Pedroia agrees to $40.5-million deal

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who earned $457,000 last season while winning the American League most-valuable-player award, agreed Wednesday to a $40.5-million, six-year contract that could keep him in Boston through at least 2014.

“I wanted to be here a long time,” Pedroia said at a Fenway Park news conference. “Hopefully in the next six years we can win some championships.”

Heading into his third year in the majors, Pedroia has already joined Cal Ripken Jr. and Ryan Howard as the only players in baseball history to follow a rookie-of-the-year award with an MVP award. Pedroia, 25, led the American League with 213 hits, 118 runs and 54 doubles while batting .326 with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

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The San Francisco Giants took another step to bolster their bullpen, agreeing to a $2.75-million, one-year contract with free-agent reliever Bobby Howry. The Giants also are close to acquiring free-agent shortstop Edgar Renteria, though a deal had yet to be completed Wednesday night. . . . Tampa Bay Rays closer Troy Percival had back surgery this week and is expected to be ready to return to the team before opening day. . . . Pitcher Mike Hampton signed a one-year contract with the Houston Astros, returning to the team where he had the most successful years of his career.

HOCKEY

Laviolette fired as coach of Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes fired coach Peter Laviolette, brought back Paul Maurice to take over for him and moved Hall of Fame player and assistant general manager Ron Francis behind the bench as Maurice’s associate coach.

Laviolette led the team to its only Stanley Cup title in 2006, and last month he became the NHL’s winningest American-born coach. But the Hurricanes -- the only team in the league’s modern history to miss the playoffs two straight years after winning it all -- lost four of five games over the last 1 1/2 weeks.

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Dallas Stars instigator Sean Avery apologized for comments about his former girlfriends that led to an indefinite NHL suspension.

“I would like to sincerely apologize for my off-color remarks to the press yesterday from Calgary,” Avery said in a statement obtained by SportingNews.com.

“I should not have made those comments and I recognize that they were inappropriate. It was a bad attempt to build excitement for the game, but I am now acutely aware of how hurtful my actions were. I caused unnecessary embarrassment to my peers as well as people I have been close with in the past.”

Commissioner Gary Bettman has summoned Avery to New York for a hearing today.

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Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic will be sidelined at least six weeks while receiving treatment for a herniated disk. . . . Philadelphia Flyers center Danny Briere will be sidelined four to five weeks because of a severe groin strain.

GOLF

Wie shoots 69 in LPGA qualifying

Michelle Wie took an important first step toward earning an LPGA Tour card by opening with a three-under 69 in the 90-hole qualifying tournament at Daytona Beach, Fla. It was her first competitive round since Sept. 19, when she advanced out of the first stage of Q-school in California.

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Major Manning and Craig Kanada ran off birdie strings on different PGA West courses at La Quinta on their way to seven-under 65s and shares of the lead in the first of six rounds at the PGA Tour qualifying tournament. The 108-hole tournament will end Monday with the top 25 players and ties earning cards. The biggest name on the leaderboard was former PGA champion Mark Brooks, who is in Q-school for the first time in 21 years. Winless since his winning the ’96 PGA Championship at Valhalla, Brooks opened with a 66 on the Stadium Course. . . . The $1-million Soboba Classic, a new Nationwide Tour event, will be played at the Country Club at Soboba Springs Oct. 1-4, the tour announced. . . . Seve Ballesteros was released from intensive care a day after the golf great underwent his fourth brain surgery to deal with a cancerous tumor.

ETC.

Rose Bowl to add three to its Hall

Keyshawn Johnson, Virgil “Virg” Lubberden and Chuck Ortmann will be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on Dec. 31 during a ceremony at the Rose Bowl game kickoff luncheon. . . . Liz Johnson bowled her way into a men’s PBA Tour event, averaging nearly 227 in seven games to qualify for the Cheetah Championship at Cheektowaga, N.Y. Johnson also made the final of a men’s PBA event during the 2005-06 season. . . . The NCAA has turned down a request by Xavier guard Jordan Crawford to play for the 14th-ranked Musketeers this season. The sophomore point guard transferred from Indiana over the summer and was hoping to be able to avoid sitting out a season. Crawford played in 30 games at Indiana as a freshman, including eight starts. He averaged 9.7 points.