Louisville turns to Tulsa's Kragthorpe

Tulsa's Steve Kragthorpe was introduced as the football coach at the University of Louisville yesterday, less than 48 hours after Bobby Petrino left for the NFL. Kragthorpe and Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich agreed to a five-year deal that runs through the 2012 season. Kragthorpe, who served as quarterbacks coach at Boston College in 1996, went 29-22 in four seasons at Tulsa, winning the Conference USA title in 2005. The Cardinals went 12-1 in 2006, won the Big East and the Orange Bowl, and finished sixth in the final AP poll. Petrino resigned Sunday to coach the Atlanta Falcons . . . Rice extended football coach Todd Graham's contract through 2012 for leading the Owls (7-6) to their first bowl game in 45 years in his first season. Under Graham, the Owls rebounded from a 1-10 record in 2005 to post a 6-2 Conference USA record and earn a berth in the New Orleans Bowl, where they lost to Troy, 41-17 . . . Former Georgia Tech guard Ray Beck, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, died in Cedartown, Ga., after an extended illness. He was 75.

New Jersey Nets star Jason Kidd filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years, accusing her of "extreme cruelty" throughout their marriage. In the dissolution papers, filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County, Kidd accuses Joumana Kidd of physically and mentally abusing him, threatening to make false domestic violence complaints against him to police, and of interfering with his relationship with his children. "The defendant's extreme and unwarranted jealousy and rage has left the plaintiff concerned about her emotional stability," the papers say. The divorce filing came less than a day after Kidd, 33, filed a domestic violence complaint seeking a temporary restraining order against his wife. The Kidds were married in 1997 and have three children, 8-year-old Trey Jason (known as T.J.), and 4-year-old twin daughters, Miah and Jazelle. Despite the numerous accusations by Kidd in the complaint, he did not ask for sole custody of the children . . . A source told the Philadelphia Daily News that Chris Webber and the 76ers had agreed on the terms of a buyout of the remainder of his contract, and that the details could be finalized today. The source said that Webber, who will become a free agent, would give back less than $5 million in the deal. In his 14th NBA season, Webber is listed on the team's salary cap at $20,718,750 this season and is due $22,312,500 next season.

Catcher Javy Lopez, 36, reached a preliminary agreement on a $750,000, one-year contract with the Rockies. Lopez had a rocky 2006 season: He began the year in Baltimore behind the plate, was moved to designated hitter and then first base, was traded to the Red Sox Aug. 4, where he hit .190, and was released Sept. 8 . . . The Diamondbacks made official their reacquisition of lefthander Randy Johnson from the Yankees, one day after he passed his physical. The 43-year-old lefthander, who had back surgery in October, returns with a two-year, $26 million contract. "A lot of people say my career is over," Johnson said. "I had a 5.00 ERA. Well, I was out there pitching with a bad back for most of the year." . . . Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds, 36, had surgery to correct a "hammer toe" ailment that led him to have a daily numbing injection during the postseason. Edmonds had shoulder surgery in November, five days after agreeing to a $19 million, two-year contract. The Cardinals expect Edmonds to be ready for Opening Day . . . Righthander Russ Ortiz agreed to a $380,000, one-year contract to rejoin the Giants five seasons after helping the club reach the 2002 World Series.

Rafael Nadal retired from his first-round match at the Sydney International with a right groin injury, less than a week from the Australian Open. Chris Guccione was leading, 6-5, and the players were on serve in the opening set when the top-seeded Nadal decided to withdraw. "The Australian Open is a priority," Nadal said. Paradorn Srichaphan (wrist) also pulled out on the men's side; in the women's draw, former US Open champion and second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova (respiratory virus) and No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova (abdominal strain) both quit their matches. Earlier, defending champion James Blake needed just 46 minutes to beat fellow American Kevin Kim, 6-3, 6-4, in a first-round match . . . Former tennis pro Gloria Connors, who coached her son Jimmy to eight Grand Slam titles, died Monday at 82 in her Belleville, Ill., home, apparently of natural causes, the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced.

The Breeders' Cup, thoroughbred racing's showcase event, will expand to 11 races over two days. Three $1 million races and another day of racing were added to the program, beginning with this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., Oct. 26-27. The 11 races will now total $23 million in purses. The new races, to be run Oct. 26, are the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile for 3-year-olds and up, the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint for 3-year-olds and up, and the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf . . . The all-star International Race of Champions, pitting 12 drivers from different auto racing disciplines in equally prepared cars, will not run at Daytona next month because officials of the four-race series have not secured sponsorship.