USC will keep Helton as head coach

America’s Cup skipper suffers serious injury

USC hired Clay Helton as its head football coach Monday, removing the interim tag from his title five days before the Trojans face Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game.

Helton, 43, guided the Trojans (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12) to five victories and a Pac-12 South title in his seven-week tenure after taking over for Steve Sarkisian, making him 6-2 in two interim stints at USC over the past three years.

“I totally understand that I am not a flashy name, but I don’t want to be flashy,” said Helton, who got a fiveyear contract in his first full-time head-coaching job. “I never have been, and never will be.”

Helton had been an assistant at USC since 2010, working as the offensive coordinator under Lane Kiffin and Sarkisian.

Sailing

America’s Cup skipper Franck Cammas of Groupama Team France was seriously injured when he fell off his high performance catamaran, and the rudder sliced into his right ankle. The newspaper Le Telegramme reported that Cammas had an open fracture at the bottom of the right tibia, leaving the foot “partially severed.” According to a statement on Team France’s website, Cammas went overboard while the catamaran was going full speed in 17 knots of wind during training.

Baseball

The Detroit Tigers announced a $110 million, five-year contract with freeagent pitcher Jordan Zimmermann. The 29-year-old right-hander gets $18 million in each of the next two seasons, $24 million in 2018 and $25 million in each of the final two years. He has a full-no trade provision through 2018, then can be dealt to 10 teams without his permission during 201920. Zimmermann went 13-10 with a 3.66 ERA last season for Washington. The previous year, he went 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA.

Right-handed reliever n Jim Johnson agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. Johnson saved nine games for the Braves last season before he was dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline.

The A’s outrighted left-hander Fernando Abad and outfielder Craig Gentry to Triple-A Nashville. Both were designated for assignment Nov. 20 and cleared outright waivers Monday.

A full postseason share for the World Series champion Kansas City Royals was worth $370,069, just under the record $388,606 set by the Giants last year. The New York Mets set a record for a World Series loser with a full share at $300,758.