Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BASEBALL Mariners sign Ibanez

Raul Ibanez and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $2.75 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday night. The deal allows Ibanez to earn an additional $1.25 million in performance bonuses, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. Ibanez returns to the team he began his big league career with from 1996-2000, then rejoined from 2004-2008. Now 40, Ibanez spent the past season with the New York Yankees and became popular with fans for his late-game home runs. He had hoped to remain with New York, but the Yankees have moved slowly during the offseason. Ibanez hit .240 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI in 384 at-bats, his pull swing making him a natural for the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium. He batted just .197 with 5 RBI in 61 at-bats against left-handers. Including the playoffs, Ibanez hit five home runs that tied the score for the Yankees and eight that put New York ahead, according to STATS. He homeredtwice after entering as a pinch hitter Sept. 22 in a 10-9, 14-inning victory over Oakland. And with New York fighting for the AL East title, he delivered a tying, pinch-hit home run against Boston in the ninth Oct. 2 and then singled in the winning run in the 12th. Then in Game 3 of the division series against Baltimore, he became the first player in major league history to hit two home runs in a postseason game he didn’t start. He pinch-hit for Alex Rodriguez in the ninth inning and hit a tying home run, then hit a winning shot in the 12th. Three days later his two-run home run in a four-run ninth inning tied the AL Championship Series opener against Detroit, a game the Yankees lost 6-4 in 12 innings as the Tigers started their way to a four-game sweep. Ibanez had a $1.1 million base salary last season and earned another $2.05 million in performance bonuses. In 17 major league seasons that also includedtime with Kansas City (2001-2003) and Philadelphia (2009-2011), Ibanez has a .278 career average with 271 home runs and 1,116 RBI.

Cody Ross and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a threeyear contract with a club option for 2016. The team announced the deal Saturday. Ross, who turns 32 on Sunday and lives in nearby Scottsdale, adds to the abundance of outfielders on the Arizona roster, leading to speculation a trade might be coming. He batted .267 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI last season for the Boston Red Sox. He’s a career .267 hitter in nine big league seasons. The addition gives the Diamondbacks four veteran outfielders - Ross, JustinUpton, Gerardo Parra and Jason Kubel - along with two youngsters the organization has deemed ready for the majors: Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.

BASKETBALL Bosh out

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh did not play against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night because of a cold. Bosh called the team before its morning gameday practice, saying he was not feeling well and was advised to stay home. Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said he had some hope that Bosh would be able to play, but the team announced about two hours before game time that he and Josh Harrellson would be held out because of the illness. Several Heat players and coaches have dealt with flulike symptoms in the past couple weeks. Bosh appeared in each of Miami’s first 23 games this season, averaging 18 points and 7.9 rebounds. Harrellson has logged a total of 10 minutes in three games off the bench, scoring five points.

FOOTBALL UCLA safety disciplined

UCLA safety Tevin McDonald will not play in the Holiday Bowl after violating a team policy, Coach Jim Mora said. McDonald tested positive for marijuana, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to comment. Under UCLA policy, a player is suspended for one game after testing positive for a third time. A fourth positive test can result in a player’s scholarship being revoked. McDonald did not travel with the team to San Diego on Friday. McDonald, a junior, is second on the team in tackles with 79. He has recovered two fumbles and intercepted one pass. Mora said that McDonald’s spot would be filled by “committee” against Baylor in the Holiday Bowl on Thursday. Andrew Abbott, Randall Goforth, Brandon Sermons and Marcus Rios could all see time.

BASKETBALL Kings suspend Cousins indefinitely

DeMarcus Cousins was suspended indefinitely by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.”

Cousins and Kings Coach Keith Smart exchanged words in the locker room during halftime of Sacramento’s 97-85 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.Smart benched Cousins for the entire second half and ordered him to remain in the locker room.

Cousins also was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for striking O.J. Mayo in the groin during a loss at Dallas on Dec. 10. Following a loss at San Antonio on Nov. 9, the league suspended Cousins two games without pay forconfronting Spurs announcer Sean Elliott in a “hostile manner.”

“We’re trying to set a standard here, and when guys move below that standard, things are going to take place,” Smart said after the game in Los Angeles. “We’ll just move on to the next game and I’ll make some decisions from there.”

Cousins, drafted fifth overall in 2010, took responsibility for the incident after the game. The 22-year-old center is averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 9.5 rebounds to go with 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season.

“What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room. But I was wrong. I was wrong,” saidCousins, who scored nine points in 20 minutes. “I’m a player that definitely wants to win every night, and I’m an emotional player. That’s never going to change. But I shouldn’t have responded back. Something was said, and I just should have stayed quiet. Is it a humbling thing? Yeah, I will say that. I mean, I messed up andI apologize to my teammates for responding the way I did and I’ll move on from it.”

Cousins’ behavior has been well documented going back to high school and his one season at Kentucky.

He has mixed in dramatic and astonishing plays with outbursts against players, coaches,trainers and referees. Cousins clashed often last season with then-Kings Coach Paul Westphal, who was fired after a 2-5 start - a move that came after he released a statement criticizing Cousins’ commitment to the team and excusing him for a game.

After Cousins’ workout over the summer in Las Vegas with the U.S. select team, which helped Team USA prepare for the London Olympics, USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo said Cousins “has some growing up to do.” Cousins later said he was just playing hard and that rubbed some the wrong way.

The Kings, who have dropped six of seven, host Portland today.