Bowdoin coach gains national field hockey honor
BRUNSWICK, Maine — Bowdoin College field hockey coach Nicky Pearson has been named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association New England West Region Coach of the Year.
The 2015 New England Small College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Pearson led the Polar Bears to the NESCAC crown and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division III Tournament, ending the year with a record of 21-1. She is now a finalist for Division III Coach of the Year, to be handed out at the NFHCA Awards Breakfast on Friday, January 8th in Naples, Florida.
The four-time NFHCA Division III coach of the year and eight-time NESCAC Coach of the Year, Pearson surpassed the 300-win mark on Oct. 28 against Tufts. In 20 seasons, she owns a 306-58 (.840) record with four NCAA Championships. Her .840 winning percentage ranks third all-time among all divisions in NCAA field hockey history.
Stern defends fantasy sports leagues
Former NBA commissioner David Stern called the legal probing of daily fantasy sports nonsense during his appearance at the Sports Business Journal Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in New York.
“The current issues around it are ridiculous. It’s clearly a game of skill,” he said.
Of course, the NBA is an equity stakeholder in FanDuel, and other sports leagues have strong partnerships — and owners on the investment board — of DraftKings. The two daily fantasy sports (DFS) superpowers are under intense scrutiny as some states, such as Nevada and New York, moved to declare the games illegal betting.
Angels acquire Escobar from Nationals
The Los Angeles Angels acquired veteran infielder Yunel Escobar from the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever Trevor Gott on Thursday.
Washington will also receive a minor-league prospect to be named.
Escobar, 33, batted .314 with nine homers and 56 RBIs while playing third base for the Nationals last season. He has a .281 career average over nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Nationals.
Gott, 23, had a 3.02 ERA in 47 2/3 innings of relief for the Angels last season.
Astros, Sipp agree to deal
Free agent left-handed reliever Tony Sipp and the Houston Astros agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract.
Sipp was stellar for Houston last season with 62 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings and a 1.99 ERA.
In St. Louis, the Cardinals retained the services of right-handed reliever Jonathan Broxton with a two-year contract, the club announced.
Broxton, 31, agreed to a $7.5 million deal with a full no-trade clause. He will receive $3.75 million in each of the next two seasons.
Golden Bears extends Dykes’ contract
The California Golden Bears have agreed to a contract extension with coach Sonny Dykes, the school announced on Thursday.
Dykes had two seasons remaining on a five-year contract and the new deal keeps him under contract through 2019. The contract averages $2.85 million per year, according to published reports.
Dykes is 13-23 in three seasons with the Golden Bears. Cal is 7-5 this season with a game against Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl still on the docket.
Rays outfielder is top Rule 5 pick
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tyler Goeddel was the top pick in Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings.
Goeddel was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, who selected first in the 2014 Rule 5 draft and chose Texas Rangers outfielder Odubel Herrera. He hit .297 with 16 stolen bases as a rookie in 2015.
Players chosen in the Rule 5 draft must remain on the selecting team’s 25-man major league roster for the entire season or be offered back to his original team.
