Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASEBALL

Yankees, Braves trade

Pitcher Javy Vazquez was traded back to the New York Yankees by the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday for outfielder Melky Cabrera. The Yankees also got left-hander Boone Logan, and the Braves got pitching prospects left-hander Mike Dunn and right-hander Arodys Vizcaino, along with about $500,000. Vazquez was 14-10 for the Yankees in 2004. The right-hander was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and 238 strikeouts last year for the Braves. Cabrera hit .274 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI. Logan was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA in 20 relief appearances. Dunn had a combined 99 strikeouts in 73 1 /3 innings and went 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 38 relief appearances at Class AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre and Class AA Trenton, going 4-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 38 relief appearances. He made his major league debut Sept. 4 and had a 6.75 ERA in four appearances. Vizcaino was 2-4 with a 2.13 ERA at Class A Staten Island, striking out 52 in 42 1 /3 innings.

FOOTBALLSteelers sign Galloway

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed wide receiver Joey Galloway to replace Limas Sweed, who was placed on injured reserve with a nonfootball-related illness. Coach Mike Tomlin would not reveal any details of Sweed’s condition. Galloway was cut by the New England Patriots earlier this season after catching seven passes for 67 yards. He has 689 catches for a 15.6-yard average during an NFL career that began in 1995.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn was placed on injured reserve with an unspecified foot injury, the second consecutive season he has finished on IR. He got hurt while scrambling for 24 yards in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 41-34 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Derek Anderson will start Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Anderson went 1-4 in 5 starts after Quinn was benched 10 quarters into the season.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Terrence McGee was placed on injured reserve and is to have surgery to repair his right rotator cuff. McGee was hurt early in the third quarter when he attempted to break up a pass in the 17-10 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

The New Orleans Saints cutkicker John Carney, a 21-year NFL veteran who signed in August for his second stint with team. Carney, who played in 11 games, had been inactive for the past two while Garrett Hartley took over.

TENNIS

Federer, Serena honored

Roger Federer and Serena Williams were selected as the International Tennis Federation’s world champions of 2009. Federer, who receives the ITF award for a fifth time, completed a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open and won a record 15th major title by winning Wimbledon. He also regained the No. 1 ranking. Williams, who receives the ITF honor for a second time, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon to bring her career total of Grand Slam titles to 11. Serena and her sister Venus were selected as women’s doubles world champions for the first time, making Serena the first player since Martina Hingis in 1999 to receive singles and doubles honors. American twins Bob and Mike Bryan were picked as the men’s doubles world champions for a record sixth time.

BOXING

Fight faces threat

The proposed fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. was thrown into jeopardy Tuesday with a demand by Mayweather’s camp that both fighters be subjected to Olympic type drug testing in the weeks leading up to the bout. Mayweather’s manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said the fight would not go on if Pacquiao didn’t agree to blood testing under standards followed by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Mayweather’s camp claims it was told Pacquiao would not agree to have his blood tested within 30 days of the fight because of personal superstitions. Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said he could live with some testing, but not the day before a fight. No formal contracts have been signed and no date has been set for the fight, expected to be held at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas.

GYMNASTICS

Coordinator named

Kevin Mazeika is the new national team coordinator of the U.S men’s gymnastics team. Mazeika led the U.S. men to back-to-back Olympic gymnastics medals for the first time. In his new role, he will manage and supervise the technical side of the junior and senior men’s national teams. Mazeika coached the U.S. team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. The Americans won the silver in Athens, Greece, their first team medal in 22 years and first at a nonboycotted Games since 1932. They were surprise bronze medalists in Beijing, making the podium despite losing 2004 Olympic champion Paul Hamm and his twin brother Morgan to injuries. Mazeika was the coach at the 2001 and 2003 world championships, where the Americans won silver medals. The 2001 silver was the first U.S. team medal at worlds since 1979. Mazeika replaces Ron Brant, who is part of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s sports performance program.BASKETBALL Thunder, Jazz trade

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired guard Eric Maynor, the 20th pick in this year’s draft, from the Utah Jazz for the rights to 2002 draft pick Peter Fehse, who has never played in the NBA and is playing in the German League. Maynor averaged 5.2 points and 3.1 assists in 26 games. Oklahoma City also agreed to take on the contract of injured veteran Matt Harpring, who won’t join the Thunder. The Thunder waived backup point guards Shaun Livingston and Mike Wilks to make room for Maynor.

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Serena Williams voted top female athlete

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women’s tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

Williams, 28, received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP. Zenyatta, the 5-year-old mare who capped her 14-0 career by becoming the first female horse to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, finished second with 18 votes.

Clearly, Williams’ most infamous on-court episode - a tirade directed at a line judge after a foot-fault call near the end of her U.S.Open semifinal loss in September - didn’t hurt her standing in the eyes of the voters.

“People realize that I’m a great player, and one moment doesn’t define a person’s career,” Williams said. “And I was right, for the most part. It wasn’t right the way I reacted - I never said it was - but I was right about the call.”

She also noted that the outburst, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary period at Grand Slam tournaments, “got a lot more people excited about tennis.”

Williams also won the award in 2002.

“I’m just happy and blessed to even be playing seven years later. All this is a bonus, really,” Williams said. “In 2002, I just was really dominant, and I think in 2009, I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again.”

Williams finished the year at No. 1 in the WTA rankings. She topped $6.5 million in prize money, breaking the single-season tour record by more than $1 million. She won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the season-ending tour championships and paired with sister Venus to win three Grand Slam doubles championships. Her two Grand Slam singles titles raised hercareer total to 11.

Williams went 50-12 in singles, an .806 winning percentage that was the highest for any woman who played at least 20 matches in 2009. She tied for the tour lead in singles titles. She led the tour with 381 aces, 75 more than anyone else, and also led in percentages of first-service points won and service games won.

“We can attribute the strength and the growth of women’s tennis a great deal to her,” WTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stacey Allaster said. “She is a superstar.

“Serena really peaks for those big moments on big stages.”