Red Sox Hope Avery Can Replace Clemens

The Boston Red Sox signed free-agent pitcher Steve Avery to a one-year contract Friday. Avery was 7-10 with a 4.47 earned-run average last season with Atlanta.

Avery, 26, once was part of the Braves’ brilliant four-man rotation with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. He was voted the most valuable player of the 1991 National League championship series but was less successful in last year’s postseason play. In Game 4 of the World Series against the New York Yankees, he walked Wade Boggs with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, forcing in the lead run in an 8-6 Yankee victory.

The Red Sox are hoping Avery can replace longtime staff ace Roger Clemens, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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San Francisco signed free-agent outfielder Darryl Hamilton to a two-year contract. . . . Harold Baines and Jason Bere re-signed with the Chicago White Sox, agreeing to one-year contracts. Chicago also signed relief pitcher Roger McDowell and catcher Tony Pena to minor league contracts. Scott Ruffcorn, a 1991 first-round pick of the White Sox, was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Philadelphia catcher Darren Daulton says he has made progress rehabilitating his injured right knee and believes he might be able to play this year. . . . Pitcher Darren Oliver signed a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers.

College Football

Three more juniors have announced plans to turn pro. Derrick Rodgers of Arizona State, C.J. Williams of Georgia Tech and Reidel Anthony of Florida will make themselves available for the NFL’s draft. Rodgers is a defensive end, Williams a running back and Anthony a wide receiver. . . . The 72nd East-West Shrine All-Star game will be played at Stanford today at 1 p.m. . . . Jim Fenwick, Los Angeles Valley College coach the last six years, was named the new coach at Cal State Northridge.

Hockey

Amateur hockey coaches and other volunteers in Canada could face police background checks as early as next season to protect young players from known sexual predators. Western Hockey League coach Graham James was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison last week after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two of his players while coaching the Swift Current Broncos.

Tennis

Switzerland’s Martina Hingis collected her third career singles title and further boosted her Australian Open prospects by beating Jennifer Capriati, 6-1, 5-7, 6-1, at the Sydney International. Hingis, 16, won in 84 minutes.

Earlier, Tim Henman became the first British player since 1902 to win the men’s title when he beat Spaniard Carlos Moya, 6-3, 6-1.

Unseeded Dominique Van Roost of Belgium won the Tasmanian International, defeating Marianne Werdel-Witmeyer, 6-3, 6-3, in Hobart, Australia.

Glenn Bassett, longtime UCLA coach who took over at Pepperdine last season, announced his retirement.

Winter Sports

A gold medal in the 500 meters and silver in the 5,000 gave Ids Postma of the Netherlands a commanding lead in the all-round European Speedskating Championships at Heerenveen, Netherlands. Emese Hunyady of Austria took the gold in the first women’s event, the 500 meters. . . . Ueli Luthi, an assistant with the U.S. Alpine ski team, remained in jail Friday after striking a policeman during an altercation at Chamonix, France.

Names in the News

Paul Tracy became the first driver to run on the new two-mile oval race track at the California Speedway in Fontana. Tracy drove his Mercedes-powered Indy car 19 laps on the two-mile superspeedway track and four laps on the 1.3-mile course. . . . Former world heavyweight boxing champion James “Buster” Douglas won a unanimous decision over Rocky Pepeli in a 10-round bout at Montville, Conn. . . . Paul Endacott, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and of Kansas’ 1922 and 1923 championship basketball teams, has died at 94. . . . Angelo Drossos, the former owner of the San Antonio Spurs credited with bringing the three-point shot to the NBA, died at 68. . . . The NCAA cannot try to limit claims against it in a lawsuit filed by Jerry Tarkanian, the former basketball coach at Nevada Las Vegas, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled.