FOOTBALL
Report: Durkin at Bama
Former Maryland coach DJ Durkin has been working with Alabama Coach Nick Saban's program in a "consultant-like capacity" for the past week, according to a report published Thursday on AL.com. Durkin, 40, was fired Oct. 31, one day after being reinstated by the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents following nearly three months on paid administrative leave. Durkin lost his job in the aftermath of offensive lineman Jordan McNair's death in mid-June and allegations of a "toxic" culture in the way he ran the football program during his 2 1/2-year tenure at Maryland. Neither Durkin nor a spokesman for Saban could be reached for comment. Durkin's attorney, Jeffrey Klein, declined comment. Since Maryland announced Durkin was fired without cause, he was to receive the $5.4 million owed to him as part of his buyout. Durkin's presence in Tuscaloosa, Ala., comes as Michael Locksley, the Tide offensive coordinator who was hired last week to be Maryland's new coach, returns to Alabama to prepare the team for its Dec. 29 College Football Playoff semifinal against Oklahoma. Locksley, who has spent the past week talking to current Maryland players, recruiting and building his staff, will finish his duties as offensive coordinator for the top-seeded Crimson Tide.
Clark coach of year
Alabama-Birmingham's Bill Clark has won the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award. Clark led the Blazers to their first Conference USA championship with a program-record 10 victories. The award was announced Thursday by the Football Writers Association of America and the Sugar Bowl. UAB's program resumed play last season after being shut down for two years by the university. UAB plays Northern Illinois on Tuesday in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Blazers are seeking their first bowl victory. Clark has gone 24-14 in three seasons with the Blazers, including one before the shutdown. He will receive the award on Jan. 5, in San Jose, Calif., ahead of the national championship game. The award is named after the famed Grambling State coach who won 408 games in his career.
Wentz cracks vertebra
Carson Wentz has a fractured vertebra, revealed after the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback underwent a series of tests, an NFL source said Thursday. The team didn't officially comment. The fracture will fully heal if given sufficient time, the source said. The Eagles have yet to rule out Wentz for Sunday's game at the Los Angeles Rams, but he didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday and is unlikely to play based on the recent news. Backup Nick Foles has taken first-team repetitions and likely will start for the first time since Week 2. The Eagles are still determining whether Wentz can play with the injury, the source said. He was present at the start of Thursday's workout and did some light jogging at one point. The 6-7 Eagles, who are still alive for a playoff spot, will have games against Texans and Redskins after the Rams. Wentz underwent a CT scan on Wednesday and an MRI on Thursday, NFL sources said. He also will seek medical advice outside the Eagles medical staff, those sources said.
BASKETBALL
Knicks sign Trier
Allonzo Trier got a new contract and Ron Baker was sent packing. A source confirmed the New York Knicks will use their bi-annual exception to sign Trier, with ESPN reporting that the deal includes a team option for next season. Trier will receive roughly $3.4 million this season, according to a source. The Knicks needed to make a move on Trier because his two-way contract was expiring this month. Their preference was to create a roster spot through a trade, which didn't happen, and Baker was the casualty. The other candidate for the cut was center Luke Kornet, who also is on an expiring deal but a smaller amount ($1.6 million). However, the Knicks have a glut of guards and just three centers (Enes Kanter, Mitchell Robinson, Kornet). Baker was one of two significant signings completed by team President Steve Mills before he hired GM Scott Perry. It was a two-year, $9 million pact with a player option for this season -- a contract that was widely thumped around the league. Baker now represents the fourth player waived by the Knicks with a guaranteed contract in the last two seasons. The others were Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Ramon Sessions and Joakim Noah.
Nets, Dinwiddie agree
The Brooklyn Nets and guard Spencer Dinwiddie have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth about $34 million. The deal Thursday came a day after Dinwiddie scored a career-high 39 points, the most by any player off the bench in the NBA this season, in a victory at Philadelphia. Dinwiddie was third in voting for the Most Improved Player last season and could find himself in the race for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He is averaging 16.9 points, helping the Nets overcome the loss of scoring leader Caris LeVert to injury. Dinwiddie became eligible to sign an extension last week but it was unclear if the Nets would offer one, which would cut into the cap space that will be available to them this summer. But Dinwiddie has played well enough on the court and been one of the team's leaders off it, so they decided it was worth it to pay now. The third year of the deal is a player option and all three years are guaranteed.
SWIMMING
U.S. sets world record
The United States has set a world record in the 200-meter mixed medley relay at the world short-course swimming championships at Hangzhou, China. Caeleb Dressel, Kelsi Dahlia, Michael Andrew and Olivia Smoliga won in 1 minute, 36.40 seconds, finishing 0.65 seconds ahead of the Netherlands. American swimmers set the previous record of 1:37.17 in Glasgow in 2013. Also, Kirill Prigoda of Russia set a world record in the 200 breaststroke. Prigoda won in 2:00.16.
BASEBALL
Negro League bobbleheads
Fans of the former Negro League could have a chance to commemorate some of its stars through a series of bobbleheads. The effort is designed to help mark the upcoming centennial of baseball's Negro National League, which began in Kansas City in February 1920. Supporters unveiled the first bobblehead, of pitcher Satchel Paige of the Kansas City Monarchs, while announcing the campaign on Wednesday. The Kansas City Star reports production of the rest of the licensed, limited-edition bobbleheads will depend on a Kickstarter campaign sponsored by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and the Dreams Fulfilled, a group promoting the Negro League centennial. The goal is to raise $10,000 by Jan. 7.
HORSE RACING
Study: Demolish Pimlico
A new Maryland Stadium Authority study calls for demolishing Pimlico Race Course and rebuilding it at a cost of $424 million, according to a summary of the study's findings obtained by The Baltimore Sun. The full study, which was released online Thursday, aims to design an ideal venue to host the Preakness Stakes and considers several year-round, nonracing uses for the site in Baltimore's Park Heights area. It recommends adding amenities at the track, such as a grocery store, other shops, a hotel and townhouses. It suggests "demolition and removal of all existing structures on the site, including the tracks, infield, grandstand, clubhouse, equestrian barns and associated infrastructure." The $424 million cost estimate does not include any of the future development initiatives beyond rebuilding the clubhouse and tracks. It envisions additional projects that would be built by private developers. The state of the Pimlico facility presents "significant challenges, which, if not addressed, may threaten its continued existence and the success of the Preakness Stakes," according to a summary of the study's findings. The study suggests city and state officials, the Maryland Jockey Club and The Stronach Group of Canada, which owns Pimlico and Laurel Park, enter into formal negotiations about the next steps, including how to fund a potential rebuild.
Sports on 12/14/2018