BASEBALL

Japanese prospect gauges interest from MLB teams

Major league teams were given holiday weekend homework by Shohei Ohtani, The Associated Press reports.

The agent for the star pitcher and outfielder asked for written explanations in English and Japanese on how Ohtani would fit into each team intending to bid on him.

The memo from Nez Balelo, co-head of CAA Baseball, was distributed to all 30 teams by the commissioner’s office late Friday along with materials for the Dec. 1 vote on a new posting agreement between Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. If the deal is approved, the 23-year-old is expected to be put up for bid later that day or the following day.

SKIING

WORLD CUP: Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg won her second straight giant slalom by edging Mikaela Shiffrin, the World Cup overall leader who was skiing in the state where she attended school and was urged on by a roaring crowd at Killington, Vermont.

Rebensburg, a 2010 Olympic gold medalist in the giant slalom, won the discipline’s first race of the season last month at Soelden, Austria. She now trails Shiffrin in the overall race by just five points.

• World champion Beat Feuz of Switzerland won the season-opening men’s World Cup downhill Saturday at Lake Louise, Alberta.

Feuz finished in 1 minute, 43.76 seconds to edge Austria’s Matthias Mayer of Austria by just under a tenth of a second.

SOCCER

SPANISH LEAGUE: Lionel Messi finally put Barcelona and its fans at ease by signing a new contract that will keep the Argentine forward at the Spanish club through 2021 when he will be 34.

According to El Mundo newspaper, Messi will receive $35.8 million per season along with a bonus of $59.6 million.

• Cristiano Ronaldo rescued Real Madrid from another stumble at home when he scored after his penalty kick was saved to secure a 3-2 win over Malaga.

TENNIS

DAVIS CUP: Richard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert beat Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-4 to give France a 2-1 lead over Belgium in the final in Lille, France.

Gasquet and Herbert, who had never played together before, put France one win away from a 10th Davis Cup title.

AUTO RACING

FORMULA ONE: Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas took the pole position for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton for the second straight qualifying.

GOLF

ASIAN TOUR: S.S.P. Chawrasia shot a 1-under 69 in the third round for a one-stroke lead over Rafa Cabrera Bello at the Hong Kong Open.

The 39-year-old Indian is at 10-under 200 overall at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA: Jason Day moved into position for his first Australian Open title by shooting a 2-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead after the third round.

– News service report