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LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech and coach Mike Leach agreed Thursday on a new contract after months of contentious negotiations.

Leach signed the contract shortly after he and Kent Hance, the university’s chancellor, met for about two hours Thursday afternoon to hammer out an agreement. Hance said the negotiating part lasted only about 15 minutes.

“Me and my family are thrilled to death that we’re going to be in Lubbock for another five years,” Leach said at an evening news conference. “I appreciate Chancellor Hance and Gerald [Myers’] efforts to allow us to stay here and the opportunity to be here to coach the Red Raiders for many years to come.”

In the new contract that keeps Leach at Tech through 2013, Leach only needs to notify Myers in writing to interview at another school.

The contract also includes a $250,000 bonus if Leach and Tech win the national championship, a $75,000 bonus if Tech participates in a BCS Bowl and a $50,000 bonus if Leach is picked as national coach of the year

If Tech terminates the contract, the school must pay Leach $400,000 for each year remaining on the agreement. And there is no buyout amount.

In their ninth season under Leach, the Red Raiders reached unprecedented heights in 2008. They went 10-0 for the first time and beat top-ranked Texas to secure the highest ranking in school history at No. 2. Texas Tech was knocked out of BCS contention with a blowout loss to Oklahoma, then fell to Mississippi in the Cotton Bowl to finish 11-2.

Public opinion seemed to favor Leach as the drama unfolded. A few dozen supporters rallied on his behalf Tuesday, the day before a Texas Tech alumnus and another fan took out a full-page ad in the Lubbock newspaper blasting the Texas Tech administration for its stance.

Architect of the nation’s most prolific offense the past decade, Leach is 76-39 and has taken Texas Tech to a bowl game every season. He’s six victories shy of Spike Dykes’ school record of 82.

Home sweet home…

The future Hall of Famer informed the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday that he’s returning to the city where he carved out a Hall of Fame career as a perennial All-Star in the 1990s.

“He’s coming home. … I can’t begin to tell you how ecstatic we are. He is, too,” Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik confirmed on Wednesday night, calling Griffey “arguably one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the Seattle area.”

“Ken is extremely excited to be coming back to Seattle,” Zduriencik said.

The contract is for one year and $2 million guaranteed and includes incentives that could bring the total value of the deal to $4.5 million, a source said.

“We were informed tonight that Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to return to Seattle,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said. “We will continue to be open to other possibilities to improve our outfield offense and, at the same time, give our young players an opportunity to show us they can win that job.”

Griffey is extremely close to Mariners president Chuck Armstrong and chairman Howard Lincoln from his previous tenure with Seattle from 1989 through 2000. He made the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove with the Mariners every year during the 1990s, and received a hero’s welcome when he returned to the city with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007.

It’s believed that the Mariners would like to continue their association with Griffey in some fashion when he retires — although it’s uncertain in what role.

Griffey is likely to spend time in left field in Seattle, where Endy Chavez is currently the starter, and could also be a DH for new manager Don Wakamatsu. He turned 39 in November, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in the offseason.

Griffey’s return is a jolt for the Mariners, the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games — last season.

“A rejuvenated Ken Griffey coming back to where he started has to be a fabulous motivator for him,” Zduriencik said.

Seattle’s starting outfield currently has Ichiro Suzuki in right field, Franklin Gutierrez in center and question marks in left, and Zduriencik left open the possibility Griffey could play in the field.

But Griffey is coming back to where he spent the heyday of his career — to Seattle.

“I know in his heart of hearts,” Zduriencik said, “he probably wanted to be here all along.”

Home

Tuesday night when play resumes after the All-Star break the New Orleans Hornets will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder but; things will be different…

The two teams have agreed in principle to trade center Tyson Chandler to the Thunder for journey-man 1st Overall pick Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox.

The Thunder also possess numerous draft picks to sweeten trade packages — including five first-round picks in the next two drafts — but Presti was able to land an accomplished center to complement his promising young trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green without surrendering any major draft considerations.

The Hornets were widely projected as a dark-horse title contender entering the season but hit the All-Star break as the No. 6 team in the West at 30-20 after a variety of injuries and struggles to cope with raised expectations. Chandler has been bothered all season by foot troubles and is averaging just 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, compared to 11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds last season.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Running back Fred Taylor wanted to end his career in Jacksonville, hoping to join the small list of standout players who spent an entire career with the same team but; He won’t get that chance.

The Jaguars released Taylor on Monday, parting ways with their all-time leading rusher after 11 seasons and continuing the team’s offseason makeover.

Coach Jack Del Rio flew to Fort Lauderdale earlier Monday to meet with Taylor and deliver the news. Del Rio made it clear the team has no plans to re-sign Taylor, who turned 33 last month and was scheduled to make $6 million next season.

“It makes it awkward. It makes it difficult. We came to an agreement on what the best course of action was as a football team.”

And that was to move on without Taylor, who ranks 16th on the NFL’s career rushing list with 11,271 yards, 81 behind John Riggins.

Del Rio said it was time to turn the offense over to Jones-Drew, a 5-foot-7 dynamo who has scored 40 touchdowns in three years. Former second-round pick Greg Jones also is expected to see more touches.

Taylor, the ninth overall pick in 1998 from Florida, made his first Pro Bowl in 2007 after running for 1,202 yards and a career-best 5.4 yards a carry.

Although Jacksonville never gauged trade interest in Taylor, Del Rio said he believes he will get a shot with another club.

“He’s got some talent,” Del Rio said. “I’m sure there is going to be some interest in him. I can’t speak for other teams. I know Fred’s done a great job taking care of his body and has been a complete stud in the time we’ve been here. I’ve said that several times. He’s been a good teammate, he’s been a guy that’s all about winning and I’ve been impressed with the way that he’s conducted himself since I’ve been here.

The Toronto Raptors have agreed to send Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks

The deal is pending league approval. All players involved would have to pass physicals as well, although they can be waived by agreement.

Marion was part of the Phoenix Suns deal in February 2008 that sent him and Banks to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal. Marion is in the last year of a deal that will pay him $17.8 million.

The Heat and the Raptors had discussed the deal for weeks and, with the trade deadline looming, decided to move forward. Miami also was linked to trade talk with several other teams, including Phoenix and Sacramento.

Marion was a key part of Miami’s 28-24 start to this season, averaging 12 points (third on the team behind Wade and Michael Beasley, who now could replace him in the starting lineup at small forward) and a team-best 8.7 rebounds.

But he wanted a long-term contract, something Miami was not willing to provide.

One of Miami’s primary areas of concentration, just as every other team in the NBA, is keeping cap space clear for the summer of 2010, when the likes of Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh can be free agents.

And this trade clears another $4.8 million in cap room for that summer; that’s what Banks, who had fallen out of the rotation in Miami, would have been owed in the 2010-11 season.

Plus, it gets Miami a true center in Jermaine O’Neal. The 30-year-old averaged 13.5 points and seven rebounds for Toronto, but has been slowed by injuries. He’s owed nearly $23 million next season, but that money won’t affect Miami’s free-agent plans for 2010.

Without the tearful public ceremony that accompanied his retirement announcement from the Green Bay Packers just 11 months ago, quarterback Brett Favre has told the New York Jets he is retiring.

Favre had instructed his agent, James “Bus” Cook, to inform the Jets on Wednesday that he is retiring. Jets team executives and coach Rex Ryan confirmed the retirement in a statement, saying they talked to Favre on Wednesday morning about his decision.

In what appears to be his final NFL season, Favre threw 22 touchdown passes and an NFL-high 22 interceptions while leading the Jets to a 9-7 record — a five-game improvement over their previous season without him.

“I didn’t play as well down the stretch. It was probably a little bit of everything. It’s hard for me, but I have to say I gave out down the stretch.”

“I’m an emotional guy, and I’m sure people are tired of seeing me get emotional,” he explained. “People would probably say, ‘Oh, here he goes again.’ I think it would just be better for me to just thank the Jets, and I sincerely mean that. It was well worth what I invested. But I’m going to just quietly step away if that’s what happens.”

That is exactly what has just happened.

Matt Cassel has accepted the New England Patriots’ non-exclusive franchise tender, guaranteeing the quarterback at least $14.65 million next season.

The next step is for the Patriots to send Cassel a contract which effectively means he will not be a free agent come Feb. 27. That means Cassel will not be permitted to shop himself to other teams however, he Patriots could still trade Cassel.

Cassel faxed his acceptance to the Patriots, the NFL and the NFLPA on Saturday. That means a $14.651 million salary for 2009 in guaranteed even though he has not signed a one-year contract yet. The franchise tag’s value is the average of the top five salaries for NFL players at a particular position.

With his performance on the field last year, and the uncertainty of Tom Brady’s knee healing in time for the start of the season the Patriots had to resign Cassel.