FOOTBALL

BILLS TAB LEVY AS VP OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy was hired as the Buffalo Bills’ vice president of football operations yesterday, returning to the team he led to an unprecedented four straight Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.

In becoming the NFL’s oldest active front office executive, Levy – who referred to himself as “an 80-year-old rookie” – takes over a struggling team that’s coming off a 5-11 season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight year. The move comes a day after the Bills fired president and general manager Tom Donahoe.

Although Levy had input in personnel decisions during his coaching career, his only previous front office experience came in 1985 when he served as director of football operations for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Levy takes over a Bills team that went 31-49 in five seasons under Donahoe, and tied with Cleveland for the third-fewest victories in the NFL during that span. Besides Houston, which joined the league in 2002, the Bills are the only AFC team since 2001 that has failed to make the playoffs.

BASEBALL

CAIRO RETURNS TO YANKEES Miguel Cairo returned to the Yankees yesterday, finalizing a $1 million, one-year contract. The 31-year-old infielder spent last season with the Mets, hitting .251 with 19 RBI. He was with the Yankees in 2004 and became the starting second baseman during the second half of the season. He hit .292 with 42 RBI and wanted to re-sign, but the Yankees wouldn’t give him a two-year contract and instead signed Tony Womack, who quickly lost his starting job to Robinson Cano.

Cairo will back up Cano, first baseman Jason Giambi, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees also agreed to a minor league deal with right-hander Ramiro Mendoza, who returned to the major leagues in September following shoulder surgery in January. He pitched one inning, on September 1, and manager Joe Torre said Mendoza still needed to get arm strength back to be effective.

PHILLIES SIGN FRANKLIN TO ONE-YEAR DEAL The Phillies made a move to bolster their starting rotation, agreeing yesterday to a $2.6 million, one-year contract with right-hander Ryan Franklin. Franklin, suspended 10 days after testing positive for a steroid, went 8-15 with a 5.10 ERA in 190 2 /3 innings with Seattle last season. Franklin has a career record of 35-50 with a 4.34 ERA in six seasons with the Mariners.

HOCKEY

STARS SIGN TURCO TO FOUR-YEAR EXTENSION Marty Turco, a two-time All-Star, signed a four-year, $22.8 million contract extension with the Stars yesterday that will keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. The deal keeps Turco, 30, in Dallas through 2009-10.

– Associated Press