Browns, again, searching for QB
BASEBALL: Japanese star Shohei Ohtani is bringing his arm and bat to the Angels, pairing him with two-time MVP Mike Trout. Ohtani’s agent put out a statement saying the prized two-way player had decided to sign with the Angels, a surprise winner over the Mariners, Rangers and several other teams . ... The Cardinals say their pursuit of Marlins OF Giancarlo Stanton is over because he would not waive his no-trade clause to play for them. The Giants also announced they were no longer in the mix to work out a trade. Numerous reports list the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs and Astros as teams for which Stanton would waive his no-trade clause . ... The Rockies signed C Chris Iannetta toa two-year deal. Iannetta, 34, spent last season with the Diamondbacks, for whom he hit .254 . ... The Tigers agreed to a deal with RHP Mike Fiers, who was 8-10 with a 5.22 ERA for the Astros last season . ... Private talks are underway between the Diamondbacks and Maricopa County (Ariz.) officials in their dispute over Chase Field repair costs and the team’s request to leave the stadium.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oregon promoted offensive coordinator Mario Cristobal to head coach. He was co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Oregon this season and was named interim coach Tuesday when Willie Taggart left to become head coach at Florida State . ... Florida WR James Robinson’s career is over because of a heart condition . ... New Nebraska coach Scott Frost is bringing over offensive coordinator Troy Walters from UCF. Walters was believed at one point to be a candidate to take over the Knights after the Peach Bowl. GOLF: Steve Stricker and Sean O’Hair shot a 15-under 57 in scramble play to take a one-shot lead over Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele after the first round of the QBE Shootout in Naples, Fla. Stricker, 50, the winning U.S. Presidents Cup captain in October, chipped in for birdie on the par-4 18th. They also eagled the par-5 17th in gusty conditions on Tiburon’s Gold Course . ... Tapio Pulkkanen shot an 8-under 64 to take one-stroke lead over Shubhankar Sharma in the European Tour’s Joburg Open in Johannesburg . ... Tommy Horton, an Englishman who played in two Ryder Cups and won four times on the European Tour, died Thursday. He was 76. Horton became ill at the Royal Jersey Golf Club and died soon after at a hospital.
OLYMPICS: U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Scott Blackmun said the plan is to take a team to the Pyeongchang Games “unless it’s legally or physically impossible” a day after members of the Trump administration cast doubt over whether the U.S. would field a team at the Olympics in February.
SOCCER: Peru captain Paolo Guerrero will miss the World Cup after being banned by FIFA for one year because of a positive test for cocaine. FIFA says the suspension covers “all types of matches” and was backdated to start Nov. 3.
TENNIS: Rafael Nadal and Garbine Muguruza have won the International Tennis Federation’s player of the year awards. Nadal, 31, won his 10th French Open and third U.S. Open. Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title.
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam didn’t mince words or waste time. He introduced John Dorsey as the general manager Friday, then removed any doubt about what must be done.
“The Cleveland Browns are not going to be successful until we get a quarterback,” Haslam said. “We’re going to look at free agency, we’re going to look at the draft, we’re going to do whatever it takes to find a quarterback. That will be John’s No. 1 priority.”
Haslem restarted the quarterback carousel one day after firing top football executive Sashi Brown and replacing him with former Chiefs general manager Dorsey. The Browns are 0-12 this season and 1-27 in two years under coach Hue Jackson, who will return in 2018.
Dorsey wasted no time in making a significant roster move by waiving Kenny Britt, the wide receiver who signed a four-year, $32.5 million contract March 9. The ninth-year pro was guaranteed $17 million in the pact offered by Brown, but was plagued by dropped passes and became entrenched in Jackson’s doghouse because of a poor attitude.
Rookie DeShone Kizer will remain under center Sunday when the Browns host the Packers. He is the franchise’s 28th starting quarterback since 1999, but Haslam made it clear he is already planning for No. 29.
Dorsey, who helped Kansas City earn three playoff berths in four seasons, exercised much more caution on the subject.
“To be fair, you do not want to be the guy that comes in and blows things up automatically,” said Dorsey. “Let’s give everybody a 51⁄2-month window to show what they can do.”
Packers TE Lance Kendricks has been charged with possession of marijuana stemming from a traffic stop in early September.
The Journal Sentinel reports the 29-year-old Kendricks was stopped for speeding in the earlymorning hours of Sept. 2. Though he received only a warning for driving 81 mph in a 70 mph zone, a state trooper said he smelled marijuana through the passenger window.
Authorities said a search of the vehicle produced a small, round Louis Vuitton toiletry-type bag containing some marijuana, two packs of rolling papers and a metal grinder. Kendricks first told the trooper he smoked all the marijuana in the bag before ultimately disclosing the leftovers.
The trooper referred potential charges to the Outagamie County District Attorney’s office, who filed the possession of THC count Tuesday.
Chiefs CB Marcus Peters has been fined $24,309 by the NFL for throwing a penalty flag into the stands during Sunday’s game against the Jets. Peters was also suspended one game by Chiefs coach Andy Reid for his antics. Chiefs S Daniel Sorensen was docked $18,231 for roughing the passer on the Jets’ Josh McCown. ... Colts S Darius Butler was fined $18,231 for his horsecollar tackle on Jaguars WR Marqise Lee. Jaguars LB Myles Jack was docked $9,115 for grabbing the facemask of WR Chester Rogers. ... Falcons RB Tevin Coleman has been placed in the concussion protocol.