MMA:
The practices of the New York State Athletic Commission are coming under fire after last week’s mixed martial arts card at the Times Union Center in Albany. In a story posted on mmafighting.com, fighters and coaches say they had to wait hours at local hospitals to get stitches because there were no authorized doctors at the arena to suture the cuts from the bouts. A spokesperson for NYSAC said that stitches may be given to combatants “should the promoter enter into an agreement for the provision of suturing care.”
NFL:
Oakland-area officials are taking another crack at trying to keep the Raiders from fleeing. Alameda County supervisors have approved opening negotiations with an investment group on a proposed $1.3 billion stadium project in an effort to convince the Raiders to stay in the city. If the Oakland City Council approves the measure, the parties can start negotiating a formal agreement for a stadium project that includes $350 million in public money. Raiders owner Mark Davis said earlier this year that he was committed to moving the team to Las Vegas, where a $1.9 billion stadium project has been approved.
Checking out other NFL news:
— The Cowboys have activated running back Darren McFadden from the non-football injury list and waived rookie Darius Jackson. The 29-year-old McFadden returned to practice last month, but the Cowboys waited until they had to make a move to add him to the 53-man roster.
— Cincinnati has cut kicker Mike Nugent, who has struggled with the most missed kicks in the NFL this season. The 12-year veteran was 23 of 29 on field-goal attempts and missed five of his past nine extra-point tries. The Bengals signed former Steelers kicker Randy Bullock off of waivers.
— The Ravens have released kick returner Devin Hester with three games left in his first season with the team. The four-time Pro Bowl selection averaged just 7.2 yards per punt return and 24.5 yards per kickoff return after signing with Baltimore as a free agent following offseason toe surgery.
— The Cardinals have signed linebacker Scooby Wright, who was the 2014 Pac-12 defensive player of the year with the University of Arizona. The Cardinals also promoted Matt Wile from the practice squad and released fellow punter Drew Butler.
— The NFL has announced the teams who will play in the four regular season games in England next year. Three of those teams are among the worst in the league this season, with the Jaguars, Browns and Rams combining to win six games this season. The Jaguars will face the Ravens while Miami will take on New Orleans at Wembley Stadium. Cleveland will meet Minnesota and the Rams will battle Arizona at Twickenham.
NBA:
In the NBA, Phoenix beat the Knicks in overtime 113-111, Portland won against Oklahoma City 114-95, Minnesota bested Chicago 99-94, Golden State topped New Orleans 113-109, Orlando defeated Atlanta 131-120, and it was Cleveland over Memphis 103-86.
The Cavaliers have announced plans for a $140 million renovation project for Quicken Loans Arena, with half the cost being picked up by Cuyahoga County. The Cavs and county officials believe the arena needs an exterior face-lift and massive interior upgrades to better accommodate fans and attract future events. The arena will remain open during construction, which is slated to begin in 2017 and take approximately two years to complete.
If you take a close look at LeBron James' recent cover photo for Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year award, a safety pin can be spotted on the NBA superstar's lapel. No, James isn't suffering some sort of wardrobe malfunction. Since last month's presidential election, the safety pin has become a symbol of solidarity with those Americans who fear they'll be disenfranchised by a Donald Trump presidency. The pin is intended to show that the wearer is a safe person to turn to. James campaigned for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the days before the vote. During a recent road trip, James opted to stay elsewhere than the team's official Trump-branded hotel in New York. He called the decision a personal preference.
NHL:
In the NHL, Buffalo doubled up the Kings 6-3, Chicago topped the Rangers 2-1, Washington won against the Islanders 4-2, San Jose beat Toronto in overtime 3-2, Arizona beat Detroit 4-1, Minnesota bested Florida 5-1, Nashville defeated St. Louis 6-2, Dallas tripled up Anaheim 6-2, Columbus beat Edmonton 3-1, and it was Carolina over Vancouver 8-6.
Coyotes forward Max Domi will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his right hand. Domi was injured in a second-period fight with Calgary's Garnet Hathaway last week. He has five goals and 16 points in 26 games this season after collecting 18 goals and 34 assists as a rookie last year.
MLB:
Baseball has one hurdle remaining as it seeks the official ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement. A person with knowledge of the meeting says baseball owners approved the deal by a 29-1 vote, with Rays managing general partner Stuart Sternberg casting the lone dissenting vote. Players also had been scheduled to hold a ratification vote, the last measure before labor peace is certain.
The agreement raises the luxury tax thresholds, increases some of the tax rates, imposes a hard cap on signing bonuses for international amateurs and bans smokeless tobacco for players who do not already have major league service. It also eliminates the provision that gave World Series home-field advantage to the All-Star winner and bans rookie hazing that includes costumes as women.
Former major league catcher Gerald Laird is now a minor league manager. The Detroit Tigers announced yesterday that Laird will manage at Class A Connecticut this coming season. The 37-year-old Laird last played in the majors in 2015, when he appeared in one game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played for the Tigers from 2009-10 and again in 2012.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Angels have swapped catchers, with Martin Maldonado heading back to Anaheim for Jett Bandy. Maldonado threw out 35 percent of would-be base-stealers last season while hitting .202 with eight homers and 21 RBIs. Bandy hit .234 with eight homers and 25 RBIs in 70 games this year, throwing out 37 percent of his potential.
— The Rockies have finalized a $70 million, five-year contract with All-Star outfielder Ian Desmond and plan to move him to first base. He hit .285 with 22 homers and 86 RBIs with Texas last season.
— Carlos Gomez figures to replace Desmond in centerfield for the Rangers after finalizing a one-year, $11.5 million contract with the team. Gomez hit .210 with five homers in 85 games this year for Houston and was released by the Astros in August. He signed with Texas and hit .284 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in 33 games.
— The Yankees have worked out a minor league contract with former Mets infielder Ruben Tejada. He split last season between the Cardinals and Giants, batting .167 in 66 at-bats before heading to the minors in August.
— Colorado pitcher Chad Bettis has undergone surgery for testicular cancer but hopes to be back on the mound for spring training. He says some bloodwork revealed an abnormality that prompted the surgery. Bettis says doctors are confident the cancer was isolated and hasn't spread.
NCAA:
In college men's basketball, Massachusetts pulled away in the last four minutes to beat North Carolina A&T 65-59 last night. Yale posted a wire-to-wire, 90-59 romp past Central Connecticut State.
Arizona junior quarterback Anu Solomon has announced he is transferring after three seasons as the Wildcats' starter. Solomon threw for 2,667 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, but injuries allowed him to play just five games this year. He is expected to graduate early, which would make him eligible to play next season.
Florida Atlantic has announced the hiring of Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin as its new head coach. He will take over the football program once the College Football Playoffs are over or the Crimson Tide are eliminated. This will be the fourth opportunity for Kiffin to be a head coach following a stint with the NFL's Oakland Raiders and college stops at Tennessee and Southern Cal.
Temple has hired Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins as the Owls' new head coach. Collins replaces Matt Rhule, who left Temple last week for Baylor after leading the 23rd-ranked Owls to consecutive double-digit victory seasons and the American Athletic Conference championship this year. The Gators' defense has ranked in the top-10 in the country in each of Collins' two seasons in Gainesville.
Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson has been named The Associated Press Player of the Year. The 19-year old Louisville quarterback received 42 of 61 first-place votes from the AP's panel of media voters. That's more than twice the number of votes that Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson received as runner-up. Jackson passed for 3,390 yards and 30 touchdowns this season while running for over 1,500 yards and 21 scores.
FIFA:
An Argentinian sports marketing firm will pay more than $112 million in forfeiture and fines in the FIFA bribery scandal. Torneos y Competencias agreed to the penalties and admitted its role in the scheme as part of an agreement with U.S. prosecutors that spared the company a criminal prosecution. The deal was finalized yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn.
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