BASKETBALL
D-Wade to rest
The Chicago Bulls' only four-games-in-five-nights stretch comes with a cost. Dwyane Wade will rest for the second time this season and won't travel to Dallas for today's game against the Mavericks. Coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed the decision before Friday's game against the Cavaliers. After a day off Sunday, the Bulls face the Trail Blazers at home and travel to Detroit to face the Pistons to finish the grueling stretch. Wade's participation against the Pistons is expected since that's a shorter flight to finish that back-to-back. Wade and Hoiberg both have talked about their strong and open communication regarding Wade's usage.
BASEBALL
Cubs tender contracts
The Chicago Cubs didn't make any surprises Friday night as they tendered contracts to arbitration-eligible pitchers Jake Arrieta, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm. But they did clear space on their 40-man roster by not tendering contracts to four players who weren't eligible for arbitration. Those players who weren't tendered contracts were left-handed relievers Gerardo Concepcion and Zac Rosscup, pitcher Conor Mullee and infielder Christian Villanueva. The Cubs' 40-man roster stands at 35, which allows them plenty of room for free agent signings and trades with the annual winter meetings starting Monday at National Harbor, Md.
Pujols has surgery
Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols has undergone surgery on his right foot, possibly sidelining him past opening day. The team said Pujols had the procedure Friday in North Carolina to release his plantar fascia, the ligament connecting the heel to the toes. The three-time NL MVP was bothered by plantar fasciitis repeatedly during the regular season. He also had plantar fasciitis in his left foot during the 2013 season. The Angels said the estimated time to return to play from the surgery is four months. Opening day for Los Angeles is April 3. Pujols, who turns 37 next month, enjoyed a return to form last season, batting .268 with 31 home runs and 119 RBI, the fourth-most in the majors. He has 591 career home runs, ranking him ninth in major league history.
No roster expansion
Baseball players and owners had a deal to expand active rosters from 25 to 26 players for most of the season, but the union backed out in the final stages of collective bargaining. As part of the deal, the limit from Sept. 1 on would have been lowered from 40 to 28. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told The Associated Press on Friday: "We thought we were going to make an agreement, had a tentative agreement ... but nothing's done until it's done." While the players' association backed out, Manfred said "there were serious reservations on both sides." Union head Tony Clark said the parties may revisit the topic during the five-year contract which was struck this week.
Drug penalties rise
Major League Baseball is increasing penalties for using banned stimulants and is adding more random drug tests. The suspension for a second stimulant violation goes up from 25 to 50 games under a change to the sport's drug agreement announced Friday by the commissioner's office and the players' association. A third violation would result in a 100-game penalty, up from 80. The penalty for a first stimulant violation remains follow-up testing and the discipline for a fourth stays at up to a permanent suspension. Baseball conducted 8,281 drug tests -- 6,634 urine and 1,647 blood -- in the year ending with this season's World Series, an increase from 8,158 in the year ending with the 2015 Series and 7,929 during the year ending with the 2014 Series. Random urine tests will increase from 3,200 to 4,800 during the coming season and from 350 to 1,550 during the offseason, ensuring at least one offseason test for all 40-man roster players. Random blood tests rise from 260 to 500 in season and from 140 to 400 in the offseason. As part of the mitigation provision, an arbitrator may reduce the penalty for a first-time violation to 30 games if a player shows the presence of a banned substance in his urine was not his fault. Previously, the limit for reduction was to 40 games. For a second violation, the mitigation limit was dropped from 80 to 60. The annual report of Dr. Jeffrey M. Anderson, the program's independent program administrator, was issued Friday and said there were 105 therapeutic use exemptions for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, down from 111 last year. There was one exemption each for hypertension and hypercalciuria (calcium in urine).
HOCKEY
Labor deal rejected
A person with direct knowledge of the decision said the NHL Players' Association has rejected the league's offer to extend the current collective bargaining agreement three years in exchange for participation in the 2018 Olympics. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it wasn't being formally announced. The Canadian Press first reported the NHLPA rejecting the offer, which was made by the NHL recently amid talks with the International Ice Hockey Federation and International Olympic Committee about players going to Pyeongchang in 2018. NHL players have participated in the past five Olympics dating to 1998, but there's doubt about 2018 because of the IOC's reluctance to pay for insurance and expenses. Commissioner Gary Bettman has set a January deadline for a decision.
Penguins stake for sale
Debra Cafaro, chief executive officer of Ventas Inc., is in advanced talks to buy a minority stake in the Pittsburgh Penguins for $25 million, according to two people familiar with the matter. Cafaro grew up in Pittsburgh and has said watching the city's sports teams helped to shape her as a leader. Now based in Chicago, she runs a $37 billion real estate investment trust with 1,300 properties across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Cafaro will lead a $66 million investment in the team controlled by billionaire Ron Burkle and hall-of-famer Mario Lemieux. Another two or three investors are likely to join the ownership group, said the people, who asked to be anonymous because the discussions are private. The Penguins declined comment. Any transaction must be approved by the NHL. Burkle and Lemieux had been shopping the 2016 Stanley Cup champions earlier this year for around $700 million but couldn't find a buyer. Forbes said the Penguins are worth $570 million, ranking 11th out of 30 National Hockey League teams. Burkle and Lemieux paid about $107 million for the team in 1999.
MOTOR SPORTS
F1 champion Rosberg, 31, retires
Quitting at the top, Formula One champion Nico Rosberg shocked the world of motor racing Friday by announcing he was retiring at the age of 31, five days after earning his first world championship.
“I have decided to end my Formula One career. I had a very, very clear dream, that was to become Formula One world champion. I have achieved this childhood dream now and I am not willing to do that sort of commitment again,” Rosberg said in Vienna.
“So I have decided to follow my heart, and my heart has told me just to stop there, to call it a day.”
Rosberg said he made the decision Monday, a day after finishing second at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to clinch the F1 title.
“I am on the peak, so this feels right,” he said.
He wrote on Facebook of the difficulties he faced over a season that took a toll on people close to him: “It was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target.”
Rosberg had a strained relationship with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. They came up through the karting circuits to became fierce rivals in F1, constantly needling each other in the media. They dueled for the F1 championship for the last three years. Rosberg was runner-up to Hamilton in 2014 and 2015, but hung on this year to relieve Hamilton of the title in the final race.
In an online video, Rosberg said: “I’m not willing to do it again next year.”
Rosberg won 23 races (tied for 12th all-time) and 30 pole positions (8th) from 206 races since his debut in 2006.
He began thinking of retirement after winning in Suzuka in early October, “when the destiny of the title was in my own hands.”
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff paid tribute to Rosberg for making a “brave decision.”
“He has chosen to leave at the pinnacle of his career, as world champion, having achieved his childhood dream,” Wolff said. “The clarity of his judgment meant I accepted his decision straight away when he told me.”
Sports on 12/03/2016