Boston Red Sox second baseman Pedroia is MVP

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia added to his ever-expanding trophy case Tuesday, becoming the first second baseman to earn American League Most Valuable Player honors in nearly a half-century.

The Boston little man with the meaty swing easily beat out Minnesota slugger Justin Morneau, Red Sox teammate Kevin Youkilis and record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez in a scattered ballot that saw five different players draw first-place votes.

Generously listed at 5-foot-9, Pedroia has quickly piled up a huge stack of hardware. Earlier this month, he won the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger. He was the 2007 A.L. Rookie of the Year and capped off that season with a World Series ring.

“I had to overcome a lot of things to prove people wrong, and so far I’ve done that,” the 25-year-old Pedroia said on a conference call from his home in Arizona. “I have to find a way to have that edge.”

Pedroia drew 16 of the 28 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and finished with 317 points. He was even left off one ballot, while Morneau and Youkilis were listed on every one.

Pedroia led the A.L. in hits, runs and doubles in helping the Red Sox win the wild-card berth. He batted .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs and also stole 20 bases.

Nellie Fox was the previous second baseman to become A.L. MVP, in 1959 with the White Sox.

Morneau got seven first-place votes and had 257 points, and Youkilis and Twins catcher Joe Mauer each got a pair of first-place votes. Rodriguez drew the other first-place nod and came in sixth.

•Cubs sign Dempster: The Chicago Cubs re-signed starting pitcher Ryan Dempster to a four-year, $52 million deal. Dempster won 17 games last season and helped the Cubs compile the best record in the National League.

•Burnett hot commodity: The New York Yankees are preparing a formal offer for right-handed pitcher A.J. Burnett, a club official said.

The Yankees, Toronto, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Baltimore are all in the running to sign Burnett. The Blue Jays have offered a four-year, $54-million deal to retain Burnett.

NBA

Celtics top Knicks

Brian Scalabrine, who earned a spot in the starting lineup while Kevin Garnett served a one-game suspension, hit a 3-pointer with 1:14 left after the Knicks cut a 15-point second-half lead to four and the Boston Celtics beat New York 110-101 in Boston.

Paul Pierce scored 22, Kendrick Perkins had 16 points and eight rebounds and Rajon Rondo had 15 points, eight boards and seven assists for the Celtics.

•James leads Cavaliers: LeBron James scored 31 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to their eighth straight win with a 106-82 decision over the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, N.J.

•Wade sparks Heat: Dwyane Wade had 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to lead the Miami Heat to a 94-87 road victory over the Washington Wizards.

NHL

Whitney rallies Hurricanes

Sergei Samsonov and Ray Whitney scored 31/2 minutes apart in the third period to help the Carolina Hurricanes rally past the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 in Raleigh, N.C.

Whitney, a former Spokane Chief, followed Samsonov’s first goal of the season with the go-ahead score with 13:27 remaining to jump-start a Carolina offense that averaged fewer than two goals in its previous six games.

•Wild nip Penguins: Marek Zidlicky scored the only goal in the shootout and the Minnesota Wild benefited from a gift goal that Pittsburgh put into its own net for a 2-1 victory in Pittsburgh that ended the Penguins’ six-game winning streak.

•Panthers win shootout: Former Spokane Chief Bryan McCabe scored twice in regulation and Nathan Horton had the lone goal in a shootout for the Florida Panthers, who beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in Tampa, Fla.

College men’s basketball

Tar Heels thump Kentucky

Deon Thompson scored a career-high 20 points to help top-ranked North Carolina beat Kentucky 77-58 in Chapel Hill, N.C., despite playing yet again without national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, who has missed almost three weeks with a shin injury.

Oklahoma holds off Davidson: Blake Griffin scored 25 points and pulled down a career-high 21 rebounds, freshman Willie Warren added 20 points and No. 12 Oklahoma overcame the highest scoring game of Stephen Curry’s career – 44 points – to beat No. 21 Davidson 82-78 in Norman, Okla.

Gibson spurs Trojans: Taj Gibson tied his career high with 22 points and had a career-best 10 rebounds as No. 19 Southern California defeated New Mexico State 73-60 in Los Angeles for its first 2-0 start in eight years.

•Sun Devils rally: James Harden scored 18 points and helped No. 15 Arizona State take control late in a 59-52 victory over scrappy San Diego State in San Diego. After trailing most of the game, the Sun Devils (2-0) made three straight 3-pointers to go ahead for good.

College football

Muschamp next in line

Texas Longhorns coach Mack Brown and Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds announced that first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be signed to a new long-term deal that not only keeps him in his current role, but designates him as Brown’s successor.

Muschamp, 37, had been linked to openings at Clemson, Tennessee and Washington.

•BCS, ESPN reach deal: Bowl Championship Series games are moving to ESPN.

The BCS and ESPN announced a new four-year contract. ESPN outbid Fox, which is paying $80 million annually to broadcast the games from 2007-10. ESPN’s offer was reportedly for $125 million a year.

Miscellany

Holyfield will return

Evander Holyfield is returning to the ring at age 46, setting his sights on becoming undisputed heavyweight champion again.

Holyfield will fight 7-foot WBA champion Nikolai Valuev next month. A victory will make him the oldest man to claim a world heavyweight title and the first to win it five times.

•NASCAR begins layoffs: Hall of Fame Racing, the NASCAR team owned by Arizona Diamondbacks executives, will cut its staff even if it secures sponsorship to run a full 2009 season.

Petty Enterprises, The Wood Brothers, Bill Davis Racing and Ernie Elliott’s engine shop all reduced their staffs in the last two days.