HOCKEY

GLEN SATHER NOT LEAVING RANGERS JUST YET

The Rangers general manager Glen Sather, said yesterday that he is not ready to surrender his job to Mark Messier, the man who delivered a long-awaited Stanley Cup to the Rangers.

Messier caught many in the Rangers’ organization off guard Monday by telling the Toronto Sun that he planned to talk to Sather about taking his job when he left the team.

“Who knows in sports business but I don’t have any plans to do anything immediately,” Sather said yesterday before the Rangers played the Devils at the Continental Airlines Arena. “I understand that Mark can make a comment basically about anything he wants to do in his future, but anything that we’re going to talk about between each other is going to stay with us, at least it’ll stay on my side.”

BASKETBALL

BULLS FINE THOMAS $10,000 FOR SLAM DUNK COMMENTS

The Chicago Bulls fined forward Tyrus Thomas $10,000 yesterday one day after the rookie said he only was interested in the money for the NBA’s slam dunk contest.

The first Bull since Scottie Pippen in 1990 to participate in the event, Thomas was quoted in yesterday’s editions of the Chicago Tribune as saying: “I’m just going to go out there, get my check and call it a day.”

When asked if being around some of the game’s greats could be beneficial for a rookie, he responded, “I’m just into the free money That’s it. I’ll just do whatever when I get out there.”

The winner of the February 17 event in Las Vegas gets $35,000 The runner-up earns $22,500 with the third and fourth-place finishers getting $16,125.

SOCCER

BECKHAM TO HIT EVERY MLS MARKET AND MANY TVS

David Beckham will visit every Major League Soccer city after his arrival in America in mid-July, and television viewers will see lots of him.

The former England captain likely will make his MLS debut August 5 at Toronto, according to the MLS schedule released yesterday. But he could don his Galaxy shirt for the first time in late July when Los Angeles plays in the SuperLiga, an eight-team exhibition event between MLS and Mexican clubs.

The Galaxy play Mexico’s Chivas on July 24 at home, against Pachuca on July 28, and travel three days later to play at FC Dallas, the only MLS team that will not see Beckham during the regular season.

Sixteen of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s final 17 games are scheduled to be broadcast nationally.

BASEBALL

PAPELBON WILL STAY IN RED SOX ROTATION — FOR NOW

Terry Francona doesn’t expect Jonathan Papelbon to move back into the bullpen, even though it would make the Boston manager’s life easier.

“If I had my druthers, he would be our closer,” Francona said Tuesday, a day before heading to Florida to get an early start on spring training. “It’s not happening. We have to respect the medical people’s advice.”

Papelbon was thrust into the closer’s role as a rookie in 2006 when Keith Foulke struggled to recover from back, elbow and knee injuries. Papelbon saved 35 games in 41 tries and was the runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year despite a shoulder injury that caused him to cut his season short in September.

HARANG GETS $36.5 MILLION, 4-YEAR DEAL FROM REDS

Right-hander Aaron Harang avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $36.5 million, four-year contract yesterday that made him the Cincinnati Reds’ highest-paid pitcher.

Harang emerged as one of the NL’s top starters last season despite pitching in a ballpark that is one of the most homer-friendly in the major leagues. He tied for the league lead with 16 wins and led the NL with 216 strikeouts and six complete games.

“They showed me dedication by coming to me with this type of deal before I was a free agent,” Harang, who could earn $47.25 million to $48.5 million over five years if the 2011 option is exercised, said.