BASEBALL
Lowrie traded back to A's
Infielder Jed Lowrie is returning to Oakland after a one-year stay in Houston. The Athletics acquired Lowrie from the Astros on Wednesday for minor league right-hander Brendan McCurry less than a year after Lowrie left Oakland to sign a three-year deal with Houston. "Jed is a very good player," A's General Manager David Forst said. "He was very good here, he had a good year in Houston. It was a good opportunity for us." Lowrie, 31, hit .222 with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 69 games for Houston this year, starting 45 at third and 16 at shortstop. He was sidelined for more than three months by a torn ligament in his right thumb but Forst said he has no concerns about his health. As a free agent last December, Lowrie agreed to a $23 million, three-year contract with the Astros that called for salaries of $8 million in 2015, $7.5 million in 2016 and $6.5 million in 2017. There is a $6 million club option for 2018 with a $1 million buyout. Lowrie helped the A's make the playoffs in two consecutive seasons, batting .271 with 21 home runs and 125 RBI in 290 games.
• Free agent catcher Alex Avila and the Chicago White Sox have agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract. Avila is a .242 hitter with 66 home runs and 282 RBI during seven big league seasons, all with the Detroit Tigers, and has thrown out 24.5 percent of attempted base stealers. The 29-year-old was limited to 67 games with Detroit last season because of injuries, including a left knee bone bruise. Avila was an All-Star in 2011 when he set career highs with a .295 average, 19 home runs and 82 RBI.
• Free-agent catcher Geovany Soto and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a $2.8 million, one-year contract. The team announced the move Tuesday night, one day after losing catcher Chris Iannetta to the Seattle Mariners in free agency. Soto has played for four teams in 11 major league seasons. The former Chicago Cubs backstop spent last season on the other side of town with the White Sox, batting .219 with nine home runs and 21 RBI in 78 games. A solid defender, Soto also has played for Texas and Oakland. He was the NL Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2008 with the Cubs.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks have hired Dave Magadan as their hitting coach. Magadan, 53, spent the last three seasons as hitting coach of the Texas Rangers. Before that, he was hitting coach for the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox. In Magadan's first year in Boston, 2007, the Red Sox won the World Series. He played in 1,582 games over 15 major league seasons with seven clubs.
• The Colorado Rockies traded left-handed reliever Rex Brothers to the Chicago Cubs for 18-year-old lefty Wander Cabrera. Brothers had been designated for assignment by Colorado on Nov. 20. Cabrera recently completed his first professional season as a member of the Dominican Summer League Cubs, where he went 4-3 with a 2.34 ERA in 14 appearances, including seven starts. Brothers, 27, began last season at Class AAA Albuquerque, where he went 5-2 with a 4.46 ERA.
• Chicago Cubs pitcher Tanner Griggs has been suspended for the first 50 games of next season after a positive test for amphetamine under baseball's minor league drug program. A right-hander, Griggs, 21, was selected in the 12th round of the 2014 amateur draft. He was 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA in 14 relief appearances this year for Eugene of the Class A Northwest League and the Arizona League Cubs, striking out 19 and walking 10 in 18 innings. The suspension, announced Wednesday by the commissioner's office, was the 99th this year under the minor league program.
FOOTBALL
Ex-Cowboy detained in Kansas
Former Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle was jailed early Wednesday after an altercation at a Kansas casino. Randle was asked to leave the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane late Tuesday after causing some unspecified concerns on the casino floor, said Fred Waller, an enforcement agent with the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. Randle left, but then returned. Randle started arguing with security officers, and a scuffle ensued, Waller said. Several agents had to restrain him and he was taken to the county jail. "He was belligerent and causing some problems on the casino floor," Waller said, citing the incident report. "The whys, I don't know." No formal charges have been filed yet, said Stephanie McGinnis, legal secretary at the Sumner County attorney's office. Randle remained jailed Wednesday morning in lieu of $25,000 bond. He was booked on suspicion of criminal threat, assault of a law enforcement officer, battery, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and interference with a law enforcement officer. Randle was suspended four games by the NFL under the league's personal conduct policy earlier this month, one week after he was released by the Cowboys. He was already away from the team to deal with unspecified personal issues when he was released by the Cowboys. As a third-year player in Dallas, Randle started the first six games this season.
• The Buffalo Bills have signed offensive guard Ryan Groy and receiver Marcus Thigpen. Groy fills an immediate need after being signed off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad Wednesday. Starting right guard John Miller is out indefinitely with a high left ankle sprain sustained in a 20-13 loss at New England on Monday. Thigpen, who doubles as a kickoff returner, was a free agent. He rejoins Buffalo after being cut by the team last month.
BASKETBALL
Hornets, coach come to terms
Hornets Coach Steve Clifford agreed in principle to a multiyear contract extension Wednesday, with his team 8-6 with an overhauled roster. The team did not release financial terms for Clifford, who is in his third year with the club. Clifford has a career record of 84-94 since taking over in 2013. The team went 43-39 in his first season and made the playoffs but was swept in the first round by Miami. Charlotte fell to 33-49 amid a series of injuries last year. Clifford has 30 years of NBA coaching experience, having spent time as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and New York Knicks.
NFL
Rams receiver Baley shot
ST. LOUIS — Suspended St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey was shot and critically wounded as he and four other people were sitting in a car outside a home in the Miami area, police said Wednesday.
Bailey was at a hospital awaiting surgery for injuries that have not been disclosed by the Rams or the authorities. Another man, Antwan Reeves, was with Bailey and was also shot in the attack Tuesday night. Three others in the car, including two minors, were not wounded, police said.
“The victims drove themselves to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment,” Miami Gardens police said in a statement. “Based on reports from the hospital, Bailey is in critical but stable condition awaiting surgery.”
Police said they were looking for suspects who had driven up in another car before shooting.
The Rams said they were aware Bailey was “involved in an incident” and that they had spoken with him.
“We are gathering facts about the situation and will provide updates as we learn more,” the team said.
Bailey went to high school in the Miami area. His is in third season with the Rams but has been suspended twice by the NFL.
Bailey, who turned 25 on Nov. 11, was a third-round pick in the 2013 draft out of West Virginia, where he was part of a prolific wide receiving tandem with Tavon Austin, whom the Rams selected with the eighth overall pick that year.
Bailey was suspended four games this month for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He has two games remaining on the ban. He served a two-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs at the start of last season.
According to police, Bailey, Reeves and the three others were sitting in a car at about 8:45 p.m. ET Tuesday at a local residence. Another vehicle arrived and “opened fire,” police said. Reeves was taken into surgery shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Sports on 11/26/2015