Going bowling at Wrigley?

The Cubs would like to host a bowl game at Wrigley Field. President of Business Operations Crane Kenney tells the Chicago Tribune the team intends to start hosting a bowl game after the ongoing overhaul to the 103-year old ballpark is completed. They would need a few years to find title sponsors and align with conferences. Northwestern played Illinois there in 2010, and Kenney says the Wildcats will play again at Wrigley, as soon as November 2020.

2 Wolves named to all-star team:

Left wing Kenny Agostino and defenseman Brad Hunt have been selected to represent the Chicago Wolves at the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic. They will suit up for the Central Division during the event on Jan. 29 and 30 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “Both selections are well-deserved,” said Chicago general manager Wendell Young. “It’s great to see Brad and Kenny be recognized by the league and their peers — and rewarded — for their hard work and contribution to the recent success of our team.”

U.S. wins junior hockey title:

Troy Terry scored the lone shootout goal, Tyler Parsons stopped all five shots he faced in the tiebreaker and the United States outlasted Canada 5-4 on Thursday night to win the world junior hockey title in Montreal. The game was decided in the five-round shootout after a 20-minute overtime period. On Wednesday in the semifinals, Terry scored on all three of his shootout attempts to give the United States a 4-3 victory over Russia. The University of Denver forward and Anaheim draft pick beat Carter Hart in the fourth round of the shootout. The United States won its fourth title and first since 2013.

Indians sign Encarnacion:

The Cleveland Indians finalized a $65 million, three-year contract with free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday. Cleveland aggressively pursued Encarnacion, who has averaged 39 homers over the past five seasons. Encarnacion hit 42 homers and drove in 127 runs last season for the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost to the Indians in the AL Championship Series. Encarnacion’s agreement is the largest in club history, surpassing a 2007 deal with Travis Hafner that added $57 million in guaranteed money through 2012.

Walker leads in Hawaii:

PGA champion Jimmy Walker began the new year with an 8-under 65 to take the first-round lead Thursday in the SBS Tournament of Champions. Walker lost a good opportunity to win at Kapalua two years when Patrick Reed rallied over the closing holes and beat him in a playoff. He is a long way from payback, though it was a good start on a tropical day of blue sky and blue ocean. Jim Herman started strong and finished with five pars for a 67. Daniel Berger and Jason Dufner were among those at 68. Defending champion Jordan Spieth struggled to make putts and was even par with two to play.

Cowboys DE suspended:

Dallas defensive end Randy Gregory was suspended for at least a year Thursday for another violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. It’s the third time this season Gregory has been suspended. The first was a four-game ban, followed by 10 games on top of that. The latest suspension makes him ineligible for the playoffs, which start Jan. 15 for Dallas, the top seed in the NFC. The suspension is for one calendar year, meaning Gregory could be eligible for the playoffs without another violation if the Cowboys make it again next season. Gregory can apply for reinstatement to Commissioner Roger Goodell 60 days before the anniversary of the suspension.

Firings begin in Washington:

The Washington NFL team fired defensive coordinator Joe Barry and other members of the coaching staff. The team on Thursday announced the firings of Barry, defensive line coach Robb Akey, defensive backs coach Perry Fewell and head strength and conditioning coach Mike Clark. Coach Jay Gruden said Monday he thought ultimately it would be his call about which members of his staff were retained. Barry spent the past two seasons as Washington’s defensive coordinator, and they ranked 28th in the NFL in each of them. Washington allowed 377.9 yards a game this past season en route to going 8-7-1 and missing the playoffs. They had the worst third-down defense in the league and were 24th against the run and 25th against the pass.