Reds’ Hamilton dealt to Rangers

The Cincinnati Reds traded Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers on Friday for pitchers Edinson Volquez and Danny Herrera, using their surplus of outfielders to shore up a weakness.

Hamilton, 26, was one of baseball’s best comeback stories last season, when he finally made it to the majors after years of alcohol and drug abuse nearly ended his career. He batted .292 in his first major league season with 19 homers and 47 RBIs in 298 at-bats.

The Rangers also appear close to landing free agent reliever Eddie Guardado, who pitched for the Reds this year. General Manager Jon Daniels said he expected the club to sign the left-hander but would not commit to a timetable.

--

A day after being linked to drugs in baseball, former pitcher Allen Watson denied the allegation. Watson was among nine players accused of doping by former pitcher Jason Grimsley in a federal agent’s affidavit unsealed Thursday.

“I at no time over my professional baseball career used steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs. Not then, not now, not ever,” Watson said Friday in a statement released by his agent, Tony Giordano.

Watson, now 37, was 51-55 with a 5.03 ERA from 1993 to 2000. The left-hander pitched for St. Louis, San Francisco, the Angels, the New York Mets, Seattle and the New York Yankees.

--

Cuban slugger Alexei Ramirez has agreed to a deal with the Chicago White Sox, giving the club some added punch. His agent, Jaime Torres, would not disclose the terms of the deal.

--

The National League champion Colorado Rockies filled a vacancy in their bullpen by agreeing to a $7.5-million, two-year contract with right-hander Luis Vizcaino.

SOCCER

Beckham to train for MLS with Arsenal

David Beckham is expected to train with Premier League club Arsenal early next year to prepare for the Major League Soccer season.

Beckham would probably use the club’s training facility, which is close to his English home, before the Galaxy begins its season on March 29, Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger said Friday.

“We will help him to get fit and prepare for the season,” Wenger told BBC Radio.

MISCELLANY

Brady, Ochoa are AP athletes of the year

Tom Brady, in position to break Peyton Manning’s season record of 49 touchdown passes, was named the Associated Press’ male athlete of the year.

Lorena Ochoa, the first woman to win a pro event at St. Andrews and the first LPGA Tour player to top $4 million in a season, was named the female athlete of the year.

--

The Mark Christopher Charity Classic, a Nationwide Tour event held in the Inland Empire the last 14 years, will not be played this year because no title sponsor could be found.

JURISPRUDENCE

Former pitcher Keough jailed after drinking

Former All-Star pitcher Matt Keough remained jailed Friday, four days after he was arrested for violating his parole by binge drinking at a hotel bar.

Keough, whose estranged wife stars on the reality show “Real Housewives of Orange County,” was arrested Tuesday. He had been drinking at the Fashion Island Marriott bar, police said.

In 1992, Keough was nearly killed when he was hit in the head by a line drive while sitting in the dugout during an Angels spring training game in Arizona. His lawyer says Keough’s drinking is linked to a brain injury suffered in that incident.

--

A harness driver was convicted of trying to fix a race at Cal Expo last year and faces up to three years in prison and a lifetime ban from horse racing.

Daniel Maier is to be sentenced next month. A second driver was acquitted by a Sacramento County jury. A third driver was cleared and a fourth previously pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe.

Maier, 23, was convicted of bribery, conspiracy and grand theft. He did not drive in the May 2006 race but made more than $3,000 in bets, mostly in trifecta combinations. Winning the trifecta requires betters to correctly pick the first three finishers of a race in the proper order.

--

A nephew of Trevor Berbick has been convicted along with another man of killing the 54-year-old former heavyweight champion.

A jury in Kingston, Jamaica, found 21-year-old Harold Berbick guilty Thursday of murder and 19-year-old Kenton Gordon guilty of manslaughter in the death of the former boxer.

Authorities said the nephew and Gordon beat Berbick to death in October 2006, leaving his body in a church courtyard in Portland, Jamaica.

Harold Berbick had been involved in a land dispute with his uncle.

PASSINGS

Willie Bean, 80, was a California heavyweight

Willie Bean, who won the California heavyweight championship in the 1950s, died Wednesday at his home in Playa del Rey after a long illness. He was 80.