Cora gets fired by Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora on Tuesday, a day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him in the sport’s sign-stealing scandal.
Cora was the bench coach for the Houston Astros when they won the 2017 World Series and led Boston to the title the following year in his first season as manager. Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired on Monday, an hour after Manfred suspended them for the 2020 season for their role in the cheating scheme.
Manfred’s nine-page report mentioned Cora 11 times, describing him as a key person in the planning and execution of the cheating scheme. Cora met Tuesday with Red Sox management. “Given the findings and the commissioner’s ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways,” the team said in a statement attributed to owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy and Cora.
SKIING
Petra Vlhova won a women’s World Cup night slalom on Tuesday in Flachau, Austria, handing Mikaela Shiffrin a rare second straight defeat in the American’s strongest discipline.
After building a lead of six tenths of a second from the opening run, the Slovakian skier won the race by 0.10 seconds over Anna Swenn Larsson of Sweden.
Shiffrin, who was second after the opening run, came 0.43 behind in third for her worst result in slalom in two years, when she failed to finish in the final race before the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Vlhova beat Shiffrin by a margin of 1.31 seconds in Zagreb 10 days ago, which ended the American’s winning streak in slaloms after nearly a year. The previous time that Shiffrin lost back-to-back slaloms in a single season was more than five years ago.
WNBA
The WNBA and its union announced a tentative eight-year labor deal that will allow top players to earn more than $500,000 while the average annual compensation will surpass six figures for the first time.
The contract, which begins this season and runs through 2027, will pay players an average of $130,000 and guarantees full salaries while on maternity leave. The collective bargaining agreement also provides enhanced family benefits, travel standards and other health and wellness improvements.
The deal was overwhelmingly approved by players and must still be ratified by owners. It calls for 50-50 revenue sharing starting in 2021, based on the league achieving revenue growth targets from broadcast agreements, marketing partnerships and licensing deals.
NBA
Pistons guard Derrick Rose was fined $25,000 by the NBA for tossing a pen across the court during the end of Detroit’s loss to New Orleans.
With 37 seconds left in overtime and play stopped on Monday night, Rose sat slumped on a courtside table and flung the pen into the stands. The Pelicans beat the Pistons, 117-110.
Rose had 23 points and eight assists, but it was a costly and frustrating night. His bank shot tied the score at 100 in regulation with 30 seconds left, capping Detroit’s rally from 16 points down with 11 minutes remaining.
E’Twaun Moore missed two short jumpers, giving Detroit the ball with 14 seconds to go. That gave Rose a chance to replicate his winner from Dec. 9 in New Orleans, but he missed at the buzzer. In overtime, Rose had two turnovers in the last 90 seconds.