Pettitte to test market
NEW YORK, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- There is a possibility that Andy Pettitte will not be a member of the New York Yankees in 2004.
The veteran southpaw has decided to test the free agent waters when the signing period begins next Tuesday. Until then, the Yankees have exclusive negotiating rights, but General Manager Brian Cashman says he does not expect the team to make a contract offer before then.
"We're going to have discussions," Cashman said. "Is there an active negotiation? No. We focused on the staff first, and now, we're going to focus on the players."
Staff changes were announced at a news conference on Tuesday.
Last season, the 6-5, 225-pound native of Baton Rouge, La. was 21-8 with an ERA of 4.02. For his career, he is 149-78 and an ERA of 3.94 and never has won less than 12 games a year since breaking into the major leagues in 1995.
Pettitte, 31, likely will have many suitors, including the close to home Houston Astros. He says he has made no decisions.
Major changes in rules governing golf
FAR HILLS, N.J., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A couple of major changes have been made in the rigid rules governing professional golf.
The United States Golf Association and Royal & Ancient, the two organizations governing the sport, announced Wednesday that a golfer now may use any means to remove loose impediments from a line of putt, provided nothing is pressed down.
Also, there no longer will be an automatic penalty if a ball off the putting green moves after a loose impediment within a club length of the ball has been removed, and a local committee will have the latitude to disqualify a golfer in tournament play because of a serious breach of etiquette.
The rules changes, the most extensive in 20 years, go into effect on Jan. 1.
As part of the Rules of Amateur Status, prize limits were increased from $500 to $750.
Available in early December, the entire Rule book has been redrafted for clarity, adopting a more modern style.
Brady, Toomer earn weekly NFL honors
NEW YORK, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- New England quarterback Tom Brady was among those named Wednesday to weekly player honors in the NFL.
Brady completed 20 of 35 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns Monday night in the Patriots' come-from-behind 30-26 win at Denver. He had one interceptions and a passer rating of 108.0, helping the Patriots improve to 7-2, one-and-a-half game better than Miami in the AFC East.
Brady was AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He was joined by end Dwight Freeney of Indianapolis (defense) and punter Chad Stanley of Houston (special teams).
NFC honors went to wide receiver Amani Toomer of the New York Giants (offense), end Willie Whitehead of San Francisco (defense), and punter Cedric Wilson of San Francisco (special teams).
Among the superlatives, Toomer finished with six receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown in the Giants' 29-17 win over the New York Jets. The 100-yard game was the 18th of his career, passing Homer Jones for the most 100-yard receiving games in franchise history.
Tampa Bay pitching coach Bosio resigns
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Chris Bosio has resigned as pitching coach of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, citing personal reasons.
"Right now, my family needs me more than baseball does, so I have decided to step down," Bosio said.
Chuck Hernandez, the organization's minor league pitching coordinator for the past six seasons, was named Bosio's replacement.
Bosio, who pitched 11 years in the major leagues, served the post for one season, his only campaign as a major league coach. The Devil Rays were 11th in the American League in pitching in 2003 with a 4.93 ERA.
Hernandez is a Tampa native and was an All-State pitcher at Tampa Catholic High School. He has spent the last 26 years in professional baseball, including four as pitching coach of the California Angels (1993-96).
The lefthander spent five seasons in the minor league systems of the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. He broke his arm in an instructional league game in 1983 and never pitched again.
