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Glavine returns to Braves after five-year split

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Tom Glavine is coming home.

The 303-game winner returned to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, agreeing to an $8-million, one-year contract, said his agent, Gregg Clifton.

The Braves needed less than a week to lure the two-time Cy Young Award winner back after an acrimonious split in 2002 that led to him spending five seasons with the New York Mets.

Glavine clearly wanted to finish his career with the Braves, turning down a $13-million option to return to New York in 2008 and instead taking a $3-million buyout. He then gave the Braves a hometown discount, something he wasn’t willing to do five years ago. The contract includes no performance bonuses.

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Glavine, who will turn 42 before the start of next season, went 13-8 with a 4.45 earned-run average in 200 1/3 innings for New York this year but got only one out and allowed seven runs in the first inning of his final start for the Mets, who completed their September collapse out of the playoff race.

Second baseman Luis Castillo decided to stay with the Mets, reaching a preliminary agreement on a $25-million, four-year contract.

Angels prospect Steven Shell held Cuba to only one run in three innings of relief as Team USA won its first IBAF World Cup in 33 years, beating the defending champions, 6-3, in Taiwan.

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Jayson Nix (Colorado Rockies) -- named the tournament’s outstanding player -- and Jason Jaramillo (Philadelphia Phillies) each had a pair of runs batted in for the U.S., which ended Cuba’s 25-year dominance of the World Cup. Cuba (8-2) has won 25 World Cup titles and hadn’t finished second since 1941. The U.S., which lost to Italy, 6-2, in its second game , won its last seven, outscoring opponents, 45-15.

The Dodgers’ Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young and former Long Beach State standout Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) had two hits apiece for Team USA with Longoria and Young combining to score three runs and LaRoche stealing a base.

-- Kevin Baxter

GOLF

After a near collapse, Ochoa earns $1 million

Leading by one stroke after blowing most of a four-shot lead with two holes left, Lorena Ochoa hit a six-iron on the 18th hole that rolled 30 inches from the cup for a final birdie and a four-under-par 68 for a two-shot victory and the $1 million prize in the ADT Championship at West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Nathalie Gulbis earned $100,000 for second. Paula Creamer was third.

COLLEGE SOCCER

USC women reach third round for first time

Junior midfielder Ashley Nick scored on a header in the 104th minute to lead USC’s women to a 1-0 double-overtime victory over host Missouri to reach the third round of the NCAA soccer tournament for the first time.

Second-seeded USC improved to 16-3-2, tying the Trojans’ record for wins and avoiding a sixth second-round elimination. They will play Florida next. Missouri finished 13-7-1.

Danesha Adams scored two goals and Lauren Cheney had one to lead top-seeded UCLA to a 4-0 victory over Oklahoma State -- the Bruins’ ninth straight trip to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 and their 33rd straight win at Drake Stadium.

UCLA (18-1-2) will next play Virginia. Oklahoma State finished 14-6-3.

Kristina Larsen also scored for the Bruins.

With a goal and an assist, Cheney ties Traci Arkenberg (1997) for the UCLA single-season record for points with 52.

MISCELLANY

Peru surprises Brazil by forcing a 1-1 tie

Juan Manuel Vargas scored in the 70th minute to help Peru tie five-time World Cup champion Brazil, 1-1, at Lima in South American qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

Kaka opened the scoring in the 39th minute for Brazil with a clear shot past goalkeeper Diego Penny. Brazil was sluggish and missed several chances to score, despite the return of Ronaldinho from an ankle injury.

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Olympic star Michael Phelps won two individual awards and was part of a third, as a relay team member, as USA Swimming held its Golden Goggle Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel, highlighting the accomplishments of the top Americans in 2007.

Phelps won the male athlete of the year, male performance of the year (200-meter butterfly) and relay performance of the year (800 freestyle) with Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller and Peter Vanderkaay. Michigan’s Bob Bowman was named coach of the year.

Other winners were Ben Wildman-Tobriner (breakout performer of the year), Ryan Lochte (perseverance award), Kate Ziegler (female performance of the year) in the 1,500 freestyle and Katie Hoff (female athlete of the year).

-- Lisa Dillman

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