This Price Is a Bargain for Falcons

Michael Vick has some help.

The Atlanta Falcons acquired Peerless Price in a trade with the Buffalo Bills on Friday, landing a fast young receiver to go with their stunning young quarterback.

The Falcons gave up their first-round pick -- No. 23 overall -- but considered that a small price to address their No. 1 need on offense.

“This gives us a dimension that we needed,” Coach Dan Reeves said. “When he touches the ball, he can go the distance.”

Atlanta desperately needed a deep threat at receiver. Last season, Brian Finneran led the team with only 56 catches.

Price, 26, had a breakout season for the Bills, ranking seventh in the NFL with 94 receptions for 1,252 yards and nine touchdowns.

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The San Diego Chargers signed wide receiver David Boston to a seven-year, $47-million deal. Boston has averaged 15.5 yards per catch in his four-year career. He came with some baggage, though.

He pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence of drugs last March in Phoenix. Police said he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.

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The Buffalo Bills signed Cincinnati linebacker Takeo Spikes to an offer sheet. The Bengals have a week to match the offer. However, Cincinnati also signed linebacker Kevin Hardy to a four-year contract on Friday.... Philadelphia signed former Oakland fullback Jon Ritchie.

Tennis

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt advanced to the semifinals in the Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic at Scottsdale, Ariz., defeating Spaniard Alex Corretja, 6-4, 6-2.

Hewitt will play Taylor Dent, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Spain’s David Sanchez. Mark Philippoussis, who defeated David Nalbandian, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4, will play Argentina’s Mariano Zabaleta, who defeated James Blake, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Third-seeded Marcelo Rios rolled to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over South Korean Hyung-Taik Lee in the quarterfinals of the International Tennis Championships at Delray Beach, Fla. Fourth-seeded Jan-Michael Gambill rallied to beat Flavio Seretta of Brazil, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

Also, Americans Mardy Fish and Robert Kendrick reached their first career semifinals.

Auto Racing

Ryan Newman won his first pole of the season, for Sunday’s Winston Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Newman edged Bill Elliott, who edged him for the pole here last spring.

Newman posted a lap of 191.417 mph on the 1 1/2-mile quad-oval to take pole for the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500.

NASCAR owner-driver Brett Bodine has a restraining order against his estranged wife, whom he alleges hit and threatened to ruin him financially.

Diane Bodine filed for divorce nearly two months ago and has sued a Georgia woman, accusing her of seducing her husband of 22 years and ruining their marriage. The woman has denied any involvement with Brett Bodine.

Michael Schumacher won the pole for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix Formula One race at Melbourne, Australia.

Jurisprudence

A state appellate court at Newark, N.J., rejected a bid by former NBA star Jayson Williams to have it consider arguments that prosecutors have misused the grand jury system.

Lawyers for Williams, reacting to a new manslaughter indictment returned Wednesday, wanted the appellate panel to hear arguments next week, as scheduled, on why the first indictment was flawed.

Swimming and Diving

USC teammates Erik Vendt, Ous Mellouli and Paul Fahey finished 1-2-3 in the 400-yard individual medley, and Trojan freshman Mihaly Flaskay won the 100 breaststroke at the Pacific 10 Conference men’s championships at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach. Vendt’s time was 3 minutes 42.70 seconds; Flaskay won in 53.36 seconds.

USC is third after two days with 414 points, behind Stanford (604) and California (488).

Miscellany

Bode Miller crashed on his first run in the World Cup slalom race today at Shigakogen, Japan, seriously damaging his bid to capture the overall title.

Miller lost his balance early in the race and did not finish. Austria’s Rainer Schoenfelder led after the first run with a time of 51.09 seconds.

Miller trails Austria’s Stephan Eberharter by 93 points in the overall standings but failed to close the gap in Japan. The 2002-03 World Cup circuit concludes March 12-16 in Lillehammer, Norway.

Jeff King took the lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, leaving the Eagle Island, Alaska, checkpoint at 6:54 p.m. Former leader, Robert Sorlie, rested.