Earnhardt, Ganassi combine teams in tough economy

Teresa Earnhardt and Chip Ganassi will combine their sponsorship-strapped race teams next season, an effort to stabilize their organizations in a tough economic time.

The combined team will be called Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and will field cars for Martin Truex, Aric Almirola, Juan Pablo Montoya and a driver yet to be named.

Both organizations have struggled to secure sponsorship this season, forcing the teams to pool resources. Although neither team was in imminent danger of collapse, both were searching for additional funds to shore up competition and stability.

Both teams said details of the new organization will be announced later.

Baseball

Holliday traded to A’s

The Oakland A’s completed their trade with the Colorado Rockies for star outfielder Matt Holliday, securing the big bat Oakland sought for the middle of its order.

Colorado received right-handed reliever Huston Street, lefty starter Greg Smith and promising outfielder Carlos Gonzalez from the A’s. The clubs reached a tentative agreement Monday, but had to wait for the results of physicals and other details to be worked out.

Also, the A’s claimed minor league infielder Yung Chi Chen off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.

•Maddon, Piniella managers of year: Joe Maddon easily won the American League Manager of the Year award for guiding Tampa Bay from baseball’s basement to the World Series in one astonishing season.

Lou Piniella took the N.L. honor after leading the Chicago Cubs to the league’s best record.

Maddon, who succeeded Piniella as Tampa Bay manager in 2006, received all but one of the 28 first-place votes – the other went to Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire. Piniella beat out Charlie Manuel, getting 15 of 32 first-place votes for 103 points to 67 for the Philadelphia Phillies’ Manuel.

•Mariners interview Wakamatsu, Ready: The third day of Mariners interviews to find their new manager brought Oakland bench coach Don Wakamatsu and Triple-A Portland manager Randy Ready to Seattle.

•Leiter, Reynolds chosen: Former major leaguers Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds were hired as studio analysts for the MLB Network, which launches Jan. 1.

•Yankees, Marte reach deal: Left-hander Damaso Marte and the New York Yankees agreed to a $12 million, three-year contract that includes a club option for 2012. New York last week declined a $6 million option on the 33-year-old reliever, choosing to pay a $250,000 buyout.

•Preacher Roe dead: Preacher Roe, who became a four-time All-Star pitcher as a revered member of “The Boys of Summer” in Brooklyn, has died. Roe died Sunday in West Plains, Mo., said the funeral home handling the arrangements. His Web site listed his age as 92 – other reference materials differed by a year or two. Roe went 127-84 in a 12-year career with the Dodgers, Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

Basketball

Pierce sparks win

Paul Pierce hit a fallaway jumper with 0.5 seconds left, scoring 34 points in all on as the host Boston Celtics overcame a 16-point, second-quarter deficit to beat Atlanta 103-102 and send the Hawks (6-1) to their first loss of the season.

•Blazers, Oden win: Rudy Fernandez scored 25 points, including a clutch spinning jumper as the shot clock expired with 44.9 seconds left, and the Trail Blazers celebrated Greg Oden’s return to the lineup with a victory over the Heat in Miami. Oden, the 2007 No. 1 overall pick who missed all of last season and sprained his right foot in this season’s opener, finished with three points and two rebounds in 16 minutes in his first action since spraining his right foot in Portland’s season-opener.

•Knicks hit 19 3-pointers: Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 27 points, missing only one of his 12 shots, and the Knicks made a franchise-record 19 3-pointers in a win over the host Memphis Grizzlies.

•Bruins roll in opener: Darren Collison scored 19 points, UCLA’s five touted freshmen provided offensive punch and the fourth-ranked Bruins opened their season with an 82-58 victory over Prairie View in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic. Freshman Jrue Holiday joined the starting lineup of four Final Four veterans and scored 11 points in his debut.

Hockey

Murray replaces Burke

Brian Burke turned down a contract extension to remain general manager of the Ducks, citing the need to spend more time with his family and the strong state of the team he helped turn into a Stanley Cup champion as reasons for leaving.

He was replaced by Bob Murray, who has spent the past three seasons in the Ducks’ front office.

•Ruutu suspended: Ottawa Senators forward Jarkko Ruutu was suspended for two games without pay by the NHL on for catching Montreal’s Maxim Lapierre with an elbow in a game Tuesday.

•More heart defects found: Heart defects have been found in five players in the Russian ice hockey league since the death of rising star Alexei Cherepanov. Russia’s Continental Hockey League ordered the tests after the 19-year-old Cherepanov collapsed and died last month from a heart condition while playing for his club Avangard.

Miscellany

Marshall sets record

Peter Marshall of the United States broke his second short-course record of this World Cup swimming meet, swimming the 50-meter backstroke in 23.05 seconds in Stockholm, Sweden.

•U.S. ranked No. 24 in men’s soccer: European champion Spain remained No. 1 in FIFA’s rankings, followed by Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The United States dropped to No. 24, tops in its regional group.

•Marinatto promoted: John Marinatto, the Big East Conference’s senior associate commissioner, was unanimously promoted to be the commissioner by the league’s presidents and chancellors. He replaces Mike Tranghese, who is retiring, and will begin his new job July 1.