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From The Associated Press

Ramirez sent to Dodgers in deadline deal

BOSTON—Manny Ramirez is headed to Hollywood.

The Red Sox finally parted ways with their disgruntled slugger, sending him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a startling three-team trade Thursday that brought Jason Bay to Boston, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

Pittsburgh gave up Bay and wound up with four young players. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had been made.

The deal was completed just before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline for making trades without waivers.

As of early Thursday, it appeared Ramirez might be on his way to the Florida Marlins. But when those talks fizzled, the Red Sox and Pirates found a willing third partner in the Dodgers.

Griffey traded from Reds to White Sox

CINCINNATI—Ken Griffey Jr. is leaving home to get back in a pennant race.

The Chicago White Sox acquired Griffey from the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, hoping the 38-year-old outfielder has enough left to help them hold onto their slim lead in the AL Central.

The Reds sent Griffey and cash to Chicago for reliever Nick Masset and Triple-A second baseman Danny Richar. The deal was announced a half-hour before the 4 p.m. EDT deadline to make trades without waivers.

Griffey, who hit his 600th home run this season, agreed to the trade earlier in the day. But because of the cash transaction involved, the deal did not become official until the commissioner’s office approved it.

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams had coveted Griffey for several years. Now older, it’s uncertain how much Griffey has left in his often-injured body and where he will fit in with Chicago. Manager Ozzie Guillen and the White Sox began the day with a 1?-game division lead over Minnesota.

Packers look for ways to end Brett Favre saga

MILWAUKEE—Still locked in a standoff with Brett Favre and facing the potential for a major disruption in training camp, the Green Bay Packers apparently are considering trading the three-time MVP to a division rival.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday that Packers officials have had internal discussions about trading Favre to the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears as a “last resort” to resolve the smoldering controversy.

As recently as Monday, there appeared to be no way the Packers would give Favre what they suspect he’s wanted all along: A one-way ticket to Minnesota. Packers general manager Ted Thompson said earlier this week that he would not consider trading Favre to one of its NFC North division rivals.

But with Favre poised for reinstatement and potentially ready to show up in Green Bay on Friday to turn training camp into a circus, team officials might be willing to do just about anything. There were multiple reports Wednesday night that the team had offered to pay Favre up to $20 million to stay retired.

James scores 20 in debut, leads US over Turkey

MACAU—Any team with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the lineup is going to score.

Sure enough, the United States had no problem doing so in the first quarter Thursday — but neither did Turkey. The Americans didn’t pull away until their offensive superstars decided to be defensive stoppers.

James scored 20 points and was a defensive force in his exhibition debut, helping the U.S. Olympic team overcome some early sloppy play to beat Turkey 114-82 in its first game in China.

James and Bryant both finished with five steals, leading a defensive effort that had 16 of them.