Dickey agrees to $8 million deal with Braves
ATLANTA — R.A. Dickey was won over by an Atlanta Braves sales team that included two Hall of Famers. Dickey said he knew the Braves would be a good fit after meeting in Nashville with a group that included manager Brian Snitker, general manager John Coppolella and two Hall of Famers — former manager
Bobby Cox and knuckleballer Phil Niekro. “I had a great feeling then there was great hope I would be able to join the organization,” Dickey said Thursday after agreeing to a one-year contract with an $8 million guarantee. He considers Niekro to be part of the “Jedi council of knuckleballers” who influenced his career. “Phil and I have a good relationship,” Dickey said. “I consider him a friend. We filmed a documentary together.” He gets a $7.5 million salary next year, and the Braves have an $8 million option for 2018 with a $500,000 buyout. The deal for the 42-year-old right-hander, the first of the 157 free agents to switch teams this offseason, is subject to a successful physical, tentatively planned for late next week. Dickey had a career-high 20 wins and won the NL Cy Young in 2012, his final season with the New York Mets. The right-hander spent the last four years with the Toronto Blue Jays, going 10-15 with a 4.46 ERA this year.
FOOTBALL
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WACO, Texas — Billionaire businessman Drayton McLane, whose name adorns the Baylor University football stadium, said Thursday he wants to see fired football coach Art Briles’ honor “restored” and any evidence that led to his dismissal publicly released by the school’s board of regents. McLane and a group of influential alumni and donors called “Bears for Leadership Reform” met across the Brazos River from McLane Stadium in Waco to demand more transparency from school regents, including the release of what was uncovered by an investigation into how the school handled sexual assaults. The group insisted its goal isn’t to bring back Briles or focus on the football program, but to remove a cloak of secrecy surrounding board meetings, the investigation and its findings. McLane stopped short of calling for Briles’ return, but defended his integrity. “I just want to see his honor restored,” McLane said. “The Baylor family and the public needs to know the truth. Art and the other people involved in this need for the facts to come out.”
NASCAR
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR driver Brian Scott plans to retire after next week’s season finale to spend more time with his family. Scott is 28 and has been racing at NASCAR’s national level since 2007. He has two young children. Albertsons Companies, Scott’s longtime sponsor, said it would terminate its NASCAR program after the season. However, Richard Petty Motorsports plans to field the No. 44 that Scott drove with a new sponsor and another driver. Scott raced in the Truck Series through 2009, the Xfinity Series from 2010 until 2015 and joined RPM in the Cup Series this season.
BASKETBALL
ATLANTA — With two stadiums already under construction and plans for a major arena renovation, the Atlanta metro area is getting yet another new sports facility. The Hawks announced Thursday they are bringing an NBA Development League team to College Park, an inner suburb that is home to Atlanta’s massive airport. The D-League team will play at a 3,500seat arena to be built adjacent to the Georgia International Convention Center. The cost of the project and how it will be funded were not been revealed by College Park officials, but the Hawks said they will be tenants in a city-owned facility. The new team will begin play in the 2019-20 season.