Off the wire

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Central Florida head coach Josh Heupel waves his arms during the first half of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Memphis, in Orlando, Fla. Heupel, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly and Alabama’s Nick Saban are the finalists for The Associated Press national college football coach of the year after leading their teams to unbeaten regular seasons. The winner will be announced Monday, Dec. 17. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Central Florida head coach Josh Heupel waves his arms during the first half of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game against Memphis, in Orlando, Fla. Heupel, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly and Alabama’s Nick Saban are the finalists for The Associated Press national college football coach of the year after leading their teams to unbeaten regular seasons. The winner will be announced Monday, Dec. 17. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

FOOTBALL

Top coach finalists set

Central Florida's Josh Heupel, Notre Dame's Brian Kelly and Alabama's Nick Saban are the finalists for The Associated Press national college football coach of the year after leading their teams to unbeaten regular seasons. The winner will be announced today at 11 a.m. Central. Heupel guided No. 8 Central Florida (12-0) to a second consecutive unbeaten season. The American Athletic Conference champions will play No. 11 LSU in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1. Kelly led the third-ranked Fighting Irish (12-0) to its first College Football Playoff appearance. The Irish play No. 2 Clemson in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 29. Saban has No. 1 Alabama (13-0) in the playoff for the fifth consecutive season. The Crimson Tide won the SEC and face No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 29. The AP coach of the year was established in 1998. Saban is one of two coaches to win the award twice, along with Gary Patterson of TCU. Saban was coach of the year with LSU in 2003 and with Alabama in 2008. Kelly won coach of the year in 2012, the last time he led Notre Dame to a 12-0 season. Last year's winner was Scott Frost of UCF. No school has ever had different coaches win the award in consecutive seasons.

BASEBALL

Source: Ramos to Mets

The New York Mets have agreed to a $19.5 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The deal likely signals an end to the Mets' pursuit of Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Instead, New York will turn to a two-time All-Star in Ramos who is coming off a strong year with the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the deal has not been announced and is still pending a physical. The 31-year-old Ramos batted .306 with 15 home runs and an .845 OPS last season, ranking fifth among catchers in wins above replacement at 2.4, via Fangraphs. New York officials met last week with Ramos at the winter meetings in Las Vegas and with Yasmani Grandal, another free agent catcher, in Arizona. Ramos became the priority for the Mets, partly because of compensation required for signing Grandal, who turned down a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers. If New York had signed Grandal, the Mets would have forfeited their second-highest pick in next June's amateur draft and $500,000 of international signing bonus allocation in 2019-20. The Mets also discussed a possible trade for Realmuto but decided the players it would have had to give up in a trade were too high a cost. Ramos crosses another item of the to-do list of new General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen. The former agent made a blockbuster deal with Seattle for second baseman Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz this month and also brought back former New York closer Jeurys Familia on a $30 million, three-year deal last week. The team may still pursue an upgrade in center field and a left-handed reliever.

WINTER SPORTS

Vonn expected back soon

Lindsey Vonn is hoping to return from injury next month and resume her pursuit of the all-time World Cup wins record, according to the U.S. Ski Team's head coach. "That's what we're hopeful for. That's the plan," Paul Kristofic told The Associated Press on Sunday. Vonn hyperextended and sprained a ligament in her knee during a training crash on Nov. 19. She also suffered a bone bruise in the crash, in which she fell on a turn, did the splits and went into the protective fence. January would be an opportune time for Vonn to return, since there are three consecutive weekends of speed races, downhill and super-G, which are Vonn's specialties. The series opens Jan. 12-13 in St. Anton, Austria, followed by stops in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. A victory or two in that stretch would move Vonn closer to the mark of 86 victories set by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark. Vonn, 34, has 82 victories. She was planning to retire at the end of this season but the injury prompted her to announce recently that she plans to come back for one more series of speed races in Lake Louise, Alberta, next season.

HOCKEY

Chicago goaltender injured

Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford left the Blackhawks' game against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday with 1:30 left in the first period after the back of his head struck the right post during a pile-up. Crawford suffered a concussion on Dec. 23, 2017, at New Jersey that forced him to miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season and the first five games of 2018-19. He returned on Oct. 18 against Arizona and was 6-14-2 with a 3.23 goals-against average in 22 games entering Sunday's contest. Crawford had just made a left pad save on Logan Couture, who had broken in off right wing. As Couture cut across the crease, Chicago's Dylan Strome tried to cut him off and slashed him. At the same moment, San Jose's Evander Kane plowed into Strome from behind and Strome tumbled into Crawford, forcing the goalie into the goalpost. Kane was assessed a minor penalty for goaltender interference.

CYCLING

Thomas wins BBC award

Geraint Thomas has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year after becoming the third British cyclist to win the Tour de France. In a public vote, Thomas beat five-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton -- a former winner of the BBC award -- into second place, while England soccer captain Harry Kane, who led his team to the World Cup semifinals, was third. The 32-year-old Welshman joined Bradley Wiggins (2012) and Chris Froome (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) as Britons to win the Tour de France. Wiggins has won the BBC award, but Froome never has. "It's been an amazing year for British sport," Thomas said, "and long may it continue."

GOLF

Loves win Father-Son Challenge in record fashion

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Davis Love III and his son Dru played so well Sunday that they set two scoring records, rallied from a three-shot deficit to win the PNC Father-Son Challenge and then wondered if they would get to play again.

Team Love shot 27 on the front nine at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club to get in the mix, took the lead with a birdie at No. 11 and finished off their record round with four more birdies an eagle for a 16-under 56, breaking by one the 18-hole record in a scramble format.

They won by three shots at 26-under 118, another record in the scramble format.

"Who knows? This might be our last time playing, so it was fun to finish it off," Love said.

The 36-hole event is for players who have won a major or The Players Championship, and their partner cannot hold a PGA Tour-sanctioned card. Dru Love has played 17 times in the last two years on the PGA Tour, European Tour and Web.com Tour, but he has yet to earn a card and missed out in the qualifying tournament this year.

They were unstoppable in the second and final round, making only four pars and the rest birdies and two eagles.

The 56 beat by one the record previously held by Raymond and Raymond Floyd Jr. in 1994 and by Bob and David Charles in 1998. They finished at 26-under 118, breaking by one shot the scramble record most recently set last year by Angel and Angel Cabrera Jr.

John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) and son Little John, who opened with a 59, shot 62 and tied for second with Retief and Leo Goosen and Stewart and Connor Cink.

Sports on 12/17/2018

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