Epstein Returns to the Red Sox

Theo Epstein is rejoining the Boston Red Sox, 2 1/2 months after he turned down a three-year, $4.5-million offer to remain as general manager.

Epstein and Red Sox management issued a joint statement Thursday saying he will return to the organization full-time, but they did not specify his capacity except to say it will be in baseball operations. His return had been rumored almost since the day he slipped out of Fenway Park wearing a gorilla costume to avoid the media.

“As you know, we have spoken frequently during the last 10 weeks. We have engaged in healthy, spirited debates about what it will take over the long-term for the Red Sox to remain a great organization and, in fact, become a more effective organization in philosophy, approaches and ideals,” the statement said.

“Ironically, Theo’s departure has brought us closer together in many respects, and, thanks to these conversations, we now enjoy the bonds of a shared vision for the organization’s future that did not exist on Oct. 31.

“With this vision in place, Theo will return to the Red Sox in a full-time baseball operations capacity, details of which will be announced next week.”

The statement came from Epstein, principal owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner and President Larry Lucchino.

Reports that Lucchino’s role would be diminished to lure Epstein back were not true, Henry said in an e-mail to the Associated Press.

Epstein was 28 when he was hired in 2002, the youngest general manager in major league history. Boston was the AL wild-card team in all three years he was GM, and in 2004 the Red Sox won their first World Series title since 1918 after making a series of trades that included the departure of Nomar Garciaparra.

In another move, right-hander Bronson Arroyo agreed to an $11.25-million, three-year contract with the Red Sox, saying he took the deal against the advice of his agents because he liked playing in Boston.

Arroyo, 28, was 14-10 with a 4.51 earned-run average last season, pitching 205 1/3 innings.

Owners unanimously approved the sale of baseball’s oldest franchise, the Cincinnati Reds, to a group headed by produce mogul Robert Castellini at meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. Carl Lindner, an 86-year-old Cincinnati financier, will remain a minority owner.

Terms were not announced, but Castellini’s group is said to be acquiring about 70% ownership of a franchise worth an estimated $270 million.

Former AL rookie of the year Ben Grieve agreed to a minor league contract with the World Series champion Chicago White Sox. The outfielder played in 23 games for the Chicago Cubs last season and batted .250 (five for 20) with one run batted in.

The first game at the new Busch Stadium will be April 4 between the St. Louis Cardinals’ top two farm teams, the triple-A Memphis Redbirds and double-A Springfield Cardinals. It is considered a test run for stadium workers.

The St. Louis Cardinals will play the first official game at the stadium April 10, their home opener against Milwaukee.

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WINTER SPORTS

Slutskaya Skates to Record-Breaking Title

Irina Slutskaya won her seventh European figure skating title in Lyon, France, breaking the record she shared with Katarina Witt and Sonja Henie.

Slutskaya did five triples in her routine to flamenco music. She put her hand to the ice on a triple flip but still won the free skate easily, finishing more than 15 points ahead of fellow Russian Elena Sokolova.

Slutskaya finished with an overall score of 193.24 points. She clapped her hands on seeing the scores, and said “Seven, seven, seven,” into TV cameras.

“I love this pressure; it is not interesting when nobody skates well,” she said. “I like it when the atmosphere is really competitive like tonight.”

Sokolova did six triples and finished with 177.81 points. Italy’s Carolina Kostner, who will carry the Italian flag in the opening ceremonies of the Turin Games next month, won the bronze medal.

Slutskaya’s victory puts Russia halfway to another sweep of the European titles. Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin won the pairs crown for a fifth straight year Wednesday. Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov of Russia lead the ice dance competition going into today’s free dance. The men’s final is Saturday.

Slutskaya’s only loss since the 2004 world championships was to Mao Asada of Japan at last month’s Grand Prix final. But the 15-year-old is too young for Turin, and Slutskaya will be the heavy favorite at the Olympics.

“When I see all the small girls and all the experience I have, that explains the difference in the scores,” said Slutskaya, who will turn 27 the day before the Olympics open.

Canada’s Jeff Pain won the World Cup skeleton race at St. Moritz, Switzerland, with a combined two-run time of 2 minutes 18.01 seconds. All four Americans finished in the top eight.

Pain finished 0.39 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Gregor Staehli and 0.76 ahead of Germany’s Frank Rommel.

But four of the next five spots went to U.S. sleds -- Olympic-team picks Kevin Ellis and Eric Bernotas were fourth and fifth, followed by Caleb Smith in seventh place and Chris Soule in eighth. It was a decided improvement over last week’s showing by U.S. sliders, when no Americans could finish better than 15th at a World Cup race in Konigssee, Germany.

Halvor Lunn of Norway and Manuela Lara Pesko of Switzerland won snowboard World Cup halfpipe events in Leysin, Switzerland.

Lunn, winning for the first time this season, beat Switzerland’s Therry Brunner and Jan Michaelis of Germany. Pesko won her second straight event to increase her lead at the top of the World Cup standings. New Zealand’s Juliane Bray was second, followed by Sophie Rodriguez of France.

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MISCELLANY

Weber State Gets Two Years’ Probation

The NCAA placed Weber State’s athletic program on probation for two years for rules violations involving athletes using scholarship money to buy non-textbook items at the campus bookstore, the university said.

Weber State discovered the violations after an internal investigation and reported the infractions to the NCAA, the school said in a statement.

In addition to probation, the NCAA has removed a football scholarship from the school for 2006-07.

The Ogden, Utah, school found 193 athletes, from all of its sports teams, used scholarship money to buy items other than textbooks or course-related materials from 2001 to 2004.

In 1996, the Weber State men’s basketball program was placed on a four-year probation by the NCAA and was stripped of two scholarships for violations that included coaches helping recruits take and pay for correspondence courses so they could be eligible to enroll.

The U.S. soccer team will start its final World Cup preparations May 9 at Cary, N.C. The team, which also used SAS Soccer Park before the 2002 World Cup, will practice at Cary for about two weeks before a series of exhibitions in the United States in late May.

The Union Cycliste International Track Cycling World Cup Classic begins at 10 a.m. today at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Two UCI trade teams will compete alongside the U.S. national team for World Cup titles in the event, which ends Sunday.

A memorial service for former Los Angeles Ram Jack Snow will be held Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at the All Souls Cemetery and Mausoleum, 4400 Cherry Ave., Long Beach. Snow, 62, a Pro Bowl receiver, died Jan. 8 in St. Louis after battling a staph infection for two months.

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PASSINGS

Nugent, Creator of I Formation, Dies at 92

Tom Nugent, a college football Hall of Famer credited with developing the I formation at Virginia Military Institute and who later coached at Florida State and Maryland, died Thursday of congestive heart failure in Tallahassee, Fla. He was 92.

Nugent was also credited with creating the “typewriter” huddle where players stood in two rows rather than a circle while plays were being called.