Zito hits Giant jackpot with $126-million deal

Barry Zito and the San Francisco Giants reached a preliminary agreement on the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history, a $126-million, seven-year deal.

Zito joins the Giants three weeks after the club came to terms on a $16-million, one-year contract with slugger Barry Bonds for a 15th season.

Zito’s father, Joe, and Zito’s publicist, Kathy Jacobson, confirmed the deal. The Giants were waiting for Zito to take a physical today before making an announcement.

“I think it’s a very, very good fit,” Joe Zito said. “Truly, I am respectful of the owners who came forward and would believe in Barry to such a degree that they would go this far.”

Zito, the 2002 American League Cy Young Award winner with a nasty curveball and eccentric personality, has never missed a start in his career.

“It’s a huge piece of the puzzle as far as solidifying our rotation,” fellow San Francisco left-handed starter Noah Lowry said. “We have a couple of No. 1-caliber pitchers. I’m obviously going to be able to learn from him. I think the seasons, as long as they are and as grueling as they can be, he hasn’t missed a start. That says a lot about the guy and his durability.”

Zito will lead a rotation that features Matt Cain, coming off a strong rookie season, Lowry and Matt Morris. The fifth spot is still to be determined.

Zito’s agreement, reached late Wednesday night, includes an $18-million option for 2014 with a $7-million buyout that could increase the value to $137 million. The option would become guaranteed if Zito pitches 200 innings in 2013, 400 combined over 2012 and 2013 or 600 combined from 2011 to 2013. Zito also has a full no-trade clause.

The deal ties for the sixth largest overall, matching the $126-million, seven-year extension agreed to this month by Toronto and center fielder Vernon Wells. The Giants were looking for someone to fill the void left when ace Jason Schmidt departed earlier this month for the rival Dodgers.

“A lot of money,” Zito’s former Oakland teammate Mark Ellis said. “I was shocked. That’s great for him. That’s a good place for him.”

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The Major League Baseball Players’ Assn. will fight a federal appeals court’s decision to give prosecutors access to the names and urine samples of about 100 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003.

If Wednesday’s decision “is allowed to stand, it will effectively repeal the 4th Amendment for confidential electronic records,” Donald Fehr, executive director of the players’ union, wrote in a statement.

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Former New York Yankees player Bobby Murcer was recovering at a Houston hospital after surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Murcer, 60, now a Yankees broadcaster, was awake and resting comfortably at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, officials said.

The New York Daily News has reported that Murcer had been having headaches and feeling a loss of energy, and the tumor was discovered after an MRI exam on Christmas Eve.

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An arrest warrant was issued in Greensboro, N.C., for Jeff Allison, a former Florida Marlins first-round draft pick who failed to appear at a court hearing.

Allison, a right-handed pitcher from Peabody, Mass., was arrested in October and charged with felony possession of heroin and possession of a stolen vehicle.

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WINTER SPORTS

Walchhofer scores World Cup victory

Michael Walchhofer ended a 13-race winless streak by the Austrian men’s team, winning a World Cup downhill by 0.01 seconds at Bormio, Italy.

Walchhofer skied the 1.8-mile Stelvio course in 1 minute 51.90 seconds for his first podium finish of the season.

Bode Miller, who won the downhill and super-G on the same course at the 2005 world championships, failed to finish a downhill for the first time this season after skiing off course near the top of the run.

Didier Cuche was second.

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Kathrin Zettel, Nicole Hosp and Marlies Schild gave Austria a sweep of the top three spots in a World Cup giant slalom at Semmering, Austria.

Zettel, who also won the season-opening GS in Aspen, Colo., completed Austria’s eighth World Cup victory this season in a combined time of 2 minutes 9.50 seconds.

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Warm weather and forecasts of rain led officials to cancel a Nordic combined World Cup scheduled for Jan. 6 at Schonach, Germany.

An announcement on where the event will be moved will be made this week.

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Semen Varlamov made 25 saves and Russia beat Switzerland, 6-0, to retain the Group B lead in the world junior hockey championship at Leksand, Sweden.

The United States will finish Group A play Saturday against Belarus. The Americans opened with a 2-1 overtime loss to Germany, and also dropped a 6-3 decision to Canada.

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HORSE RACING

Indian Flare wins Santa Anita feature

Not to be outdone by her younger brother, Indian Flare won a stakes race of her own at Santa Anita.

Indian Flare, sister of Latent Heat, the winner of the opening day Malibu Stakes on Tuesday, led from start to finish in winning the $83,550 Kalookan Queen Handicap.

Owned by breeder Juddmonte Farms and trained by Bobby Frankel, Indian Flare, the 17-10 second choice, won for the fifth time in 13 starts, beating 3-2 favorite Somethinaboutlaura by half a length.

Ridden by David Flores, Indian Flare, a 4-year-old who has won three of six over the Santa Anita main track, completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.76.

-- Bob Mieszerski

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Alex Waldrop, former president of Churchill Downs, was appointed president and chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. Turfway Park President Robert Elliston was appointed executive chairman of the association.