TALKING POINTS
Brewers acquire LHP Bryan Hudson after Dodgers designate him for assignment
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers acquired Bryan Hudson from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Justin Chambers on Wednesday in an exchange of left-handed pitchers.
Los Angeles also will receive either cash or a player to be named.
Hudson, 26, went 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA in six appearances for the Dodgers last season with seven strikeouts and four walks in 8.2 innings. Los Angeles designated Hudson for assignment last week to make room on their roster for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese right-hander who signed a $325 million, 12-year contract.
The 6-foot-8 Hudson spent most of the 2023 season in the minors and had a 6-2 record and 2.43 ERA in 46 appearances with 86 strikeouts and 26 walks over 55.2 innings with the Dodgers’ Triple-A Oklahoma City affiliate.
Hudson’s 46 outings with Oklahoma City last season included eight starts.
Chambers, 18, was selected by the Brewers in the 20th round of last year’s amateur draft.
Malloe promoted to defensive coordinator by UCLA
LOS ANGELES — Ikaika Malloe has been promoted to defensive coordinator by UCLA coach Chip Kelly.
Malloe was the defensive line coach this season and coached linebackers and served as special teams coordinator in 2022. He has five years of defensive coordinator experience, including two as co-coordinator for Washington.
“Ikaika has a track record of developing NFL talent on the field and outstanding young men off it,” Kelly said in a statement Wednesday. “I am excited to watch this next step for him and our team.”
Malloe is largely credited for the development of All-America defensive lineman Laiatu Latu, who was UCLA’s first Lombardi Award winner. Latu led the nation in tackles for loss (1.8 per game).
Malloe will be UCLA’s fourth defensive coordinator since 2021. He replaces D’Anton Lynn, who went across town to Southern California after the Bruins finished 10th nationally in total defense and second in rushing defense.
Longtime assistant Jerry Azzinaro led the defense during Kelly’s first four seasons in Westwood. Bill McGovern took over in 2022, but passed away due to cancer last year.
UCLA was 8-5 in its final season in the Pac-12. It joins the Big Ten next
season.
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins expressed regret Shohei Ohtani turned down Toronto
TORONTO — Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins expressed regret Shoehei Ohtani turned down Toronto after meeting with the team and chose to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Atkins for the first time confirmed Ohtani visited Toronto’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, but wouldn’t say whether the meeting occurred on Dec. 4, when Atkins spoke reporters at the winter meetings via Zoom rather than in person in Nashville, Tennessee. Ohtani announced his agreement with the Dodgers five days later.
“We were obviously very disappointed with the outcome and it was a very difficult phone call to receive, one of the more difficult ones in my career,” Atkins said Wednesday. “At the same time, (it was an) incredible process and group effort and collaboration that I feel so good about, not only that process but what it meant to be in that position for the organization, for the city, for the country. There’s no doubt in my mind he was exceptionally attracted to this country, this city, this team. We felt incredible about the process, but we moved on.”
Ohtani also met with the San Francisco Giants, who said they made an offer comparable to the one he agreed to with the Dodgers.
Luke Littler, 16, loses World Darts Championship final to end stunning run
Luke Littler’s history-making run at the World Darts Championship ended Wednesday after the 16-year-old sensation was beaten 7-4 in the final by Luke Humphries.
The unseeded Littler would have become the youngest-ever winner of darts’ biggest prize, but lost an epic match at the Alexandra Palace in London.
At one point the teenager had the chance to take a 5-2 lead, but world No. 1 Humphries came back to win five straight sets and his first world title.
As runner-up, Littler won 200,000 pounds ($250,000) in prize money and looks likely to contend for major titles for years to come. He made history by becoming youngest finalist.
Humphries was the No.3 seed for the tournament and went into it on the back of winning three major titles in the space of two months.
He will pick up the top prize of 500,000 pounds ($630,000) for Wednesday’s win.
Firefighters put out large fire at the home of Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and his family are safe after fire rescue crews responded to a large fire at his South Florida home Wednesday afternoon.
The house, which is located in Southwest Ranches about 30 miles northwest of Miami, was shown Wednesday on local station WSVN 7 News with a large amount of black smoke coming out of the roof as firefighters doused it with water.
Hill had been at Dolphins practice as Miami prepares for its regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but he left after being told about the fire.
Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus told reporters that some family members were home at the time of the fire.
“He and his family are safe,” Rosenhaus said. “No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in the home. Obviously, there’ll be some smoke and water damage. It’s very difficult for anybody obviously to have your home catch on fire, but Tyreek was handling it, he and his family, with as much poise as you could hope.”
Rosenhaus said Hill will not comment at this time, that the cause remains under investigation and that it was largely contained to one room.
Mayfield has sore ribs but is determined to be ready to help Bucs pursue NFC South title
TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield has sore ribs and did not practice Wednesday, but the Tampa Bay quarterback says he’ll do everything he can to be ready to try to help the Buccaneers clinch a division title and playoff berth against the Carolina Panthers.
Mayfield was injured last week when he took a late hit after releasing a pass on a 2-point conversion attempt in the final two minutes of a 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The defeat kept the Bucs (8-8) from clinching a third consecutive division title. They’ll get another shot at it Sunday against the Panthers (2-14).
“Pretty sore, but I’ll be good. It’s just one of those things — it’s tender,” Mayfield said. “I’ve dealt with rib injuries before, but rest and just (time) as the week goes on helps.”
Instead of a normal mid-week practice, the Bucs held a walkthrough session Wednesday. But coach Todd Bowles said if the team had practiced, Mayfield would not have participated.
“I know he’s going to do everything he can to play. I’m not a doctor, I can’t feel what Baker is feeling, so I can’t tell you how he’s going to feel (or) if he’s able to play,” Bowles said. “If he can play, I know he’s going to try and play.”
If Mayfield doesn’t play, the Bucs will turn to third-year backup Kyle Trask.
Alabama center McLaughlin enters transfer portal after high-profile misfires
Alabama center Seth McLaughlin, who struggled with errant snaps against Michigan in the College Football Playoffs, has entered the transfer portal.
McLaughlin started all 14 games in his fourth season with the Crimson Tide, who lost to the Wolverines 27-20 in the Rose Bowl. But his snap was low on the final fourth-down play, when quarterback Jalen Milroe was stopped trying to run up the middle.
McLaughlin also had two poor snaps on a drive early in the second half, a problem that had crept up multiple times during the season. He didn’t speak to reporters after the Rose Bowl, but Milroe was asked why the snaps were still an issue.
“With anything it takes preparation, whether it’s pass protection, whether it’s the running game, the passing game,” Milroe said. “The quarterback and the center have to have a great relationship and that’s something that we tried to build throughout the whole season.
“There’s a multitude of things that me and Seth talk about in that regard. That’s something that we do talk about.”
McLaughlin started 25 games over the past three seasons and got into two games in 2020.
Vikings will start Nick Mullens at QB for finale vs. Lions
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings will start quarterback Nick Mullens in their final regular-season game, with their bid for the playoffs nearly exhausted by persistent problems at the vital position.
Coach Kevin O’Connell announced his decision before practice on Wednesday. The Vikings play at Detroit on Sunday, needing a win and three other NFC games to go their way to convert a postseason long shot.
Mullens replaced rookie Jaren Hall after halftime in last week’s loss to Green Bay, after an interception and a fumble by Hall each set up a Packers touchdown. That was the fifth quarterback switch in nine games for the Vikings, starting with the torn Achilles tendon for Kirk Cousins that uprooted everything.
Hall was the first sub for Cousins, but a concussion forced him out of his first start. Joshua Dobbs gave the Vikings a brief spark, but he threw four interceptions in a loss to Chicago on Nov. 27 and was pulled from a scoreless game in his next appearance. Mullens took it from there, but he was picked off four times by Detroit on Dec. 24.