Sports in 2 Minutes

From The Associated Press

On rebound from Smoltz, Braves turn to Lowe

ATLANTA—The Braves bounced right back from the disappointment of losing John Smoltz.

Determined to rebuild a once-proud pitching staff that fell into disarray, Atlanta reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday on a $60 million, four-year contract with Derek Lowe and finalized a deal with Japanese all-star pitcher Kenshin Kawakami.

Just like that, the Braves’ rotation — once the most dominant in baseball — suddenly looks a whole lot stronger with spring training just a month away.

“You’ve got to have pitching,” manager Bobby Cox said. “You could have the best hitting team in the history of baseball and you still may not get it done. We will feel confident now that whoever toes the mound on any particular night, we’ve got a good chance of winning.”

The Braves would not comment on the preliminary agreement with Lowe, which was subject to the pitcher passing a physical, according a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been completed.

General manager Frank Wren did say Lowe would be a welcome addition to a rotation devastated by injuries last year. As an added bonus, Atlanta would be landing a pitcher who also was being sought by the rival New York Mets.

Chiefs hire Pioli as new GM

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Scott Pioli, who helped build and lead a dynasty in New England, is now in charge of a Kansas City franchise which hasn’t won a playoff game in 14 years.

The 43-year-old Pioli will be introduced on Wednesday as Chiefs general manager, replacing Carl Peterson.

“He will have complete charge of football operations,” Ryan Petkoff, a spokesman for Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, told The Associated Press. “He will report only to Clark.”

The fate of coach Herm Edwards and his staff was not immediately known.

Pioli, who became vice president of player personnel for the Patriots in 2002 and spent nine years working with head coach Bill Belichick, also interviewed for the general manager vacancy this month in Cleveland.

He inherits a young team coming off a 2-14 season, but is stepping into a situation that seems ripe for a quick turnaround.

BC hires assistant Spaziani as coach

BOSTON—Frank Spaziani is the new football coach at Boston College, promoted after spending 12 seasons as an assistant with the Eagles.

Spaziani’s appointment will be announced at a 3 p.m. news conference Tuesday, according to a person with knowledge of the decision who requested anonymity because the school had not made an announcement.

Spaziani takes over for Jeff Jagodzinski, who was fired after he interviewed for the coaching job with the New York Jets. Jagodzinski, who had three years left on his five-year contract, had been told by athletic director Gene DeFilippo that he would be fired if he went through with the interview.

DeFilippo has said he wants a coach who will serve out the full length of his contract.

Spaziani spent the past 10 seasons as BC’s defensive coordinator after two years as running backs coach. He became interim coach in 2006 when Tom O’Brien left to become coach of North Carolina State before the Eagles played in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. BC beat Navy 25-24 in that game.

Colts introduce Caldwell as new coach

INDIANAPOLIS—Jim Caldwell wants the Indianapolis Colts to be his team. Even with most, if not all, of Tony Dungy’s guys.

It’s a risky business.

One day after Dungy announced his retirement, Caldwell confronted the most difficult question he faces as Indy’s new coach: What will he change in the post-Dungy era?

“He’s very tough to follow,” Caldwell said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “But I’m not competing with Tony. I want to build on the success we have had and move forward.”

Separating the two coaches is tough enough.

Both are 53 years old, had long careers as assistants and only one head coaching job before joining the Colts. Both openly discuss their religious beliefs and prefer actions to words. Both embrace the importance of working in the community as much as they do winning championships.