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Orioles’ Myers Flies Coop, Lands With Blue Jays

From Staff and Wire Reports

Saying Baltimore’s decision to force out Davey Johnson was a factor in his decision, Randy Myers left the Orioles on Wednesday and agreed to an $18-million, three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Finances weren’t as big a thing as much as the turmoil in Baltimore last season,” Myers said. “We had a lot of turmoil down there. The way things were handled on and off the field weren’t up to the standards I expect from an organization.”

Myers, a 35-year-old left-hander, had a league-leading 45 saves in 46 chances last season, going 2-3 with a 1.51 earned-run average. He gets a $2-million signing bonus, $3.75 million next season, $6 million in 1999 and $6.25 million in 2000.

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Toronto also signed catcher Darrin Fletcher, who played for Montreal last season, to a $4.35-million, two-year contract.

Fletcher, 31, hit .277 for the Expos last season and established career bests with 17 homers and 50 runs batted in. He gets a $250,000 signing bonus, $1.35 million next year and $2.5 million in 1999. Toronto has a $2.5-million option for 2000 with a $250,000 buyout.

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Dodger right-hander Antonio Osuna will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday at Centinela Hospital Medical Center for torn cartilage. He sustained the injury while playing for Hermosillo in the Mexican winter league.

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Osuna, who will be sidelined up to six weeks, is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Osuna was examined by Dr. Ralph Gambardella on Tuesday, and an MRI exam showed a tear to the lateral meniscus, the cartilage on the outside of the knee. Osuna, 24, was 3-4 with a 2.19 ERA in 48 games last season. He walked 19 and struck out 68 in 61 2/3 innings.

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Acting on a request from Barry Bonds, who wants to get remarried in the church, the Catholic Archdiocese has annulled the first marriage of the San Francisco outfielder.

But Bonds’ ex-wife, Sun, is appealing the decree, her lawyer said.

The Bonds’ seven-year marriage ended in a bitter divorce in 1995, including a fight over his $43.75-million, six-year contract and her $30,000 in monthly alimony.

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Because Bonds wants to get remarried in church to fiancee Elizabeth Watson, he petitioned the archbishop of San Francisco to have his first marriage wiped off the church books.

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Outfielder Stan Javier decided to remain with the San Francisco Giants, agreeing to a $3.5-million, two-year contract. Javier, 33, hit .286 with eight homers, 50 RBIs and 25 stolen bases last season, appearing in a career-high 142 games. . . . The New York Mets reached halfway around the world to sign a Japanese high school pitcher Juei Ushiromatsu, an 18-year-old left-hander. Ushiromatsu is the first Japanese player to sign directly with a major league organization without playing professionally in Japan. . . . Pitcher Jamie Moyer’s $2.3-million option for 1999 was exercised by the Seattle Mariners. Moyer, a 35-year-old left-hander, had a career-best 17-5 record last season with a 3.86 ERA in 30 starts. He finished second in the American League in winning percentage at .773.

Right-handed reliever Doug Henry and the Houston Astros agreed on a $1,375,000, two-year contract. Henry, 33, had a 4-5 record for San Francisco last season with a 4.71 ERA and three saves. He pitched in a career-high 75 games, tied for seventh in the National League. . . . The Oakland Athletics traded pitcher Doug Bochtler (3-6, 4.77 earned-run average) and infielder David Newhan (.278 with seven home runs and 48 RBIs in 67 games at Class-A Visalia and .316 with five homers and 35 RBIs in 57 games at double-A Huntsville) to San Diego for pitcher Don Wengert (5-11, 6.04) and shortstop Jorge Velandia (.272 at triple-A Las Vegas).

Winter Sports

A snowfall of two to four feet Mammoth Mountain caused organizers of the women’s World Cup races to shuffle the schedule. Today’s super-giant slalom was set back to Saturday, with the parallel slalom going as planned Friday. Should the steady snow of Wednesday continue overnight, a race jury will decide whether further adjustments are required.

Miscellany

Iowa women’s basketball Coach Angie Lee was released on $250 bond and has a Dec. 9 court date after being arrested in Windsor Locks, Conn., for allegedly bumping a state trooper.

The Iowa players were getting off an illegally parked bus to take a plane to Iowa City, when an airport police officer asked them to speed things up, police said. When Lee became verbally abusive, a state trooper was called, police said.

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“It appears as though she attempted to push the trooper with her chest,” a police spokesman said.

Anthony Phua, a 35-year-old lawyer new to golf, died after being hit by his playing partner’s backswing at a course in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Malay Mail reported. Phua was knocked out by blow to the neck, got up, apologized for getting in the way, then collapsed again and died, the newspaper said.

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