Court reaffirms investigators’ rights to drug tests

Federal investigators can keep using the names and urine samples of about 100 major leaguers who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.

After agreeing to reconsider its December 2006 ruling granting access to the evidence, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted, 2-1, to affirm two parts of its decision in three consolidated cases, which overturned rulings by U.S. District Judges Susan Illston in San Francisco and James Mahan in Las Vegas that barred authorities from accessing the names.

The appeals court reversed itself, 3-0, on the third lower court decision, saying the federal government didn’t make a timely appeal in the case heard by U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper in Los Angeles, who had ruled for the players’ association.

Access to the names could bolster the perjury case against Barry Bonds, who is charged with lying to a grand jury about whether he used steroids.

Players are likely to ask to have the entire 9th Circuit rehear the case. They also could ask the Supreme Court to take the case.

Roger Clemens’ interview with congressional investigators about charges he used steroids has been delayed until Feb. 5.

The Cy Young Award-winning pitcher was scheduled to have a deposition or transcribed interview on Jan. 26 as part of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s investigation into the use performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.

Jose Canseco offered to keep Magglio Ordonez “clear” in his upcoming book if the Detroit Tigers outfielder invested in a movie project promoted by Canseco, the New York Times reported Wednesday night.

The newspaper cited “a person in baseball with knowledge of the situation” in a report on its website and said four people in baseball, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Major League Baseball referred the matter to the FBI.

Ordonez decided not to go forward with a complaint, so the FBI didn’t open a formal investigation, the newspaper said. Ordonez spoke to Tigers President Dave Dombrowski, who contacted MLB.

Canseco told the paper that neither he nor any associate asked Ordonez for money in exchange for avoiding mention in “Vindicated,” which is scheduled for publication March 31.

The Dodgers hired former infielder Jose Vizcaino as a special assistant. Vizcaino, who played for the Dodgers in five of his 18 major league seasons, will be an instructor at spring training and the club’s academy in the Dominican Republic.

He will also work on special projects in baseball operations.

Jaime Jarrin, who is entering his 50th season as the Dodgers’ Spanish-language broadcaster, will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Radio & Television News Assn. of Southern California’s Golden Mike Awards Dinner on Saturday at the Universal Hilton.

Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees were nearing agreement on a $30-million, four-year contract, a departure from the team’s stance against giving multiyear contracts to young players. The 25-year-old second baseman provided a spark when he joined the Yankees early in the 2005 season and has a .314 batting average over three seasons.

Relief pitcher Rafael Soriano and the Atlanta Braves agreed to a $9-million, two-year contract that avoided arbitration.

The Braves plan to make Soriano their closer. He went 3-3 with a 3.00 earned-run average and nine saves in a career-high 71 appearances last year, holding opponents to a .181 batting average.

Relief pitcher Matt Guerrier and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a $950,000, one-year contract that avoided a salary arbitration hearing.

The right-hander became a reliable long reliever for the Twins last season, going 2-4 with a 2.35 ERA and one save in 73 appearances.

MISCELLANY

USC loses another defensive back

USC defensive back Mozique McCurtis, who has a year of eligibility remaining, will not play next season so he can prepare to pursue admission to law school, Coach Pete Carroll said.

McCurtis, who has graduated, is the second defensive back to leave the program since the Rose Bowl. Vincent Joseph was declared academically ineligible and will transfer to another school.

Carroll also confirmed that Shane Horton, who played safety at Nevada Las Vegas as a freshman last season, has transferred to USC. Horton will participate in spring practice, but he will not be eligible until 2009.

-- Gary Klein

England’s Lee Westwood and South Africa’s Anton Haig shot five-under par 67s to share the first-round lead in the Qatar Masters in Qatar.

Australia’s Adam Scott and Spain’s Sergio Garcia were two strokes back along with five others.

The NHL is in talks to open next season with games in Sweden and the Czech Republic

According to Swedish Hockey League sports director Tommy Topel, the games would be played Oct. 4-5, with the Ottawa Senators playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in Stockholm on both days and possibly the New York Rangers against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the other set of games.

Soles4Souls, a footwear charity based in Nashville, said it is donating 40,000 pairs of shoes to fellow shoe charity Samaritan’s Feet to answer the call from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis basketball Coach Ron Hunter, who coached a game barefoot Thursday night. Hunter is coaching without shoes to raise awareness and footwear for Samaritan’s Feet, as well as honor Dr. Martin Luther King during the 40th anniversary of his death.