Indians, Gonzalez Near Deal

Juan Gonzalez, who dominated the Cleveland Indians as a visitor to Jacobs Field, is reportedly close to signing a one-year with the Indians worth about $12 million.

Gonzalez, a two-time American League most valuable player who played last season with the Detroit Tigers, said in Friday’s editions of El Nuevo Dia in Puerto Rico that he chose the Indians because he likes to hit at the ballpark, and because of his close relationships with Cleveland all-star second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielder Wil Cordero.

*

The Angels designated infielder Justin Baughman for assignment, creating room on the 40-man roster for newly acquired pitcher Ismael Valdes. Baughman, 26, hit .227 in 16 games with the Angels last year. He also spent time at triple-A Edmonton and double-A Erie. . . . Former Angel pitcher Kent Mercker signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox.

After losing Shawon Dunston and Eric Davis, the St. Louis Cardinals shored up their bench by signing outfielder-infielder Bobby Bonilla, outfielder Bernard Gilkey, utility player John Mabry and third baseman Shane Andrews. . . . New York Yankee outfielder David Justice had surgery to repair a double hernia and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training late next month. . . . Left-hander Mark Guthrie agreed to a $3.6-million, two-year contract with the Oakland Athletics, who are considering him for their No. 5 spot in their starting rotation. . . . The Arizona Diamondbacks signed right fielder Reggie Sanders to a $1.5-million, one-year contract.

Labatt Brewery ended its sponsorship of the Montreal Expos after 15 years, citing stalled plans for a new stadium and the lack of a local television contract. . . . A heater in the infield at Miller Park malfunctioned, releasing a flash of flaming gas and injuring a worker, authorities in Milwaukee said.

Tennis

Martina Hingis and Rodger Federer won singles matches to give Switzerland the Hopman Cup title over the United States at Perth, Australia.

Hingis defeated Monica Seles, 7-5, 6-4, then Federer defeated Jan-Michael Gambill, 6-4, 6-3, making the doubles match moot.

Hingis is 14-0 in singles in the Australian Open tuneup event.

Meilen Tu of Northridge won her first pro title, beating Paola Suarez of Argentina, 7-6 (10), 6-2, in the $110,000 ASB Bank Classic at Auckland, New Zealand.

Qualifier Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic upset top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open at Doha. In another upset, Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus beat second-seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, 6-2, 6-1.

Unseeded Silvia Farina Elia defeated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-7 (8), 6-2, 6-4, in the semifinals of the Australian women’s hardcourt championship at Gold Coast. . . . Tommy Haas of Germany upset defending champion Lleyton Hewitt, 6-4, 0-6, 6-1, in the quarterfinals of the AAPT Australian men’s hard court championships at Adelaide.

Jurisprudence

One of Rae Carruth’s former girlfriends testified in a Charlotte, N.C., courtroom that he was furious when she became pregnant by him, threatening her and insisting she have an abortion.

Amber Turner said Carruth also joked about killing his oldest son and the child’s mother, and fretted about his ability to pay support for the child of Cherica Adams.

Carruth is being tried on charges he arranged to have Adams killed. On cross-examination by defense attorney David Rudolf, Turner confirmed that she twice denied that Carruth ever threatened her, once in a magazine interview not long after Carruth was arrested.

Mark Gastineau, a former New York Jet lineman who was convicted of assaulting his wife and repeatedly violating the terms of his probation, has been sent back to jail, two weeks after being released into the custody of a Bible-based drug-treatment program on Long Island.

Probation Dept. spokesman Jack Ryan told the New York Post that the decision to return the former NFL star to jail was based on “new information . . . regarding Mr. Gastineau’s legal history.”

German soccer player Lutz Pfannenstiel was sentenced to five months in a Singapore prison after being found guilty of agreeing to accept bribes from a bookmaker in a match-fixing trial. He faced a maximum fine of $57,863 and a jail term of up to five years.

Miscellany

Rostislav Klesla and Vaclav Nedorost did the scoring, and Thomas Duba was outstanding in goal as the Czech Republic defended its title at the world junior hockey championship by defeating Finland, 2-1, at Moscow. . . . Sportscaster and horse owner Jim McKay will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit for his lifetime achievements in thoroughbred horse racing. John Hettinger will receive a special Eclipse award for his humanitarian efforts in the sport.