Off the wire

— BOXING

Pacquiao-Mayweather ‘over’

Promoter Bob Arum declared the megafight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. dead Thursday, though efforts continued to find a compromise to a dispute over blood testing. “It’s over,” Arum said. “O-v-e-r.” Arum had set a Thursday deadline for an agreement on testing, the only issue not resolved for the planned March 13 fight. But with the Mayweather camp still insisting on using the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to conduct the tests, Arum said there wasn’t much left to discuss. “They’re viewed by the Pacquiao side as being partisan,” Arum said, referring to USADA. “He doesn’t want to use them. I don’t want to use them. They’re so inflexible they can’t be used.” Despite Arum’s statements, there were some talks through intermediaries to try and salvage the bout. Neither side, though, appeared to be backing off its position on the biggest dispute: Who will do the testing? Arum said he planned to move forward by having Pacquiao fight March 13 against Paul Malignaggi, a flashy but light-hitting 140-pounder. He said there was still a chance Pacquiao and Mayweather could meet later in the year. Mayweather’s representatives could not be immediately reached for comment, but Arum said an effort Thursday by HBO Sports chief Ross Greenburg to reach a compromise had failed.

BASKETBALL

Przybilla out for season

Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured right patella tendon. Przybilla hurt his leg during Portland’s 85-81 victory at Dallas on Tuesday night. He went up for a rebound and came down awkwardly with 3:12 left in the first quarter. Przybilla had surgery Thursday. He averaged 4.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 30 games this season.

BASEBALL

Angels add reliever Rodney

Reliever Fernando Rodney has signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The 32-year-old right-hander spent his first seven major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, including the past two years as their closer. He converted 37 of 38 save opportunities last season, pitching a career-best 75 2 /3 innings.

Reliever Matt Capps reached a preliminary agreement early Thursday on a $3.5 million, one year contract with the Washington Nationals. The pitcher’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said the agreement is subject to a physical that will take place in the first week of January. The 26-year-old became a free agent this month when Pittsburgh decided not to offer him a contract for 2010. The right-hander earned 27 saves last season, while going 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA. He struck out 46 batters in 54 1 /3 innings. Capps made his major league debut in 2005 and has career totals of 67 saves, a 19-19 record and 3.61 ERA, all with the Pirates.

Right-hander Justin Duchscherer has reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract that would keep him with the Oakland Athletics, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement has not been finalized. Duchscherer’s deal is pending a physical, so an announcement by the team might not come until after Christmas. A two-time All-Star, the 32-year-old missed all of the 2009 season because of an elbow injury and was treated for clinical depression. He has spent the last six of his seven major league seasons with Oakland, becoming a full-time starter for the first time in his career during 2008. He went 10-8 that year with a 2.54 ERA while pitching a career-high 141 2 /3 innings.

Chan Ho Park has sued his former Los Angeles Dodgers battery mate Chad Kreuter, accusing him of failing to fully pay off a $460,000 loan. Park filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming breach of promissory note and negligent misrepresentation. Thesuit claims Park loaned Kreuter $460,000 in October 2005 to be repaid a year later with interest. Park alleges Kreuter paid back $290,000 in April 2007 and the unpaid balance has grown, with interest, to $281,869.73 as of Dec. 1. Park is a free agent after playing for the Philadelphia Phillies last year. Kreuter retired in 2003. The two men played together on the Dodgers in 2000-01.

Stan Benjamin, a Houston Astros scout for nearly 40 years, has died. He was 95. The team said he died early Thursday on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. Benjamin joined the Astros in 1965. He scouted American League East clubs for several seasons before working as the team’s scouting supervisor for the Northeast.

SKIING

Peterson, Schnoor win trials

Jaret “Speedy” Peterson won the aerial skiing Olympic trials Thursday in Steamboat Springs, Calif., to seal his spot in February’s Vancouver Olympics. He’ll be joined by Lacy Schnoor, who took advantage of falls from America’s top two female jumpers - Jana Lindsey and Emily Cook - to earn her first Olympic trip. Peterson did a pair of quadrupletwisting jumps and landed them both to post a winning score of 258.21. That was nearly 27 points better than runner-up Dylan Ferguson. Schnoor, the 24-year-old from Draper, Utah, won thanks in part to a triple-twisting jump that she practiced on snow for the first time the day before the event. Schnoor edged 16-year-old Ashley Caldwell, who found herself surprisingly in the lead thanks to two solid jumps, combined with the spills by Cook and Lindsey.

The International Ski Federation has issued a two-year doping ban to Russia’s triple Olympic gold medalist Julija Tchepalova. FIS says the cross-country skier tested positive for the endurance-boosting drug EPO in January, and that the 33-year-old Russian is banned until August 2011. Tchepalova won Olympic golds in the 30 km freestyle in 1998, the individual sprint in 2002 and with the Russian relay team in 2006. She retired in August after her positive EPO test was announced.

BASKETBALL

Pierce could miss at least two weeks

ORLANDO, Fla. - Paul Pierce could miss at least two weeks because of an infected right knee, the severity of the injury catching the Boston Celtics by surprise.

The All-Star forward didn’t make the flight to Orlando for the Christmas Day game against the Magic. The Celtics are on a six-day, four-game trip before returning home for a Jan. 2 game against Toronto.

Coach Doc Rivers said Thursday it was doubtful Pierce would join the team on the trip.He couldn’t say for sure how long Pierce would be out.

“We just don’t know,” Rivers said. “The two weeks is a guesstimate by a doctor who has never played basketball before.”

Pierce was in so much pain he called team trainer Ed Lacerte on Wednesday about 3 a.m., Rivers said. Lacerte went to Pierce’s house and took him to the hospital, where fluid was drained from the knee.

“What he’s going through is pretty significant,” Celtics guard Ray Allen said. “It is serious. Because me knowing Paul, he’s always practicing and he’s always playing, so for him not to be here, it must be very significant.”

Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, had played in every game this season, leading the team with 18.2 points a game. Pierce complained of soreness in his knee after Tuesday night’s game. Hemissed his first 10 shots against the Indiana Pacers but wound up scoring 21 points in the victory.

The team left the arena thinking he was fine.

“It’s amazing,” Rivers said. “He won the game for us the night before and he woke up in the middle of the night hurting.”

Sports, Pages 20 on 12/25/2009

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