Pinkel getting a big raise

Gary Pinkel helped lead long-suffering Missouri into college football’s elite this year. Now he has the contract to match that lofty perch.

Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden announced Sunday that Pinkel will receive a $550,000 annual raise, boosting his guaranteed compensation to $1.85 million a year.

Pinkel also gets a one-year extension through 2012. Late last season, he was given a $225,000 raise and three-year extension.

The announcement comes as No. 7 Missouri (11-2) prepares to face No. 25 Arkansas (8-4) in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1 in Dallas.

Pinkel, 55, is in his seventh season at Missouri, which won the most regular-season games in team history and was briefly ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press rankings and Bowl Championship Series standings before losing the Big 12 Conference title game to Oklahoma.

“Winning the Big 12 North title this season was the first championship of any kind in football in nearly 40 years here,” Alden said. “We want to recognize that achievement and put our head coach in a recruiting position to capitalize on this momentum.”

Pinkel is 48-37 at Missouri and 121-74-3 in 17 seasons overall. The pay raise makes him the third-highest paid head coach in the Big 12, behind only Bob Stoops of Oklahoma and Mack Brown of Texas, both of whom make in excess of $2.6 million annually.

Nine assistants and three other athletic administrators involved with Missouri football will earn a collective $300,000 pay raise, bringing their combined salaries to just over $2 million.

Pinkel also will be able to offer his offensive and defensive coordinators two-year deals, a deviation from the one-year contracts that are common for college football assistants.

BASEBALL

Philadelphia signs outfielder Taguchi

Outfielder So Taguchi, who batted .290 for St. Louis last season, signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Taguchi, 38, led all National League pinch-hitters with a .406 (13 for 32) batting average.

Taguchi played all three outfield positions for St. Louis in 2007, starting 41 times in center field, 21 times in left field and twice in right.

As a member of the World Series champion Cardinals in 2006, Taguchi batted .400 (six for 15) with two home runs and four runs batted in during the playoffs. He started in three of the five World Series games.

WINTER SPORTS

Morgenstern’s streak is ended in ski jumping

Thomas Morgenstern failed to win a record seventh consecutive event in World Cup ski jumping after finishing third at Engelberg, Switzerland.

The Olympic champion was beaten by Andreas Kuettel, who won with jumps of 125.5 and 136 meters in the large hill for 252.7 points.

Gregor Schlierenzauer was second with 248.9 points after jumps of 124.5 and 136.

Morgenstern came in third with 124.5 and 135 meters for 246.6 points, ending his bid to break the record for consecutive victories.

Morgenstern leads the overall World Cup standings with 660 points.

Schlierenzauer is second with 429 points, followed by Wolfgang Loitzl with 300.

SOCCER

Real Madrid slips past Barcelona, 1-0

Julio Baptista scored and Real Madrid won, 1-0, at traditional rival Barcelona to move seven points clear in the Spanish league title race.

The powerfully built Brazilian swapped passes with Ruud van Nistelrooy before driving the ball high into the top corner of the net in the 36th minute.

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Cristiano Ronaldo scored both goals for Manchester United as it defeated Everton, 2-1, in English soccer’s Premier League.

Chelsea won at Blackburn, 1-0, and last-place Derby and Newcastle battled to a 2-2 draw.

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Inter Milan took advantage of a blunder by AC Milan goalkeeper Dida to beat its neighbor, 2-1, and remain seven points ahead in the Italian title race.