According to ESPN, The Denver Broncos agreed to name Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels their next head coach Sunday. McDaniels, 32, will replace Mike Shanahan, who got the ax Dec. 30 after 14 years as head coach. McDaniels has worked in the NFL for eight seasons, all with New England. The job reportedly came down to a decision between two candidates: McDaniels and Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

Baseball Braves close in on Kawakami

The Atlanta Braves are reportedly nearing a deal with Japanese right-handed starter, Kenshin Kawakami. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that the Braves have come to terms with the 33-year-old on a three-year deal. Kawakami went 112-72 with a 3.22 ERA in 11 seasons with the Chunichi Dragons.

MORE MLB: MLB.com sources say that the Florida Marlins are not interested in free-agent pitcher Pedro Martinez, debunking Saturday's ESPNdeportes.com report that said the team spoke with Martinez's agent.

Tennis Sharapova out of Aussie Open

Maria Sharapova's shoulder injury will keep her out of another big event -- the Australian Open. Sharapova told the tournament Sunday she will not be able to defend her title at Melbourne Park beginning Jan. 19. She also missed the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open because of the injury, and her recovery has been slower than expected. MORE TENNIS: Serena Williams overcame a glaring mistake by the chair umpire and a partisan crowd to win her first match of the season, a 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-5 victory over Australian Samantha Stosur on Sunday at the Sydney International.

Auto racing Labonte could drive No. 8 car

Officials at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing are discussing a possible shake-up in their driver lineup, as Bobby Labonte could end up in the No. 8 car, taking Mark Martin's place, according to ESPN.com. Labonte, who received his release from Petty Enterprises last month, would fill Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s former seat instead of Aric Almirola. The team has had a difficult time finding sponsorship for Almirola. Labonte has received plenty of attention from sponsors as a free agent and wasn't available for comment on the possible move.

MORE AUTOS: Carlos Sainz extended his overall lead in the Dakar Rally, winning an eighth stage swept by Volkswagen drivers. Sainz drove the 183 miles from the Chilean port city of Valparaiso to La Serena, on the rim of the Atacama desert, in 3 hours, 47 minutes, 19 seconds. Volkswagen teammate Dieter Depping was 4 minutes, 2 seconds back and Mark Miller of the United States was third, another 10 seconds back. Miller was third in the overall standings and NASCAR star Robby Gordon was fifth in a Hummer.

Golf Hansen captures Joburg Open

Anders Hansen birdied the final hole Sunday to finish at 15-under 269 and beat Andrew McLardy by one stroke at the Joburg Open. He shot a 5-under 66 at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club East Course to hold off McLardy, who had a 68 and finished second for the second time in three years.

MORE GOLF: Asia clinched its first Royal Trophy match-play tournament against Europe on Sunday, winning three of eight singles matches and halving another for a 10-6 victory in Thailand.

Soccer Man U downs Chelsea

Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov scored for Manchester United in a 3-0 win over Chelsea that moved the Red Devils within five points of the Premier League lead.

MORE SOCCER: David Beckham made a surprising start in his Italian league debut, a solid 89-minute performance for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw with AS Roma.