Canha all but confirms he’ll leave the Athletics
Leaving the A’s will hit Mark Canha harder than any of the other 11 free agents who’ll likely leave Oakland after the team signaled a rebuild is coming this off-season.
Born and raised in San Jose before playing at Cal, Canha signaled he won’t be back in Oakland, where he’s spent his entire sevenyear major league career.
“I mean it was really special. We had such a talented and fun group,” Canha said in a foreboding interview on MLB radio Tuesday. “You couldn’t help but have fun as a member of the Oakland A’s the past few years. And Bob Melvin certainly made that easy.
“I’m gonna miss those guys … it was a good ride.”
There’s been no indication Canha is close to signing a deal, but it almost assuredly won’t be in Oakland, considering MLB Trade Rumors projects he’ll land a two-year, $24M contract somewhere.
NFL
SANTOS’ GAME-ENDING FG ENDS BEARS’ SKID » Cairo Santos made a 28-yard game-ending field goal to give the Chicago Bears a 16-14 win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday.
The Bears (4-7) ended a five-game losing streak under embattled coach Matt Nagy, who was answering questions about his job status less than 48 hours before kickoff.
The Lions (0-10-1) made many mistakes, early and late, to extend their skid to 15 games going back to their most recent win nearly a year ago in Chicago.
Andy Dalton, starting in place of injured rookie Justin Fields, led the Bears on an 18-play, 69-yard drive that took the final 8:30 off the clock.
Women’s basketball
NO. 7 STANFORD 69, NO. 4 INDIANA 66 » Cameron Brink had 21 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks to help seventh-ranked Stanford edge No. 4 Indiana 69-66 at the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship tournament.
Brink, who set a career high on the boards, also added five assists for the Cardinal (4-1) and made one of two free throws with 6.8 seconds left to make it a three-point game.
Indiana had one last chance, but Ali Patberg’s 3-pointer was off the mark.
With the Cardinal clinging to a 61-59 lead with 4:33 left, Brink scored to start a 6-0 run that gave the Cardinal an eightpoint lead with 2:19 to go. The Hoosiers (4-1) had gone without a field goal for 5:19 before Aleksa Gulbe swished a 3-pointer from the wing with 37.5 seconds left that made it 68-66.
College football
MICHIGAN STATE GIVES TUCKER A $95 MILLION, 10YEAR DEAL» Michigan State is giving Mel Tucker a $95 million, 10-year contract, making an aggressive move to keep a football coach who potentially could have left for LSU or the NFL.
The 12th-ranked Spartans (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) close the regular season against Penn State (7-4, 4-4) on Saturday at home.
Tucker’s contract establishes him as one of the riches coaches in college football.
Only Alabama’s Nick Saban, one of his mentors, who makes $9,753,221 a year, is paid more on an annual basis, according to the USA Today coaches’ salaries database.
Soccer
CANADA-US WORLD CUP QUALIFIER SLATED FOR JAN.
30» Tim Hortons Field, an outdoor venue with artificial turf nicknamed “The Donut Box” in Hamilton, Ontario, will be the site of Canada’s home World Cup qualifier against the United States in January, the Canadian Soccer Association said Thursday.
The Jan. 30 game will be the first home match for the Canadian men in Hamilton, which averages a high of 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-1 Celsius) and a low of 18 (minus-8) on that date.
When Canada beat Mexico on Nov. 16 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, the temperature at kickoff was 16 (minus-9).