MLB may consider DH for National League
Major League Baseball could be more receptive to adopting the designated hitter rule in the National League as early as the 2017 season.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the end of the two-day owners meetings on Thursday in Coral Gables, Fla., that there were no serious discussions on the topic. But a drop-off in offensive production the past few seasons and the increasing number of injuries to pitchers have raised some concerns about the future.
The collective batting average in the major leagues the past two years was the lowest since 1972. Several pitchers, including St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright, have been hurt at the plate or on the bases.
The DH rule has been in play in the American League since 1973.
Ex-NBA player George gets nine-year prison sentence
Former NBA player Tate George was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday by a federal judge in Trenton, N.J., for running a $2 million Ponzi scheme.
George, who played for the New Jersey Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, was convicted in 2013 on four wire fraud counts. Among his victims were past and present NBA players and celebrities, including Charlie Villanueva, Brevin Knight and “The Apprentice” winner Randal Pinkett.
The 47-year-old George, who has been in jail since his conviction, argued for more than 1 1/2 hours in court for leniency while maintaining his innocence.
Prosecutors argued that George used money from individuals who invested in his company to pay off earlier investors. He was ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.
Yankees pitcher won’t face domestic violence changes
Prosecutors in South Florida have elected not to file domestic-violence charges against New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman was under investigation for an Oct. 30 incident with his girlfriend, 22-year-old Cristina Barnea, after the couple got into an argument.
“We are all pleased that the Davie Police Department and the Office of the State Attorney took the time to fully investigate the matter and have concluded that charges were not warranted,” Chapman’s lawyer, Paul Molle, told the Sun Sentinel.
According to a police report, Barnea stated that Chapman pushed and choked her. Chapman eventually retrieved a gun and fired eight shots into a wall and window.
Chapman’s version of events was that there wasn’t an argument and that he was pushed by Barnea’s brother.
Prosecutors decided that the conflicting accounts and insufficient evidence made a conviction unlikely.
Kidd close to returning to Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd is expected to return to the bench next week sufficiently recovered from hip surgery.
Kidd has missed four weeks and will rejoin the team following its current road trip ending Saturday, ESPN reported Thursday.
Joe Prunty served as head coach in Kidd’s absence and had a record of 8-7 entering Friday’s game at Houston.
The Bucks made the playoffs last season, Kidd’s first in Milwaukee, but at 19-25 entered Thursday 3.5 games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.