D J Dozier

D.J. Dozier, the former running back from Penn State, could have been the latest of the two-sport athletes to hit the top level in baseball and football, but the lure of football was too great. Dozier will report to Minnesota Vikings this week when the Mets' triple-A Tidewater affiliate plays its final game. The Mets had hoped Dozier would commit to playing the rest of the baseball season. If he had, the Mets might have purchased his contract and promoted him to the majors.

The penny-pinching Padres rang up the first transaction of what is expected to be an off-season clearance sale Monday by dealing All-Star shortstop Tony Fernandez to the New York Mets. In return, the Padres received right-handed pitcher Wally Whitehurst, who was 3-9 for the Mets last season, and outfielder D.J. Dozier, who hit .197 in only 45 major league games. The Padres will also receive a Rookie League-level player to be named in December.

The Houston Oilers reached an agreement on a two-year contract with Webster Slaughter, one of four players granted free agency by a federal judge last Thursday. The Houston Chronicle reported that the two-year contract is worth about $2.2 million. Another of the four, Keith Jackson, signed a series of four one-year contracts worth a reported $6 million, including a $1.9 million signing bonus, with the Miami Dolphins.

The Minnesota Vikings and their first-round draft pick, Penn State running back D. J. Dozier, have agreed in principle to a multi-year contract, the National Football League club announced Tuesday. Dozier, who led the Nittany Lions in rushing for four years and helped them to the 1986 national championship, is the first No. 1 or No. 2 selection to agree to terms, Viking General Manager Mike Lynn said. The tentative agreement calls for a two-year contract plus an option year.

The Houston Oilers reached an agreement on a two-year contract with Webster Slaughter, one of four players granted free agency by a federal judge last Thursday. The Houston Chronicle reported that the two-year contract is worth about $2.2 million. Another of the four, Keith Jackson, signed a series of four one-year contracts worth a reported $6 million, including a $1.9 million signing bonus, with the Miami Dolphins.

The penny-pinching Padres rang up the first transaction of what is expected to be an off-season clearance sale Monday by dealing All-Star shortstop Tony Fernandez to the New York Mets. In return, the Padres received right-handed pitcher Wally Whitehurst, who was 3-9 for the Mets last season, and outfielder D.J. Dozier, who hit .197 in only 45 major league games. The Padres will also receive a Rookie League-level player to be named in December.

The Minnesota Vikings signed their No. 1 draft pick, Penn State running back D.J. Dozier, to a two-year contract with an option year. Details of the contract were not disclosed.

Tampa Bay quarterback Vinny Testaverde will return to the starting lineup when the Buccaneers face the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. . . . Charles Haley widened his split with the San Francisco 49ers, saying management had poisoned his outlook on the game. "Sometimes I just want to give it up, just say . . . (forget it) and quit," Haley said. . . .

D.J. Dozier, the former running back from Penn State, could have been the latest of the two-sport athletes to hit the top level in baseball and football, but the lure of football was too great. Dozier will report to Minnesota Vikings this week when the Mets' triple-A Tidewater affiliate plays its final game. The Mets had hoped Dozier would commit to playing the rest of the baseball season. If he had, the Mets might have purchased his contract and promoted him to the majors.

The Minnesota Vikings and their first-round draft pick, Penn State running back D. J. Dozier, have agreed in principle to a multi-year contract, the National Football League club announced Tuesday. Dozier, who led the Nittany Lions in rushing for four years and helped them to the 1986 national championship, is the first No. 1 or No. 2 selection to agree to terms, Viking General Manager Mike Lynn said. The tentative agreement calls for a two-year contract plus an option year.

Quarterbacks Bobby Hebert of the New Orleans Saints and Steve Beuerlein of the Dallas Cowboys and seven other players have sued the NFL for unrestricted free agency. Taking the action Monday in a Philadelphia federal court, they made the same charges that will be tried in the Freeman McNeil case at Minneapolis on June 15, accusing NFL owners of unlawful restraint of trade. Similar action has been taken by Marcus Allen of the Raiders and Albert Lewis of the Kansas City Chiefs.