Pettitte ready for retirement

Pitcher Andy Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion, is set to announce his retirement Friday.

Pettitte, 38, had been telling the New York Yankees since the end of the season that he probably would not play in 2011. He became a free agent and has not attempted to negotiate a contract. Pettitte was 240-138 with a 3.88 earned-run average in 16 major league seasons. He excelled in the playoffs, setting a record for wins by going 19-10 with a 3.83 ERA.

Pettitte’s departure will leave a huge hole in the Yankees’ rotation, with no proven starters behind CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. Pettitte spent 13 seasons with the Yankees, interrupting his career in New York to play for his hometown Houston Astros from 2004 to 2006. He was a three-time All-Star and was a 20-game winner in 1996 and 2003. He was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts in 2010.

The Dodgers signed pitcher Ron Mahay to a minor league deal and invited him to spring training. Mahay had a 3.44 ERA in 41 games last season with the Minnesota Twins.

Shortstop Alexei Ramirez finalized a new contract with the Chicago White Sox that adds $32.5 million over four years through 2015.

GOLF

Four tied for lead in Phoenix

Bill Haas, Jason Bohn, Tom Gillis and Tom Lehman shot six-under-par 65s in chilly conditions at Scottsdale, Ariz., and shared the lead in the suspended first round of the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open.

The start of play was delayed for four hours because of heavy frost at TPC Scottsdale and only the scheduled morning starters completed the round.

South Africa’s Retief Goosen shot a three-under 69 on his 42nd birthday and had a one-shot lead after the first round of the Qatar Masters at Doha. Goosen made five birdies and was a shot ahead of Robert Karlsson of Sweden, South Africa’s Darren Fitchardt and England’s Richard Finch.

Even though Tiger Woods has played in only one tournament this year, at Torrey Pines, and wasn’t even in contention at the end of it, the Golf Channel had its best January in its 16-year history.

With Phil Mickelson a near-winner at Torrey Pines and newcomer Jhonattan Vegas attracting attention there as well as at the Bob Hope, the channel had 15.3 million viewers last month. A year ago for the same period, when Woods was on a self-imposed sabbatical from golf, that number was 14.1 million.

-- Diane Pucin

ETC.

County won’t charge Mustain

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office declined to file charges against former USC quarterback Mitch Mustain, who was arrested on suspicion of selling prescription narcotics.

Mustain, 22, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of a felony for allegedly selling Adderall, an amphetamine, to an undercover officer. But county prosecutors said they would not move forward with a felony prosecution because the substance sold to the undercover officer was “lisdexamfetamine dimesylate,” which is not listed as a controlled substance.

In the filing declination, prosecutors noted Mustain passed off the item he was selling as a controlled substance, which could potentially result in a felony filing, but because he had no criminal record, they opted to send the case to the city attorney, who will decide whether to file a misdemeanor charge.

“Given that Mustain has no record and that this is his first contact with law enforcement, it is appropriate that it be referred to the city attorney’s office for misdemeanor consideration,” officials wrote.

The arrest came as the result of a sting operation, but police did not elaborate on details of the case.

-- Andrew Blankstein

The Sparks signed former New York Liberty point guard Loree Moore, who has averaged six points, 3.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds a game over five WNBA seasons.