Briefs
Pony baseball
Ben Spencer hit a walk-off single to score Jake Mima as Mon Valley scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Sewickley, 5-4, in a Southmoreland 14-and-under tournament game.
Martin Marion pitched three scoreless innings and hit a double for Mon Valley.
Murray retires
from NFL
DeMarco Murray is retiring from the NFL.
The 2014 Offensive Player of the Year made the announcement on ESPN on Friday, four months after being released by the Tennessee Titans.
Murray, 30, lost his job to Derrick Henry last season and was due to make $6.25 million in 2018 when the Titans let him go. He ran for 659 yards and six touchdowns last season, dealt with a knee injury late in the year, and missed the Titans’ final regular-season game and two playoff contests.
“I think you just wake up,” Murray said. “I’ve always heard the saying when you know, you know, and one day that day will come, and for me it was the last year or two. … I’ve been constantly thinking about this. Working out still, in great shape, feel great and it’s time.
“I just woke up a couple weeks ago and it started to burn and burn and trigger and it got deeper, so this morning I decided to call it a career.”
The Titans acquired Murray in a March 2016 trade with the Eagles. Murray had spent one year with Philadelphia after playing four seasons with the Cowboys. Murray was playing for Dallas in 2014 when he won the NFL rushing title and Offensive Player of the Year honors.
He was a dominant force that season for the Cowboys, who went 12-4 to win the NFC East. Murray ran for a league-best 1,845 yards, then signed a five-year, $40 million deal as a free agent with Philadelphia in 2015.
But last year was problematic and ended in injury. And now, without a team or a job, Murray is leaving football.
Agreements reached for bowl games
The College Football Playoff agreements for the Cotton Bowl Classic, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl have been extended six years through 2026.
Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, made the announcement Friday.
“The communities of greater Dallas, Phoenix and Atlanta have fully embraced the opportunity to be a part of this very popular event and to showcase the unique opportunities they offer to visitors,” Hancock said.
The three bowl games will host a CFP game every year during the six-year period: the semifinals twice, and other non-playoff games assigned by the CFP selection committee four times.
The Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls were previously announced as semifinals hosts on a rotating basis through 2026.
Lakers’ Ball to undergo surgery
Lakers guard Lonzo Ball is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on his left knee.
The team said Friday that it will provide an update on Ball’s condition after the surgery. He has a torn meniscus.
Ball, who was chosen by the Lakers with the second overall pick in last year’s draft, averaged 10.2 points and 7.2 assists during his first NBA season. He started 50 games.
He’s expected to compete with the recently signed Rajon Rondo during training camp this fall to be Los Angeles’ starting point guard. The 32-year-old Rondo agreed to a one-year deal worth $9 million this month to suit up alongside LeBron James.
General manager Rob Pelinka said this week that Ball will be fully healthy for training camp.