FOOTBALL
Love returning to Stanford
Heisman Trophy runner-up and Doak Walker Award winner Bryce Love is returning to Stanford for his senior season. Love released a statement through the school Tuesday saying he will be back next year while continuing to work on his degree in human biology. Love set a Stanford record with 2,118 yards rushing this season, set an FBS record with 13 runs of at least 50 yards and topped the 100-yard mark 12 times despite being hampered by a sprained ankle the second half of the season and a hand injury in Stanford's 37-35 Alamo Bowl loss to TCU.
BASEBALL
Duffy pleads guilty to DUI
Kansas City Royals left-hander Danny Duffy has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in one of the city's suburbs and has been placed on a year's probation. Sean Reilly, a spokesman for the city of Overland Park, Kan, said Tuesday that Duffy entered the plea last week and will pay $1,220 in fines and court fees. Duffy must report to a probation officer once a month and abstain from drugs and alcohol. He also will be subject to random breath, urine or blood screenings. Royals spokesman Mike Swanson said the plea is a matter between Duffy, his representatives and the city. Police stopped and cited Duffy in August after he returned to Kansas City during a road trip for an exam on the elbow of his pitching arm. He underwent surgery in October and is expected to be ready for spring training next month. Duffy went 9-10 with a 3.81 ERA over 24 starts in the first season of a five-year, $65 million contract extension.
LeBlanc, Yankees agree
Left-hander Wade LeBlanc has agreed to a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and will report to major league spring training. LeBlanc, 33, was 5-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 50 relief appearances last year for Pittsburgh, which declined his $1.25 million option for 2018. LeBlanc is 30-35 in nine seasons with a 4.40 ERA in 79 starts and 97 relief appearances for San Diego (2008-11), Miami (2012-13), Houston (2013), the Yankees (2014), Los Angeles Angels (2014), Seattle (2016) and Pittsburgh. He was claimed by the Yankees off waivers from the Angels and pitched one game, on June 4, 2014, against Oakland. LeBlanc was designated for assignment a week later. LeBlanc would get a $1 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster. His deal was first reported by ESPN.
BASKETBALL
Jo Jo White dies
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, a two-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold medalist, has died. He was 71. The Celtics announced his death Tuesday night. No cause was provided. The team said it is "terribly saddened" by White's passing, calling him a "champion and a gentleman; supremely talented and brilliant on the court, and endlessly gracious off of it." White played 10 seasons for Boston, which drafted him ninth overall from Kansas in 1969. He averaged 17.2 points per game over 13 years, also playing for Golden State and the Kansas City Kings before retiring in 1981. The Celtics retired White's No. 10 the following year, and he still was working with the club as a director of special projects at the time of his death.
Clifford returns to Hornets
Charlotte Hornets Coach Steve Clifford returned to practice Tuesday following a 21-game absence due to headaches caused by sleep deprivation. Clifford said when he began experiencing intense headaches back in early December it scared him so bad that he decided to take a medical leave of absence. Medical tests revealed nothing wrong internally, but Clifford, 56, said doctors determined that more than 18 years of working as a NBA coach had worn him down to the point where his brain was telling him he needed sleep. Clifford, who last coached on Dec. 1, returns to the sideline tonight when Charlotte hosts Washington. Charlotte was 9-12 under associate head coach Stephen Silas during Clifford's absence.
GOLF
South Korean wins in Bahamas
South Korean Sung-jae Im, 19, shot a 7-under-par 65 Tuesday to win the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course. Im's 65 allowed him to pull away from Carlos Ortiz who started the round tied for the lead with Im, but could only manage a 3-under-69. Im won $108,000 for the victory. Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) finished with a 4-under 284 and won $5,848. Taylor Moore (Razorbacks) was 2 under and won $2,990, while Sebastian Cappelen (Razorbacks) won $1,548 for his 5-over 293 finish.
MOTOR SPORTS
Ganassi keeps partnership
Chip Ganassi Racing has expanded its partnership with sponsor DC Solar, which will offer funding for both Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. DC Solar has worked with Ganassi for the last three seasons in the Xfinity Series. The energy company will also be an associate sponsor in IndyCar for Ganassi drivers Scott Dixon and Ed Jones. Larson will debut the new DC Solar paint scheme in next month's season-opening exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway.
BASKETBALL
League investigating Rockets-Clippers antics
LOS ANGELES -- The NBA is planning to speak with players from both the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers to determine the specifics of late-game and postgame events involving the teams.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Tuesday that the league would look into the matter. Tempers boiled over Monday night late in the Clippers' 113-102 victory, to the point where several security guards were needed outside the Houston locker room postgame.
Citing anonymous NBA sources, ESPN reported several Rockets players headed toward the Clippers' locker room afterward, seeking a confrontation, but were escorted away by security before anything got physical.
There were late-game incidents as well in Chris Paul's first game in Los Angeles since he was traded to the Rockets this past summer. Clippers star Blake Griffin appeared to bump Houston Coach Mike D'Antoni, and they exchanged words. Griffin and Houston's Trevor Ariza were later ejected after another incident.
Postgame, neither team offered specifics on what happened, if anything, in the Clippers' locker room.
"We were where we were supposed to be," Griffin said. "We were in our locker room."
Paul was asked postgame about what happened, and dodged the question.
"I don't know," Paul said. "We took our loss. Tough loss."
It seems almost inevitable that the NBA will have to take some disciplinary action against players. Paul is also the president of the National Basketball Players Association, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.
The Clippers next play Wednesday against Denver, and Houston is off until it plays host to Minnesota on Thursday.
Clippers Coach Doc Rivers also said his team was in its own locker room.
"Their entire team was not in their locker room," he said, referring to the Rockets. Walking into his postgame interview, Rivers joked, "We're honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we're non-violent."
Sports on 01/17/2018