From The Associated Press

TOKYO — The Boston Red Sox are happy to start the season with a road trip worthy of the title World Series champions. The Oakland Athletics are just glad to finally get the chance to play in Japan.

The Red Sox and the A’s will open the 2008 regular season with a two-game series on March 25-26 at Tokyo Dome, thousands of miles from home.

“We want to expand Red Sox Nation and further establish it in one of the greatest baseball nations in the world — Japan,” Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said Tuesday at a news conference to promote the trip.

The Red Sox and A’s will tune up for the series with exhibition games against the two most popular teams in Japan — the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants — on March 22-23, also at Tokyo Dome.

The Red Sox and A’s will resume their regular-season schedule with a two-game series at Oakland April 1-2.

Boston left-hander Hideki Okajima may be the lone Japanese pitcher for the Red Sox in the two-game series. Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka may miss the series because his wife is expecting to deliver their second baby around that time.

Boston and Oakland will be the third set of teams to open the regular season at the Tokyo Dome, following the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs (2000), and the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004). A scheduled 2003 series between Oakland and Seattle at the Tokyo Dome was canceled because of the threat of war in Iraq.

“We were disappointed when the series was canceled in 2003,” Oakland manager Bob Geren said. “When we got the opportunity this time, it took us about two seconds to say we’re happy to come.”

• Knoblauch subpoenaed by House committee

WASHINGTON — Four-time All-Star Chuck Knoblauch was subpoenaed Tuesday by a congressional committee investigating steroids in baseball after he failed to respond to an invitation to give a deposition.

Knoblauch — who played for the Yankees, Twins and Royals — was asked to appear Thursday, the first of five depositions or transcribed interviews scheduled by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee prior to its Feb. 13 hearing.

Roger Clemens is scheduled to speak to committee staff Saturday, followed by Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte on Jan. 30. Brian McNamee, a former personal trainer for Clemens and Pettitte, is due in Jan. 31, with former New York Mets clubhouse employee Kirk Radomski to appear Feb. 1.

In last month’s Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, McNamee told Mitchell he acquired HGH from Radomski for Knoblauch in 2001 and injected Knoblauch with HGH. Knoblauch also was among nine players accused of doping in a federal agent’s affidavit citing former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley.

NFL

• Holmgren will return for final season as Seahawks coach

KIRKLAND, Wash. — Mike Holmgren will return for a final season as coach of the Seattle Seahawks — but only a final season.

The 59-year-old veteran of 16 seasons as an NFL head coach announced his decision Tuesday to fulfill the final year of his contract, after spending the weekend with his wife at their offseason Arizona home.

The Seahawks have a likely heir to Holmgren in place in Jim Mora.

Soon after Mora was fired as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons on New Year’s Day, 2007, Holmgren added him to the staff as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach. Mora, 46, led Atlanta for three seasons and went to the NFC championship game in his first season there.

Offensive line coach Bill Laveroni will not be back, a move not unexpected with the struggles Seattle had running effectively the last two seasons. His assistant, Keith Gilbertson — California’s head coach from 1992 to 1995 — is being shifted to receivers coach.

• Hall of Famer Lofton fired as Chargers wide receivers coach

SAN DIEGO — Hall of Famer James Lofton was fired as wide receivers coach on Tuesday by the San Diego Chargers, who also released running backs coach Matt Simon.

The moves came two days after the Chargers lost to the perfect New England Patriots in the AFC championship game. Lofton had been wide receivers coach since 2002. Simon had just finished his first season with the Chargers.

College Men’s Basketball

• No love expected when UCLA’s Love goes home to Oregon

LOS ANGELES — Kevin Love expects the worst when he goes home to Oregon this week for two Pac-10 road games.

No. 8 UCLA (16-2, 4-1) visits Oregon (12-6, 3-3) on Thursday in Eugene, about 110 miles south of Love’s hometown of Lake Oswego.

Love will be more than a visiting opponent. He’s the freshman phenom who got away, jilting his home state for the winning tradition of UCLA.

“I’m expecting nothing but boos when I get announced. I think it will be horrible,” he said Tuesday.

“It’ll be fun, though, just seeing what they come up with. A lot of stuff will probably be derogatory, but I’m ready for it. It’s kind of what college basketball is all about, opposing crowds and going and playing in hostile environments.”

• Archbishop condemns abortion remark by Majerus

ST. LOUIS — A Roman Catholic archbishop said Tuesday he will ask officials of Saint Louis University to take “appropriate action” against its basketball coach, who said in a television interview that he supports abortion rights.

One of the game’s winningest coaches, Rick Majerus made the comment at a weekend rally for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke declined to say what the action against Majerus should be, saying that was a decision for the Jesuit university. But he said the coach is a leader and shouldn’t support views in opposition to church teaching.

During an interview with KMOV-TV at Saturday’s Clinton rally in suburban St. Louis, the first-year Billikens coach identified himself as a Catholic and called himself pro-choice. At first when asked for his views on abortion, he said he didn’t want to “go there,” but then said he is personally “pro-choice.”

Saint Louis University spokesman Clayton Berry said Majerus was at the rally as an individual, not as a representative of the school.

Majerus has one of the best winning percentages among active college basketball coaches with a 432-154 career record. Most of those wins, and a 1998 Final Four appearance, came at the University of Utah, which he left in 2004. Before taking the Saint Louis job he worked as an ESPN analyst, and accepted and quickly gave up the coaching job at Southern California.

Men’s Skiing

• Matt wins men’s World Cup slalom; Ligety fourth for U.S.

SCHLADMING, Austria — It had been nearly eight years since Mario Matt won a World Cup race in front of his home fans. The 28-year-old Austrian skied two near-flawless runs, overcoming a rain-slogged course and winning a classic night slalom on the Planai course for his 10th World Cup victory.

American Ted Ligety came in fourth. Ligety, who was 11th after the opening run, had a fast second heat to finish 0.70 seconds behind the winner. “I am happy with my overall performance,” he said. “It’s great to finish fourth coming from 11th, but it’s hard to miss the podium by 0.05 seconds.”

Between the two runs, Ligety said conditions were not fair for late starters. “Every turn is a hole in the weak snow, and it becomes even worse after every racer,” he said.

NHL

• Pittsburgh’s Crosby injured, to be out six to eight weeks

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby, the NHL’s marquee name and the player the Pittsburgh Penguins are building a Stanley Cup contender around, learned he will be out six to eight weeks with a high ankle sprain.

The timetable is what the Penguins realistically expected almost from the moment Crosby was hurt during the first period Friday night against Tampa Bay. Still, the 20-year-old Crosby thought his age and superb conditioning might allow him to return sooner.

The injury comes at a bad time for the league, with Crosby expected to be the big drawing card at Sunday’s All-Star game in Atlanta. Crosby was tied for the league scoring lead with 63 points when he was hurt.

Crosby, the league’s reigning scoring champion and MVP, will stay back in Pittsburgh to rest and won’t attend the game as a spectator. Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin was chosen as Crosby’s All-Star replacement.

NBA

• Shaq has MRI on left hip, to be shut down for two weeks

MIAMI — Shaquille O’Neal will miss at least the next two weeks because of recurring pain in his left hip and leg, the latest piece of disappointing news for the reeling Miami Heat.

An MRI exam performed Tuesday on O’Neal’s ailing hip found acute inflammation in that joint and his quadriceps muscle. He will be treated with ice, but won’t do any basketball-related activity — with hopes that rest will cure the problem.

O’Neal has missed an average of 20 games over the past six seasons because of an array of injuries, and still has two full seasons after this remaining on his five-year, $100 million contract with Miami. With a career-low 14.2 points per game this season, and his string of 14 straight All-Star Game selections — which matches a league record — almost seems certain to end because of his latest malady.

• Cavaliers’ James set to unveil Yankees-inspired sneakers

CLEVELAND — Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James, who angered some Cleveland fans by wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap in the Indians’ home ballpark while cheering for New York during last year’s AL playoffs, is paying tribute to his favorite hardball team with his newest sneaker.

Dominated by the team’s traditional blue-and-white color scheme, the Air Zoom LeBron V shoe features New York’s famed pinstripes as well as James’ No. 23, the number worn by popular Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly.

Also, under the tongue are the words: “Le-Bron Ja-Mes. Clap. Clap. Clap Clap Clap,” a nod to the cheer New York fans reserve for their beloved Yankees, and on the strap is the phrase: “Fresh for ’08. Suckers!”

Nike spokesman Kejuan Wilkins said the Yankees-themed shoe will be released in March. Initial plans are for it to be sold only in New York.

This isn’t the first Big Apple-inspired shoe developed for the 23-year-old Akron native, who signed a seven-year, $90 million deal with Nike before he graduated from high school. Last year, the world’s leading supplier of sports shoes and apparel released a LeBron James shoe with New York-style graffiti on it.

“As a fan of Cleveland and of the Cavaliers, I’m wondering, why not a LeBron Cleveland Indians shoe?” Lloyd Boyd of Cleveland said after shopping for new sneakers at a suburban sporting goods store with his wife, Juanita. “He can do what he wants, but he is from Akron, not the Bronx. On the other hand, he’s a businessman and he wants to market himself and sell more shoes.”

High School Football

• Sheriff’s Lt. fired for leaking investigation of opposing team

MADISON, Wis. — A sheriff’s lieutenant has been fired for using his position and official reports to try to weaken a high school football team before it played his son’s squad in a state playoff game.

Lt. Shawn Haney, a 21-year veteran of the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, was fired for releasing reports describing a Sept. 30 underage drinking party attended by Waunakee High School football players. Several people face charges in connection with the party. His son is a lineman for rival DeForest High School.

Sheriff David Mahoney said he fired Haney for releasing the reports prematurely and having a conflict of interest. Two weeks before the state quarterfinals game on Nov. 3 in which DeForest defeated Waunakee, Haney gave documents to the Waunakee School District detailing the party on a farm where a teacher’s aide lived.

Then, days before the game, Haney called a top official at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Association to complain the district hadn’t disciplined athletes at the party and urge action, according to his dismissal letter.

The teacher’s aide and her husband were charged with obstructing police. Three others, including a football player, were charged with disorderly conduct using a dangerous weapon.

Waunakee Superintendent Charles Pursell said players were disciplined but not until after the Nov. 3 quarterfinal game because the investigation wasn’t complete. DeForest defeated Waunakee 27-13 but later lost the state championship game.

Olympics

• Marathon record holder might not compete due to conditions

BRUSSELS, Belgium — The pollution and heat at the Beijing Olympics may scare off at least one marquee athlete. Marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie is considering skipping that race.

The Ethiopian distance great could still try to compete in the shorter 10,000 meters, an event in which he has won two Olympic gold medals.

On a normal day, Beijing’s pollution exceeds by nearly five times the safety benchmark set by the World Health Organization.