BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox jersey secretly buried under the new Yankee Stadium in a failed curse attempt sold Thursday for $175,100 in a charity auction.

The bid from Kevin Meehan, the owner of Imperialcars.com in Mendon, Mass., was the highest of 282 for the battered No. 34 David Ortiz jersey.

“I actually thought it was going to sell for more money,” said Meehan, who bid only in the final moments of the weeklong eBay auction that ended at 12:30 p.m. “I have three young boys that I take to the games and they would have killed me if I didn’t buy the shirt.”

The Yankees jackhammered the jersey out from under two feet of concrete earlier this month, then donated it to the Jimmy Fund, the Red Sox’s official charity that is affiliated with Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Mike Andrews, The Jimmy Fund chairman and former Red Sox second baseman, said the charity was “absolutely thrilled.”

“We are grateful for the generous bid, and extend our deep gratitude to the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox for coming together again in the fight against cancer,” he said in a statement.

Meehan said he was eager to give to the Jimmy Fund because his father died of cancer and his stepfather has the disease.

“It’s personal,” he said. “It’s a lot deeper than just the shirt.”

Meehan plans to eventually display the jersey from his favorite Red Sox player in one of his car dealerships. He said he has no intention of selling it.

Construction worker Gino Castignoli, a Red Sox fan from the Bronx, dropped the jersey in wet concrete during construction of the new stadium, hoping to hex the Yankees. The team found the jersey after receiving information from anonymous tipsters.

Thomas returns to Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics agreed to terms with designated hitter Frank Thomas, released last weekend by the Toronto Blue Jays after getting frustrated with his lack of playing time.

Thomas was in the lineup for the Athletics’ 11-2 victory over Minnesota. He went 0-for-3 with two walks while batting cleanup as the DH.

He will be the team’s new regular designated hitter, just as he was while a catalyst in Oakland’s 2006 playoff run and AL West championship that year. Thomas received a warm standing ovation when he stepped into the batter’s box in the first inning, with one man yelling, “Welcome back!”

OLYMPICS

Torch finds peace in Australia

CANBERRA, Australia — China’s red flag was seemingly everywhere on the Australian leg of the Olympic torch relay, a nationalistic display that swamped protesters’ efforts to draw attention to human rights issues in Tibet and elsewhere.

Critics said the demonstration of Chinese pride was orchestrated by officials linked with Beijing, which has been profoundly embarrassed by protests during what was supposed to be a parade of global harmony ending at the Olympics.

China denied any involvement in sponsoring supporters.

Australian officials celebrated the relative peace of Thursday’s 10-mile run through the capital as a triumph — at least compared to other places where the torch was almost seized by protesters or security measures were so strict that the event appeared more military than celebratory.

GOLF

Three share lead in Texas

IRVING, Texas — Jesper Parnevik overcame gusty winds and a redesigned course to shoot a 2-under 68 in the first round of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

That left him only one shot behind Ryan Moore, Mathew Goggin and Eric Axley, whose 67s made them the highest-scoring first-round leaders at the Nelson since 1984.

Creamer tied for first

AVENTURA, Fla. — Paula Creamer shot a 3-under 68 for a share of the first-round lead in the inaugural Stanford International Pro-Am on a day that turned into a test of endurance more than anything else at windy Turnberry Isle.

Momeko Ueda and Young Kim also were 3 under, with Ueda shooting a 68 on the par-71 Soffer Course and Kim carding a 67 on the par-70 Miller course.

Carolina Llano — the final alternate to get into the field — was a stroke back along with Annika Sorenstam.

PRO FOOTBALL

Broncos trade for Robertson

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos acquired defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson from the New York Jets for a conditional pick in the 2009 draft.

Robertson, the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft from Kentucky, spent five inconsistent seasons with the Jets. He often seemed out of position in New York’s 3-4 alignment.

The 26-year-old Robertson also has been bothered by knee problems.

In 77 regular-season games (75 starts), Robertson has 319 tackles, 188 solo, and 141⁄2 sacks. He’s forced four fumbles, recovered two, and had two pass breakups.