Padres’ Towers receives two-year extension as GM

San Diego Padres General Manager Kevin Towers received a two-year contract extension Wednesday that runs through 2010 and is thought to put him among the top five or six highest-paid GMs in baseball. The team wouldn’t divulge financial details.

This off-season, Towers, 46, became the longest-tenured active GM in the big leagues with 12 years. His current deal was set to end after the 2008 season.

Four of the Padres’ five National League West titles and one of their two World Series appearances have come on Towers’ watch.

Troy Tulowitzki, who went into spring training last year just hoping to secure a spot on the Colorado Rockies’ roster, completed a $31-million, six-year contract with the team that includes a club option for 2014.

Runner-up for NL rookie of the year last season, Tulowitzki, 23, batted .291 with 24 home runs and 99 runs batted in.

Rafael Betancourt, one of the majors’ best setup men last season, signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Indians, avoiding salary arbitration. Betancourt, 32, was 5-1 with a 1.47 earned-run average in 68 appearances.

Right-hander James Shields, who has less than two full seasons in the majors, agreed to a $11.25-million, four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The deal includes three team options that could make it worth about $38 million over seven years. Shields, 26, was 12-8 with a 3.85 ERA in his first full season in the majors.

JURISPRUDENCE

Bonds seeks dismissal of federal perjury case

Barry Bonds asked a San Francisco federal judge to dismiss perjury charges against him, arguing the indictment is “scattershot” and noted for its “striking inartfulness.”

Bonds was charged in November with lying to a grand jury about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Former Indianapolis Colts defensive back Dexter Reid was acquitted of a charge of carrying a concealed weapon and convicted of a drug charge in Virginia Beach, Va.

Reid pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. Sentencing was set for April 22.

The felony carries a punishment of one to 10 years in prison. However, defense attorney James Broccoletti said he would ask the judge to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to a year, because there was no intention to sell the marijuana.

A judge set multimillion-dollar cash bonds in Covington, Ky., for two part-owners of horse of the year Curlin and a third man charged with defrauding clients in a settlement over the diet drug fen-phen.

U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman sealed the opinion giving the reason for setting the bond for William Gallion, Shirley Cunningham Jr. and Melbourne Mills.

Bertelsman set bond for Gallion at $52 million and Cunningham at $45 million. The two men own a 20% stake in Curlin. Mills has no financial interest in the horse.

In lieu of cash, the men can put up property worth 110% of the cash bond amount.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Moses rejoins UCLA as running backs coach

Wayne Moses will return to UCLA as running backs coach, the university announced.

Moses, 53, spent the last two seasons with the St. Louis Rams. Before that, he spent 28 seasons as a college coach. He was at UCLA from 1990-95 and also coached at Washington, USC, California, Stanford and Pittsburgh.

-- Chris Foster

Clint Bowen, who spent the last two years as co-defensive coordinator with Bill Young at Kansas, will have the job to himself next season, becoming at 35 one of the youngest coordinators in major-college football. Young left for Miami.

MISCELLANY

Hopkins-Calzaghe fight scheduled for April 19

Promoters finalized an April 19 light-heavyweight meeting between unbeaten super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe of Wales and former longtime middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.

The bout -- for Hopkins’ Ring magazine light-heavyweight belt -- will be held at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

Calzaghe, 36, is 44-0 with 32 knockouts after unifying the super-middleweight title against Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler in November. The 43-year-old Hopkins (48-4-1, 32 KOs) revived his career in July by defeating Winky Wright by unanimous decision. He had lost twice to Jermain Taylor in 2005 and retired in 2006.

-- Lance Pugmire

Atlanta forward Ilya Kovalchuk was suspended one game without pay by the NHL for a Tuesday hit from behind on New York defenseman Michal Rozsival, keeping the Thrashers standout out of the rematch with the Rangers tonight in Atlanta.

The newest WNBA team will be called the Atlanta Dream.

CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz will be honored by the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation as its sportsman of the year at the organization’s 36th annual banquet Saturday night at the Anaheim Marriott.

-- Larry Stewart