New Patriots coach Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff will have several familiar faces from his time with the Tennessee Titans. Of the 26 members of the staff announced by New England on Wednesday, 11 worked with Vrabel during his six-year tenure in Tennessee from 2018 to 2023. Along with defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, who previously served as Vrabel’s defensive line coach with the Titans, three others also are getting new titles with the Patriots. John Streicher is the Patriots’ new vice president of football operations and strategy after serving as director of football administration in Tennessee. In addition, new inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr was Vrabel’s assistant linebackers coach and Clint McMillan, the assistant defensive line coach with the Titans, will be the top D-line coach with the Patriots. Other former Titans assistants under Vrabel that will be part of his new staff are receivers coach Todd Downing (formerly the Titans offensive coordinator), assistant offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling, running backs coach Tony Dews, safeties coach Scott Booker, Justin Hamilton, who will serve as cornerbacks coach, was a defensive quality control coach in Tennessee in 2023, director of sports performance Frank Piraino and assistant special teams coach Tom Quinn.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is expected to be sentenced Thursday for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of four years and nine months for Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between Ohtani and his English-speaking teammates and fans as the duo traveled from Southern California to ballparks across the U.S. Instead, Mizuhara exploited the Japanese-English language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity to the two-way player ’s power. Mizuhara is scheduled to appear in federal court in the Orange County city of Santa Ana. He pleaded guilty last year to bank and tax fraud after he was accused of stealing money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.
NEW YORK (AP) — First baseman Pete Alonso is staying with the New York Mets, agreeing to a $54 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the agreement, first reported by The New York Post, was subject to a successful physical. Alonso gets a $10 million signing bonus and gets salaries of $20 million this year and $24 million in 2026. He can opt out after the 2025 season to become a free agent again. New York also offered a $71 million, three-year deal with salaries of $27 million in 2025 and $22 million in each of the following two seasons, with the ability to opt out after each of the first two years, the person said. Alonso, who turned 30 on Dec. 7, lingered on the market longer than other top players. Among other free-agent first basemen, Christian Walker agreed to a $60 million, three-year contract with Houston, and Paul Goldschmidt (New York Yankees) and Carlos Santana (Cleveland) accepted one-year agreements.
Jimmy Butler got what he wanted. He’s being traded out of Miami and got a new contract in the process. The Heat and the Golden State Warriors have agreed on a deal that sends Butler to the Bay Area, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday. Butler helped carry the Heat to the NBA Finals twice, long before a hostile breakup that saw him suspended three times by the team in January. Golden State is making it happen by moving Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters and first-round draft compensation out in the deal, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not gotten league approval. Wiggins and Anderson are headed to Miami; it’s unclear if Anderson will be staying with the Heat. Schroder is getting moved to Utah — where the Warriors, coincidentally, were Wednesday night — and Josh Richardson is heading from Miami to Detroit along with Waters. Also on the move: P.J. Tucker, who was just traded to Utah and now is set to return to Miami, where he played in 2021-22.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
NCAA MEN TOP 25
No. 2 Duke 83, Syracuse 54
No. 4 Tennessee 85, No. 15 Missouri 81
No. 17 Memphis 83, Tulsa 71
Rutgers 82, No. 23 Illinois 73
No. 24 Michigan 80, Oregon 76