Jim Harbaugh finds his new offensive coordinator

A familiar face will join new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh as the Wolverines’ new offensive coordinator.

After spending 10 years as part of Harbaugh’s staffs at the University of San Diego, Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers, Tim Drevno is prepared to rejoin Harbaugh at Michigan.

Drevno previously served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator with the San Diego Toreros. He became Stanford’s tight ends coach when the duo made the leap to FBS level. Drevno then became the 49ers’ offensive line coach before leaving for USC this year.

Webb also mentioned Morton. While the coach’s status remains unclear, Morton did serve as Harbaugh’s wide receivers coach with the 49ers.

Doug Marrone opts out of contract, done as Buffalo Bills' coach

There's always at least one crazy firing in the NFL offseason. Except, Doug Marrone wasn't really fired.

He just opted out.

Marrone is out as Buffalo Bills coach, and that was his choice. According to a statement by the Buffalo Bills just a few hours before the calendar turned to 2015, he opted out of his contract after two years as head coach. Marrone is now a free agent, and can pursue another job. Before Marrone opted out, there were five NFL head-coaching openings. Now there are six.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported that Marrone walks away with his 2015 salary of $4 million "without it counting as an offset against any future salary." The out clause in his contract activated if the Bills changed ownership, which happened when Terry Pegula bought the team.

Within minutes, there was speculation that the New York Jets would have a strong interest in Marrone. The Jets' division rivals are unexpectedly looking for a new coach.

"Doug Marrone informed me late today that he has decided to exercise the option clause in his contract and relinquish his responsibilities as our head coach," Pegula said in a statement. "We are disappointed that Coach Marrone will no longer be an important part of our organization. We thank him for all of his hard work and leadership during his tenure and wish him and his family the best with the next chapter in their lives.

"We will now begin the important process of conducting a thorough search for a new head coach as we continue to strive to reach our goal of returning to the playoffs and bringing a championship to Buffalo for our fans."

It's not often you see a coach just leave on his own, and it has to be a tough blow to the ego of the Bills, who haven't been to the playoffs since 1999. Buffalo made strides this season, finishing 9-7 and just out of the playoffs, though the retirement of quarterback Kyle Orton the day after the season ended made the 2015 outlook a little bleaker. Marrone's time in Buffalo finishes with a 15-17 record over two seasons. Now the Bills have to start over. One would imagine Marrone has his eyes set on another opening. It's tough to believe he walked away from one of 32 NFL headl-coaching jobs without a backup plan in place.

Texas A&M hires John Chavis to be its next defensive coordinator

Texas A&M has hired John Chavis to be its next defensive coordinator, sources have confirmed to Yahoo Sports.

Chavis, who has spent the past six seasons with LSU, replaces Mark Snyder, who was fired earlier this month after the A&M defense ranked 103^rd in the nation this past season.

This is a major coup for A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, who not only robbed a rival of its most precious asset. While Chavis isn't known as a recruiter, his reputation for being a great defensive mind that sends players to the NFL is well known.

Chavis has been credited with the bulk of LSU’s success since joining the staff in 2009. This past season, the Tigers ranked No. 6 in scoring defense and 11^th in the country in total defense. During Chavis’ tenure, LSU’s defenses have consistently ranked in the top 20 in many major defensive categories, including total defense and scoring defense. He has had 19 LSU players selected in the NFL draft and five in the first round.

Since Sumlin took over at Texas A&M in 2012, the defense has always been a few steps behind the offense and has been downright atrocious in the past couple of seasons. With Sumlin's offensive mind and recruiting skills, and Chavis' defensive acumen, A&M easily becomes one of the top contenders not only in the SEC, but also the country.

Chavis has coached in the SEC since 1989 and became an SEC coordinator in 1995 with Tennessee.

Sources say the A&M deal is for three-plus years, though compensation has not yet been finalized. Chavis was making $1.3 million per year with LSU and rumors stated Texas A&M was willing to offer $1.7 million.

Chavis will arrive in College Station within the next 24 hours.

Reds acquire Marlon Byrd in trade with Phillies

The Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies, two teams trying to figure where they're headed in 2015, have struck a deal that will help the Reds immediately and potentially help the Phillies in the future.

The Reds have reportedly acquired veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd — who hit 25 homers and drove in 85 runs in 2014 — for 22-year-old pitcher Ben Lively. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was first to report the deal. C. Trent Rosecrans at the Cincinnati Enquirer has confirmed it on the Reds' side.

The two teams were said to be working on a deal involving Byrd previously, but it fell apart. It wasn't a lose cause, apparently.

The Reds can plug Byrd, 37, into the outfield right away. He'll replace free agent Ryan Ludwick, who played 91 games in left field in 2014. Byrd is on the second year of a two-year, $16 million contract. But there's an $8 million vesting option for 2016 that will activate if he reaches 550 plate appearances in 2015. Byrd had an OPS of .757 in 2014, which was down from his stellar .847 in 2013. But his 2014 homer total was a career high and, hey, power is important.

In Lively, the Phillies — who need to get younger — are getting a fourth-round pick from 2013, who pitched in Single-A and Double-A in 2014. Total, he was 13-7 with a 3.04 ERA. Baseball Prospectus ranked Lively as the Reds' No. 7 prospect heading into 2015.

What this means for the Reds is the real question. When they traded two of their starting pitchers earlier this month, many took it as a signal the Reds were starting a rebuild. Well, trading for a 37-year-old outfielder and giving up a pitching prospect isn't exactly rebuilding.

Byrd can be productive, though, so maybe he adds a boost to a Reds offense that still has plenty of potential with Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. Plus, if the Reds can't get anything going early in 2015, they'll likely have opportunities to trade him again in July.

Redskins part ways with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett

The Redskins and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett have decided to mutually part ways, three days after the team fell to the Cowboys 44-17 to cap an ugly 4-12 season.

Haslett had been the Redskins’ top defensive coach the past five seasons with mostly subpar results.

“Jim and I have had discussions over the last few days and have decided that it’s best for everyone that we have a new Defensive Coordinator for the Washington Redskins” Coach Jay Gruden said in a statement released by the team. “I wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

This season, the Redskins ranked 20^th in yards allowed, 29^th in points allowed and were tied for 25^th in takeaways while coping with injuries DeAngelo Hall, Brian Orakpo, Barry Cofield and other key players.

The unit's 2014 struggles, though, aren’t what led to Haslett’s departure. It was his overall body of work. During his tenure, the Redskins never finished better than 13^th in yards allowed or 21^st in points surrendered.

“Jay and I mutually agreed it’s time for the Redskins to have a new Defensive Coordinator,” Haslett said in a statement. “I want to thank Dan Snyder, Bruce Allen, Coach Gruden and all the players and fellow coaches for their efforts the last five years and I wish them nothing but the best.”

Allen, the Redskins’ president and general manager, is scheduled to meet with reporters at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - DECEMBER 31ST

1914 - Colonel Jacob Ruppert & Cap Huston purchase NY Yankees for $460,000.
1918 - Kid Gleason replaces Pants Rowland as White Sox manager.

1950 - Jockeys Willie Shoemaker & Joe Culmone set record of 388 wins in a year.

1958 - Willie Shoemaker 1st jockey to win national riding championship 4X.
1961 - Green Bay Packers shutout NY Giants 37-0 in NFL Championship game.
1962 - American Basketball League announces suspension of operation.
1963 - Chicago Bears win NFL Championship.

1967 - First NBA game at Great Western Forum, LA Lakers beat Houston 147-118.
1967 - Oakland Raiders beat Houston Oilers 40-7 in AFL championship game.
1967 - "The Ice Bowl", Packers beat Cowboys 21-17

in NFL championship game (-13°F).
1968 - NY Jets win AFL championship.

1972 - Roberto Clemente, slugger (Pittsburgh Pirate), dies in a plane crash at 38.

1972 - Miami Dolphins beat Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 in AFC Championship game.

1972 - Washington Redskins beat Dallas Cowboys 26-3 in NFC championship game.

1974 - NY Yankees sign Jim "Catfish" Hunter for 5 yrs for a record $3.75 million.

1989 - Jockey Kent Desormeaux sets record with 598 wins in a year.

1990 - George Allen, US football coach (LA Rams, Washington Redskins), dies.
1991 - Daniel R McCarthy elected NY Yankee managing general partner.

1997 - Marv Levy, retires as coach of Buffalo Bills.

2006 - George Sisler, Jr., baseball executive (b. 1917) dies.

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE 2014

LET'S HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR.

Lions' Suh has suspension rescinded, will play Sunday; fined $70K

Well, this is interesting — and unexpected.

NFL appeals hearing officer Ted Cotrell heard the case of Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and rescinded the one-game suspension that was handed down after stepping on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Sunday's regular-season finale.

That means Suh will get to play in the Lions' playoff game at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Cottrell reduced Suh's punishment to a $70,000 fine. According to NFL Network, Suh personally appeared at his appeal hearing, which perhaps helped his case.

Suh appeared to step on Rodgers' leg twice — once after being pushed back by a Packers lineman, then a second time in the same area that Rodgers had re-injured his calf earlier in the game, leaving for two series prior to that.

The league initially stated in the suspension ruling that Suh "unnecessarily stepped on [the] opponent's unprotected leg as he lay on the ground unable to protect himself."

Cottrell clearly disagreed with that. Suh's fine for this incident is less than the $100,000 he was docked in Week 1 last season for an illegal low block following a turnover against Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan.

In fact, as NFL Network's Judy Batista pointed out via Twitter, Suh had gone without an on-field safety incident past the 32-game mark (counting preseason contests) since the 2013 incident against the Vikings, which is significant. Under the new NFL rules on such fines, a player is considered to have a "clean slate" on such matters if he has gone at least 32 games without any incidents, so Suh in essence was treated like a first-time offender for all intents and purposes.

This is a huge win for Suh and the Lions because these types of punishment are not often overturned. The Lions now will have their best defensive player to help stop the Cowboys' explosive offense.

Padres trade Seth Smith to Mariners for Brandon Maurer

Another day, another San Diego Padres player on the move.

The Padres traded Seth Smith to the Seattle Mariners, the two clubs confirmed Tuesday, as new general manager A.J. Preller dealt from his newly found outfield surplus after the team acquired Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton.

In return, the Padres get 24-year-old pitcher Brandon Maurer, who hasn't been stellar in two seasons as a starter, but re-invented himself as a relief pitcher in the second half of 2014.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick was first to report the deal was completed, while Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN in Seattle said earlier Tuesday that a deal was close.

In Smith, 32, the Mariners get the platoon outfielder they need to complement Justin Ruggiano, who they acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 17. Ruggiano hits lefties well (.305 last season), while Smith hits righties nicely (12 homers, plus a .270 average in 2014). In his last three seasons, Smith has 30 homers and 118 RBIs against right-handed pitching, compared to four homers and 22 RBIs against lefties.

The most interesting part of the Smith situation is that he signed a two-year extension with the Padres in July, getting $6 million in 2015 and $6.75 million in 2016, with a club option worth $7 million for 2017. Of course, Preller wasn't the GM when that deal was signed, and as he's reworked the Padres' roster the past month, he's given little credence to the past regime's decisions.

The Padres, frankly, didn't need Smith as much as the Mariners did, so they'll take Maurer and hope his maturation comes at the right time. He had a 6.30 ERA in 2013 as a rookie, which was down to 4.65 in 2014, but that doesn't tell the entire story. Maurer transitioned into a relief role in June 2014, making 31 of his 38 appearances out of the bullpen. His bullpen ERA was 2.17 and his FIP was 1.85, which is quite good.

Maurer throws hard, sitting around 94 mph and hitting as high as 99 mph last season, plus he's got a changeup that generates a whiffs. He's the second with-upside reliever the Padres have acquired this week, having traded for the Yankees' Shawn Kelley on Monday.

LeBron James could leave Cleveland and he may not like his coach

It’s LeBron James’ birthday! Look who’s 30!

Now look at all of us media buzzards diving in to bloviate as to whether LeBron James is long for Cleveland. Again. Let’s party like it’s 2009.

We spent ages talking up and down the Cleveland Cavaliers’ various woes and prominent potential, even with a lacking roster, on Monday. This team can still win a championship. This team can still vault to the top of both the Eastern Conference and the offensive efficiency rankings – perches the Toronto Raptors both currently occupy. LeBron James can still be the guy that hounds Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant in the final stages of a deciding playoff game, while still dropping 33-9-9 on the other end.

The problem so far is that the Cavs have dropped 12 of 30 to start the season, not terrible, but not ideal. They’ve also fallen into the lower third of the league in terms of defensive rating. As a result, we’re all chirping, and one Cleveland beat writer, Chris Haynes from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, even offered this on Tuesday morning:

James, who turns 30 today, has no intention of compromising his prime years playing for a sputtering organization. He can opt out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent.

Given the massive scrutiny he would endure if he departed Cleveland a second time, if his hand is forced, I'm told he won't hesitate to make the appropriate business decision if it means bolting.

(LeBron James, in anticipation of a giant uptick in terms of what a maximum-salaried player can make, intelligently decided to sign a two-year deal with Cleveland last summer with an opt out clause after the initial season. NBA salary rules encourage such a move; rules that are similar to the ones that also encourage Kevin Love not to sign an extension with the Cavs during the season.)

Now, this is anonymously-sourced, we don’t know how many people are doing the telling here, or even if the telling in question was from more than one person. Chris Haynes is on his first year on the Cleveland beat, which is why many in the blogosphere are scoffing at the report, but it is important to note that Haynes did fantastic work in several seasons while covering the Portland Trail Blazers.

The reason for the season, here, is James’ either tepid or spot-on reaction to questions about rookie coach David Blatt’s work so far this season from Monday:

James was asked after practice Monday if he felt Blatt was the right coach for the team, and he said: "Yeah, he's our coach, I mean, what other coach do we have?"

OK, so, there’s that, but there’s also this:

"I'm happy who we have at our helm," James said. "He's our coach. For it to make a feud between me and Blatt or the team and Blatt, it's just to sell. To sell and get people to read it and put something at the bottom of the ticker. That's all it is. It's funny, you could write those same things when we win, too. It's just write it when we lose because it looks better."

And this:

"I think my relationship with the coach continues to get better and better every day," James said, one day after the Cavaliers lost by 23 at home to the Pistons, one of the NBA's worst teams this season. "It's just two months of us being together. I don't know him fully, he doesn't know me fully, he doesn't know any of the guys fully, and that's to be expected. It's our first year together. But he has our attention."

Pick out what you want, deduce what you need, but also listen to LeBron James when he tells you that all of this nonsense (including the post you’re reading right now) is little more than fish and chip paper.

David Blatt is, currently, not coaching to his full potential. His various pro and international tournament teams featured fully flowing offenses that were gorgeous to watch, teams built around movement and the pass that led to the pass that led to the pass that led to the score. Blatt has taken a penny-wise and pound-foolish approach thus far with the Cavs, working in very orthodox ways with basic screen and roll offenses designed to make sure James, Kyrie Irving, and to a far lesser extent (in ways that aren’t his fault) Kevin Love get easy and productive initial returns.

What’s probably most telling about Blatt’s initial turn with Cleveland is that I genuinely started to write “penny-wise and pound-foolish approach with the Heat” in the prior paragraph.

James’ Cavs cannot be directly compared with the 2010-11 Miami Heat, as we wrote about yesterday. By this time in that season those Heat were a far better team than this Cleveland outfit, and while they didn’t top the Eastern Conference standings that year, the Heat did rank in the top five offensively and defensively when 82 games were said and done. Still, the parallels between Blatt and Erik Spoelstra are there. Coach Spo had two seasons under his belt prior to LeBron taking his talents to Florida (we’re not writing that again) but his offenses both with James in 2010-11 and without him in the previous two years were pedestrian and easy to guard. He eventually got better.

Blatt has already been better, just not at this level and with these sorts of players. It will take time; and while the Cavs will never be a good team defensively with that roster, they can turn into an incredibly-good offensive unit if both Blatt and his players decide to take the long view of things. That will have to be the focus, because with this personnel the defense is not going to get much better. Defense is the problem, but there is not a knockout solution for this season.

There are no killer coaches out there waiting to take over. Every sideline stalker would absolutely kill for a chance to coach LeBron, Love, and Kyrie Irving, but even the best of candidates isn’t going to solve anything. George Karl is not going to be able to patrol the paint for the Cavaliers. Michael Malone is not going to be able to close out on shooters. Your favorite Highly Regarded Assistant is not going to be able to peel about 10,000 career minutes off of LeBron’s legs in order for him to start playing devastating two-way ball against the Pistons in December.

“What other coach do we have?” may come off as tepid, but it’s also the absolute right thing to say. Nobody else is coming in that would make a major difference, so both the Cavs and Blatt are going to have to figure this out together.

LeBron James will opt out of his contract this summer in order to both make as much money as he can under NBA salary bylaws, and assess his career prospects. That’s his right. Whether or not you believe he’s making any sort of concrete decision 30 games into an 82-game season is entirely up to you.

Pittsburgh Steelers, in need of Le'Veon Bell insurance, sign Ben Tate

Ben Tate has had a really weird 2014.

The former second-round pick will be on his fourth team in the last calendar year, as he signed with the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers right before they play the Baltimore Ravens. Starting tailback Le'Veon Bell, one of the NFL's top backs, is battling a knee injury. The Steelers don't have much depth behind him, and if Bell can't go or is limited, they need someone to play.

Enter Tate, a once-promising back who is bouncing around the league like a ping-pong ball.

The former Houston Texans running back started the offseason as one of the top running backs in free agency, but the market for backs has plummeted. So he settled for a two-year contract worth a little more than $6.5 million. Outplayed by rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell, the Browns cut Tate. He went to the Minnesota Vikings, got just 13 carries for 38 yards in three games there, and was cut again. He has 371 yards and a 3.1-yard average for the season.

So at least when the Steelers had some concern about Bell, there was some veteran on the market for them to grab. The Steelers hope that Tate never sees the field in the playoffs, but that will depend on Bell.

Bell was hit low by Bengals safety Reggie Nelson and hyperextended his right knee. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told the Pittsburgh media that Bell rode a stationary bike on Wednesday, and the team will "leave the light on for him" to play. Bell has one fewer day than usual because the Steelers play on Saturday night.

The Steelers will be hoping Bell plays, but Tate will be insurance if he can't. And once the postseason is over, Tate can start looking for yet another team.

AP Male Athlete of the Year: Madison Bumgarner

Madison Bumgarner sat in the outfield alongside Jake Peavy before Game 7 of the World Series and told his teammate exactly what needed to happen: Tim Hudson would work a few innings and get the ball to Bumgarner, who would hand it off to the bullpen to finish the championship.

Peavy quickly offered his own prediction that Bumgarner would end it himself.

That's exactly what MadBum did, following up a pair of World Series wins with a save at Kansas City to close out San Francisco's third title in five years and cap a brilliant postseason that made him a household name - or, at the very least, a household nickname. He is the 2014 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.

''I was sitting in the outfield with Madison and he was asking me how I thought this game was going to play out,'' Peavy recalled this month. ''I said to him: 'Madison, when you get the ball, you're not coming out of the game. You're the best guy we've got.' ... He said, 'Man, that's exactly what I hoped you would say' and exactly what he wanted. He just needed some confirmation, somebody to believe in him as well. I said, 'Fight for that ball, man,' and what he did will go down in the ages as the best ever.''

The shaggy-haired left-hander who takes as much pride in his pitching and durability as he does his deep North Carolina roots, Bumgarner became October's biggest star for a San Francisco club that really needed one during another improbable World Series run.

Bumgarner finished first in a vote by U.S. editors and news directors. He beat out Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw - who won the National League Cy Young and MVP. Retiring New York Yankees star Derek Jeter and golfer Rory McIlroy tied for third place. The award was announced Tuesday.

After months of the same questions about his well-tested left arm, Bumgarner made light of it all.

He had just thrown 270 innings, including 21 with two wins and a save in a World Series that went the distance against the fellow wild-card Royals.

''I got a splinter in my finger the other day. That was kind of painful,'' Bumgarner quipped, sounding perfectly serious. ''Fortunately, it was on my right hand.''

Bruce Bochy's 25-year-old workhorse has earned the manager's trust that he will speak up if anything ever feels off with his arm. Otherwise, he's going to keep getting the ball.

With that tricky cross-body, three-quarters delivery - resembling a sling shot - Bumgarner shows hitters the ball briefly with an outstretched arm before that rapid release and suddenly it's right there leaving batters baffled.

On two days' rest in Game 7, that day he sat with Peavy in Kansas City, he pitched five scoreless innings of relief in a 3-2 win.

Only after that would Bumgarner acknowledge he might need a mental and physical break at last after tossing a record 52 2-3 postseason innings.

''You know what? I can't lie to you anymore,'' he said. ''I'm a little tired now.''

Pitching coach Dave Righetti began fielding inquiries before the World Series began about whether Bumgarner had the chance to make three appearances. He knew it could happen, though it wasn't exactly planned.

''You don't realize when you're in the middle of the eye, 'Wow, what this guy's doing is so special,''' Righetti said. ''That really hasn't been done in years. ... When you've got a healthy guy who's on a roll, those are the kind of guys who change big series and do special things.''

The Giants locked up Bumgarner long-term in April 2012 on a $35.56 million, six-year contract through 2017. It could keep him in orange and black even longer, given the $12 million options for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. That almost seems like a bargain now given Bumgarner's performance and star power on baseball's biggest stage.

Bumgarner was MVP of the World Series and NL Championship Series, going 4-1 during the postseason following an 18-10 regular season.

From his four-hit, 10-strikeout gem that got things started in an 8-0 wild-card win at Pittsburgh all the way through his brilliant relief outing in Game 7 of the World Series, Bumgarner dazzled like never before.

''He pitched a different game than we had seen from him earlier in the season,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle recalled recently. ''We had watched video and saw how much sharper he had gotten as the season played out. In the wild-card game he had command of all his pitches and lived on the edges the entire outing. He also used his fastball up in the zone with deadly accuracy.''

Bumgarner made the rounds on the post-Series appearance circuit, then took a break to attend a rodeo.

Despite the heavy workload, Bumgarner will be eager for spring training come February.

''Everything feels great and we're looking to just keep a normal offseason and a normal routine,'' Bumgarner said.

It will hardly be normal given the attention and hype he is sure to generate after a spectacular 2014.

''I just love the way he's handled everything, all the attention,'' Righetti said. ''It looks like he's stayed the same.''

Rays sign Asdrubal Cabrera to one-year deal

The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, and in doing so, they've basically hung a sign that says, "A trade is happening over here."

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was first to report the Rays and Cabrera had a deal, with Joel Sherman of the New York Post adding that it's a one-year contract. We don't know the terms yet, but Cabrera is definitely hoping to bounce back from one of the worst seasons of his career and get a bigger deal next season as a free agent again at age 30.

More interesting than Cabrera going to Tampa is what the move means for the Rays. Cabrera can play shortstop and second base — he played short most of his career with the Cleveland Indians, but played second for the Washington Nationals in 2014 after a July trade. He totaled a .241/.307/.387 slash in Cleveland and D.C. in 2014 and a total WAR of 1.7 per Fangraphs.

The Rays have both a second baseman and a shortstop in Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar. They were reportedly willing to trade either before signing Cabrera. They're also in the process of reworking their roster and getting rid of older players. So adding Cabrera to the fold will throw gas on those trade talks.

Zobrist is the most alluring target, because a number of teams have been chasing him since last season. He can play all over the diamond and help a team who needs a second baseman (such as the Nats), a shortstop (such as the New York Mets) or a team looking for someone to stick in the outfield or infield (such as the San Francisco Giants or Seattle Mariners).

Zobrist hit .272/.354/.395 in 2014 while playing second, short and every outfield position for the Rays. His 5.7 WAR, per Fangraphs, was best on the team. He's 33 and due to be a free agent after 2015, which is one of the reasons the Rays would be willing to let him go now.

It could be Escobar on the move too, but he's coming off a down year in 2014, so his value isn't as high as Zobrist's at the moment. The third alternative is that the Rays keep all three, putting Zobrist in the outfield more often.

Given the interest in trading for Zobrist before this, and how it's going to intensify now, that last option doesn't seem all too likely.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - DECEMBER 30TH

1883 - Lester Patrick, NHL pioneer is born.

1907 - Abraham Mills' commission declares Abner Doubleday invented baseball.

1926 - Chicago Tribune reports the Tigers threw a 4-game series to the White Sox

in 1917 to help Chicago win the pennant (never substaniated)

1935 - Sandy Koufax, Dodger pitcher (Cy Young '63, '65, '66, perfect-1967) is born.

1956 - NY Giants beat Chicago Bears 47-7 in NFL Championship game.

1957 - New York Giants win NFL Championship.

1961 - Ben Johnson, Falmouth, Jamaica, Canadian 100m runner

(Olympic-gold-1988-disqualified) is born.
1962 - Green Bay Packers beat NY Giants 16-7 in NFL Championship game.
1963 - Green Bay Packers win NFL Championship.

1970 - Sonny Liston, World Heavyweight boxing champion (1962-64), dies at 38.

1973 - Miami Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders 27-10 in AFC Championship game.
1973 - Minnesota Vikings beat Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in NFC championship game.

1975 - Eldrick Tont 'Tiger' Woods, Cypress California,

golfer (16 Majors and 74 PGA wins) is born.
1981 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record of 50 goals by 39th game of season.

1984 - LeBron James, American basketball player is born.

HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY TO MY DAUGHTER
JASMINE 



Ndamukong Suh suspended one game for Aaron Rodgers leg stomp

The NFL has suspended Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh for a game for stepping on the calf and ankle of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.

The play looked accidental at first — until Suh stepped on Rodgers' injured leg a second time. Rodgers retaliated with a push to Suh and a plea to referee Walt Anderson. Rodgers said after the game Anderson told him that Suh said he was pushed into Rodgers after the play.

That means Suh will miss the Lions' playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. A free agent after the season with an unwieldy salary-cap number, Suh might have played his final game as a Lion.

Suh has a history — seven documented incidents — in the NFL with dirty play on the field, including his more pronounced stomp on former Packers center Evan Dietrich-Smith. Rodgers would not blame Suh directly but clearly was annoyed that it occured in an area of his leg he injured in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then aggravated earlier in the Lions game Sunday.

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy was not happy about the play after the game.

"I didn’t see it live, I didn’t see it on the JumboTron, but from what I’m told, I’m told it was ridiculous," a McCarthy said. "There’s no place for that, so that’s where I’m at with it. I don’t understand it, frankly."

Suh can appeal his case to Ted Cottrell, the league's arbiter, but likely doesn't stand a great chance of having it overturned.

Did Jets owner Woody Johnson accidentally tamper with Darrelle Revis?

On a day in which he fired his general manager as well as his long-time head coach, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson's "Black Monday" might be getting darker. Johnson may have inadvertently engaged in tampering during a news conference after the firings were announced.
Johnson answered 36 questions on Monday morning, but none perhaps more damaging than his response to a question about Darrelle Revis. Traded by the Jets two years ago, Revis found himself on the free-agent market this past offseason and reports indicated he wanted to return to the Jets. But no contract was ever offered by his old team and he ended up signing with the New England Patriots.

Asked about Revis, who could have surely helped one of the league's worst secondary units, Johnson didn't just praise the All-Pro cornerback. He flat-out courted "Revis Island."

“Darrelle is a great player and if I had thought I could have gotten Darrelle for that, I probably would have taken him back. It was our best judgment to do what we did. But Darrelle's a great player,” Johnson said.

“I'd love Darrelle to come back.”

And those six words right there might be considered tampering by the NFL.

Revis signed a deal with the Patriots last spring that includes an option for 2015 that is valued at $20 million. In all likelihood, New England would not want to commit to that number or that cap hit, making Revis a free agent. But he is currently under contract with the Patriots. The Jets could potentially sign him if New England doesn't pick up that option, adding significance to Johnson's statements about a player currently under contract with another team.

Johnson's statement seems to fall under the NFL's tampering policy for this season. In fact, his statement almost mirrors the example cited in the policy:

 

“Any public or private statement of interest, qualified or unqualified, in another club’s player to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the news media, is a violation of this Anti-Tampering Policy. (Example of a prohibited comment: 'He’s an excellent player, and we’d very much like to have him if he were available, but another club holds his rights.') In addition, speculation by a club owner, executive, or employee on whether a player under contract to a second club may play for a third club in the future may negatively impact the relationship between the player and the club currently holding his rights. If comments are found to have adversely affected that relationship, a finding of tampering can result. All clubs should be aware that improper disclosure of confidential trade discussions with another club may be a violation of this section on prohibited public statements.”

 

A request for comment by Yahoo Sports to the NFL about possible tampering charges was declined. The Patriots did not respond to a request for comment on if they will file tampering charges.

Phil Perry of CSNNE reported that when asked about Johnson's comments on WEEI, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, "I would think that the league would look into those comments."

UPDATE: Johnson released a statement, apologizing for the remarks and saying he called Patriots owner Robert Kraft to clarify the situation.

“I misspoke today when I commented on Darrelle Revis," Johnson said. "I would never interfere in the contractual relationship of a player with another team and should not have used those words. I called Robert Kraft this afternoon to emphasize those points.”

Marc Trestman and GM Phil Emery fired by Chicago Bears after 5-11 season

Chicago's Marc Trestman experiment is over after just two seasons.

Plucked from the Canadian Football League and hailed as an offensive genius who would finally lift the mercurial Jay Cutler to elite quarterback status, Trestman was fired by the Chicago Bears on Monday after posting a 5-11 record in 2014 and an overall mark of 13-19 the past two seasons.

Trestman isn't the only one leaving Halas Hall looking fo a new job. The Bears also said goodbye to general manager Phil Emery after just three seasons. It was Emery who conducted an exhaustive search for his first head coach and ended up choosing Trestman over Bruce Arians, the presumptive NFL coach of the year with the Arizona Cardinals this season. Emery is also paying the price for signing quarterback Jay Cutler to an expensive extension last offseason.

How disastrous was Trestman and Emery’s tenure in the Windy City? Well, consider this: Trestman was let go after just 32 games, the second-shortest stay in team history to Paddy Driscoll’s 24 games in 1956-57. Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron, in comparison, were kept around for 96 and 80 games despite similar winning percentages.

"I want to thank Virginia, George and the McCaskey family, Phil Emery and Ted Phillips for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears," Trestman said in a statement. "I also want to thank all the coaches and players who gave us everything we asked over the past two years. I have tremendous respect for this organization. Chicago is a special city with great fans. I appreciate the warm support my family and I received."

The McCaskey family admitting a mistake and quickly moving on seems like a progressive move for the usually conservative franchise. But it should be noted that Emery’s hiring of Trestman was viewed by some as a progressive and “thinking outside the box” move.

Armed with black-rimmed glasses, a law degree and vocabulary stocked with ten-dollar words, Trestman didn’t look like your typical football coach.

His resume was different, too with offensive coordinator or assistant coaching stops with nine different NFL teams before finally getting a head coaching opportunity north of the border with the Montreal Alouettes. He won back-to-back Grey Cups with the Alouettes in 2009 and 2010.

Trestman returned to the NFL (and the United States) on Jan. 16, 2013, just two days before his 57th birthday, when he was named the 14th head coach in the long history of the Chicago Bears.

Fans in Chicago initially didn’t know what to make of the soft-spoken coach who couldn’t have been more different from the exalted Mike Ditka had he tried. Trestman touted building relationships with “valued people” instead of tearing players down. He was an offensive mastermind in a city where Dick Butkus still looms large. He favored an analytical approach to the game instead of a loud one based on emotion.

The 2013 Bears got off to a 3-0 start but that proved to be the extent of Trestman’s honeymoon in Chicago. Despite building a top-five offense while journeyman Josh McCown subbed in for an injured Jay Cutler, Trestman’s team featured a dregs-of-the-league defense and backfiring decisions like opting to have Robbie Gould kick a potential 47-yard game-winning field goal on second-and-7 against the Minnesota Vikings instead of opting to get the ball closer. (Gould would miss the attempt and Chicago later lost the game.) The Bears went 8-8 in 2013, missing out on the playoffs after losing to the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in Week 17.

The 2014 season brought higher expectations with the return of a healthy Cutler, receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and a defense that was retooled through free agency. A Week 1 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills quickly dashed those dreams and led to a nightmare season that bottomed out with a 51-23 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8 and a 55-14 thrashing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers just two weeks later on Sunday Night Football.

In firing Trestman and Emery, the McCaskeys are acknowledging the disaster that was the 2014 season. Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer made headlines this month when it was revealed he was the source of disparaging comments made toward Cutler in the media. A plan to replace Cutler with Jimmy Clausen lasted just one week after Clausen suffered a concussion in a Week 16 game against the Detroit Lions.

Trestman wasn't the sole source of the Bears' problems, of course. He wasn’t the one who handed Cutler a monster contract that weighed down the franchise nor was he the one who failed to draft any difference-makers on defense, instead relying on expensive and aging free agents like Jared Allen.

He wasn’t the one who, well, hired himself.

Whichever GM and coach inherit the franchise will have to retool both sides of the ball, which is no easy task considering the amount of money that has been committed to the offense. The Bears have the seventh pick in next spring's NFL draft and must replenish a defense that has been among the NFL's worst the past two seasons.

Trestman, who will turn 59 on Jan. 15, should be fine. He’ll get paid for the two years that remain on his Bears contract and should still be in demand in the league as either an assistant coach or offensive adviser.

But after waiting so long for an NFL team to take a chance on his quiet and reserved approach, Trestman’s first head coaching opportunity will likely be his last.

Michigan gets its Man: Jim Harbaugh reportedly set to become next head coach

Before Michigan’s Nov. 22 home loss to Maryland, former Wolverines offensive lineman Doug James and an old teammate introduced themselves to interim athletic director Jim Hackett.

Like every Michigan alum, they were discouraged about the state of the football program but supportive of the rebuilding effort, and hoping the school had the vision and wherewithal to fix it. Hackett listened, then asked the ex-players to do something for him that day:

Keep your ticket stubs from the game, and remember the date. He asked them to take a look at Michigan football a year from then, on Nov. 22, 2015, and see if it’s an improved product.

“He said it in a very humble manner, but the confidence he exuded made me feel like this guy had a grip on what needs to happen at Michigan,” recalled James, now a radio advertising executive in New York.

Hackett was confident then. He can be absolutely sure now.

He and the rest of the Michigan administration are on the cusp of hitting the grand slam the school desperately needed by hiring Jim Harbaugh. After enduring a painful slide from prominence, the winningest program in college football history is set to hire the coach it needs to return to the upper echelon of the sport. Harbaugh is expected to be officially introduced Tuesday – and when that happens, Michigan will be back.

This figures to be one of the transformative hires of the 21st century – Nick Saban at Alabama, Urban Meyer at both Florida and Ohio State, now Harbaugh at Michigan. It’s that big. It’s a national championship-caliber hire.

The fact that the school pulled it off is impressive – and a bit surprising.

The season began with plenty of speculation that Brady Hoke would be fired, but there was no certainty that Harbaugh could be lured from the NFL back to the college game. In fact, several people who knew Harbaugh were convinced he wanted to stay in the pro ranks, where he’d come achingly close to winning the Super Bowl two seasons ago and narrowly missed a return trip last year. Besides, there had been a rocky split between Harbaugh and his alma mater years earlier, when the then-Stanford coach questioned the academic rigor for football players at Michigan.

Then there was the leadership team tasked with making this momentous hire. Hackett was a businessman thrust into the interim AD job just two months ago, when the school forced out Dave Brandon. President Mark Schlissel had only arrived July 1 from Brown – an Ivy League school that is completely disengaged from the big-dollar world of major-college football.

But this unlikely duo – undoubtedly aided by a cadre of boosters that included a few of Harbaugh’s old teammates – pulled off the coaching carousel coup of 2014. It should be enough to make Hackett the full-time AD, if indeed he wants the job long-term. He and Michigan did what they had to do: aimed as high as possible, offered a huge compensation package, appealed to Harbaugh’s old loyalties and were willing to wait out the NFL calendar.

Was it risky? Certainly. If Harbaugh turned them down, they’d be starting over from Square One in January – late in the game and up against the recruiting clock. And there would be a crestfallen fan base to deal with – after getting its hopes up that high, delivering anyone other than Harbaugh would have been a huge disappointment.

But they delivered. They got it done. And like Saban and Meyer, this is a hire that checks every box on the Michigan wish list.

Proven winner. Proven recruiter. Knows the school and the league. And, yes, ties to program patriarch Bo Schembechler.

But on that last point, here’s the important distinction: Harbaugh is a great coach who happens to be a Michigan Man. He’s not a Michigan Man whom Wolverines fans hope will be a great coach.

Harbaugh built Stanford into a power out of virtually nothing, and in rapid order. Then he quickly resurrected the 49ers, winning 70 percent of his games at a franchise that had won 35 percent over the previous seven years.

Michigan should follow the pattern, with ripple effects that are felt well beyond Ann Arbor. The downtrodden Big Ten gets a huge boost. Heck, the entire college game, which has suffered some brain drain with the likes of Pete Carroll, Harbaugh and Chip Kelly going to the NFL, gets a boost. And the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, a flat disappointment since 2006, will roar back to life – Harbaugh vs. Meyer has the potential to be the second coming of Bo vs. Woody.

If history is any guide, Harbaugh will relish that. He wasted no time going after Carroll and Pac-12 big dog USC, with good results – Stanford was 3-1 against the Trojans under Harbaugh.

Competitiveness and confidence pretty well ooze out of the guy. James was a senior co-captain in 1984 when sophomore Harbaugh made his first start. It was Sept. 8, and the opponent was No. 1, defending national champion Miami with Bernie Kosar at quarterback. Yet Harbaugh walked into the Big House that day like he owned the place.

“I just remember he was clearly the guy taking the leadership role in the huddle,” James said. “A lot of people would say he was cocky. I would say he was just really confident in his ability, and was going to do whatever he needed to do to win.”

Michigan won the game that day, upsetting the Hurricanes 22-14. He’ll win a lot more big games when he’s back in the Big House as head coach. By Nov. 22, 2015, a year removed from that home loss to Maryland, the Wolverines will be on their way back to glory.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Kyle Orton announces retirement

The Buffalo Bills better hope EJ Manuel is better in his third season, or they have another Plan B, because they just lost their starting quarterback.

Kyle Orton announced his retirement after 10 NFL season on Monday morning. That's assuming this isn't a trick to get out of his contract, which worked this summer when the Dallas Cowboys were forced to cut him.

“I just have been going at it for 10 years and it’s just a family decision and I’ve decided to get home and be a dad and call it a day,” Orton said, according to the Bills' web site.

Orton leaves a $5.4 million base salary on the table for 2015, according to OverTheCap.com. He also would have been the favorite to start for the Bills next season because Manuel fell out of favor in Buffalo.

A 2013 first-round pick, Manuel was benched after four games with the Bills at 2-2. Orton came in and the Bills went 7-5, and were alive for a playoff spot until a Week 16 loss at Oakland. Even though the Bills were eliminated before Week 17, Manuel still didn't play in a meaningless game at New England, a bad sign for what the coaching staff thinks about his future.

Buffalo will likely explore its options this offseason. Turning back to Manuel doesn't seem to be what the Bills want to do, but there might not be many better choices available. Even though Orton was never a special quarterback during his time with the Bears, Broncos, Chiefs, Cowboys and Bills, he probably gave Buffalo its best chance next year to snap a playoff drought that dates back to the 1999 season.

Orton told the Bills' site that nothing will change his mind, so the Bills need to figure out their next move at quarterback.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - DECEMBER 29TH

1933 - Yank refuses to release Babe Ruth so he can manage the Cin Reds.
1934 - 1st collegiate basketball doubleheader (Madison Square Garden).

1936 - Ray Nitschke, Elmwood Park IL, NFL linebacker (Green Bay Packers) is born.
1938 - Wayne Huizenga, (Waste Management, Blockbuster, Miami Dolphins) is born.

1946 - Laffit Pincay Jr, jockey (Ky Derby 1984, Belmont 1982-84, Swale) is born.

1957 - Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 50-14 in NFL Championship game.
1958 - Balt Colts beat NY Giants 23-17 in NFL Championship game.

1963 - Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints football coach is born.

1968 - Balt Colts beat Cleveland Browns 34-0 in NFL Championship game.
1968 - NY Jets beat Oakland Raiders 27-23 in AFL championship game.
1969 - NY Times reports Curt Flood will sue baseball & challenge the reserve clause.

1973 - Theo Epstein, general manager (Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs) is born.

1979 -  SovietRed Army beats NY Islanders 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum.

1988 - Soviet Red Army Team edges NY Islanders, 3-2 at Nassau Coliseum.
1989 - Wayne Gretzky & Martina Navratilova, named athletes of decade by AP.

2009 - "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, American former professional

wrestler and football player (b. 1960) dies.

Black Monday looms, which coaches are in danger of being fired?

Some NFL coaches go into Week 17 with hopes of grabbing a playoff spot and extending their season. Other coaches wonder if Week 17 might be their last game before getting fired.

For Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith, it’s probably both.

The disappointing Falcons are still alive to win the NFC South, because the entire division has been bad. The 6-9 Falcons play the 6-8-1 Carolina Panthers, and the winner takes the NFC South crown. So Smith could be preparing for a playoff game on Monday, or cleaning out his office.

There has been plenty of speculation that he’ll be fired if he doesn’t win, and ESPN reported that the Falcons have already hired the search firm Korn Ferry to identify possible head coaching candidates. No pressure, Mike. In fact, Smith might need to win a playoff game to save his job.

Black Monday, the day after the regular season that usually sees a number of head-coaching changes, might not be that busy this year. But a few coaches are probably anticipating getting bad news.

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh almost certainly appears to be on his way out, and the only question is where he will coach next. John U. Bacon of the New York Times said Harbaugh to the University of Michigan is “done” and his friends are flying into Michigan on Monday for the news.

If Harbaugh goes back to coach college, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan might be the hottest former coach on the market. Nobody expects Ryan will keep his job in New York, and general manager John Idzik might be fired too. Ryan has already cleaned out his office, a report said. Ryan won’t be out of work long. Even if he doesn’t land as a head coach, he’ll be a highly paid defensive coordinator somewhere if he wants to coach in 2015.

Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman also appears like he might get fired as well. ESPN Chicago reported Sunday morning that multiple Bears coaches fear they will be fired as part of sweeping changes.

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis will start looking for a permanent head coach in the next few days, the San Jose Mercury News said, and interim coach Tony Sparano could be a candidate there. If Harbaugh is in fact off to Michigan, that takes the biggest name off the board for the Raiders.

Reports have said coaches like Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants, Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins and Joe Philbin of the Miami Dolphins are safe for 2015 (Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said publicly Philbin will be back), so there might not be too many openings for hot candidates like Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Seattle Seahawks coordinators Darrell Bevell and Dan Quinn and Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

But there will be openings. At least a few coaches will finish coaching in Week 17 and then wait for their phone to ring on Black Monday.

Buccaneers try to blow No. 1 pick in draft but earn it with loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did everything they could to lose the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft, by threatening to win Sunday.

They couldn't even do that.

Despite leading 20-7 at halftime, the Buccaneers allowed the New Orleans Saints to score three times in the second half in what would be a 23-20 Saints victory. With the loss, the Bucs clinched the top pick in April's NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans also lost Sunday, dropping both teams' records to 2-14 apiece, but the Buccaneers earned the top selection because their opponents had the lower combined winning percentage.

But it's fitting that only two teams needing quarterbacks will select Nos. 1 and 2 overall. The top two picks — despite reservations with both — could be Oregon QB Marcus Mariota and Florida State QB Jameis Winston.

Winston has been a star up the road from Tampa for the Seminoles and might be the more NFL-ready of the two quarterbacks, but his major character concerns could scare the Bucs — and several other teams — off completely. Mariota has been fantastic during his Heisman award-winning season but comes from a spread-based attack from which other college greats have been born but have struggled to adapt in the league.

Winston and Mariota square off in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Buccaneers general Jason Licht and his staff will be at the game, and they might even lure head coach Lovie Smith to attend, too.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will select third overall, and the Oakland Raiders (if they lose Sunday to the Denver Broncos) will pick fourth. The Washington Redskins, New York Jets and Chicago Bears will pick fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

The rest of the draft order is subject to change.

J.J. Watt becomes only two-time 20-sack player, does so on safety

The J.J. Watt-for-MVP campaign just hit overdrive.

Watt notched his third sack on Sunday for the Houston Texans in Week 17 against the Jacksonville Jaguars to become the only player in NFL history to notch two seasons with 20 or more sacks.

Naturally, the play resulted in a safety. Watt ripped past left tackle Luke Joeckel, and took down Blake Bortles for the two-point play.

Watt logged 20.5 sacks in 2012, and he matched that number this season following his third sack of the afternoon. In 64 career games now, Watt has 57 sacks.

Do we need to remind you of his statistically bonkers season?

• 20.5 sacks

• An 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.

• Three forced fumbles.

• Five fumble recovered, and one run back for a score.

• Three offensive touchdowns as a receiver.

That's 32 points scored this season by Watt — more than 2012 first-round running backs Trent Richardson and Doug Martin combined this year.

Jim Harbaugh reportedly heading to Michigan

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh will reportedly be the next coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

Michigan officials were in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend to meet with Harbaugh in the hopes of securing his services as the Wolverines' next head coach. The 49ers play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

No contract numbers have been reported along with Harbaugh's reported agreement, but a previous report said that Harbaugh had been offered nearly $50 million for six years at Michigan. The figure, if it becomes his contract, would make him the highest paid coach in the NFL and college football.

Harbaugh has been the coach of the 49ers for four seasons. He would replace Brady Hoke at Michigan, who was fired after the end of the 2014 season following Michigan's 5-7 record. When Hoke was hired at Michigan four years ago, Harbaugh was mentioned as a candidate.

Hoke's record in his four seasons at Michigan was 31-20. Harbaugh was 29-21 in four years at Stanford before taking the 49ers job.

Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray latest to break Cowboys single-season records

The Dallas Cowboys have been a great team all season, and they also have received some incredible individual seasons from their star players.

Las week, quarterback Tony Romo surpassed Troy Aikman for the all-time franchise mark for passing yards in a season.

Early in Week 17, his two compadres — DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant — earned their own franchise statistical milestones.

Murray ripped off a 32-yard run in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins to pass Emmitt Smith's mark of 1,773 rush yards in 1995. Murray entered the Cowboys' final game needing 29 yards to break Smith's mark. He finished with 100 yards on 20 carries, giving him a team-record 1,845 for the season.

Bryant scored twice in the first quarter — both on spectacular plays — as he overtook Terrell Owens for most touchdown catches (16) in a single season by a Cowboy. On the first score, Bryant stiff-armed Washington Redskins corner David Amerson en route to a 65-yard catch and run. On the second, Bryant made a diving catch in the end zone that went to replay and was declared a touchdown.

Bryant finished the game with four catches for 99 yards and the two TDs.

The Cowboys' terrific season rolls on, both individually and in team terms.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - DECEMBER 28TH

1905 - Intercollegiate Athletic Association of US founded (becomes NCAA in 1910).

1946 - Hubie Green, golfer (US Open-1977, PGA-1985) is born.

1947 - Chic Cards beat Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 in NFL Championship game.

1948 - Jorge Velasquez, jockey (Kentucky Derby-1981, Preakness-1981) is born.
1952 - Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-7 in NFL Championship game.

1957 - CBS states it won't broadcast baseball where Minor League games are on.

1958 - "The Greatest Game Ever Played", Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants

23-17 in the first every sudden-death overtime game in NFL history

(17 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were involved in the game).

1960 - Raymond Bourque, Saint-Laurent Quebec,

NHL defenseman (Team Canada, Boston) is born.

1975 - Red Army beats NY Rangers 7-3 at Madison Square Garden.

1991 - 8 are crushed to death at a RAP basketball game at City College, NYC.

2008 - The Detroit Lions finished the season 0-16 with a 31-21 lost to the

Green Bay Packers. The first time in National Football League history that a

team went winless in a 16-game season.

Browns act swiftly on Gordon and Manziel

Cleveland Browns WR Josh Gordon suspended by team for finale

Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon said all the right things after he was suspended for 10 games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy, so at least he has figure out how to help his image that way.

But following through with his claims that he wants to change his image? Well, maybe not so much.

Gordon was suspended for the team's regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens for violating team rules, the Browns announced. It's a really bad way for Gordon to go into the offseason. The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot reported that Gordon was suspended for missing a walk-through practice on Saturday.

The suspension could be very costly for Gordon. The NFL Network's Albert Breer and ESPN.com's Adam Schefter both reported that Gordon's suspension will cost him an accrued season toward free agency. Gordon will finish the year active for just five games, and he needed six to make 2014 an accrued season. Therefore, Schefter reported, Gordon will be a restricted free agent after next season instead of an unrestricted free agent.

The news is good for the Ravens, who have to win Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive. Already the Browns were going to be shorthanded, as it appears rookie Connor Shaw will start at quarterback due to the Browns' top two quarterbacks being injured. But the Gordon news is way more important for Cleveland than just losing their top receiver for a Week 17 game.

Talent has never been an issue with Gordon, an All-Pro receiver in 2013. But he just can't stay out of trouble. Gordon missed the first two games of the 2013 season due to a league suspension, then missed the first 10 games this year due to a suspension. He bookends that with his suspension for Week 17.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the Browns tried to move Gordon this offseason. And some team would likely take a chance on him, though not at a positive return on investment for the Browns. Gordon had 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in just 14 games last season. His production this year was down, with just 303 yards and no touchdowns in five games, though the Browns' quarterback issues had some part in that.

Gordon is a fantastic talent and should be a centerpiece of the Browns' rebuilding efforts. But can they trust him going forward?

 

Browns fine Johnny Manziel for being late for treatment

Josh Gordon isn’t the only high-profile player in trouble with the Browns.

Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been fined by the team for being late for treatment on his injured hamstring, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

That news was broken just hours after the Browns announced that Gordon is suspended for the regular-season finale for missing today’s walk-through practice. Manziel is on injured reserve and was not expected at the walk-through, but the report that he didn’t show up on time for treatment is concerning.

Manziel’s tardiness today comes just days after he vowed to take his work more seriously. Apparently taking work seriously doesn’t include showing up to work on time.

So now the Browns, at the end of a season that showed some promise, are ending the season on a low note: Their best offensive playmaker is such a troublemaker that his future with the team is in question, and their franchise quarterback doesn’t show up to work on time.

Jets' Rex Ryan has cleaned out his office

Black Monday has come early to New York.

According to NJ Advance Media, New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan has cleaned out his office at the team's headquarters. The Jets will be playing in Miami on Sunday, and it appears Ryan doesn't anticipate his tenure with the team will last much longer than the final horn.

Jets owner Woody Johnson has reportedly solicited the assistance of Charley Casserly in seeking out new candidates to replace Ryan and general manager John Idzik, and Casserly has apparently begun that search in earnest. When word got back to Ryan, he began packing up, according to NJ.com.

Ryan had faced a similar fate in 2013, NJ.com's Dom Cosentino notes, when it became apparent that Idzik was seeking out potential replacements for the coach. But a strong finish helped Ryan hold onto his job for another year. No such reprieve appears in the offing this year, not with the Jets stuck at 3-12.

There will be much more to discuss about Ryan once his apparent firing becomes official. For now, this should make Sunday's game against Miami interesting from both an emotional and an effort perspective.

Starlin Castro questioned following shooting in Dominican Republic

According to ESPN's Enrique Rojas, Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was detained — not arrested, as was originally reported — by authorities in the Dominican Republic on Saturday and is being questioned in connection to a nightclub shooting that left six people injured. There are few concrete details at this point, but it's reported the shooting took place late Friday night or early Saturday morning at Ocean Club, a nightclub in Castro's hometown of Montecristi.

A police spokesperson did not indicate publicly whether they believed Castro was direcltly involved, but noted that some people close to Castro participated in the shooting.

Here's a translated statement that was released on Twitter:

ATTENTION: Some sports media have called me inquiring about Major League Baseball player Starlin Castro. At the moment it is in the Office of Montecristi, where prosecutors questioned him regarding several injured yesterday at the Ocean club where persons involved were very close to him. At the moment I have no more details.

It's also reported that one person injured in the shooting is currently listed in serious condition. The condition of the others has not been released.

Castro's agent Paul Kinzer has since released a statement denying his client was arrested or detained, but went to the police on his own accord to make sure his his name was cleared.

“Starlin was not arrested or detained or anything,” Kinzer said. “He went to the police station to make sure they knew he was not involved. They told him they had video so they knew he was not involved.”

Kinzer added that he didn't know if Castro's brother or bodyguards were arrested or detained. They were all part of the group along with the driver and assistant to Montecristi's mayor. Castro has since left the police station and according to multiple sourcesis not under investigation.

This is the second such incident Castro has been connected to just this month. On Dec. 7, he was cleared of any involvement in a shooting outside Dubai Club in Santiago Caballeros. At that time, his Kinzer released the following statement.

“Starlin and his family were in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were at a concert when someone in a black SUV started shooting at a car next to them. Starlin and his family are fine. They are clear of any involvement in this altercation by Dominican officials.”

The Cubs are aware of Saturday's developments but have yet to comment, according to CSN Chicago's David Kaplan.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY - DECEMBER 27TH

1897 - Stanley Cup: Montreal Victorias beat Ottawa Capitals, 15-2.
1919 - Red Sox owner Harry Frazee announces they will deal any player

except Harry Hooper, Hooper is sent to the White Sox after 1920 season.

1937 - German immigration officials with no explanation bar Juan Carlos Zabala

(Arg), 1932 Olympic marathon champion, from entering Germany.

1953 - Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-16 in NFL Championship game.

1959 - Baltimore Colts beat NY Giants 31-16 in NFL Championship game.
1964 - Cleveland Browns beat Baltimore Colts 27-0 in NFL Championship game.

1980 - Calvin Murphy (Rockets) begins longest NBA free throw streak of 78.

1981 - Oiler Wayne Gretzky becomes fastest NHLer to get 100 pts (38th game).

1987 - Steve Largent, Seattle Seahawks, sets all-time NFL

record for career catches when he catches his 752nd pass.

1991 - Bengals hire Dave Shula as youngest NFL coach (32).
1991 - Chuck Knox retires as Seattle Seahawk coach.

2003 - Iván Calderón, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1962) 

was murdered in a bar in Loiza, Puerto Rico.