Report: A-Rod advised to bypass agent

Investor Warren Buffett advised Alex Rodriguez to approach the New York Yankees and go around agent Scott Boras, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The newspaper cited a person familiar with the matter, whom it did not identify. "A-Rod really loves being a Yankee," Buffett was quoted as saying. He wouldn't comment on the substance of any discussions with the player. Rodriguez, on Boras's advice, opted out of the final three seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year contract Oct. 28. The Yankees had said if he opted out, they wouldn't negotiate because they would lose $21.3 million from Texas for the final three seasons agreed to at the time of the 2004 trade.

Kenny Rogers is representing himself as a free agent, the Detroit Tigers confirmed. The move seems to be a sign the lefthanded pitcher is closer to returning to Detroit and not letting Boras shop his services to the highest bidder. "I still hope to be in a Tiger uniform in 2008," Rogers wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press last week before reports surfaced that he fired Boras. Detroit wanted to include bringing back Rogers as part of a flurry of deals, but Boras told the ball club he and Rogers were going to explore other options.

Top-ranked Roger Federer won 15 straight points in 11 minutes, and beat Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the Masters Cup final in Shanghai. Seeking his second consecutive title and fourth overall at the season-ending event for the world's top eight players, Federer will play today against sixth-ranked David Ferrer, who beat No. 5 Andy Roddick, 6-1, 6-3.

Even with a mistake, Mao Asada was too good for Kimmie Meissner to top. Asada fell on the opening jump of her free skate in Paris, but came back strong to beat the former world champion and win the Trophee Bompard in a rout. Asada, the reigning world silver medalist, finished with 179.80 points, more than 20 ahead of Meissner (158.74). Another American, Ashley Wagner, was third. Canadian teen Patrick Chan pulled off a shocker in the men's final, winning his first Grand Prix title. In the pairs competition, Olympic silver medalists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao held off former world champions Pang Qing and Tong Jian. Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder won the ice dance title.

Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer shattered the world record in the 5,000 meters in Calgary, Alberta, knocking more than 4 seconds off the mark in a World Cup event. Kramer finished in 6 minutes 03.32 seconds at the Olympic Oval to erase the record of 6:07.40 set by Italy's Enrico Fabris Nov. 10 in the World Cup season-opener in Salt Lake City . . . Three-time defending champion Armin Zoeggeler of Italy won the first men's World Cup luge race of the season and the United States captured the inaugural team relay event at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y. Zoeggeler, 33, turned in the fastest times in each of the two heats for a combined time of 1:45.238 on the 20-turn, 1-mile track on Mt. Van Hoevenberg. The two-time Olympic champion finished .260 seconds ahead of David Moeller of Germany. Jan Eichhorn of Germany was third. The top North American was Tony Benshoof of White Bear Lake, Minn, who finished seventh . . . Janne Korpi led a Finnish sweep in the Big Air snowboarding World Cup opener in Stockholm. Risto Mattila, the defending world champion, finished second, and Sami Saarenpaa was third. Matevz Petek, last year's winner from Slovenia, wound up 17th.

Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu will miss about a week with a cracked bone in his left leg after getting hit by a swinging stick from Vancouver's Mattias Ohlund Friday . . . The US National Under-17 hockey team got two goals each from Jeremy Morin and David Valek en route to a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL . . . Colby Rasmus homered in the first inning, and the United States beat the Netherlands, 5-0, to advance to the final of the Baseball World Cup in Taipei. The Americans will play today against Cuba, which defeated Japan, 5-3. Matt Wright (2-0) allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six, and walked two for the Americans . . . Jeff Burton wrapped up the Busch Series car owners' championship, winning the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to give Richard Childress his 11th NASCAR title. Burton took control late in the race after a series of green flag pit stops and pulled away to the win . . . World Boxing Organization junior welterweight champion Joan Guzman (28-0) remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over Humberto Soto (43-6-2) in Atlantic City . . . Former European women's 1,500-meter track champion Sureyya Ayhan has tested positive for doping in September and faces a lifetime ban.