ALABAMA’S JONES INJURES ANKLE AT SENIOR BOWL
MOBILE, ALA.» Alabama quarterback Mac Jones injured his left ankle Thursday in a Senior Bowl practice and said he wasn’t sure of his status for the game.
Jones didn’t finish the practice, the final one before the game Saturday. The Heisman Trophy finalist, who led the Crimson Tide to the national championship, said “there’s a chance” he will sit out the game.
“I just have to see how I feel,” Jones said. “I’m not going to go out there if I’m not 100%. It’s not fair to my teammates to not be 100% and try to play and not play well.”
Tanaka leaves Yankees, rejoins former team to pitch in Japan.
TOKYO» Masahiro Tanaka is returning to pitch for his former team in Japan after seven seasons with the New York Yankees. The Rakuten Eagles of the Pacific League said Thursday the 32-year-old free agent had signed a two-year contract. Local media reported the deal was worth almost $9 million annually.
“WELCOME HOME our HERO !!!! ” the Eagles posted on Twitter.
Flames temporarily relocating AHL team to Canada.
The Calgary Flames are temporarily relocating their American Hockey League affiliate from California to north of the border due to cross-border travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19.
The team announced Thursday that the Stockton Heat will play this season in Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome. That will give the Flames easier access to their players during the pandemic.
Brewers’ Goodrum 1st female minor league hitting coordinator.
MILWAUKEE» Sara Goodrum has been promoted to minor league hitting coordinator by the Milwaukee Brewers, apparently making her the first woman to have that role in any Major League Baseball organization. Goodrum’s official new title with the Brewers is coordinator for hitting development initiatives, but she essentially will be filling the role of a minor league hitting coordinator. Brewers vice president of minor league operations Tom Flanagan said Thursday that “to our knowledge, she would be the first” woman to hold that position in an MLB organization.
Army coach Magarity to retire at end of season.
Army women’s basketball coach Dave Magarity will retire at the end of the season, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press.
Magarity, who turned 71 this past Tuesday, has coached over 1,000 games in his 40-plus years in men’s and women’s basketball. Earlier this month, Magarity coached against his daughter, Maureen, who is the head coach of Holy Cross. She won both of the games they played. This was the first coaching matchup of a father and daughter in Division I history.
Japan withdraws from SheBelieves Cup.
The Japanese women’s national soccer team has withdrawn from the SheBelieves Cup tournament next month in Florida, citing the coronavirus outbreak in Japan.
Argentina will now join the United States, Canada and Brazil in the tournament, which runs from Feb. 18-24 at Exploria Stadium in Orlando. Argentina will take Japan’s spot in the schedule, opening with Brazil.
A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend doubleheaders over three days of competition.
Kentucky Derby winner Authentic wins Horse of the Year honor.
Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic was honored as Horse of the Year at the 50th annual Eclipse Awards on Thursday night.
The ceremony was held virtually because of COVID-19.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Authentic also won 3-year-old male honors. The colt won five of seven starts last year, including a 1 ¼ -length victory in the Kentucky Derby over odds-on favorite Tiz the Law.