Football
OSU HIRES COACH: Oklahoma State's topsy-turvy search for a football coach ended with the return of Dallas Cowboys assistant Les Miles.
Miles, Dallas' tight end coach the past three seasons, was the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma State when the team went 8-4 and played in the Alamo Bowl in 1997, the school's last winning season.
LOUISVILLE PLAYERS ARRESTED: Five Louisville football players were arrested following a fraternity party fight at a night spot in the city.
Baseball
METS SIGN REED: The New York Mets finally signed a starting pitcher, agreeing to a $21.75 million, three-year contract with Rick Reed.
Reed, a 36-year-old right-hander, was 11-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 30 starts last season, when he earned $4,375,000, and is 51-30 in the last four seasons.
ASHBY NOW A DODGER: The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Andy Ashby to a $22.5 million, three-year contract, a day after rescinding an offer to the free-agent right-hander.
Ashby, 33, was 12-13 with a 4.92 ERA and three complete games in 31 starts for the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves last season. He is 84-87 for his career.
D-BACKS RE-SIGN REYNOSO: The Arizona Diamondbacks will return with their pitching rotation intact after agreeing to a $6.5 million, two-year contract with Armando Reynoso.
Reynoso had a 21-18 record in two seasons with the Diamondbacks, going 11-12 this year with a 5.27 ERA. He worked 170 2/3 innings — the second-most of his career — in 30 starts and one relief appearance.
Basketball
SHEPPARD WINS RULING: Former University of Kentucky guard Jeff Sheppard has won a surprise court ruling that could spell the end of foreign player limits in Italy's basketball leagues.
The Italian basketball league confirmed the ruling that allows the Roseto squad, which already has two Americans on its roster, to sign Sheppard, a 6-3 guard who played on Kentucky's 1998 NCAA title team before brief stints with the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors.
The Italian basketball federation, which has 10 days to appeal, allows a maximum of two players per team from outside the European Union.
THREATT SENTENCED: Former NBA guard Sedale Threatt was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay child support. He was ordered to begin serving his sentence in January.
Threatt, of Scottsdale, Ariz., played in the NBA from 1983-97 for Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers. Court records show that he earned almost $10 million from the NBA from 1990 to 1997.
Soccer
MUTINY HIRES COACH: Alfonso Mondelo, the director of player development for Major League Soccer, was hired as coach of the Tampa Bay Mutiny.
FREEZZ DEFENDER HONORED: Rob Baarts was named the WISL Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday.
Baarts, in his first season with Utah, was third on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 17 assists. On defense he finished with 42 blocks, and was in the only player in the league to tally over 30 points and 40 blocks.
"I am glad that Rob is finally getting the recognition for the hard work he puts in," said Freezz player-coach Jeff Betts.
Utah acquired Baarts in the 2000 WISL dispersal draft after Portland's franchise folded.