Albert Pujols started his career with four...

Albert Pujols started his career with four stellar seasons, equal or better than those of many Hall of Famers. But Barry Bonds always had an edge -- until this year.

Pujols won his first National League most-valuable-player award Tuesday, beating Andruw Jones in a close vote that didn’t include Bonds, who sat out most of the season because of a knee injury.

“A lot of the fans and even the players, they missed Barry,” Pujols said of the seven-time MVP, who had won the previous four seasons. “I wished he would have been healthy and played.”

Pujols, the St. Louis Cardinal first baseman, received 18 first-place votes and 14 seconds for 378 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America. Jones, the Atlanta Brave center fielder, got 13 firsts, 17 seconds and two thirds for 351 points.

Chicago Cub first baseman Derrek Lee got the other first-place vote and was third with 263 points.

“It’s awesome when you hear people compare yourself with Barry,” Pujols said.

Pujols hit .330 with 41 home runs and 117 runs batted in. His average was second, five points behind Lee, and he trailed only Jones (51) and Lee (46) in homers. He tied for second in RBIs with 117, 11 behind Jones.

Jones led the major leagues in home runs, batted .263 and won his eighth Gold Glove in a row.

“I think he deserved it. The voting was the right vote. He was the right choice,” Jones said. “He had the most solid season.”

Pujols, 25, played in 161 of 162 regular-season games despite being bothered nearly the entire season by plantar fasciitis, a heel condition he also had in 2004.

Major League Baseball tried to give five umpires more than $1.9 million in back pay, but they instructed their banks to refuse the payments, according to their lawyer.

More than six years after a failed mass resignation led to a lawsuit that went all the way to the Supreme Court, the umpires and the commissioner’s office are still fighting over an additional $718,817 in interest.

The umpires are Joe West, Bill Hohn, Gary Darling, Larry Poncino and Larry Vanover.

Hideki Matsui and the New York Yankees reached a preliminary agreement on a $52-million, four-year contract that will keep the power-hitting outfielder with the team....Pitcher Josh Towers and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $5.2-million, two-year contract....Brad Snyder, Bryan LaHair and Brandon Wood homered, and the United States, managed by Davey Johnson, got 26 hits in a 23-0 victory over Guatemala at Phoenix in the opening game of regional Olympic qualifying....Dayton Moore, Atlanta’s assistant general manager, has told the Boston Red Sox that he’s no longer interested in the general manager job vacated by Theo Epstein.

JURISPRUDENCE

Time Inc., Price Reach

a Second Settlement

Former Alabama football coach Mike Price has reached a second settlement with Time Inc. in his defamation lawsuit over a Sports Illustrated article about a night of drinking at a topless bar in Florida, court documents showed.

Terms of the agreement weren’t made public. But it replaced an earlier deal that fell apart last month amid claims by Time, which publishes Sports Illustrated, that Price and his lawyer violated a confidentiality agreement that was central to the agreement.

In a statement, Time said the two sides had again agreed to settle Price’s suit, which asked for $20 million in damages.

A judge overturned a $30-million verdict a jury awarded former Alabama assistant coach Ronnie Cottrell in his defamation lawsuit against former recruiting analyst Tom Culpepper, calling the award “severely flawed.”

Circuit Judge Steven Wilson ordered a new trial in a one-page order that said the judgment was “obviously the result of bias, prejudice and emotions.”

Nextel Cup champion driver Kurt Busch had a 0.017 blood-alcohol level on a preliminary sobriety test, far below the state’s impairment limit of 0.08, the Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff’s Office said.

Busch was detained Friday on suspicion of drunken driving and cited for reckless driving after a confrontation with Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies. He was suspended by Roush Racing for the rest of the season.

TENNIS

Federer Rallies to Beat

Ljubicic at Masters Cup

Top-ranked Roger Federer got treatment for an injured right leg, then held off Ivan Ljubicic, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (4), to secure a spot in the semifinals in the Masters Cup at Shanghai.

Playing with a heavy brace on his right ankle, Federer extended his winning streak to 33 matches and improved to 79-3 this year. That’s three wins shy of John McEnroe’s record (82-3) for winning percentage in a season in the Open era.

Sixth-ranked Guillermo Coria was out of contention after slumping to 0-2 in round-robin play with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to fellow Argentine David Nalbandian.

MOTOR RACING

Evernham Shakes Up

His Racing Team

NASCAR car owner Ray Evernham shook up his organization, swapping crews for drivers Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield and eliminating the crew chief position.

The move removed Tommy Baldwin as crew chief for Kahne. Baldwin will finish out the season as a consultant at this weekend’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, then leave to try to become his own team owner -- much the same way Evernham left Hendrick Motorsports after a successful career as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief.

David Gilliland of Riverside was declared winner of Saturday’s Grand National division race in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway after Mike Olsen’s first-place car failed to pass post-race inspection. NASCAR inspectors found that Olsen’s Chevrolet had illegal right-side wheels.

MISCELLANY

WADA to Stay Out

of Drug Issue at Turin

The World Anti-Doping Agency is staying out of the conflict over Italy’s tough drug laws at the Turin Olympics.

“This is an issue between the IOC and Italy based on the conditions the Games were awarded to Italy back in 1999,” WADA President Dick Pound said during a conference call from his Montreal office.

Under Italian law, athletes can face criminal sanctions for doping violations, raising the possibility of police raids in the Olympic village during the Feb. 10-26 Games.

Under International Olympic Committee rules, athletes face disqualification from the Olympics for any doping offense but no legal penalties.

Former junior-featherweight champion Agapito Sanchez died from gunshot wounds during a fight outside his home in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Sanchez was 35. Sanchez vacated his junior-featherweight title in 2002 after being diagnosed with cataracts.

Dennis Rodman, the former NBA star who has played in several leagues since leaving the NBA five years ago, has signed a two-game contract with the Cedar Valley Jaguars of the International Basketball League.

The USC men’s basketball team received a letter of intent from Taj Gibson, a 6-foot-9 forward from La Verne Calvary Baptist Christian High, Coach Tim Floyd said.... Four women have signed letters of intent to join the UCLA basketball program. The incoming freshmen include center Monica Alexander of the Pendleton School at the IMG Academy; forward Amy Horton of Haralson County (Ga.) High; forward Erica Latimer of L.A. Windward High and guard Jerica Williams of San Diego Mount Miguel High.