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When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Qwest Field, Seattle
TV/Radio: Channel: 2 Channel: 40 / 1050 AM
Story line: The Seahawks haven't won a postseason game since the 1984 season, the longest streak without a playoff victory in the NFL, and Mike Holmgren hasn't won one since he left Green Bay after 1998. This is the first time in Seahawks history that the team earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Washington, which last week won with the fewest yards ever by a winning team in the playoffs (120), is attempting to become the first sixth-seeded team to reach a conference championship game since the playoffs were expanded to six teams in each conference in 1990.
Key matchups: Both teams depend heavily on their running games, Seattle with league rushing-leader and NFL TD record-setter Shaun Alexander and Washington with Clinton Portis, who ranked fourth in rushing. Because of their strong running games, both teams rank among the top three in the league in the red zone; the Seahawks led the NFL by scoring touchdowns on 71.7 percent of their drives inside the 20. Both teams, however, also have effective red-zone defenses. Washington has a good, but not great, pass defense against Seattle's good passing game, led by QB Matt Hasselbeck.
When Redskins have the ball: Portis was held to 53 yards by Tampa Bay last week, but he has rushed for 626 in the last six games, all of which Washington won. The key to the Seahawks' defense is their improvement at linebacker, which features rookie Lofa Tatupu in the middle. Washington QB Mark Brunell made a nice comeback this season and he has an excellent deep threat in Santana Moss (17.7 yards per catch), which the Redskins will use to try to make the Seahawks back off a little against the running game.
When Seahawks have the ball: With Hasselbeck (24 TDs, 9 INTs, 98.2 rating) the Seahawks have a better passing game than the Redskins because he has a stable of receivers including wideouts Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram and Joe Jurevicius. Engram is the most reliable, but Jurevicius led the team with 10 touchdown catches. Make no mistake, though, Seattle wants to run the ball first with Alexander because that opens up everything, and the Redskins are susceptible although coordinator Gregg Williams does a nice job of mixing up his defenses.
Special teams: Two different Washington players returned kickoffs for touchdowns this season. Seattle's Josh Brown made five field goals of at least 50 yards.
Injuries: Redskins -- WR James Thrash (thumb) is questionable. Seahawks -- OLB D.D. Lewis (foot), OT Sean Locklear (hip) and CB Marcus Trufant (back) are questionable.
Perhaps the Indianapolis Colts are as dominant as their 14-2 regular season indicates, and trying to beat them in their RCA Dome has only a remote chance of success, at best.
Still, if any team should be unfazed by the task of traveling to Indianapolis for a playoff game, it should be the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Well, any team other than the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, who have their own aura of invincibility.)
The boys from the Steel City know from personal experience how little guarantee a lights-out regular season and homefield advantage can mean in the playoffs.
Last season, the Steelers were the Indianapolis Colts - the team that made mincemeat of opponents in the regular season.
A 15-1 record, including crushing victories over the highly regarded Patriots and Eagles in successive weeks, had the Steelers looking like a shoo-in for Super Bowl XXXIX with the AFC road having to go through Pittsburgh.
As we in Philadelphia know all too well, the reigning champions of the NFL are the Patriots.
Before breaking the hearts of Eagles fans, the Patriots steamrolled into Pittsburgh and smacked around the Steelers, 41-27, for the AFC title - a memory not lost on the black and gold as they head to Indianapolis for Sunday's Divisional Playoff with the Colts.
"When we were 15-1," Steelers receiver Hines Ward told reporters after their 31-17, wild-card victory at Cincinnati, "everybody was asking (opponents) the question, `Do you think you can win in Pittsburgh?'
"You can lose on any given day, and we understand that. We've been on that side when you have a great year and homefield throughout. Now it's a little different for us."
It's a lot different - so different that you get the feeling the Steelers are enjoying their role as nine-point underdogs.
From the way some Steelers talked after beating Cincinnati, you'd think they were barely a playoff-caliber team despite their 11-5 regular season.
"We had hoped we'd be able to get back to Indy, because we knew they'd be the No. 1 seed and that if we got back there, that would mean we made the playoffs," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "By no means are we - I'm not, anyway - excited to go play Indianapolis in Indianapolis.
"It will definitely be a challenge for us, a big task. We have to go out and play good football. If we can play Steelers football, who knows?"
He also said, "It's going to take our A-plus game to go out and beat their B-minus game."
And if you believe Roethlisberger really feels so wimpy about the Steelers' chances, then you also believe the Eagles will be able to sucker someone out of a first-round draft pick in a trade for Terrell Owens.
Obviously, the Steelers know that going to Indianapolis will be a challenge. They got kicked around, 26-7, in the RCA Dome by the Colts on Nov. 28 on "Monday Night Football."
"We went up there and basically laid an egg," receiver Antwaan Randle El said. "But this is a different level in the playoffs. Everything in the past is over with and it's time to get going."
Of course, Indianapolis should be favored.
It has the best offense in the game, directed by the most feared quarterback in the game - two-time MVP Peyton Manning.
And if the Colts' explosive attack featuring Manning, versatile running back Edgerrin James and receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne weren't enough, this season the Indy defense learned how to stop people.
But just remember that before you pencil in Indianapolis for the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance since the franchise won Super Bowl V while still based in Baltimore, the Colts have their own demons to overcome.
You always want to play at home in the playoffs, but the fact is that of the 30 teams that have secured the No. 1 seed since 1990 when the NFL went to the current playoff format, only 15 have made it to the Super Bowl.
Five AFC No. 1 seeds have lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The Colts are coming off a bye week and also will be playing their first meaningful game since the death of coach Tony Dungy's 18-year-old son.
If Indianapolis is off its game for whatever reason, the Steelers are more than capable of taking advantage of that, regardless of the noise and energy in the RCA Dome.
"It just doesn't matter where you play," Manning told reporters in Indianapolis the other day. "If you don't play well, you won't win.
"You like to be able to play at home and you should play well at home, but it doesn't guarantee you anything."
The Steelers know from personal experience the veracity of that statement. It's why they shouldn't be fazed about a playoff game in Indianapolis.
Undated Here's a look at some 2005 highlights of sports across Texas:
-- In June, the San Antonio Spurs dethroned the reigning N-B-A champs and regained the title, their third in seven years.
-- Austin's Lance Armstrong finished his summer vacation the way he always does, with a victory in the Tour de France, a record seventh straight title.
-- The Houston Astros reached the World Series for the first time in their history, but ultimately losing to the Chicago White Sox.
-- The second-ranked Texas Longhorns went 12-and-0, earning a spot in the national championship game against top-ranked U-S-C in the Rose Bowl.
U-T quarterback Vince Young was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
-- Canton High football coach Gary Joe Kinne (kin-ee) in April was shot _ allegedly by a disgruntled parent.
Kinne recovered in time to guide the team to its best season (12 wins, three in the playoffs) and his son-quarterback, G.J., was named the top offensive player in Class 3-A.
-- The Dallas Cowboys went into their Christmas Eve game against Carolina still in the playoff hunt.
_ This was supposed to be the year the Houston Texans became playoff contenders.
Instead, the Texans won only two of their first 14 games.
_ Hurricane Katrina forced the New Orleans Saints out of the Superdome.
Team owner Tom Benson was happy to move the Saints to San Antonio for the rest of this season _ if not longer.
_ What does a 5-6 season represent to you?
At Texas A-and-M it's a huge disappointment for a club that began 2005 in the Cotton Bowl, but losing to Tennessee 38-to-7.
_ The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets put on quite a show in the first round of the playoffs. The Rockets won the first two games in Dallas, then the Mavs won the next two in Houston. The series wound up going seven games, with Dallas winning the finale in a rout.
_ Waco coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson learned what it took to win a championship during her days as a feisty point guard at Louisiana Tech.
She later guided Baylor to the top of the league _ then past three number one seeds to win the N-C-A-A women's tournament.
_ The Astrodome in Houston and Reunion Arena in Dallas may have been abandoned by pro teams, but they became invaluable shelter -- for hurricane evacuees.
Shirtless and screaming, Chicago Bears fan Dan Samardzic runs through the stands at Soldier Field, exhorting home-game seatmates and ignoring subfreezing temperatures. He says he and Chicago are just getting warmed up.
``It's Bear weather and this is what we're all about,'' says Samardzic, a 25-year-old ironworker, as he cheered the National Football League's Bears on to victory over the Atlanta Falcons, 16-3, on Dec. 18. ``They have a really good chance of going all the way this year.''
Two months after baseball's Chicago White Sox won the World Series to end an 88-year drought, the Bears are making an unexpected run at the NFL playoffs. The team has a division- leading 10-4 record, including the longest win streak -- 8 games -- since the team's last Super Bowl title in 1986.
Fans are packing sports bars, team-merchandise stores and Soldier Field, built in 1924 on Chicago's Lake Michigan shore. The Bears hold a two-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football Conference North division, and would clinch the division title and a playoff spot with a win Dec. 25 against the Green Bay Packers, or a loss by Minnesota against the Baltimore Ravens.
Still, the football drought may worsen: While a league- leading defense has carried the Bears, critics say the team won't go far in the playoffs with the second-worst passing game in the NFL. Even Mike Ditka, a former coach who led the Bears to their last Super Bowl victory 20 years ago, says this team needs to improve its offense to survive.
``They've got to be more consistent on offense,'' says Ditka, 66, who's now a football analyst for Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN. ``You've got to be able to play defense, and they can play defense.''
Packed Bar
Heightened interest in the Bears is boosting sales for business owners like Jeffrey Thomas, an owner of Blackie's, a bar and restaurant about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Soldier Field.
More than 300 customers typically come through Blackie's on Bears game days at home, about triple the attendance -- and revenue -- on days when the team isn't playing, Thomas says.
He's relishing the prospect of a playoff game in January. Twelve teams will qualify for the NFL playoffs, which begin Jan. 7, and the Bears will host at least one game should they win their division. The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit.
``Football is the No. 1 sport in Chicago,'' says Thomas, 50.
Helmets Sold Out
At Sports Authority Inc. stores around Chicago, fans are snapping up replica jerseys of players like Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, says Tom Chesson, district manager for the Englewood, Colorado-based retailer. To keep up, the company is having suppliers ship some merchandise straight to stores.
Even so, items including miniature Bears helmets were temporarily sold out, he says.
``We absolutely see a spike in business whenever these guys start doing well,'' Chesson says.
In January 1986, the Bears, led by Ditka, capped a 15-1 regular-season record with two shutout wins in the playoffs and a 46-10 defeat of the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
The Bears have since tested fan devotion. Ditka was fired after the team went 5-11 in 1992, and two other head coaches, Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron, were hired and fired as the team had 10 losing seasons in the 13 years ended in 2004. The Bears haven't won a playoff game since 1995.
`A Long Way'
This year's team, led by second-year coach Lovie Smith, has climbed back behind a defense that leads the 32-team league in allowing the fewest points, 10.8, and fewest yards, 267.7, per game on average.
In the Bears locker room after the Dec. 18 victory, Urlacher says winning the Super Bowl may lead to a bigger celebration than when the White Sox clinched the World Series in October.
``You see the Sox win, the fans go crazy for that,'' says Urlacher, 27. ``But we've got a long way to go.''
As Ditka points out, the Bears need offensive improvement. The Bears have scored an average 16.1 points a game this year, 24th among NFL teams. The Seattle Seahawks, with the best conference record at 12-2, average 29.1 points, second to only the Indianapolis Colts' 29.2 points.
Chicago's offense had been led this season by rookie Kyle Orton, rated the NFL's poorest-performing quarterback. Orton was replaced in the Atlanta game by Rex Grossman, who hadn't played since breaking an ankle in an August pre-season contest.
Grossman led the Bears to a second-half touchdown and field goal to seal the win. He has been named starting quarterback.
In the stands, Samardzic, the shirtless ironworker, clutches his coat and warms to the possibility of the Bears' first Super Bowl appearance since he was 5 years old.
``It feels all right,'' says Samardzic, who grew up on Chicago's southeast side. ``It's all adrenaline, being here and watching this team.''
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots clinched the AFC East this weekend, then the Cincinnati Bengals took the AFC North. The Denver Broncos also assured themselves a spot in the playoffs. After New England blanked Tampa Bay 28-0 on Saturday, improving to 9-5, it eliminated Miami from taking the division crown. The Dolphins fell out of the playoff chase despite a 24-20 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. Denver also won Saturday, beating Buffalo 28-17. That was enough to guarantee the Broncos (11-3) at least an AFC wild-card berth. They lead the West by two games over San Diego, and will clinch the division with one more win or a Chargers loss. Cincinnati's 41-17 rout of Detroit moved the Bengals into the postseason for the first time in 15 years. Indianapolis and Seattle already were in.
The thought of going back into the locker room, seeing his teammates, his uniform, his old life was too much to bear for Wayne Chrebet.
The veteran Jets receiver stayed away for over a month so he could come to terms with the inevitable -- that he would never be a part of that locker room again. Once Chrebet made his way to the Jets facility Thursday for the first time since sustaining another concussion Nov. 6, he realized how long he'd been away.
Dust caked the boxes in his locker, and mail overflowed from fans sharing their well wishes. Chrebet confirmed his 11-year career was over, ending a love story between the little receiver that could and the fans that embraced the hometown hero.
"Some days you wake up and you don't feel like anything's changed," Chrebet said, his lips quivering and eyes watering. "And then your team is playing on TV and it hits you in the gut and makes it tough. Just accepting it and not fighting it -- it's not a fight I can win right now. I'm not going to get back on the field. I think everybody's aware of that."
Chrebet signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra, the same place the Jets practice. Though he was undersized at 5-10, he quickly became a clutch possession receiver.
The decision to walk away was difficult and painful. Chrebet had a series of head injuries that plagued him the past three seasons, and sustained at least six concussions in his NFL career.
He finishes second on the Jets career receptions list with 580.
It has reached the point in this NFL season when everything has been reduced to a mathematical equation.
And there's nothing more fun than square roots.
Except for a well-placed hypotenuse.
For most teams not named New Orleans, Arizona or Houston, there is a path to the playoffs and there is a path out of the playoffs. The path out usually involves the Jets.
For the Carolina Panthers, the playoff scenario is simple - keep coach John Fox in fresh bubble gum, keep throwing the ball to Steve Smith and keep feeding quarterbacks to Mike Rucker.
Having already sent the bill for playoff tickets, the Panthers might as well maximize the investment.
The Panthers can't clinch anything but Jon Gruden's jaw this Sunday. It's more clear-cut, however, for some other teams.
The Bengals, for example, can clinch the AFC North on Sunday with a win and a Pittsburgh loss. The Patriots can clinch the AFC East with a win and a Miami loss.
And, the Texans can clinch Reggie Bush with four more losses.
So, if pi are square, Week 14 must look like this:
TAMPA BAY at CAROLINA: The Panthers can check the Bucs off their Christmas list. Panthers 27, Bucs 13.
OAKLAND at NEW YORK JETS: One question hangs over this game - which one will Matt Leinart play for next season? Jets 13, Raiders 12.
HOUSTON at TENNESSEE: After careful consideration, Meineke Car Care Bowl officials decided to take N.C. State-South Florida instead. Texans 28, Titans 21.
CHICAGO at PITTSBURGH: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will probably need surgery on the boo-boo in his right thumb once the season is over. That means anytime after this Sunday. Bears 21, Steelers 13.
NEW ENGLAND at BUFFALO: Tom Brady as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. Nice call. Patriots 24, Bills 20.
CLEVELAND at CINCINNATI: Winner gets Akron. Bengals 41, Browns 21.
ST. LOUIS at MINNESOTA: There's more stuff going on here than in the "Knots Landing Reunion" show. The Rams are trying to out-dysfunction the Vikings, who suddenly look like the Chicago Bears.
Brad Johnson, who was believed to be out of professional football by everyone including Vikings coach Mike Tice, has turned into Joe Montana and the Vikes are talking playoffs. Stranger things have happened, but usually on a party boat. Vikings 34, Rams 24.
INDIANAPOLIS at JACKSONVILLE: Unless Peyton Manning is taking the day off to film another commercial, the Colts make it 13 in a row. Colts 32, Jaguars 17.
SAN FRANCISCO at SEATTLE: The next-best thing to a bye. Seahawks 32, 49ers 10.
WASHINGTON at ARIZONA: Let's say you're sitting at a bar and a guy or a girl or both offers to buy you a beer (or a wine cooler, if that's your thing) if you know which team leads the NFL in passing yardage per game this year. What's your answer?
If you put down the beer nuts and say the quarterback formerly known as Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals, you win. The is something Arizona rarely does. Cardinals 27, Redskins 17.
NEW YORK GIANTS at PHILADELPHIA: Wondering what to get the Eagles fan on your Christmas list besides a dose of anti-depressants? There's a sweet video available on the team's Web site documenting the making of the Eagles' cheerleaders' lingerie calendar. Interesting that it's about the only thing that's not marked down. Giants 33, Eagles 12.
KANSAS CITY at DALLAS: Everything says Chiefs but Cowboys 21, Chiefs 17.
MIAMI at SAN DIEGO: Choices you don't want to have to make: Gus Frerotte or Sage Rosenfels. It's not easy being Nick Saban. Chargers 42, Dolphins 17.
BALTIMORE at DENVER: See San Francisco at Seattle above. Broncos 38, Ravens 16.
DETROIT at GREEN BAY: In a not-so-related bit of discouraging news, there's talk of creating even more college bowl games next season. No playoff, of course, just more games to invite bad teams to play meaningless games. Kinda like this one. Packers 23, Lions 20.
NEW ORLEANS at ATLANTA: Has anyone seen Michael Vick's cape? Falcons 23, Saints 17
The last 12-0 team that came to the Sunshine State left with a loss.
The Jacksonville Jaguars hope to make it two in a row Sunday against the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts.
"The pressure is more on them than it is on us," Jags linebacker Mike Peterson said. "I'm pretty sure they're uptight, worrying about their 12-0 record and letting the division slip away."
If so, the Colts aren't showing it.
The Colts are one of only five NFL teams to start 12-0 and are getting flooded with questions about staying undefeated and matching the 1972 Miami Dolphins - the only team with a perfect season.
Coach Tony Dungy told his players to focus on short-term goals and let others worry about Indy's quest over the final month to make history.
The Colts already have secured a playoff spot and can clinch the division title Sunday. They also can earn a first-round bye and possibly home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Even if that doesn't happen against the Jaguars (9-3), it probably will in the coming weeks, which has prompted speculation whether Dungy will rest his players - and reduce the risk of injury - or try to make history.
"We're not going to play a game to lose no matter who plays and I don't think you would say, 'I hope we lose one because we'll be better off,'" Dungy said. "We want to win them all."
Only three teams have started 13-0: the 1934 Chicago Bears, the 1972 Dolphins and the 1998 Denver Broncos.
The Bears were 12-0 in 1985 when they traveled to Miami to face the Dolphins on Monday night. Miami won 38-24, an upset that remains almost as big a part of franchise history as Miami's perfect season.
For the Jaguars, who have won five in a row, this will be one of the biggest regular-season games in their 11-year history. They believe they are ready.
"I've been saying all season that this confidence was coming," Peterson said. "I felt something special coming. It was just a matter of time. The pieces of the puzzle are slowing piecing together. This is just another piece, beating Indianapolis."
A victory Sunday would give Jacksonville some credibility it has lacked by playing a relatively weak schedule and beating several teams - Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Houston and Baltimore - without key players.
But even with a loss, the Jaguars could still end up with one of the two AFC wild-card spots. They finish the season against San Francisco, Houston and Tennessee - teams with a combined 6-30 record.
"I've got bigger parts of history I'd like to be a part of than knocking off an undefeated team," coach Jack Del Rio said. "That would be nice, but there are bigger things that we're chasing and the biggest thing is we need to win enough to get into the tournament, and this is an opportunity to get win No. 10."
The Jaguars have matched up as well as anyone against the Colts in recent years.
The teams have split the last two season series, and Jacksonville has traditionally given Indianapolis more trouble than most opponents.
"They bring out the best in us," Jags receiver Jimmy Smith said. "We play to their level. We welcome the challenge of doing so. This is when you want to be playing your best football, in the months of November and December. You want to be gaining momentum for the playoffs. This will be a playoff atmosphere. It'll give us all a taste of what the playoffs will be like. We've got to win it."
The Jaguars have been able to put pressure on Peyton Manning without blitzing, which allows them to drop seven or eight into coverage and not let Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley or anyone else beat them deep.
Jacksonville also has been successful containing Edgerrin James and forcing the Colts to score by moving the ball methodically down the field and not making any mistakes. It nearly worked in the first meeting this season, when Manning threw an interception on the opening possession and then Indy punted on the next seven drives.
The Colts finally scored in the fourth quarter following a 17-play, 88-yard drive that featured 14 runs. The 10-3 victory was the only time this year the Colts trailed in the fourth period.
But they have been on a roll lately.
Seven of their past nine wins have come by at least 17 points. They lead the NFL in scoring, averaging more than 35 points over the past nine weeks, and have yielded the second-fewest points in the league. Only three teams - Cincinnati, St. Louis and New England - have scored more than two touchdowns against them all season.
So can the Jaguars pull the upset and end Indy's pursuit of perfection?
"We always play up to the competition," cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "The big games are something that everyone knows that we're going to show up and get it done."
Like the Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls enter tonight's game at MCI Center still scrambling to find the flow that made them a surprising participant in the Eastern Conference playoffs last spring. Both teams have beaten the defending champion San Antonio Spurs (the Bulls won 106-99 at San Antonio on Nov. 25), but have also lost to struggling teams.
In addition to adjusting to life without center Eddy Curry, who was traded to the New York Knicks before the season, the Bulls have battled a rash of recent injuries to guards Kirk Hinrich (concussion), Ben Gordon (sprained right knee) and forward Tyson Chandler, who has been undergoing tests to determine why he has been bothered by fatigue.
One difference between the teams is that while the Wizards were 11-6 through 17 games last season, the Bulls opened 3-14 before turning things around and finally getting over .500 in January. Like the Wizards, some of the Bulls are tired of playing inconsistent basketball.
"For us to be .500 and not playing defense the way we need to play, mediocre is the right word," Bulls guard Chris Duhon said recently. "We should not accept being .500 right now. We expect more of ourselves and we should have a better record than we have."
The Wizards won the season series with the Bulls, 2-1, last season and won the teams' first-round playoff series, 4-2.
Old School
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The Wizards will wear retro-style uniforms from the 1972-73 season tonight against the Bulls and tomorrow night at Miami. The 1972-73 Baltimore Bullets uniform features navy and orange stripes down one side of the jersey and shorts. The Wizards will wear the uniforms during four more home games this season.
Baseball executives finished the winter meetings with a flurry of deals before heading home, with the Boston Red Sox giving up on shortstop Edgar Renteria and the New York Yankees getting rid of second baseman Tony Womack.
On the fourth and final day of the busiest winter meetings in years, Boston sent Renteria to the Atlanta Braves for Andy Marte.
Perhaps the Orioles’ Miguel Tejada could wind up as his replacement in Boston. The All-Star shortstop said Thursday he wants out of Baltimore, which signed him to a $72 million, six-year contract before the 2004 season.
“I’ve been with the Orioles for two years and things have not gone in the direction that we expected, so I think a change of scenery would be the best,” Tejada said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from his home in Bani, Dominican Republic.
“I’ve done many things with this team and I’ve not seen results, and the other teams are getting stronger while the Orioles have not made any signings to strengthen the club,” said Tejada, the 2002 AL MVP.
Renteria won Gold Gloves in 2002 and 2003, then helped St. Louis win the NL pennant in 2004. He signed a $40 million, four-year deal with the Red Sox but led the major leagues with 30 errors last season.
Boston agreed to pay $8 million of the $26 million he is owed in the next three seasons — plus the $3 million buyout if his 2009 option is declined.
“We looked at his time in the National League and we believe that when he gets back to the National League in Atlanta, he will return to the Renteria of old,” said Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz, who sent third base prospect Andy Marte in the deal.
Boston also is exploring trading 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez, and teams want the Red Sox to pay some of the $57 million owed to the left fielder over the next three years.
Womack had signed with the Yankees after hitting .307 as Renteria’s St. Louis teammate in 2004, but he lost his starting job a month into last season. New York received infielder Kevin Howard and outfielder Ben Himes in the trade, and will send $900,000 to the Reds to offset part of Womack’s $2 million salary next season.
New York also reached a preliminary agreement on a $2.4 million, two-year contract with lefty reliever Mike Myers, who was 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 65 games last season as Boston’s left-handed specialist.
“The Yankees were one of my targeted teams this winter,” Myers said. “Just knowing a couple of the other guys, I don’t think it will be hard to fit in there. ... I’m excited.’’
There were more than a dozen trades and 20 free-agent signings at the meetings.
Detroit was busy, agreeing to a $16 million, two-year contract with left-hander Kenny Rogers and an $11 million, two-year deal with closer Todd Jones. The Tigers announced Jones’ contract but didn’t confirm Rogers’ agreement.
Jones was 1-5 with a 2.10 ERA and 40 saves last season for the Florida Marlins, his sixth team since leaving Detroit.
“I’m glad to be back. I’m glad to be in the mix,” he said. ``At this stage of my career, I have to find ways to connect. Detroit is an easy connection for me.’’
Also, the Baltimore Orioles and catcher Ramon Hernandez reached a preliminary agreement on a $27.5 million, four-year contract, a deal subject to a physical. There also was talk that third baseman Bill Mueller and the Los Angeles Dodgers were negotiating a deal.
In other free-agent news, Colorado agreed to a one-year deal with reliever Jose Mesa, the Kansas City Royals agreed to a two-year contract with pitcher Elmer Dessens and infielder Jose Valentin agreed to a one-year contract with the New York Mets worth $912,500.
First-baseman outfielder Mark Sweeney got a $1.8 million, two-year contract with San Francisco, and outfielder Orlando Palmeiro stayed with Houston for $1.9 million over two years.
The Cincinnati Reds finalized their trade that sent popular first baseman Sean Casey and $1 million to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-hander Dave Williams. The deal had been tentatively agreed to Tuesday, subject to physicals.
“Hopefully the fans will warm up to me and give me a chance,’’ said Williams, who led the Pirates with 10 wins last season. “To get traded for somebody like that or even be in the same sentence, it’s a huge compliment.’’
Pittsburgh also sent utilityman Rob Mackowiak to the World Series champion Chicago White Sox for left-handed reliever Damaso Marte, a deal also pending physicals, according to a baseball official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been finalized yet.
Late Wednesday, 26 free agents were offered salary arbitration by their former teams. They have until Dec. 19 to accept and can re-sign through Jan. 8.
But there were 121 free agents who were declined arbitration. They can’t return to their former clubs until May 1. Among those turned down was Angels catcher Bengie Molina, a key part of a team that won the AL West.
In a late-night trade, All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano was sent from the Rangers to the Washington Nationals for Brad Wilkerson, Terrmel Sledge and a minor league pitcher. Physicals must be completed before the deal is finalized.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels had hoped to get pitching for Soriano but instead will save about $5 million with the swap.
“We couldn’t invent a deal out there that wasn’t,” he said. ``You can’t look at the trade in a vacuum. ... It allows us to pursue pitching in other ways.’’
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