Alomar dealt to Mets
BOSTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The New York Mets, looking to jump start one of the worst offenses in baseball, Tuesday pulled off the biggest deal of the winter meetings, acquiring All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar from the Cleveland Indians in an eight-player deal.
The Mets received Alomar, first baseman Danny Peoples and Class AAA lefthander Mike Bacsik in exchange for outfielders Matt Lawton and Alex Escobar, righthanded pitcher Jerrod Riggan and two players to be named. One of the players to be named is expected to be former first-round pick lefthander Billy Traber.
In Alomar, the Mets get one of the best all-around players in the game. The 33-year-old second baseman is coming off a season in which he batted .336 with 20 homers, 100 RBI, scored 100 runs, stole 30 bases and finished fourth in the Most Valuable Player voting.
"It is not often that you get a chance to acquire a 12-time All-Star," said Mets general manager Steve Phillips. "We came to these meetings trying to improve our offense and we came away with one of the top players in the game."
"As difficult as it is to trade a Hall of Fame-caliber player like Roberto Alomar, we feel the players we have received back from the Mets will help the Cleveland Indians sustain a championship-caliber team for this season and for years to come," Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said.
Cleveland accomplished two tasks with the trade. The Indians slashed nearly $2 million off their payroll with the move and in one deal retooled an outfield that is almost certain to be without 2001 starters Kenny Lofton, Juan Gonzalez and Marty Cordova, who has signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
In other deals made today at the winter meetings:
* The Cincinnati Reds sent Dmitri Young to the Detroit Tigers for underachieving outfielder Juan Encarnacion and 23-year-old minor league righthander Luis Pineda.
* The Seattle Mariners acquired catcher Ben Davis from the San Diego Padres in a six-player deal. Seattle sent pitcher Brett Tomko, backup catcher Tom Lampkin and promising 25-year-old shortstop Ramon Vazquez to the Padres for Davis, backup infielder Alex Arias and righthanded pitcher Wascar Serrano.
* Florida traded lefthander Jesus Sanchez to the Chicago Cubs for minor league lefthander Nate Teut.
In addition, the Chicago White Sox announced closer Keith Foulke had agreed to a two-year contract. Foulke was third in the American League in saves with 42. And the Texas Rangers signed righthanded reliever Jay Powell, who split last season between Houston and Colorado.
Lakers suffer first home loss
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Gary Payton had 19 points and 10 assists and Vin Baker added 27 points nine rebounds Tuesday night as the Seattle SuperSonics handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first home loss of the season, 104-93.
Los Angeles had been undefeated in 11 games at the Staples Center and had not lost here since April 1. But the Sonics won twice here last season and manhandled the two-time defending champions in their first visit of this season.
After trailing by as many as 11 points early in the second quarter, the Lakers stormed back and had a 77-76 lead with 90 seconds left in the period before Seattle reeled off 13 straight points to seize control for good.
Payton scored six points in the fourth quarter and Earl Watson added five of his 14 while Los Angeles made just six of 25 shots and lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
Rashard Lewis had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Seattle, which avenged a 107-92 home loss to the Lakers on Nov. 30.
Los Angeles center Shaquille O'Neal had 37 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, but Kobe Bryant scored just 16 points while making seven of 23 shots from the field.
Other NBA results: Miami 99, Milwaukee 97; Boston 102, New York 93 in overtime; Atlanta 89, Philadelphia 87; Minnesota 107, Golden State 86; New Jersey 107, Chicago 93; Dallas 105, Portland 103; Cleveland 107, Houston 102; Charlotte 99, Denver 96; Washington 91, Memphis 81; Sacramento 112, Orlando 100.
McCabe enjoys career night
TORONTO, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Defenseman Bryan McCabe scored two goals and added two assists for a career-high four points Tuesday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the Phoenix Coyotes, 6-3.
McCabe opened the scoring on the power play 8:41 into the first period. After winning a faceoff in the right faceoff circle, he dropped the puck to defenseman Tomas Kaberle at the point.
Kaberle fed Alexander Mogilny outside the circle and his cross-ice pass to McCabe on the left side was deflected by Mats Sundin in front of the net. McCabe got the puck and one-timed it past goaltender Sean Burke for his third goal of the season.
McCabe scored again with 8:45 left in the final period, making it 5-2. Mogilny fed Darcy Tucker outside the top of the left circle, and Tucker passed to McCabe in the slot, from where he slapped it past Burke for his first career two-goal game.
The seven-year veteran helped Toronto take a 2-0 lead 3:39 into the second when he took a feed from Kaberle at the point, faked a shot and passed to Mats Sundin at the left point. Sundin put a slapper past Burke for his 16th goal, also on the power play.
Other NHL results: Ottawa 2, New York Islanders 2; Los Angeles 1, Nashville 1; Pittsburgh 2; Washington 2; San Jose 5, Edmonton 4 in overtime.
Terrapins beat up on Monmouth
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Juan Dixon led five players in double figures with 18 points Tuesday night as second-ranked Maryland pulled away for a 91-55 win over Monmouth to extend its non-conference home winning streak to 82 games.
Rahsaan Johnson, Monmouth's leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, was limited to eight.
The Terrapins' last non-conference home loss was to Coppin State in December 1989. They have a pair of non-conference games left at Cole Field House before moving to the Comcast Center next season.
Byron Mouton finished with 17 points and Tahj Holden added 11 as Maryland (8-1) won its eighth straight since a season-opening loss to Arizona on Nov. 8.
The Terrapins had a 46-37 lead at halftime and scored the first 15 points of the second half. The Hawks (4-4) had just four points in the first 11 minutes of the second half.
Maryland extends coach's contract
COLLEGE PARK, Md., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Ralph Friedgen, who led Maryland to its first Atlantic Coast Conference title in 16 years, will have plenty of job security as he tries to build the Terrapins into a perennial power.
Friedgen was rewarded Tuesday with a new 10-year contract that could keep him at the school through the 2012 season. He had signed a six-year deal when he was hired on Nov. 30, 2000.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In his first year as a head coach, Friedgen, 54, guided his alma mater to a 10-1 record and a berth in the Orange Bowl against Florida. The sixth-ranked Terrapins reached 10 wins for only the fifth time in school history and the first since 1976.
A 1969 graduate of Maryland, Friedgen last week was recognized as the national Coach of the Year.
"Coach Friedgen has made extraordinary progress and is fully committed to continue to build Maryland football into a perennial top-20 program," athletic director Deborah Yow said. "There could be no better fit for our institution. He shares our values related to graduation rates and embraces the concept of student-athletes."
Friedgen waited 29 years to get his first head-coaching job, having spent the previous four years as the offensive coordinator under George O'Leary at Georgia Tech.
Boeheim to return Dec. 29
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, who recently had surgery to remove an enlarged prostate, will return to the sidelines Dec. 29.
Boeheim has missed the last two games, including Syracuse's first loss of the season. They were the first games he had not coached in his 25-plus years at the school.
The 57-year-old Boeheim has said he does not have cancer and that his problem is 100 percent treatable. The school did not disclose when he had the surgery.
The 12th-ranked Orangemen play two more games before hosting Buffalo on Dec. 29. They visit Georgia Tech on Sunday and entertain South Florida on Dec. 20.
Long-time assistant Bernie Fine coached the Orangemen (9-1) in Boeheim's absence. Syracuse lost for the first time on Saturday, 82-68 to North Carolina State.
In its 26th season, the Boeheim-Fine tandem is second in longevity only to coach Dave Bliss and assistant Doug Ash at Baylor, who have been paired for 27 years.
Boeheim is one of 11 active coaches with 600 wins, sporting a 608-208 record at Syracuse. He has led the Orangemen to 21 NCAA Tournament berths, 11 Sweet 16 appearances and two trips to the national championship game.
Patriots sign Andruzzi for three years
FOXBORO, Mass., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The New England Patriots Tuesday rewarded starting right guard Joe Andruzzi with a three-year contract extension.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but according to the MetroWest Daily News, the extension is worth $3.55 million and includes a $550,000 signing bonus.
The 6-3, 315-pound Andruzzi made the switch from left to right guard this season and has started all 13 games for the Patriots (8-5), who are in the thick of the AFC playoff race and just 1 1/2 games behind first-place Miami in the East.
Andruzzi, 26, spent the first two years of his career with Green Bay before signing with the Patriots as a free agent prior to the 1999 season.
Andruzzi's father is a retired New York policeman and his three brothers are New York firemen who have been working at the World Trade Center site. They served as honorary captains for a game at Foxboro on Sept. 23.
