Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASKETBALL South Alabama’s Arrow retires

South Alabama Coach Ronnie Arrow is retiring effective immediately. Athletic Director Joel Erdmann announced the 65-year-old Arrow’s decision Wednesday after the Jaguars started the season 5-5. Associate head coach Jeff Price will finish the season as interim coach. Arrowreturned to South Alabama for his second stint in 2007 after leading the Jaguars in 1987-1994. He has guided the program to three NCAA Tournaments and three Sun Belt Conference titles. With a 211-61 record in 13-plus seasons with South Alabama, he’s the winningest coach in school and Sun Belt history. He has gone 647-295 in 30-plus seasons at South Alabama, Texas A&MCorpus Christi and San Jacinto Junior College. Arrow’s teams won three junior college national titles and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament.

BASEBALL Yanks, Suzuki complete deal

The Yankees and Ichiro Suzuki finalized a $13 million, two-yearcontract Wednesday that keeps the 10-time All-Star in the Bronx. Suzuki, 39, will make $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons. He was obtained in a trade with Seattle July 23, revived his career and quickly became a fan favorite. His batting average jumped from .261 with the Mariners to .322 with the Yankees, with 5 home runs, 27 RBI and 14 steals. A 10-time Gold Glove outfielder with speed and a strong arm, Suzuki has 2,606 hits in 12 major-league seasons. He figures to see corner outfield time after the Yankees allowed right Nick Swisher to become a free agent.

Jeff Francis completed a $1.5 million, one-year contract to remain with the Colorado Rockies,a deal that allows the left-hander to double his income if he pitches 210 innings. Francis, 31, is 67-73 with a 4.86 ERA in 205 starts and one relief appearance during eight major-league seasons - seven with Colorado and one with Kansas City. He was 6-7 with a 5.58 ERA in 24 major-league starts and 113 innings this year after he spent the first two months of the season with Cincinnati’s Class AAA team at Louisville.

The Detroit Tigers have released left-hander Adam Wilk and sent left-hander Matt Hoffman outright to Class AAA Toledo. The Tigers said they let Wilk go after selling his contract to a team from the Korean Baseball League. Wilk went 0-3 with an 8.18 ERA in 3 starts for the Tigers in 2012, spending most of the season in the minors. He turned 25 earlier this month. Hoffman spent all of last season with Toledo, going 1-2 with a 3.69 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. He made 43 appearances.

The Cleveland Indians have signed Joe Martinez and Brian Jeroloman to minor-league contracts. Martinez, 29, a right-handed pitcher, made one relief appearance for the Arizona Diamondbacks inApril and has 19 appearances in the major leagues since 2009. He is 3-3 for his career with a 6.22 ERA and 29 strikeouts. Jeroloman, 27, was limited to 43 games last season in the minor leagues because ofa right knee injury. He was a 2006 sixthround selection by the Toronto Blue Jays after a career at the University of Florida.

The Astros have traded minorleague left-hander Rob Rasmussen to the Los Angeles Dodgers for right-hander John Ely. Ely, 26, spent most of last season with Class AAA Albuquerque, where he went 14-7 with a 3.20 ERA in 27 starts. He is 4-13 with a 5.70 ERA in 19 bigleague starts and 6 relief appearances with the Dodgers during the last three seasons. Rasmussen was a combined 8-11 with a 4.25 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearance for Class A Jupiter and Class AA Corpus Christi last season.

HORSE RACINGJockey, 5 others face charges

A jockey, a former Premier League soccer player and four other men have been charged with serious breaches of horse racing rules in the latest corruption scandal to hit the sport in Britain. The British Horseracing Authority said jockey Eddie Ahern is accused of holding back his horse during a race at Lingfield in January 2011. He’s also accused of passing on inside information linked to four other races between September 2009 and February 2011. Neil Clement, who played for West Bromwich Albion before becoming a registered racehorse owner, faces charges linked to the same races in which Ahern was racing. Clement is also accused of breaching rules by betting against his own horse in February 2011. A disciplinary hearing will take place in late April or early May.

Citrus Kid returned from a 15-month layoff to win the $60,000 feature race at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday, beating El Padrino by 11/2 lengths. The 5-year-old Citrus Kid, ridden by Joe Rocco Jr., ran a mile in 1:36.33 and paid $15.40, $4 and $3.80 for his fifth victory in 14 career starts. El Padrino returned $2.10 and $2.10, and Rock Alex paid $7.20 to show.

BASEBALL Angels trade Morales to Seattle for Vargas

SEATTLE - The Los Angeles Angels got the pitching depth they wanted, and the Seattle Mariners got the power-bat they desperately needed.

Two opponents in the American League West found a way to work together Wednesday when the Angels traded switch-hitting slugger Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners for left-hander Jason Vargas, filling needs for both teams.

Morales, 29, became expendable after the Angels agreed to a deal last week with free-agent slugger Josh Hamilton. The Angels had been looking for a pitcher after losing Zack Greinke and Dan Haren to free agency and trading Ervin Santana.

The Angels added a left-hander to their rotation, while Seattle received a hitter than can instantly take a spot in the middle of its order.

“We were going to try and come up with some type of offense, and I think this worked out in a positive way,” Seattle General Manager Jack Zduriencik said. “Both players are at the end of their contracts.”

Getting Vargas reunites the left-hander with his former Long Beach State teammate Jered Weaver at the top of the Angels’ rotation. The two played college ball together in 2004 and will be counted on in helping make thebig money the Angels spent on Hamilton and Albert Pujols last season pay off.

Vargas, 29, led Seattle in victories last season, going 14-11 with a 3.85 ERA and pitched a careerhigh 217 1/3 innings. He is 36-42 with a 4.09 ERA in four years with the Mariners.

“Jason was what we were looking for on the market this year, just a steady reliable left-hander who can go out there,” Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He’s got a history of pitching a high volume of innings, and clearly I think we make ourselves a little bit better just in that we don’t have to face him, because he’s given us fits. So we’re thrilled to make the deal.”

Vargas is 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched against the Angels for his career.

Morales hit .273 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI last season after missing the entire 2011 season after breaking his leg early in 2010 while celebrating a game-ending grand slam against the Mariners. Morales was at his best later in 2012, hitting .275 with 11 home runs and 28 RBI over the final two months.

Morales and Vargas are eligible for salary arbitration and can become free agents after next season. Morales made $2,975,000 and Vargas $4.85 million last year.