Football
Chippewas take Pizza Bowl — Ryan Radcliff threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cody Wilson with 5:11 remaining to give Central Michigan (7-6) the lead, and Western Kentucky was stopped on fourth down when a field goal would have tied the game in the final minute, giving the Chippewas a 24-21 win in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Wednesday night in Detroit. Lance Guidry, coaching the Hilltoppers (7-6) on an interim basis before Bobby Petrino takes over, decided to play for the win on fourth-and-2 from the 19 with 51 seconds left, but Kawaun Jakes threw incomplete.
Tebow talks — Tim Tebow has been criticized for years about his quarterback skills, his arm and how he throws. He refuses to accept anyone calling him a quitter or phony. The New York Jets backup quarterback insisted Wednesday that he didn’t ask out of running the team’s wildcat plays last week, but acknowledged what he said in a meeting with coach Rex Ryan might have been misinterpreted as such. “I never said, ‘Hey, I don’t want to do anything or I won’t do anything,’" Tebow said. “That wasn’t the talk at all. ... It was just me asking to get an opportunity to play the position I love, which is quarterback. It wasn’t me asking out of anything." Last Tuesday, Ryan chose to go with third-stringer Greg McElroy over Tebow in place of the benched Mark Sanchez for Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.
Cowboys’ Brent indicted — A grand jury in Texas has formally indicted Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent on one count of intoxication manslaughter. Brent is charged in connection with a Dec. 8 crash that killed his friend and Cowboys practice squad member Jerry Brown. He is out of jail on $100,000 bond. Police in the Dallas suburb of Irving say Brent was speeding when his vehicle struck a curb and flipped. Brown was pronounced dead at an area hospital. Intoxication manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Baseball
Jones accused of dragging wife — The wife of former Atlanta Braves star Andruw Jones accused him of dragging her down a staircase, grabbing her neck and saying he wanted to kill her, according to police records. A police report obtained by The Associated Press said the fight happened around 1:30 a.m. on Christmas Day, after Nicole Jones asked her husband to help her prepare their suburban Atlanta home for Christmas morning. Andruw Jones was free on bond after his arrest on a battery charge, according to Gwinnett County Jail records.
Sox get closer — The Boston Red Sox have acquired All-Star closer Joel Hanrahan from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a six-player deal. Boston completed the trade Wednesday, also receiving infielder Brock Holt. The Red Sox gave up right-handers Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel, infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and first baseman-outfielder Jerry Sands. Over the past two seasons, the right-handed Hanrahan had 76 saves, fourth most in the National League, and a 2.24 ERA. Last season, he was 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 36 saves. The Red Sox also announced the signing of free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, who agreed to a one-year contract early last week.
Rangers add Pierzynski — A.J. Pierzynski can joke with Texas manager Ron Washington about last season’s All-Star snub now that he’s the starting catcher for the Rangers. They shared a laugh over lunch a few days before Wednesday’s announcement that Pierzynski’s one-year free agent contract with Texas was complete. Both considered the All-Star issue dead after it happened in July, even though Pierzynski had a cryptic retort when Washington explained the difficulty of the decision. “Everybody keeps trying to make a big deal out of it, but I’ve known Wash for a really long time," Pierzynski said. “It’s not going to change the way I feel about Ron Washington because I know what he’s done in this game and I know where he stands and what he’s all about. It’s over and done with for me." Washington said Pierzynski will be the primary catcher, pushing Geovany Soto to the backup role after he re-signed as a free agent.
Hockey
NHL player’s outdoor game — With the NHL lockout grinding through its fourth month, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges looked to an unusual source to find his next hockey game: Twitter. The 28-year-old Gorges extended an open invitation to his followers on the social network to join him at a Montreal rink Wednesday afternoon, during the Boxing Day holiday. Fans responded in droves. Dozens of players, ranging widely in age and skill level, packed into a rink in the city’s Verdun neighborhood for a chance to skate alongside an NHL player.
— From wire reports
