Sergio Romo tested free agency, had some offers and decided he wanted to stay put in San Francisco, pitching for the only major league organization he has known. The animated reliever finalized a $15 million, two-year contract with the Giants on Monday, who kept a key component that has been part of three championship runs. "When it comes to professional baseball, this has been my home," Romo said. "I'm very thankful for every opportunity that I've gotten. This was a place I was able to make a name for myself. This is the only organization I know." The right-hander could earn an additional $500,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games finished as part of the agreement

The 31-year-old Romo has spent all seven of his big league seasons with San Francisco, winning titles in 2010, '12 and this year. He went 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA with 23 saves in 64 outings this past season as San Francisco earned the wild card and went on to beat Kansas City in a seven-game World Series. "All in all, I really wanted to stay home. I wanted to stay here," Romo said. "I don't really see myself wearing another uniform."

"He's meant so much to our success," manager Bruce Bochy said. "So much is talked about with our bullpen. Whether setting up or closing, I thought it was important for our team, for our bullpen. Sergio knows all of us, we know him, there's a sense of comfort there. We know what we're getting, a very good pitcher who's comfortable pitching late in the ballgame. I can't say enough about how he carried himself this year. I know we made a switch there. He was all about winning."

"Sergio's resume speaks for itself, what he's done for us in high-leverage situations has been a key to our bullpen at the end of the game," general manager Brian Sabean said. "As we reviewed our needs going into the offseason, we very much wanted to keep our bullpen together. Bringing Sergio back, I think we've accomplished that."

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Darryl Strawberry did the work, but now you can collect his money from the New York Mets. The Internal Revenue Service is auctioning off the remaining annuity from the deferred compensation Strawberry agreed to when he signed a six-year contract with the Mets almost 30 years ago. The total value of the contract, which covered his 1985 through 1990 seasons, was $7.1 million, but nearly 40 percent of his $1.8 million team option in 1990 ($700,000) was deferred and put into an annuity with a 5.1 percent annual interest rate. On Jan. 20, the IRS will auction off the right to collect what will amount to roughly $1.28 million paid by Sterling Mets LP, parent company of the Mets, in 223 monthly installments, assuming a realistic sale close date of May 1. As this sale is required through the court system, the winning bid, which cannot be less than $550,000, has to be approved by a judge before the buyer starts collecting.

How a fan could even buy what was originally due to the Mets slugger is a complicated story. Strawberry was forced to give a portion of the deferred money account to his wife, Charisse, as part of their divorce settlement in 2006, but the payments were never made. In 2010, his ex-wife filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection and, as part of the proceedings, asked for what was owed. But in September of this year, a judge in the Northern District of Florida ruled that the annuity was the property of the IRS, not Charisse, because Darryl still had not settled his tax debt owed for 1989, 1990, 2003 and 2004. From 1987 to 1990, Strawberry failed to pay $542,572 in taxes, according to court documents. As of November 2013, Strawberry owed at least $80,000 from his tax liability from missed payments in 2003 and 2004. "Seizure and sale is the last thing we at the IRS want to do," said Michael Devine, spokesman for the IRS' division of Property Appraisal and Liquidation Specialists. "This happens when a person doesn't dispute that they owe the money but can't or won't liquidate the property." It was common practice for the Mets to defer money in contracts. The Mets famously bought out the final year of Devine said, in this case, it has reached the point of a judge requiring the IRS to sell what was originally owed to Strawberry in his contract.

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BRUINS over PREDATORS 5 to 3

MAPLE LEAFS over STARS 4 to 0

CANADIENS over ISLANDERS 3 to 1

HURRICANES over DEVILS 2 to 1

RANGERS over CAPITALS 4 to 2

FLYERS over WILD 5 to 2

RED WINGS over SABRES 6 to 3

LIGHTNING over PENGUINS 4 to 3

AVALANCHE over BLUES 5 to 0

COYOTES over OILERS 5 to 1

JETS over BLACKHAWKS 5 to 1

CAPITALS over SENATORS 2 to 1

PREDATORS over BLUE JACKETS 5 to 1

PANTHERS over PENGUINS 4 to 3

CANUCKS over COYOTES 7 to 1

DUCKS over SHARKS 3 to 2

FLAMES over KINGS 4 to 3

AVALANCHE over RED WINGS 2 to 1

STARS over OILERS 6 to 5

BRUINS over SABRES 4 to 3

BLACKHAWKS over MAPLE LEAFS 4 to 0

RANGERS over HURRICANES 1 to 0

FLYERS over JETS 4 to 3

KINGS over COYOTES 4 to 2

AVALANCHE over SABRES 5 to 1

FLYERS over MAPLE LEAFS 7 to 4

CANADIENS over SENATORS 4 to 1

ISLANDERS over LIGHTNING 3 to 1

PENGUINS over PANTHERS 3 to 1

CAPITALS over DEVILS 4 to 0

RANGERS over HURRICANES 3 to 2

BLUE JACKETS over BLACKHAWKS 3 to 2

PREDATORS over WILD 6 to 5

CANUCKS over FLAMES 3 to 2

SHARKS over BLUES 3 to 2

DEVILS over LIGHTNING 3 to 2

SENATORS over DUCKS 6 to 2

ISLANDERS over RED WINGS 2 to 1

JETS over BRUINS 2 to 1

STARS over FLAMES 2 to 1

HURRICANES over MAPLE LEAFS 4 to 1

PANTHERS over FLYERS 2 to 1

PENGUINS over AVALANCHE 1 to 0

CAPITALS over BLUE JACKETS 5 to 4

DUCKS over CANADIENS 2 to 1

KINGS over BLUES 6 to 4

SHARKS over OILERS 4 to 3

SENATORS over DEVILS 2 to 0

BRUINS over WILD 3 to 2

STARS over CANUCKS 2 to 0

BENGALS over BRONCOS 37 to 28

REDSKINS over EAGLES 27 to 24

CHARGERS over 49ERS 38 to 35

DOLPHINS over VIKINGS 37 to 35

TEXANS over RANGERS 25 to 13

LIONS over BEARS 20 to 14

PANTHERS over BROWNS 17 to 13

FALCONS over SAINTS 30 to 14

PACKERS over BUCCANEERS 20 to 3

STEELERS over CHIEFS 20 to 12

PATRIOTS overt JETS 17 to 16

GIANTS over RAMS 37 to 27

RAIDERS over BILLS 26 to 24

COWBOYS over COLTS 42 to 7

SEAHAWKS over CARDINALS 35 to 6

JAGUARS over TITANS 21 to 13

CAVALIERS over TIMBERWOLVES 125 to 104

PACERS over PELICANS 96 to 84

MAGIC over CELTICS 100 to 95

BULLS over WIZZARDS 99 to 91

HAWKS over CLIPPERS 107 to 104

NETS over NUGGETS 102 to 96

76ERS over HEAT 91 to 87

HORNETS over BUCKS 108 to 101

TRAIL BLAZERS over THUNDER 115 to 111

SUNS over MAVERICKS 124 to 115

LAKERS over WARRIORS 115 to 105

HORNETS over NUGGETS 110 to 82

BULLS over RAPTORS 129 to 120

ROCKETS over TRAIL BLAZERS 110 to 95

JAZZ over GRIZZLIES 97 to 91

HAWKS over MAVERICKS 105 to 102

SPURS over CLIPPERS 125 to 118

WARRIORS over KINGS 128 to 108

RAPTORS over KNICKS 118 to 108

CAVALIERS over GRIZZLIES 105 to 91

KINGS over LAKERS 108 to 101

NETS over PISTONS 110 to 105

HEAT over CELTICS 100 to 84

76ERS over MAGIC 96 to 88

SUNS over WIZZARDS 104 to 92

PACERS over TIMBERWOLVES 100 to 96

PELICANS over THUNDER 101 to 99

SUNS over KNICKS 99 to 90

TRAIL BLAZERS over PELICANS 114 to 88

HORNETS over JAZZ 104 to 86

HAWKS over ROCKETS 104 to 97

MAVERICKS over SPURS 99 to 93

NUGGETS over PACERS 76 to 73

CLIPPERS over BUCKS 106 to 102

JAZZ over MAGIC 101 to 94

HORNETS over 76ERS 109 to 91

CELTICS over TIMBERWOLVES 114 to 98

CAVALIERS over NETS 95 to 91

RAPTORS over PISTONS 110 to 100

WIZARDS over HEAT 105 to 103

BULLS over GRIZZLIES 103 to 97

TRAIL BLAZERS over SPURS 129 to 119

NUGGETS over CLIPPERS 109 to 106

THUNDER over LAKERS 104 to 103

BULLS over KNICKS 103 to 97

PELICANS over ROCKETS 99 to 90

BUCKS over KINGS 108 to 107

WARRIORS over THUNDER 114 to 109

SUNS over HORNETS 111 to 106

HAWKS over CAVALIERS 127 to 98

CELTICS over MAGIC 109 to 92

MAVERICKS over PISTONS 117 to 106

JAZZ over HEAT 105 to 87

RAPTORS over NETS 105 to 89

GRIZZLIES over SPURS 117 to 116

TRAIL BLAZERS over BUCKS 104 to 97

CLIPPERS over PACERS 102 to 100

ROCKETS over NUGGETS 115 to 111

There was always a special connection between former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu and the fans of Montreal. Koivu received a nearly five-minute standing ovation as part of a 30-minute pregame tribute. That brought tears to the eyes of the 40-year-old Koivu, who retired after spending the last five years of his 18-year NHL career in Anaheim. "I always felt that I was respected as a player and for the way I played the game, but what makes me feel humble was the way I was loved by the fans," Koivu said. "Sometimes you think about why it happened, why they took me as their own.”You can't explain it, but there has been a real, unique bond between the fans in Montreal and myself. They've shown their passion and love and support throughout the years and really, it's been amazing."

The ceremony began with a scoreboard montage of photos and a mix of fans and former teammates thanking him and saluting his career. Koivu's wife Hanna, daughter Ilona and son Aatos, along with his father Jukka and mother Tuire were on the ice as he gave a 15-minute speech in English and French without the help of notes. The crowd roared when he said "Montreal truly is the most exciting place to play hockey," and "I will always be a Hab in my heart." The gifted center from Finland, lived through soaring highs and terrible lows in his 13 seasons with the Canadiens from 1995-2009. Koivu choked up as he thanked the team of doctors that saved his life when he diagnosed with abdominal cancer before the 2001-02 season. After a season of debilitating treatments, he shocked the hockey world by returning with three games left. He was greeted then by the Bell Centre crowd that stood and cheered for him for several minutes. Koivu then helped the Canadiens make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and eliminated the top-seeded The Bruins in the first round.

"That year, the lows I went through and then being able to come back and be a factor in the series, it was a dream come true," he said. "It's like the whole story was written before. "I don't want to use the word regret, but probably the only thing (missing), and I'm not only even talking about winning a Stanley Cup, is really, genuinely competing and maybe being in the finals. Because we saw that a few times, winning in the first and second round, how this city reacts when you win. That year was special." The following season, Koivu had his best campaign with 71 points, but what won over the fans even more was how he started a foundation to raise millions for PET scans to help in cancer diagnosis for others. Koivu was chosen 21st in the 1993 NHL draft and looked to be a future scoring star until his was slowed by a series of knee and shoulder injuries. He was named as Canadiens captain in 1998 and held the position for 10 years.

He joined the Canadiens in 1995, and three months later, star goalie Patrick Roy was traded to Colorado. That sent the team into a downward spiral that took years to stop.

"That first few months, and then having the last game at the Forum and first game at the Bell Centre, I pretty much saw everything that can happen all in that first year," Koivu said. "I realized fairly quickly how big hockey is in this city and this province.”There were a tough few years not making the playoffs, but in the early 2000s, I think everybody saw a complete change and turnaround. Winning the Eastern Conference one year and having talented players coming up pretty much every year, it made a difference. I think the franchise is on that path now and their future is really bright." The setbacks, and the grace and determination with which he fought back and handled them, had much to do with the affection fans developed for the first European player to wear the C for the Canadiens. During his first game at the Bell Centre with the Ducks in 2011, he received another long ovation. "I really didn't know what to expect because I'd seen some former players that played somewhere else come here, and the reception wasn't always as good," he said. "It was a pleasant surprise. "It was like coming home, and when I got the reaction from the fans, I really felt the love and respect." Koivu ended his NHL career with 255 goals and 832 points in 1,124 games. He also played in four Olympics for Finland, winning a silver and three bronze medals. He also led Finland to silver at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. "I haven't lost the passion for the game," Koivu said. "I just didn't have that push, mentally, anymore to play and compete, and that's why I retired. But I wish that one day I'll still be part of it, in a significant role, somewhere in hockey."

A sixth man has pleaded guilty to playing a key role in illegally providing performance-enhancing drugs to Major League Baseball players and other athletes. Juan Carlos Nunez pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to distribute testosterone, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. Court documents say Nunez referred several players to the defunct Biogenesis of America clinic operated by Anthony Bosch. Many of the players referred by Nunez had origins in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Bosch has also pleaded guilty along with four others. Prosecutors say performance-enhancing drugs were provided to MLB players.

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Jake Peavy has reached an agreement on a two-year, $24 million contract with the Giants. The deal will pay Peavy base salaries of $7 million in 2015 and $13 million in 2016, the source said. It includes a $4 million signing bonus, a full no-trade clause and an awards package. Peavy, 33, is 139-111 with a 3.53 ERA in parts of 13 seasons with San Diego, the Chicago White Sox, Boston and San Francisco. He is a three-time All-Star who won the National League Cy Young Award with the Padres in 2007. After struggling in Boston last season with a 1-9 record and a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts, he put in a strong performance in August and September with the Giants after they acquired him from the Red Sox on July 26 in a trade for minor league pitchers Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree. Peavy went 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 2.1 wins above replacement with San Francisco to help the Giants make the playoffs as a wild-card entry. He threw 5⅔ shutout innings against Washington in the opener of the National League Division Series but finished the season on a down note, lasting only 1⅓ innings in a 10-0 loss to Kansas City in Game 6 of the World Series.

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Matt Kemp has joined the Padres after San Diego and the Los Angeles finalized a five-player trade. The teams agreed to the trade last week during the winter meetings in San Diego. It was the first of three big deals by new Padres general manager A.J. Preller, who also has added outfielder Wil Myers, the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year, from Tampa Bay and All-Star catcher Derek Norris from Oakland.

The Padres, desperate to pump up the worst offense in the majors, also get $32 million from the Dodgers to help offset the $107 million remaining on Kemp's contract. The Padres' obligation of $75 million to Kemp over five years becomes the biggest deal in club history. Kemp twice made the All-Star team during his time in L.A., as well as winning two Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards. His 182 homers rank fourth in Los Angeles Dodgers history. Kemp weighed in on the deal via social media, penning a "goodbye to the city and the fans who have been there since the beginning of my career."

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K.J. Wright has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Seahawks. The deal is reportedly worth $27 million.

"I'm just glad they chose for me to stick around. It's a blessing," Wright said. "There were times when I wondered if I would be here or not, but they told me they would find a way to make it happen and they did. I had a number in my head and they exceeded it." Wright was the team's fourth-round draft choice (99th overall) in the 2011 NFL draft. He has started 54 of 58 games played and recorded 333 tackles (224 solo), 6.5 sacks, one interception, 14 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career.

"In the offseason, we identified K.J. as one of our core players moving forward and aimed to keep him as a part of the Seahawks family for a long time," general manager John Schneider stated in a team release. "The timing of this signing gives us the ability to keep as many of our core players together as we possibly can. Since Day 1, K.J. has been a true professional in his daily approach and we are excited for K.J., his family and the 12s to keep him in the organization." In the postseason, he has started three of four games played, with 24 tackles (13 solo) and two passes defensed. Wright has started at all three linebacker spots for the Seahawks, but his best spot is weakside linebacker, where he now plays. "K.J. is the epitome of a team guy," said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll in the release. "We are excited to reward a player of his caliber for all the hard work he has put in over the years to become an important piece of our defense."

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Dallas Eakins was fired as coach of the Edmonton Oilers, who have lost 15 of 16 games and are well on the way to missing the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. General manager Craig MacTavish will coach the team until the job is given to Todd Nelson, who is being promoted to interim head coach from Edmonton's American Hockey League affiliate in Oklahoma City. MacTavish did not say when he would return to the front office. MacTavish called Eakins an "excellent coach" but said something had to be done after the losses piled up. The general manager acknowledged his share of the blame, saying there was "blood all over my hands" because he "put the lineup together."

"I'm not here to absolve myself of accountability," MacTavish said at a news conference. The Oilers, once the jewel of the NHL, won five Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990. Now, MacTavish said, all aspects of the organization, including him, remain under scrutiny. Edmonton has 19 points through 31 games, last in the Western Conference. The Oilers went 36-63-14 under Eakins in parts of two seasons, including 7-19-5 this year. Nelson is the Oilers' fifth head coach in seven years. The firing came just over a week after MacTavish gave Eakins a vote of confidence, saying then the coach still had command of the dressing room and it was up to the players to turn the season around.

"The losses have an emotional toll on everybody in the organization, at least they should, in particular the coaching staff," MacTavish said. "I think the fact we weren't able to get any traction at all after that, it led me to believe the time was right for a coaching change." The poor play has resulted in poor attendance for a team that has not made the post season since 2006. Rows of empty seats are common at Rexall Place and tickets can be had for fire sale prices. Hockey operations boss Kevin Lowe and owner Daryl Katz has not escaped criticism. Eakins, with a four-year deal, was seen as an X's and O's wunderkind, on the cutting edge of the new generation of coaches. It didn't translate to the ice. The Oilers finished with the third-fewest points in the NHL in 2013-14 with a record of 29-44-9 in the one full season under Eakins. They were 7-19-5 this year, but the nature of the losses was what rankled fans on social media and talk shows.

Suspended Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Slava Voynov will stand trial on a felony charge of domestic violence after a judge deemed there to be sufficient evidence to move forward with the case. The 24-year-old Voynov, who was charged with a felony count of corporal injury to a spouse with great bodily injury last month, appeared in a Torrance, California, court for a preliminary hearing during which shocking details emerged.

According to reports of police testimony, an officer of the Redondo Beach Police Department told the court that Voynov had punched, kicked and choked his wife, Marta Varlamova, at the couple's home in October. Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office lead prosecutor, Frank Dunnick, said, "There's evidence to suggest prior domestic violence," according to the Los Angeles Times. Voynov, through his California-based lawyer Craig Renetzky, maintains his innocence, and Voynov's wife has also stated through her personal attorney that the incident was an accident and that she does not want her husband charged.

But from testimony heard, the incident sounded much different. The officer who gave testimony told the court about a bloody scene he discovered at the couple's home and that Varlamova said she was scared. According to reports out of the courtroom, Varlamova had a wound above her left eye, caused after Voynov pushed her into a flat-screen television, that required eight stitches to close. Voynov, who was arrested at the hospital after medical staffers called police, was immediately suspended by the NHL and has not played a game since Oct. 19. Earlier this month, the Kings were fined $100,000 for allowing Voynov to practice with the team, violating the terms of his suspension. Voynov is set to be arraigned Dec. 29.

Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Jacob Trouba will be out for at least six weeks with an upper-body injury. Trouba has been one of the team's top defensemen this season with 12 points, four goals and eight assists in 31 games. "He's had a kind of pre-existing condition that most players deal with," coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday. "And what you're hopeful for is that it heals, it gets better and progresses and he had the opposite experience. "Things started to get progressively a little bit worse on him and it just got to the point that the only and best way for us to get him back to 100 percent is we have to shut him down." Trouba had 29 points, 10 goals and 19 assists in 65 games last season. He was selected by the Jets with the ninth overall pick in the 2012 draft.