Sports briefs

ESPN: Ex-teammate to testify against Bonds Former major league catcher Bobby Estalella has been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors to testify at Barry Bonds' trial, ESPN.com reported Thursday.

Estalella, who was on the San Francisco Giants with Bonds from 2000-01, is expected to testify to firsthand knowledge that Bonds used steroids, the website said, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the evidence. ESPN.com attributed knowledge of the subpoenas to two unidentified sources.

Estalella admitted to a federal grand jury in November 2003 that he used performance-enhancing drugs, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in December 2004.

Prosecutors also plan to call Jason Giambi and his brother, Jeremy, as witnesses at Bonds' trial so they can testify that Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, gave them performance-enhancing drugs, The New York Times reported on its Web site Thursday night.

Sweeney joins Mariners Mike Sweeney and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a minor league contract, and the 35-year-old will compete to become the team's designated hitter. Sweeney has a .299 career average with 199 home runs and 849 RBI in 14 seasons, the first 13 with Kansas City. He appeared in only 42 games with Oakland last year, when he had surgery on both knees.

• Infielder David Newhan, 35, and the Astros have agreed to a minor league contract

• Righthander Russ Springer agreed to a one-year contract with the Oakland A's, joining his eighth major league team as he heads into his 17th season. The deal is worth about $3 million.

Rahal-Letterman seeks a major sponsor Officials with Rahal Letterman Racing, which brought Danica Patrick to the IndyCar Series, say the team needs a primary sponsor to compete in the 2009 IndyCar Series.

"Everybody knows about what's going on in this economy, and things look pretty grim," team co-owner Bobby Rahal said. "But we do have some sponsorship on board and what we're still looking for is a primary sponsor.

"We're not about to give up. We're going to keep searching for sponsorship to run the 2009 season and to run the Indianapolis 500."

The IndyCar team was sponsored last year by an American ethanol company, but the company, which also provided fuel for the series, pulled out after the 2008 season.

IRL spokesman John Griffin said losing Rahal Letterin from the series would be "a sad day for motorsports."

Colleges: Boston College promoted Bill McGovern to defensive coordinator after nine seasons as linebackers coach. McGovern takes over for Frank Spaziani, who was promoted to head coach Jan. 13 after Jeff Jagodzinski was fired.

Soccer: The United States plans to submit simultaneous bids to soccer's governing body for the right to be the host of the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022. A formal announcement will be made Monday in a conference call, the U.S. Soccer Federation said. The U.S. staged the World Cup in 1994, the highest-attended World Cup ever. ... Los Angeles Galaxy coach Bruce Arena is dismissing reports from Italy that David Beckham could stay with AC Milan beyond his current loan, through March 8.