Off the wire
BASKETBALL Suspensions extended
UCLA has extended the suspensions of freshman basketball players Jalen Hill and Cody Riley through the end of the season as a result of their admitted shoplifting during the team’s trip to China in November. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Coach Steve Alford announced the decision in a joint statement released Friday. The Bruins left campus on Thursday ahead of their game against No. 7 Kentucky on Saturday in New Orleans. Riley and Hill still won’t be allowed to travel with the team or suit up for home games. However, they can begin participating in practices and team meetings starting Dec. 26. LiAngelo Ball was suspended with Riley and Hall but his father took him out of school and he is now playing professionally in Lithuania.
SOCCER Two officials guilty
Two top international soccer officials were found guilty Friday for their roles in a web of corruption that extended across several continents and ensnared dozens of men who control the world’s most popular sport. A jury in federal court in Brooklyn on Friday convicted Juan Ángel Napout of Paraguay, the former top soccer official of South America, who was accused of accepting $10.5 million in bribes since 2010; and José Maria Marin, the former top soccer official of Brazil, who was accused of accepting $6.55 million. Marin was found guilty on six counts of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Napout was found guilty on three counts of racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. The verdicts against Napout and Marin partially resolved the trial in the United States’ case focused on FIFA, the governing body of international soccer that was thrown into chaos when allegations were announced in 2015. Several high-ranking soccer officials were accused of accepting bribes from marketing companies that wanted to obtain commercial rights to major competitions. More than 20 defendants had pleaded guilty as a result of the yearslong investigation run by the Justice Department in coordination with the FBI and IRS. But the officials who
stood trial this month were in the minority as they fought the evidence laid out by the government.
BASEBALL Nats, 1B Adams set deal
The Washington Nationals have finalized a deal with first baseman/ outfielder Matt Adams. General Manager Mike Rizzo on Friday announced Washington agreed to terms with Adams on a one-year contract. The deal to make Adams the Nationals’ new backup first baseman is worth $4 million. The
29-year-old hit .274 last season with a career-best 20 home runs and 65 RBI with the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. He is a career .271 hitter in six major league seasons.
Hirano, D’backs sign
Japanese right-hander Yoshihisa
Hirano and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $6 million, two-year contract. The 33-year-old is looked at by Arizona to provide bullpen depth and possibly compete to be the team’s closer. His deal was announced Friday. Hirano spent 12 seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of Japan’s Pacific League, including the last eight as a reliever. He was 3-7 with 29 saves and a 2.67 ERA in 58 relief appearances last season and 10-25 with 143 saves and a 2.64 ERA in his last four seasons, striking out 284. He played for Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic, going 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in six relief appearances.
$4M average salary
Major League Baseball’s endof-season average salary topped $4 million for the first time, according to final calculations released by the players’ association. The union said Friday that the average finished at $4,097,122. That marked a 3.3 percent increase from last year, when the average rose just 0.35 percent to $3,966,020, the lowest rise since 2004. The commissioner’s office said its final average was $3,955,920, up 3.4 percent from last year’s $3,825,967. The union includes a pro-rated share of option buyouts that may be earned if the option is declined, while MLB does not take those into account in its average. There were 963 players on active rosters and disabled lists on Aug. 31, the last day before the player limit expanded from 25 per team to 40. That was down one from last year. Baseball’s average salary declines during the season as some veterans are released and replaced by younger players. The added players earn at or close to the major league minimum, which was $535,000 this year and rises to $545,000 next season.
GOLF No coach for Woods
Tiger Woods is embarking on his latest comeback without a swing coach. Woods had fusion surgery on his lower back in April and made a physically strong return to golf in the Bahamas earlier this month. He said he has been trying to relearn his body and the golf swing, relying on feel and three years of work with Dallas-based
Chris Como. He said Friday that for now, he thinks it’s best to continue on his own. Como said in a text message that he’s proud of what they accomplished. Como said his job was to help Woods use instincts and feeling while playing without pain. The coach said he believes Woods is about to have an incredible run next year. Woods has not said where he is playing next.