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Pro Baseball

NAPLES, Fla. – The Boston Red Sox emerged as winners of the bidding for Daisuke Matsuzaka and have 30 days to sign the Japanese pitcher to a contract.

Boston acquired the rights to negotiate with Matsuzaka by offering the Seibu Lions $51.1 million. If the Red Sox don’t reach a contract agreement with Matsuzaka, who is represented by Scott Boras, they would keep the money and Matsuzaka would return to the Seibu for 2007.

Matsuzaka was the MVP of the inaugural World Baseball Classic last March and started the championship game in which Japan beat Cuba. He also participated twice in the Olympics.

NEW YORK – Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks won a wide-open race for the NL Cy Young Award, beating out San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman.

One of six pitchers who tied for the league lead with a pedestrian total of 16 wins, Webb received 15 of 32 first-place votes and 103 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Hoffman, who broke the career saves record this season, got 12 first-place votes and 77 points.

St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter, last year’s winner, finished third with two first-place votes and 63 points.

Webb went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA and made his first All-Star team.

WASHINGTON – Manny Acta was hired by the Washington Nationals, making him the youngest manager in the major leagues.

The 37-year-old Acta, a coach with the New York Mets for the past two years, replaces 71-year-old Frank Robinson.

The Nationals went 71-91 in 2006, finishing in last place in the NL East for the third consecutive season.

CHICAGO – Mark DeRosa became the first major league free agent to switch teams this offseason, agreeing to a $13 million, three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.

NEW YORK – Orlando Hernandez stayed with the New York Mets, agreeing to $12 million, two-year contract.

HOUSTON – The Astros hired Dave Wallace as their pitching coach, replacing the fired Jim Hickey.

College Basketball

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers insisted that Bob Knight did nothing wrong when he “quickly lifted” the chin of Michael Prince in the latest clash between the hot-tempered coach and a player.

Prince and his parents also defended Knight, who confronted the forward and pushed his chin upward, as if to make him look the coach in the eye, during a timeout late in the Red Raiders’ 86-74 victory against Gardner-Webb on Monday night.

Knight told ESPN.com he would act no differently if faced with the same situation again.

Pro Football

HOUSTON – Houston Texans offensive lineman Fred Weary was shot with a Taser before being arrested after a traffic stop.

Weary was pulled over at 1 p.m. about six miles from Reliant Stadium and transported to jail.

The 29-year-old was being held at Houston’s Central Jail, but had not yet been charged with a crime and no bond had been set, a jail official said. Weary pushed an officer away and was shot with a Taser after he stepped toward officers when they ordered him to put his hands on the vehicle, police said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More than two months after he was knocked unconscious in Kansas City’s season opener, quarterback Trent Green was given medical clearance to play again.

Whether he or Damon Huard will start on Sunday against Oakland remains unclear, however. Coach Herm Edwards said earlier in the day that whatever decision he made would remain a secret until game time.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Vinny Testaverde, who came out of retirement last season to help out the New York Jets, was signed by New England.

Testaverde, who turned 43 Monday, has played 19 NFL seasons and has 269 touchdown passes, eighth in NFL history, and is sixth with 45,252 yards passing.

College Football

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden resigned, just three days after the Seminoles were shut out for the first time in 233 games.

His resignation will be effective at the end of this season, athletic director David Hart Jr. said.

Bowden, the youngest son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, will take another job in the university outside the athletic department.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The familiar sights and sounds of Joe Paterno returned briefly to Penn State.

More than a week after undergoing surgery on his left leg, the 79-year-old head coach felt well enough to come to practice, and might even be back in a Beaver Stadium press box for this weekend’s regular-season finale, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said.

A team doctor has said he would allow Paterno to return on game days only if he’s calling the shots from above the field – and not on the 50-yard line – provided his recovery is progressing well.

Tennis

SHANGHAI, China – Roger Federer saved three match points and beat Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 in the Masters Cup.

Federer extended his unbeaten sequence in round-robin matches at the season-ending championship to 14. He also won his 26th consecutive match and became the first player to surpass $7 million in prize money in a season. Federer improved to 12-1 against Roddick and has beaten him the last eight times.

Defending champion David Nalbandian – the only player to beat Federer in the last three Masters Cups – was ahead a set and up 5-4 and serving at 30-30 before Ivan Ljubicic rallied for a 5-7, 7-6 (7), 7-5 victory.

Pro Basketball

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Trail Blazers forward Darius Miles had surgery on his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.

Hockey

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Assistant coach Gary Agnew became interim coach of the Blue Jackets, a day after Gerard Gallant was fired because of the team’s slow start.