National Sports Briefs: Crisp traded

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 3:06 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

Associated Press

BOSTON — Outfielder Coco Crisp was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday for reliever Ramon Ramirez.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore called the switch-hitting Crisp a "championship-caliber player" who will help Kansas City move forward. Crisp is a career .280 batter in seven seasons with the Cleveland and the Red Sox.

The 29-year-old stared 98 games for the Red Sox last season while sharing the center field job with rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. He stole 20 bases in 27 attempts, marking the third season in a row he's reached the 20-steal mark.

- NEW YORK — Desperate for starting pitchers, the New York Yankees expect to enter next season without 20-game winner Mike Mussina.

FoxSports.com reported Wednesday that Mussina intends to retire and will make the move official this week. In the report, the Web site cited unidentified major league sources.Mussina, who turns 40 next month, would become the first pitcher to call it quits following a 20-win season since Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax in 1966.

- NEW YORK — Lew Wolff has a way to shorten baseball's postseason: Make the first round best-of-one.

"I'd make it one-game-and-you're-out for the first series," the Oakland Athletics owner said Wednesday. "It would be exciting. It would be great."

Begun in 1995, the division series has been a best-of-five competition. Some people have advocated it be expanded to best-of-seven, matching the league championship series and the World Series. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has repeatedly said he favors the current format.

Wolff said he hasn't brought up his concept with Selig.

"No, I'm afraid to do that," he said.

BOBCAT MOVES

CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Bobcats waived little-used forwards Andre Brown and Linton Johnson and were on the verge of signing center Dwayne Jones on Wednesday.

The Bobcats were also one of several teams pursuing forward Antonio McDyess as the Bobcats look for ways to boost a thin front line.

NHL

NEW YORK — Alex Burrows scored two of Vancouver's five goals against Henrik Lundqvist, and the Canucks feasted on turnovers Wednesday night in a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers.

The highly anticipated duel between Vezina Trophy favorites Lundqvist and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo never really materialized as the New York netminder was gone 5:33 into the second period. He allowed five goals on 17 shots, but it was hard to blame Lundqvist for any of them.

Luongo made a season-high 39 saves.

Bruins 7, Sabres 4

BOSTON— Zdeno Chara and Chuck Kobasew each scored two goals, Marc Savard had a goal and three assists and Boston beat Buffalo.

The Bruins won their sixth straight at home and for the seventh time in the past eight games. Boston's last regulation loss was Oct. 30 in Calgary.

After falling behind 4-2 with 7:23 remaining in the first period, the Bruins scored five unanswered goals. Savard figured in on four of them, giving him 600 points in his career.