Arena Football League cancels 2009 season

The Arena Football League canceled its 2009 season Monday pending an agreement with its players’ union. The decision throws the future of the 22-year-old league into question just days after it said next season had not been suspended.

The AFL’s owners voted against playing next year during a conference call Sunday night. It was unclear what had changed since the league issued a statement Wednesday night that said the 2009 season had not been suspended “despite rumors and reports to the contrary.”

The league said in Monday’s statement it was “developing a long-term plan to improve its economic model.”

Last week’s statement came after a meeting of the league’s board of directors and did not say the AFL definitely would play next year.

The AFL’s woes come at a time when the world of sports, once thought to be largely recession-proof, has felt the economic chill. The NFL has said it will cut 150 jobs, and the NBA and NASCAR also have laid off dozens of workers. The NHL is in a hiring freeze, and the Internet operation for Major League Baseball also has trimmed positions.

GOLF

Woods criticizes caddie’s remarks

Tiger Woods said he was disappointed by his caddie’s disparaging comments in New Zealand newspapers about Phil Mickelson, whom Woods referred to as a “player I respect.”

Steve Williams was quoted in the Taranki Daily News as saying he wouldn’t call Mickelson a great player “because I think he’s a [expletive].” Contacted by the Sunday Star Times, Williams confirmed making the comment.

“I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Steve Williams about Phil Mickelson, a player that I respect,” Woods said in a statement. “It was inappropriate. The matter has been discussed and dealt with.”

Williams began working with Woods in the spring of 1999 and has been on his bag for 13 of his 14 major championships.

BASEBALL

Moyer, Phillies agree on deal

Jamie Moyer agreed to a $13-million, two-year contract that keeps the 46-year-old left-hander with the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Philadelphia also confirmed it has a preliminary agreement with Chan Ho Park, a one-year contract worth $2.5 million. And on a busy day of Phillies news, All-Star second baseman Chase Utley said he is recovering well from hip surgery and hopes to be ready for opening day.

San Diego Padres owner John Moores has hired Goldman Sachs to search for a potential buyer as he goes through a divorce from his wife, Becky. The hiring of Goldman Sachs was first reported by MLB.com. The owner didn’t say what percentage of the team would be up for sale. . . . Shortstop Adam Everett and the Detroit Tigers finalized a $1-million, one-year contract.

HORSE RACING

Shapiro resigns from state board

Richard Shapiro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, announced his resignation after a four-year term that included the mandatory installation of synthetic racing surfaces, new rules to ban horse doping and an ongoing decline in horsemen’s profits.

Shapiro said his decision was “mine, and mine alone. . . . This is a personal decision I have pondered for many months.” A favorite to replace Shapiro is John Harris of Coalinga’s Harris Farms, the board’s current vice chairman.

Shapiro’s synthetic track mandate came after a tragic Del Mar meeting in 2006. That expense was blamed by some for the premature conversion of Bay Meadows into a real estate venture.

-- Lance Pugmire

ETC.

Hoke will take job with Aztecs

Ball State football Coach Brady Hoke has resigned to accept the same position at San Diego State. Ball State is 12-1 this season, with its only loss against Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship game. Hoke is 34-38 in six years at the school. It is uncertain if Hoke will coach Ball State in the GMAC bowl on Jan. 6. San Diego State Athletic Director Jeff Schemmel did not return a phone call seeking to confirm the hiring. . . . Hugh McCutcheon, who coached the U.S. men’s volleyball team to the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, agreed to coach the U.S. women’s team through the 2012 Olympics.