Reports: Mets won’t keep Oscar Minaya, Jerry Manuel

General Manager Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel will not be retained by the New York Mets, according to multiple media reports Friday.

“It sounds like everybody’s got me written off, but nobody’s told me I’m written off,” Manuel told MLB.com. He said he had not discussed his status with his superiors.

The search for a new manager figures to take a while since the Mets are expected to first hire a general manager, who then will have input into the decision on a new manager.

A Mets spokesman told MLB.com the team would “have nothing to announce until after the season.”

The Philadelphia Phillies announced the rest of their rotation for the National League Division Series. After Roy Halladay starts Game 1, Roy Oswalt will pitch Game 2 and Cole Hamels will be the Game 3 starter. They are expected to come back with Halladay in Game 4 and Oswalt in Game 5, if necessary.

Contador denies allegations

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador called for antidoping regulations to be revised after his positive test for a banned anabolic agent, saying the whole system was in question.

“There has to be a limit set for substances like clenbuterol so that quantities as tiny as those found in my body due to contaminated food do not count as a positive,” Contador told Reuters.

NBA doubles fines for technicals

The NBA announced that fines for technical fouls will be doubled this season. The new costs: $2,000 apiece for the first five technicals, $3,000 for the next five and $4,000 for the five after that. If player reaches 16 technicals for the season, he will be suspended one game for every two technicals and will be docked $5,000 apiece.

Mississippi State junior point guard Dee Bost was suspended for nine games by the NCAA for failing to withdraw his name from the NBA draft by the May 8 deadline.

Kings, Ducks make roster moves

The Kings assigned defenseman Thomas Hickey to Manchester (N.H.) of the American Hockey League.

The move leaves the Kings with seven healthy defensemen plus Matt Greene, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the first month of the season. It’s good news, though, for Jake Muzzin, who was signed as a free agent in January. He gets to stay, along with Rob Scuderi, Jack Johnson, Peter Harrold, Davis Drewiske, Willie Mitchell and Drew Doughty.

The Kings also put forward John Zeiler on waivers. If he clears waivers, he will go to Manchester on Saturday.

Ducks defensemen Danny Syvret and Brett Festerling cleared waivers and were assigned to Syracuse (N.Y.) of the AHL.

— Helene Elliott

Darcy Tucker considered one of the NHL’s best agitators, announced his retirement, ending a 15-year career. Tucker, 35, played for the Colorado Avalanche the last two seasons, but he became best known during his eight seasons in Toronto.

Disappointing attendance at Oak Tree meeting opener

There was an on-track crowd of 4,279 on Thursday night for the opening of the 22-day Oak Tree meeting at Hollywood Park, which is considered a disappointment in the first experiment trying night racing during autumn. Not even a concert after the races featuring the band Sugar Ray helped attendance.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Santa Anita, but trainers and owners forced a last-minute change to Hollywood Park because of concerns over Santa Anita’s synthetic surface. Hollywood Park’s total handle was $4,524,976 compared to $6,729,164 last year at Santa Anita.

“We knew this was an experiment,” said Sherwood Chillingworth, executive vice president at Oak Tree. It’s hard to build the fan base with the younger group, but we’re trying.”

— Eric Sondheimer

L.A. Triathlon set for Sunday

The Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Triathlon will be held Sunday, beginning with an 0.9-mile swim at Venice Beach, followed by a 24-mile bike ride to downtown L.A. and concluding with a 6.2-mile run that finishes at L.A. Live. There is also a sprint version of the triathlon at approximately half the distances.

Javier Gomez from Spain and Lisa Norden of Sweden will return to defend the professional titles they won last year. The event, in its 11th year, attracts nearly 3,000 competitors each year and begins at 7:15 a.m. Pros will be competing for a $40,000 purse.

Etc.

Kasey Kahne won the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Price Chopper 400 on Sunday at Kansas City, Kan., and teammate Paul Menard also will start in the front row. Jeff Gordon was the fastest of the 12 drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, qualifying third.

Dario Franchitti took the pole for the IndyCar Series’ season-ending Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Brendon de Jonge and Bill Haas both shot six-under-par 66s for the second day in a row and led the PGA Tour’s Viking Classic at Madison, Miss., at 12 under. Michael Allen (66) and Nathan Green (68) were two shots back.

Australian Peter Senior eagled the par-five 18th hole for a first-round 65 and led the Champions Tour’s Ensure Classic at Conover, N.C., by one shot over Tom Kite, Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer.