Shortstop Rafael Furcal finalized his three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, saying he always wanted to return to the team he played with the past three seasons.

Furcal, who missed most of last season with back problems, agreed to terms of a contract worth at least $30 million with the Dodgers on Wednesday, prompting the Atlanta Braves to claim the 31-year-old switch hitter reneged on a deal with them. He passed a physical Friday.

Braves President John Schuerholz has vowed to never again do business with Furcal's agents, whom Schuerholz accused of conducting "despicable" dealings with the team.

MORE Baseball: The Florida Marlins and pitcher Josh Johnson agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract. . . . Greg Norton and the Braves agreed to an $800,000, one-year contract. . . . OF Juan Rivera decided to stay with the Los Angeles Angels, agreeing to a $12.75 million, three-year contract. . . . OF Jody Gerut agreed with the San Diego Padres on a one-year contract worth $1,775,000. . . . Pitcher Travis Blackley agreed to a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. . . . Nick Willhite, a hard-throwing lefty for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1960s, died at 67 after a battle with cancer.

Golf

Ballesteros begins chemo

Seve Ballesteros has returned to his home in northern Spain to begin chemotherapy treatment following recent surgery on a brain tumor. The Spanish golf great was released from a Madrid hospital on Dec. 9.

MORE GOLF: France's Michael Lorenzo-Vera had five birdies in six holes to shoot a second-round 65 and take a two-shot lead at the South African Open in Paarl. Playing in his first tournament since October because of a wrist injury, Lorenzo-Vera totaled 12-under 132 on the par-72 course. He leads Ernie Els (67) and three others at the event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour.

Soccer

Howard, Lloyd top athletes

Everton goalie Tim Howard was selected as U.S. soccer male athlete of the year and MF Carli Lloyd as the top female athlete.

Howard had consecutive shutouts in World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala, Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago. Lloyd, the first midfielder to win the women's honor since Shannon MacMillan in 2002, scored as the U.S. beat Brazil 1-0 in OT in the gold medal game of the Beijing Olympics.

Winter Dew Tour

White, O'Brien best in opener

Olympic gold medalist Shaun White won the snowboard slopestyle competition, and Canada's Spencer O'Brien took the women's event in the first stop on the inaugural Winter Dew Tour.

Skiing

Heel wins, American gets 5th

Werner Heel of Italy won the World Cup super-G and Marco Sullivan finished fifth for the best American showing in the first of four World Cup races. Heel won in 1 minute, 35.04 seconds, the best super-G result of his career.

MORE SKIING: Anja Paerson won a World Cup super-combi event, and American Lindsey Vonn maintained her overall lead despite skiing off course in the slalom. Paerson clocked 44.03 seconds in the slalom and was first in the super-G for a combined time of 1 minute, 41.87 seconds.

'It's hard to do, so I'm really fortunate to be around two groups of guys who have allowed me to do it.'

-- COLTS COACH TONY DUNGY

who became the1st coach since the 1970 merger to reach

the playoffs for the 10th straight season