Braves get Ortiz from Giants for Moss
ATLANTA, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Braves, continuing to revamp their pitching staff, Tuesday acquired Russ Ortiz from San Francisco for lefthander Damian Moss.
The Giants have been one of the most active teams in the free agent marketplace this offseason, and paid the price by losing Ortiz, 27, who was 14-10 with a 3.78 ERA last season, and has been a mainstay of the Giants' staff since breaking in during the 1998 season.
Ortiz is among the most consistent winners in the National League, having won 63 games over the last four seasons and never less than 14 in any single campaign. He has a career record of 67-44 with a 4.01 ERA in 154 games.
He anchored the NL champion's staff in 2001, and started Games Two and Six of the World Series. Ortiz left Game Six of the World Series with a 5-0 lead, but the Giants blew that game and lost Game Seven to the Anaheim Angels.
He went 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA in two starts against the Braves in the NL Division Series.
The Giants have seen a lot of turnover this offseason, and have had signed free agents Ray Durham, Edgardo Alfonzo and Marquis Grissom to address offensive needs. San Francisco also awaits an arbitration decision from Jeff Kent, a move that could put them well over their targeted payroll.
Ortiz, who made $3.662 million in 2002, could have more than doubled that salary in arbitration, but in acquiring the promising Moss, San Francisco keeps a deep and consistent rotation in place.
Moss, 26, went 12-6 with a 4.11 ERA as a rookie in 2002. He was among the hardest starters in the league to hit, holding opponents to a .221 batting average over 179 innings.
The Giants also got righthander Manuel Mateo, a promising prospect, who went 7-3 with a 1.98 ERA in 12 games for the Gulf Coast League Braves.
Mateo, 20, went 7-3 with a 1.98 ERA, 15 earned runs, and 68 1/2 innings pitched in 12 games, including eight starts. The native of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, held opposing hitters to a .193 average (47-for-243) while fashioning a 6.3-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He had 76 strikeouts and only 12 walks.
Atlanta continues to revamp its pitching staff, which already has lost veteran Tom Glavine and relievers Mike Remlinger and Chris Hammond. The Braves also could lose stalwart Greg Maddux, who is a free agent, but have added starter Mike Hampton and Monday traded for setup man Ray King.
College football bowl season begins
NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The 2002 college football bowl campaign starts Tuesday night as North Texas and Cincinnati meet in the New Orleans Bowl.
Eleven days ago, the Bearcats (7-6) won a share of Conference USA by beating East Carolina. It was their first league title in 38 years, and their school-record third straight bowl appearance.
Cincinnati tied Texas Christian, which is headed to the Liberty Bowl, for the Conference USA title, and gained a piece of their first conference crown since winning the Missouri Valley Conference crown in 1964.
Led by quarterback Gino Guidugli and running back DeMarco McClesky, Cincinnati features a wide-open attack, averaging 30.0 points per game, the second-best total in C-USA.
Guidugli passed for a school-record 3,319 yards and 21 touchdowns. McClesky rushed for 1,276 yards.
The Bearcats will be facing a North Texas team that is third nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 14.4 points per game.
The Mean Green (7-5) captured their second straight Sun Belt Conference title, and earned a return trip to the New Orleans. This year, they made it with a winning record, their first since 1994.
Last season, North Texas qualified for the New Orleans Bowl with a 5-6 mark and was routed by Colorado State, 45-20, and ended a 42-year bowl drought, the longest in the country.
They have an all-time bowl mark of 1-3.
Their top threat is running back Kevin Galbreath, who rushed for 1,168 yards, his second straight 1,000-yard season.
Cincinnati suffered a 23-16 loss to Toledo in the Motor City Bowl last season, and is 3-3 all-time in bowls.
Cincinnati and North Texas will be meeting for the 17th time, with the Mean Green holding an all-time edge of 8-7-1. The teams were members of the MVC from 1958-70.
Utah signs Massenburg
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The NBA's Utah Jazz have signed veteran forward Tony Massenburg to a one-year contract.
Massenburg joins the Jazz after second-year center Jarron Collins was placed on the injured list with torn ligaments in his right knee. Collins will miss the entire season.
Massenburg, a 10-year veteran, spent the entire 2000-01 season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest while playing in 73 games. He was released by the Grizzlies prior to the beginning of the 2001-02 season.
The 6-9 Massenburg has seen action with ten NBA teams during his career, including, San Antonio, Charlotte, Boston, Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers, Toronto, Philadelphia, and Houston along with the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.
He has seen action in 505 career games, averaging 7.0 points and 4.9 rebounds.
He enjoyed his best NBA season during the 1998-99 campaign, when he averaged 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds with Vancouver, and scored 10.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 54 combined games with Toronto and Philadelphia in 1995-96.
The former University of Maryland star was a second round pick in the 1990 draft, the 43rd overall pick, by the San Antonio Spurs, and saw 35 games with the Spurs during the 1990-91 season.
Sonics activate Potapenko
SEATTLE, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Seattle Sonics have activated center Vitaly Potapenko from the injured list.
Potapenko was recovering from offseason surgery on his left ACL. He was acquired by Seattle on July 22 with guards Kenny Anderson and Joseph Forte from Boston for forward Vin Baker and guard Shammond Williams.
Potapenko, who averaged 7.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in a seven-year career that has included stints with Cleveland and Boston, did not play in Monday night's 111-98 win at Cleveland.
Knee surgery for Cleaves
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Starting guard Mike Cleaves of La Salle will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
He is expected to miss 2-6 weeks.
Cleaves, a sophomore from Paterson, N.J., suffered the injury in the first half of Saturday's 65-62 loss to Cincinnati after coming down awkwardly while leaping for a rebound. He started all six games and averaged 11.2 points in 28 minutes.
Edmonton founder dies at 82
EDMONTON, Alberta, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Bill Hunter, who brought professional hockey to Edmonton, died Monday. He was 82.
Hunter, who had been battling cancer for almost two years, was one of the founders of the World Hockey Association, and one of the original partners of the Oilers franchise.
Known as "Wild Bill," the Saskatchewan native built the WHA Oilers a year after the league was started in 1971. He sold the team before it became one of four WHA teams to be absorbed into the National Hockey League, but maintained close ties to the team.
Hunter, whose sweater was the first to be retired by the Oilers, flew fighter planes in World War II. Afterwards, he worked as a sportscaster, a salesman and a sporting goods store owner before going into hockey as a manager and coach.
Hunter was involved with several hockey teams in Canada, and helped found the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League. He was inducted in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and also was named to the Order of Canada.
Rangers come to terms with Cross
NEW YORK, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The New York Rangers Tuesday agreed to terms with free agent Cory Cross.
Terms were not disclosed.
Cross, 31, who was obtained to bolster the Rangers' defense, spent the last three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played in 50 games last season, registering three goals and nine assists to go along with 54 penalty minutes.
In 498 career games with Toronto and Tampa Bay, Cross has tallied 22 goals and 51 assists. He has two goals and three assists in 41 playoff contests.
The Rangers have struggled on defense all season and are ranked 29th in the league in goals allowed with 109, better only than Atlanta (113). Defenseman Brian Leetch has missed the last three games with an ankle injury.
