Whitey Herzog, Doug Harvey to enter Baseball Hall of Fame

Manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey got the call Monday, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Herzog and Harvey missed by one vote in their previous tries. This time, they easily drew enough support to reach Cooperstown, N.Y.

“I don’t think I would’ve had my heart broken if I’d missed by another vote or two. But I’m happy it’s over,” Herzog said at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. “It was just in the last few years when I was only missing by a few votes that I thought, maybe I do deserve it.”

Among those who came close this year was former players’ union head Marvin Miller. He was on a separate slate for executives and officials, and fell two votes short.

Herzog, 78, was a fixture in major league dugouts for two decades. He won the 1982 World Series and three National League pennants with the St. Louis Cardinals and three division titles with Kansas City.

He became the 19th manager to make the Hall of Fame.

Harvey, 79, umpired in the National League for 31 seasons before retiring in 1992. He worked five World Series and six All-Star games, and handled more than 4,600 games overall.

Brian Bruney was dealt to the Washington Nationals from the New York Yankees for a player to be named in the first trade of the winter meetings.

The 27-year-old right-hander was 5-0 with a 3.92 earned-run average in 44 regular-season appearances but pitched just once for the Yankees from mid-April until mid-June because of a strained right elbow.

The St. Louis Cardinals confirmed that they have reached agreement on a one-year contract with free-agent pitcher Brad Penny, a former Dodger.

If the right-hander passes his physical, the deal could formally be announced as early as today. Penny will receive a base salary of $7.5 million and could earn another $1.5 million in incentives.

Penny, 31, a two-time All-Star who won 16 games in consecutive seasons with the Dodgers, went 11-9 with a 4.88 earned-run average in 2009, which he split between the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants.

-- Kevin Baxter Catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who played for Houston and Texas last season, agreed to a two-year deal worth $6 million with the Nationals, according to sources.

The Chicago Cubs say Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg will manage triple-A Iowa next season.

AUTO RACING

Source: Patrick has NASCAR deal

A person familiar with the plan says Danica Patrick has reached a deal to enter NASCAR with JR Motorsports.

Patrick will announce a partial Nationwide Series schedule at a news conference today in Phoenix, the person familiar with her plans has told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because she has not officially announced her intentions.

Last week, Patrick signed a three-year contract extension with Andretti Autosport to stay in the IndyCar series, but its schedule gives her enough time to also try NASCAR.

ETC.

Merritt wins tour qualifying event

Troy Merritt shot a three-under-par 69 to win the PGA Tour qualifying tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla., finishing the six-round event at 22 under and one shot ahead of tour veteran Jeff Maggert.

Matt Jones (66) was third at 19 under, one shot ahead of Martin Flores (65) in the event where the top 25 finishers earned cards on the PGA Tour for 2010. Among the notables who did not qualify out of Q-school were major champions David Duval, Todd Hamilton and Shaun Micheel.

Duke star Amanda Blumenherst easily passed her first big test as a pro when she closed with a four-under 68 to become medalist at LPGA Tour qualifying, one of 20 players to earn cards for next year.

Blumenherst was a three-time NCAA player of the year who won 12 times at Duke. Playing on the Champions Course at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., for the final round, she played without a bogey and finished the 90-hole event at nine-under 351.

Darren McCarty, a veteran of 15 NHL seasons who won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings, officially announced his retirement.

Carmelo Anthony’s lawsuit that accused his former business manager of misappropriating more than $2 million of his assets has been provisionally dismissed by a federal judge in Sacramento, so the star forward of the Denver Nuggets can amend the complaint.

Organizers of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Anchorage said they have lost nearly $1 million in funding over the last year and that is forcing them to cut the prize money for the 2010 race by $100,000.