Sampras to get back in swing in Boston

Pete Sampras will play tournament tennis for the first time since 2002, competing on a tour for players over 30, and his first match will be in Boston. Sampras's Outback Champions Series debut, which will come May 2-6 at Boston University's Agganis Arena, is to be announced formally today. Sampras, 35, will appear in at least one other event on the tour in 2007. "This is kind of my first dive into the waters, so to speak, to see how I feel and play a match I really want to win," Sampras, owner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, told the Associated Press. John McEnroe and series co-founder Jim Courier also will be in the eight-man field in Boston . . . Maria Sharapova returned to No. 1 in the WTA rankings, overtaking Justin Henin despite a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final . . . Venus Williams, who missed the Australian Open with a left wrist injury, committed to play for the US in the first round of the Fed Cup April 21-22 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center in Florida.

Baseball

Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants completed a $15.8 million, one-year contract last night after the slugger spent hours at the ballpark being examined by team doctors. A baseball official confirmed the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the club had not yet announced it . . . Roger Clemens took the mound in Astros gear to throw batting practice during the club's hitting and pitching camp at Minute Maid Park, but said he remains undecided about whether he'll pitch this season . . . Sammy Sosa and the Texas Rangers wrapped up weeks of negotiations and agreed to a minor league contract that is to be announced today. Sosa hasn't played in the major leagues since 2005 . . . Outfielder Preston Wilson agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract with the Cardinals . . . The New York Yankees agreed today to send coaches, scouts, and trainers to China to help boost interest in baseball, furthering a push by the major leagues into one of the world's fastest-growing sports markets . . . Art Fowler, who pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers' 1959 championship team, died in Spartanburg, S.C. He was 84.

NFL

Former Cleveland Browns coach Chris Palmer was named quarterbacks coach of the New York Giants, taking over the job of making Eli Manning a more consistent player. Manning, who has struggled in the second half in each of his two seasons as the Giants' starter, will be the fourth No. 1 overall pick that Palmer has tutored. He previously worked with Drew Bledsoe in New England, Tim Couch in Cleveland, and David Carr in Houston . . . The Raiders hired former Atlanta offensive coordinator Greg Knapp to fill the same job in Oakland . . . 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary will interview for the vacant Dallas Cowboys head coaching job today.

Colleges

Bobby Ross retired as Army's football coach, and without a victory over Navy in his three seasons with the Black Knights. The former NFL coach, who had a 9-25 record at Army, will be succeeded by offensive line coach Stan Brock . . . Charges won't be filed against former California football star Marshawn Lynch despite an Oakland woman's accusations that he choked, slapped, and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said. An Alameda County Superior Court judge granted a restraining order Friday to the woman, who described herself in court documents as Lynch's ex-girlfriend. But prosecutors said a lack of evidence -- including no visible injuries or photographs of injuries, a witness' statement contradicting the accuser, and inconsistencies in the woman's own story -- meant the case couldn't go forward . . . Frank Leonard, a scout for the Patriots from 2004-06, was named Kansas State's assistant coach for tight ends.

The University of New Hampshire men's hockey team is ranked first in the latest USCHO.com/CSTV men's college hockey poll. The Wildcats (19-4-1) collected 36 of 40 first-place votes to move into the top spot for the first time since Oct. 20, 2003. Minnesota (21-5-3), which owned the top spot for 10 weeks, fell to third after losing twice to North Dakota over the weekend. Boston University remained in the No. 7 spot, Maine fell from No. 6 to No. 9, and Boston College held steady at No. 13 . . . Florida and Wisconsin are Nos. 1 and 2 for a third consecutive week in the AP men's college basketball poll . . . Duke and North Carolina remained 1-2 in the AP women's basketball poll.

Miscellany

Michelle Wie was offered a sponsor invitation to the Kraft Nabisco Championship, among seven pros and six amateurs invited to the first LPGA Tour major of the year, set for March 29-April 1 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. . . . Cavaliers star LeBron James said he'll consider sitting out the next few games to rest his sore right toe, which he injured on a recent road trip and aggravated during Sunday's game against Phoenix . . . The mother of four of former NBA star Latrell Sprewell's children sued him for $200 million, alleging Sprewell broke their long-term cohabitation deal and roughed her up last month in their Westchester County (N.Y.) home . . . The Los Angeles Kings traded center Craig Conroy to the Calgary Flames for center Jamie Lundmark and a pair of draft picks . . . Real Madrid and AC Milan are $1.3 million apart on a deal that would send three-time world player of the year Ronaldo to the Italian team. Under FIFA's transfer rules, the deal for the 30-year-old forward must be completed by tomorrow . . . The perjury trial of Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou in Athens was postponed until late September. Kenteris and Thanou face misdemeanor charges over an alleged motorcycle accident Aug. 12, 2004, which they are suspected of staging to avoid a doping test on the eve of the Olympics . . . Decathlete C.K. Yang, who won a silver medal at the 1960 Games in Rome, died in Los Angeles. He was 74.