In brief: Jenks gets deal with Red Sox

Baseball: Former Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks has agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, a person familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press.

Jenks, a former Spirit Lake resident, has the chance to earn more with performance bonuses. He saved 27 games last season but lost his closing job at the end of the year when he struggled with injuries.

Jenks was second in White Sox history with 173 saves since joining Chicago midseason in 2005 and helping the club win its first World Series since 1917. He had four saves in the postseason, pitching in all four Series games during a sweep of the Houston Astros.

Jenks saved 81 games over the next two years. But last season, when he earned $7.5 million, he missed the final 27 games with ulnar neuritis in his right forearm. General manager Kenny Williams said he would consider bringing Jenks back at a lower salary.

For other MLB notes, see Page B2.

Associated Press

A call to arms to shovel

Football: In Minnesota, a band of citizen shovelers is scrambling to clear the snow at the University of Minnesota stadium so the Vikings can play a game Monday night.

That sounds familiar in Green Bay, where the Packers have done the same thing for more than 40 years.

The Packers have again put the word out that they need local folks to show up and shovel out Lambeau Field today. On the team’s website, the Packers say they need as many as 450 volunteers.

Shovelers need to be at least 15 years old and will receive $8 per hour. The Packers will provide the shovels.

Associated Press

It’s beer or buffalo for victor

Football: Sen. Max Baucus of Montana and Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota have a little extra riding on Saturday’s championship game between Carroll College and the University of Sioux Falls.

The second-ranked Saints (13-0) meet top-ranked Sioux Falls (13-0) in the NAIA national championship game in Rome, Ga.

The Montana Democrat’s office says Baucus has wagered a case of beer from Helena’s Lewis and Clark brewery against South Dakota buffalo steaks put up by Johnson.

Baucus says he’s made four similar bets in the past when Carroll has won championships.

Associated Press