INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCORES
| ALEXANDRIA | 73 | FALKVILLE (ALA.) | 47 | |
| CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) | 69 | HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN | 46 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS RONCALLI | 65 | WHITELAND | 64 | |
| LAKELAND | 58 | DEKALB | 55 | |
| MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) | 58 | NEW CASTLE | 48 | |
| NEW ALBANY | 73 | EVANSVILLE CENTRAL | 56 | |
| SHELBYVILLE | 47 | EAST CENTRAL | 38 | |
| SOUTH SPENCER | 63 | WHITESVILLE TRINITY (KY.) | 52 | |
| BI COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| SEEGER | 71 | ATTICA | 20 | 3RD |
| FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 49 | COVINGTON | 40 | 1ST |
| DELPHI CLASSIC | ||||
| TRI-COUNTY | PIONEER | PPD. | ||
| ROSSVILLE | 52 | DELPHI | 43 | 5TH |
| WINAMAC | 46 | NORTH NEWTON | 26 | 3RD |
| FRANKFORT | 53 | NORTH MONTGOMERY | 34 | 1ST |
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL CLASSIC | ||||
| CHARLESTOWN | 87 | SPRINGS VALLEY | 53 | |
| PIKE CENTRAL | EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL | PPD. | ||
| FRANKLIN COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| FRANKLIN COUNTY | 54 | SETON CATHOLIC | 48 | R1 |
| TRITON CENTRAL | 53 | HAMILTON HEIGHTS | 48 | R1 |
| HAMILTON HEIGHTS | 75 | SETON CATHOLIC | 74 | 3RD |
| TRITON CENTRAL | 71 | FRANKLIN COUNTY | 40 | 1ST |
| HENRYVILLE CLASSIC | ||||
| HENRYVILLE | 77 | BROWN COUNTY | 52 | |
| CROTHERSVILLE | 73 | BROWN COUNTY | 72 | |
| HENRYVILLE | 88 | CROTHERSVILLE | 48 | |
| JEFFERSON COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| MADISON | 63 | SHAWE MEMORIAL | 41 | 5TH |
| TRIMBLE COUNTY (KY.) | 64 | CARROLL COUNTY (KY.) | 56 | 3RD |
| SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | 73 | SWITZERLAND COUNTY | 41 | 1ST |
| NORTH DAVIESS TOURNAMENT | ||||
| EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN | 68 | LOOGOOTEE | 63 | CON |
| PAOLI | 55 | FOREST PARK | 43 | CON |
| FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK | 68 | BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL | 56 | SF |
| NORTH DAVIESS | 49 | SOUTH KNOX | 29 | SF |
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCORES
| BATESVILLE | 66 | NEW CASTLE | 52 | |
| BLOOMINGTON SOUTH | 58 | WHITELAND | 40 | |
| EAST CENTRAL | 55 | MERCY MCAULEY (OHIO) | 42 | |
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL | 65 | OWENSBORO (KY.) | 36 | |
| GARRETT | 44 | FORT WAYNE BLACKHAWK | 34 | |
| HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN | 58 | CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) | 44 | |
| HENDERSON COUNTY (KY.) | 48 | WASHINGTON | 38 | |
| JEFFERSONVILLE | 73 | JENNINGS COUNTY | 63 | |
| NORTH JUDSON | 67 | WEST CENTRAL | 42 | |
| NORTH MIAMI | 48 | ROCHESTER | 43 | |
| RANDOLPH SOUTHERN | 61 | FALKVILLE (ALA.) | 54 | |
| SEYMOUR | 48 | RUSHVILLE | 34 | |
| TRINITY LUTHERAN | 60 | NEW WASHINGTON | 26 | |
| BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE CLASSIC | ||||
| NOBLESVILLE | 54 | LAKE CENTRAL | 32 | |
| BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE | 54 | LAKE CENTRAL | 24 | |
| BI COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| COVINGTON | 36 | FOUNTAIN CENTRAL | 34 | |
| SEEGER | 55 | ATTICA | 23 | |
| DELPHI TOURNAMENT | ||||
| FRANKFORT | 29 | NORTH NEWTON | 22 | |
| WINAMAC | 44 | NORTH MONTGOMERY | 25 | |
| PIONEER | 59 | ROSSVILLE | 28 | |
| EDINBURGH TOURNAMENT | ||||
| INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN | 37 | KNIGHTSTOWN | 32 | |
| SOUTHWESTERN (SHELBYVILLE) | 50 | HAGERSTOWN | 29 | |
| SOUTH DEARBORN | 55 | EDINBURGH | 32 | |
| SOUTH RIPLEY | 46 | AUSTIN | 42 | OT |
| RICHMOND TOURNAMENT | ||||
| GUERIN CATHOLIC | 55 | RICHMOND | 41 | |
| PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD | 55 | INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL | 49 | |
| RICHMOND | 52 | INDIANAPOLIS HOMESCHOOL | 47 | |
| PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD | 52 | GUERIN CATHOLIC | 48 | |
| VALPARAISO TOURNAMENT | ||||
| VALPARAISO | 60 | KNOX | 21 | |
| SHELBYVILLE | 50 | SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) | 40 | |
| SOUTH CENTRAL (UNION MILLS) | 49 | KNOX | 45 | |
| VALPARAISO | 66 | SHELBYVILLE | 40 | |
| UNREPORTED | ||||
| ANDREAN | BENTON CENTRAL | PPD. | ||
| BLACKFORD | HAMILTON HEIGHTS | PPD. | ||
| CARROLL (FORT WAYNE) | FISHERS | PPD. | ||
| COLUMBIA CITY | NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) | PPD. | ||
| DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN | MORGAN TWP. | PPD. | ||
| EASTSIDE | HERITAGE | PPD. | ||
| EVANSVILLE REITZ | DAVIESS COUNTY (KY.) | PPD. | ||
| FRANKTON | DALEVILLE | PPD. | ||
| LEWIS CASS | WESTERN | PPD. | ||
| SOUTH BEND ADAMS | MISHAWAKA MARIAN | PPD. | ||
| SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH) | CANNELTON | PPD. | ||
| SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | WEST WASHINGTON | PPD. | ||
| TRITON CENTRAL | HAUSER | PPD. | ||
| WESTVILLE | OREGON-DAVIS | 6:30 PM | ||
| YORKTOWN | COWAN | PPD. | ||
| TRI-COUNTY | DELPHI | PPD. |
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING: https://indianamat.com/index.php?/dualresults.html/
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#4 KANSAS 68 HARVARD 54
#5 ARIZONA 93 MORGAN STATE 68
MISSOURI 93 #16 ILLINOIS 71
FLORIDA STATE 73 NOTRE DAME 72
CREIGHTON 78 BUTLER 56
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 67 INDIANA STATE 57
MINNESOTA 58 CHICAGO STATE 55
PENN STATE 77 QUINNIPIAC 68
MARYLAND 75 ST. PETER’S 45
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20221222
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#12 UTAH 90 SOUTHERN UTAH 56
DRAKE AT #14 IOWA STATE CANCELLED
MINNESOTA 59 EASTERN ILLINOIS 48
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20221222
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
AIR FORCE 30 BAYLOR 15
FRIDAY, DEC. 23
HOUSTON VS. LOUISIANA — INDEPENDENCE BOWL (SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA) | 3 P.M. | ESPN
WAKE FOREST VS. MISSOURI — GASPARILLA BOWL (TAMPA, FLORIDA) | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 24
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE VS. SAN DIEGO STATE — HAWAI’I BOWL (HONOLULU, HAWAI’I) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, DEC. 26
BOWLING GREEN VS. NEW MEXICO STATE — QUICK LANE BOWL (DETROIT) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
TUESDAY, DEC. 27
BUFFALO VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN — CAMELLIA BOWL (MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. WISCONSIN — GUARANTEED RATE BOWL (PHOENIX) | 10:15 P.M. | ESPN
MEMPHIS VS. UTAH STATE — FIRST RESPONDER BOWL (DALLAS) | ESPN
COASTAL CAROLINA VS. EAST CAROLINA — BIRMINGHAM BOWL (BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA) | ESPN
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28
DUKE VS. UCF — MILITARY BOWL (ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
ARKANSAS VS. KANSAS — LIBERTY BOWL (MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 15 OREGON VS. NORTH CAROLINA — HOLIDAY BOWL (SAN DIEGO) | 8 P.M.
TEXAS TECH VS. OLE MISS — TEXAS BOWL (HOUSTON) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, DEC. 29
MINNESOTA VS. SYRACUSE — PINSTRIPE BOWL (BRONX, NEW YORK) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 13 FLORIDA STATE VS. OKLAHOMA — CHEEZ-IT BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 12 WASHINGTON VS. NO. 20 TEXAS — ALAMO BOWL (SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, DEC. 30
NO. 23 NC STATE VS. MARYLAND — DUKE’S MAYO BOWL (CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 18 UCLA VS. PITT — SUN BOWL (EL PASO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | CBS
NO. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 21 NOTRE DAME — GATOR BOWL (JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
OHIO VS. WYOMING — ARIZONA BOWL (TUCSON, ARIZONA) | 4:30 P.M.| BARSTOOL
NO. 6 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 7 CLEMSON — ORANGE BOWL (MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 31
IOWA VS. KENTUCKY — MUSIC CITY BOWL (NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE) | 12 P.M. | ABC
NO. 5 ALABAMA VS. NO. 9 KANSAS STATE — SUGAR BOWL (NEW ORLEANS) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 2 MICHIGAN VS. NO. 3 TCU (CFP SEMIFINAL) — FIESTA BOWL (GLENDALE, ARIZONA) | 4 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 1 GEORGIA VS. NO. 4 OHIO STATE (CFP SEMIFINAL) — PEACH BOWL (ATLANTA) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, JAN. 2
NO. 22 MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. ILLINOIS — RELIAQUEST BOWL (TAMPA, FLORIDA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
NO. 17 LSU VS. PURDUE — CITRUS BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 1 P.M. | ABC
NO. 10 USC VS. NO. 16 TULANE — COTTON BOWL (ARLINGTON, TEXAS) | 1 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 8 UTAH VS. NO. 11 PENN STATE — ROSE BOWL (PASADENA, CALIFORNIA) | 5 P.M. | ESPN
SUNDAY, JAN. 8
FCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (FRISCO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | ABC
MONDAY, JAN. 9
CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA) | ESPN
NFL SCHEDULE
WEEK 16
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022
JACKSONVILLE 19 NY JETS 3
BOX SCORE: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/FB/BOXSCORE.ASP?GAMECODE=20221222020&HOME=20&VIS=30&FINAL=TRUE
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2022
ATLANTA FALCONS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
DETROIT LIONS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
BUFFALO BILLS AT CHICAGO BEARS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
NEW YORK GIANTS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P FOX
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (SAT) 1:00P (ET) 1:00P CBS
HOUSTON TEXANS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (SAT) 12:00P (CT) 1:00P CBS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (SAT) 1:05P (PT) 4:05P CBS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT DALLAS COWBOYS (SAT) 3:25P (CT) 4:25P FOX
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (SAT) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P NFLN
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2022
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS 1:00P (ET) 1:00P FOX
DENVER BRONCOS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS 1:30P (PT) 4:30P CBS / NICKELODEON
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT ARIZONA CARDINALS 6:20P (MT) 8:20P NBC
MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2022
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN
NBA
NEW ORLEANS 126 SAN ANTONIO 117
UTAH 120 WASHINGTON 112
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
NHL
TORONTO 4 PHILADELPHIA 3
BOSTON 3 WINNIPEG 2
WASHINGTON 3 OTTAWA 2
NY RANGERS 5 NY ISLANDERS 3
CAROLINA 4 PITTSBURGH 3
VANCOUVER 6 SEATTLE 5
LOS ANGELES 4 CALGARY 3
SAN JOSE 5 MINNESOTA 2
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
2022 NFL PLAYOFF SCENARIOS FOR WEEK 16
AFC
CLINCHED:
Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West division title
Buffalo Bills – playoff berth
BALTIMORE RAVENS (9-5)
Week 16 – vs. Atlanta (5-9), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Week 17 – vs. Pittsburgh (6-8)
Week 18 – at Cincinnati (10-4)
Baltimore clinches playoff berth with:
- BAL win + MIA loss or tie + NE loss or tie OR
- BAL win + MIA loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie OR
- BAL win + NE loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + NYJ loss OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + MIA loss + LAC win OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + MIA loss + NYJ tie OR
- BAL tie + NE loss + NYJ tie + LAC win OR
- BAL tie + NE tie + NYJ loss + MIA loss OR
- BAL tie + NE tie + NYJ tie + MIA loss + LAC win OR
- NE loss + NYJ loss + CLE loss or tie + LV loss or tie + TEN loss or tie + LAC win
BUFFALO BILLS (11-3)
Week 16 – at Chicago (3-11), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
Week 17 – at Cincinnati (10-4)
Week 18 – vs. New England (7-7)
Buffalo clinches AFC East division title with:
- BUF win or tie OR
- MIA loss or tie
CINCINNATI BENGALS (10-4)
Week 16 – at New England (7-7), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
Week 17 – vs. Buffalo (11-3)
Week 18 – vs. Baltimore (9-5)
Cincinnati clinches playoff berth with:
- CIN win or tie OR
- NYJ loss or tie
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (8-6)
Week 16 – at Indianapolis (4-9-1), Monday, 8:15 PM ET, ESPN
Week 17 – vs. L.A. Rams (4-10)
Week 18 – at Denver (4-10)
L.A. Chargers clinch playoff berth with:
- LAC win + LV loss or tie + NE loss + NYJ loss OR
- LAC win + LV loss or tie + NE loss + NYJ tie + MIA loss OR
- LAC win + LV loss or tie + NE tie + NYJ loss + MIA loss
NFC
CLINCHED:
Minnesota Vikings – NFC North division title
San Francisco 49ers – NFC West division title
Dallas Cowboys – playoff berth
Philadelphia Eagles – playoff berth
NEW YORK GIANTS (8-5-1)
Week 16 – at Minnesota (11-3), Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Week 17 – vs. Indianapolis (4-9-1)
Week 18 – at Philadelphia (13-1)
N.Y. Giants clinch playoff berth with:
- NYG win + WAS loss + DET loss OR
- NYG win + WAS loss + SEA loss OR
- NYG win + DET loss + SEA loss
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13-1)
Week 16 – at Dallas (10-4), Saturday, 4:25 PM ET, FOX
Week 17 – vs. New Orleans (5-9)
Week 18 – vs. N.Y. Giants (8-5-1)
Philadelphia clinches NFC East division title with:
- PHI win or tie
Philadelphia clinches homefield advantage and NFC’s lone first-round bye with:
- PHI win OR
- PHI tie + MIN loss or tie
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES:
Lawrence, Jaguars continue playoff push, outclass Jets 19-3
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Trevor Lawrence was in a celebratory mood, decked out in an ugly Christmas sweater while acknowledging it wasn’t exactly the prettiest performance he and his Jacksonville Jaguars have had during their playoff surge.
It was plenty good enough, though. The Jags’ 19-3 victory over an embarrassed Zach Wilson and the slumping New York Jets on a rainy, windy Thursday night has them in control of their postseason destiny.
“It’s just a big win,” Lawrence said. “It shows this team is growing. We don’t have to have 40 points to win. We don’t have to have all these yards. Whatever it takes to win, we’re able to do. To be able to adjust was really good for us.”
Lawrence finished 20 of 31 for 229 yards and ran for 51 yards, including a leaping touchdown, on seven carries for the Jaguars (7-8), who moved within one-half game of skidding Tennessee in the AFC South. Jacksonville would win the division title with victories in its final two games – including the season finale against the Titans.
“We understand the task in front of us,” Lawrence said. “Every game is a must win for us. That’s how we’re treating it. We understand it and we love it.”
The second matchup between last year’s first two draft picks – Lawrence at No. 1 and Wilson No. 2 – wasn’t even close.
While Lawrence sliced through the Jets’ normally strong defense, Wilson couldn’t get anything going and was booed frequently – all the way to the bench. Chris Streveler, elevated from the practice squad before the game, replaced Wilson late in the third quarter.
Wilson went 9 of 18 for 92 yards with an interception and a dismal 41.9 rating for the Jets (7-8), whose playoff hopes took a devastating hit with their fourth straight loss. That’s the worst skid under second-year coach Robert Saleh.
And it came in their regular-season home finale – in front a national audience on Amazon Prime Video.
“It’s not about playoffs right now,” Saleh said. “It’s about about getting off this mat and trying to freakin’ find a way to put together a football game.”
Wilson, who returned from a three-game benching last Sunday in place of an injured Mike White, couldn’t make any plays and his offensive line gave him little protection.
“I just felt like I didn’t have any rhythm out there,” Wilson said.
Things actually got off to a promising start for the Jets when Quinnen Williams strip-sacked Lawrence on the Jaguars’ third play from scrimmage. Carl Lawson recovered to put New York at Jacksonville’s 16. It was Williams’ career-high 12th sack and Lawrence’s eighth lost fumble, tops in the NFL.
But the Jets couldn’t get into the end zone and settled for a 37-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein after Andre Cisco sacked Wilson on a safety blitz on third down.
Riley Patterson kicked a 32-yarder to tie it on Jacksonville’s second possession.
Lawrence jumped over the pile for a 1-yard go-ahead touchdown early in the second quarter to cap an impressive 16-play, 96-yard drive. The Jaguars faced just one third down on the drive – on Lawrence’s score. It was Jacksonville’s first scoring drive of 95 yards or more since 2018.
The Jets had just 66 yards of offense in the first half and three first downs. While boos rained down throughout the first half, the poncho-clad crowd really let New York – and Wilson – have it when he was intercepted by Devin Lloyd on a Hail Mary just before halftime.
After Patterson added a 41-yarder midway through the third quarter to make it 16-3, Wilson was booed again when he jogged onto the field with the offense. But then, the Jets put Streveler in at quarterback on their next possession – and the fans went wild. And New York’s offense finally found a short-lived spark.
There were cheers after his 30-yard duck of a throw that C.J. Uzomah caught for a first down. The crowd loved Streveler’s consecutive runs of 14, 10 and 8 yards before he was stopped for a 2-yard loss. On fourth-and-4, Streveler completed a 4-yard pass to Garrett Wilson and he led the Jets to the Jaguars 13.
But the drive stalled when his throw to Wilson sailed wide of the receiver, turning the ball over on downs.
Streveler, who went 10 of 15 for 90 yards, became a fan favorite during the summer when he led the Jets to three fourth-quarter comeback victories in the preseason. He also helped lead the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a Grey Cup victory during the 2019 season, but couldn’t deliver a victory for the Jets in this one.
Instead, Lawrence – who lost 26-21 to Wilson and the Jets last season – and the Jaguars maintained control.
“When our number was called in the passing game, we made enough plays,” Lawrence said. “Obviously it was a little sloppy. There’s going to be a lot of stuff to correct. The elements played a little bit of a factor. At the end of the day, we made the plays we needed to make.”
INJURIES
Jaguars: RG Brandon Scherff left in the second quarter with an ankle injury, but returned. … DE Dawuane Smoot appeared to injure his left leg late in the game.
UP NEXT
Jaguars: At Houston on Jan. 1.
Jets: At Seattle on Jan. 1.
Injured Eagles QB Hurts expected to be sidelined at Dallas
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is not expected to play Saturday because of a sprained right shoulder, putting Gardner Minshew in line to start against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hurts was injured on a hard tackle during Sunday’s win at Chicago. The Eagles have the best record in the NFL at 13-1 and would clinch the NFC East title and the No. 1 seed in the conference with a win against the Cowboys.
“It’s looking like it’s going to be Gardner,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday.
The 24-year-old Hurts said he grasped he was injured the moment he was tackled by defensive tackle Travis Gipson. He stayed in the game and went 7-of-10 passing for 110 yards – and hit wide receiver A.J. Brown for a 68-yard reception.
“He’s disappointed because he wants to play. He’s the toughest guy I know,” Sirianni said. “We have to do what’s best as an organization to put him in a safe spot.”
Hurts has passed for 22 touchdowns and 3,472 yards, and he also has rushed for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns. His 35 total touchdowns this season is tied for the franchise record set by Randall Cunningham in 1990.
“Jalen did everything he possibly could to get his body ready to go,” Sirianni said. “At the end of the day, he’s not going to be able to do it. He tried like crazy. I know he still wants to go. That’s just the toughness. Jalen Hurts is the toughest player I’ve ever been around.”
Hurts suffered an ankle injury and missed a game last season against the New York Jets. Minshew, a former starter with Jacksonville, was 20 of 25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-18 victory on the road.
“Gardner is going to be our guy, Gardner will be ready,” Sirianni said. “He’s ready to go.”
Titans’ Tannehill out vs. Texans, rookie QB Willis to start
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee rookie Malik Willis will start his third NFL game Saturday against the Houston Texans with veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill ruled out with an injured right ankle.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel refused to discuss Tannehill’s future beyond this game.
“Just out this week,” Vrabel said Thursday. “I don’t have to issue an injury report for next week until next week.”
The Titans (7-7) sit atop the AFC South looking for a third straight division title, yet their once four-game lead is down to one with three games remaining.
Tannehill hurt his right ankle, which he sprained Oct. 23 in a win over Indianapolis, in the first quarter of last week’s 17-14 loss in Los Angeles to the Chargers. Tannehill was carted to the locker room, missed one series and returned to finish the game. The 11-year veteran ran for the tying touchdown with 48 seconds left.
This will be Willis’ second start against the Texans (1-12-1). He threw only 10 passes in a 17-10 win in Houston on Oct. 30 with Derrick Henry running for 219 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans will need Willis’ mobility with center Ben Jones placed on injured reserve after his second concussion in a month.
Right guard Nate Davis (ankle) has been ruled out for this game. The Titans’ other three offensive linemen also are on a lengthy injury report. Left tackle Dennis Daley was added Wednesday with an abdominal injury, joining left guard Aaron Brewer (rib) and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere has an injured ankle.
Willis will be backed up by Joshua Dobbs, a fourth-round pick by Pittsburgh out of Tennessee in 2017, who was signed Wednesday off Detroit’s practice squad and practiced with the Titans that same day.
Dobbs appeared in six games combined with the Steelers in 2018 and 2020. He spent 2019 with Jacksonville after being traded to the Jaguars.
Dobbs signed with Cleveland earlier this year, and he signed with Detroit’s practice squad earlier this month.
“We’ve seen some guys do it,” Dobbs said. “I saw Baker (Mayfield) do it a couple weeks ago, but it’s not easy. Luckily there’s a lot of crossover in this system from the system I’ve been in all year in Cleveland in terminology and overall offensive mindset so that helps a ton.”
NOTES: The Titans also will be without starting CB Kristian Fulton (groin) along with LB Dylan Cole (ankle) and DB Josh Thompson (concussion). They also placed CB Terrance Mitchell (hamstring) on injured reserve, putting them at 19. They signed OL Daniel Munyer, added to the practice squad Tuesday, to the active roster.
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett ready to go after 2nd concussion
PITTSBURGH (AP) Kenny Pickett isn’t worried that he’s become concussion prone after sustaining a second one in a matter of months, though the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback is taking steps to hopefully avoid more of them down the road.
The 20th overall pick in last spring’s draft will wear a larger helmet on Saturday night when the Steelers (6-8) host Las Vegas (6-8), The new helmet offers a little more protection for the back of Pickett’s head. Both of the concussions Pickett has sustained this season – against Tampa Bay on Oct. 16 and against Baltimore on Dec. 11 – came on plays in which the back of his helmet smacked against the Acrisure Stadium turf.
“Slamming my head on the ground is what has been the issue,” Pickett said Thursday. “(The new helmet) has (more protection) in the back, which I think will help.”
Pickett sat out last week’s victory over Carolina after concussion-like symptoms lingered after getting knocked down by Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith early in the first quarter of what became a 16-14 Ravens victory.
Medical personnel initially cleared Pickett to go back in the game, but he self-reported issues after returning for one series and was placed into the protocol.
“When I got back out there and started running (and) vision started coming into play more and I’m moving and things are going fast, that’s when symptoms started to come up and I had to go inside,” Pickett said.
Pickett called the symptoms this time more severe than the ones he experienced after being removed against Tampa Bay in October on a similar hit. He returned to start the next week.
That wasn’t an option after the Baltimore game as symptoms lingered. The Steelers made him inactive, starting Mitch Trubisky in his place.
Pickett said the decision was the right call, but added things have “cleared up now and I’m good to go.”
Sitting out gave Pickett a chance to wear the headset and listen in while the coaches went through the calls during the course of the game.
“It was a unique experience,” Pickett said. “But I definitely like being out on the field more.”
The former Pitt star has made steady strides during the second half of the season. He’s gone 129 straight pass attempts without an interception after throwing eight in his first five games.
“I feel like after the bye week, I’ve had time to study what I was doing and what I need to do better and where we’re at as an offense,” Pickett said. “Ever since (the bye week) I feel like it’s slowed down each week.”
It’s helped that the Steelers appear to have found an offensive identity no matter who is behind center. Pittsburgh has run for more than 100 yards in six of its past seven games, a span in which the Steelers are 4-3. Improved play up front has taken some of the pressure off Pickett to take chances down the field, one of the reasons he’s no longer turning the ball over.
Passing figures to be treacherous at best on Christmas Eve with the game time temperature expected to be in the single digits and winds in excess of 30 mph expected at Acrisure Stadium.
Pickett joked he’ll wear thicker thermal performance gear and maybe borrow a ski mask from rookie wide receiver George Pickens, who has been fashioning them regardless of the weather for weeks.
Either way, the Steelers need to capture each of their past three games and get a ton of help if they want to keep the faintest of playoff hopes alive.
“I know a lot needs to happen that’s outside of our control but we can’t control that,” Picket said. “We want to finish strong and go out with three wins.”
Air Force beats Baylor 30-15 in chilly Armed Forces Bowl
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Haaziq Daniels had a short scoring run and threw a touchdown pass in Air Force’s 30-15 victory over Baylor in cold conditions Thursday night in the Armed Forces Bowl.
The game kicked off with a temperature of 13 degrees and a wind chill of minus 4 at Amon G. Carter Stadium, the home of TCU, Baylor’s Big 12 rival. Baylor officials announced it was the coldest kickoff temperature in the history of the program based about 100 miles south of Dallas-Fort Worth in Waco.
It was even uncomfortable for the Falcons, where the temperature back home in Colorado Springs at kickoff was below zero.
“Cold might be putting it mildly,” Falcons coach Troy Calhoun said. “I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like that. When it’s not warm, it’s not easy. It never is at the United States Air Force Academy. But these guys, just the heart, the guts and the right, extraordinary young people. I’m glad they’re fighting for our country.”
Daniels had a 2-yard touchdown run and a 15-yard scored pass out of Air Force’s run-oriented triple-option offense.
Brad Roberts rushed for two touchdowns, and Matthew Dapore had a 37-yard field goal for the Falcons (10-3).
Blake Shapen threw touchdown passes of 8 yards to Hal Presley in the second quarter and 14 yards to Gavin Holmes in the closing minutes for Baylor (6-7).
With Air Force last in the FBS averaging 67.8 passing yards and 6.7 passes per game, Daniels was 4 for 7 for 103 yards and his fourth touchdown pass of the season to Caleb Rillos for his first touchdown catch in two seasons. He set up his touchdown run with a 68-yard first-down bullet pass to Amari Terry thrown deep down the left sideline.
“I went with the wind,” Daniels said about the pass to Terry. “I didn’t want it to hang too much.”
“(No.) 4’s a good player,” Baylor linebacker Dillon Doyle said about Daniels. “He’s athletic, he can make all the plays and all the runs.”
Air Force, best in the FBS averaging 330.9 rushing yards during the season, ran 67 times for 276 yards. Roberts, held to 25 first-half yards on 11 carries, finished with 116 yards on 37 carries for his school-record 20th game of triple-digit rushing yards.
Baylor, averaging 429.2 total yards during the season, gained a season-low 230 yards against a defense that led the nation allowing 256.4 yards per game.
The Bears’ leading rusher was “Sqwirl” Williams with 25 yards, and Baylor went 0 for 11 on third down.
“You have to give big credit to the (defensive) play calling,” Falcons defensive back Jayden Goodwin said.
“From a team perspective it is a disappointing end to a disappointing season,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “In previous games, there was more juice and excitement. I was way disappointed in the lack of that.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Air Force: This senior class had double-digit wins in every full season: 11-2 in 2019, 10-3 last season and this season, an academy. “It may be an anomaly to be candid,” Calhoun said. “We realize we’re in a place where if you ever get to six wins in a season and get to a bowl game, that’s darn hard to do.”
Baylor: A team that was predicted to repeat as Big 12 champion limped to the finish on a four-game losing streak. Aranda will revamp his defensive staff, including hiring a new coordinator.
POPPING THE POWER 5
Air Force has won its last five games against Power 5 programs over the last four seasons. That includes two wins over Colorado and one each against Washington State and Louisville.
TAKING A KNEE
Air Force running back John Lee Eldridge III wasted little time after the final whistle to propose to his girlfriend, Shanice Atkins, on the field. She accepted.
McCollum scores 40, Pelicans top Spurs 126-117 to end skid
NEW ORLEANS (AP) CJ McCollum scored a season-high 40 points and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the San Antonio Spurs 126-117 on Thursday night to end their four-game losing streak.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who won despite Zion Williamson being scratched from the lineup because of the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
The Pelicans – who also were missing forwards Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr. – made 13 3-pointers. McCollum hit seven from deep, and his first gave New Orleans the lead for good at 3-2 in the opening minutes.
“We needed that type of production from him with the guys being out,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said. “It’s beautiful to watch when he’s on the floor and he’s scoring like he does.”
The Pelicans led by as many as 23 points and opened the fourth quarter with a 19-point lead.
The Spurs got back in the game with a 10-0 run fueled by Stanley Johnson, who scored nine of his 12 points in the final period.
McCollum, however, almost single-handedly kept the Spurs at bay. His floater off the glass was the first of 19 points he scored in a pivotal seven-minute stretch. The individual outburst included four 3s – one while McCollum was fouled for a 4-point play.
“McCollum dominated the game from the very beginning,” reserve center Willy Hernangomez said. “I’m happy for CJ. He’s been really getting his rhythm back. Today was a big game for him. I’m happy to see him making shots and making the right decision over and over.”
The last of McCollum’s 3s made it 119-106 with 3:31 to go. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich subbed out his entire lineup moments later, and the Pelicans remained comfortably ahead after that.
“We’ll get down, figure it out, and then start playing,” Popovich said. “We don’t have somebody like a McCollum that’s going to come in and do what he did to us. We made it a decent game at that point and then he took over. He was great.”
Jeremy Sochan scored a career-high 23 points for San Antonio.
“I am becoming more comfortable and confident,” Sochan said. “I had career highs tonight but we still lost, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Tre Jones added 19 points and Josh Richardson had 14 for the Spurs.
The Pelicans missed their first nine shots from close range but hit four of their six 3-point attempts – with McCollum making three – to take a 12-2 lead.
The Spurs missed eight of their first nine shots and committed three turnovers during that stretch.
“Sometimes, like tonight, we come out slow on offense but we can’t let that affect our game,” Tre Jones said. “We have to keep our defensive mentality especially when shots are not falling at the start of the game.
By the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans had made six 3s, the last of those by Devonte’ Graham putting New Orleans up 37-17.
“We can’t give away a quarter the way we did,” Popovich said. “We played them pretty even after that first quarter, but we do that too often. … We can’t have those first quarters. That’s the whole game.”
TIP-INS
Spurs: Leading scorer Keldon Johnson missed his second straight game with right hamstring tightness. … Jakob Poeltl scored 13 points and Devin Vassell scored 10. … Missed 19 of 28 3-point shots.
Pelicans: Trey Murphy III scored 15 points, while Hernangomez scored 13 and Herb Jones scored 12 to go with his block and two steals. … Jose Alvarado had nine points and three steals. … Hit 25 of 27 free throws (92.6%). … Ingram missed his 12th straight game with his left large toe injury and Nance missed his second straight game with a sore right Achilles tendon. Williamson also is expected to miss at least one more game.
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Orlando on Friday night.
Pelicans: At Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Beasley, Clarkson lead Jazz to 120-112 victory over Wizards
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Malik Beasley scored 25 points and Jordan Clarkson added 23 to power the Utah Jazz past the reeling Washington Wizards 120-112 on Thursday night.
“I was attacking the hole and not settling for 3s,” Beasley said. “I think there are some times where I get complacent so I got to keep attacking downhill.”
Beasley made six shots from inside the arc. He usually gets most of his points from beyond it.
Lauri Markkanen had 21 points and Collin Sexton returned from missing seven games with a right hamstring injury to finish with 18 while playing just 17 minutes due to a medical minutes restriction.
“We knew the kind of energy he would bring and he’s going to fire up everybody else up as well,” Markkanen said of Sexton’s return.
Bradley Beal scored 30 points and Kyle Kuzma had 21, but the Wizards lost for the 14th time in their last 16 games.
Beal scored Washington’s first 12 points of the fourth quarter but the Wizards couldn’t stop the Jazz. The Wizards fell to 2-8 when Beal, who didn’t have a 3-pointer, is their leading scorer.
“They were geared to get into Brad and make him play inside the line, tried to pressure his dribble,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said.
The Jazz scored 13 consecutive points bridging the third and fourth quarters, highlighted by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Sexton and capped by Nickeil Walker-Alexander’s 3 off an offensive rebound.
“It was all about pushing the ball and getting stops. When we are running, we are at our best. When we have numbers, anybody can knock the shot down,” Sexton said.
The surge resulted in the first double-digit lead by either team after 23 lead changes and 11 ties. The span was bolstered by tight defense and increased effort after three quarters of little resistance by the Jazz.
“The guys buckled down and really committed to that end,” Utah coach Will Hardy said.
The Wizards had lost 10 straight games before winning at Phoenix on Tuesday. Their defensive deficiencies returned as they allowed the Jazz to make 16-of-35 3-pointers, many of which were wide open due to slow rotations and weak closeouts.
Second-leading scorer Kristaps Porzingis missed his second game with a non-COVID illness but the Wizards still shot 56% from the field.
“Even when we were healthy, we were .500,” Kuzma said, not making excuses for the Wizards’ poor health.
Corey Kispert made a halfcourt shot at the last second to put the Wizards up 66-60. Due to a clock malfunction – the time kept running – the teams had to replay 0.4 seconds of the second quarter after halftime.
WHAT ABOUT THE DEFENSE?
Even with Beasley’s 25 points as a reserve, the team was talking about his work on the defensive end.
“Malik did a great job of recognizing the times to fan back out to the shooters and it ended getting him some steals. It’s something we work on a lot,” Hardy said.
Beasley had four steals and forced some poor shots by the Wizards.
“It was about being in the right spots . and keeping my hands active, knowing which guys are going to pass the ball and which guys won’t,” Beasley said.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Washington was called for goaltending on three shots in the first quarter. . Deni Avdija sat out with a sore back after playing in 114 consecutive games. . The Wizards went 17 for 24 in the second quarter and had 19 fast-break points to 3 for Utah in the first half.
Jazz: Kelly Olynyk missed his third game with a sprained left ankle. . Utah scored on nine straight possessions in the third quarter. . Walker Kessler had 12 points and 14 rebounds. . Utah went 20 for 21 from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
Wizards: Visit Sacramento on Friday.
Jazz: Visit San Antonio on Monday.
Trevor Bauer reinstated by MLB’s independent arbitrator
NEW YORK (AP) Trevor Bauer was reinstated Thursday by Major League Baseball’s independent arbitrator, allowing the pitcher to resume his career at the start of the 2023 season.
The 31-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers star was given an unprecedented two-season suspension without pay by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on April 29 for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy after a San Diego woman said Bauer beat and sexually abused her last year, an accusation the pitcher denied.
The players’ association filed a grievance on behalf of the former Cy Young Award winner, and a three-person panel headed by independent arbitrator Martin Scheinman started hearing the case on May 23.
Scheinman upheld a 194-game suspension rather than Manfred’s intended 324-game penalty but reinstated Bauer immediately, assigning 50 games to cover part of the lengthy time Bauer was put on administrative leave while MLB investigated during the 2021 season and early this year.
“Can’t wait to see y’all out at a stadium soon!” Bauer wrote on Twitter.
Bauer will lose more than $37 million in salary for the final 144 games of last season and for the first 50 games of next season, through May 23. The lost salary next year is effectively a clawback from part of his administrative leave, when he continued to receive pay.
MLB said Scheinman affirmed that Bauer violated the domestic violence policy.
“While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator’s decision, which upholds baseball’s longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence,” MLB said in a statement. “We understand this process was difficult for the witnesses involved and we thank them for their participation.”
While Scheinman issued his award to the parties, a full written decision is not expected until later. The panel included MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem and union assistant general counsel Bob Lenaghan.
“While we are pleased that Mr. Bauer has been reinstated immediately, we disagree that any discipline should have been imposed,” Bauer’s representatives, Jon Fetterolf, Shawn Holley and Rachel Luba, said in a statement. “That said, Mr. Bauer looks forward to his return to the field, where his goal remains to help his team win a World Series.”
The players’ association declined comment on Scheinman’s decision.
Bauer was never charged with a crime. His accuser sought but was denied a restraining order against him, and Los Angeles prosecutors said in February there was insufficient evidence to prove the woman’s accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Bauer, who hasn’t played since the allegations surfaced and MLB began investigating, repeatedly has said that everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual.
An email sent after business hours Thursday seeking comment from the woman’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, wasn’t immediately returned.
Bauer sued his accuser in federal court, a move that came less than three months after prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against the pitcher. Bauer named the woman and one of her attorneys, Niranjan Fred Thiagarajah, as defendants in the lawsuit. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault.
The lawsuit said that “the damage to Mr. Bauer has been extreme” after the woman alleged that he had choked her into unconsciousness, punched her repeatedly and had anal sex with her without her consent during two sexual encounters last year.
The pitcher has said the two engaged in rough sex at his Pasadena home at her suggestion and followed guidelines they agreed to in advance.
Another woman, from Columbus, Ohio, told The Washington Post that Bauer repeatedly choked her without her consent and sexually assaulted her over the course of a years-long relationship. Bauer, in a statement through his representatives, said their relationship was “casual and wholly consensual.”
The suspension will cost Bauer $37,594,233 from his $102 million, three-year contract: $28,131,868 of his $32 million salary in 2022 and $9,462,365 of his $32 million salary in 2023.
Under Major League Rule 2, Bauer will not count against the Dodgers’ player limits for 14 days, giving the team until Jan. 6 to decide whether to cut ties. If the Dodgers jettison Bauer, they would remain responsible for the roughly $22.6 million he is owed next season and he would be free to sign with any club.
“We have just been informed of the arbitrator’s ruling and will comment as soon as practical,” the Dodgers said in a statement.
The money not paid to Bauer will be reflected on the Dodgers’ luxury tax payroll, cutting the amount of tax they must pay this year and are projected to pay in 2023.
After winning his first Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to join his hometown Dodgers. He did not pitch after June 29 in 2021 and finished with an 8-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances.
Bauer was placed on administrative leave on July 2, 2021, under the domestic violence policy, a leave extended 13 times.
Among 15 players previously disciplined under the policy, the longest suspension was a full season and postseason for free agent pitcher Sam Dyson in 2021. None of the players previously disciplined under the policy appear to have challenged the penalty before an arbitrator.
Bauer’s suspension was the longest of any MLB player since pitcher Jenrry Mejia was given a lifetime ban in 2016 for a third violation of the drug agreement. Mejia was reinstated for 2019 and returned in the minor leagues.
Brandon Drury agrees to 2-year, $17 million deal with Angels
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Infielder Brandon Drury has agreed to a $17 million, two-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
Right-hander Oliver Ortega was designated for assignment Thursday to make room on the Angels’ 40-man roster for Drury, who hit a career-best 28 homers last season while playing for Cincinnati and San Diego. He won the Silver Slugger award as a utility player.
Drury gets $8.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
He played all four infield positions and right field last season, and he got his second taste of postseason experience during the Padres’ run to the NL Championship Series, where he batted .400 with a homer and five RBIs against Philadelphia.
Drury excelled last season against left-handers, recording a .955 OPS and 12 homers. He is a career .252 hitter with 79 homers and 277 RBIs.
His signing adds talent and depth to the Angels, who struggled offensively last season after several regulars went down with injuries. Los Angeles has also acquired infielder Gio Urshela and outfielder Hunter Renfroe in the offseason to bolster their organizational depth.
Drury could be the regular second baseman for the Angels, with Luis Rengifo and David Fletcher likely to play extensively at shortstop. All three players have positional flexibility, and the Halos also have up-and-coming shortstop Livan Soto, who batted .400 in his first 18 major league games last season.
The Angels are Drury’s seventh major league team since reaching the majors with Arizona in 2015. The Oregon native also played for the Yankees, Blue Jays and Mets.
Maple Leafs hold off Flyers 4-3 in weekday matinee
TORONTO (AP) William Nylander scored his 20th goal and had two assists to help the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Thursday night.
The Maple Leafs (21-7-6) have won six straight at home.
Mitch Marner added a goal and an assist, Michael Bunting and Calle Jarnkrok also scored and Ilya Samsonov made 16 saves.
“I liked this kind of game, a 2 o’clock game, get the kids out, and it was nice to get a win for them,” Bunting said.
Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee scored 1:23 apart for Philadelphia in the third to make it a one-goal game. Tony DeAngelo also scored for the Flyers.
“I don’t think his game was anywhere near (where) it should be throughout most of the game,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said about Frost. “But towards the end, he gets involved in a few scoring chances and we get an opportunity to try to win. Or at least tie,”
TIME TO BREATHE
The Maple Leafs are off until Tuesday, when they begin a three-game trip.
“Getting the extra time, it’s important no matter what,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said about the upcoming break. “I know every team in the league has their own things going on, and the schedule is not easy. So time to breathe, recover, and have fun with your family is important.”
UP NEXT
Maple Leafs: At St. Louis on Tuesday night.
Flyers: At Carolina on Friday night.
Nick Foligno breaks 3rd-period tie, Bruins beat Jets 3-2
BOSTON (AP) Nick Foligno broke a tie midway through the third period, Jeremy Swayman stopped 25 shots and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins rallied to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 on Thursday night.
The Bruins improved to 26-4-2 and 18-0-2 at home.
Foligno scored from the left circle off a feed from Charlie Coyle. David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk also scored for the Bruins.
Mark Scheifele and Jansen Harkins scored for Winnipeg and Connor Hellebuyck made 37 saves.
The Jets led 2-0 at 7:20 of the first period, with Scheifele opening the scoring at 1:58 with his team-leading 20th goal.
“Maybe we weren’t as focused in the beginning as we should be,” Pastrnak said. “That’s a heck of of a team we beat. They’re not an easy team to play. You never take wins in this league for granted.”
Pastrnak scored his team-leading 22nd midway through the second, and DeBrusk tied it 2:52 later on the powerplay.
“You try your best to stay out of the penalty box against a team that’s so good in the faceoff circle and so good on the powerplay,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. “That’s the best team in the league right now and we battled them to the end.”
McKENNEY REMEMBERED
Boston honored Don McKenney, who died Sunday at the age of 88. McKenney packed a lot in his nine seasons with the Bruins. He served as captain in his final two seasons with the Original Six franchise and either led or tied Boston scoring four times.
NOTES: Five weeks after announcing an investigation had been launched into the organization’s player-vetting process, after Boston signed controversial prospect Mitchell Miller and then cut ties with him two days later, the Bruins announced there were no findings of misconduct by team employees during the Miller vetting process. . Bowness is in his first season on the Winnipeg bench. He broke in as an NHL head coach with Boston back in 1991 and spent just one season with the club. . Morrissey extended his points streak to 11 games with the assist on Harkins’ goal. . DeBrusk’s goal was the 200th point of his career. “Really nice goal, too,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “It shows his skill and his ability to make electric plays around the net.”
UP NEXT
Jets: At Washington on Friday night
Bruins: At New Jersey on Friday night.
Ovechkin stuck at 800 goals, Capitals beat Senators in OT
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Alex Ovechkin went without a goal for the fourth straight game, while Marcus Johansson scored 2:04 into overtime to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Ovechkin is stuck at 800 goals, one short of tying Gordie Howe for second place in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky. The Russian star had two assists.
“You just have to play through it,” Ovechkin said. “If I was playing out there and (got) zero chances, yeah, I would be worried. But I have chances. Their goalie played good and right now it’s important to get two points and keep moving in the standings.”
In overtime, Johansson raced past Drake Batherson from center ice, found an opening and beat goalie Cam Talbot.
“I just don’t like the way it ends,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “You’ve got to check harder in overtime, you can’t give a breakaway. Talbot did everything to hold us in there.”
Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sonny Milano also scored for the Capitals. Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in his first start since sustaining an upper-body injury Dec. 3.
“It’s nice to be back in the lineup, first of all, and then for a big team win, it makes it feel even better being back,” Kuemper said.
Batherson and Alex DeBrincat scored for Ottawa and Talbot stopped 37 shots. Batherson tied it at 2 with a power-play goal 3:04 into the third period to extend his points streak to 10 games.
Ovechkin looked poised to pick up goal No. 801 as he got a puck past Talbot, but Milano pushed it across the goal line at 5:25 of the second, to give the Capitals a 2-1 edge. Kuznetsov tied it off a pass from Ovechkin on the power play 7:01 into the opening frame.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Host Winnipeg on Friday night.
Senators: The Senators were scheduled to host Detroit on Friday, but the game was postponed because of an expected storm. They will host Boston on Tuesday night.
Kakko scores late to lead Rangers to 5-3 win over Islanders
NEW YORK (AP) Kaapo Kakko scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:47 remaining and the New York Rangers rallied for a 5-3 win over the crosstown-rival Islanders on Thursday night for their eighth win in nine games.
Barclay Goodrow had a goal and two assists, Julien Gauthier had a goal and an assist, and Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin stopped 15 shots to get his 17th win of the season and improve to 2-7-1 in 10 career games against the Islanders.
“It’s big to get two points and cap off a great run we’ve had and head into the (Christmas) break on a good note,” Goodrow said. “We’ve kind of found our game the last three or four weeks.”
Mathew Barzal and Alexander Romanov each had a goal and an assist, and Anders Lee also scored for the Islanders, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Ilya Sorokin finished with 29 saves.
The Rangers finished 1 for 6 on the power play with Sorokin making 12 saves while they had the man-advantage.
“There were too many penalties,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “We just didn’t get it done. They thrive off their power play.”
The Rangers tied it 3-3 at 3:00 of the third period as Gauthier’s shot from the left point deflected off Goodrow in front and past Sorokin. It was Goodrow’s eighth of the season.
Kakko, who had a turnover that led to an Islanders goal in the second period, gave the Rangers their first lead when he deposited a pass from K’Andre Miller from the left corner past Sorokin from the right side. It was his ninth of the season and fifth goal in eight games.
“It’s tough on a young player,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of Kakko’s earlier miscue. “You’re going to make mistakes, it’s nice that he finished off the right way, so it makes it a lot easier for him for sure.”
Trocheck added an empty-netter with 1:32 left to cap the three-goal third period as the Rangers bounced back after a 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night that ended a season-high seven-game win streak.
“I thought we played real well, in control of the game, but they kept getting the goal to go ahead every time,” Gallant said. “I liked our game a lot, we found a way to win, which was fortunate because their goalie played outstanding.”
Barzal gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 2:39 of the second period. After Josh Bailey knocked the puck away from Kakko near center ice, Barzal picked up the loose puck and sped off on breakaway, skated in on Shesterkin, got the goalie to go down and lifted a backhander over him from the left side for his fifth of the season.
Gauthier tied it at 5:30 with a backhander on a breakaway for his fifth.
Romanov gave the Islanders their third lead of the night at 8:45 with a slap shot from the left point for the 22-year-old Russian defenseman’s first of the season.
“We expected to close it out (with a lead heading into the third),” the Islanders’ Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “It didn’t go our way. … We have to turn the page and focus on tomorrow.”
SIDELINED
Islanders C Casey Cizikas left the game midway through the second period and did not return.
UP NEXT
Islanders: Host Florida on Friday night to open a three-game homestand.
Rangers: Host Washington on Tuesday night to finish a two-game homestand.
Slavin scores in OT, streaking Hurricanes beat Penguins 4-3
PITTSBURGH (AP) Jaccob Slavin scored 23 seconds into overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.
Carolina won its seventh straight game and has points in 13 consecutive contests to match the franchise record.
“We’ve been resilient, for sure,” captain Jordan Staal said. “A lot of the guys have stepped up and played some great hockey in big minutes and big roles. We’ve been staying with it and trusting our game.”
In overtime, Brent Burns started a pretty passing sequence with his 800th NHL point and Slavin ended the play when he beat goalie Tristan Jarry at the top of the crease. Burns is the 18th defenseman in NHL history with 800 points.
“Hockey is weird,” Burns said. “You keep grinding every day, you enjoy it for a couple minutes and then push for the next thing.”
Martin Necas scored his 14th goal, Staal his 10th and Jalen Chatfield added his first NHL goal for the red-hot Hurricanes. Antti Raanta stopped 24 shots for Carolina, which has points in 18 of its last 20 games overall. The Hurricanes, who also have an 11-game road points streak, haven’t lost in regulation since Nov. 23 against Arizona at home.
Sidney Crosby scored his 19th goal, Bryan Rust his ninth and Brock McGinn added a short-handed goal for the Penguins. They lost to the Hurricanes for the second time in five days.
Pittsburgh has lost to the Hurricanes three times in the last three weeks, all by one goal. But the Penguins still have points in 18 of their last 21 games overall.
Jarry made 32 saves. He has points in 14 consecutive games, which is tied with Marc-Andre Fleury for the second-longest streak in team history.
“We’ve won a lot of games, but our expectations are high and I think there’s another level to this group,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “We’re in the mix, but there’s a lot of hockey left and we have to push to get to that next level.”
Carolina rallied from a third-period deficit to continue its streak.
Rust gave Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead at 12:55 of the third period. He worked around Jordan Martinook, cut in front of the crease and tucked the puck inside the post. But Staal tied the game, 3-3, with a wraparound at 15:34. Staal scored the winner against Pittsburgh on Dec. 18.
Staal played 431 games and won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. He tied Rod Brind’Amour for fifth-most games played in Carolina history and equaled Blaine Stoughton for ninth in points with the goal, his third in as many games.
“I was behind the net, and I wasn’t sure where the goalie was at the time, but I knew he’d have trouble getting back,” Staal said. “I just kind of got it to the net as quick as I could.”
The teams scored three goals during a 32-second span in the first period.
Crosby opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 17:28 and Necas tied the game 15 seconds later. Chatfield gave Carolina a 2-1 lead two minutes left when he beat Jarry to the glove-hand side with a shot from the point. Jesperi Kotkaniemi assisted on the goal for his 100th NHL point.
The Penguins scored a power-play goal for the 10th straight game, their longest streak since a 12-game run in 2013. Pittsburgh has 14 power-play goals in the last 10 games.
Pittsburgh tied it with a short-handed goal in the final minute of the second period. McGinn converted Teddy Blueger’s rebound for his 10th of the season and second goal this week against his former team.
UP NEXT
Hurricanes: Begin a three-game homestand Friday night against Philadelphia.
Penguins: Host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Pettersson has 5-point night, adds SO winner for Canucks
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Elias Pettersson scored his second goal of the game to tie it with 1:20 left in regulation and added the shootout winner in the Vancouver Canucks’ 6-5 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.
Pettersson, who also had three assists, drilled a hard shot from above the faceoff circle to tie it with goalie Spencer Martin off for an extra attacker.
Pettersson returned to the lineup after missing two games because of a non-COVID-19 illness.
“I was running on no energy, just wanting the puck to go in,” Pettersson said.
Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau heaped praise on Pettersson.
“That’s six days off the ice and then he came in and did what he did tonight,” Boudreau said. “Pretty amazing. I don’t think you guys realize how much of an anomaly that is, being off six days and then playing that great. It defies logic.”
The Canucks had a power play with a minute left in the 3-on-3 overtime after Seattle’s Jordan Eberle was called for holding, but couldn’t score.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a goal and two assists for Vancouver, Lane Pederson scored his first goal in his third NHL game and added an assist, and Brock Boeser also connected. The Canucks have beaten the Kraken all six times they’ve met.
Martin stopped 31 shots for Vancouver.
Daniel Sprong scored twice for Seattle, and Jared McCann, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Alex Wennberg also had goals. Bjorkstrand and Sprong struck 10 seconds apart in the second to give Seattle a 3-1 lead.
“The result is disappointing,” Wennberg said. “We just worked really hard. “I feel like we emptied the tank today and unfortunately it didn’t work out.”
The Canucks erased three, two-goal deficits.
“We don’t do anything the easy way,” Boudreau said. “Give the team credit for not quitting. That’s a testament to the boys in the room.”
Kuzmenko cut it to 4-3 at 5:13, scoring off the rebound of Pederson’s shot.
Sprong scored his second of the night just over a minute later, tipping in a pass from Brandon Tanev. Boeser got Vancouver back within one, redirecting Pettersson shot past goalie Martin Jones on a power play at 8:52.
Jones made 32 saves.
“We’re here to win a hockey game and we didn’t do that,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We have to do better when we’ve got a two-goal lead. That’s a game we feel like we should be able to close out.”
UP NEXT
Kraken: Host Calgary on Wednesday night.
Canucks: At Edmonton on Friday night.
Kempe strikes in OT, Kings top Flames after giving away lead
LOS ANGELES (AP) Adrian Kempe scored in overtime, Pheonix Copley made 27 saves to win his fourth straight start, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Thursday night.
The Kings had to fight back after squandering a two-goal lead in the third period, but Kempe scored his 13th goal on the rush from Viktor Arvidsson with 1:37 left in overtime to sweep their three-game homestand and get their fourth victory in a row.
Gabe Vilardi had a goal and an assist, and Phillip Danault and Blake Lizotte scored 10 seconds apart early in the third period for Los Angeles.
Tyler Toffoli had a power-play goal, and Dillon Dube and Jonathan Huberdeau also scored, but the Flames couldn’t get their third straight road win. Dan Vladar allowed four goals on 32 shots.
The Kings looked to be in control after a backhand goal from Danault 1:29 into the third period off a tenacious forecheck by Alex Iafallo, and Lizotte made it 3-1 by swatting in Vilardi’s rebound at 1:39.
Toffoli buried a wrist shot for his fifth power-play goal at 6:46 to pull within 3-2, and the Flames caught a break when Kevin Fiala put his penalty shot wide just over a minute later.
Calgary tied it at 3 with 6:28 to go when Dube netted his eighth goal off Noah Hanifin’s pass.
It was tied 1-all after the first period, with Vilardi striking late to cancel out Huberdeau’s sixth goal.
Vilardi tipped in his own rebound from close range with 2:19 to go after redirecting Sean Walker’s shot from the right point. Vilardi had not scored since Nov. 29, going 10 games without a goal but remained the team leader thanks to his hot start.
Huberdeau opened the scoring 3:23 into the game, beating Copley on a breakaway set up by Milan Lucic’s stretch pass. It was Huberdeau’s first goal and fifth point during a three-game streak.
WORTH NOTING
The Kings activated F Brendan Lemieux from injured reserve on Thursday. Lemieux has not played since Nov. 12 because of a lower-body injury.
UP NEXT
Flames: At Anaheim on Friday night.
Kings: At Arizona on Friday night.
Karlsson has goal and 3 assists, Sharks beat Wild 5-2
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists and the San Jose Sharks beat Minnesota 5-2 on Thursday night to snap the Wild’s six-game winning streak.
Karlsson scored on a one-timer 44 seconds into the game to extend his points streak to nine games. Noah Gregor, Timo Meier, Kevin Labanc and Oscar Lindblom also scored for San Jose, and James Reimer made 24 saves.
Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello scored for Minnesota, and Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves. Wild forward Mason Shaw was assessed a major penalty and ejected for kneeing Sharks forward Evgeny Svechnikov in the second period.
Shaw crossed the ice and stuck out his leg an attempt to hit Svechnikov. After a quick review, the call on the ice was confirmed. Shaw was assessed a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct. Svechnikov returned to action in the third period, avoiding what looked to be a significant injury.
On the ensuing major power play, Meier converted 35 seconds in to extend his goals streak to four.
Sharks forward Tomas Hertl served the second game of his two-game suspension.
UP NEXT:
Wild: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
Sharks: At Vancouver on Tuesday night.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
Game Preview: Pacers at Heat
The Pacers will hit the floor once more before Christmas, as Indiana (16-16) takes on the Heat (16-16) on Friday night in Miami in the third meeting this season between the two Eastern Conference rivals. The two teams split two earlier meetings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with the Pacers prevailing on Nov. 4 and the Heat coming out on top on Dec. 12.
The Blue & Gold are coming off arguably their best road win of the season, a 117-112 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday night in Boston. The Pacers were dominant in the first half against one of the top teams in the East, scoring a season-high 42 points in the first quarter and leading by as many as 30 before halftime.
Tyrese Haliburton added another big game to his All-Star resume on Wednesday, scoring a team-high 33 points on 12-of-24 shooting (6-of-13 from 3-point range) and dishing out eight assists to lead Indiana to victory.
Haliburton will be motivated against Miami given what happened the last time the Pacers faced the Heat. Less than two weeks ago, Haliburton managed just one point in an 87-82 loss to Miami, going 0-for-9 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He has bounced back with some big games since and will be eager to show that his last performance against the Heat was simply a rare off-night for Indiana’s leading scorer.
The Heat had won four straight to climb above .500 before a 113-103 loss to Chicago on Tuesday.
Miami is led by a three-headed monster of 20-point-per-game scorers. Six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who did not play Tuesday due to an illness, leads the team in scoring at 21.9 points per game to go along with 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.9 steals. Tyler Herro, the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, is now starting and averaging 21.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. All-Star big man Bam Adebayo anchors the Heat on both sides of the floor, averaging 20.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Buddy Hield, F – Andrew Nembhard, F – Jalen Smith, C – Myles Turner
Heat: G – Kyle Lowry, G – Tyler Herro, F – Max Strus, F – Jimmy Butler, C – Bam Adebayo
Injury Report
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton – questionable (sore right wrist), Aaron Nesmith – questionable (right ankle sprain), Kendall Brown – out (right tibia stress reaction), Terry Taylor – out (G League assignment), Daniel Theis – out (right knee surgery)
Heat: Jimmy Butler – probable (right knee injury management), Dewayne Dedmon – probable (left foot plantar fasciitis), Udonis Haslem – questionable (right Achilles tendinosis), Caleb Martin – questionable (left ankle sprain), Gabe Vincent – questionable (left knee effusion), Omer Yurtseven – out (left ankle surgery)
Last Meeting
Dec. 12, 2022: The Heat prevailed at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a hard-fought, defensive-minded battle, besting the Pacers 87-82.
“This is classic Eastern Conference basketball,” Carlisle said. “It’s physical, it’s grinding, and both teams are trying to play fast. It’s not like either team was walking it up. The competition was great and we’ll have to look at the film and find ways to get better looks.”
The Pacers shot just 35.8 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from 3-point range while committing 18 turnovers in the loss.
Buddy Hield led four Pacers in double figures with 19 points. Andrew Nembhard added 18, Myles Turner tallied a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Aaron Nesmith registered 12 points and six boards.
Bam Adebayo had a game-high 22 points and 17 rebounds for Miami. Jimmy Butler added 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Noteworthy
The Pacers and Heat will meet for a fourth and final time in the regular season on Feb. 8 in Miami.
Indiana is 14-49 all time in the regular season in Miami, although the Pacers have won two of their last three and five of their last eight road contests against the Heat.
Former Pacers guard Victor Oladipo made his season debut for Miami on Dec. 6. The two-time All-Star has averaged 9.1 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.6 steals over seven games this season.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio reporter/host)
Tickets
The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after Christmas to host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 7:30 PM ET.
Butler Falls on the Road at BIG EAST Preseason Favorite Creighton, 78-56
A hot-shooting Creighton team was able to come away with a 78-56 win over Butler Thursday night at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb.
Butler falls to 8-5 on the season and 0-2 in BIG EAST play, while Creighton improves to 7-6 (1-1 BIG EAST).
KEY STAT: The Bluejays shot 56 percent from the field in the victory. Butler countered by hitting only 42 percent of their attempts, including a 2-for-12 mark from three-point range.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
Creighton outscored the Bulldogs, 38-22, after having a six-point halftime lead.
Preseason All-BIG EAST selection Ryan Kalkbrenner returned for Creighton after missing the last three games with a non-COVID illness. He finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
Baylor Scheierman had 14 points for Creighton, while Arthur Kaluma added 12.
Chuck Harris led the Bulldogs with 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half.
Creighton had a 37-19 rebounding advantage.
HOW IT TRANSPIRED:
Butler made eight of its first 12 shots in taking an early 16-7 lead, which was the Bulldogs’ largest of the game.
Creighton was able to regain the lead thanks in large part to hitting six of their first eight attempts from three-point range.
The Bluejays led 40-34 at the half behind 12 points from Scheierman and 10 from Kaluma.
A 17-4 run, during a stretch when Butler missed 10 of 12 attempts from the field, gave Creighton a 61-44 lead with just more than 11 minutes to play, which proved to be insurmountable.
OF NOTE:
Jalen Thomas, in just his second game for Butler after returning from a pulmonary embolism, scored eight points on 4-for-5 shooting; those were the first points of his Butler career.
The teams will play again Jan. 17 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Bluejays were voted as the preseason BIG EAST favorite by the league’s head coaches, but had lost six straight games entering Thursday’s match-up.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return to Indianapolis for their final tip of 2022 as Butler hosts Providence Thursday, Dec. 29. Tickets are still available for the 6:30 p.m. tip, which will also air on FS1.
MVB Places Two on Preseason All-MIVA Squad; BSU Picked to Finish First
MUNCIE, Ind. – Reigning 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament champions, the Ball State men’s volleyball team was picked first in the preseason MIVA poll. In addition, two Cardinals were named to the 12-member preseason all-conference team — outside attacker Kaleb Jenness and middle blocker Felix Egharevba. Jenness was also tabbed as the preseason MIVA Player of the Year.
Ball State received 56 votes to claim the top spot while Loyola was two votes behind, predicted to finish second.
The Cardinals are looking to build off a historic 2022 season which saw Donan Cruz, in his first year at the helm, lead Ball State to a 23-4 overall record and the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship. BSU was also ranked third in the final NVA/AVCA Men’s Division I-II Coaches Poll: the highest ranking in program history.
This is the third-straight year Jenness has been named to the preseason All-MIVA squad. Last year, Jenness was tabbed the MIVA Player of the Year and the MIVA Tournament MVP while also tallying First Team All-MIVA honors. Jenness was also tabbed as First Team NVA/AVCA All-American.
This is the first season that Egharevba was tabbed to the preseason All-MIVA team. A force to be reckoned with on defense, Egharevba was tabbed to the All-MIVA Second Team for the second time in his career. Last year Egharevba also earned NVA/AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. He ended last season as the 2021-22 NCAA Division NC statistical champion for blocks per set (1.41).
Ironically, the 2023 campaign will start against a familiar opponent in two-time defending national champion Hawai’i which earned a hard-fought 3-2 (28-26, 19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 15-11) victory over the Cardinals in the national semifinals. After topping the then-No. 1 Rainbow Warriors twice during 2022 regular season in Worthen Arena, the Cardinals will travel to Manoa, Hawaii, for a two-match series to open the year Jan. 12-13.
Ball State will host Harvard for its home opener Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. ET in Worthen Arena.
2023 MIVA Preseason Poll
Place – Team – Points (1st)
1. Ball State – 56 (3)
2. Loyola Chicago – 54 (2)
3. Ohio State – 53 (3)
4. Lewis – 44
T-5. McKendree – 26
T-5. Purdue Fort Wayne – 26
7. Lindenwood – 21
8. Quincy – 8
2023 MIVA Preseason Player of the Year
Kaleb Jenness – Ball State
2023 Preseason All-MIVA Team (alphabetical by team)
Felix Egharevba – Ball State
Kaleb Jenness – Ball State
Kevin Kauling – Lewis
Max Roquet – Lewis
AJ Lewis – Lindenwood
Cole Schlothauer – Loyola Chicago
Parker Van Buren – Loyola Chicago
Francisco Comas – McKendree
Samuel Clark – Ohio State
Jacob Pasteur – Ohio State
Jon Diedrich – Purdue Fort Wayne
Bryce Walker – Purdue Fort Wayne
Irish Drop Heartbreaker At The Buzzer, 73-72, At Fsu
TALLAHASSEE – With six seconds remaining on the clock down one, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team (7-5, 0-2) had a great opportunity to earn its first-ever win inside the Donald L Tucker Center vs. Florida State (4-10, 2-1). The pass to an open and sprinting Cormac Ryan was thrown just a tad too long as the Seminoles escaped with a 73-72 win.
The Fighting Irish were on a 6-0 run with two big defensive stands in the final minute before the final play of the game.
Freshman JJ Starling was solely responsible for said six points in the final two minutes, giving the Irish a chance to win at the buzzer. He finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, which included two treys. It marked his fourth straight game in double figures (tying a season best) and his second-highest scoring output of the season.
Cormac Ryan continued to deliver offensively with 17 points, marking his fifth double-digit scoring performance over the last six games. He’s scored 97 points in said six-game stretch, averaging 16.2 ppg. From deep, he’s 21-of-34 over the last six games as well. In addition, Ryan tied his season-high in rebounds with six.
Nate Laszewski finished in double figures with 12 points and now has 52 points over the last three games. Trey Wertz rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Lastly, Laszewski, Wertz and Ven-Allen Lubin all reeled in six boards apiece.
How It Happened
Notre Dame trailed FSU early, down 10-3 after the Seminoles started 4-of-5 from the field. However, what transpired next could arguably be Notre Dame’s best offensive stretch of the season, connecting on nine straight from the field to fire off a 24-8 run.
The best part about the scoring run was the balance of it, as five different Irish supplied buckets. The main hot hand, Ryan, had 10 points by the 11:38 mark. Meanwhile, a Marcus Hammond three capped the shooting spree with the Irish up 27-18.
In a tale of two halves within the same first half, the Irish then went three for its next 15 from the field, allowing Florida State to rally back and reclaim the lead at 36-35.
Ven-Allen Lubin did shine during this stretch though with four offensive rebounds and two putbacks for four points.
The Irish did regain their composure in the final minutes, and after driving layups from Laszewski and Starling, they went into halftime up 39-38. Important to note, the Irish were 7-0 when leading at the half entering into tonight’s contest.
At the midway point, Ryan led with 12 points, followed by seven points each from Starling and Wertz. Irish shot 15-of-29 from the field (52%) compared to 14-of-32 (44%) from the Seminoles. The rebound count was level at 16 apiece.
Florida State outscored Notre Dame 18-10 to start the second half, building a 56-49 advantage, and did so behind four three-point plays. Though the Irish trailed, they kept pace with three-pointers from Starling, Laszewski and Ryan. A driving layup from Hammond capped a stretch in which the Irish made 4-of-5 from the field and only trailed 59-57 at 11:15.
Next, the Noles took advantage of an Irish two-minute scoring drought to build its largest lead of the game, up eight at 65-57. Wertz proceeded to end the drought and then Starling garnered the steal and finished on the other end, prompting a FSU timeout as the deficit was cut to 65-61 at 8:29. ND then didn’t register a field goal for the next 3:30 to then trail by seven until Lubin powered his way to the basket for the layup, making it 71-66 Noles.
Fast forward to 1:03 remaining and Starling just capped a stretch of making four straight points to cut it to one possession at 73-70.
The Irish needed a big defensive stand and they got it via a Laszewski block. Starling picked up the rebound and drove it to the basket, making it a one-point game. The Irish defense then delivered again, forcing a FSU shot-clock violation. The catch with that – only 6.5 seconds remained on the clock.
Out of the ND timeout, the Irish play was there for the taking but the pass to a streaking Ryan down the court was a tad too long. As a result, the Noles escaped with a 73-72 win.
Irish outshot the Seminoles, 51 percent to their 47 percent, and made more three-pointers as well, nine to seven. Total rebounds pretty much finished even, with a slight 29-28 nod to the Noles.
Up Next
The Fighting Irish will spend the holiday in South Bend, including a Christmas dinner over at Coach Brey’s house. The Irish will then resume play at home on Dec. 27 with Jacksonville at 7 pm ET on ACC Network.
Sycamores drop final non-conference contest against Northern Illinois
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State men’s basketball returned home for the first time in nearly a month Thursday afternoon and closed out non-conference action with the team’s third straight loss, falling 67-57 to Northern Illinois at the Hulman Center in ISU’s last game before the holiday break.
The Sycamores opened the game with back-to-back threes for an early 6-0, lead but the Huskies answered with four straight buckets for an 8-6 lead at 16:41. Indiana State’s first four baskets in the game were each beyond the arc as the Sycamores connected on four of their first five attempts, and ISU would lead 18-17 with 9:03 left in the first half before allowing a double-digit NIU run and never leading again in the game.
Indiana State entered a scoring drought spanning 7:12, and during that time NIU went off on a 15-0 run to take a 30-18 lead with 3:59 to go in the opening frame. The Sycamores were 0-for-6 including 0-for-4 from three with six turnovers in that span.
Jayson Kent hit a floating jumper with five seconds on the clock and then Cameron Henry snagged NIU’s inbound pass for a buzzer-beating bucket, and ISU trailed 35-29 at the half.
The Huskies pushed their lead out to 44-33 through the first three minutes of the second half, but ISU was able to cut its deficit down to single digits at 13:29 on a Zach Hobbs triple and Kailex Stephens layup that made it 48-39. Julian Larry later assisted a Courvoisier McCauley triple and laid in a basket of his own to get it back to a single-digit deficit for the Sycamores.
McCauley sparked a late 9-0 Sycamore run with back-to-back layups followed by a steal by Henry to set himself up for a triple, and Cooper Neese knocked down a free throw to cap the run and pull ISU within five points of NIU at 60-55 with 1:29 to go in the game.
Larry dished out his fifth assist of the game to set Kent up for a layup with 33 seconds on the clock, but the Huskies closed out the game with four free throws in the last 28 seconds.
Inside the Numbers
The Sycamores shot a season-low 35.0 percent including a season-low 22.9 percent from three.
ISU committed just 10 personal fouls in the game which is a season-low against Division I teams this year. The Sycamores had seven against NAIA-member Trinity Christian earlier this season.
The Sycamores were outrebounded 38-36 and committed 14 turnovers compared to NIU’s 11.
News & Notes
When the Northern Illinois lead hit 28-18 at 4:21 in the first, that marked the first time ISU has trailed by double-figures all season this season. NIU led by a game-high 14 points midway through the second half.
NIU’s 15-0 run in the first half is the largest run the Sycamores have allowed by an opponent this season.
Entering Thursday’s game, Indiana State was 5-0 at home this season, and this marks ISU’s first home loss since Feb. 23, 2022.
Courvoisier led all Sycamoes scorers in the game with 21 points, his fifth game scoring 20 or more points this season. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds with three steals and two assists.
Cooper Neese was the only other Sycamore to score in double figures with 10 points alongside four rebounds and two assists.
Julian Larry’s five assists tied his season-high previously set against Green Bay in the season opener.
Thursday is ISU’s first time scoring less than 60 points since the team’s Valley Tournament loss against Illinois State on March 3, 2022.
Up Next
The Sycamores are right back at home after the Christmas holiday Thursday, Dec. 29 to host Evansville in Valley play. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET at Hulman Center.
Jon Diedrich and Bryce Walker Named to Preseason All-MIVA Team
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball pin hitter Jon Diedrich and middle blocker Bryce Walker were named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team on Thursday (Dec. 22), the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association announced.
The Preseason All-MIVA Team is voted on by MIVA head coaches.
Diedrich was a First Team All-MIVA selection and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2022. He averaged just under four kills per set in his third season with the Mastodons, leading them to a MIVA Tournament runner-up finish.
Walker was a Second Team All-MIVA pick last season as a sophomore. He recorded 2.15 kills and 0.91 blocks per set. He was also the second-best serving threat for the ‘Dons, acing opponents 32 times.
The Mastodon men’s volleyball season begins on January 6, when the ‘Dons welcome King to the Gates Sports Center.
Softball Announces 2023 Schedule
The Valpo softball program announced its schedule for the upcoming 2023 campaign on Thursday, a slate which features 14 home games at the Valpo Softball Complex.
Valpo will open the 2023 season, its first under head coach Meaggan Pettipiece, at the DePaul Dome Tournament in Rosemont, Ill., where the Beacons will face Saint Louis, Western Illinois, Bowling Green and Eastern Kentucky in addition to the host Blue Demons Feb. 9-11.
After a weekend away from competition, Valpo heads to the Sunshine State for five games at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla. Feb. 24-26. A matchup with Notre Dame is the highlight of that weekend of action, which also includes games against Siena, FIU, UT Martin and Oakland.
The pre-conference schedule continues March 3-5 at the Bellarmine Round Robin in Louisville, Ky., as Valpo takes on Eastern Illinois three times and Bellarmine twice over the course of the weekend. A three-game series over two days March 11-12 at Eastern Kentucky wraps up action before the start of MVC play, while Valpo will also step out of conference play for a home game against Western Michigan (March 22) and road games at Purdue Fort Wayne (March 29) and Northern Illinois (April 11, doubleheader).
The Missouri Valley Conference slate will have a different look to it this season on multiple fronts. As all 12 MVC institutions sponsor softball, teams will only play nine of a possible 11 opponents in conference play. Eight three-game weekend series will now be spread over three days Friday-Sunday, while a ninth series will be played over three separate days in midweek action.
Valpo will open MVC play March 17-19 at Southern Illinois and will also hit the road for three-game sets at Murray State (April 7-9), Bradley (April 14-16) and UNI (April 28-30). The Beacons’ Valley home opener comes against Illinois State (March 24-26), with home series at the Valpo Softball Complex against Missouri State (March 31-April 2) and Drake (April 21-23) as well before the regular season concludes at home against Indiana State (May 5-7). Valpo’s three-game series against UIC will consist of a home game April 19 and road games in Chicago April 4 and April 25.
The 2023 MVC Tournament is scheduled to be contested in Carbondale, Ill. May 10-13, with the tournament champion earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Valpo Football Welcomes First Batch of 2023 Recruits
Head coach Landon Fox has announced the addition of eight incoming student-athletes to the Valparaiso University football program as the team began welcoming its 2023 incoming class as part of the December early signing period.
“The emphasis with this early signing class is on developing our offensive and defensive lines,” Fox said. “You win the game up front, so we wanted to place an emphasis on those positions. This whole group has been on campus – they’ve been here for junior days and game days. We have a really good feel about who they are as football players and who they are as people. They feel good about who we are as well. We look for athletes from good high school programs who are captains of their football teams. All of these guys are leaders on their teams and almost all are captains. There’s a standard and expectation that we have in our program, so we want leaders who have the ability to hold their teammates accountable. The majority of these players attended our camp. They are attracted to Valpo because of the academics and also the shared values within our football program.”
Gabriel Batres, DL, 6-2, 210, Fairfield, Calif. (Angelo Rodriguez)
Intends to major in business or nursing… Son of Lisa and Martin Batres… Has three brothers, David, Angel and Martin Jr… Two-year varsity letter winner… All-section, all-league and all-region performer… Second in California in sacks (19) and first in tackles for loss (42)… Team MVP… Team captain… Had a big game vs. Bear Creek during the 2022 season – recorded 11 tackles, nine tackles for loss and five sacks while notching a 10-yard receiving touchdown… Hobbies include working out, playing video games and hanging out with friends… Favorite food is fried chicken.
Coach Fox on Batres: “He’s a really good edge rusher and has the ability to get off the ball and create havoc in the backfield. He can create tackles for loss with his movement.”
Nick Beidl, RB, 5-10, 195, Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Plans to major in criminology… Son of Candace and Jeff Beidl… Has an older sister, Gabrielle… Great uncle John “Bo” Steich was a running back at Wisconsin… His father Jeff was a centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliate… Three-year varsity letter winner… Team captain in 2021 and 2022… Rushed for 147 yards and two TDs on Oct. 29, 2021 at Avon… Had 123 yards and two scores on Sept. 9 vs. Pike… Also competed in high school baseball as a freshman and sophomore and rugby as a senior… Hobbies include fishing and Xbox… President of his high school’s student section… Involved in Champions Together and Special Olympics.
Coach Fox on Beidl: “He’s a tough running back from Carmel, a quality high school program. We had the opportunity to have him at our camp, and he did a really nice job. He’s a hard-nosed football player.”
Justin Hemmersbach, OL, 6-2, 270, Morris, Ill. (Morris Community)
Intends to pursue an engineering degree… Son of Jason and Kristen Hemmersbach… Has an older sister, Katie… Four-year varsity letter winner… Three-time all-conference honoree, two-time academic all-state performer, 2022 5A All-State, 2021 Lineman of the Year, 2022 Team MVP… Helped his team to a 10-3 record as a senior… Helped his team rush for over 500 yards in a 2021 game vs. Kaneland… Also competed in wrestling during his junior season… Team captain in both 2021 and 2022… Hobbies include lifting, fishing and shoes… Member of the honor roll all four years… Academic all-state performer.
Coach Fox on Hemmersbach: “Justin is a center, and his ability to snap the ball is intriguing. He’s physical at the point of attack with good feet.”
Antony Morris, DL, 6-2, 275, Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Expects to major in engineering… Son of William and Francine Morris… Has three brothers – William, Kingston and Ian – and a sister, Mercedes… Three-year varsity letter winner… Had 34 tackles including 8.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks during his senior season while also forcing a pair of fumbles… Also wrestled during his freshman year… Hobbies include community service, church and spending time with friends… Was born in New York City.
Coach Fox on Morris: “Antony is explosive, high effort and plays with a motor. He’s quick off the ball with good hands and will fit well within our scheme.”
James Owsley, OL, 6-6, 305, Centerville, Ohio (Centerville)
Plans to pursue a degree in business administration… Son of Kent and Kathy Owsley… Has an older sister, Shannon… Three-year varsity letter winner… Father Kent played at Iowa from 1986-1990… Grandfather James Lee played at McHenry College in the early 1950s… Three-year varsity letter winner… First team all-conference and second team All-Southwest Ohio honoree this season after helping his team to a 10-3 record… Also competed in wrestling as a freshman and sophomore and track & field as a senior… Hobbies include cars, fishing and cooking… Is ambidextrous… Was a 2021 scholar athlete.
Coach Fox on Owsley: “James is a lineman with good size. He has the ability to get to the second level. He’s also good at the point of attack.”
Gabe Rosen, OL, 6-7, 330, Evanston, Ill. (Evanston Township)
Majoring in criminology… Son of Maryl Rosen and Lisa Simone… Three-year varsity letter winner… Team captain… Also competed in four years of power lifting and was on the freshman basketball team… Hobbies include cooking, video games, hanging out with friends and lifting.
Coach Fox on Rosen: “We’re very excited about the size that Gabe brings to the table. He’ll be an early enrollee; he’ll be here in the spring. He also has extremely good feet.”
Ethan Stierheim, OL, 6-4, 305, Buffalo, N.Y. (Williamsville North)
Plans to study integrated business engineering… Son of Gregg and Heather Stierheim… Has two brothers, Noah and Lucas, and a sister, Grace… Three-year varsity letter winner… Offensive Line MVP… Also competed in JV basketball as a freshman and indoor track & field (thrower) as a junior… 2021 and 2022 team captain… Hobbies include hunting, fishing and working on cars… Enjoys travel.
Coach Fox on Stierheim: “Ethan is a tackle who played alongside his brother in high school. He’s another guy with good size. He moves well for a big guy and has good feet.”
Brian Thomas, RB, 5-9, 165, Apopka, Fla. (Orlando Christian Prep)
Plans to major in kinesiology… Son of Shawana Wilson-Thomas and Kenneth Thomas… Has two brothers, Isaiah Williams and Elijah Thomas… Mother competed in track & field at North Carolina State in 1999… Brother Isaiah played football at Norwich in 2018 and 2019… Four-year varsity letter winner… 2A Metro Second Team Running Back, 2A Metro Offensive Utility Player of the Year… Had a big game during his junior year against Freedom with six rushes for 162 yards while rushing for three touchdowns to go along with four catches for 44 receiving yards and one score… Competed in track & field as a junior… 2022 football team captain… Hobbies include working out, spending time with friends and playing PlayStation 5… Says he will be the best dresser at Valpo… Member of the honor roll since his freshman year.
Coach Fox on Thomas: “Brian is an explosive back who has the ability to take it the distance. He can hit the home run ball. He possesses good explosiveness, good speed and good vision. He’s quick with the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make big plays in space.”
Ted Karras Jr. Returns Home As Head Coach Of Marian Football
INDIANAPOLIS – An Indiana native with extensive collegiate coaching experience as a head coach and a coordinator, Ted Karras Jr. is returning home to Marian University, as he has been named as head coach of the Marian University football program.
Marian University Director of Athletics Steve Downing made the announcement Thursday, concluding a national search at the position.
An introductory press conference for Coach Karras will take place in the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital Hall of Champions on Wednesday, December 28, at 11 a.m. Members of the media and the public are invited to join.
Karras, a native of northwest Indiana, returns to Marian University after spending the 2022 season as a defensive analyst and the defensive line coach at St. Francis (Ind.) University. Karras was the head football coach at Walsh University from 2013-2016, and was the first football coach in Marian history, as he was tasked with leading the program serving as head coach from 2006 through 2012, culminating his first stint with the Knights as 2012 NAIA National Champions.
“I am very excited to have Coach (Ted) Karras back at Marian University,” said Marian Director of Athletics Steve Downing. “I know the type of energy he is going to bring from having worked with him during my first two years at Marian in 2011 and 2012, and I think our kids are going to love playing for him. He is a Marian guy who started our football program, and I look forward to watching him take our program to a higher level.”
Karras comes from a rich football lineage, as he is one of five members in his family to play in the NFL and one of seven members to play collegiately. Karras played high school football at Hobart High School and was an all-state and all-conference lineman for the Brickies. Karras would go on to play collegiately for Northwestern University where he was a four-year starter and a team captain for the Wildcats. In 1987 he signed as a free agent as a member of the eventual Super Bowl Champion Washington Football Team.
“I am really excited and honored for the opportunity to be back on the west side to lead the Marian Knights,” said Karras. “The opportunity to join the excitement of the Marian campus and to lead the Knights into this new era of college athletics is great, and I thank both Steve Downing and President (Daniel) Elsener for the chance to lead this program.
“I look forward to embracing and getting to know all of the returning players in the coming days, and am ready to get to work with them.”
A strong recruiter, Karras began his coaching days at the collegiate ranks as a graduate assistant for Minnesota University in 1991, and in 1992 moved to Northern Illinois as the graduate assistant on the defensive line. In 1993 Karras took the role of defensive coordinator at Lake Forest College, additionally serving as the strength and conditioning coach for two seasons.
After a stint in 1995 as the defensive line coach at St. Francis (Ill.), Karras took the head coach role at Andrean High School in northwest Indiana, leading the 59ers from 1996-98. During his time at Andrean, Karras motivated his team to their first-ever IHSAA State Championship game appearance, winning three sectionals, two regionals, and one semi-state title in three seasons. Karras earned IFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year during his tenure, and has been named to the Andrean High School Hall of Fame.
Karras moved back into the collegiate ranks in 1999, taking on the offensive coordinator role at St. Xavier for four seasons. While at St. Xavier, Karras helped guide the Cougars to their first ever NAIA playoff appearance, while also helping them land in the national rankings for the first time. St. Xavier set 11 single-season offensive records with Karras as the play-caller, including total yards, first downs, and touchdowns.
In 2003 the veteran coach earned his first collegiate head coach role, taking the honor as the head coach at Rose-Hulman. In his three seasons, the Fightin’ Engineers claimed 15 all-conference honors, while Karras was honored with the D3Football.com Rookie Performance of the Year award.
Karras’ coaching career hit its stride in 2006, when he was named as the first head coach in Marian University football history. Tasked with starting and creating the Knights football program, Karras set a national record in his first tenure as the Marian coach, leading a startup team to a national champion within six seasons, as Marian won the NAIA National Championship game on December 13, 2012 for Marian’s first red banner in any sport. Twice named the AFCA NAIA Region 2 Coach of the Year, Karras held a 48-23 overall record on the Marian sidelines, posting five consecutive winning seasons from 2008-12. Karras had five NAIA All-American’s during his time as the coach, with his players earning 110 Mid-States Football Association All-Conference honors. In 2011 he was named the MSFA Coach of the Year, helping Marian win the league in both 2011 and 2012.
Following 2012, Karras was named the head coach at Walsh University, where he served from 2013-16. Karras was tasked with helping the Cavaliers transition their football program from an NAIA school to an NCAA DII program. In his time, he helped increase the program’s record in GLIAC contests, while setting multiple offensive and defensive records. Walsh earned 23 All-GLIAC honors during his four seasons as the head coach.
Ted Karras Jr. and his wife, Jennifer, currently reside in Indianapolis. They have two children, a daughter Taylor, and a son Teddy. His son Ted is the current starting center and a team captain for the Cincinnati Bengals, and won two Super Bowl Championships with the New England Patriots in 2017 and 2019.
Karras graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Education and Social Policy, and earned his M.A. at St. Xavier University in Education.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NFL STANDINGS
| American Football Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | |
| x-Buffalo Bills | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 0.0 | 385 | 250 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 5 – 2 – 0 | 8 – 2 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 5 W |
| xy-Kansas City Chiefs | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 0.0 | 414 | 322 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 6 – 2 – 0 | 7 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 0 – 0 | 2 W |
| x-Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 369 | 288 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 5 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 6 W |
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 255 | 293 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 4 L |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 0.0 | 304 | 263 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 5 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0.0 | 312 | 340 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 2 W |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0.0 | 345 | 344 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 3 L |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.0 | 300 | 269 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 1 L |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 1.5 | 353 | 331 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 6 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 3 W |
| New York Jets | 7 | 8 | 0 | .467 | 1.5 | 284 | 282 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 6 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 4 L |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 338 | 337 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 2 – 6 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Cleveland Browns | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 313 | 326 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 7 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.0 | 251 | 309 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 7 – 0 | 1 – 3 – 0 | 1 W |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 3.5 | 245 | 337 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 1 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 4 L |
| Denver Broncos | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4.0 | 218 | 253 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 2 – 8 – 0 | 0 – 4 – 0 | 1 W |
| Houston Texans | 1 | 12 | 1 | .107 | 6.5 | 235 | 344 | 0 – 6 – 1 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 7 – 1 | 1 – 1 – 1 | 9 L |
| National Football Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | |
| x-Philadelphia Eagles | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 0.0 | 411 | 268 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 7 – 0 – 0 | 8 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 5 W |
| xy-Minnesota Vikings | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 0.0 | 351 | 349 | 7 – 1 – 0 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 W |
| xy-San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 338 | 210 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 8 – 2 – 0 | 5 – 0 – 0 | 7 W |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0.0 | 247 | 288 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 2 L |
| x-Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 394 | 269 | 7 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 7 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| New York Giants | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 0.0 | 287 | 312 | 4 – 3 – 1 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 1 W |
| Washington Commanders | 7 | 6 | 1 | .536 | 0.0 | 265 | 276 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 2 – 1 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 1 L |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.5 | 355 | 355 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 6 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 2 L |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 1.5 | 369 | 364 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 3 W |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 287 | 314 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 2 W |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3.5 | 276 | 314 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3.5 | 286 | 315 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 6 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 1 W |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 3.5 | 306 | 333 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 4 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 3 L |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4.5 | 292 | 372 | 1 – 7 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 4 L |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 4.5 | 230 | 320 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 8 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 1 L |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 5.5 | 290 | 358 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 9 – 0 | 0 – 4 – 0 | 7 L |
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Milwaukee | 22 | 9 | .710 | — | 14-3 | 8-6 | 4-2 | 11-5 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 2 Boston | 22 | 10 | .688 | 0.5 | 11-5 | 11-5 | 4-0 | 14-8 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 3 Cleveland | 22 | 11 | .667 | 1.0 | 16-2 | 6-9 | 5-2 | 15-5 | 7-3 | 5 W | ||
| 4 Brooklyn | 20 | 12 | .625 | 2.5 | 11-5 | 9-7 | 5-2 | 15-6 | 9-1 | 7 W | ||
| 5 Philadelphia | 18 | 12 | .600 | 3.5 | 13-5 | 5-7 | 3-3 | 13-8 | 7-3 | 6 W | ||
| 6 New York | 18 | 14 | .563 | 4.5 | 8-8 | 10-6 | 1-3 | 12-7 | 8-2 | 1 L | ||
| 7 Miami | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6.5 | 9-7 | 6-9 | 5-1 | 8-10 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6.5 | 10-6 | 6-10 | 4-3 | 12-12 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 9 Indiana | 16 | 16 | .500 | 6.5 | 9-7 | 7-9 | 1-2 | 11-8 | 4-6 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Toronto | 14 | 18 | .438 | 8.5 | 10-6 | 4-12 | 2-7 | 10-13 | 3-7 | 1 W | ||
| 11 Chicago | 13 | 18 | .419 | 9.0 | 7-7 | 6-11 | 2-1 | 11-9 | 4-6 | 2 W | ||
| 12 Washington | 12 | 21 | .364 | 11.0 | 8-7 | 4-14 | 3-3 | 7-13 | 1-9 | 1 L | ||
| 13 Orlando | 12 | 21 | .364 | 11.0 | 8-9 | 4-12 | 2-4 | 7-16 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 8 | 24 | .250 | 14.5 | 4-11 | 4-13 | 3-6 | 4-17 | 1-9 | 1 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 8 | 26 | .235 | 15.5 | 4-12 | 4-14 | 0-5 | 3-16 | 2-8 | 4 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Denver | 19 | 11 | .633 | — | 10-3 | 9-8 | 6-2 | 15-7 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 2 Memphis | 19 | 11 | .633 | — | 13-2 | 6-9 | 3-2 | 8-8 | 7-3 | 2 L | ||
| 3 New Orleans | 19 | 12 | .613 | 0.5 | 13-4 | 6-8 | 6-1 | 13-8 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 19 | 13 | .594 | 1.0 | 14-4 | 5-9 | 7-0 | 16-8 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 5 LA Clippers | 19 | 14 | .576 | 1.5 | 11-7 | 8-7 | 3-4 | 11-11 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 6 Sacramento | 17 | 13 | .567 | 2.0 | 9-5 | 8-8 | 4-4 | 6-6 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 7 Utah | 19 | 16 | .543 | 2.5 | 12-5 | 7-11 | 3-4 | 15-9 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 8 Portland | 17 | 15 | .531 | 3.0 | 7-6 | 10-9 | 4-4 | 13-10 | 6-4 | 2 L | ||
| 9 Dallas | 16 | 16 | .500 | 4.0 | 12-5 | 4-11 | 1-2 | 11-6 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Minnesota | 16 | 16 | .500 | 4.0 | 9-8 | 7-8 | 4-4 | 9-12 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 11 Golden State | 15 | 18 | .455 | 5.5 | 12-2 | 3-16 | 4-3 | 9-8 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 12 Oklahoma City | 14 | 18 | .438 | 6.0 | 9-7 | 5-11 | 3-6 | 8-11 | 5-5 | 3 W | ||
| 13 LA Lakers | 13 | 18 | .419 | 6.5 | 8-7 | 5-11 | 0-7 | 7-12 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 10 | 21 | .323 | 9.5 | 5-11 | 5-9 | 2-4 | 4-18 | 4-6 | 1 L | ||
| 15 Houston | 9 | 22 | .290 | 10.5 | 6-9 | 3-13 | 1-4 | 5-16 | 4-6 | 4 L |
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Boston Bruins | 32 | 26 | 4 | 2 | 54 | 24 | 126 | 71 | 18-0-2 | 8-4-0 | 7-1-2 | |
| 2 Carolina Hurricanes | 33 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 48 | 19 | 100 | 85 | 9-3-1 | 12-3-5 | 9-0-1 | |
| 3 Toronto Maple Leafs | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 48 | 21 | 111 | 82 | 13-2-3 | 8-5-3 | 7-2-1 | |
| 4 New Jersey Devils | 33 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 46 | 22 | 112 | 83 | 10-7-1 | 12-2-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 5 Pittsburgh Penguins | 33 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 43 | 18 | 114 | 95 | 10-3-3 | 9-6-2 | 8-1-1 | |
| 6 Tampa Bay Lightning | 32 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 41 | 20 | 115 | 97 | 12-4-1 | 8-7-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 New York Rangers | 35 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 43 | 18 | 116 | 96 | 8-6-4 | 11-5-1 | 8-2-0 | |
| 8 Washington Capitals | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 40 | 18 | 107 | 101 | 10-5-1 | 8-8-3 | 8-2-0 | |
| 9 New York Islanders | 34 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 38 | 18 | 107 | 97 | 9-6-0 | 9-8-2 | 3-5-2 | |
| 10 Detroit Red Wings | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 35 | 13 | 98 | 105 | 8-6-3 | 6-5-4 | 3-5-2 | |
| 11 Buffalo Sabres | 32 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 34 | 15 | 127 | 109 | 7-8-2 | 9-6-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 12 Florida Panthers | 34 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 34 | 14 | 113 | 115 | 8-5-3 | 7-10-1 | 4-6-0 | |
| 13 Montreal Canadiens | 33 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 33 | 11 | 93 | 114 | 7-9-0 | 8-6-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 14 Ottawa Senators | 33 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 100 | 106 | 8-8-1 | 6-8-2 | 5-3-2 | |
| 15 Philadelphia Flyers | 34 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 29 | 11 | 85 | 113 | 7-9-1 | 4-7-6 | 3-5-2 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 32 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 22 | 10 | 87 | 130 | 8-11-1 | 2-9-1 | 2-8-0 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 35 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 47 | 21 | 117 | 96 | 9-9-0 | 14-2-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 2 Dallas Stars | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 44 | 19 | 121 | 97 | 9-4-3 | 10-5-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 3 Winnipeg Jets | 33 | 21 | 11 | 1 | 43 | 21 | 110 | 84 | 12-5-0 | 9-6-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 4 Los Angeles Kings | 36 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 43 | 16 | 120 | 126 | 10-5-2 | 9-7-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 5 Seattle Kraken | 32 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 40 | 18 | 113 | 104 | 9-6-2 | 9-4-2 | 4-5-1 | |
| 6 Minnesota Wild | 33 | 19 | 12 | 2 | 40 | 16 | 106 | 95 | 11-6-1 | 8-6-1 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 Colorado Avalanche | 31 | 18 | 11 | 2 | 38 | 15 | 93 | 82 | 9-5-2 | 9-6-0 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 Edmonton Oilers | 34 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 38 | 18 | 124 | 117 | 9-8-1 | 9-6-1 | 5-3-2 | |
| 9 Calgary Flames | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 37 | 14 | 107 | 107 | 10-6-2 | 5-6-5 | 4-2-4 | |
| 10 St. Louis Blues | 33 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 33 | 14 | 101 | 119 | 6-7-1 | 10-9-0 | 5-4-1 | |
| 11 Nashville Predators | 31 | 14 | 13 | 4 | 32 | 12 | 80 | 95 | 8-5-2 | 6-8-2 | 4-4-2 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 32 | 14 | 15 | 3 | 31 | 12 | 109 | 127 | 6-9-1 | 8-6-2 | 5-5-0 | |
| 13 San Jose Sharks | 35 | 11 | 18 | 6 | 28 | 10 | 108 | 129 | 4-10-5 | 7-8-1 | 3-5-2 | |
| 14 Arizona Coyotes | 31 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 25 | 10 | 85 | 116 | 4-3-2 | 6-13-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 15 Anaheim Ducks | 34 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 81 | 143 | 5-8-0 | 4-14-3 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 Chicago Blackhawks | 31 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 70 | 120 | 4-12-2 | 3-8-2 | 1-9-0 |
FOOTBALL HISTORY
December 23, 1928 – Per the On This Day .com website, the NBC Radio network set up a permanent coast to coast broadcast radio network.
December 23, 1951 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – The National Football League Championship had the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Cleveland Browns in what would be the first nationally televised NFL title game from coast-to-coast per the American Football Database. The now defunct DuMont Network purchased the rights from the NFL to broadcast the game for a cool sum of $95,000. Announcers for the game were Earl Gillespie and Harry Wismer. The game was a back and forth battle as legendary quarterbacks Otto Graham of Cleveland and Norm Van Brocklin of LA led their respective offenses. The pivotal plays of the game were monumental in the outcome. In the third quarter Graham coughed up the ball on a hard hit, and LA returned it to the Cleveland two, scoring a few plays later. The back breaker though was that after the Browns tied the score when they answered back with an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Ken Carpenter the Rams responded in kind. Tom Fears accepted a Van Brocklin pass in the fourth quarter and raced 73 yards for the winning touchdown as the Rams outlasted the Browns 24-17.
December 23, 1972 – Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh – The “Immaculate Reception”. It may be the most talked about and most replayed single play in all of football history. This one play changed the course of the long suffering Pittsburgh franchise who after their inception in 1933 had never won in the postseason. In fact the Steelers had only played in one playoff game in 1947, in their first 38 years of existence! The game was the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff. The Raiders were the heavy favorites coming into the game, and everyone was looking forward to Oakland going up against the powerful undefeated Miami Dolphins to see who would represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. According to the folks at the BehindtheSteelCurtain.com web site it was the upstart Steelers, for most of the game who dominated play, as the Raiders offense who boasted seven Pro Bowlers could not score for almost 59 minutes against the Pittsburgh defense. Kicker Roy Gerela had two field goals that had the Steelers up 6-0 late in the fourth quarter. Then with 1:13 left to play, Oakland’s Ken “Snake“ Stabler, who had replaced an ineffective Daryl Lamonica, scrambled left on a broken play and sprinted untouched for a 30 yard touchdown to put the Raiders up 7-6. That Ken Stabler play was the longest Oakland had all afternoon. It all came down to a play with 22 ticks of the clock remaining as the Steelers had the ball on their own 40 facing a fourth and ten with no timeouts remaining. Terry Bradshaw dropped back to pass. The Raiders sent pressure but miraculously the Blonde Bomber danced his way through it and launched a pass over the middle to running back Frenchy Fuqua who was near the Oakland 33 yard line. Raider’s legend Jack Tatum was draped on Fuqua like a winter jacket and the pair went up to make a play on the ball. The football went off of the tandem and lofted back towards the Steelers goal line. Then out of nowhere, fellow Steelers running back Franco Harris who was galloping down field to make a block reached down towards his ankles and snagged the deflected pass on the run at the Raiders 42 and turned towards the left sidelines to race for a most unexpected touchdown. The stadium went into total pandemonium! Raiders Coach John Madden and his sideline argued that Tatum never touched the ball, and per an NFL rule at the time for Harris to legally touch it after and if it hit Fuqua then a defender would have had to make contact with the ball. A second ruling needed to be made as to whether the ball touched the ground in the process of Harris catching it. The extra point attempt by the Steelers was delayed even further as Referee Fred Swearingen left the field to go into the Pittsburgh Pirates dugout and made a call to the NFL’s Supervisor of Officials, Art McNally to talk about who knows what. Some claim that McNally used replay, for the first time in NFL history, to help Swearingen determine a ruling on the play. McNally insisted that instant replay was not a factor and that all he did was encourage Swearingen to make his call. That may be but many in the know still swear that instant replay was unofficially born on that very play in the Steel City that day. Swearingen finally emerged back on to the field stuck both arms up into the air and after the Gerela kick the Steelers came back to win 13-7! Later long time Steelers announcer Myron Cope received a phone call from a fan about the play which helped him spread the coin phrase of the Immaculate Reception! Rest In Peace Franco Harris.
December 23, 1972 – #15 Arizona State outlasted Missouri, 49-35 in the second Fiesta Bowl played. According to the FiestaBowl.com webpage, the Sun Devils set a record in College Football Bowl history with the 718 yards of total offense they registered in the game. Arizona State runners had a field day against the Mizzou defense as Woody Green put up 202 yards rushing mostly outside the tackles and scored four touchdowns while backfield mate Brent McClanahan pounded the ball up the gut against the Tigers to gain 171 yards.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR DECEMBER 23
December 23, 1870 – Tonawanda, New York – Frank Hinkey the prolific Yale University guard was born. The National Football Foundation voted to have the career of Frank Hinkey entered into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
December 23, 1935 – Louisville, Kentucky – Paul Hornung the legendary Notre Dame halfback was born. According to the NFF Hornung who was also known as the “Golden Boy” was a two time All-America selection in 1955 and 1956. His heroics in the 1955 game against Iowa he led a drive to tie the score late on a long run and a 40 yard TD pass. Hornung then kicked the extra point for the tie and later the winning field goal to lead the Irish to victory over the Hawkeyes. The Irish were not a very good team in 1957 but Horning’s play was spectacular and led him to become the only Heisman Trophy winner to have played on a losing team. The National Football Foundation voted Paul Hornung in as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985. The Green Bay Packers used a Bonus Draft pick to select the Golden Boy to play for their franchise. Hornung enjoyed a great nine year pro career with the Packers where he led the League in scoring as he was both a halfback and placekicker for the team. Hornung finished with 760 career points powered by 62 TDs and 190 point after kicks and 66 field goals. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Paul Hornung in 1986.
December 23, 1936 – Washington, D.C. – Willie Wood the quarterback from USC celebrated his birth. According to the profootballhof.com Willie didn’t even get drafted into the NFL. He signed as a free agent with the Pack and they moved him from QB to free safety. All he did was have a brilliant 14 year career where he had 48 career interceptions with 2 touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers. Wood also was a punt return specialist during his Packers career and he ran two of those to the house as well as having 7.4 yard average. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Willie Wood in 1989.
December 23, 1948 – Johnstown, Pennsylvania – Jack Ham the linebacker from Penn State was born. The NFF describes Ham as one of the greatest players Penn State has ever had. He wasn’t the most gifted athlete, many acclaimed, including his head Coach Joe Paterno, but he was a hard worker who used his smarts to be a great linebacker. To his credit Jack was a great headsy football player who was All-America and had 251 career tackles, 143 of them were unassisted. Jack also set a school record with three blocked punts in 1968. The National Football Foundation selected Jack Ham to enter into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990. After College the Pittsburgh Steelers chose Jack with the 34th overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Jack played for 12 seasons with the Black and Gold registering 32 interceptions, 21 fumbles recovered and playing in 8 Pro Bowls. Injury prevented him from playing in Super Bowl XIV but he collected how Championship rings to go with the other three that he helped earn in Super Bowls IX, X & XIII. In 1988 Jack Ham became a card carrying member of the Gold Jacket Club in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
BASEBALL HISTORY
1902 The U.S Patent Office issues John A. Hillerich a patent that devises a method of hardening a bat’s surface, improving the wood’s ability to drive a baseball, and preserving the material from checking, chipping, or splintering on its surface from exposure to the sun or the weather. The name “Louisville Slugger” had become the Kentuckian’s business registered trademark in 1894.
1905 The A’s sell Lave Cross to the Senators. The thirty-eight-year-old third baseman will appear in 171 games for Washington over the next two seasons before ending his 21-year career in the big leagues.
1953 Jim’ Junior’ Gilliam (.278, 6, 63) wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The Dodger second baseman, who hit a circuit-best 17 triples while leading the league with 710 plate appearances, easily beats Harvey Haddix and Ray Jablonski for the freshman honor.
1958 The Dodgers trade George Lee Anderson to the Phillies for outfielder Rip Repulski and two minor league pitching prospects, Jim Golden and Gene Snyder. ‘Sparky,’ better known as a major league manager than being a ‘good field, no-hit’ infielder, becomes the first skipper to win a World Series in the American (1984 Tigers) and the National League (1975-76 Reds).
1960 Former first baseman Ripper Collins, who played with the Cardinals’ Gashouse Gang, joins the Cubs’ college of coaches, a group of interim skippers that will manage the team for part of the season. The original ‘faculty’ will include El Tappe, Goldie Holt, Bobby Adams, Harry Craft, Rube Walker, Vedie Himsl, and Charlie Grimm.
1975 A landmark decision by Peter Seitz begins a new era in major league baseball as the arbitrator’s judgment makes pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally the first true free agents in baseball history. After each played for their team, the Dodgers and Expos, respectively, without signing a contract during their option year, each challenged the owners’ assumption that the reserve clause meant the automatic renewal of one-year contracts.
1975 John Gaherin, the owners’ labor representative, dismisses Peter Seitz when the arbitrator delivers his now-historic ruling making Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally free agents. The fired arbitrator, hired by baseball to settle player disputes, is asked by management to refrain from discussing or writing about the landmark decision.
1985 Thousands of fans, including former President Richard Nixon and Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, attend a memorial mass conducted by John Cardinal O’Connor at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral held for Roger Maris. The Yankee owner George Steinbrenner arranged the moving service for the recently deceased ballplayer.
1994 Major league owners implement a salary cap and revenue sharing on striking players. The new provisions never take effect because a ruling by a judge, which ends the protracted labor dispute, orders that the games use the existing labor agreements for the next two seasons
1997 The Cubs trade outfielder Doug Glanville to the Phillies for second baseman Mickey Morandini, who hits a respectable .272 in 298 games during his two years with Chicago. Philadelphia’s newest player becomes a clubhouse leader, enjoying his most productive years in the majors by providing excellent defense in the outfield while handling a bat and stealing bases in his six-seasons stint in Philadelphia.
2000 Giants sign 38-year-old Eric Davis for outfield insurance to a one-year $1.5 million free-agent contract. The veteran outfielder, who played with the Cardinals for the past two years, will end his 17-year career at the end of the season, averaging 28 home runs a season and compiling a .269 batting average during his 17-year career with six teams, including his first nine with the Reds.
2004 Free-agent J.D. Drew (.305, 31, 118), former flycatcher of the Braves, signs a five-year, $55 million deal with the Dodgers. After being traded by the Cardinals to Atlanta last season, the left-handed-hitting outfielder, known to be injury-prone, played in a career-high 145 games.
2004 The Cardinals ink former Angel infielder David Eckstein (.276, 2, 35) to a three-year contract. The 29-year-old free agent shortstop will replace Gold Glover Edgar Renteria, who signed with the Red Sox, making the Boston shortstop, Orlando Cabrera, available to Anaheim, Eckstein’s former team.
2005 The Yankees introduce their 32-year-old clean-shaven Johnny Damon to the media. One of the 2004 Boston World Championship shaggy hair heroes signs a $52 million, four-year deal to play centerfield and bat leadoff with his former arch-rivals, much to the chagrin of the Red Sox nation.
2007 The Phillies sign 38-year-old outfielder So Taguchi (.290, 3, 30) to a one-year, $1 million deal, including performance bonuses and a 2009 club option. The ‘So Man,’ a Hyogo Prefecture, Japan native, batted .406 (13-32) as a pinch-hitter for the Cardinals to lead the National League last season.
2008 The Yankees reach a preliminary agreement on a $180 million, eight-year contract with Mark Teixeira (.308, 33, 121). The 28-year-old first baseman joins CC Sabathia ($161 million, seven years) and A.J. Burnett ($82.5 million, five years), becoming the third free agent signed to a big contract by the Bronx Bombers this month.
2008 The Yankees announce prices for some of the seats at their new stadium for the exhibition games against the Cubs on April 3 and 4 will match the amounts charged for the original Yankee Stadium’s opener against Boston in 1923. Fans can purchase bleacher seats for 25 cents, and grandstand tickets will go for $1.10.
2009 Versatile outfielder Coco Crisp (.228, 3, 14), who can play all three spots in the outfield, signs a $5.25 million, one-year contract with the A’s. Last season, the 30-year-old flychaser underwent surgery on both shoulders, limiting his playing time to only 49 games with the Royals, leading the team to decline an $8 million option on the speedy switch-hitter from California.
2009 Darren Oliver inks a $3.5 million, one-year pact that includes a 2011 option, making the 39-year-old southpaw a Ranger for the third time in his 16-year major league career. The left-handed reliever retired in 2005 but resurrected his career with the Mets the following year before becoming a fixture in the Angels bullpen the past three seasons.
2009 Finalizing a $5.75 million, one-year deal, Nick Johnson returns to the Yankees to become the team’s designated hitter, a void created by Hideki Matsui’s departure. Before the 2004 season, the Bronx Bombers dealt the 31-year-old first baseman to the Expos for right-handed starter Javier Vazquez, recently reacquired by the club in a trade with Atlanta.
2011 The Cubs trade lefty reliever Sean Marshall to the Reds for southpaw starter Travis Wood, outfielder Dave Sappelt and minor league infielder Ronald Torreyes. In February, Chicago’s former set-up man will sign a three-year, $18 million extension with his new team that runs through 2015.
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
19 – 10 – 11 – 9 – 12 – 33 – 31 – 32 – 30 – 8 – 21 – 17
December 23, 1933 – Montreal Canadiens center Howie Morenz scores in 3-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings. For the Montreal stalwart it was his NHL record 249th career goal
December 23, 1953 – Dodgers 2nd baseman Number 19, Jim Gilliam wins NL Rookie of Year
December 23, 1969 – Ballon d’Or: Milan midfielder Number 10, Gianni Rivera won the award for best European football player ahead of Cagliari forward Number 11, Luigi Riva and Bayern Munich striker Number 9, Gerd Müller
December 23, 1972 – “Immaculate Reception” Steelers turns around a 7-6 defeat with a last second touchdown reception against Raiders to win 13-7. It was a pass from Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterback Number 12, Terry Bradhaw that was deflected off of Number 33 Frenchy Fuqua and Raiders Number 31, Jack Tatum and caught by Hall of Fame running back Number 32, Franco Harris
December 23, 1978 – NY Islanders center Number 19, Bryan Trottier sets NHL record scoring 6 points – 4 goals & 2 assists – in 2nd period of 9-4 win over rival NY Rangers; adds goal & assist for game total 8 points; Islanders undefeated home streak stands at 16 games
December 23, 1987 – Buffalo goaltender Number 30, Tom Barrasso leads the Sabres to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings to record his 100th NHL victory; makes him the youngest player to reach milestone at just 22 years, 9 months
December 23, 1997 – Ballon d’Or: Barcelona/Inter’s Brazilian striker Number 10, Ronaldo wins his first of 2 best football player in Europe awards ahead of Real Madrid forward Number 8, Predrag Mijatović and Juventus midfielder Number 21, Zinedine Zidane
December 23, 1997 – Colorado Avalanche Number 17, Jari Kurri is 8th NHL skater to score 600 career goals
TV FRIDAY
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| Coppin State at George Mason | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Diamond Head Classic | 4:30pm | ESPNU |
| Bucknell at Rutgers | 5:00pm | BTN |
| Diamond Head Classic | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Kennesaw State at Indiana | 7:00pm | BTN |
| Kean at Princeton | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Grambling State at Wisconsin | 9:00pm | BTN |
| Diamond Head Classic | 10:00pm | ESPN2 |
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| Independence Bowl: Louisiana vs. Houston | 3:00pm | ESPN |
| Gasparilla Bowl: Missouri vs. Wake Forest | 6:30pm | ESPN |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| San Antonio at Orlando | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| LA Clippers at Philadelphia | 7:00pm | Bally Sports NBCS-PHI |
| Milwaukee at Atlanta | 7:30pm | NBATV Bally Sports |
| Toronto at Cleveland | 7:30pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Chicago at New York | 7:30pm | MSG NBCS-CHI |
| Minnesota at Boston | 7:30pm | Bally Sports NBCS-BOS |
| Detroit at Atlanta | 7:30pm | Bally Sports |
| Dallas at Houston | 8:00pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-SW |
| Indiana at Miami | 8:00pm | Bally Sports |
| New Orleans at Oklahoma City | 8:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Portland at Denver | 9:00pm | Root Sports ALT2 |
| Memphis at Phoenix | 10:00pm | ESPN Bally Sports |
| Washington at Sacramento | 10:00pm | NBCS-WSH NBCS-CA |
| Charlotte at LA Lakers | 10:30pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Boston at New Jersey | 7:00pm | NESN MSGSN2 |
| Detroit at Ottawa | 7:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Philadelphia at Carolina | 7:00pm | NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Tampa Bay at Buffalo | 7:00pm | MSG-BUF Bally Sports |
| Winnipeg at Washington | 7:00pm | NBCS-WSH Sportsnet |
| Florida at NY Islanders | 7:30pm | Bally Sports MSGSN |
| Colorado at Nashville | 8:00pm | Bally Sports ALT |
| Columbus at Chicago | 8:30pm | Bally Sports NBCS-CHI |
| Montréal at Dallas | 8:30pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| Vancouver at Edmonton | 9:00pm | Sportsnet |
| Los Angeles at Arizona | 9:30pm | Bally Sports |
| St. Louis at Vegas | 10:00pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| Calgary at Anaheim | 10:30pm | Bally Sports Sportsnet |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| First Division A: Gent vs Standard Liège | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Primeira Liga: Rio Ave vs Marítimo | 3:15pm | GOLTV |
| Copa por Mexico: América vs Toluca | 8:00pm | Univision TUDN |
| Copa por Mexico: Mazatlán vs Santos Laguna | 10:00pm | Univision TUDN |