On the sidelines

Franchione to coach Aggies\nCOLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&M is approaching a deal with Dennis Franchione to make him the Aggies' next football coach, the chairman of the school's board of regents said Thursday.\n"I understand they are past the big items," Erle Nye said.\nNye said university representatives and Franchione have agreed to many terms of a contract, such as its duration, salary and other items.\n"I would say they are in constructive discussions," he said.\nNye cautioned that he was not involved in the discussions and was reporting what he'd heard from university officials.\nFranchione has five years left on his contract at Alabama, with the deal paying him about $1.1 million a year. \nUA player arrested for drugs\nTUCSON, Ariz. -- A University of Arizona football player was arrested on drug trafficking charges after he was stopped in Illinois with 87 pounds of marijuana.\nA state trooper pulled over junior tight end Justin Levasseur, 22, of Antioch, Calif., for speeding Tuesday morning on Interstate 80 near Geneseo, about 140 miles west of Chicago, police said.\nThe trooper then found the marijuana and arrested Levasseur on drug possession and trafficking charges. The marijuana has a street value of about $150,000, Illinois State Police Sgt. Thomas Burek said.\nA second man, driving another vehicle, also was arrested in the stop. \nIf convicted of the Class X felony drug charges, the men could face up to 30 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000.\nLevasseur, a 22-year-old from Antioch, Calif., led all Arizona tight ends with 11 catches for 143 yards. He caught two touchdown passes in Arizona's 52-41 win over California on Nov. 16, its only Pac-10 win of the year.\nCoach John Mackovic said he was aware of the arrest and had spoken with Levasseur's parents. No decision has been made on his status with the team, Mackovic said in a statement.\nLast month, Mackovic called Levasseur "a disgrace to his family" for the way he was playing. Mackovic later apologized.\nVentura agrees to $5 million deal\nNEW YORK -- Third baseman Robin Ventura completed a $5 million, one-year contract with the New York Yankees on Thursday after passing a physical.\nVentura, 35, hit .247 with 27 homers and 93 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees, who acquired him from the Mets in a trade last December. The AL All-Star is taking a cut from his 2002 salary of $8.25 million.