Placido Polanco is putting aside his Gold Glove and switching positions to have a chance at winning a championship.

Polanco returned to the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday, agreeing to an $18 million, three-year contract.

The 34-year-old free agent won Gold Gloves at second base for the Detroit Tigers in 2007 and this year, but will shift to third base, which hasn't been his primary position since 2002. He replaces Pedro Feliz, who became a free agent after the Phillies declined his $5.5 million option.

"I always wanted to be here, I never wanted to leave," Polanco said. "One of the reasons I wanted to come back is because it's pretty obvious the team is committed to winning. And I want to win. That's it."

Polanco batted .285 for the Tigers last season with 31 doubles, 10 homers and 72 RBIs.

GOLF

PRESS CONFERENCE OFF

A potentially explosive news conference with an alleged mistress of Tiger Woods in California was canceled yesterday.

The news conference in Los Angeles for Rachel Uchitel, the woman who denied a tabloid report about an affair with Woods, was canceled about an hour before it was to begin.

High-profile attorney Gloria Allred, who was to make a statement about Uchitel's relationship with golf's No. 1 player, said it was called off because of "unforeseen circumstances." Allred said she would have no further comment.

SOCCER

FINAL FOUR WOMEN RETURN

The four teams from last year's NCAA Women's College Cup have all returned for an encore.

North Carolina, Stanford, UCLA and Notre Dame — the 2008 semifinalists — will vie for another national title on the Texas A&M campus in College Station, Texas. It's the first time since 1986 that a season's Final Four returned to the event for a second season in a row.

UCLA (21-2-1) plays Stanford (24-0) in today's opener, then the Tar Heels (21-3-1) face the Irish (21-3-1) in the nightcap. The winners will play for the title on Sunday.

Last year, North Carolina beat UCLA and Notre Dame to win its 20th championship. The Irish beat Stanford in the semifinals.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

FIFA announced yesterday that the overall prize pool for next year's World Cup to be divided between the 32 participating nations will be $420 million —one million each —with the winner getting an additional $30 million. ... Two-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, 30, retired from tennis yesterday, saying she no longer had a burning desire for competition. ... The Atlanta Braves agreed to a $3.2 million, one-year contract with 39-year-old reliever Takashi Saito, who went 3-3 with two saves and a 2.43 ERA in a setup role for the Boston Red Sox last season.