Off the wire

— BASEBALL

Izturis agrees to $10M deal

Infielder Maicer Izturis became the first major-league free agent this offseason to join a new team, agreeing Thursday to a $10 million, three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto said the deal was for $3 million annually. The team has a $3 million option for 2016 with a $1 million buyout. The 32-year-old hit .256 with 17 steals in 19 tries, 2 home runs and 20 RBI this year for the Los Angeles Angels. Toronto also purchased right-hander Jeremy Jeffress from Kansas City. He was 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Royals this year. The Royals traded left-hander Tommy Hottovy to Texas for a player to be named or cash. He had a 0-0 record and a 2.89 ERA in 9 relief appearances.

The Cleveland Indians have signed infielder Luis Hernandez to a minor league contract and resigned right-hander Hector Rondon. Both deals include invitations to spring training. Hernandez, 28, spent most of 2012 with Texas’ Class AAA affiliate. The 28-yearold batted .262 with 8 home runs and 70 RBI in 129 games. Rondon’s career has been slowed by two elbow surgeries. Hernandez is 36-36 with a 3.88 ERA in 120 minor-league games. Once considered one of the top prospects in Cleveland’s system, he has been limited to 41 2/3 innings in the past three seasons. He is pitching this winter in Venezuela.

GOLF

Wie tied for lead in Mexico

Michelle Wie shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday for a share of the firstround lead in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico, with Angela Stanford and Candie Kung. The 2009 tournament winner for the first of her two LPGA Tour victories, Wie birdied the first two holes at Guadalajara Country Club and opened the back nine with four consecutive birdies in the bogey-free round that matched her best score of the year. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) is tied for fourth and one shot back at 5-under 67.

BASKETBALL

Bogut out 7-10 days to rest

Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut will be sidelined the next seven to 10 days to rest and strengthen his surgically repaired left ankle. The announcement Thursday is the kind of setback Bogut and the Warriors were hoping to avoid this season. The 7-footer from Australia was held scoreless while playing 17 minutes in Golden State’s 106-96 victory against Cleveland on Wednesday night. He had five assists and three rebounds. Bogut sat out all of the preseason. He has moved slowly and showed little lift while playingfour of the first five regular-season games.

HOCKEY Talks enter 4th consecutive day

The best that can be said about the ongoing NHL labor negotiations is they are still going, and will continue for at least a fourth consecutive day. The league and the locked-out players’ association got back together Thursday and accomplished enough over five-plus hours to make plans to meet again today. “I am not going to discuss the negotiations or the substance of what we’re talking about,” NHL CommissionerGary Bettman said Thursday on a wind-blown street corner. “I really don’t think that would be helpful to the process.” Players’ association executive director Donald Fehr didn’t rule out talks stretching into the weekend, too. The lockout reached its 54th day, and this week is considered critical for the season to be saved. The work stoppage is threatening to force the second cancellation of an NHL season in seven years.

CYCLING

Tour winner out of hospital

Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins was released from the hospital Thursday after a collision with a car, a few hours after a separate crash left his British Cycling coach with a head injury. Wiggins, who is also the Olympic time trial champion, sustained bruises to his ribs and hands when he was hit by a car while out training on his bike. Wiggins became a national hero after giving Britain its first Tour de France title in July.

TENNIS

Federer reaches ATP semis

On an indoor court, Roger Federer can win even when he’s not playing his best. He proved that again Thursday at the ATP final in London, beating David Ferrer 6-4, 7-6 (5) and advancing to the semifinals with a group match to spare despite struggling to land his serve and scrambling to stay in the long rallies. “I’ve been very successful over the years. Probably won most titles indoors, maybe more than all the other guys combined,” said Federer, who called it a natural surface for him. “But that doesn’t make me the best this week.” He is, however, the big favorite. The two-time defending champion is looking for his seventh title at the season-ending event for the top eight players in the world. He is 2-0 at the O2 Arena, with his last group match against Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday. Del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-0, 6-4 in the other Group B match, improving his record to 1-1 and leaving the Serb with two losses heading into Saturday’s matches.

GOLF

Wi takes early one-shot lead at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Getting off to a quick start is nothing new for Charlie Wi. The hard part is figuring out how to finish.

Wi took the 18-hole lead forthe third time this year - and the eighth time in his PGA Tour career - by closing with backto-back birdies Thursday for an 8-under 64 on the easier Palm Course at Disney. That gave him a one-shot lead over Camilo Villegas and Tommy Gainey in the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.

This is the 184th career start for Wi on the PGA Tour, and he’s still looking for his first victory.

Wi atop the leaderboard was a reminder that there is more at stake in the final PGA Tour event of the year than players trying to keep their jobs. Each event is another opportunity for him to get his first victory, and that’s what it would take for him to have a chance of getting into the top 30 on the money list to earn his first trip to the Masters.

“Top 30 is definitely a goal,” Wi said. “I’m not just showing up to play. You’ve got to have goals. I at least want to give myself achance.”

Gainey doesn’t have that opportunity. He won for the first time on tour three weeks ago at Sea Island when he closed with a 60, but he was so far down themoney list that even a victory at Disney wouldn’t be enough for him to get into the Masters.

Even so, Gainey is on a roll. He is 17 under par in his past two rounds, courtesy of the 65 he posted on the Palm.

“My goal is just to win, anyway,” he said. “The way I’m playingright now, keep hitting the golf shots and keep hitting it in the fairways, and with the way I’m rolling this putter, it’s going to be good by Sunday afternoon.”

Villegas was another story.

A rising star in 2008 when he won consecutive FedEx Cup playoff events and rose to No. 7 in the world, Villegas has fallen on tough times. He hasn’t won since then, failed to qualify for any of the majors this year, has plunged to No. 214 in the world ranking and is at No. 150 on the money list. Only the top 125 earn their full cards for next year, and if Villegas falls out of the top 150 he’ll have to go to the second stage of Q-school.

Sports, Pages 20 on 11/09/2012

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