Labor agreement becomes finalized

Baseball players and owners proclaimed an unprecedented era of labor peace, finalizing a new five-year collective bargaining agreement Tuesday night before Game 3 of the World Series.

Lawyers struck the deal last weekend during negotiations in New York, then worked on putting it in writing. The agreement, which runs through the 2011 season, is subject to ratification by both sides.

The deal makes relatively minor changes to the previous agreement, and doesn’t alter baseball’s drug rules.

“This is the golden era in every way,” said commissioner Bud Selig.

“The economics of our sport have improved dramatically, and that’s good. That, after all, made for a more wholesome atmosphere. We didn’t have to quarrel about a lot of things. So overall, it was a very, very important part of the environment that continues peace,” he said.

The current contract, reached in August 2002, was set to expire Dec. 19. After eight work stoppages between 1972 and 1995, baseball will be assured of 16 years of labor peace.

Both sides said they would consider adding testing for Human Growth Hormone.

“If a urine test is developed and scientifically validated and all the ‘I’s‘ are dotted and ‘T’s‘ are crossed, there is an understanding that we will adopt that test,” Fehr said. “Blood tests we will talk about when one is validated. But as far as I know, and we check fairly frequently on this, there is not that testing available yet.”

Delgado receives award

When Carlos Delgado was growing up in Puerto Rico, he learned all about the legacy of Roberto Clemente and idolized the late Hall of Fame outfielder.

That’s why it meant so much to Delgado to win the 2006 Roberto Clemente Award, given to the major league player who best combines community service with excellence on the field.

“This is a great honor for me,” the New York Mets first baseman said before Game 3 of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals. “This is something really special, just because I’m Puerto Rican – 34 years after Roberto has passed, his legacy is still very much alive.”

Delgado, who wears No. 21 as a tribute to Clemente, was chosen from 30 nominees, one from each big league team. He joins a list of previous winners that includes 11 Hall of Famers, such as the late Kirby Puckett, Ozzie Smith and Dave Winfield.

Clemente grew up in Puerto Rico and became an All-Star right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while trying to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. He finished his career with exactly 3,000 hits.

Puckett matter settled

Kirby Puckett’s cremated remains were awarded to the Hall of Famer’s children.

Puckett, who starred for the Minnesota Twins, died in March at 45 after a stroke. His body was cremated in the Twin Cities and the ashes were kept by a funeral home.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Benjamin E. Vatz ruled it was an emotional hardship to deny the remains to the children – Catherine, 16, and Kirby Jr., 14.

Puckett’s fiancee, Jodi Olson, sought the ashes, saying she wanted some of them for a locket.

Matsuzaka picks agent

Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, 26, selected Scott Boras to represent him in negotiations with major league teams, the agent said.

Matsuzaka’s rights are expected to be “posted” by the Seibu Lions next month, meaning that all 30 major league teams can bid. The team with the highest bid gains the right to attempt to sign the right-hander.

Matsuzaka was 17-5 with a 2.13 ERA and 200 strikeouts this year.