In Brief

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The ageless Minnie Minoso added another line to his resume.Minoso, 77, became the first player to play professional baseball in seven decades Wednesday night when he took the field for the St. Paul Saints against Gary in the independent Northern League.He was in the lineup as St. Paul's designated hitter, as part of the team's annual Negro League tribute, and walked in the first inning.

Minoso became the first to play in six decades when he batted for the Saints in a game in 1993. He spent several years in the Negro Leagues before breaking into mainstream baseball in 1948 with Class A San Diego. He hit .298 in a 16-year major league career that ended in 1964 with the White Sox.

Minoso, who currently works in the Sox's community relations department, came back with the White Sox in 1976 for 8 at-bats (he got 1 hit) and 2 more in 1980.

[] The slumping Minnesota Twins are looking for a spark to jump start the second half of the season. They hope outfielder Shannon Stewart can provide it.

The Twins acquired Stewart and a player to be named from the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday for outfielder Bobby Kielty.

The Blue Jays will pick up the remainder of Stewart's $6.2 million salary, and the Twins will play the rest of Kielty's $325,000 contract.

Stewart was hitting .294 with 47 runs, 7 homers and 35 RBIs as Toronto's leadoff hitter and left fielder. He missed almost a month earlier this season with a strained hamstring.

The right-handed hitting Stewart will play right field, a position split between Kielty, Dustan Mohr and others since the beginning of 2002. He'll also likely bat leadoff -- allowing the Twins to move left fielder Jacque Jones down to an RBI spot and take turns as the designated hitter. Jones is on the disabled list with a strained groin.

Kielty, a switch-hitter who turns 27 in August, has a .252 average with 9 homers and 32 RBIs in 238 at-bats. His .370 on-base percentage is attractive, though, especially to Toronto, and he can play all three outfield positions.

[] Armando Benitez was sent across town Wednesday when the New York Yankees acquired him from the Mets for three prospects.

The Mets get right-handed pitchers Jason Anderson, Anderson Garcia and Ryan Bicondoa.

Benitez is 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 45 games this season, blowing 7 of his 28 save chances.

Anderson, 24, is 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA in 22 relief appearances for the Yankees this year. Garcia, 22, is 3-6 with a 3.32 ERA in 11 starts and five relief appearances for Class-A Battle Creek. Bicondoa, 24, is 3-2 with a 3.54 ERA in five starts and 10 relief appearances for Class-A Tampa.

Awards

Williams, Bonds, Woods win ESPY Awards

Serena Williams was honored as female athlete of the year and female tennis player at the 11th annual ESPY Awards on Wednesday night, a year after she accepted the same trophies on behalf of older sister Venus.

Tiger Woods repeated as male golfer for the fourth consecutive year, giving him a career-best total of 15. He didn't attend the show hosted by comedian Jamie Foxx at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. He is in England for the British Open, which begins today.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong was chosen male athlete of the year over Barry Bonds, Tim Duncan and Woods, who had won the last three years. Armstrong is trying to win his record fifth Tour de France this month. Three years ago, he was chosen comeback athlete after beating testicular cancer.

Serena Williams recently defeated Venus to win her second straight Wimbledon title. She's 40-1 at major tournaments dating to the 2001 French Open. She defeated Venus for the female tennis player award, one of 17 categories decided for the first time by fan votes on the Internet.

Williams was the only double winner. She beat out Lisa Leslie, Annika Sorenstam and Connecticut basketball player Diana Taurasi for the female athlete award, which pits athletes from different sports against each other.

Bonds was chosen major league baseball player for the second straight year. Leslie, hobbled by a knee injury, repeated as WNBA player. Sorenstam won her second consecutive award for female golfer.

Gail Devers ended Marion Jones' five-year domination of the female track and field athlete award. Jones' boyfriend, Tim Montgomery, won the men's track award.

The World Series champion Anaheim Angels were chosen best team. Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks became the second goaltender to win NHL player, joining 2-time winner Dominik Hasek.

Jon Gruden was named coach of the year for guiding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl title. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons won NFL player honors. Quarterback Tommy Maddox of the Pittsburgh Steelers was chosen comeback athlete.

Duncan, who helped the San Antonio Spurs win a championship, was named NBA player. Carmelo Anthony, who helped Syracuse win the NCAA championship before leaving for the NBA, was named male college athlete. The female award went to Taurasi.

The best game award went to the Fiesta Bowl, in which Ohio State beat Miami in double overtime.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award was shared by brothers Pat and Kevin Tillman, who gave up professional sports careers to enlist in the Army. Their younger brother, Richard, accepted on their behalf.

NFL

Texans' Boselli to retire

Tony Boselli is expected to retire this week because of injuries, ending the career of a player who was once the league's best offensive lineman, a source within the NFL told The Associated Press. Boselli, a former Jacksonville Jaguars star and the first player the Houston Texans selected in the 2002 expansion draft, sat out almost all of the last two years because of three operations on his left shoulder.

[] The Seattle Seahawks signed sixth-round draft choice Rashard Moore to a multiyear contract. Moore, a defensive tackle from Tennessee, was the 183rd player taken in this year's draft.