Dodgers sign Juan Uribe, trade Ryan Theriot for pitcher Blake Hawksworth

The San Francisco Giants wanted to hold onto Juan Uribe — enough to where they made the infielder a last-minute offer similar to the three-year, $21-million contract he ended up signing with the Dodgers, according to a baseball source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.

Uribe passed a physical Tuesday to finalize his contract, which will pay him $5 million next year, $8 million in 2012 and $7 million in 2013. He will receive the final $1 million in 2014.

Upon officially adding Uribe to their roster, the Dodgers traded suddenly expandable second baseman Ryan Theriot to the St. Louis Cardinals for right-hander Blake Hawksworth.

If the Dodgers hadn’t traded Theriot, they probably wouldn’t have tendered him a contract and let him become a free agent. Theriot, who is eligible for salary arbitration, earned $2.6 million last season and is expected to get a significant raise.

Hawksworth, 27, had an outstanding rookie season in 2009, posting a 2.03 earned-run average in 30 relief appearances. He wasn’t nearly as effective last season, as he was 4-8 with a 4.98 ERA in 45 games, including eight starts.

— Dylan Hernandez

Jackie Autry involved in fatal accident

Jackie Autry, widow of former Angels owner Gene Autry, said she is still reeling from a Thanksgiving night accident in which her car struck and killed a homeless man crossing a street in Palm Springs.

“The guy came out of nowhere,” Autry said, contacted by phone at her Riverside County home. “It was an accident; it’s what can happen when people cross a street with no lights wearing black clothes. I feel bad for the man and any family he may have.”

Palm Springs Police Sgt. Paul Abshire said, “There was nothing at the scene, and no statements, to indicate [Autry] was under the influence.” Abshire said the investigation wouldn’t be completely closed until an autopsy was conducted on Jesus Cardova Diaz, 50, of Palm Springs.

Autry said she was returning from a Thanksgiving dinner in La Quinta with two friends. “We were in a 35-mph zone and I was going about 25,” she said. “I had taken my foot off the gas because the [stop] light ahead was changing when [Diaz] popped out of nowhere.”

Diaz died about an hour after the 7 p.m. accident, authorities said.

— Lance Pugmire

Tulowitzki, Rockies agree to huge contract

Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a new contract that pays Tulowitzki an additional $132 million over seven seasons through 2020, a deal that means Colorado has guaranteed the All-Star shortstop $157.75 million in the next decade.

Tulowitzki’s 10-year contract is the eighth-highest in baseball history.

Pat Burns memorabilia stolen after his funeral

The morning after her husband’s funeral, Pat Burns’ widow made a shocking discovery: Her car had been broken into, and valuables including his collection of autographed hockey sweaters had been stolen. Montreal police said Tuesday the thieves would have known whose belongings they were taking.

Burns, who coached the New Jersey Devils to the 2003 Stanley Cup title, died Nov. 19 at age 58 after a long battle with cancer.

Hours after his funeral, someone stole signed hockey jerseys from each of the 30 NHL teams and family photos from Line Burns’ car.

Blackhawks’ Hossa to miss 2-3 weeks

Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa will likely miss two to three weeks because of a lower-body injury, leaving the defending Stanley Cup champions without one of their top scorers.

Auburn could be fined if Cam Newton not available for interviews

The Southeastern Conference could fine Auburn if quarterback Cam Newton isn’t available for postgame interviews after the league championship game.

The SEC requires all coaches and student athletes to be made available to reporters after the title game. League spokesman Charles Bloom said Commissioner Mike Slive can fine a school for violating that policy, but has never had to do so. Bloom said the amount is at the commissioner’s discretion.

The second-ranked Tigers meet No. 18 South Carolina Saturday. Newton hasn’t spoken to the media since Nov. 9. The NCAA is investigating his recruitment after allegations that Newton’s father wanted $180,000 to sign with Mississippi State.

Former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers is scheduled to meet with officials from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office Dec. 9 to discuss Newton’s recruitment.

New coach at North Texas

Dan McCarney was introduced as the new football coach at North Texas, giving the Mean Green a leader with plenty of college experience to rebuild a struggling program.

McCarney’s arrival came six weeks after former standout high school coach Todd Dodge was fired following a failed 3 1/2-season experiment.

McCarney has been in college coaching for 34 years, the last three as defensive line coach at Florida. He was head coach at Iowa State from 1995-2006, where he took over a dismal program that he took to five bowl games over a six-season span from 2000 to 2005.

North Texas was 3-9 this season, its sixth consecutive losing record since winning four Sun Belt Conference titles in a row.

Bowl bids

Texas A&M has accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 7. The 19th-ranked Aggies will learn on Sunday which team from the Southeastern Conference they will play. It will be Texas A&M’s first appearance in the game since 2005 and its 12th overall. … Army is headed to its first bowl game in 14 years. The Black Knights accepted an invitation to the Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas. Army had an agreement to play in the game if it was bowl eligible before the regular season finale against Navy and either Conference USA or the Mountain West couldn’t fill their allotments. The opening was there because No. 3 TCU qualified for the BCS, leaving the Mountain West with four teams for five bowl slots. Army (6-5) will play a C-USA team Dec. 30 at SMU’s Ford Stadium, the bowl’s temporary home while TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth undergoes renovations. The last postseason bid for Army was the Independence Bowl in 1996. … Southern Mississippi has accepted an invitation to play in the third annual Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Dec. 21. The Golden Eagles will face an opponent from the Big East conference at Tropicana Field. … East Carolina is headed to the Military Bowl against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Dec. 29 at Washington’s RFK Stadium.

Chavez ill, scratches from Saturday fight

Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., suffering from a 103-degree fever and flu-like symptoms, was scratched from Saturday night’s pay-per-view main event at Anaheim’s Honda Center against replacement fighter Pawel Wolak, promoter Bob Arum said.

Wolak, who stepped in for an injured Alfonso Gomez, will now fight Mexico’s Jose Pinzon (18-1-1, 12 KOs).

Arum said the new main event will be former world flyweight champion Nonito Donaire (24-1, 16 KOs) vs. Volodymyr Sydorenko (22-2-2, 7 KOs) in a bantamweight bout. The card will include lightweight champion Humberto Soto defending his belt against Maywood’s Urbano Antillon.

— Lance Pugmire