on the SIDELINES

Millar agrees to $5.3 million, two year deal\nFORT MYERS, Fla. -- Kevin Millar agreed to a $5.3 million, two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, ending complicated offseason negotiations that nearly took him to Japan.\n"It's been such a long haul, but I think officially I can take a deep breath and understand I'm really a true Boston Red Sox," Millar said.\nThe contract includes a $3.5 million player option for 2005 that would become guaranteed if Millar has 800 plate appearances the next two seasons.\nThe first baseman-outfielder made $1.05 million with Florida last season. The Marlins then sold him for $1.2 million to the Chunichi Dragons in Japan, and he agreed to a $6.2 million, two-year deal.\nHornets trade Campbell to Sonics\nNEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Hornets sent center Elden Campbell to Seattle for guard Kenny Anderson shortly before Thursday afternoon's NBA trading deadline.\nCampbell was expected to be a starter and major contributor this season. But a knee injury kept him out of training camp and the early part of the season, and he never regained his starting job from the younger Jamaal Magloire.\nThe Hornets have been looking for point guard help with Baron Davis out with chronic back spans stemming from a herniated disk and a knee injury that required surgery last month.\nSpeedway under scrutiny with NASCAR\nROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- What was long a whisper in NASCAR circles is now a shout: North Carolina Speedway is in danger of losing one of its Winston Cup races.\nSince NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. said last month that the sanctioning body wants to change its schedule in 2004, the tiny 1.017-mile high-banked oval known as "The Rock" has been on the endangered species list.\nUnable to sell out a race since expanding to 60,113 seats in 1999, the track is a prime target for France to swipe a date and move a Winston Cup race into a larger market.\nSpeedway general manager Chris Browning won't think about that possibility as the track prepares to host Sunday's Subway 400. But once the racing weekend is over, Browning knows Rockingham's fate could be decided.\nThe track's other event is in November.