Teixeira becomes latest rich New York Yankee

Mark Teixeira sat down with his wife on Dec. 12 to have dinner, his regular Friday “date night” with Leigh at the Vaquero Club in Westlake, Texas.

“I’d been asking her for weeks and weeks, ‘Where do you want to go? Where do you want me to play?’ ” he related. “And she said, ‘I want you to be happy. I just want you to be happy.’ And finally, she said, ‘I want you to be a Yankee.’ So that’s when it was done. And once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer.”

The free-agent first baseman officially joined the Yankees on Tuesday, finalizing a $180 million, eight-year deal initially agreed to Dec. 23, pending contract language and a physical. Teixeira’s news conference might have been the last big event at old Yankee Stadium – the team is set to move on Jan. 23 across 161st Street to its new $1.3 billion ballpark.

•No luxury boxes for NYC: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration will forgo luxury boxes at the new Yankees and Mets ballparks, the city said after months of criticism about its handling of the stadium projects.

•Rockies acquire Marquis: The Colorado Rockies added depth to their rotation, acquiring durable right-hander Jason Marquis from the Chicago Cubs for reliever Luis Vizcaino. The Rockies also receive cash as part of the deal.

•Athletics, Giambi near deal: Jason Giambi might just finish his career where it began more than a decade ago.

The free-agent first baseman was close to completing a one-year deal to return to the Oakland Athletics nearly 14 years after debuting with the club.

•Phillies sign Park: Right-hander Chan Ho Park and the Philadelphia Phillies finalized a $2.5 million, one-year deal.

NFL

Broncos’ search continues

Rick Dennison served 14 seasons as Mike Shanahan’s disciple, and now he wants to be his replacement. The Denver Broncos offensive coordinator met with team owner Pat Bowlen.

The Broncos spoke with Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett later in the afternoon. Leslie Frazier, the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, will interview today.

•Jets also search: New York Jets owner Woody Johnson formally met with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer about the team’s coaching vacancy.

Johnson was out of the country last Friday when general manager Mike Tannenbaum began the first round of interviews with Schottenheimer and assistant head coach/offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

•Smith, Woodson among finalists: Career sacks leader Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe and John Randle are among the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the only first-year eligible players to make the final round this year.

Joining them will be two contributors: former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, as well as two senior nominees: former Atlanta defensive end Claude Humphrey and former Dallas wide receiver Bob Hayes.

•Colts’ Harrison in news: A gun owned by Indianapolis Colts star Marvin Harrison was used in an April shooting, but investigators still can’t determine who pulled the trigger, the city’s chief prosecutor said.

No charges have been filed in the April 28 shooting.

•Jagodzinski interviews: Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski interviewed with the New York Jets about their coaching vacancy despite the risk of losing his job with the Eagles.

The interview was confirmed by a person with knowledge of the meeting who did not want to be identified because there was no announcement from the Jets or BC.

•Vick wants auction: After more than a year on the market and a $400,000 price reduction, former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s eight-bedroom home in the Atlanta area will go on the auction block if a bankruptcy judge agrees to the move.

•Browns eye Eagles GM: Their coaching search on hold and seemingly locked on Eric Mangini, the Cleveland Browns plan to interview Philadelphia Eagles general manager Tom Heckert for their GM opening.

NBA

Bobcats stun Celtics

Raymond Felton scored 25 points, rookie D.J. Augustin added 11 of his 20 points in overtime, and the Charlotte Bobcats stunned the defending champion Boston Celtics 114-106.

After a team-record 19-game winning streak and an NBA-record 27-2 start, the Celtics lost for the fifth time in seven games.

•Hornets cool off Lakers: David West scored 15 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter, Chris Paul added 32 points and 15 assists, and the New Orleans Hornets beat Los Angeles 116-105 to snap the Lakers’ 15-game home winning streak.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 39 points and seven assists, but scored only two in the fourth quarter.

•Rare win for Thunder: Kevin Durant had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jeff Green scored 27 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder held off the visiting New York Knicks 107-99 for their fifth win in 35 games.

NHL

Wild blank Bruins

Niklas Backstrom stopped 28 shots for his second straight shutout and fifth of the season to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins in Boston.

•Samsonov sparks Hurricanes: Sergei Samsonov scored his 200th career goal and the Carolina Hurricanes withstood a late rally to beat the visiting New Jersey Devils 3-2. Former Spokane Chief Ray Whitney and Tuomo Ruutu also scored for the Hurricanes.

College basketball

UConn men win

Jeff Adrien scored 17 points and No. 5 Connecticut (13-1, 2-1 Big East) beat No. 25 West Virginia (11-3, 1-1) 61-55 in Morgantown, W.Va. With the victory, Huskies coach Jim Calhoun moved past Lefty Driesell into seventh place on the NCAA career wins list with 787.

•Yow won’t return: Hall of Fame women’s coach Kay Yow once again has to leave her North Carolina State women’s program to focus on her fight against cancer.

•Emergency landing: A plane carrying Louisville’s men’s team to a game in Florida returned to the airport after the pilots received a fire warning that turned out to be false.

Skiing

Miller disqualified

American Bode Miller was disqualified because of the size of his ski boots after the opening leg of the World Cup slalom at Zagreb, Croatia.

Miller, the defending overall World Cup champion, finished the first run in 29th place but was disqualified for ski boots that were too high.

Jean-Baptiste Grange of France had the fastest time, finishing in 53.91 seconds.