SPORTS DIGEST || Indians acquire OF Cowgill from Angels

Indians acquire OF Cowgill from Angels

CLEVELAND

The Indians have acquired outfielder Collin Cowgill from the Los Angeles Angels for cash.

Cowgill, who agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract, spent the past 2 1/2 seasons with the Angels. The 29-year-old has a career .236 average with 12 homers and 57 RBIs in 308 major league games.

A right-handed hitter, Cowgill appeared in 55 games with the Angels last season and played all three outfield positions. He missed 84 games with a sprained right wrist.

Cowgill has a .271 career average against left-handed pitchers. He was selected in the 2008 draft by Arizona. He has also played with Oakland and the New York Mets.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Indians designated left-hander Nick Hagadone for assignment. The team did not offer a 2016 contract to Hagadone, who appeared in 36 games last season. He had a 4.28 ERA in 27 1-3 innings.

Los Angeles failed to offer a contract to left-handed reliever Cesar Ramos, who became a free agent.

Coldplay to play at halftime of Super Bowl

LOS ANGELES

Coldplay is headlining the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, and a spokesman for the National Football League hinted that past halftime performers could join the band onstage.

“That’s where you’ll have to tune in Feb. 7 to find out,” NFL vice president of programming and media Ron Semiao said Thursday.

Katy Perry starred in the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history earlier this year, when more than 118 million viewers tuned in to see her perform with Lenny Kravitz and her now-famous dancing sharks. Previous halftime headliners include Bruno Mars, Prince, Beyonce, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones.

“The show has grown into the most important live music stage on the planet,” Semiao said, recalling the halftime show at the first AFC-NFC championship in 1967 featured two college marching bands.

Coldplay’s halftime set will be made up of hits, Semiao said, including hot tracks from the new album, “A Head Full of Dreams.”

Super Bowl 50 will be held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It’s the first game in Super Bowl history to use Arabic instead of Roman numerals.

Missouri hires DC Odom to replace Pinkel

COLUMBIA, Mo.

Missouri promoted defensive coordinator Barry Odom on Thursday to replace the retiring Gary Pinkel as head coach.

The school said in a release that Odom agreed in principle to a five-year deal that will need to be approved by the school’s board of curators next week.

“Coach Odom was the clear choice to serve as our next coach,” athletic director Mack Rhoades said. “He is a man of high integrity and possesses all the qualities you look for in a successful head coach.”

Pinkel announced last month he had cancer and was retiring after the season and also had a public farewell news conference. The Tigers finished 5-7 but the defense ranked ninth in the nation, the first top-10 finish for the school since the NCAA began tracking defensive statistics in 1978.

Source: Memphis hires ASU OC Norvell

MEMPHIS

Trying to follow the success Justin Fuente had in reviving Memphis’ program, the Tigers are going with another young offensive coordinator in Arizona State’s Mike Norvell as their new head football coach.

A person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that Norvell will be Memphis’ coach. University President Dr. M. David Rudd wrote on Twitter late Thursday afternoon that he hired a “great football coach” who would be introduced at a news conference Friday. That coach is Norvell, according to a person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the hiring hasn’t been announced yet.

Associated Press