Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASEBALL Hernandez, Mariners agree

Felix Hernandez and Seattle reached agreement Tuesday on a contract that is expected to make the Mariners ace the highest-paid pitcher in baseball. Hernandez’s dealis expected to be for $175 million over seven years. Terms of the contract were not released by the team. A news conference will be held in Seattle today where Hernandez is expected to sign the contract. Hernandez, who will turn27 on April 8, is 98-76 with a 3.22 ERA in eight seasons with the Mariners. He won a career-high 19 games in 2009 when he finished second in the Cy Young voting then won the award a year later when he went just 13-12 but had a 2.27 ERA and 232 strikeouts. Hernandez appeared to be making another Cy Young push last year before going 0-4 in his last six starts, which left him at 13-9 with 223 strikeouts.

Third baseman Scott Rolen declined the Cincinnati Reds’ offer to attend spring training, but stopped short of saying he’s ready to retire. The seven-time All-Star informed the team of his decision Tuesday, when Reds pitchers and catchers reported for the start of camp. Rolen, who turns 38 on April 4, had been mulling an offer to fill a reserve role with the NL Central champions. He’s been limited each of the past three seasons by chronic problems with his left shoulder and back spasms. Rolen became a free agent after last season, when he batted .245 in 92 games with 8 home runs and 39 RBI. He is the only third baseman inmajor league history to get at least 2,000 hits, 500 doubles, 300 home runs, 1,200 RBI and 6 Gold Glove awards. His 517 doubles rank 45th on the career list.

Right-hander Mat Latos has agreed to an $11.5 million, twoyear contract with the Cincinnati Reds, avoiding what would have been baseball’s first salary arbitration hearing of the year. Latos will receive salaries of $4.25 million this year and $7.25 million in 2014 under Tuesday’s deal. Cincinnati obtained Latos from San Diego before the 2012 season. He went 14-4 with a 3.48 ERA and two complete games in 33 starts. Latos made $550,000 last season. Eligible for arbitration for the first time, he had asked for $4.7 million in arbitration and hadbeen offered $4.15 million.

Alex Rodriguez will not report to spring training with the New York Yankees’ position players and will work on his rehabilitation from hip surgery in New York. The third baseman is expected to be sidelined until at least the All-Star break following the Jan. 16 operation.

Kansas City has acquired utility player Elliott Johnson from the Tampa Bay Rays as the player to be named in the Dec. 9 trade that sent James Shields and Wade Davis to Kansas City for top prospects Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi along with two other minor leaguers. The switch-hitting Johnson batted .242 with 10 doubles, 6 home runs, 33 RBI and 18 steals last year with the Rays. The 29-year-old started 68 games at shortstop and also playedsecond, third and the outfield.

FOOTBALL Richt gets raise, year

After two consecutive trips to the SEC Championship Game, Georgia has given Coach Mark Richt a raise and another year on his contract. The athletic association board approved a hike in total compensation from $2.81 million to $3.2 million a year at its meeting Tuesday. The board also extended the coach’s contract through the 2017 season. Georgia finished 12-2 last season, improving Richt’s career record to 118-40 in 12 seasons at Georgia. The Bulldogs have won two SEC titles during his tenure.

The Chicago Bears have terminated the contract of receiverJohnny Knox after he missed this past season recovering from a back injury. The team announced the move on Tuesday. Knox needed surgery to stabilize a vertebra after he sustained a gruesome back injury against Seattle late in the 2011 season. The Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor poked the ball out of his hands following a reception, and as Knox made a diving attempt to retrieve it, he was hit by Anthony Hargrove and bent backward. Knox had 133 receptions for 2,214 yards from 2009 to 2011 and was a contributor on special teams with 55 kickoff returns for 1,506 yards.

BASKETBALL Barbosa out for season

Boston Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season. Barbosa injured the knee in Monday night’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats. He has averaged 5.2 points and just over 1 rebound and 1 assist in 41 games for the Celtics.

HOCKEY GM Howson fired

The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired General Manager Scott Howson. Howson was hired as executive vice president and general manager June 15, 2007. During Howson’s tenure, the Blue Jackets went 173-190-59 and made their lone Stanley Cup playoff appearance after a franchisebest 41-31-10 mark in the 2008-2009 season. But the club had the worst record in the NHL last season (29-46-7, 65 points) and are 4-7-2 this year.

The Boston Bruins have signed forward Jay Pandolfo to a oneyear, two-way contract. The deal that was announced Tuesday would pay him $600,000 if he is in the NHL and $350,000 in the minor leagues. The two-time Stanley Cup champion, a native of suburban Burlington, Mass., has scored 100 goals with 126 assists over 881 games with the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders.

Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff is expected to be sidelined two more weeks because of a sprained knee ligament. The 36-year-old Kiprusoff has played 70-plus games for seven consecutive seasons.

The Toronto Maple Leafs said Tuesday that goalie James Reimer will miss at least a week because of a strained knee ligament. Reimer was injured in the second period of Toronto’s 5-2 home victory over Philadelphia on Monday night.

FOOTBALL Four Tide backups charged in muggings

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Three Alabama football players have been charged with knocking students unconscious and stealing their wallets, while a fourth player has been charged with using a stolen debit card, officials said Tuesday.

Linebacker Tyler Hayes, 18, and safety Eddie Williams, 20, confessed to robbing a student who was punched in the head and face and kicked in the ribs and back early Monday morning, according to court documents. Williams said D.J. Pettway, 20, a defensive lineman, and Hayes waited in a nearby vehicle about an hour later while he knocked out and robbed another student. Williams and Hayes admitted to their involvement, according to the documents.

Williams and running back Brent Calloway, 20, both admitted to using a stolen credit card to buy snacks from vending machines inside a dormitory, the documents said.

All four students were indefinitely suspended by Coach Nick Saban.

Pettway and Hayes were charged with second-degree robbery. Williams was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card and second-degree robbery. Calloway was charged with fraudulent use of a credit card. Williams was released on $65,000 bond, while Hayes and Pettway were released on $60,000 bond each. Calloway was released on$5,000 bond.

“This behavior is unacceptable for any student-athlete at the University of Alabama and not representative of our football program,” Saban said in a news release.

All four players were backups last season for Alabama, which has won two consecutive national titles and three of the past four. Williams didn’t play in 2012. But he was one of the nation’s top prospects the previous year and moved from receiver to safety.

The first student reported having his Apple Macbook Pro stolen from his backpack. Both sustained mild concussions, cuts on the face and heavy swelling, and had their wallets taken, according to documents.

Police also said Williams had been arrested on a charge of carrying a pistol without a permit a day before his arrest on the robbery charges. Tuscaloosa police Sgt. Brent Blankley said in a news release that a clerk at a gas station called police early Sunday, telling officers that Williams threatened that he had something in his trunk after a fight about paying for gas.

Officers who pulled over Williams found a pistol in his pants pocket, the release said. In that case, he was released on $500 bond.

Jail records did not show whether any of the players had an attorney.