Red Sox players divided a World Series bonus pool of nearly $19 million into 47 full shares worth over $300,000 each after their Fall Classic sweep of the Rockies, Major League Baseball said on Monday. Players on the runner-up Rockies voted 44 full shares of their bonus earnings for a payout of more than $233,000 each.

Tom Lasorda, Vin Scully and former players Carl Erskine, Don Newcombe and Wes Parker will be aboard the Dodgers' first-ever float in the 119th Rose Parade on New Year's Day. The Dodgers unveiled the design for the popcorn and peanut-adorned float that will incorporate sights and sounds from Dodger Stadium as it rolls along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.

Justin Ruggiano hit a tie-breaking, three-run homer in the seventh inning and added a solo home run in the ninth to lead the United States to a 10- 7 win over Taiwan on Wednesday and the top seed in the World Cup quarterfinals. The U.S. team finished 6-1 in group play and takes on South Korea on Friday in an opening quarterfinal game. Ruggiano finished with three hits, five RBIs, two runs scored and a walk, while Evan Longoria was 3-for-5 with a home run. Taiwan scored a run in the ninth inning and had the bases loaded before U.S. Manager Davey Johnson brought on reliever Chris Booker to record the final two outs. Starter Josh Outman went the first five innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts. Also Wednesday, the Netherlands surprised Cuba 2-1 - the Cubans first loss in the World Cup since 2001 - and advanced to the quarterfinals.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Thursday announced a name change, dropping the Devil from the team. They now will be known as the Tampa Bay Rays. "Tampa Bay and the Sunshine State are beautiful places," said Stuart Sternberg, the team's principal owner. "We want the Rays to reflect the best our region has to offer." The team also changed its logo and uniform colors from green to blue as it enters its second decade as a franchise.