Overtime

Hockey

Canucks' Bertuzzi enters guilty plea

Vancouver Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi received a conditional discharge after pleading guilty to assault Wednesday, more than nine months after slugging Colorado forward Steve Moore from behind during a game.

The sentence, which leaves Bertuzzi without a criminal record, was the one recommended by the prosecutor after Bertuzzi agreed to a plea bargain.

"I have concluded that the imposition of a discharge is not contrary to the public interest," Judge Herb Weitzel said Wednesday night in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Bertuzzi must perform 80 hours of community service. If he complies with his community service and probation requirements, he will not have a criminal record.

- The NHL board of governors will meet in January, when commissioner Gary Bettman could seek permission to call off the 2004-05 season.

Top officials from the 30 clubs will gather on Jan. 14 with Bettman, the league confirmed Wednesday. If a collective bargaining agreement hasn't been reached with the players' association by then, the lockout will probably cause the cancellation of the season.

Bettman has so far resisted announcing a drop-dead date to call off the entire season.

Baseball

Nationals back in business at park

Outside a small heated trailer in the parking lot of RFK Stadium, fans arrived more than an hour early for the reopening of the Washington Nationals merchandise store.

Inside the stadium, officials met to discuss a new timetable for transforming an aging facility into a major league ballpark by April 14.

"We're on a short fuse here," said Mark Tuohey, chairman of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission, who was both a customer at the trailer and a participant in the meeting.

With only 113 days until the home opener against Arizona, Washington's new baseball team is in a dash to get ready. A week of political wrangling that brought work to a virtual standstill has cost time in what already was a tight schedule.

- Matt Clement finalized a $25.5 million, three-year deal with World Series champion Boston.

Boston also moved ahead on another front, reaching a preliminary agreement with right-hander Wade Miller, who became a free agent when Houston failed to offer a 2005 contract.

Miller, passed a physical Wednesday, will get about $1.5 million from the Red Sox and have the chance to earn almost $3 million in bonuses.

- Outfielder J.D. Drew and the Los Angeles Dodgers have reached a preliminary agreement on a $55 million, five-year contract.

Drew's contract is contingent on him passing a physical exam, which is scheduled for today.

Drew, 29, played in a career-high 145 games for the Atlanta Braves last season, hitting.305 and setting career highs with 31 homers, 128 runs and 118 walks.

- The Chicago White Sox agreed to an $8 million, two-year deal with right-hander Orlando Hernandez.

El Duque has a 61-40 career record with a 3.96 ERA, 704 strikeouts and one save in six seasons, all with the New York Yankees. He's also 9-3 in 17 postseason games, with a 2.65 ERA and 101 strikeouts – but missed the 2003 season with shoulder problems.

- Carlos Beltran met with Astros officials on Wednesday, Houston's latest effort to keep the All-Star center fielder who led the team within one win of its first World Series.

Beltran and his agent, Scott Boras, spoke with Astros owner Drayton McLane, team president Tal Smith and general manager Tim Purpura at the team's spring training camp in Kissimmee, Fla.

Boxing

Augusta's Moraetes named to position

Augusta Boxing Club executive director Tom Moraetes has been appointed to the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission by Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Moraetes succeeds Jesse B. Davis, whose term expired. His term runs through Nov. 6, 2006.