Webber is Pistons' homecoming king

Chris Webber is ready to go home. The five-time All-Star will sign with the Detroit Pistons today, returning to the area where he grew up and starred in college at Michigan. After committing to playing for the Pistons, Webber watched them play Minnesota in front-row seats at The Palace. He was greeted by a standing ovation. It was a much warmer welcome than Webber had received previously because of his involvement with deceased Michigan booster Ed Martin that led to NCAA sanctions. The 76ers cut ties last Thursday with Webber by buying out the final 1 1/2 years of his contract. A person involved in the negotiations who requested anonymity said Webber will sign a prorated contract for the veterans' minimum for the rest of this season.

Florida Marlins lefthander Dontrelle Willis agreed yesterday to a one-year contract for $6.45 million, a hefty salary for a team with a $15 million payroll last year, the lowest in the major leagues. The deal represents a 48 percent increase over Willis's salary of $4.35 million in 2006. He went 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA in 223 1/3 innings in 2006 . . . Catcher David Ross and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a $4.5 million, two-year contract, a deal that includes a team option for 2009. Ross hit 21 home runs in '06, third among NL catchers . . . The Dodgers avoided arbitration with lefthander Mark Hendrickson, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2,925,000. Hendrickson was 6-15 with a 4.21 ERA while splitting the season between Los Angeles and Tampa Bay . . . The Padres and catcher Josh Bard agreed to a $1.05 million, one-year contract. He hit .338 with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 50 games after arriving in a trade from the Red Sox May 1 . . . Busch Stadium in St. Louis has been selected to host the 2009 All-Star Game.

Mark McGwire's poor showing in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility didn't surprise St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. "I kind of figured there was going to be a statement made about that situation, so I wasn't surprised, and I didn't really have an opinion," La Russa said yesterday. "I like what Tony Gwynn said. You know, this guy belongs in the Hall of Fame and, hopefully, sooner rather than later." McGwire, who hit 70 home runs in 1998 to shatter Roger Maris's 37-year-old record, is suspected of using steroids. He was picked on only 23.5 percent of ballots, far below the 75 percent needed . . . Sammy Sosa worked out for the Texas Rangers, the team he began his career with, before meeting general manager Jon Daniels and other club officials. Sosa, 38, hasn't played in the major leagues since 2005, when he hit .221 with 14 home runs and 45 RBIs in 102 games during his only season with the Baltimore Orioles.

Florida is at No. 1 in the Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the second time this season. The defending national champion moved up from second following North Carolina's loss to Virginia Tech over the weekend. The Gators were on top of the preseason rankings and the first poll of the regular season before falling as low as seventh six weeks ago. Florida (16-2) received 43 No. 1 votes and had 1,761 points. Wisconsin (17-1) had 21 first-place votes and 1,722 points to reach No. 2, its highest ranking in school history. Third-ranked UCLA (15-1) had seven No. 1 votes, while the Tar Heels (15-2) slid from No. 1 to No. 4 . . . Duke (18-0) jumped over North Carolina to replace Maryland at the top of the AP women's basketball poll, two days after beating the Terrapins, 81-62. North Carolina (19-0) remained second and Maryland (17-1), which had been No. 1 all season, slipped to third . . . Fresh off a weekend sweep at Maine, the Boston University men's hockey team climbed from No. 12 to No. 7 in the latest USCHO.com/CSTV Division 1 poll. The Terriers (10-4-6) defeated the Black Bears Friday, 6-5, then followed up with a 3-0 win Saturday. Maine (14-5-2) slipped from No. 2 to No. 5. New Hampshire (17-3-1) received five first-place votes in moving from No. 3 to No. 2, while Minnesota (20-2-3) remained in the top spot with 35 first-place votes. No. 7 Boston College (12-6-1) is the only other New England school in the top 10 . . . Clemson starting linebacker Antonio Clay is taking the spring semester off from school to deal with family matters, coach Tommy Bowden said.

The DNA of former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich could be compared to blood samples seized in the Spanish doping investigation. Bonn, Germany, district attorney Fred Apostel said that Spanish authorities have agreed to hand over one of the bags of frozen blood found in last April's raid on a Madrid clinic linked to alleged doping of up to 57 cyclists. The comparison of his DNA with the blood bag suspected to be from Ullrich could prove or disprove the use of performance-enhancing drugs . . . Michael Phelps went 1-for-3 in his experiment of taking on world record holders in the 100-yard butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke in the Southern California Grand Prix of Swimming at Long Beach. Phelps topped backstroke king Aaron Peirsol, winning in 45.90 seconds, but proved no match for Brendan Hansen in the breaststroke. Hansen won in 52.81, with Phelps second in 54.67. In the butterfly, Ian Crocker of Portland, Maine, beat Phelps, winning in 45.23. Phelps finished in 46.05 . . . Kate Markgraf will captain the United States women's soccer team in the Four Nations tournament in China, filling in for Kristine Lilly. Lilly and fellow veteran Abby Wambach are skipping the tournament, which begins Jan. 26, to rest for the buildup to the Women's World Cup in September.