Mets give Manuel two-year contract

Jerry Manuel is getting another chance to right the New York Mets. After replacing Willie Randolph in June and falling just short of a playoff berth, Manuel was given a two-year contract yesterday that includes a club option for 2011. Manuel was promoted to manager on an interim basis June 17, when New York was 34-35. While the Mets built a 3 1/2-game NL East lead in September, they lost 10 of their final 17 games and were eliminated from postseason contention on the final day of the season for the second straight year . . . Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will have surgery Tuesday on his sore right shoulder. He is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, the New Orleans Saints' top draft pick, will be sidelined for 2-4 weeks with a right knee injury, the team announced. Ellis, the No. 7 overall selection in last April's draft, tore the medial meniscus in his knee during the Saints' win last Sunday against San Francisco and had arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear yesterday morning . . . Baltimore Ravens starting cornerback Samari Rolle underwent neck surgery this week and will be out at least a month . . . Deion Branch will start for the Seahawks tomorrow against the Giants, eight months after the former Patriots receiver had reconstructive knee surgery. Receiver Bobby Engram (shoulder) also will make his season debut at New York . . . The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without half their starting secondary - safety Reggie Nelson (knee) and cornerback Drayton Florence (groin) - against Pittsburgh tomorrow night . . . Coach Jim Zorn said he is hoping safety Shawn Springs (calf) will be able to play tomorrow against the Eagles . . . Running back Brian Westbrook was a full participant in practice for the first time in two weeks and appears likely to play tomorrow when the Eagles host Washington . . . The NFL has fined Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers $10,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan . . . Panthers offensive tackle Jordan Gross, who was knocked unconscious during last Sunday's win over Atlanta, will miss tomorrow's game against Kansas City, ending his streak of 84 consecutive starts . . . Former Nebraska star Lawrence Phillips was sentenced to 10 years in prison, two years after he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon.

Montreal Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau received a multiyear contract extension for leading the team to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season. No details were released . . . Former Boston College star and top Sabres prospect Nathan Gerbe was assigned to AHL Portland.

More than 19 months after suffering a gruesome knee injury, point guard Shaun Livingston signed a two-year contract with the Miami Heat. Livingston tore three knee ligaments and dislocated his kneecap while playing for the Clippers . . . Dream Empress pulled away down the stretch to win the $500,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes and capture the first of seven "win and you're in" Breeders' Cup berths being awarded at Keeneland's fall meet. The win sends Dream Empress to the Juvenile Fillies' division of the Breeders' Cup. In the $400,000 First Lady, Forever Together edged favorite Precious Kitten by 1 1/2 lengths . . . Arson Squad rallied to win the $350,000 Meadowlands Cup, beating Anak Nakal by 2 1/2 lengths and giving trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. his second straight Cup win . . . Jeff Overton shot a 3-under-par 69 to take a one-shot lead over Tag Ridings (68) after two rounds of the PGA Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, N.Y. . . . Angela Stanford's double eagle allowed her to finish with a 73 and move two shots behind Na Yeon Choi after the second round of the LPGA Samsung World Championship in Half Moon Bay, Calif. . . . South Korea's Kim Wi-joong shot a 4-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead in the Korea Open in Seoul, while American Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim shot 73 to drop three shots back . . . Kirk Hanefeld of Acton, Mass., shot a 2-under 70 to trail Mike Borich by two at the Senior PGA Professional National Championship in Indian Wells, Calif. . . . Venus Williams beat Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-2, at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a semifinal with Jelena Jankovic, who will be No. 1 in next week's rankings.