Hoffman one of four elected to Hall
BASEBALL: Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman were elected to the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Jones and Thome joined 52 past inductees by being chosen in their first year of eligibility by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Guerrero made it on his second try, Hoffman on his third. The four will be inducted July 29 in Cooperstown, N.Y . ... The Orioles will extend the protective netting at Camden Yards beyond the far edges of both dugouts for the upcoming season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Florida State QB Deondre Francois was involved in a domestic dispute with his pregnant girlfriend late Tuesday afternoon, but he is not being investigated further for his role in the incident. Francois, 20, and the woman, 23, gave varying statements to the Tallahassee Police Department following the incident at Francois’ apartment, where another member of the Seminoles football team was also present and spoke to police. No arrests were made and no charges filed.
GOLF: Adam Svensson of Canada closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory in the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Web.com Tour. He finished at 17-under 271 for the tournament. Sungjae Im of South Korea (69) was second and Rhein Gibson of Australia (67) third.
NFL: The Panthers will not be punished for their handling of Cam Newton’s injury during a playoff loss to the Saints on Jan. 7. The NFL and Players Association announced that the Panthers’ medical staff correctly followed concussion-protocol guidelines. The league released a statement saying it reviewed game footage and medical reports, as well as statements and interviews with Newton and coach Ron Rivera, before making its determination that “there was no protocol violation.” ... Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell said he and the team are making progress on a contract extension. The Steelers presented an initial offer and Bell, who turned down a longterm contract in 2017, said the two parties “are a lot closer than we were last year.” ... Joe Philbin, a Packers assistant from 2003 until 2012, was hired as offensive coordinator, a job he held for his final five seasons before being named the Dolphins’ head coach in January 2012. On defense, the Packers tabbed Mike Pettine, the exBrowns coach who built successful defenses with the Jets and Bills but was largely out of football the last two years. He served as a consultant with the Seahawks in 2017 . ... Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley will fill that same position for the Browns next season.
SOCCER: According to reports, David Beckham and his partners are planning a Monday event to formally announce Miami’s new MLS team, as well as its name and logo. The group is expecting the team to make its debut in 2020.
TENNIS: Serena Williams will return to tournament play at the BNP Paribas Open, which runs March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif. It will be the first tournament in 14 months for Williams, who gave birth to her first child in September . ... Michael Stich and Helena Sukova were elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They will be inducted July 21.
NEW YORK — Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman — a member of the inaugural Florida Marlins — have been elected to the baseball Hall of Fame.
Designated hitter Edgar Martinez came close after a grass-roots campaign to boost him. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both tainted by the steroid scandals, edged up but again fell far short.
Hoffman was chosen in his third year. The former San Diego Padres closer had 601 saves, second all-time to Mariano Rivera’s 652.
Hoffman started his major league career with the Marlins, who chose him off the Cincinnati Reds’ roster in the expansion draft before the 1993 season, the Marlins’ first. He had two saves and a 3.28 ERA in 28 relief appearances for Florida before being traded to the Padres in the June deal that brought Gary Sheffield to South Florida.
Jones and Thome made it 54 players elected in their first year of eligibility by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Jones drew 97.2 percent (410 of 422) in results announced Wednesday, and Thome was at 89.8 percent.
“It was waterworks,” Jones said after hearing the vote.
Jones was an eight-time All-Star third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. The switch-hitter batted .303 with 468 home runs.
Jones was a force for most of the Atlanta teams that won 14 straight division titles — his election puts another member of those Braves clubs in Cooperstown, along with pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz.
Thome hit 612 home runs, putting him eighth on the career list. The five-time All-Star played mostly for the Cleveland Indians.
Guerrero was elected in his second try, getting 92.9 percent. The nine-time AllStar slugger played half his career with the Montreal Expos. The outfielder was a notorious bad-ball hitter, batting .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs.
The four new members will be inducted on July 29. They will be joined by Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell, who were picked last month by a committee that considered older players and executives.
Staff writer Tim Healey and the Associated Press contributed to this report.