BASEBALL
Morse, Marlins agree to $16M deal
Michael Morse and the Miami Marlins have finalized a $16 million, two-year contract. Morse gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $7 million next season and $8 million in 2016 under the agreement announced Wednesday. The Marlins expect the Broward County native to replace Garrett Jones as their first baseman and to bat cleanup. Morse hit .279 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI in 131 games for the World Series champion San Francisco Giants this year. He batted .300 in the postseason and had four RBI in the World Series. The Marlins have been aggressive this offseason in trying to mold a contender in the NL East. They signed slugger Giancarlo Stanton to a record $325 million contract, and traded for All-Star second baseman Dee Gordon, right-hander Mat Latos and right-hander Dan Haren, who has indicated he might retire.
• A person with knowledge of the deal says the San Diego Padres have acquired outfielder Wil Myers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Myers was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2013, when he hit .293 with 13 home runs with 53 RBI with Tampa Bay. But he was limited to 87 games this year due to a right wrist injury. There were multiple reports that Washington also was involved in the deal, but the person would not confirm the Nationals' involvement to The Associated Press. San Diego also receives catcher Ryan Hanigan and minor league pitchers Jose Castillo and Gerardo Reyes in the trade, with catcher Rene Rivera moving from the Padres to Tampa Bay. The person spoke to the AP on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced.
• Jason Kipnis' tough 2014 season has carried into his offseason. The Indians second baseman underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a damaged tendon in his left ring finger, an injury he sustained while working out with weights in Chicago. Kipnis was examined over the weekend by team medical personnel and his operation was performed by Dr. Thomas Graham at the Cleveland Clinic. Graham stitched the tendon together and inserted a pin in the finger joint to stabilize it. Indians head trainer James Quinlan expects Kipnis to be on the field when spring training opens in Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 18. Quinlan said Kipnis should be able to run, field and throw, but that it may be a while before he can hit.
• The Mariners have found a right-handed bat for their outfield, acquiring Justin Ruggiano from the Chicago Cubs. Seattle sent minor league pitcher Matt Brazis to Chicago as part of Wednesday's trade. Ruggiano could be part of the solution Seattle has sought in right field. Ruggiano appeared in 81 games last season for the Cubs, hitting .281 with six home runs and 28 RBI. He's shown glimpses of power and hitting for average during two seasons in Miami. In 2011, Ruggiano batted .313 with 13 home runs, a year after hitting a career-best 18 home runs in 128 games. Ruggiano also provides flexibility in the outfield having played all three positions. Brazis, 25, was 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 40 relief appearances last season with Class A High Desert and Class AA Jackson.
• New Braves outfielder Nick Markakis has undergone surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. The fusion operation was performed Wednesday in Atlanta by Dr. Steven Wray. The Braves say the operation was a success and Markakis should be able to resume baseball activities before spring training in late February, though the expected eight-week recovery period leaves little room for setbacks. The 31-year-old was diagnosed with the condition before the 2013 season with the Orioles. He left to sign a $44 million, four-year contract with the Braves, who felt the neck condition was not a serious risk. Atlanta traded right fielder Jason Heyward and has been considering offers for another outfielder, Justin Upton.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with reliever David Hernandez, signing him to a one-year, $2 million contract. The contract is non-guaranteed, meaning he could be released in spring training and be paid far less. The hard-throwing right-hander missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Diamondbacks have four remaining arbitration-eligible players: outfielder Mark Trumbo, infielder Cliff Pennington, reliever Addison Reed and right-handed starter Jeremy Hellickson.
• Free agent reliever Sergio Romo is closing in on a $15 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a final detail remained to be worked out and the agreement was subject to a physical scheduled for today. Romo could earn an additional $500,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games finished. The 31-year-old right-hander has spent all seven of his big league seasons with San Francisco, helping the Giants win three World Series championships in the past five years. He went 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA with 23 saves in 64 outings last season as San Francisco earned the wild card and went on to win it all against Kansas City.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Dayton dismisses 2 players
Dayton dismissed junior Devon Scott -- the Flyers' top rebounder -- and junior reserve Jalen Robinson from the team on Wednesday for breaking a rule about player conduct. Director of Athletics Tim Wabler said the players' behavior was "unacceptable" without going into detail about the rule involved. The 6-foot-9 Scott started nine games and averaged 9.1 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds. Robinson, who also is 6-foot-9, averaged 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in nine games. The Flyers (7-2) host Boston on Saturday.
• Northern Michigan has suspended women's coach Troy Mattson for four games after he said Wayne State "cheated" when it signed transfer student Shareta Brown. Mattson spoke after Brown scored 27 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the Warriors' 69-57 victory Monday over the Wildcats. In a videotaped news conference, Mattson called the 6-foot-1 center "the best player in the country when she competes hard" but doesn't always try. He also said every Great Lakes conference coach knows Wayne State "cheated to get her" after Brown left Detroit Mercy last year. Northern Michigan Athletic Director Forrest Karr says Wayne State officials "have strong backgrounds in compliance." Mattson apologized and said his comments were "unwarranted" and "unjustified."
HOCKEY
Predators forward fined $2,000
The NHL has fined Nashville Predators forward James Neal $2,000 for violating the league's revised rule against diving and embellishing. The new rule, implemented for this season after approval by the NHL Board of Governors and the NHL Players' Association, is designed to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players and teams who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties. Fines are assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale. Neal was issued a warning after an infraction at St. Louis on Nov. 13. No penalty was called then. His second violation at San Jose on Saturday led to the fine imposed Wednesday. Neal received a penalty for embellishment on that play. Third and fourth violations carry fines of $3,000 and $4,000 fines, respectively. A fifth violation yields a maximum $5,000 fine for a player and $2,000 for the head coach.
TRACK AND FIELD
Gay’s coach given 8-year ban
DENVER — Over an angst-filled summer of 2012, track coach Jon Drummond and his ailing star sprinter, Tyson Gay, wrestled with whether Gay should use a mysterious medicine that might help him run pain-free at the London Olympics.
Gay used it eventually and got caught, but it was Drummond who took the biggest fall.
The former track star and longtime coach was hit with an eight-year doping ban Wednesday after arbitrators found that a series of discussions concluded with Drummond convincing Gay to take the banned substance and that he carried it to Europe for Gay.
In addition to coaching Gay, Drummond, 46, also served as relay coach for the U.S. track team at the London Olympics and as chairman of the athletes’ advisory committee for USA Track and Field.
“Coaches have an inherent responsibility to protect athletes — not take advantage of them, but to ensure that they receive the support, training and advice they need to win fairly and in accordance with the rules,” said Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which announced the suspension.
Gay received a one-year ban last year for testing positive for a steroid precursor DHEA — a penalty that was reduced by a year because he provided information that led to USADA’s case against Drummond.
The Associated Press sent an email and text message to Drummond seeking comment but didn’t not receive a reply.
A 23-page summary of the case details the trip Drummond and Gay took to Atlanta to meet Dr. Clayton Gibson in June 2012, shortly after Gay competed in the 100-meter Olympic trials and complained that he could not run pain-free. Gay had surgery on his ailing right hip the previous year.
“He wanted to run pain-free, and we were just talking and I said, ‘Well, the only thing we’ve got left is Dr. Gibson,’” Drummond is quoted as telling investigators.
At Gibson’s office, Drummond and Gay were shown creams, the labels on which said “Testosterone/DHEA,” ”HGH” and “Progesterone Cream,” according to the testimony. Gibson assured Drummond and Gay that, despite the labeling, the creams were all natural and there was no way they could test positive using them.
In preparation to travel to Europe for the pre-Olympic circuit, Drummond removed the labels and marked them with a simple “T” for testosterone and “H,” for human growth hormone. All the while, Gay and Drummond debated using the substances.
Eventually, Gay tested positive. He returned the silver medal he won on the U.S. Olympic relay team, but a potential two-year sentence was reduced to one because he went to USADA to tell his story.
In explaining his positive test last year, Gay said it was not a sabotage story or a case of somebody out to get him.
“I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down,” he said.
Sports on 12/18/2014