MLB reaches deal on Japanese players

Major League Baseball, its players' union and the Japanese commissioner's office agreed Tuesday to a new posting system that could allow star pitcheroutfielder Shohei Ohtani to be put up for bid next week, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The agreement is still not in writing and must be ratified by Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, the person said on condition of anonymity because no comments were authorized.

MLB owners are scheduled to vote for ratification on Dec. 1, and Ohtani is expected to be posted then or the following day, the person said. The deal calls for the negotiating period this offseason to be cut to 21 days from 30. The posting fee limit this offseason remains $20 million, and Ohtani's club, the Pacific League's Nippon-Ham Fighters, is expected to seek the maximum for the 23-year-old star. As part of the deal, a tiered system for posting fees will start next Nov. 1.

The fee will be 20 percent of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of any amount over $50 million.

New Olympic medals to be awarded after disqualifications

Katie Uhlaender has shed plenty of tears over the years about how she was so close to an Olympic medal, so close to standing on that podium and watching the American flag get raised in her honor.

She cried again Wednesday. Those tears were happy ones. The long-awaited word has come down: Uhlaender is about to be an Olympic bronze medalist.

The International Olympic Committee disqualified four Russian skeleton athletes from the 2014 Sochi Games, including men's gold medalist Aleksandr Tretiakov and women's bronze medalist Elena Nikitina, for doping violations and further banned them from the games going forward. Tretiakov's disqualification means Latvia's Martins Dukurs will be promoted to gold, Matt Antoine of the U.S. to silver and Latvia's Tomass Dukurs, Martins' brother, to bronze.

In the women's race, Uhlaender moves up one spot from fourth, placing her alongside gold medalist Lizzy Yarnold of Britain and silver medalist Noelle Pikus-Pace of the U.S.

Louisville says freshman will not play for Cardinals

Louisville said that freshman forward Brian Bowen will not play for the school and that the Cardinals have parted ways with men’s basketball associate coach Kenny Johnson. The 6-foot-7 Bowen signed with Louisville in June but had been held out of practice and games since the school announced in September that it was being investigated in a federal corruption probe of bribery in college basketball . Ten people, including four assistant coaches and Adidas executive James Gatto, were initially charged in the investigation.