Off the wire

BASEBALL Ibanez gets deal

Veteran outfielder Raul Ibanez has agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The club announced the deal Friday. The 41-year-old Ibanez batted .242 with 29 home runs and 65 RBI for the Seattle Mariners last year. He hit his final home run of the season at Angel Stadium on Sept. 21, tying Ted Williams’ record for the most home runs by a 40-and-over player. Ibanez has 300 career home runs and is seven hits shy of becoming the 18th active major leaguer with 2,000 hits. He played his first major league game with Seattle in 1996, also making stops with the Royals, Phillies and Yankees between three stints with the Mariners.

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with reliever Jose Veras that includes a club option for 2015. The deal was announced on Friday. Veras is due $3.85 million next season, and the Cubs have a $5.5 million option for 2015 with a $150,000 buyout. He can make an additional $750,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games finished. Veras was 0-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 67 games last season for the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers.

FOOTBALL Bowe, Hali out

Kansas City wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has a concussion and linebacker Tamba Hali some swelling in his knee, and both have been ruled out for the Chiefs’ game Sunday at San Diego. The Chiefs are expected to rest most of their starters anyway against the Chargers. Kansas City is already assured of the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. The bigger question is whether Bowe and Hali will be ready for the Chiefs’ wild-card playoff game the following weekend. Bowe sustained a concussion when he was hit in last week’s 23-7 loss to Indianapolis, while Hali hurt his knee in the same game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Dashon Goldson has been fined $60,000 by the NFL for his helmet-to-helmet hit on St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey on Sunday. The fine, announced Friday by the league, is the fourth this season for Goldson. Goldson was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets’ Jeff Cumberland in Week 1 and had his one-game suspension for a hit on New Orleans’ Darren Sproles the following week overturned, but he had to pay $100,000. Goldson also was suspended one game without pay for a hit on Atlanta’s Roddy White last month. St. Louis linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar was fined $21,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit. Docked $15,750 were Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson (roughing the passer) and Buffalo wide receiver Robert Woods (throwing a punch).

Backup quarterback Thad Lewis will start in the Buffalo Bills’ season finale at New England on Sunday. Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement following practice Friday. EJ Manuel has not been ruled out, but he will not start and is listed as doubtful because of an injured left knee.

Interim coach Wade Phillips doesn’t know who will start at quarterback for the Texans in the finale Sunday at Tennessee. Phillips said Case Keenum was limited in practice Friday because he was sore and that the decision on who will start will be made Sunday. Keenum has an injury to a ligament in his right thumb and missed last week’s game. If Keenum can’t play, Matt Schaub will start as the Texans try to snap a franchise-record 13-game losing streak.

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey has missed practice and will be questionable Sunday against the Houston Texans. Casey has been out all week with a knee injury. He has 10½ sacks this season. Offensive tackle David Stewart also is listed as questionable after missing practice all week with a shoulder injury. Byron Stingily is likely to start in Stewart’s place for the second consecutive week.

Miami Dolphins backup running back Daniel Thomas is questionable for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets with a left ankle injury that has hampered him in recent weeks. Thomas was limited in practice Friday. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who briefly left last week’s loss at Buffalo with a left knee injury, is listed as probable. He participated fully in practice all week. Eight other players are listed as probable,including defensive tackle Paul Soliai (ankle), safety Chris Clemons (knee and hamstring) and linebacker Koa Misi (triceps), who were all limited in practice Friday.

Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has had surgery after aggravating a right thumb injury in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coach Mike McCarthy said Friday that he didn’t know when Matthews would return. The pass-rushing specialist has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Bears in Chicago for the NFC North title. Matthews missed four games earlier in the season with the thumb injury.

HORSE RACING Jacobson sets record

David Jacobson broke the New York record for training victories in a year Friday at Aqueduct. Jacobson has 160 wins for the season at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga, passing the mark of 159 set by Gary Contessa in 2007. Jacobson won three races Thursday to tie Contessa. One day later, Jacobson snapped the deadlock when Tiz Gianni captured the seventh race. In the Friday feature, Mail delivered an easy win in his stakes debut, the $100,000 Traskwood for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. The colt trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Jose Ortiz dictated the pace for his third win in six starts. Mail beat Micromange by 5½ lengths in 1:44.93 on the fast track. The 2-1 second choice, Mail paid $6.20, $3.30 and $3. Micromanage, the 9-5 favorite, returned $2.70 and $2.30, and Pappa Portmore paid $3.90 to show.

BASKETBALL Randolph fined

The NBA has fined Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph $25,000 for publicly criticizing officials after Memphis lost 100-92 in Houston. Rod Thorn, president of basketball operations, announced the fine Friday. Randolph was unhappy Thursday night that James Harden, who was 2 for 9 from the floor, went to the free-throw line 25 times. Harden was 9 of 11 at the line in the fourth quarter and became the first player in NBA history to register 27 points on two or fewer field goals. The Grizzlies forward was given a technical late in the game. Afterward, Randolph said the officials made the matchup eight-against-five and dictated the game with what he called “horrible refereeing.”

NFL

Chiefs, 49ers each land 8 on Pro Bowl team

HONOLULU - Kansas City and San Francisco will have plenty of clout in Honolulu if they don’t make it to New Jersey for the Super Bowl.

The NFL revealed Friday that the Chiefs and 49ers each had eight players voted into the Pro Bowl, including running backs Jamaal Charles of Kansas City and Frank Gore of San Francisco.

Denver quarterback Peyton Manning was selected to his 13th Pro Bowl after receiving the most votes among fans, 1.43 million. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was second among fans with 1.2 million votes.

The NFL combines votes from fans, players and coaches to determine 86 of 88 Pro Bowl players; the other two players are long-snappers selected by Pro Bowl coaches. Voting ended Thursday.

Under a new format this year, NFL greats Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders will divvy up the players in a two-day draft before the Jan. 26 game. Offensive and defensive players with the most votes who don’t make it past the divisional playoff round will serve as active player captains.

Charles said Friday night on a reveal show on the NFL Network that he should be picked first.

“I think I got the best skill set of anybody on the roster,” Charles said. “I think I can play wide receiver and then put the ball in my hand, also. The only thing I can’t do is throw the ball.”

Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman received 552,600 votes by fans, the most for any defensive player. Houston defensive end J.J. Watt had just fewer than 410,000 fan votes.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jason Peters (Arkansas Razorbacks) also was voted into the game.

San Francisco is set to send eight players to the game for the second year in a row, although its players missed the game earlier this year because they made the Super Bowl, losing to Baltimore.

Kansas City’s eight selections are up from six last year. The Chiefs are 11-4 this year - after going 2-14 last year - and the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs heading into a largely meaningless game for them against San Diego on Sunday.

Sports, Pages 24 on 12/28/2013

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