Newsmakers
Cited Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson could lose his driver’s license after police clocked him driving at 109 mph – nearly twice the posted speed limit – on a suburban Minneapolis highway last weekend. Peterson was pulled over just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday while driving his BMW in a 55-mph zone on a state highway.
Agreed The Atlanta Braves made another move to strengthen their pitching staff, agreeing to a $3.2 million, one-year contract with reliever Takashi Saito. Saito, who turns 40 in February, has 83 saves in four major league seasons after a long career in Japan. He pitched for Boston last season.
•Free agent Placido Polanco returned to the Philadelphia Phillies, agreeing to an $18 million, three-year contract. Polanco, 34, won Gold Gloves at second base for the Detroit Tigers in 2007 and this year, but will shift to third base, which hasn’t been his primary position since 2002. He replaces Pedro Feliz, who became a free agent after the Phillies declined his $5.5 million option.
Promoted New York Liberty interim coach Anne Donovan has been hired on a permanent basis by the WNBA team. Donovan took over when Pat Coyle was fired.
Signed The Chicago Blackhawks signed three of their top players – Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith – to lucrative contract extensions. Kane and Toews, both 21, signed five-year deals reported to be worth $31.5 million each. Keith, 26, got a 13-year contract worth a reported $72 million, making it the richest in team history.
Hired The NHL has hired Brendan Shanahan less than a month after ending a 21-year career as one of the league’s most prolific scorers. Shanahan retired Nov. 17 as the NHL’s 11th-leading goal scorer with 656.
Attends Former heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali made a rare public appearance when he attended the opening of a newly expanded Phoenix institute that treats Parkinson’s disease. Officials at the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center said Thursday the facility is now the most comprehensive in the nation for the treatment of the brain disorder that causes tremors, slowed movement and muffled speech.