Maine signs with Red Sox  —  John Maine will have a new team and a new role in 2012.  —  The Boston Red Sox confirmed Friday that they have signed Maine, a North Stafford High School graduate, to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Red Sox tickets go digital to foil scalping  —  BOSTON—The Boston Red Sox are going to a new digital ticketing system for the cheapest seats at Fenway Park to keep them out of the hands of scalpers.  —  Fans with seats in the $12 upper bleacher section for high-demand games will receive only digital tickets.

Report: Dodgers begin narrowing bids  —  NEW YORK — Hedge fund head Steven Cohen and groups including Joe Torre and Magic Johnson have survived the first round of cuts in bidding for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  Initial bids were submitted Monday to the financial firm handling the sale by Frank McCourt …

Dodgers ownership finalists include Magic, Torre, Cohen [UPDATED]  —  The finalists in the bidding to own the Dodgers include a group led by Magic Johnson, a group led by developer Rick Caruso and former Dodgers Manager Joe Torre, and East Coast hedge-fund giant Steven Cohen.

Mark Cuban, Dennis Gilbert out of Dodgers' ownership derby  —  Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and local baseball executive Dennis Gilbert did not advance to the second round of the Dodgers' ownership bidding, according to two people familiar with the process but not authorized to discuss it publicly.