>>Rivera Among Four Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame
(Undated) — Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina are headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Rivera is the only player to be unanimously selected by the Baseball Writers. He’s joined in the Class of 2019 by the late Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez and Mike Mussina [[ moo-SEE-nah ]]. Inductions will take place in Cooperstown in July.
>>Bulls Officially Acquire Carmelo Anthony
(Chicago, IL) — Carmelo Anthony is officially a Bull. The team acquired the 10-time All-Star, the draft rights to Jon Diebler, and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets for the draft rights of Tadija Dragicevic [[ tod-jah dray-gih-vitch ]]. The Bulls are expected to waive Anthony if they can’t trade his expiring contract before the February 7th deadline.
>>Grizzlies Open To Trading Gasol, Conley
(Memphis, TN) — The Memphis Grizzlies are shaking up the franchise. Multiple reports say the team is now listening to trade offers for cornerstones Marc Gasol [[ gah-SOLE ]] and Mike Conley. The duo serve as the Grizzlies’ highest-paid and most popular players. Memphis has lost its last six games and is second to last in the Western Conference at 19-and-28.
>>Blackhawks Top Islanders In Shootout
(Chicago, IL) — Jonathan Toews [[ Taves ]] and Patrick Kane scored in the shootout to lead the Blackhawks to a 3-2 win over the Islanders at the United Center. Toews and Dylan Strome both scored goals in the second period for the Hawks, who improved to 18-24-and-9. Chicago now takes a break for All-Star Weekend in San Jose. The Hawks’ next game is February 1st against the Sabres in Buffalo.
>>Illinois Hosts Wisconsin Tonight
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois men’s basketball welcomes Wisconsin to town tonight. The Illini have lost to the Badgers 13 straight times dating back to 2011. Illinois comes into the game 5-and-13 overall and 1-and-6 in the Big Ten. The Badgers are 12-and-6, including 4-and-3 in league play.
>>Serena Can’t Close Out Pliskova, Ousted From Aussie
(Melbourne, Australia) — Serena Williams is out of the Australian Open. The 16th-seeded American blew a 5-1 lead and four match points in the third set and lost to Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals. The 37-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam champion appeared to tweak her ankle and couldn’t close it out. Williams had beaten top-seeded Simona Halep in the Round of 16.
>>Chiefs Fire DC Sutton
(Kansas City, MO) — Following last weekend’s playoff loss to the Patriots, the Chiefs are parting ways with defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. The 67-year-old has been fired from the position he had held since arriving in Kansas City with head coach Andy Reid in 2013. The Chiefs gave up 36 first downs in the AFC Championship Game loss to New England on Sunday.
>>Attorney Files Suit Over Saints’ Controversial Loss To Rams
(Los Angeles, CA) — An attorney representing Saints season-ticket holders is throwing a Hail Mary to get the team to the Super Bowl. A lawsuit was filed after New Orleans’ controversial loss to the Rams following a missed call by refs that swayed Sunday’s NFC championship. The suit cites an obscure rule that allows for the commissioner to reverse the outcome if deemed unfair.
