BASEBALL

RED SOX, TWINS WORKING ON SANTANA TERMS

The best team in baseball is getting closer to acquiring the best pitcher on the market this off-season. The World Series champion Red Sox are working on a deal to acquire two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana from Minnesota for a package that could include left-hander Jon Lester or outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

Twins general manager Bill Smith wouldn’t discuss the talks. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has also declined to comment on Santana, saying generally that “a lot of the rumors out there are just that.”

“It takes two teams to make a trade,” he told Boston-area reporters. “I know there’s a lot of speculation that we’re close to something big. Until we reach an agreement, then we’re not that close.”

If the teams agree to the players, the Red Sox would try to work out a contract extension with Santana, a 28-year-old lefty who is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season

YANKEES TO TRADE CLIPPARD TO NATIONALS FOR RELIEVER

The Yankees found a fresh arm for their bullpen yesterday, reaching a preliminary agreement to trade Tyler Clippard to the Washington Nationals for right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo in a quiet swap of young pitchers.

The deal was subject to physicals, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been completed.

The 25-year-old Albaladejo was 1–1 with a 1.88 ERA in 14 relief appearances for Washington this season. The rookie struck out 12 and walked two in 14.1 innings. He also went 3–0 with a 1.13 ERA in 15 games at Triple-A Columbus.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

BOWDEN AGREES TO EXTENSION

Clemson coach Tommy Bowden didn’t have to leave for Arkansas to find the security he wanted.

Bowden agreed to a four-year extension yesterday that, if he stays until the end, would keep him with the Tigers longer than any coach but the program’s celebrated patriarch, Frank Howard.

FOOTBALL

BRONCOS RB HENRY AVOIDS SUSPENSION FOR DRUG TEST

Broncos running back Travis Henry won his appeal of a one-year suspension over a failed drug test yesterday.

The NFL informed Henry in September he had failed a test for marijuana. He disputed the results and sued the NFL to avoid a suspension. He contended the league violated its substance abuse policy by not allowing an expert of Henry’s choosing to be present for the testing. Henry’s lawyer Harvey Steinberg told the Associated Press that he wasn’t surprised by the decision.

BASKETBALL

76ERS HIRE NETS GM STEFANSKI TO REPLACE FIRED GM KING

Ed Stefanski is trading a difficult commute for a much tougher road: trying to turn a fallen franchise into a winner.

Stefanski was chosen president and general manager of 76ers on yesterday, hours after Billy King was fired after 10 seasons in Philadelphia. Stefanski left his job as GM of the New Jersey Nets and made the daily commute from the Philadelphia suburb of Wayne to northern New Jersey. The move keeps Stefanski in the familiar Atlantic Division and returns the Philly-area native to his roots with the daunting task of making the dismal 76ers into winners.