Metal detectors a must for MLB in 2015
NEW YORK (AP) — Entering a big league ballpark will be a bit like going through an airport by 2015.
Major League Baseball told its 30 teams they must implement security screening for fans by then, either with handheld metal detection or walk-through magnetometers.
The Seattle Mariners announced that fans entering Safeco Field will have to walk through metal detectors starting with this year’s opener.
Abreu signs with Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Outfielder Bobby Abreu signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies and will be invited to spring training.
The 39-year-old Abreu was a two-time All-Star with the Phillies in 2004-05. He was traded to the New York Yankees in 2006 and didn’t play in the majors last year.
Rice selects Brees with Pro Bowl 1st pick
HONOLULU (AP) — NFL great Jerry Rice picked New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and St. Louis defensive end Robert Quinn as the anchors of his Pro Bowl team.
Rice made the selections after winning a coin toss against Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders.
Lions hire Lombardi as coordinator
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions hired Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator.
The grandson of Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi has been an offensive assistant for New Orleans since 2007.
Aaron tweets support for Sherman
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron tweeted his support for Seahawks’ cornerback Richard Sherman, who has received criticism for his rant against San Francisco receiver Michael Crabtree following Seattle’s victory over the 49ers in Sunday’s NFC championship game.
Aaron told Sherman to “hang in there & keep playing as well as you did Sunday. Excellent job ”“ you have my support.”
Sherman thanked Aaron in a tweet, saying “your support is greatly appreciated and very humbling.”
Gonzalez named as Pro Bowl replacement
ATLANTA (AP) — Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez was named to his 14th and final Pro Bowl as a replacement for San Francisco’s Vernon Davis.
The Falcons had a disappointing 4-12 finish after the 37-year-old Gonzalez postponed his retirement for one year. He trails only Jerry Rice in career catches and ranks fifth in yards receiving and sixth in touchdown catches.
Minnesota dismisses Vikings stadium case
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit challenging the funding plan for a new Vikings football stadium, eliminating a legal obstacle that threatened a last-minute derailment of the project.
Perfect NCAA bracket worth $1 billion
DETROIT (AP) — Correctly predicting the outcome of every game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is no layup. There’s now a $1 billion prize waiting for anyone able to pull off the feat this spring.
Quicken Loans Inc. announced that it will team with investor Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Neb.-based Berkshire Hathaway on the “Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge.”
The Detroit-based mortgage lender says any qualified entrant who correctly predicts the winners of every game in the tournament will be paid in 40 annual installments of $25 million. A winner also can elect to receive an immediate $500 million lump-sum payment or share in that payment if there’s more than one perfect bracket submitted.
It’s a safe investment by Buffett’s group. ESPN has run a tournament challenge for the past 16 years and has never had a perfect bracket in over 30 million entries.
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