KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Terrell Suggs joined the Kansas City Chiefs at the perfect time. The 17-year veteran was waived by the Arizona Cardinals late in the season and claimed by the Chiefs, joining them in time for the final two games of the regular season. He has continued to play well for Kansas City during the playoffs, and now the Chiefs are leaning on his Super Bowl experience as they get ready to play the San Francisco 49ers in the big game. The guy nicknamed “T-Sizzle” certainly has the Chiefs sizzling as they get ready for the pomp and circumstance of Miami.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 takes a break from conference play this weekend when its teams match up with members of the Southeastern Conference for the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Third-ranked Kansas will be without suspended big men Silvio De Sousa and David McCormick when they face former Texas coach Rick Barnes and Tennessee on Saturday. Top-ranked Baylor heads to Florida and No. 18 Kentucky welcomes No. 15 Kentucky in the other two big showdowns Saturday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals star catcher Salvador Perez is about to become a U.S. citizen. The Royals say Perez passed his citizenship exam earlier this month and will be be joined by Chief U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on the Royals FanFest main stage Friday at the Kansas City Convention Center to take the oath of allegiance. He says he is “grateful to this country for the many opportunities I have been given; including the ability to play professional baseball." Perez was sidelined last season by Tommy John surgery but is preparing to return to the roster this year.
NORMAN, Okla, (AP) — Oklahoma assistant coach Ruffin McNeill said he is leaving the program to help care for his 85-year-old father in North Carolina. The school made the announcement in a news release on Thursday. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley hired McNeill in 2017. He coached defensive tackles that season and at the start of the 2018 season before being named interim co-defensive coordinator for the final eight games of 2018. Riley and McNeill have coached together in some capacity for 15 of the past 17 years. McNeill said he is not retiring and plans to return to coaching someday.
National Headlines
MIAMI (AP) — For the second year, it will be Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis at the NBA All-Star Game, which will be staged Feb. 16 in Chicago. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the captains once again after being top overall vote-getters from their conferences. The other starters are Anthony Davis of the Lakers, Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, Luka Doncic of the Mavericks, James Harden of the Rockets, Pascal Siakam of the Raptors, Joel Embiid of the 76ers, Kemba Walker of the Celtics and Trae Young of the Hawks.
BOSTON (AP) — The pitchers and catchers will show up Feb. 12, but the Boston Red Sox may not have a manager by then. Boston’s front office says the search continues for a replacement for Alex Cora. He was identified as the ringleader in a sign-stealing scheme when he was the bench coach with the Houston Astros in 2017. It’s still not clear whether Cora engaged in similar tactics after taking over the Red Sox in 2018.
MELBOURNE (AP) — Serena Williams has made an early exit from the Australian Open. Williams suffered a 6-4, 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 loss to China’s Wang Qiang the No. 27 seed. Williams, who was eighth-seeded, suffered the third-round lost in a match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes. Williams trails Margaret Court on the all-time list of women’s major winners.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets made it official, hiring Luis Rojas as their manager to replace Carlos Beltrán. New York made the announcement a week after Beltrán departed without managing a game. Rojas, who had been the Mets quality control coach, was given a multiyear contract. Rojas became New York's fourth manager in the past 2 1/2 years — and third in four months. Beltrán was let go last week as part of the fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.
SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger is expected to miss the start of the regular season and likely needs core muscle surgery. General manager Jerry Dipoto says Haniger suffered an injury during one of his offseason workouts. Dipoto says the latest setback is tied to Haniger's injury issues from last season. Haniger missed the final 3 1/2 months after suffering a ruptured testicle and then experiencing back issues. Haniger could be ready to join the major league club by late April..
Thursday Scores
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Indiana 67 (11)Michigan St. 63
Final 2OT (12)Oregon 79 Southern Cal 70
Final (23)Colorado 78 Washington St. 56
Final (25)Houston 63 UConn 59
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Washington 124 Cleveland 112
Final L.A. Lakers 128 Brooklyn 113
Final Dallas 133 Portland 125