander Todd Van Poppel became the first of the 155 free agents to sign, agreeing to a $7.5-million, three-year contract with the Texas Rangers.

Van Poppel, 29, was briefly with the Rangers during the 1998 season. He was 4-1 with a career-best 2.52 earned-run average in 59 relief appearances for the Chicago Cubs last season.

He has a 30-43 career record with a 5.50 ERA.

Van Poppel gets $2 million in 2002, $2.5 million in 2003 and $3 million in 2004. He can make up to $500,000 per year in performance bonuses based on appearances, getting the full amount if he has 65, and he can earn more for if he becomes a closer, with bonuses based on games finished.

Former Sen. George Mitchell, who has spent his post-Senate life negotiating peace in the Middle East and Northern Ireland, is showing an interest in another unstable situation: the sale of the Boston Red Sox.

A group led by television producer Tom Werner and Maine ski resort mogul Les Otten announced it has brought Mitchell, a longtime Red Sox fan, into its investment group.

“We are thrilled to welcome one of the most respected men in baseball circles to our team of investors,” said Otten, the founding partner of the newly renamed New England Sports Ventures.

Mitchell was part of a commission that studied the economic future of baseball. He served in the Senate from 1980 to 1995.

The Yawkey Trust is expected to announce the winner of the bidding for its 53% stake by the end of the month and a number of groups have reportedly added deep-pocketed partners to bolster their bids in recent weeks.

The Yawkey trust announced a year ago that it would sell its share of the team, which is valued at up to $400 million.

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The Detroit Tigers and pitcher Steve Sparks agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for 2004, avoiding salary arbitration.

Sparks had the best season of his six-year career this year, going 14-9 with a 3.65 earned-run average and leading the major leagues with eight complete games.

The right-hander was fourth in the American League with 232 innings pitched, the most by a Tiger pitcher since Jack Morris in 1990.

Financial terms of the contract weren’t disclosed. Sparks made $650,000 this year.