ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals hope to purchase their minor-league affiliate in Memphis as city leaders there consider a plan to save the financially strapped Class AAA Redbirds. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that general manager John Mozeliak and chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. are scheduled to meet with Memphis business leaders Tuesday to pitch the plan.

The Memphis Redbirds Baseball Foundation and the Cardinals announced a tentative purchase deal last week. The Memphis City Council will consider the offer at its Dec. 3 meeting, The city would acquire AutoZone Park and lease the stadium to the Cardinals

The Cardinals already own three of their minor-league affiliates: Class A Palm Beach and the Gulf Coast League team, both of which play in Jupiter, Fla., and Class AA Springfield in southwest Missouri.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have released defensive tackle Anthony Toribio and signed former New England Patriots defensive tackle Kyle Love. The Chiefs made the moves Tuesday, two days after a loss to the Denver Broncos.

Toribio joined the Chiefs in 2010 and had hung around the past four seasons, despite having to impress three different head coaches. He was pressed into service against the Broncos on Sunday night when Mike DeVito had to leave a 27-17 loss with a leg injury. It’s unknown how long DeVito will be out.

Love started 25 games over the past three seasons in New England, but was waived in May after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He was claimed by the Jaguars and cut in September.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa sophomore Jordan Canzeri was essentially forgotten for most of the year as the Hawkeyes leaned on fellow running backs Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock. Canzeri enters Iowa’s most crucial stretch of the season more valuable than ever. Canzeri did more than just give Weisman and Bullock a breather in Iowa’s last game, a 38-14 romp at Purdue on Nov. 9. He brought Iowa’s stumbling running game to life with 165 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

The Hawkeyes (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) host Michigan (7-3, 3-3) on Saturday before closing out the regular season at Nebraska (7-3, 4-2). Canzeri and his fresh legs could play a key role for Iowa in the final two weeks.

w/ Jim Field

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs only intend to lose to the Denver Broncos once, and that thought goes beyond the rematch between AFC West rivals in two weeks at Arrowhead Stadium. After falling 27-17 on Sunday night for the first time all season, the Chiefs insisted that they are turning their attention to the San Diego Chargers. They weren’t going to dwell on missed opportunities, turnovers and miscues that cost them dearly at Mile High Stadium.

In other words, they aren’t going to let the fallout from Denver hurt them against San Diego this weekend. The Chiefs are still 9-1 and tied with the Broncos atop the division. But for the first time all season, they arrived at the training facility Monday forced to regroup from a loss.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas coach Charlie Weis was drenched, as if he’d just jumped in Potter’s Lake himself — the pond just up the hill from Memorial Stadium where the goalposts ended up.

It was a celebration two years in the making for Weis, whose face twisted into a shivering smile Saturday from the ice water poured over his head in the waning seconds of a 31-19 victory over West Virginia that ended the Jayhawks’ 27-game Big 12 losing streak.

Now, the Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6) will try to make it two straight. They head to Iowa State on Saturday to face the lone remaining winless team in the Big 12.

GRAND FORK, N.D. (AP) — The University of North Dakota has fired head football coach Chris Mussman after a 3-8 season. UND athletic director Brian Faison says the two met Monday and Mussman was relieved of his duties immediately. Mussman coached six seasons with UND and had an overall 31-34 record.

He joined the coaching staff as the offensive line coach in 1999, became offensive coordinator in 2001 and took over as the head coach prior to the 2008 season. Before arriving in Grand Forks, Mussman spent eight seasons at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He was a four-year letter winner and starting offensive lineman at Iowa State, where he was team captain in 1990.

Faison says a national search for a new coach will start immediately.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior Melvin Ejim returned to the floor Sunday and led the Cyclones to a 77-70 win over No. 7 Michigan. On Monday, Ejim was honored for his performance when he was named Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week along with Kansas forward Perry Ellis. Andrew Wiggins of Kansas was the newcomer of the week.

In his first game back from injury, Ejim willed Iowa State to a 77-70 victory of No. 7 Michigan. The forward came off the bench to lead all scorers with 22 points in 28 minutes. He was 8-of-14 (.571) from the field, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range, while making 5-of-6 (.833) at the charity stripe. He grabbed nine rebounds and had three steals in the win, while also adding one assist and one block. It was the seventh 20-point game of Ejim’s career and the 54th time he has scored in double figures.

This is the fourth player of the week honor for Ejim in his career. Last week, Iowa State’s Naz Long and DeAndre Kane were named player and newcomer of the week, respectively.

Iowa State returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Provo, Utah to face BYU.

w/ Jim Field

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