Off the wire
Astros pick Click as GM
The Houston Astros hired James Click as their new general manager Monday, taking the Tampa Bay Rays executive and putting him in charge of the scandal-ridden team a week before the start of spring training. Click succeeds Jeff Luhnow, who along with Manager AJ Hinch was suspended by Major League Baseball in the wake of a sign-stealing scam and then fired by the Astros. The AL champion Astros hired Dusty Baker last week as manager. Astros owner Jim Crane announced the hiring of Click, who spent the last three seasons as the Rays’ vice president of baseball operations. The 42-year-old Click had been with Tampa Bay for the last 14 seasons. Click is to be formally introduced by the Astros at a news conference today at Minute Maid Park.
Chacin, Twins reach deal
Jhoulys Chacin finalized a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins on Monday after a miserable 2019 season that saw him go from an opening-day start to an August release. The 32-year-old righthander was 15-8 with a 3.50 ERA for Milwaukee in 2018 after signing a $15.5 million, two-year deal with the Brewers. He beat St. Louis on opening day last year and won at Cincinnati in his second start, then went 1-10 with a 6.00 ERA in his next 17 starts. After his release, he signed with Boston and was 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in 5 starts and 1 relief appearance.
Gonzales, Mariners agree
Left-hander Marco Gonzales and the Seattle Mariners agreed Monday to a $30 million contract covering 2021-24, a deal that includes a club option and could be worth $45 million over five seasons. Gonzales is about to begin his third full season with the Mariners after arriving in 2017 via a trade from St. Louis. Gonzales gets $1 million this year in the final season of a $1.9 million, two-year deal. His new contract calls for a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $5 million in 2021, $5.5 million in 2022, $6.5 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024, when he would have been eligible for free agency. The Mariners’ 2025 option is for $15 million with no buyout. Gonzales would get a $250,000 assignment bonus if traded.
FOOTBALL SEC gets new officials chief
The SEC has named John McDaid coordinator of football officials. Commissioner Greg Sankey announced McDaid’s appointment Monday to replace Steve Shaw. McDaid has been a college football official for 24 years and joined the SEC as a referee in 2015. He previously worked for two years as a referee in the American Athletic Conference and held that job in the Big East Conference from 2006-12. McDaid was a back judge in the Big East from 2001-05 and has worked in four New Year’s Six games and the 2010 Bowl Championship Series title game. The 1987 Harvard graduate also will serve as coordinator of football officials for the Sun Belt. Shaw had led SEC officials since 2011 but was recently named national coordinator for college football by the board of managers at College Football Officiating.
Former Packers great dies
Willie Wood, the Hall of Fame defensive back who won five NFL championships with the Green Bay Packers under Coach Vince Lombardi and made the first interception in Super Bowl history, died Monday. He was 83. Wood died of natural causes in Washington, according to Robert Schmidt, his longtime friend and former teammate at Southern California. Wood had suffered from advanced dementia for several years. After being undrafted out of Southern California, Wood sent postcards to several NFL teams seeking a tryout. He signed as a free agent with the Packers and played safety for them from 1960-71. Wood had a key interception in the first Super Bowl, returning it 50 yards to set up a touchdown in the Packers’ 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967.
TE Davis to retire
Vernon Davis announced his retirement after 14 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins that included winning a Super Bowl title. The 36-yearold said Monday that he decided to retire because of the wear and tear on his body.
A 6-foot-3, 248-pound tight end, Davis stayed in the NFL and remained productive so long in part because of his meticulous physical conditioning. He said during his final pro seasons that he trained year-round like some players do during the season and credited that for staying on the field. Davis was limited to four games during the 2019 season because of a concussion. Before that, he caught 583 passes for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns in 198 regular-season games and had 7 touchdowns in 11 playoff games. San Francisco selected Davis sixth overall in the 2006 draft out of Maryland. He spent more than nine seasons with the 49ers before a midseason trade in 2015 to the Broncos, with whom he won the Super Bowl.
QB Costello to Mississippi St.
Quarterback K.J. Costello said he is leaving Stanford to finish his college career playing for Mike Leach at Mississippi State. Costello announced his decision on social media Monday, less than a month after Mississippi State hired Leach away from Washington State. Leach’s teams have led the nation in passing in 10 of his 18 seasons as a head coach at Texas Tech and Washington State. Mississippi State averaged 179.5 yards passing per game this past season to rank 12th out of 14 SEC teams. Costello is expected to be a graduate transfer, which would enable him to play for Mississippi State in 2020. Costello threw for 6,151 yards and 49 touchdowns with 18 interceptions while at Stanford. He passed for 3,540 yards — the second-highest total in school history — and 29 touchdowns in 2018 while completing 65.1% of his passes and earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors. Injuries limited Costello to five games this past season.
No new deal for Beasley
The Atlanta Falcons have cut ties with outside linebacker Vic Beasley, who led the NFL in sacks in the team’s run to the Super Bowl but didn’t come close to matching that production over the last three seasons. The decision announced Monday means the 27-year-old Beasley will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 18. Beasley was the No. 8 overall pick out of Clemson in 2015. He blossomed in his second season, leading the league with 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles as the Falcons made the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. Since that season, his production tailed off badly. Beasley struggled to come up with new techniques to get to the quarterback, managing five sacks in both 2017 and 2018.
HORSE RACING New starting gate for Derby
Horses running in the Kentucky Derby will break from a new custom-made 20-stall starting gate for the 146th edition in May. Churchill Downs said Monday that the new contiguous gate will eliminate the wide gap between post position No. 14 in the standard gate and No. 15 in the auxiliary gate. The six-stall auxiliary gate, which was attached to the 14-horse starting gate, was first used in 1942 and has been used each of the last 22 years. The new gate will be used only for the Derby on May 2. The track’s standard starting gate will still be used for all other races. The new gate is set to arrive at the track in early April. It is 65-feet wide and will fit comfortably within the 120-foot space on the track at the quarter-mile pole for the start of the Derby.