Sosa and Rangers are negotiating deal

Sammy Sosa and the Texas Rangers are negotiating a minor league contract that would allow the slugger to attempt his comeback in the town where he began his career.

Sosa, who hasn’t played since the 2005 season, had a second workout for the Rangers on Monday, then had dinner with General Manager Jon Daniels and other team officials. An agreement appears likely.

“We’ve had productive discussions,” Sosa’s agent, Adam Katz, said Tuesday.

Sosa, 38, batted .221 with 14 home runs and 45 runs batted in in 102 games in 2005, his only season with the Baltimore Orioles. He has 588 homer.

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Dodgers reliever Joe Beimel, who missed the playoffs after cutting his hand on a barroom glass, will ask an arbitrator for a salary nearly three times the $425,000 he made last season.

After posting a 2.96 earned-run average in 62 appearances in his first season with the Dodgers, the left-hander filed for $1.25 million. The Dodgers countered with an offer of $912,500.

An arbitration hearing would be heard in February unless an agreement is reached.

-- Steve Henson

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Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano asked for a raise to $15.5 million and batting champions Joe Mauer and Freddy Sanchez also sought big hikes in arbitration.

Zambrano went 16-7 for the Cubs last year and made $6.65 million. He was offered $11,025,000 by Chicago and is eligible for free agency after the season. Both his request and the club’s offer were the highest numbers traded this year.

Mauer, who batted .347 to become the first catcher to win the American League batting title, requested a raise from $400,000 to $4.5 million, and the Minnesota Twins offered $3.3 million.

Sanchez batted .344 for Pittsburgh and asked the Pirates to increase his salary from $342,000 to $3.1 million. Pittsburgh offered $2.15 million.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Tedford, California agree to contract extension

California Coach Jeff Tedford has agreed to a four-year contract extension that will keep the two-time Pacific 10 Conference coach of the year with the Golden Bears through 2013, the Associated Press reported.

Tedford is 43-20 in five seasons, leading the Bears’ longest sustained period of excellence in a half-century. He led Cal to a 10-3 record, a Pac-10 co-championship and a victory over Texas A&M; in the Holiday Bowl in the just-completed season.

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Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain has been given permission to transfer.

The move came shortly after offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, Mustain’s high school coach, left to become assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator at Tulsa.

Mustain was the Parade magazine prep player of the year in 2005.

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Record-breaking Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan called off a second news conference in as many days to announce whether he would skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

He plans to make his announcement today.

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Denver Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster, 46, was hired as head coach by Minnesota, which fired Glen Mason on Dec. 31.

SOCCER

Beckham gives boost to MLS ticket sales

David Beckham’s jump to the Galaxy prompted a spike in tickets sales for several Major League Soccer teams.

The Galaxy said it had sold 5,000 season tickets since Thursday’s announcement, and the expansion Toronto FC said it sold 2,600 of its 10,000 season tickets.

Beckham’s decision “has generated more interest in Major League Soccer than any other event in league history,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.

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Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio joined D.C. United, the first of several international signings expected from the team.

MOTOR RACING

Force’s daughter will drive funny car this season

Calling it his proudest day as a drag racer, 14-time National Hot Rod Assn. champion John Force introduced daughter Ashley Force, 24, as his team’s newest driver of a funny car.

She is only the 10th woman licensed to drive a nitro-powered funny car. No woman has advanced as far as a final round in a national event, and none has reached the semifinals since 1985.

-- Martin Henderson

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The Champ Car World Series will return to Europe for the first time in five years with races this season in the Netherlands and Belgium.

MISCELLANY

Lampley to work HBO telecast Saturday

HBO confirmed that Jim Lampley, who was recently arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse, will call Saturday night’s boxing card featuring Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Urango in Las Vegas. An HBO spokesman said that because the situation involves a legal matter, there was no further comment. Lampley will work the fight with commentators Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward.

-- Larry Stewart

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Athletes skipped doping tests in Germany with regularity last year and weren’t punished, a study by German television station ARD revealed. According to the half-hour documentary ARD will broadcast today, 250 athletes refused about 400 unannounced tests while training -- and even repeat offenders weren’t suspended according to the rules.

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Gretchen and Roy Jackson, owners of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, and Pennsylvania’s George D. Widener Hospital, where the horse is recovering from a career-ending injury, will receive a special Eclipse Award, the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. said.