BASEBALL
Kotsay to manage A's
Mark Kotsay has been hired to replace Bob Melvin as manager of the Oakland Athletics, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement said Monday night. Kotsay is being promoted from third base coach to manager, taking over the club he played for as an outfielder in four of his 17 major league seasons. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made by the team. One is expected today. Melvin left Oakland to manage the San Diego Padres in late October. Kotsay, 46, was most recently the A's third-base coach and formerly was a bench coach under Melvin, who came aboard midway through the 2011 season to replace Bob Geren. Kotsay has demonstrated a great rapport with players and the ability to connect based on his long playing career. A first-round pick taken ninth overall by Miami in the 1996 draft out of Cal State Fullerton, the well-traveled Kotsay was a career .276 hitter with 127 home runs and 720 RBI for the Marlins, Padres, A's, Atlanta, Boston, the Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee. The A's went 86-76 this year for third place in the AL West and missed the playoffs following three straight postseason berths.
TENNIS
Nadal tests positive for covid
Rafael Nadal tested positive for the coronavirus after playing in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, the Spaniard said Monday. Nadal wrote on Twitter that the positive result came from a PCR test he took after arriving in Spain. Nadal said he is enduring "unpleasant moments" but hopes to improve "little by little." He is in isolation at home and everyone who has been in contact with him was informed of his positive result. Among those possibly in contact with Nadal was Spain's former monarch, Juan Carlos I, who has been living in the United Arab Emirates since allegations of financial scandals swirled and embarrassed the Spanish royal household last year. According to Spain's El Mundo newspaper, Nadal and Juan Carlos, who is 83, shared a meal on Saturday. The paper also published photos of both of them posing together without masks. Nadal said he had been tested every two days while away and all results had come back negative, with the last one on Saturday. Nadal said that as a consequence of the positive result he will have to be flexible with his playing schedule. He said he will analyze his upcoming options depending on his condition. Nadal played his first match in more than four months on Friday, losing in straight sets to Andy Murray at the exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi.
Thiem out 2 tourneys
Former U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem's lengthy recovery from a right wrist injury has forced him to miss the ATP Cup and another tournament in Sydney ahead of next month's Australian Open. Thiem was expected to play in Dubai this week but withdrew after catching a cold and returning to Austria. "After speaking to my team, we have decided to return to Austria, instead of flying directly to Australia," Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, said on social media Sunday. "Unfortunately, I caught a cold [and tested negative for covid-19] while in Dubai and was unable to practice last week. I will therefore not be in the physical condition required to be able to play the ATP Cup and Sydney ATP 250." The ATP Cup team event is scheduled for Sydney from Jan. 1-9 and the ATP tournament from Jan. 9-15. The Australian Open begins Jan. 17 in Melbourne.
FOOTBALL
No play-calling duties for Bevell
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator and interim head coach Darrell Bevell is giving up play-calling duties for the rest of the season. Bevell said Monday he will delegate that role to quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for the remaining three games, beginning at the New York Jets (3-11) on Sunday. The Jaguars (2-12) have scored just seven touchdowns in their past eight games, with three of those coming in the fourth quarter while trailing by double digits. Bevell called plays from the sideline during Sunday's 30-16 loss to Houston. Giving up that responsibility should allow him to "take on more of the head coach role that I'm being asked to do," he said. Schottenheimer replaced Bevell as Seattle's play-caller in 2018 and spent three years in that position before joining Urban Meyer in Jacksonville.
Godwin tears ACL
Tampa Bay receiver Chris Godwin has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. Godwin was injured early in the second quarter of a 9-0 loss to New Orleans on Sunday night after catching a pass from Tom Brady over the middle and taking a hard hit directly on the knee from Saints cornerback P.J. Williams. The tackle flipped the receiver into the air and Godwin remained on the ground momentarily before being helped to his feet and walking off the field under his own power. He was later seen running on the Buccaneers sideline, but did not re-enter the game. Coach Bruce Arians said Monday that the hit was legal, but is the type of play that needs to be examined as part of ongoing efforts to make the game safer. "You feel bad for him because he was having such a great year, and the type of hit it was -- totally legal, but I think that's one of the things we have to look at in the offseason," Arians said. "We're so concerned about hitting people in the head and we're getting a lot of knee injuries now because of that type of tackle," the coach added. "But it is legal and wasn't a bad play at all." Godwin was well on his way to a third consecutive game with at least 10 receptions and 100 yards receiving with six for 49 when he was hurt with just under 13 minutes remaining in the first half. The fifth-year pro finished with a career-best 98 catches for 1,103 yards and six touchdowns (five receiving, one rushing).
FILE - Rafael Nadal, of Spain, leaves the court after he lost to Lloyd Harris, of South Africa, in the Citi Open tennis tournament, on Aug. 5, 2021, in Washington. Rafael Nadal says he tested positive for the coronavirus after playing an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. Nadal said on Twitter the positive result came on a PCR test he took after arriving in Spain. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)