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Beltran, Cardinals agree to 2-year deal (AP)
Beltran, Cardinals agree to 2-year deal (AP)
ST. LOUIS (AP)—Carlos Beltran and the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a two-year contract pending results of a physical, a move that would fortify the team’s lineup following the departure of Albert Pujols. The team disclosed the agreement Thursday night and said it expects to make a formal announcement shortly after the holidays. KMOX, the Cardinals’ flagship radio station, reported the deal is for $26 million over two years—the same figure cited by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial details of the agreement were not announced by the team. The 34-year-old Beltran batted .300 with 22 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .385 on-base percentage for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants this year. He likely will be the opening-day right fielder for the Cardinals next season. Lance Berkman is expected to move to first base, taking Pujols’ spot. Beltran and Berkman are switch-hitters, giving new manager Mike Matheny lineup flexibility. Earlier this month, St. Louis re-signed shortstop Rafael Furcal to a two-year, $14 million contract and added left-handed reliever J.C. Romero with a one-year, $750,000 deal. The Cardinals appear to need only a few spare parts to finalize the roster. After Pujols signed a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said he expected his team’s payroll to perhaps exceed this year’s total of $110 million. Allen Craig, coming off an impressive postseason, gives the Cardinals another strong option in the outfield but will miss at least the first month of the season while recovering from knee surgery. A six-time All-Star, Beltran began his career with the cross-state Royals in 1998, three years after Kansas City drafted him in the second round. The switch-hitter has a .283 career batting average with 302 home runs and 1,146 RBIs. “Beltran is a proven outfielder who obviously has been a tough opponent against the Cardinals for many years,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement. “It is going to be nice to have his bat and competitive nature working for us instead of on the other side of the field for the next couple of years.” Beltran faced the Cardinals in a pair of NL championship series, in 2004 with Houston and 2006 with the Mets. St. Louis won both series despite several big hits by Beltran. With a chance to put the Mets in the World Series, however, he struck out looking to end Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright. ——— AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.
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Edwards could be guy to end second-place curse (NASCAR.com)
Edwards could be guy to end second-place curse (NASCAR.com)
Karma could be on Cousin Carl’s side. It has been 10 years since the driver who finished second in a Sprint Cup season went on to claim the championship in the following season. Carl Edwards, who lost this year’s championship in a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart, plans to buck the decade-long trend in 2012. He said everyone in and around his No. 99 Ford team—from the manufacturer itself to Roush Fenway Racing team owners John Henry and Jack Roush—are already thinking about how they’re going to get it done. “Everyone is pretty pumped up. [Attending the end-of-year banquet] was the last thing about 2011. Now it’s all about 2012,” Edwards said. “Ford’s pumped. John Henry and the Fenway Group guys are pumped and ready to do some neat things with Ford on the marketing side. Jack’s ready to go. He’s thinking motor oil and gear ratios and rocker-arm ratios already. I mean, he’s ready to rock.” If Edwards can take that next step in 2012, he will become the first driver since Stewart to accomplish it. Stewart finished second to Jeff Gordon in the Cup standings in 2001, and then came back to earn his first of what is now three titles in 2002. That may be part of the karma that makes it appear Edwards has a strong shot, but more importantly, most of the remainder of it rests in his own head. What might have been? After technically tying Stewart for this year’s championship, only to lose out on the tiebreaker [Stewart posted five race wins this season to Edwards’ one], Edwards admitted he has been spending some sleepless nights thinking about how and when he could have gained that one extra point that would have made the difference. Under the new NASCAR points system introduced prior to last season, all it would have taken is one more pass, one more improved position in the Chase. “There were a lot of places where I could have gotten one point. Of course. But you can’t go back and change that,” Edwards said. “And truly, we did try. It wasn’t like we had an off day down the stretch where we said, ‘Wow. We really screwed that up.’ We were on it. “Pit-road speeding at Dover [in the third of 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races] was probably the biggest mistake we made, and we still recovered from that in a huge manner. I was really proud of that.” Edwards didn’t win in the Chase, but he did finish second in each of the final three races at Texas, Phoenix and in the season finale at Homestead, where he qualified on the pole. He lost out on the championship because Stewart won two of those three and five of 10 overall in the Chase, including Homestead. “That’s the one thing that’s nice about this. It’s not like I missed a gear or screwed up qualifying at Homestead, or did something wrong,” Edwards said. “I felt like we kept our heads in the game until the checkered flag and it just didn’t work out for us.” Recent history Edwards is well aware of the recent history of second-place finishers in the standings suffering setbacks the following year. Denny Hamlin, winner of a series-high eight races in 2010, struggled mightily in 2011 and finished ninth, winning only one race. Mark Martin, runner-up in 2009 with five race wins, finished 13th in points and failed to win a single race in 2010. Then there is Edwards’ own experience. He won a series-high nine races in 2008 and thought he was poised to win it all the next season. Instead, he didn’t win a single race in 2009 and placed a disappointing 11th in points. Edwards remembers the frustration of 2009 all too well. But he said, at age 32 and married now with two children, he also has learned to keep everything in racing in proper perspective. “Here’s the deal: I’ve learned to think of this not only not in terms of each race or even each season. This is a career. This is a lifetime career path that I’m on, and I want to get better all the time,” Edwards said. “And my mission is to be able to look back on this season and look at our run as a stepping stone—as something that helped me learn and become better. “And I’m going to treat next season just like I treated that last race: I’m not going to let someone or something slow me down and cause me to make mistakes. We’re going to go out and do the best that we can—and I swear to you right here: if we don’t run well next season, it won’t be because we got messed up in the head over not winning. We’re truly going out there and focusing on what’s important. That’s not just because of me. I’ve got truly good people around me who will keep reminding me.” One of those is his wife, Kate. “She’s said, ‘You’re good. You can beat these guys.’ I think without that support, I might be worried. But I’m not,” Edwards said. One other piece of karma that Edwards appears to have going for him: Stewart said it’s only a matter of time until Edwards wins the first of what Stewart figures will be multiple Cup championships. Edwards obviously hopes that Stewart is right, and that his time is up in 2012. The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. Watch all of Edwards’ highlights from the 2011 season:
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Dodoo to head Ghana Olympic Committee (AP)
Dodoo to head Ghana Olympic Committee (AP)
ACCRA, Ghana (AP)—Former African triple jump champion Francis Dodoo was named the new president of the troubled Ghana Olympic Committee on Sunday following an unruly election process marred by claims of fraud and watched over by armed guards. The 51-year-old Dodoo, who competed at the 1992 and ’96 Olympic Games, has pledged to bring stability to the GOC after Ghana was suspended from the International Olympic Committee earlier this year because of government interference. But soon after Dodoo won the election, Frank Appiah—who was voted out as first vice president—told The Associated Press he would be part of a group filing protest with the IOC, saying the vote was “not properly conducted” and held when some of the candidates had left the congress venue. Ghana was suspended by the IOC in January after then-president B.T. Baba was voted out in favor of Dodoo in an election allegedly influenced by Ghana’s government, which apparently favored Dodoo. Ghana made changes to its legislation to adhere to IOC rules—which do not allow governments to interfere in the elections of sports bodies—and the country was readmitted to the Olympic body in August on condition it hold a new vote. The latest vote, which started on Saturday and ran into the early hours of Sunday, was overseen by Joao Manuel da Costa Alegre Afonso of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, who was an observer for the IOC. Afonso was forced to suspend the session late on Saturday, with delegates shouting at each other over disagreements with nominations for various positions and armed security guards watching to keep order during the congress in an Accra hotel. The session resumed after 2 1/2 hours to elect Dodoo—the head of the Ghana Athletics Association—as GOC president. Dodoo won 38 votes against two for Kojo Adu-Asare and none for Emile Missodey in results announced on Sunday. Baba was stepping down as president and not on the ballot. Deborah Cubagee was elected first vice president with 39 votes to one for Appiah, but Appiah claimed afterward the voting process was unfair. “We shall make a protest to the IOC because the election was held after some of us who had nominated ourselves to stand for position had left the congress grounds,” he said.
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Clijsters tops No. 1 Wozniacki in return (AP)
Clijsters tops No. 1 Wozniacki in return (AP)
BRUSSELS (AP)—Kim Clijsters has returned from a four-month injury layoff, defeating top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 7-6 (5) in an exhibition. In front of some 10,000 home fans Thursday at the Antwerp Sports Palace in Belgium, Clijsters proved she has recovered from the stomach muscle injury that forced her off the tour in August. She will leave for Australia in two weeks and plans to defend her Australian Open title next month. Clijsters is hoping to highlight her farewell season with a gold medal on grass at the London Olympics.
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Kansas hires Weis as coach (AP)
Kansas hires Weis as coach (AP)
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)—Charlie Weis’ first try at being a college head coach ended in disaster, the longtime NFL assistant unable to live up to the lofty expectations at Notre Dame. He’ll get another chance at a program with much more modest aspirations. Weis accepted an offer to coach Kansas on Thursday, and will set about rebuilding a program that won the Orange Bowl just a few years ago but floundered under Turner Gill. Weis will be introduced during a news conference Friday. The longtime NFL assistant is wrapping up his first season as offensive coordinator at Florida after spending one season directing the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense. But his most extensive college experience came with the Fighting Irish, where he went 35-27 in five seasons. The 55-year-old Weis helped the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls on the staff of Bill Belichick, and also spent time with the New York Jets and New York Giants. “There aren’t many opportunities you get to be a head coach,” Florida coach Will Muschamp said. “I know Charlie, the last one didn’t end the way he wanted it to. He’s an outstanding football coach. He’s a family man, and I’m extremely happy for him and his wife and Hannah and Charlie Jr.” Kansas Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger is hopeful that Weis’ high profile will energize a fan base that had grown apathetic under Gill, who was fired after going 5-19 in just two seasons. School officials would not disclose the terms of Weis’ contract. Gill signed a five-year deal that guaranteed him $10 million, which means the school is on the hook for roughly $6 million after firing him. Weis was making about $800,000 per year with the Gators. It was little secret that Weis wasn’t fond of Kansas City during his time with the Chiefs, and he moved on to the Gators in part so that he could be near his son, who is also on the football staff. He bought a horse farm in nearby Ocala, and has several health issues that include possibly needing hip surgery after the season that could make it difficult to jump right into recruiting. Still, the opportunity to rebuild the Jayhawks appears to be enough of a challenge. “In the recent days, he was contacted about the job and we talked about it and he told me it was an opportunity he wanted to take, and I support him 1,000 percent,” Muschamp said. “Any time, and our profession is no different than the business world, when you’re able to take a step up, I support it. “I asked him, I said, `Is this something you’re really interested in doing?’ He said, `Yeah, I want to talk to `em. If I wasn’t interested, I would not talk,”’ Muschamp said. “So I said, `I support you 100 percent if that’s what you want to do. I think that’s great.’ Now, when guys make parallel moves, I don’t necessarily agree with that. When guys can further their career, I think it’s great.” Weis was considered one of the bright stars of coaching when he took over at Notre Dame, his alma mater. The Bill Parcells disciple had a successful debut and was rewarded with a 10-year extension, but when the program didn’t progress, he was fired with six years remaining. He initially received a “termination payment” of about $6.6 million, but was to receive smaller annual payments through 2015. Zenger rarely spoke publicly about the job search, preferring to keep his cards close to the vest. It was rumored that he was interested in longtime friend Mike Leach, who decided to return to coaching at Washington State, along with coaches like Kevin Sumlin at Houston and Larry Fedora at Southern Miss. Established assistants like Gus Malzahn also were rumored to be in the running. In the end, Zenger’s first major hire since arriving at Kansas turns out to be someone whose stock has suffered since his difficult tenure in South Bend, where he put together some of the nation’s top recruiting classes but failed to turn them into national championship contenders. Of course, expectations will be much lower at Kansas. The Jayhawks beat Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl in 2007, but for the most part the program has had a bleak history. Mark Mangino was considered extremely successful despite going just 49-48 during seven seasons in charge, and he left Kansas in shambles. Gill struggled mightily, going 3-9 in his first season and 2-10 this past season. Weis will have some talented players to build around, particularly on offense, where a young stable of running backs showed promise. But his offenses have also been built around the quarterback, and sophomore Jordan Webb struggled with consistency much of the season. It’s unclear whether Weis will attempt to get Dayne Crist to come to Kansas. The quarterback was recruited to Notre Dame by Weis, but fell out of favor with his successor, Brian Kelly. Crist has already announced he’s leaving Notre Dame, and because he is graduating, he’ll be eligible to play right away. He has one year of eligibility left. Weis was in charge of some of the top offenses in the NFL during his time with the Patriots, and he helped lead the Chiefs to a surprising AFC West title last season, his only one in Kansas City. He was hired at Florida by Muschamp, whose forte is defense, with the hope that he could take some of the pressure off the first-year head coach. But the Gators finished eighth in the league in offense, averaging 334.2 yards per game, and were stifled by the SEC’s best defenses. The Gators lost 38-10 to Alabama, 41-11 to LSU and 17-6 to Auburn in consecutive weeks on their way to a 6-6 finish. Florida accepted a bid to play Ohio State in the Gator Bowl, though Weis will not remain with the team through the Jan. 2 game. “Charlie did a good job,” Muschamp said late Thursday. “It’s a great compliment to our staff. We’ve had numerous schools contact me about prospective coaches on our staff, and for him to have the opportunity to be a head coach again, I know he’s really excited about it.” ——— AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report.
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