Off the wire

FOOTBALL

Bills to sign Incognito

The Buffalo Bills are prepared to give Richie Incognito a second chance after the offensive guard’s career was derailed by the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal in 2013. In a two-sentence release Saturday night, the Bills said they reached an agreement in principle to sign Incognito. He was a free agent and had been out of football since being suspended and missing the final eight games of the 2013 season. The discipline came after an NFL investigation determined Incognito and two other Dolphins offensive linemen engaged in persistent harassment of teammate Jonathan

Martin, who left the team. Martin spent last season with San Francisco. Incognito has nine seasons of NFL experience, and briefly played for the Bills in 2009. The Bills have a need at guard, after they went through numerous starters last season. He joins a team in transition under new Coach Rex Ryan, who was hired last month after Doug

Marrone opted out of his contract. Ryan, coincidentally, used the word “bully” in vowing he wanted to build a tough team, during his introductory news conference in Buffalo.

BASKETBALL

Paul fined for comments

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing a referee after the team’s 105-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Rod Thorn, the NBA’s president of basketball operations, announced the fine Saturday. The $25,000 fine is the standard amount for the public criticism of an NBA official. Paul criticized a call made by referee Lauren Holtkamp after the game, but later said his comments had nothing to do with Holtkamp being a woman. “You know, last night was about a bad call, that’s all,” Paul said. Paul received a technical foul from Holtkamp during the third quarter after the Clippers were too quick in attempting an inbound pass after a free throw by the Cavaliers. Paul disagreed with the call, saying it was “ridiculous.” The implication that Paul was criticizing Holtkamp’s officiating because of her gender drew a rebuke from the NBA Referees Association, which posted to its Twitter account that it “deplores the personal and unprofessional comments made by Chris Paul.” The union also tweeted that Holtkamp’s calls during the game were “fully justified.” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said he didn’t think Paul’s comments were “a gender issue at all.”

The Sacramento Kings are engaged in intense conversations with George Karl about their head coaching position, multiple sources have told The Sacramento Bee. Assistant Tyrone Corbin replaced Michael Malone on Dec. 14 after the Kings faltered to a 2-8 record during DeMarcus Cousins’ absence because of viral meningitis. The plan was to have Corbin complete the season, conduct an extensive coaching search, and give the incoming coach the benefit of an entire offseason and training camp. Besides Karl, an ESPN analyst who is known for improving franchises, particularly in Denver, Seattle and Milwaukee, the list of future candidates is known to include current NBA assistants Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillan, along with head coaches whose job security is thought to be tenuous, among them Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks. But the Kings’ ongoing slump — and jarring absence of competitiveness — has prompted principal owner Vivek Ranadive and his front office, headed by General Manager Pete D’Alessandro, to move more quickly.

BASEBALL

Mexico moves to final

Terance Marin pitched six strong innings and Mexico beat the Dominican Republic 5-4 on Saturday to advance to the Caribbean Series final in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Looking for its third consecutive title and fourth in five years, Mexico (3-2) faces today the winner of the late Venezuela-Cuba game. Marin (2-0) allowed 2 runs on 5 hits with 3 strikeouts and 1 walk. Ali Solis drove in two runs, Jose Manuel Rodriguez scored twice and Jay Jackson recorded his first save of the tournament.

The Cincinnati Reds have added two right-handed pitchers to their bullpen, agreeing to a one-year deal with Burke Badenhop that guarantees him $2.5 million and giving Kevin Gregg a minor league contract. Badenhop, who turns 32 on Monday, was 0-3 with a 2.29 ERA and one save in 70 relief appearances for Boston last year. He is 18-23 in seven big league seasons that included stints with Florida (2008-2011), Tampa Bay (2012) and Milwaukee (2013). Badenhop gets $1 million this year under Saturday’s agreement, which includes a mutual option for 2016 at $4 million with a $1.5 million buyout. He can earn $250,000 in performance bonuses for games pitched: $50,000 for 45, and $100,000 apiece for 50 and 55. If the option is exercised, he also could earn the bonuses in 2016. Gregg, 36, had a 10.00 ERA in 10 games last year in his second stint with the Marlins, when he started the season in Miami’s minor league system and then needed surgery in August to remove bone chips from his pitching elbow. He is 30-44 in 12 seasons, also pitching for the Angels (2003-06), the Marlins (2007-2008), the Chicago Cubs (2009, 2013), Toronto (2010) and Baltimore (2011-12).

Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker is getting a raise, just not the one he wanted. An arbitration panel sided Saturday with the Pirates in their case against Walker, who was seeking a pay bump to $9 million in 2015. The 29-year-old Walker instead will receive $8 million under the decision by Gil Vernon, Steven Wolf and Mark Burstein. Walker made $5.75 million last year. Walker led NL second baseman with a career-best 23 home runs in 2014. Walker hit .271 with 76 RBI in 137 games for the Pirates, who claimed a second consecutive wild-card berth.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Jarrod Parker has lost his salary arbitration case after missing the entire 2014 season. Parker was given an $850,000 salary on Saturday by Elizabeth Neumeier, Robert Herzog and Mark Irvings instead of his request for $1.7 million. The sides argued their positions a day earlier. A 26-year-old right-hander, Parker was sidelined after getting hurt during spring training and having elbow ligament-replacement surgery for the second time. Parker made his big league debut with one appearance in 2011 and is 25-16 with a 3.68 ERA in 62 starts. A first-round pick selected ninth by Arizona in 2007, Parker was obtained from the Diamondbacks in a December 2011 trade that sent All-Star Trevor Cahill and reliever Craig Breslow to Arizona.

GOLF

Senior Women’s Open set

The USGA will conduct a U.S. Senior Women’s Open starting in 2018. USGA executive director Mike Davis said Saturday that the increasing number of top players who are getting closer to 50 made it practical to add a national championship for senior women. The USGA already has a U.S. Senior Open that men have participated in since 1980. For years, the likes of Nancy Lopez, Pat Bradley and Amy Alcott didn’t have a USGA championship to play as professionals. The only USGA event for 50-and-older women was the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur. This makes 14 national championships conducted by the USGA. Still to be determined for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open is where it will be played in 2018 and the size of the field.