Stanford’s Dalman declares for NFL draft
Senior center Drew Dalman announced on Tuesday that he will enter the 2021 NFL draft. Dalman, from Salinas, earned a grade of 84.8 from Pro Football Focus that was the highest among all centers in the Pac-12. Behind Dalman, who started 18 consecutive games for the Cardinal to end his career, Stanford averaged 420 yards per game. TIDE’S SMITH THE 1ST WR TO WIN AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR » DeVonta Smith of Alabama is the Associated Press college football player of the year and the first wide receiver to win the award since it was established in 1998.
In what could be a preview of the Heisman Trophy voting, Smith received 26 first-place votes and 114 points to finish comfortably ahead of his teammate and quarterback, Mac Jones. TEXAS BOWL CANCELED, COVID-19 A MAJOR FACTOR » The Texas Bowl has been canceled because of an increase of positive COVID-19 tests within TCU’s program, becoming the 19th bowl canceled this season.
The Horned Frogs were supposed to play Arkansas on New Year’s Eve in Houston.
College basketball
ARIZONA MEN’S BASKETBALL SELF-IMPOSES 1-YEAR POSTSEASON BAN » The Arizona men’s basketball program has self-imposed a oneyear postseason ban related to its long-running NCAA rules infractions case.
Arizona was accused of nine counts of misconduct, including five Level I violations, in a Notice of Allegations sent by the NCAA in October. The violations include a lack of institutional control and failure to monitor by the university, and lack of head coach control by basketball coach Sean Miller.
Baseball
NIEKRO, KNOWN FOR KNUCKLEBALL PITCH, DIES AT 81 » Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after a long fight with cancer, the team announced Sunday. He was 81.
The Braves said Niekro died Saturday night in his sleep. Niekro won 318 games over his 24-year career,
which ended in 1987 at age 48 after he made one final start with the Braves. DODGERS ICON LASORDA
REMAINS HOSPITALIZED THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS » Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda was not home for the holiday.
Lasorda remains hospitalized in Orange County. The 93- year- old former Dodgers manager has been hospitalized for more than six weeks now. He was moved out of intensive care in early December and there was some hope that he might be released for the holidays. But Lasorda’s doctors have opted to keep him in the hospital where his condition can be monitored.