Burnett, Yankees reach $82.5M, five-year deal

The New York Yankees reeled in another pitcher with a rich offer, reaching agreement with free agent A.J. Burnett on a $82.5 million, five-year contract Friday.

CC Sabathia and the Yankees made a deal for $161 million over seven years on Wednesday during the winter meetings. After missing the playoffs following a 13-year run, the Yankees again showed they were more than willing to shell out big bucks for pitching.

Burnett’s agreement was confirmed by the office of his agent, Darek Braunecker. The pitcher still needs to take a physical before the deal is completed.

He joins a rotation that also includes holdovers Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain. New York is hoping to re-sign Andy Pettitte and has looked at Ben Sheets as an alternative.

Burnett won 10 of his last 12 decisions and finished 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA for Toronto. He set career highs in wins, strikeouts (231) and innings (2211/3).

NFL

Cowboys deny rift reports

Wade Phillips insisted there are no rifts in his locker room, Jerry Jones dismissed rumors of inner turmoil, and Roy Williams wore a Santa hat but hardly sounded merry.

This is how the Dallas Cowboys made their case that everything is just fine at Valley Ranch.

Before a pivotal game Sunday night against the NFC-leading New York Giants, the Cowboys fended off questions about divisive secret meetings, an unhappy Terrell Owens and cornerback Terence Newman’s frank comments about accountability.

“I am not worried about a divided locker room,” Phillips said.

•Multiple players fined: Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae, Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth, Oakland defensive lineman Tommy Kelly, Detroit fullback Moran Norris and Minnesota linebacker Napoleon Harris were each fined $5,000 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness.

Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and New England tight end Benjamin Watson were hit for $10,000 fines for prohibited celebrations.

Winter sports

Raich wins super-combi

Benjamin Raich of Austria won the World Cup super-combi ski race at Val D’Isere, France, beating Jean-Baptiste Grange of France after a tricky slalom run.

•Germany’s Haefele wins in women’s ski jumping: At Park City, Utah, Germany’s Anna Haefele jumped from third to first to win the first leg of the Continental Cup winter season, edging American Lindsey Van on her home hill.

Men’s soccer

UNC upsets Wake Forest

Brian Shriver scored less than four minutes in and North Carolina advanced to the College Cup NCAA men’s soccer final by beating top-seeded and defending national champion Wake Forest 1-0 at Frisco, Texas.

•Maryland beats St. John’s: Graham Zusi scored on a free kick with six minutes left in extra time to put Maryland in the College Cup final with a 1-0 win over St. John’s at Frisco, Texas.

The Terrapins (22-3-0) will meet 13th-seeded North Carolina (15-7-1) for the NCAA title Sunday.

NBA

Celtics make it 14 straight

Paul Pierce scored 28 points and Kevin Garnett had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to their 14th consecutive victory, 94-82 over the New Orleans Hornets at Boston.

•Cavaliers make it 11 straight: At Cleveland, LeBron James scored 28 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers matched a club record with their 11th straight win, 88-72 over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Golf

Sorenstam leads her finale

Annika Sorenstam had an eagle and four birdies in a 6-under 66 that gave her a one-shot lead after the second round of the Dubai Ladies Masters at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, her last tournament before retiring.

•Sluman and Price lead at Merrill Lynch Shootout: At Naples, Fla., Jeff Sluman made a 35-foot downhill birdie from off the green on No. 18 as he and Nick Price combined for an 8-under 64 that gave them a one-shot lead over Scott Hoch and Kenny Perry at the Merrill Lynch Shootout.

•Mattiace, Rock, Henningsson tie for Alfred lead: At Malelane, South Africa, American Len Mattiace, England’s Robert Rock and Sweden’s Oskar Henningsson shared the halfway lead of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at 11-under 133.

NHL

Devils win slugfest

Patrik Elias scored with 8:31 left to rescue the New Jersey Devils, who squandered a four-goal lead yet managed to finally beat the New York Rangers, 8-5 at Newark, N.J.

Miscellany

Breeders’ to cut purses

The Breeders’ Cup will slash $4.5 million in co-funding of stakes races at North American tracks in 2009 because of the economic downturn.

•Fulmer chooses not to accept UT position: Former Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer has chosen not to accept a position as a special assistant to university president John Petersen, the university announced.

•Kim Yu-na edges Asada in Grand Prix Final opener: At Goyang, South Korea, Kim Yu-na edged chief rival Mao Asada of Japan for the top score in the short program, putting the 18-year-old on course to make it a three-peat. She can match Russia’s Irina Slutskaya’s record of three straight Grand Prix finals titles if she wins today’s free skate.

•Scott takes Harlon Hill: Abilene Christian senior running back Bernard Scott won the Harlon Hill Trophy as the nation’s top NCAA Division II player.