The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Sprint to end NASCAR sponsorship after 2016
Sprint informed NASCAR it won’t extend title sponsorship of the top Sprint Cup Series beyond its current contract, which expires after the 2016 season.
The wireless carrier assumed a 10-year sponsorship agreement with NASCAR when it acquired Nextel in 2005. The Nextel Cup Series became the Sprint Cup Series in 2008, and Sprint later agreed to a three-year extension that took the contract through 2016.
Now, the company is citing “a need to focus more directly on its core business priorities,” in ending its relationship with NASCAR.
The announcement Tuesday gives NASCAR two seasons to find a replacement, and NASCAR chief communications officer Brett Jewkes said the series understands that significant changes within Sprint led to the decision.
NFL McCoy placed on injured reserve
His voice about to crack, Colt McCoy lamented the neck injury that has brought his season to an early end.
The Washington Redskins placed McCoy on injured reserve Tuesday with a sprained neck, the latest twist in an improbable season for a journeyman who arrived as a third-stringer and eventually won the confidence of Coach Jay Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay.
McCoy hadn’t started a game since 2011, but he leapfrogged Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins and ended up appearing in five games with four starts. He only won one of those starts — a Monday night upset of the Dallas Cowboys — but he had a respectable 96.4 passer rating despite taking 17 sacks.
McCoy hurt his neck two games ago in the fourth quarter of a 24-0 loss to the St. Louis Rams, then aggravated the injury during a promising first drive in Sunday’s 24-13 defeat to the New York Giants.
NFL employees turn over records
Two people familiar with the situation tell The Associated Press nearly 500 employees at NFL headquarters in New York turned over phone and email records to investigators looking into how Commissioner Roger Goodell and staff pursued the Ray Rice case.
The people spoke to the AP Tuesday on condition of anonymity because details of the investigation won’t be made public until later this month.
Former FBI director Robert Mueller III has been investigating whether anyone at the NFL saw video of the former Baltimore Ravens running back striking his then-fiancee inside a casino elevator before the video was published online.
MLB McCarthy, Dodgers finalize 4-year deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized a four-year contract with right-hander Brandon McCarthy and designated reliever Brian Wilson for assignment.
McCarthy’s deal was agreed to last week at the winter meetings and announced Tuesday, adding another veteran starter to the NL West champions’ rotation.
McCarthy has a 52-65 record and 4.09 ERA in nine big league seasons that also included time with the Chicago White Sox (2005-06), Texas (2007-09) and Oakland (2011-12). Arizona signed him before the 2013 season.
Morse, Marlins agree to $16M, 2-year deal
The Miami Marlins’ busy offseason reached first base Tuesday.
Mike Morse agreed to a $16 million, two-year contract with the Marlins, pending a physical, a person familiar with the negotiations said. The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been finalized.
Last season Morse hit .279 with 16 homers and 61 RBI in 131 games for the World Series champion San Francisco Giants. He batted .300 in the postseason and had four RBI in the World Series.
The move to Miami represents a homecoming for the 32-year-old Morse, who grew up in nearby Broward County. He’s a career .281 hitter with 99 homers in 10 seasons with the Mariners, Nationals, Orioles and Giants.
Angels, Rays complete trade
The Los Angeles Angels acquired outfielder Matt Joyce from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in exchange for righthanded reliever Kevin Jepsen.
The Angels have big plans for Joyce, envisioning him as their primary designated hitter and possible No. 2 hitter, which would allow AL MVP Mike Trout to hit third in front of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.
Joyce’s left-handed bat and playing experience at both corner outfield spots also should allow Hamilton to spend more games as a designated hitter.
Joyce batted .254 with nine homers and 52 RBI last season, his seventh in the majors and sixth with Tampa Bay. The 2011 All-Star and Tampa native has 88 homers and 313 RBI in his career, but knew he might be headed for a move from the retooling Rays.
NCAA Michigan close to banning studentathlete unions
Athletes would be blocked from unionizing at public universities under a bill that won final passage Tuesday, making Michigan at least the second state to respond after Northwestern University football players were allowed to vote this year on union representation.
The legislation, approved 25-11 mostly along party lines in the Republican-led Senate, is expected to be signed by GOP Gov. Rick Snyder.
It would prevent collective bargaining for university athletes by saying they are not public employees.
Football players at Northwestern, a Big Ten private school in Illinois, took a vote April 25 on whether to have the College Athletes Players Association represent them. The votes have not been counted while the National Labor Relations Board considers a legal challenge.
There are no reports of such union-organizing efforts at any of Michigan’s public or private universities.