MLB
Big Papi says ‘no mas’ after 2016 season
BOSTON – Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz plans to retire after the 2016 season.
Ortiz led the Red Sox to three championships, hitting 503 homers in a career full of clutch at-bats while in the process establishing himself as the face of a long-downtrodden franchise that rose to become a big-market bully.
Big Papi, as his teammates and Boston fans came to call him, had consecutive game-ending hits in extra innings of Games 4 and 5 of the AL championship series against the Yankees as the Red Sox became the first major league team to overcome a 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series. The Red Sox went on to sweep St. Louis in the World Series for their first title since 1918.
His 445 with the Red Sox is the third-most in franchise history behind Ted Williams’ 521 and the 452 hit by Carl Yastrzemski. He is 27th on baseball’s career homer list, one behind Eddie Murray.
Tigers add another arm to their baffling bullpen
DETROIT – The Tigers acquired right-hander Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers in their latest attempt to stabilize the back end of their bullpen.
The teams announced the trade Wednesday. Milwaukee will receive minor league infielder Javier Betancourt and a player to be named.
Rodriguez, who turns 34 in January, went 1-3 with a 2.21 ERA for the Brewers in 2015. He had 38 saves in 40 chances.
Detroit’s bullpen has been an issue for the last few seasons. The Tigers this month declined their $10 million option on Joe Nathan. He spent two years with Detroit, struggling in 2014 and missing almost all of 2015 with an elbow injury.
NBA
Reeling Rockets eject head coach McHale
HOUSTON – The Houston Rockets fired Kevin McHale on Wednesday with the team off to a lackluster 4-7 start a year after advancing to the Western Conference finals.
Assistant J. B. Bickerstaff will take over as interim head coach in the shake-up announced by general manager Daryl Morey hours before Houston hosted Portland.
McHale was in his fifth season with Houston and was coming off a 56-26 season where the Rockets reached the West finals for the first time since 1997 before falling to eventual champion Golden State. The 57-year-old Hall of Fame player went 193-130 with the Rockets.
The Rockets opened the season with three consecutive losses, won four in a row and are now in a four-game skid.
Soccer
Suspensions hold up for embattled FIFA figures
GENEV – Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini lost their appeals Wednesday against interim 90-day bans for financial wrongdoing in the growing corruption scandal that has shaken world soccer.
Platini’s lawyer said FIFA had “perverted its own rules,” and taken more than two weeks to notify him of a FIFA appeals committee verdict that was dated Nov. 3 – further stalling the former France great’s FIFA presidential bid.
The provisional ban stops Platini from working as UEFA president and halts his candidacy for the FIFA election on Feb. 26. Blatter is also barred from his FIFA presidential office.
Suarez: Messi looks sharp ahead of the ‘clasico’
MADRID – Barcelona striker Luis Suarez said Lionel Messi appears to be ready to play this weekend’s “clasico” against Real Madrid.
It remains unclear if doctors will clear the Argentine playmaker for Sunday’s match.
Messi returned to training this week, two months after tearing a ligament in his left knee in a Spanish league game.
Associated Press
