BASEBALL

Ventura contract extended

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with Manager Robin Ventura, according to the team. The terms were not disclosed. The White Sox announced the deal Friday, hours before their annual weekend fan convention began. Ventura turned down an extension before the 2013 season, leading to speculation that he might not stick around much longer. He led the White Sox to 85 victories and a second-place finish in the AL Central, but they dropped to 63-99 while finishing last in his second season. Ventura, 46, is 148-176 in two seasons. He spent 16 major-league seasons with the White Sox (1989-98), New York Mets (1999-2001), New York Yankees (2002-03) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2003-2004), hitting .267 with 294 home runs and 1,182 RBI.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is staying with the New York Mets. The 33-year-old right-hander agreed Friday to a minor-league contract and was invited to big league spring training camp next month. Matsuzaka was 3-3 with a 4.42 ERA for the Mets last year after going 5-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts for Cleveland’s Class AAA team at Columbus. He has a 53-40 record with a 4.52 ERA in the major leagues, going 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 2008, his second season with Boston. The Red Sox signed him to a $52 million, six-year contract before the 2007 season and paid slightly more than $51.1 million to buy his rights from the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League.

Bob Uecker is getting a statue inside Miller Park in Milwaukee, but the likeness of the popular Brewers broadcaster won’t be anywhere near the front row. The bronze statue will be in the last row of the stadium’s Terrace Level. The location pays tribute to a long-ago beer ad campaign in which an usher tells Uecker he’s in the wrong seat. Uecker stands and boasts, “I must be in the front row.” Instead, he’s relocated to nosebleed seats. The statue will be dedicated April 25. The team said there’ll be an open seat next to it, allowing for a nice photo opportunity. Uecker said he can’t think of a better place for his statue. He said it’ll be great for fans and even better for pigeons.

FOOTBALL Vandy hires Dorrell

Former UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell will serve as offensive coordinator on Derek Mason’s Vanderbilt staff. Mason announced on Friday the hirings of Dorrell as well as defensive coordinator David Kotulski, running backs/special teams coach Charles Bankins, receivers coach Gerry Gdowski, offensive line coach Keven Lightner, outside linebackers coach Kenwick Thompson and defensive line coach Vavae Tata. Bankins is the lone person from that group who worked on the staff of former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, now at Penn State. Dorrell coached UCLA to a 35-27 record from 2003-07 before getting fired. He has since worked as an assistant for the Miami Dolphins (2008-11) and the Houston Texans (2012-13). Kotulski spent the past two years as an inside linebackers coach at Stanford, where Mason was defensive coordinator.

Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly has hired former Washington Redskins quarterbacks coach Matt LaFleur to hold the same position for the Fighting Irish. LaFleur was an offensive assistant under Kelly at Central Michigan, and later was an offensive assistant for the Houston Texans before taking the job with the Redskins. LaFleur was on staff to help Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins develop. In 2012, Griffin became the first Redskins rookie quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl, led Washington to its first NFC East title in 13 years and set rookie records for passer rating (102.4), rushing yards by a quarterback (815) and lowest percentage of passes intercepted (1.3). LaFleur was fired along with most of the Redskins staff after a 3-13 season. Notre Dame announced the hire Friday.

Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater stayed home sick again Friday, missing his second consecutive practice. Coach John Fox said Prater’s absence was a combination of being too ill to work out and a precaution against getting teammates sick as they prepare for the Super Bowl against Seattle on Feb. 2. Fox called it “a combination of both, like most sick players. We sent him to the doc, they deal with it, give him medication. He’ll be fine.” Prater converted 25 of 26 field goals in the regular season, including a record 64-yarder against Tennessee on Dec. 8 in Denver. He’s 5 for 5 in the playoffs. Overall, he scored 150 points in the regular season and 20 more in the postseason.

Former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent avoided prison Friday and instead was sentenced to 180days in jail and 10 years of probation for a drunken car crash that killed his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. Brent was convicted Wednesday of intoxication manslaughter for the December 2012 crash on a suburban Dallas highway that killed Brown, who was a passenger in Brent’s car. Brent could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. He was also fined $10,000. Brent, 25, closed his eyes when the judge read the jury’s verdict. He was kept in custody after the hearing. Brent and Brown, a linebacker on the practice squad, also played together at the University of Illinois and were close friends. They were headed home from a night of partying with Dallas teammates when Brent lost control of his Mercedes and crashed. Blood tests pegged Brent’s blood alcohol content at 0.18 percent, which is more than twice the state’s legal limit to drive of 0.08 percent. Prosecutors told jurors that the 320-pound lineman had as many as 17 drinks on the night of the crash.

HORSE RACING Cold cancels races

Horse racing at Aqueduct in New York, Charles Town in West Virginia, Turfway Park in Kentucky and Delta Downs in Louisiana was called off Friday because of frigid weather. Penn National in Pennsylvania also called off live racing because of wind-chill temperatures below zero. Aqueduct, Charles Town and Penn National were open for simulcasting Friday and expect to have live racing today.

MOTOR SPORTS Hall moving to Daytona

The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is moving from the Detroit area to Daytona International Speedway at Daytona Beach, Fla. The move was announced Friday and is expected to be completed by January 2016, coinciding with the scheduled finish of the track’s $400 million renovation. The Hall of Fame is currently in Novi, Mich. Plans call for the Hall of Fame’s displays featuring cars, images, stories and bronze sculptures of 209 icons of American motorsports to be located in Daytona’s Ticket and Tours Building, which was formerly known as the Daytona 500 Experience. The Hall of Fame celebrates vehicles and artifacts from American motorsports, including open-wheel racing, stock cars, motorcycles, aviation, drag racing and powerboats.

COLLEGE BASEBALL Heisman winner ready to take mound

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston wants to help Florida State win another national championship - in baseball.

“I just want to have an effect on this team like I did the football team,” Winston said Friday before his practice with Florida State’s baseball team. “I just want to be a team player and get this show going.”

If he is as successful on the baseball field as he was on the football field, the Seminoles could find themselves back at College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The Seminoles have the talent to be title contenders. Florida State was picked to win the ACC Atlantic Division by league coaches, and the 6-4, 225-pound Winston is the favorite to win the closer role.

Winston has some work to do before he’s in baseball shape, but he has a fastball that reaches 95 mph and an effective slider. Coach Mike Martin called Winston a “very dominating pitcher” but said he needs to add a change-up to his repertoire.

“You’ve got to keep the hitters guessing,” Martin said. “If you’re a two-pitch guy, you’re obviously looking for one or the other. Fifty-fifty, I don’t like.”

Martin said the coaching staff won’t be cautious with Winston’s playing time, either.

“We will use Jameis just like we do everybody else,” Martin said. “We’re not going to treat him any differently, and he doesn’t want to be treated any differently. He’s a Seminole baseball player now. We’re going to use him in the outfield, we’re going to use him on the mound, we’re going to use him as a DH some.

“But we want him to be our closer when it’s all said and done.”

Winston posted a 3.00 ERA in 2013 with a 1-2 record, 2 saves, 21 strikeouts and 12 walks in 27 innings pitched as a reliever. He hit .235 with 7 doubles and 3 triples in 41 games.

Sports, Pages 20 on 01/25/2014