Seeking a closer, Angels get Fuentes

Reliever Brian Fuentes and the Angels reached an agreement yesterday on a two-year deal, perhaps giving the AL West champions a replacement for record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez. Fuentes gets $17.5 million over the two seasons. There's a club option for $9 million in 2011. The 33-year-old Fuentes was a three-time NL All-Star. The lefthander was 1-5 with 30 saves in 34 chances and a 2.73 ERA for Colorado in 2008. He struck out 82 in 62 2/3 innings. Rodriguez posted 62 saves for the Angels to break Bobby Thigpen's season record of 57. K-Rod signed a three-year, $37 million contract with the Mets three weeks ago . . . Free agent lefthander Mark Hendrickson signed a one-year contract with the Orioles. Hendrickson pitched in 36 games for the Marlins last season, including 19 starts, and could compete for a spot in Baltimore's thin starting rotation. The 34-year-old Hendrickson was 7-8 with a 5.45 ERA in 2008.

The Indians acquired versatile infielder Mark DeRosa in a trade that sent three minor leaguers to the Cubs. The Indians dealt pitchers Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub for DeRosa, who likely will slide into third base. The 33-year-old DeRosa hit a career-high 21 homers and drove in 87 runs last season in 149 games while playing six positions for the NL Central champions . . . The Cubs and free agent infielder Aaron Miles agreed to a two-year contract. The switch-hitting Miles batted .317 with four homers and 31 RBIs in 134 games for the Cardinals in 2008 . . . A greyhound racetrack and a former landfill are among seven suggested sites for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark. Each possible location is on the St. Petersburg side of Tampa Bay. The current Tropicana Field area made the list, as did Progress Energy Park, a downtown spring training stadium the team had hoped to develop into a major league stadium . . . The congressional panel that had follow-up questions for baseball about its drug-testing program is satisfied with the sport's answers. Representatives Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, and Tom Davis, Republican of Virginia, leaders of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent letters in June to commissioner Bud Selig and players' union head Donald Fehr, saying information in the Mitchell Report raised questions about their statements during a March 2005 hearing. "Baseball and the players' union provided additional information that clarified the record, and I am satisfied with their response," Waxman said in a statement.

GOLF

John Daly smashed one tee shot off the top of a beer can during a pro-am. At another tournament, he returned from a rain delay with Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden as his caddie. And his most memorable photo this year came in an orange jail suit, eyes half-closed. Daly said that such unwelcome publicity is why the PGA Tour suspended him for six months. The two-time major champion confirmed his suspension, calling this the low point of an 18-year career during which he has made as much news off the course as he has with his prodigious game. "Is it fair that I got suspended?" he said. "It's not fair in reality, but it's probably fair in perception." Daly said he wanted to go public to let fans and tournaments know that he wasn't abandoning them by taking his game to the European Tour. At least until the spring, he didn't have much of a choice. He said he isn't even sure when the suspension began, but he hopes it ends in May.

COLLEGES

Alabama coach Nick Saban didn't rule out the possibility of All-America left tackle Andre Smith returning for his senior season. An NCAA spokeswoman, meanwhile, said the governing body has spoken with university officials and determined that it is an internal matter. Saban suspended the Outland Trophy winner for tomorrow night's Sugar Bowl against No. 7 Utah after alleged dealings with a sports agent. "Andre Smith is a fine young man and he did a great job here for us," Saban said. "He may be doing a great job for someone else in the future or he may be doing a great job for us in the future. That decision has not yet been made." . . . North Carolina State women's basketball coach Kay Yow missed her third straight game as she battles a recurrence of breast cancer. The 66-year-old Hall of Fame coach, who was first diagnosed in 1987, had hoped to be on the bench for her team's 61-58 victory over Georgetown. But team spokesman Mark Kimmel said she decided about four hours before tipoff that she would be unable to coach.

MISCELLANY

John Tavares scored three goals and Canada (4-0) overcame an early three-goal deficit to beat the United States, 7-4, and earn a bye into the semifinals in the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa. Kevin Shattenkirk of Boston University, Jimmy Hayes of Boston College, Jim O'Brien, and Jonathan Blum scored for the Americans (3-1), who will face Slovakia tomorrow night, with the winner advancing to play Group B champion Sweden. On Saturday, Canada faces the winner of the Russia-Czech Republic Group A quarterfinal . . . Bruton Smith's Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, purchased Kentucky Speedway for $78.3 million, clearing the way for Smith to try and bring a coveted NASCAR Sprint Cup race to the 1.5-mile trioval in northern Kentucky. Smith has the option of moving a date at one of his other tracks to Kentucky, but said that would not be his preference. NHMS runs two Cup events, the Lenox 301 and the Sylvania 300 . . . Orlando Magic guard Mickael Pietrus will be out indefinitely after breaking his right wrist on a dunk against Detroit Monday. Pietrus was injured when he banged into the Pistons' Jason Maxiell and landed awkwardly on his back and arm. X-rays taken after the game showed no structural damage, but an MRI revealed the fracture . . . Longtime NBA assistant Ron Adams has been hired to complete Oklahoma City Thunder interim coach Scott Brooks's staff. Adams's hiring fills the vacancy created when Brooks was promoted to replace fired head coach P.J. Carlesimo . . . Axel Teichmann of Germany won a 15-kilometer cross-country race and Virpi Kuitunen of Finland won the women's event at Nova Mesto Na Morave, Czech Republic, in a World Cup event. Teichmann finished in 39 minutes 3.7 seconds.