FOOTBALL

ARBITRATOR: FALCONS CAN RECOUP NEARLY $20M FROM VICK

Michael Vick has taken another hit — and this one could cost him nearly $20 million.

Already facing prison time, the disgraced quarterback lost the first round in his financial battle with the Atlanta Falcons when an arbitrator ruled yesterday that Vick should repay much of the bonus money he got while secretly bankrolling a gruesome dogfighting ring.

The case is far from over. The players’ union said it will appeal the ruling by Stephen B. Burbank, a University of Pennsylvania law professor and special master who oversaw last week’s arbitration hearing in Philadelphia.

The Falcons argued that Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the long-running operation, knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal in December 2004.

The team said he used proceeds from the contract to fund his illicit activities and sought the repayment of $19,970,000 in bonuses he was paid over the last three years.

LEINART OUT FOR THE SEASON; RATTAY SIGNED AS BACKUP

An already difficult second NFL season came to an end for Arizona’s Matt Leinart yesterday when he was placed on injured reserve with a broken collarbone.

Kurt Warner, the 36-year-old quarterback who had shared duties with Leinart, moves into the starting job. The team signed Tim Rattay yesterday to be Warner’s backup.

BASEBALL

TIGERS EXERCISE $13M OPTION ON RODRIGUEZ

The Detroit Tigers decided Ivan Rodriguez was worth another $13 million.

The Tigers exercised an option yesterday on the All-Star catcher’s contract, retaining him for a fifth season at a hefty price.

“This was a major decision and yet once the season ended, it became an easy one because we still think he’s one of the top catchers overall in the game,” Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said in an interview with the Associated Press.

The Tigers could have bought Rodriguez out of the last year of his deal for $3 million, but they didn’t like the prospect of not having him behind the plate next year.

RED SOX MOVE SCHILLING UP TO PITCH GAME 2 OF ALCS

Tim Wakefield tested his balky back from the Fenway mound on Tuesday to see if he’ll be able to start in Game 4 of the AL championship series.

Curt Schilling showed everything he needed to show on Sunday.

Two days after helping the Red Sox finish off the Los Angeles Angels in the first round, Schilling was tabbed to start the second game of the best-of-seven series against Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona.

Josh Beckett will start the opener on Friday night against C.C. Sabathia. Daisuke Matsuzaka, who pitched the second game in the first round, will start Game 3 against Jake Westbrook.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TEBOW FORCED TO CHANGE NUMBER AFTER THREATS

Quarterback Tim Tebow said yesterday he received hundreds of threatening messages on his cell phone leading up to Florida’s game at top-ranked LSU.

They were the reason Tebow pretended to dial a cell phone after his first touchdown pass, a 2-yarder to Kestahn Moore that made it 10-0 in the second quarter.

Tebow said many of the messages contained physical threats and most included foul language.