Tiger signs four-year deal with India company

Tiger Woods is no longer the world's top endorsement moneyspinner, but the golf star's backing remains solid enough to land a four-year deal announced Tuesday with India's Hero MotoCorp.

The world's largest maker of motorcycles and scooters with 6.3 million sold in the 2013-14 business year will rely upon Woods as a pitchman as it tries to expand its brand globally, into Europe late next year and the United States in 2016.

"It gives me extreme pleasure and pride to associate our brand with Tiger Woods," said Pawan Munjal, Hero's chief executive officer. "We believe Tiger's brand, Tiger's recognition, Tiger's attributes will also lift and make the brand Hero as recognizable as Tiger."

Woods, a former world number one and 14-time major champion, was the world's highest-paid athlete from 2001 to 2011 according to Forbes magazine, based largely on his endorsement deals.

But in 2009, at the same Isleworth gated community where the Hero World Challenge tees off Thursday, a traffic accident involving Woods set off a chain of events that unveiled Woods' secret sex life with multiple mistresses. That would lead to his divorce from wife Elin and the destruction of his once-perfect image as a corporate endorser, several firms dropping him in the wake of the sex scandal.

Since then, Woods has rebuilt his brand name with such backers as Nike standing beside him. Last June, in the latest Forbes rankings, Woods ranked sixth in athlete income with $61.2 million (49.4 million euros), 90 percent of it from endorsements.

Munjal calls Woods "an icon for millions around the world" and adds, "He is indeed a phenomenon, a symbol of humility in victory and grace in adversity. An achiever par excellence, Tiger's appeal and charisma spans across continents cutting through barriers of geography, age, language and nationalities."

Woods met Munjal at Isleworth at a dinner following the Tavistock Cup, a showdown between private country club teams of golf stars. That led to Woods playing at Delhi GolfClub and to the latest partnership, which benefits Woods' charity foundation that supports youth educational opportunities.

TCU jumps Florida St into 3rd in playoff rankings

The top four in the College Football Playoff rankings going into the final weekend of the regular season is as follows: Alabama, Oregon, TCU and Florida State.

The question is: Short of a loss by one of those teams, is there anything a team on the outside can do to get in on Sunday when the final rankings are announced and the field for the first playoff is set?

''We're at the point, we're waiting for results now,'' selection committee chairman and Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said Tuesday night. ''We're waiting for teams to complete their body of work. Again, we don't project out. We've all seen games that have different outcomes than we expect.

''We focus on what has been accomplished to this point, and with that regard, the top four teams to this point are ranked where the committee believes they should be.''

LA Kings sign Alec Martinez to 6-year extension

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract extension with Alec Martinez, the defenseman who scored two series-ending overtime playoff goals last June.

The Kings announced the deal Wednesday with Martinez, signing another two-time Stanley Cup champion to a long-term deal.

Martinez is a dependable defenseman who became an NHL playoff folk hero with two clutch goals last summer.

His Game 7 overtime goal off Nick Leddy's torso sent the Kings past the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference finals, and his shot into an open net in Game 5 against the New York Rangers handed the Kings their second Stanley Cup title in three years.

Ellis, Mavericks outlast Bulls in double overtime

CHICAGO (AP) -- Normally, taking 35 shots to score 38 points is not a production level that any NBA coach would embrace.

Game Leaders

• 
  Monta Ellis
  #11, Dallas

  Pts:	38
  Reb:	2
  Ast:	1

• 
  Pau Gasol
  #16, Chicago

  Pts:	29
  Reb:	14
  Ast:	2

But no one in the Dallas Mavericks' locker room had a problem with Monta Ellis' line in the boxscore Tuesday night.

''His shooting numbers were a little unusual, but every time we needed a big shot or a big play, he made it,'' Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

Ellis hit three free throws with 1.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie it, then made his only 3-point shot of the game for a go-ahead basket in the second overtime that lifted the Mavericks past the Chicago Bulls 132-129.

Ellis finished with 38 points, including his trio of free throws to make it 108-all. He was fouled by the Bulls' Kirk Hinrich soon after crossing half-court, and kept the Mavs in the game.

''I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was about to do it, so I went into shooting mode,'' Ellis said. ''He ended up grabbing me and they called a foul.''

Because the Mavericks had no timeouts at the end of regulation, the Bulls wanted to foul intentionally - just not in that spot.

Longtime MLB umpire Dale Scott comes out as gay

NEW YORK (AP) -- Dale Scott figures he'll hear plenty of foul language from angry hitters next season. Such is life for a Major League Baseball umpire.

''They'll still yell at me when a 3-2 slider doesn't break their way,'' he told The Associated Press. ''But they'll be yelling at me because they didn't like my call, not because I'm a gay umpire.''

Two weeks after Jason Collins retired as the NBA's first openly gay player, Scott added his name Tuesday to a growing list of gay and lesbian sports figures taking similar public steps. St. Louis Rams draft pick Michael Sam, NBA official Violet Palmer and WNBA star Brittney Griner are among those who have come out in recent years.

Scott didn't want to make a huge announcement heading into his 30th big league season.

The trade magazine Referee did a profile on the veteran crew chief in October, and didn't mention his sexuality. But the 55-year-old Scott wanted to share an important part of his life, and made the choice to include a picture of himself with partner Michael Rausch. They've been together for nearly three decades and married in November 2013 in Palm Springs, California.

The caption in Referee said: ''He and his longtime companion, Michael Rausch, traveled to Australia for the 2014 season opener between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers.''

Twins announce $10.5M deal with Torii Hunter

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- When Torii Hunter first came up to the major leagues in 1997, Paul Molitor was bringing a Hall of Fame playing career to a close with his hometown Minnesota Twins. 

Molitor could still swing the bat, and the impression he made on a talented group of youngsters, including Hunter, helped lay the foundation for the long-struggling team's renaissance.

Almost two decades later, Hunter is returning to Minnesota, his home away from home, to play for Molitor and return the favor.

''This is where I needed to be,'' Hunter said Wednesday after signing a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Twins. ''This is home for me.''

Hunter spent the first 11 years of his career with the Twins. He was a first-round draft pick as an 18-year-old in 1993 and looked up to Kirby Puckett and Molitor, among others, as he made his way up through the system.

He watched how Molitor, who hit .341 in 161 games as a 39-year-old designated hitter with the Twins in 1996, went about his business, studying opposing pitchers for weaknesses and pouncing on blunders in the outfield to take an extra base.

New Falcons stadium now to cost $1.4 billion

ATLANTA (AP) -- The cost of the new Atlanta Falcons stadium has climbed to $1.4 billion.

The initial cost of the retractable-roof facility, which will replace the Georgia Dome in 2017, was estimated at $1 billion. That was later raised to $1.2 billion.

Now, it's gone up again by $200 million. The final budget was approved Tuesday by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. NFL ownership is expected to follow suit next week.

The new budget includes $1.078 billion in construction costs, with the remainder going to design, development and other non-construction costs.

''More detailed design plans allowed us to more accurately budget the cost of the stadium,'' said Greg Beadles, the team's chief administrative and financial officer. ''At the same time, construction costs across the board continue to increase as the economy improves and demand grows. ''