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From The Associated Press

K-Rod, Mets agree to $37 million contract

LAS VEGAS—Record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez and the New York Mets reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $37 million, three-year contract.

The sides still have to work out a written agreement and the pitcher must pass a physical, two people familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been completed.

K-Rod recorded 62 saves for the Los Angeles Angels this year, five more than the previous big league mark set by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox in 1990, and then filed for free agency. His agent, Paul Kinzer, had hoped to get a five-year contract, possibly equaling the $15 million average salary Mariano Rivera is earning from the New York Yankees.

But with baseball executives worried about the national recession, Kinzer accepted a more modest deal.

Union appeals suspension, fine of Burress

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—The NFL Players Association filed a grievance on Tuesday challenging the suspension and fine given to Plaxico Burress by the New York Giants after the receiver accidentally shot himself in a nightclub more than a week ago.

The union said that the team violated the collective bargaining agreement last week when it placed Burress on the reserve-non football injury list, suspended him for the final four games of the regular season and fined him an additional week’s salary for conduct detrimental to the team.

Placing Burress on the non-football injury list also will keep him out of the playoffs. The Giants (11-2) won the NFC East title on Sunday.

Under the contract that Burress signed in September, the Giants owe the Super Bowl star $1 million of his signing bonus on Wednesday. Team spokesman Pat Hanlon had no comment on either the grievance and whether the team would pay the signing bonus.

North Carolina remains unanimous No. 1

North Carolina’s 35-point romp over a ranked team kept the Tar Heels a unanimous No. 1 choice in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll Monday. Ohio State joined the Top 25 following a pair of five-point victories over ranked teams.

The Tar Heels (8-0) dismantled Michigan State 98-63 at Ford Field last week as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and again received all 72 first-place votes from the national media panel.

Connecticut and Pittsburgh held the second and third spots, while Gonzaga and Oklahoma both moved up one place to fourth and fifth. Texas, Duke, Tennessee, Louisville and Xavier rounded out the top 10.

Ohio State (5-0), which beat Miami and Notre Dame last week, moved in at No. 21, the Buckeyes’ first ranking since being No. 1 in the final poll of 2006-07.

Defending national champion Kansas (7-1) moved back into the poll at No. 25.

Miami (5-2) and Florida dropped out of the rankings. Miami bounced back from the loss to Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a victory at Kentucky on Saturday. Florida lost to intrastate rival Florida State for the third straight year on Sunday.

Texas (6-1) moved up one spot after beating UCLA 68-64 last week. Duke, which lost 81-73 at Michigan on Saturday after winning 76-60 at Purdue on Tuesday, fell from fourth to seventh.

Wake Forest was 11th and was followed by Notre Dame, Syracuse, Purdue, Villanova, UCLA, Memphis, Michigan State, Georgetown and Arizona State.

The last five ranked teams were Ohio State, Baylor, Davidson, Marquette and Kansas.

Indians nearing deal with Wood

CLEVELAND—The Cleveland Indians are close to getting their closer.

The club has offered free agent Kerry Wood, the former Chicago Cubs starter-turned-reliever, a two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the sides are still working through details at the winter meetings in Las Vegas.

Wood, who has had numerous injury problems in the past, needs to pass a physical before the deal can be completed.

Cleveland went to the meetings hoping to land a closer and did not figure to be in the market for Francisco Rodriguez, who has reached a three-year, $37 million deal with the New York Mets, two people familiar with those talks told the AP. The club instead targeted Wood, who had 34 saves last season for Chicago.

Economic slump causes NFL to cut staff

NEW YORK—The NFL pays its players billions of dollars a year and fans pack its stadiums every week. But even the deep-pocketed league is shedding jobs.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that the league is cutting more than 10 percent of its staff in response to the downturn in the nation’s economy that could put a dent in ticket sales for next season.

Goodell announced the cuts in a memo to league employees. The NFL is eliminating about 150 of its staff of 1,100 in New York, NFL Films in New Jersey and television and Internet production facilities in Los Angeles.

The NFL long has been regarded as one of the most wealthiest pro sports leagues on the planet. In September, Forbes called the NFL “the richest game” and the “the strongest sport in the world.” The league has revenues of approximately $6.5 billion of which an estimated $4.5 billion goes to players.

But now it joins the NBA, NASCAR teams and the company that runs Major League Baseball’s Internet division in announcing layoffs. The NHL hasn’t laid off workers, though it is in a hiring freeze, a spokesman said Tuesday.