Jason Veritek will continue calling the shots behind the dish for Red Sox

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox wrapped up their offseason bargain hunting Friday by reaching a preliminary agreement with catcher and captain Jason Varitek that pays him half as much in 2009 as he made last season.

Varitek heads into his 13th major league season, all with the Red Sox, with a guaranteed $5 million for 2009 and a player option of $3 million or a team option of $5 million for 2010, two people familiar with the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet final.

That's quite a drop from the four-year, $40 million deal that ended after last season and less than he would have made had he accepted the team's offer of arbitration in early December.

The Red Sox handed out cheaper, one-year deals to pitchers John Smoltz ($5.5 million) and Brad Penny ($5 million) and outfielder Rocco Baldelli ($500,000). They also signed catcher Josh Bard, who made $2.2 million with San Diego last season, and reliever Takashi Saito, who was paid $2 million by the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Varitek came relatively cheap, in part because there was no great demand for his services after the worst offensive season of his career. If he plays under the player option, he could earn an additional $2 million in 2010 based on games started: $400,000 each for 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 games.

Widely praised throughout his career by Boston's pitchers for his skill in handling them, opposing hurlers usually fared well when Varitek came to the plate last year. The switch-hitter, who turns 37 on April 11, hit. 220 with 13 homers and 43 RBI in 131 games. For his career, he is batting .263 with 161 homers and 654 RBI in 1,330 games

Varitek also struggled trying to throw out base-stealers. They had an 81.2 percent success rate against him last season, worse than 19 other major league catchers.

With pitchers and catchers due to report to spring training Feb. 12, the Red Sox set a deadline of Friday for Varitek to accept or reject their offer. Their only catcher with considerable major league experience was Bard, and there was a chance they'd have to keep George Kottaras or Dusty Brown, who split time at Triple-A Pawtucket last year, as their No. 2 catcher.

Varitek, an All-Star in 2003 and 2005, had declined the Red Sox offer to go to arbitration, which would have resulted in a non-guaranteed one-year contract if no agreement was reached before a hearing. The team decreased his desirability to other clubs because the offer of arbitration requires a club to give up a first-round draft choice if it signed Varitek.

Varitek is the Red Sox career leader in games at catcher with 1,273. Carlton Fisk, who also played with the Chicago White Sox, is second with 990 games with Boston. Varitek was obtained on July 31, 1997, in one of the most lopsided trades in Red Sox history -- they also picked up pitcher Derek Lowe from the Seattle Mariners for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb.

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Antonio Margarito suspending while tests come back

Former welterweight titleholder Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, had their licenses temporarily suspended by the California State Athletic Commission on Wednesday pending the outcome of an investigation into the "plaster-like substance" found on Margarito's hand wraps before his fight last Saturday night against Shane Mosley.

About a half hour before the fight, which Mosley won by dominant ninth-round TKO to regain the welterweight championship, his trainer, Naazim Richardson, objected to the way Margarito's hands were wrapped.

When the wraps were cut off to be rewrapped, officials found what was deemed a "plaster-like substance" in the wraps. Two pieces of gauze, one in each glove, allegedly had the substance on them.

"From what I know, there was a plaster of Paris-like substance in Margarito's wraps and the commission has these wraps under seal and is investigating what kind of substance it is," Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who promotes Mosley, told ESPN.com. "I'm happy to see the commission realized how serious the issue is and is acting swiftly. We'll see what the outcome will be of the situation."

Past opponents of Margarito are watching the outcome of the commission investigation with interest. Attorney Pat English, who represents former Kermit Cintron promoter Main Events and Vinny Scolpino, the manager of Joshua Clottey, sent a letter to the commission on Tuesday to alert the panel of their interest.

"We have seen many allegations in this sport and will form no conclusions until the wraps are tested," English wrote. "However, if they test positive for an illegal substance a logical question will be whether the illegal substance was used in other bouts, and we will ask the commissions of the other states where Margarito fought to make appropriate inquiries."

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Michael Redd's season ends with torn ACL/MCL and so goes the Bucks

MILWAUKEE -- Just when that silky smooth jumper of his was starting to fall just the way Michael Redd likes it, the Olympian's injury-plagued season came to an abrupt and frustrating end. The Milwaukee Bucks' leading scorer will miss the rest of the year with torn ligaments in his left knee.

"I'm deeply disappointed but everything in life happens for a reason and this is God's plan for me," Redd said in a statement issued by the team. "I have faith in my teammates and coaches to continue to work together to make our fans proud. I will be supporting them wholeheartedly from the sidelines and working equally hard to return to the court in the best condition possible for next season."

Redd was just starting to look like the player who helped Team USA reclaim the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last summer. Having shaken the rust off from that long layoff in November, Redd was averaging 25.0 points per game in January and shooting better than 51 percent from the field. He had 27 points, including five 3-pointers, in a 133-99 dismantling of Dallas on Wednesday night.

But in the third quarter of Saturday night's victory over Sacramento, Redd landed awkwardly on teammate Luke Ridnour's foot after missing a shot near the basket. Redd had an MRI exam on Sunday that revealed the extent of the injury. A surgery date has not been scheduled.

Redd leads the team with 21.2 points per game and is fifth on the franchise career scoring list. The Bucks went 5-9 without him in November, with Charlie Bell filling in at shooting guard. Bell hasn't played since Jan. 19 because of a gimpy ankle.

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Herm Edwards gets the boot in KC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Herm Edwards, the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs during the worst two-year span in team history, was fired Friday.

Edwards goes out with a three-year regular-season record of 15-33 and with one year remaining on a four-year, $12 million contract. As head coach of the New York Jets in 2001-05, he had a regular-season mark of 39-41 and was 2-3 in the playoffs.

Edwards had been waiting to learn his fate since president and general manager Carl Peterson abruptly resigned on Dec. 15. When Scott Pioli was introduced as Peterson's successor on Jan. 13, he was noncommittal and said only that he intended to speak with Edwards.

"This was not an easy decision. Herm is an outstanding football coach and a man of integrity. We appreciate his leadership over the past three seasons, and we wish him all the best in the future," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said in a written statement.

Pioli said he has had several conversations with Edwards over the last week."After careful consideration, Clark and I felt that it was best to make a change," Pioli said.

Edwards expressed his gratitude to the Hunt family and said he respected "the tough decision that was made to move in a new direction." "There is not a more gracious family in all of professional sports than the Hunts," Edwards said in a statement released by the team. "To the players and coaches who worked so hard for our team, I appreciate their efforts."

Following a 10-year career as an NFL cornerback, Edwards' first experience with Kansas City came as a training camp assistant in 1989. Seventeen years later, he had the distinction of being the first man to become head coach of the team that brought him into the NFL through the league's minority coaching fellowship program.

Edwards' most costly mistake may have been overlooking Brodie Croyle's history of injuries and designating him as the foundation quarterback. A third-round pick out of Alabama in 2006, Croyle could never stay healthy and was 0-8 as a starter when he went down for the season with a knee injury.

Edwards' first year in Kansas City was a success. The Chiefs went 9-7 and captured the last wild-card playoff spot. He became only the fifth man to take two different teams to the postseason in his first year as head coach; the Jets went to the playoffs three times in his five seasons there.

He wanted to begin dismantling an aging team and start rebuilding in 2007. But he ran into opposition from a front office that felt there was enough left for another playoff run. After an encouraging 4-3 start, age and ineffectiveness at several key positions created problems and Kansas City ended 2007 on a nine-game losing streak.

With Hunt's blessing, Edwards finally launched his youth movement in 2008 and opened the season at New England with the youngest squad in the league.

He knew it was going to be a difficult chore because of all the youth. But he did not foresee an injury epidemic that robbed him of his two top quarterbacks, made a shambles of the linebacker corps and weakened the defensive line, offensive line and secondary.

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Rex Ryan becomes the new face in a BIG city

NEW YORK -- The New York Jets are confident Rex Ryan was worth the wait. The Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator was hired Monday as New York's coach, three weeks after the Jets fired Eric Mangini following a late-season collapse.

"We got the right man for the job," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement.

It became apparent the 46-year-old Ryan was at the top of the Jets' list of candidates when several other teams filled their coaching vacancies and New York's remained open. The Jets needed Baltimore's season to end -- which happened Sunday with a 23-14 loss at Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game -- before offering him the job.

Ryan, the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan, will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday at the Jets' facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"It's been a dream of mine to become a head coach in the NFL," Ryan said in a statement. "Coming here to the New York Jets, where my father once coached and was part of the Super Bowl III staff, is fantastic. I look around at the facilities and the people they have in place and see a first-class organization. I'm just proud to be part of it."

The Jets announced the hiring, but released no other details. The contract is for four years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity earlier Monday because the deal had not yet been announced.

The deal was finalized Monday afternoon after Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum flew down to Baltimore in the morning to iron out the details, Jets spokesman Bruce Speight said.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Rex has the expertise and instincts to build on the foundation that we have in place and take this franchise to the ranks of the NFL's elite," Johnson said.

Ryan takes over a team that started 8-3, but missed the playoffs with quarterback Brett Favre after losing four of its last five games.

"I'm very much looking forward to meeting Coach Ryan," wide receiver Chansi Stuckey said in an e-mail to the Associated Press. "His reputation precedes him by the success that Baltimore has had, and I'm very excited to get started."

The Ravens' defensive coordinator the last four seasons is the twin brother of Cleveland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. His Baltimore defense helped the Ravens to the AFC championship game and has been ranked in the top six in total yardage allowed the last four seasons under Ryan, including second overall this season while leading the NFL with 34 takeaways.

"I think it's a gain for them and a loss for us, but it's well-deserved," Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. "It was a long time coming."

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Steve Spagnola gets out of dodge before the Giants demise

ST. LOUIS -- At the start of the St. Louis Rams' coaching search, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was not really on the list.

General manager Billy Devaney assumed New York would be back in the Super Bowl and didn't think he could afford to wait for Spagnuolo.

"I'm such a great predictor of football games," Devaney said Monday. "As soon as they were eliminated it was like, 'Wow, let's start this process."'

Devaney's long-term friendship with Spagnuolo helped speed things from there. Their close relationship was evident at the introductory news conference Monday, with coach and GM, both about 5-foot-7, exchanging height-challenged related digs while adjusting the microphone level.

Friendship aside, the 47-year-old Spagnuolo played an integral role in thwarting the New England Patriots' perfect season in last year's Super Bowl and had another successful year last season despite dealing with injuries to key personnel. He quickly won over ownership and agreed to a four-year contract worth just under $12 million Saturday.

"It was like, automatically, he's basically at the end at the head of the class and going to meet ownership," Devaney said. "There was a plan, there was a confidence, the leadership part came out."

The enthusiasm, too, as he headed into the task of rebuilding a franchise that was 2-14 last year and is 5-27 the last two seasons.

"He was excited about it," Devaney said. "All the hot-button topics that were raised, he embraced fully."

Spagnuolo left his interview Thursday in Los Angeles ready to start rebuilding the Rams.

"When it was all said and done, I had a good feeling," Spagnuolo said. "I was sold, as they were. When you feel the right fit, when you feel you're around the right people, and it's something that has been in your heart for a long time, that's the time to do it."

He stopped well short of a turnaround timetable, though, for a franchise that last went to the playoffs in 2003.

"I'm not going to go there," Spagnuolo said. "We're going to have to start at the beginning here, take it one step at a time, and build on it.

"It's not about predictions and bold promises; it's about building."

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Tampa Bay Bucs fire John Grunden and GM Bruce Allen

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fired coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen after the team collapsed following a 9-3 start and failed to make the playoffs.

Gruden, who helped lead the Buccaneers to a victory over the Oakland Raiders in the 2003 Super Bowl, was Tampa Bay's coach for seven years before being dismissed Friday. Allen was general manager for the last five seasons.

A source close to Gruden said the coach was "blindsided" but the move, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported.

The Buccaneers were tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December, but finished with losses to Carolina and Atlanta on the road and San Diego and Oakland at home, where they had been 6-0. One more win would have landed a NFC wild-card berth.

The 9-7 record this season left Tampa out of the playoffs for the fourth time in six years.

"We will be forever grateful to Jon for bringing us the Super Bowl title, and we thank Bruce for his contributions to our franchise," Buccaneers co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. "However after careful consideration, we feel that this decision is in the best interest of our organization moving forward."

Gruden had been the head coach of the Buccaneers for seven seasons, coming from the Oakland Raiders. His overall record with Tampa Bay is 57-55, but 22-26 over the past three

seasons.

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