■ BASEBALL
Dodgers sign Hiroki Kuroda
Fulfilling one of their major offseason goals, the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to terms with Japanese free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda on a three-year, US$35.2 million contract. Kuroda, who turns 33 in February, passed a physical examination on Saturday and was to be introduced yesterday at a Dodger Stadium news conference. "Kuroda was arguably the best starting pitcher on the free-agent market and will be a great addition to our staff," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "There was a lot of competition for a pitcher of his ilk, and we're thrilled that he's chosen to become a Dodger and to make Los Angeles his home."
■ BASKETBALL
Williams escapes uninjured
Atlanta Hawks forward Shelden Williams escaped without injury when he was carjacked at gunpoint before his NBA game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday. Two suspects were arrested with his car hours later. Douglasville City Police said two suspects were arrested at Arbor Place Mall in Douglas County, near Atlanta, Georgia. The suspects were in Williams' car and were attempting a robbery, according to an officer who answered the phone at the Douglasville Police Department. The officer, who declined to give her name, said one suspect was taken to a hospital after suffering dog bites from the police canine unit during the arrest. Fulton County Police spokesman Gary Syblis said Williams was approached by two men outside a barber shop. One man pulled out a gun and demanded Williams' keys to his 2008 Chrysler, Syblis said.
■ FOOTBALL
49ers beat Bengals 20-13
Shaun Hill passed for 197 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in his first NFL start, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-13 on Saturday for just their second victory in 12 games. Frank Gore rushed for a season-high 138 yards, and Darrell Jackson had a season-high eight catches for 86 yards in a surprisingly effective San Francisco offense led by Hill, a six-year veteran backup who threw his first NFL passes only last week after Trent Dilfer got a concussion. With Alex Smith also sidelined, Hill was the only quarterback left in San Francisco -- and he improbably sparked the 49ers' league-worst offense to the club's first home victory since opening week in September. Hill went 21-of-28, hitting Vernon Davis with a precise touchdown pass 9 seconds before halftime and generally running the show with confidence.
■ SPRINTING
Jenkins wins doping appeal
US sprinter LaTasha Jenkins has successfully won her appeal of a doping charge after a pair of slip-ups by two different European testing labs. In July 2006, Jenkins, who is believed to be the first to win an appeal against the US Anti-Doping Agency, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone. A three-member arbitration panel ruled in her favor after she complained that labs in Belgium and Germany did not follow proper World Anti-Doping Agency procedures during the handling of her samples, the Chicago Tribune reported on Saturday. The panel ruled that both labs erred by not using two different technicians to the run the tests. Jenkins, 29, was awarded the bronze medal in the 200 meters at the 2001 World Championships when her US teammate and third-place finisher Kelli White was disqualified after revealing she used performance-enhancing drugs.
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