Friday Sports in Brief – ABC News

NFL

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Garrett is headed to the other side of the Giants-Cowboys rivalry.

New York announced Friday night that the former Dallas coach will join new coach Joe Judge’s staff as the offensive coordinator.

The team also announced the hiring of Patrick Graham as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Thomas McGaughey was retained by Judge as the Giants’ special teams coordinator.

Garrett was told Jan. 5 he was not being brought back by the Cowboys after coaching the team for the previous 9 1/2 seasons. He took over in Dallas as the interim coach when Wade Phillips was fired halfway through the 2010 season and went 87-70, including the playoffs.

The 53-year-old Garrett had the club’s second-longest tenure behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Tom Landry.

Dallas finished 8-8 for the fourth time under Garrett this season. The Cowboys opened 3-0 before dropping eight of 12 and losing control of their playoff fate. Dallas missed the playoffs six times in Garrett’s nine full seasons.

MLB

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Astros owner Jim Crane expects to hire a new manager by Feb. 3.

The Astros need a new manager and general manager after AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday, hours after both were suspended by Major League Baseball for a year for the team’s sign-stealing scandal.

Crane said Friday that he’s interviewed a number of candidates this week and has some more to talk to in the coming days.

“We should have another good season with the team pretty much intact … so I don’t know why a manager wouldn’t want to come in and manage these guys. They’re set to win again,”he said.

Crane says his list is still pretty extensive and that he hopes to have it narrowed down by the end of next week. He added that he expects most of Hinch’s staff to stay in place regardless of who is hired.

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies pitcher Justin Lawrence has been suspended for 80 games under the major league drug program following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance.

The 25-year-old right-hander tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), the commissioner’s office said Friday.

Lawrence has been on the Rockies’ 40-man roster since November 2018 and spent last season on option to the minor leagues. He has yet to make his big league debut.

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies will retire the jersey number of outfielder Larry Walker in a ceremony during the upcoming season.

The Rockies announced Friday they will honor Walker on April 19 when they play another one of Walker’s former teams, the St. Louis Cardinals.

Walker’s No. 33 will be displayed next to Todd Helton’s No. 17 in the right-field area inside Coors Field, alongside the initials “KSM” for the Rockies’ late president Keli McGregor.

NBA

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has tabled plans for its board of governors to vote in April for what would have been significant changes to the league’s schedule for the 75th anniversary season in 2021-22.

The league is not scrapping the proposal for major changes, such as the addition of an in-season tournament and potentially the re-seeding of the last four playoff teams. But in a memo sent to teams Friday, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the league said it wants time to “develop a more comprehensive proposal and plan.”

The board of governors will still address the ideas for changes in April. But no vote is now expected to occur then. The league said last month in a detailed memo to teams that it had anticipated the vote taking place in April.

NHL

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes All-Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton is out indefinitely with a broken left leg.

The team announced Friday that Hamilton broke his left fibula during a loss at Columbus on Thursday night and underwent surgery Friday.

Hamilton was hurt in the second period while chasing down a puck along the wall in the neutral zone when he was tangled up with Columbus’ Kevin Stenlund. He fell awkwardly with his leg bent underneath him and didn’t return.

General manager Don Waddell said Hamilton had surgery to repair the broken fibula performed by Dr. Kevin Logel at Raleigh Orthapedic. No time frame was given for the 26-year-old’s return to play.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Two-time Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year Travis Etienne is returning to Clemson for his senior season.

Etienne, the 5-foot-10, 210-pound junior running back from Jennings, Louisiana, announced his decision on social media Friday.

Etienne became Clemson’s all-time rushing leader Monday night when he surpassed the old mark after gaining 78 yards in his team’s 42-25 loss to LSU for the national championship.

Etienne said his coaches, teammates and fans have helped him become a stronger man and football player these past three years. While he’s dreamed of playing in the NFL, “I’m not done dreaming here at Clemson either” before saying he would be back.

Etienne was projected as a second-round selection if he chosen to turn pro.

He gained 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He holds the ACC career mark with 56 rushing TDs this year.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Mississippi State coach Ben Howland has received a $25,000 fine and a reprimand from the Southeastern Conference for discussing a conversation he had with the league office about the officiating in a loss to LSU last week.

SEC officials said Howland violated a league bylaw that prohibits coaches, players and support personnel from offering public criticism of officials or for making public any specific communication with the league office related to officiating.

Howland said during a Monday news conference that he spoke with SEC coordinator of men’s basketball officials Mark Whitehead about “a number of calls” that were made in Saturday’s Mississippi State-LSU game. Howland said Whitehead acknowledged that a foul should have been assessed against LSU on one particular play in which no foul was called.

LSU edged Mississippi State 60-59 when Skylar Mays hit a jumper from just inside the 3-point arc at the buzzer.

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California ended No. 7 UCLA’s run as the only unbeaten women’s Division I basketball team, using 27 points from Aliyah Jeune to knock off the Bruins 70-68 in double overtime on Friday night.

The Bruins (16-1, 5-1 Pac-12) had a 64-59 lead with 3:17 remaining in the second OT before the Trojans (9-8, 1-5) rallied, going on a 10-2 run to close the game. Pili’s three-point play with 27 seconds remaining put USC in the lead for good.

UCLA had a chance to tie, but Chantal Horvat missed a layup with 2 seconds left. Natalie Chou forced double overtime with a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer.

Jeune and Alissa Pili also had double-doubles. Pili had 17 rebounds, and Jeune added 13.

Japreece Dean scored 24 points and Charisma Osborne had 20 for UCLA, who were missing star forward Michaela Onyenwere.

SOCCER

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta United announced the signing of defender Edgar Castillo on Friday.

The 33-year-old Castillo gives the MLS team a veteran left back to compete for playing time with teenager George Bello.

Castillo spent more than a decade in Mexico’s Liga MX before moving to MLS in 2018. He spent the last two seasons with Colorado and New England.

Castillo played on two championships teams in Liga MX. He also has played in 18 games for the U.S. national team after switching countries to play for the Americans in 2009.

MMA

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Strawweight contender Cláudia Gadelha’s bout with Alexa Grasso on the pay-per-view portion of the UFC 246 card has been canceled after Grasso badly missed weight.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission made the decision Friday morning after Grasso weighed in at 121 1/2 pounds, missing the strawweight allowance by 5 1/2 pounds.

Because Gadelha made weight at 115 1/2 pounds, the weight difference between the competitors was too big to allow the fight to go on with a financial penalty for Grasso (11-3). Strawweight fighters must be only 3 pounds apart at the weigh-in to allow such a consideration, according to the commission.

Gadelha (17-4) fought for the strawweight title in 2016. The Brazilian veteran has won four of her six bouts since, including a victory over Randa Markos last July in Las Vegas in her most recent action.

OBITUARY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former Walmart Inc. chief executive David Glass, who owned the Kansas City Royals for nearly two decades before selling the franchise last fall, died last week of complications from pneumonia. He was 84.

The Glass family said the businessman died Jan. 9. He had been dealing with health issues for some time.

Glass began negotiations early last year to sell the Royals, who reached the World Series twice under his ownership and won the title in 2015. The deal valued at about $1 billion with a group led by Kansas City businessman John Sherman was completed Nov. 26 after Major League Baseball owners voted unanimously to approve it.

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