BASKETBALL
Pippen's son dies
Antron Pippen, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen (Hamburg, University of Central Arkansas) and once a top college prospect, has died. He was 33. Scottie Pippen announced the death on his social media platforms, saying his oldest child died Sunday. He did not give a cause. Antron Pippen was an accomplished high school player in Georgia, then played college basketball at South Georgia Tech and Texas A&M International. Antron Pippen was the oldest of Scottie Pippen's seven children. He was the only child from Pippen's first marriage to Karen McCollum.
Miss. State adds ex-Tar Heel
Mississippi State Coach Ben Howland has signed former North Carolina forward Garrison Brooks as a graduate transfer after he had nearly 1,300 points and 800 rebounds in four seasons with the Tar Heels. The 6-10 Brooks, son of longtime Bulldogs assistant coach George Brooks, was the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason player of the year and averaged 10.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game as a senior. Considered one of the nation's top transfers, he scored 1,276 points and grabbed 798 rebounds while starting 108 of 113 games with UNC. The ACC's most improved player in 2019-20 joins a Mississippi State team coming off a runner-up finish in the NIT. Howland called Brooks "very tough and physical" in a statement Monday and added that he "will be a great player for us as he was at North Carolina, where he had a fantastic career as an All-ACC player."
FOOTBALL
Odum signs tender with Colts
Restricted free agent George Odum (University of Central Arkansas) has signed a one-year tender to play with the Indianapolis Colts next season, the team announced Monday. He was a restricted free agent. Odum led the NFL with 20 special-teams tackles last season and was rewarded with an All-Pro selection. He received a one-year, right-of-first refusal offer for $2.133 million -- an offer Odum initially called "disappointing" on Twitter. "Time to go back to work!" Odum tweeted Monday. The 6-1, 202-pound safety has played in 48 games and made three starts since making the Colts' roster as an undrafted rookie in 2018. He has had 60 tackles, forced 3 fumbles and intercepted 1 pass during his career.
CB Douglas, Raiders agree
The Las Vegas Raiders have signed unrestricted free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas. The deal announced Monday gives the Raiders a veteran option to complement the young cornerbacks already on the roster. Douglas was originally a third-round pick by Philadelphia in 2017. He spent his first three seasons with the Eagles and last season with Carolina. Douglas has appeared in 60 games with 29 starts over his first four seasons, compiling 180 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions and 34 passes defensed. He started 11 games last season for the Panthers when he had a career-high 62 tackles to go with 9 passes defensed.
BASEBALL
Marlins' Marte breaks rib
Miami Marlins center fielder Starling Marte will be sidelined for at least a few games with a broken left rib. An MRI on Monday revealed a nondisplaced fracture, meaning the rib maintained its proper alignment, the Marlins said. Marte will refrain from activity for five to seven days before being evaluated, and he's expected to go on the injured list. Marte grimaced while batting with two outs in the ninth inning of Sunday's loss to San Francisco and left the game. He's batting .316 with an OPS of .912, 3 stolen bases and 2 home runs. Last year, Marte led the majors by playing in 61 games in the abbreviated season for the Marlins and Arizona. But he broke his left hand in the playoffs when hit by a pitch.
Phillies place three on IL
The Philadelphia Phillies placed three players on the injured list due to covid-19 protocols, and two more coaches weren't with the team for Monday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado, lefty starter Matt Moore and infielder Ronald Torreyes went on the injured list. First-base coach Paco Figueroa and assistant Bobby Meacham also entered covid-19 protocols, joining hitting coach Joe Dillon, third-base coach Dusty Wathan and bullpen coach Dave Lundquist. The team did not say whether any of the players or coaches had tested positive for the coronavirus. Infielder Nick Maton and left-handed pitchers Damon Jones and Cristopher Sanchez were recalled from Philadelphia's alternate site.
Acuna has abdominal strain
The Atlanta Braves say Ronald Acuna Jr. had an MRI on Monday that revealed a mild abdominal strain and that the star outfielder is day to day heading into a series at Yankee Stadium beginning today. Acuna was injured in the fourth inning of Atlanta's 13-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night. He led off the fourth inning with a walk, and pitcher Kyle Hendricks threw over a couple of times while he was on first. It looked as if Acuna did something to his midsection on a dive back to the bag. The All-Star was checked by a trainer while he was on second, but he stayed in. He got up slowly after diving home to score on Travis d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly, and then was replaced in the field in the bottom half. Acuna is off to a terrific start this year, batting .419 with 7 home runs and 16 RBI in 16 games.
Castellanos' suspension upheld
The two-game suspension of Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos for his role in an on-field brawl during the season's opening weekend was upheld Monday by Major League Baseball special assistant John McHale Jr. Castellanos will serve the penalty during the first two games of a three-game series against Arizona that starts today. Michael Hill, MLB's new senior vice president for on-field operations, issued the suspension April 5 and cited Castellanos for "his aggressive actions and for instigating a benches-clearing incident" during a game against St. Louis on April 3. Castellanos did not have to serve the penalty while the appeal was pending.