“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MILWAUKEE 7 CLEVELAND 1
COLORADO 7 LA ANGELS 4
LA DODGERS 3 HOUSTON 2
MINNESOTA 4 DETROIT 1
TAMPA BAY 11 KANSAS CITY 3
SEATTLE 13 BALTIMORE 1
TEXAS 4 NY YANKEES 2 (10)
OAKLAND 5 TORONTO 4
BOSTON 3 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1
PHILADELPHIA 5 NY METS 1
SAN DIEGO 13 WASHINGTON 3
SAN FRANCISCO 8 ARIZONA 5
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INDIANAPOLIS 18 COLUMBUS 5
FT. WAYNE 6 SOUTH BEND 4
WNBA SCORES
LIBERTY 110 DREAM 80
SPARKS 76 WINGS 74
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
SPURS, WEMBANYAMA SCHEDULED FOR PRIME TIME ON DAY 1 OF THE SUMMER LEAGUE IN VEGAS
SAN ANTONIO (AP) No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller of Charlotte might go head-to-head on the first day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
The NBA has San Antonio playing Charlotte on July 7, which is opening day in Las Vegas. It’ll be a summer rematch; the same two teams are playing at the California Classic in Sacramento on July 3, the first day of that event.
Both Wembanyama and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich have said the generational French talent will play this summer. It’s just not clear how many times he’ll play, or if he’ll play in Sacramento, Las Vegas, or both.
But the NBA is setting it up for prime time on Day 1 in Vegas, just in case. The San Antonio-Charlotte game that day, as well as a matchup between Portland and Houston – meaning No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson of the Trail Blazers and No. 4 pick Amen Thompson of the Rockets – will both be televised that night on ESPN.
“I can’t wait to wear my first Spurs jersey,” Wembanyama said.
Summer League in Las Vegas runs from July 7-17, overlapping with the inaugural NBA Con event – the league’s new celebration of basketball and culture – at the beginning of the tournament.
Other key summer league matchups and notes:
– Four teams will reach the playoffs, with semifinals on July 16 and the championship game on July 17.
– All teams will play four games before the playoff field is determined. Non-playoff teams will play a fifth game on July 15 or 16.
– The Thompson twins – No. 4 Amen Thompson and No. 5 Ausar Thompson – could square off on July 9 when Amen’s Rockets play Ausar’s Detroit Pistons.
– San Antonio plays Portland on July 9. It could be another meeting between Wembanyama and Henderson; they played near Las Vegas this past fall in a pair of exhibitions between Wembanyama’s French team and Henderson’s G League Ignite.
– Denver and Miami, the franchises that met in the NBA Finals earlier this month with the Nuggets winning in five games, will have their summer teams play on July 14.
WEMBANYAMA ARRIVES IN SAN ANTONIO, WITH FANS WAITING FOR HOURS TO GREET HIM
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The chants from hundreds of fans, some of whom waited outside for hours in nearly 100-degree heat, started at the very moment Victor Wembanyama stepped out of the private plane that carried him to his new NBA home.
“Wem-V-P!”
“Wem-V-P!”
“Wem-V-P!”
And the NBA’s newest No. 1 draft pick — a star without having even played a game in the league yet — reveled in his first San Antonio moment, waving at the fans and letting them know how much he was enjoying it all.
Wembanyama arrived in San Antonio on Friday afternoon. He was a few hours behind schedule; Spurs fans had waited a long time for something like this, so a little more waiting did nothing to dampen the welcome they gave the generational talent from France who is expected to put the franchise on his back and carry it back to prominence as quickly as possible.
“This is love. This is family,” said Spurs fan Gabriela Hernandez of San Antonio, who braved the sun and extreme heat just to get a glimpse of the arrival. “This is what family does.”
Wembanyama will hold his introductory news conference in San Antonio on Saturday. He was drafted by the Spurs on Thursday night in New York, and arrived in San Antonio shortly before 4 p.m. Central time Friday.
One fan carried a sign asking Wembanyama to marry her daughter. Another man was dressed like an alien; that was the word LeBron James used last fall to describe the 7-foot-3 teen who just took his team to the French league finals. There were dozens of people in Wembanyama jerseys already, some from France, some the Spurs version.
His plane got a water-cannon salute from fire officials as it taxied to a stop, and even the police officers on motorcycles assigned to escort Wembanyama’s vehicle out of the private airport got caught up in the joy of the moment. Wembanyama stopped and shook each of their hands as he made his way to the van, even posing for pictures.
“I think it just shows the culture of San Antonio and the people here,” said Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, who was at the draft on Thursday night and flew back Friday about a half-hour before Wembanyama arrived. “Things are very exciting. He’s a very exciting prospect. It’s going to be a lot of fun. … It shows how much love we want to show to him and that it’s a family here and that he has nothing to stress about. It’s going to be good.”
They’re hoping for great, actually.
The Spurs struck gold — as in, trophy gold — with their past No. 1 picks, a pair of centers named David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Both became San Antonio royalty, both ended up in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, and now Wembanyama will try with his size 20.5 foot to follow their massive footsteps. The Spurs haven’t won a title since 2014, haven’t won a playoff series since 2017 and haven’t even made the playoffs since 2019.
But with Wembanyama, they’re instantly the talk of the town again — maybe the talk of the league, too.
“I can’t speak for the city. I know how excited they are and how excited they were when we ended up with the first pick,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Thursday night, shortly after the selection became official. “But the city has always had a love affair with the Spurs, so it doesn’t change no matter who we pick or what year it is.
“They’ve always been loyal, faithful fans who enjoy the Spurs and the players in return have always understood their responsibility to the city. We didn’t do anything different in preparation. We are who we are, and the city has always supported us.”
It was 98 degrees (37 Celsius) outside when the plane landed. Add in the humidity, and it felt like 108. The UV index was listed at 11, or extreme. And some of the fans waited and waited and waited for hours, some under umbrellas, one in a wheelchair, a few sharing bottles of water and other drinks they brought for the Wemby stakeout, and a few others buying cold drinks from an enterprising fan armed with a cooler and a bullhorn across the street from the air strip.
When Wembanyama arrived, nobody could hear the bullhorn anymore.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Sochan said. “I think he’s ready.”
A few moments later, Wembanyama gave San Antonio a wave. Day 1 in his new home was underway.
NBA DRAFT REPORT CARDS: SPURS, ROCKETS AMONG TEAMS THAT HIT IT BIG
It’s the easiest call of the NBA draft: The San Antonio Spurs won.
That’s not to say other teams didn’t do very well on Thursday, when 58 players were selected as the league’s newest members. But the Spurs being able to take generational French talent Victor Wembanyama puts them at the head of the class.
Some of the teams that also did well: NBA champion Denver, Golden State, Toronto — even with just one pick — and Orlando, which might now be closer to returning to the postseason mix.
A breakdown of which teams had Excellent drafts, those that had Good drafts and others that will have to Wait and See:
EXCELLENT
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Picks: Dereck Lively II (12, via trade); Olivier-Maxence Prosper (24, via trade).
Dallas got the big man it wanted and created opportunity by moving Davis Bertans. Hard to argue that it wasn’t a good night. And now free agency awaits. Prosper is another player with big potential and was extremely hard to guard at Marquette.
DENVER NUGGETS
Picks: Julian Strawther (29), Jalen Pickett (32, will be acquired via trade), Hunter Tyson (37),
Pickett should have gone in the first round. He’s that good, and the NBA champions just got another do-it-all guy who will also serve as insurance should Bruce Brown leave in free agency.
DETROIT PISTONS
Picks: Ausar Thompson (5), Marcus Sasser (25, via trade), James Nnaji (31)
No matter what, the Pistons were going to get better and deeper on Thursday night. Thompson is incredibly athletic (even by NBA standards) and plays defense with a ton of energy.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Picks: Brandin Podziemski (19), Trayce Jackson-Davis (57, via trade)
Play to your strength, and the Warriors got another shooter to add to the mix with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Podziemski could add something right away, and came to Golden State on the same day that the Warriors swung a deal for Chris Paul by sending Jordan Poole to Washington.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Picks: Amen Thompson (4), Cam Whitmore (20)
Thompson is a great move and gives Detroit another great option as it builds. If Whitmore is healthy, then Houston got an absolute steal by getting the Villanova forward at No. 20.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Picks: Cason Wallace (10, via trade), Keyontae Johnson (50)
Wallace was great for Kentucky in his lone college season and played perhaps his best game in the Wildcats’ finale in the NCAA tournament. He can score; he didn’t look to score quite often enough at times in college.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Picks: Anthony Black (6), Jett Howard (11)
Paolo Banchero got a couple more shooters to help him out, and the young and talented Magic got more young talent. An excellent night again and it’s time to start thinking about Orlando as a team that should make a run at the play-in — at minimum.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Picks: Victor Wembanyama (1), Sidy Cissoko (44).
Their grade was secured at the very moment that the last ping-pong ball appeared at the lottery last month. Wembanyama was a no-brainer, and now it’s up to the Spurs to start the real work — get him into the gym, see how he fits, and figure out what the plan is going forward.
TORONTO RAPTORS
Pick: Gradey Dick (13)
Dick showed up to the draft in a red-and-black jacket — a nod to Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” and his Kansas roots. The color scheme will work in Toronto as well. Dick is a pure shooter, and no team can have too many of those. The jury’s still out on what the Raptors will be this coming season, but this kid will be a rotation piece.
UTAH JAZZ
Picks: Taylor Hendricks (9), Keyonte George (16), Brice Sensabaugh (28)
Hendricks is what an NBA big pretty much is now; a power forward who can also defend centers. George was the Big 12 rookie of the year at Baylor and is a proven scorer. He’s good from the line, has 3-point potential and can get to the rim. There’s some work to do, but he’s a serious prospect.
GOOD
BROOKLYN NETS
Picks: Noah Clowney (21), Dariq Whitehead (22), Jalen Wilson (51)
Clowney is an athletic big from Alabama whose game is still a bit unfinished. Whitehead has enormous potential and was highly recruited by Duke, but foot issues are a concern. Wilson was the Big 12 player of the year at Kansas. The Nets likely didn’t choose three elite programs accidentally. Lot to like here.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Picks: Brandon Miller (2), Nick Smith Jr. (27), Amari Bailey (41).
Miller made sense over Scoot Henderson because the Hornets have a point guard already. But Henderson might be the more NBA-ready player.
INDIANA PACERS
Picks: Jarace Walker (8, via trade), Ben Sheppard (26), Julian Strawther (29), Mojave King (47, via trade), Isaiah Wong (55)
Walker plays hard on both ends, and this is rare to say, but he might play harder on defense than he does on offense. And getting Wong — the ACC player of the year — so late is a steal.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Picks: Kobe Brown (30), Jordan Miller (48)
Brown is a strong player, addicted to rebounding, and probably needs to improve considerably on the offensive end. Miller did a little of everything for the Miami Hurricanes in their run to the Final Four.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Picks: Jalen Hood-Schifino (17), Maxwell Lewis (40, via trade).
Hood-Schifino got NBA coaching in college last season; Indiana is coached by Mike Woodson. He’s a winner; his high school teams won, his Indiana team went to the NCAA Tournament and he’ll obviously benefit from time with LeBron James.
MIAMI HEAT
Pick: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18)
A four-year college player whose game got more complete each year, Jaquez has a notorious work ethic that should fit in quite well with the Eastern Conference champions.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Pick: Jordan Hawkins (14)
Hawkins was a big part of UConn’s team that won the national title last spring, earning his way onto the All-Tournament team. New Orleans got a winner.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Picks: Scoot Henderson (3), Kris Murray (23), Rayan Rupert (43).
Henderson has shown that he’s NBA-ready. The Blazers drafted well. But really, the only question now is whether Damian Lillard is happy or not. Murray is the twin brother of Sacramento’s Keegan Murray and had a big season for Iowa — averaging just over 20 points per game.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Picks: Bilal Coulibaly (7, via trade), Tristan Vukcevic (42)
The Wizards are starting over, and on the day they also agreed to acquire Jordan Poole from Golden State they just happened to get a French player. (No, not that one.) But Coulibaly is highly touted by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, and that’s enough of an endorsement for us.
WAIT AND SEE
ATLANTA HAWKS
Picks: Kobe Bufkin (15), Mouhamed Gueye (39, via trade), Seth Lundy (46)
Bufkin had a great second half of the season at Michigan, and left-handers always provide defenses with an extra challenge. The best way to describe his game is this: He doesn’t do much wrong. Very solid, can help the Hawks in a lot of ways.
BOSTON CELTICS
Picks: James Njaji (31, via trade), Jordan Walsh (38, via trade)
Still only 18, Njaji started playing the game about seven years ago and is not even close to reaching his potential yet. Big prospect.
CHICAGO BULLS
Pick: Julian Phillips (35, via trade)
The Bulls had to forfeit what would have been their pick because of free-agency violations last summer, and swung a deal with Boston to land the Tennessee wing.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Pick: Emoni Bates (49)
He was touted as a star since basically middle school, had more than his share of promising moments in college, and now has to really prove himself.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Picks: Gregory Jackson II (45), Tarik Biberovic (56)
Prospects. They’re not expected to provide any real help anytime soon.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Picks: Andre Jackson (36, via trade), Chris Livingston (58)
Jackson was a big part of UConn’s national championship. He’s only going to benefit from being around Giannis Antetokounmpo every day.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Picks: Leonard Miller (33, via trade), Jaylen Clark (53)
Miller had a lot of big moments playing with Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite this past season. Athleticism is tough to ignore.
NEW YORK KNICKS
No picks.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
No picks.
PHOENIX SUNS
Pick: Toumani Camara (52)
Given the trades that they’re making, this might be one of their last picks for quite some time. There’s nothing wrong with not valuing the draft, but giving up on it entirely is a dangerous game to play too often.
SACRAMENTO KINGS
Picks: Colby Jones (34, via trade), Jalen Slawson (54)
Jones has skills the Kings crave; great shooter, great passing and great vision. A young Kevin Huerter-type in those regards.
BUCKS GM JON HORST CONFIRMS THAT KHRIS MIDDLETON HAS DECLINED HIS PLAYER OPTION FOR 2023-24 SEASON
MILWAUKEE (AP) Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst confirmed that Khris Middleton declined his player option for the upcoming season but added that the team hopes to keep the three-time All-Star forward.
ESPN first reported that Middleton had opted against exercising the $40.4 million option.
“Khris is core to who we are and really all the success we’ve had,” Horst said late Thursday night at a post-draft news conference. “Our goal is always to sustain our success and continue to compete and (have) a chance to win and be in position to win year in and year out. We hope to have him back.”
Middleton, who turns 32 on Aug. 12, averaged 15.1 points, 4.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 33 games last season. He missed the first 20 games of the season while recovering from wrist surgery and sat out 18 straight games later in the season due to a sore right knee.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: CYCLE HELPS REDS RUN WIN STREAK TO 12
Rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz recorded Cincinnati’s first cycle in 34 years as the host Reds rallied from five runs down to tie their modern-era franchise record with a 12th straight win, defeating the Atlanta Braves 11-10 on Friday.
Cincinnati matched its 1957 and 1939 clubs for the longest single-season winning streak since 1900.
De La Cruz again electrified the sellout crowd at Great American Ball Park as he had a key two-run homer to spark the early rally and finished off his cycle with a triple in the sixth inning. Joey Votto belted a pair of home runs, including a go-ahead, three-run shot off reliever Collin McHugh (3-1) in the Reds’ four-run fifth. Cincinnati erased deficits of 5-0 and 7-5.
Reliever Alex Young (3-0) earned his third win in as many appearances this week. Alexis Diaz posted his 21st save in as many chances. Matt Olson homered twice for the Braves, who had their second eight-game win streak this season snapped. Reliever Collin McHugh (3-1) took the loss.
Dodgers 3, Astros 2
Mookie Betts hit a leadoff home run for the 43rd time in his career and rookie Emmet Sheehan went six strong innings as Los Angeles got the best of visiting Houston in the opener of a three-game series.
Rookie Michael Busch had an RBI double for the Dodgers in a matchup between 2017 World Series participants. The Astros won the title in seven games that year before their championship came under a cloud after a cheating scandal was exposed.
James Outman had three hits and Sheehan (1-0) gave up two runs on three hits en route to his first major league win. Mauricio Dubon and Kyle Tucker hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning for the Astros, and rookie J.P. France (2-3) gave up three runs on eight hits over six innings.
Rays 11, Royals 3
Jose Siri drove in four runs, Zach Eflin remained spotless at home and Tampa Bay thrashed Kansas City in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Siri went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and two runs. Eflin (9-3) limited the Royals to three runs and seven hits over six innings. He improved to 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA through eight home starts this year.
Salvador Perez swatted a two-run homer and Nick Pratto hit a solo shot for the Royals. Zack Greinke (1-8) allowed seven runs on nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Phillies 5, Mets 1
Trea Turner hit a two-run single, Brandon Marsh added three hits and an RBI and host Philadelphia defeated New York for its 14th victory in 18 games.
Bryce Harper had an RBI single before being ejected in the seventh inning. The Phillies’ Taijuan Walker (8-3) won his fourth consecutive start, tossing six innings of one-run ball.
Brandon Nimmo hit a solo home run for the Mets, who dropped their third in a row. Kodai Senga (6-5) allowed four runs, two earned, in 5 1/3 innings.
Rangers 4, Yankees 2 (10 innings)
Adolis Garcia hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer on the first pitch of the 10th inning as visiting Texas beat New York.
Joe Barlow (1-0) stranded Anthony Rizzo on base in the ninth to set up Garcia’s clutch hit. Will Smith delivered a 1-2-3 10th inning for his 14th save in 15 chances as the Rangers earned their fifth win in six games.
Michael King (1-4) served up Garcia’s homer. Anthony Rizzo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa each had two hits and a run for the Yankees, who are 6-10 since losing Aaron Judge to a bruised right toe.
Mariners 13, Orioles 1
Logan Gilbert allowed just a run on two hits over seven innings and was the beneficiary of a 17-hit attack as Seattle routed host Baltimore.
Tom Murphy and Teoscar Hernandez homered for the Mariners, who won their second in a row. Ty France, Eugenio Suarez and Hernandez each had three hits for Seattle. Gilbert (5-4) walked one and struck out five.
Anthony Santander went deep for the Orioles, who have lost two straight. Kyle Gibson (8-5) gave up five runs on seven hits in three innings.
Twins 4, Tigers 1
Kenta Maeda pitched five scoreless innings for his first victory in two seasons, Max Kepler hit a two-run homer and Minnesota topped host Detroit.
Maeda (1-4), who missed last season after Tommy John surgery, was activated off the injured list prior to the contest. He was out for the past two months with a triceps injury. Jhoan Duran handled the ninth inning for his 10th save as Minnesota’s pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts. Royce Lewis added a solo homer.
Andy Ibanez had two hits and scored Detroit’s lone run. Tigers starter Joey Wentz (1-8) gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits in five innings.
Pirates 3, Marlins 1
Carlos Santana stroked a two-out, tiebreaking single in the ninth inning as Pittsburgh snapped a 10-game losing streak by rallying to beat Miami.
The Pirates were down 1-0 entering the ninth inning before getting the best of Marlins closer A.J. Puk (3-2), who had been successful on 10 of his 11 save chances. Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 to raise his major-league-leading batting average to .402.
Miami starter Jesus Luzardo was left with a no-decision despite logging nine strikeouts and just one walk over seven scoreless innings.
Padres 13, Nationals 3
Joe Musgrove allowed just one run while going seven innings for the first time this season as San Diego defeated visiting Washington.
Musgrove (6-2) scattered six hits and struck out seven without issuing a walk. Ha-Seong Kim, Xander Bogaerts and Juan Soto each homered and drove in three runs for the Padres, who have amassed 23 runs and 26 hits over the past two games.
Michael Chavis homered for the Nationals, who have lost 15 of the past 18 games. Patrick Corbin (4-9) gave up seven runs on seven hits in five innings.
Giants 8, Diamondbacks 5
Michael Conforto stroked a pair of two-run doubles, Patrick Bailey smacked a two-run home run and San Francisco beat visiting Arizona.
Logan Webb (7-6) allowed four runs (three earned) in seven innings, helping the Giants to their 11th win in 12 games. Camilo Doval worked a scoreless ninth for his 21st save.
Corbin Carroll had a double and a single for the Diamondbacks, who lost for just the third time in eight games. Zach Davies (1-4) was tagged for six runs on six hits in four-plus innings.
Athletics 5, Blue Jays 4
Shea Langeliers hit the go-ahead solo home run in the ninth inning and Oakland won at Toronto to snap an eight-game losing streak.
JJ Bleday hit a two-run home run and had three RBIs for the Athletics. Langeliers also had an RBI single. Oakland’s Lucas Erceg (2-0) struck out the side in the eighth to get the win, and Trevor May earned his fourth save.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a three-run home run for Toronto, his first homer of the season at home. Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (3-3) took over in the ninth. George Springer made a superb catch in right to start the inning, but Langeliers followed with his ninth homer of the season.
Brewers 7, Guardians 1
Willy Adames hit two home runs to highlight a four-hit, five-RBI performance and Wade Miley tossed six scoreless innings to lift Milwaukee over host Cleveland.
Entering the contest mired in a 7-for-42 (.167) slump, Adames ripped an RBI single in the first inning, a three-run homer in the sixth and a solo homer in the ninth. Miley (5-2) scattered three hits and struck out three without walking a batter to win his second straight start.
Jose Ramirez homered for the Guardians, who saw their season-high-tying, four-game winning streak end. Shane Bieber (5-5) gave up four runs in five innings.
Red Sox 3, White Sox 1
Brayan Bello turned in a strong start and Rafael Devers hit a two-run homer as Boston ended a two-game losing streak by beating host Chicago.
Devers broke a 1-1 tie with his 18th home run of the season in the fourth inning. Bello (5-4) limited the White Sox to a run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
White Sox starter Lucas Giolito (5-5) allowed three runs (one earned) and struck out 10 in six innings. Chicago’s run came on Tim Anderson’s sacrifice fly.
Rockies 7, Angels 4
Elias Diaz belted a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning and Colorado ended an eight-game losing streak by beating Los Angeles in Denver.
Diaz, Elehuris Montero and Coco Montes each had three hits and Jurickson Profar also homered for Colorado. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout homered for the Angels, who lost their third straight game after winning 11 of their previous 14.
Reliever Pierce Johnson (1-3) struck out Ohtani with two on and two outs to end the top of the eighth. Justin Lawrence fanned two in a perfect ninth for his third save. Losing pitcher Sam Bachman (1-1) let two runners reach in the Rockies’ eighth inning, and Diaz went deep against Chris Devenski.
MANFRED SAYS BIG OAKLAND TURNOUT DOESN’T CHANGE ‘DECADE WORTH OF INACTION’
LONDON (AP) Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said one big turnout by Oakland Athletics fans doesn’t change “a decade worth of inaction” as he defended earlier comments about the “ reverse boycott ” held in protest of the team’s proposed move to Las Vegas.
Manfred claimed he was taken out of context when he sarcastically praised the 27,759 A’s fans for amounting to “almost an average Major League Baseball crowd” at a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on June 13 at the Coliseum.
Speaking Friday at a new conference ahead of a weekend series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, Manfred said the A’s had not yet submitted a relocation application and there is not a deadline for when he wants clubs to vote.
“My comment about Oakland was that I feel sorry for the fans, that it was my initial and – preference that we find a solution in Oakland,” Manfred said at London Stadium when asked if he had regrets about his remarks.
“The comment that I made about the fans on a particular night was taken out of context of those two larger remarks: I feel sorry for the fans. We hate to move. We did everything we could possibly to do keep the club in Oakland. Unfortunately, one night doesn’t change a decade worth of inaction,” he added.
Following an owners meeting on June 15, Manfred had said: “I mean, it was great. It’s great to see what is this year almost an average Major League Baseball crowd in the facility for one night. That’s a great thing.”
MLB is set to begin a months-long approval process for the team’s proposed move to Las Vegas. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo last week signed legislation granting $380 million in public financing for a ballpark on the Las Vegas Strip.
A relocation committee will study the relocation proposal and make recommendations to Manfred and the eight-man executive council. The executive council formulates a recommendation to all clubs, which must approve the move by at least three-quarters vote.
Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio will chair the relocation committee. Manfred said he has not yer appointed any additional members.
“I don’t have a firm timeline,” Manfred said. “Depends on when the application comes in and how long the committee feels it needs to examine the application.”
Oakland is averaging under 10,000 fans per home game, lowest among the 30 teams. The A’s have the worst record in the major leagues at 19-58.
The proposed $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark with a retractable roof would be close to Allegiant Stadium, where the NFL’s Oakland Raiders moved to in 2020, and T-Mobile Arena, where the NHL’s expansion Golden Knights started play in 2017.
RAYS MANAGER CASH BELIEVES ACE MCCLANAHAN CAN AVOID IL DUE TO MID-BACK TIGHTNESS
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash believes that ace Shane McClanahan can avoid going on the injured list due to mid-back tightness.
McClanahan, who leads the majors with 11 wins, left Thursday night’s 6-5 loss to the Kansas City Royals with two outs in the fourth inning.
“I talked to Shane, he’s good,” Cash said before Friday night’s game against the Royals. “Encouraged by that. Happy with that.”
McClanahan’s next scheduled start is Wednesday night at Arizona, but it is possible he could be pushed back a couple days.
“I know we’re going to put our heads together,” Cash said. “I don’t feel like he’s going to miss time or anything like that as we speak right now. We’ll get him back out there here soon.”
McClanahan said he is feeling good.
“Definitely a better spot than yesterday,” McClanahan said. “We’ve started the treatment, we’ve started getting this thing right. I feel like I’m in a good spot. If I had to forecast, I’d say I’m still in a pretty good spot to line up (for my next start).”
Tampa Bay slugger Brandon Lowe, out since June 4 with a herniated disc, hit against injured relievers Andrew Kittredge (Tommy John surgery) and Calvin Faucher (right elbow) at the team’s minor league complex in Sarasota, Florida.
Lowe, who had 39 homers and 99 RBIs in 2021, was limited to 65 games last year, due in part to a back injury. The second baseman has nine homers and 29 RBIs in 50 games this season.
“Everybody said that it was full-force swings,” Cash said.
Lowe and Faucher may play in a rookie-level Florida Complex League game next week. Kittredge is not expected back until August.
MARINERS’ JULIO RODRÍGUEZ TO COMPETE IN HOME RUN DERBY IN SEATTLE NEXT MONTH
BALTIMORE (AP) This year’s Home Run Derby now has a hometown favorite: Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez is in.
Rodríguez, who finished second last year in the event to Juan Soto, said Friday it’s a no-brainer to participate in front of his home fans. The All-Star game is July 11 in Seattle, with the Home Run Derby the previous day.
Rodríguez won Rookie of the Year honors last year and helped Seattle make the postseason. The talented outfielder hit 81 homers in the Home Run Derby in Los Angeles, although he lost to Soto in the final.
He’s set to become the first Seattle player to participate in the Derby back-to-back years since Ken Griffey Jr. did it from 1997-99, winning in 1998 and 1999.
Rodríguez recently became the second-fastest player to reach 40 homers and 40 steals for his career, doing it in 200 games.
NEW YORK METS TO PLAY PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES IN LONDON IN 2024
LONDON (AP) The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will play a two-game series in London next season as MLB takes another rivalry abroad.
League commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the June 8-9 games at London Stadium on Friday, ahead of this weekend’s series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.
“We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing and we want to show the fans here in London the very best form of baseball,” Manfred said.
The first MLB series in the British capital – and in Europe – featured the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in 2019.
“We want to show our best when we come someplace special like London. We do regard London to be special – of strategic importance to us,” Manfred said.
The Mets-Phillies series had been widely reported earlier, though league officials held off on an announcement until the eve of the Cardinals-Cubs series.
“It’s great for baseball,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said prior to Friday night’s game against the Phillies in Philadelphia.
Manfred spoke at a news conference Friday before Cardinals and Cubs players worked out on the artificial turf at the home of Premier League soccer club West Ham.
The Yankees are lobbying to play in Paris in 2025. The league hasn’t confirmed the French capital yet, but the players’ association signed off on MLB holding a game in Paris in 2025 as part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement.
“We are in the process of working on Paris in 2025,” Manfred said in response to a question from a French journalist. “We’re not at the point where we’re going to make a commitment or make a formal announcement but it is in the planning stages and was part of the general program that was laid out in the basic agreement.”
COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES
SEC’S DOMINANCE ON DISPLAY AGAIN WITH FLORIDA AND LSU MATCHED UP IN THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — LSU coach Jay Johnson remembered scanning the 64-team NCAA Tournament field when it was announced almost a month ago, and he had a premonition Florida would be the opponent if his team reached the College World Series finals.
“You look at the bracket and you look on the other side, it’s like, yeah, this is not a surprise to me who we’re playing,” he said.
Considering the Gators are the No. 2 national seed, it was a safe assumption. The way college baseball has trended for three decades, picking almost any Southeastern Conference team to make the finals is never a bad guess.
With LSU and Florida playing in the best-of-three championship series opening Saturday night, the SEC is assured of winning its fourth straight national title — by four different teams. Fifteen of the last 33 champions will have come from the SEC, including nine of the last 14.
Fourteen of the last 15 finals, in fact, will have included at least one SEC team.
“We’re the best conference in baseball and I believe that all the way,” Florida’s Wyatt Langford said. “The matchup with them makes sense for all the fans and everyone who knows baseball.”
Florida (53-15) is only the fourth team since 1976 to win three straight one-run games in bracket play to make the finals.
LSU (52-16), the No. 5 national seed, lost its second game and had to stave off elimination three times to set up a rematch of the 2017 finals, which the Gators won for their first, and only, national title in baseball.
LSU is playing for its seventh national championship, which would rank second to Southern California’s 12. The Tigers’ most recent title was in 2009.
The Tigers and Gators didn’t face each other in the regular season, and they didn’t run into each other in the SEC Tournament. This will be their first meeting since LSU won two of three in Gainesville, Florida, in March 2022. LSU leads the all-time series 66-52-1.
“The reality of it when you look at the SEC West and SEC East, you cannot win without age, experience and all those types of things,” Johnson said. “It’s not a little boy’s league.”
Florida’s pitching is lined up with starters Brandon Sproat (8-3) and Hurston Waldrep (10-3) for Games 1 and 2 and Jac Caglianone (7-3) if the series goes to a third.
Johnson didn’t announce his pitching plans. Ty Floyd (7-0) would be next in line after ace Paul Skenes started the Tigers’ 2-0, 11-inning win over No. 1 Wake Forest on Thursday.
From there, Johnson might have to take a committee approach. Left-hander Nate Ackenhausen (2-0) threw six shutout innings in his first-ever start for LSU in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Wake Forest. Skenes (12-2) would have only three days’ rest if he were brought back for a Game 3.
Florida has won eight straight games since losing to Texas Tech in regionals and has been off since Wednesday. LSU will be playing its fifth game in six days Saturday and would play eight in nine days if the finals go the limit.
“Honestly, from my standpoint, it puts me a little bit on edge,” Gators coach Kevin O’Sullivan said, “because what you don’t want your players to do, with off days, is lose their edge. There have been plenty of teams who played that Thursday game and went on to win this last series.”
Ten of the last 16 champions played the second bracket final and faced a finals opponent that went 3-0 through its side.
The finals won’t be lacking star power. LSU’s Dylan Crews and Skenes and Florida’s Langford are projected to go 1-2-3 in the amateur draft next month, according to MLB.com.
Waldrep is expected to be taken in the middle of the first round and five other players in the finals should go in the top five rounds.
Analysts say Skenes could be pitching in the major leagues, possibly in a relief role, by late in the season and Crews and Langford also could be fast-tracked.
LSU’s Tommy White, who hit the game-winning home run against Wake Forest on Thursday, and Caglianone, the national home run co-leader in addition to being the Gators’ No. 3 starter, are among the top 10 prospects for the 2024 draft.
“College baseball, it’s never been better from a talent standpoint,” O’Sullivan said.
SOCCER NEWS
UNITED STATES PICKED TO HOST 2025 CLUB WORLD CUP, AN EXPANDED SOCCER TOURNAMENT WITH 32 TEAMS
GENEVA (AP) The United States will host the Club World Cup in 2025, the first time the FIFA tournament will have 32 teams.
Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea already earned places as recent Champions League winners for the expanded tournament lineup that is set to test stadiums and operations one year before the 2026 World Cup.
The United States will host the men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico, and FIFA could yet give some Club World Cup games to those countries.
The Club World Cup will take place in June-July 2025. The United States was chosen as host Friday during an online meeting of the FIFA Council.
FIFA praised “the United States’ position as a proven leader in staging global events and because it would allow FIFA to maximize synergies with the delivery” of the 2026 tournament.
The Seattle Sounders also are in the lineup for the Club World Cup as the 2022 champion of North American soccer region CONCACAF. The Americans should get another entry as the host nation.
Storied European teams have visited the United States for preseason friendly games for years but the expanded club tournament will give fans a rare chance to see 12 of them play competitive games.
FIFA said in March the basic qualification path for clubs was to win a continental championship in any of the four years from 2021 to 2024 in the five main confederations: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
Europe with 12 teams and South America with six are the only continents with more than four entries. Extra places should be awarded according to team rankings by results a four-year span in continental competitions.
The current seven-team Club World Cup for continental champions played every season creates little broad appeal and FIFA has long wanted to stage a full-sized tournament every four years.
This expanded version in 2025 is a huge commercial opportunity for FIFA to try new broadcasting models and sign new sponsors, funding hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money for the clubs.
The influential European Club Association said in March it hoped for talks with FIFA on how to manage the commercial rights.
The format for a Club World Cup lasting about three weeks has yet to be decided. One option is guaranteeing the 32 teams at least three games each playing in eight groups of four. The eight group winners could then advance to the quarterfinals. That would create a tournament of 56 games if a third-place game was included.
The current annual Club World Cup format will continue with a final edition scheduled for December in Saudi Arabia.
Reviving the Club World Cup was a priority for FIFA president Gianni Infantino on being elected in 2016, but his first project plan was blocked. A Saudi-linked $25 billion deal with Japanese technology investor SoftBank provoked anger from European soccer officials who saw it as secretive and an overreach by FIFA.
FIFA got agreement in 2019 for a 24-team event to launch in June 2021 in China, but that was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic before commercial details had been confirmed.
FIFA came back with a fresh Club World Cup plan after the Super League project led by an elite group of clubs quickly failed in April 2021 while causing intense turmoil for European soccer body UEFA.
Other teams already qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup are: Palmeiras (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Monterrey (Mexico), Leon (Mexico), Al-Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia).
CONCACAF ISSUES SUSPENSION TO U.S., MEXICO PLAYERS
Two U.S. players and two Mexico players received punishments from CONCACAF on Friday in connection with the red cards they received during the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal on June 15.
The United States’ Weston McKennie and Mexico’s Cesar Montes were each handed three-match suspensions, while the United States’ Sergino Dest and Mexico’s Gerardo Arteaga were both given two-match suspensions.
In addition, both the U.S. and Mexican soccer federations were issued undisclosed fines.
In the United States’ 3-0 victory last week in Las Vegas, Montes was red-carded in the 69th minute for a hard tackle on Folarin Balogun, and McKennie was sent off putting his hands to the face of an opponent during the ensuing altercation. McKennie came away from the fracas with a torn jersey.
In the 85th minute, Arteaga and Dest both were ejected after a sideline scuffle.
The suspensions will hurt the Mexican team far more than the U.S. team. The players will serve the bans during the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and those games will count for McKennie and Dest even though they aren’t on the U.S. roster. Montes and Arteaga are on the Mexican roster.
The U.S. team, which beat Canada 2-0 in the Nations League final on Sunday, will open Gold Cup play against Jamaica on Saturday in Chicago. Mexico plays its Gold Cup opener against Honduras on Sunday in Houston.
MEN’S GOLF
KEEGAN BRADLEY AND DENNY MCCARTHY SHARE THE TRAVELERS LEAD AT TOURNAMENT-RECORD 15 UNDER
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) Keegan Bradley and Denny McCarthy shared the Travelers Championship lead Friday at a tournament-record 15-under 125.
McCarthy followed his first-round 60 with a 65 in the morning at TPC River Highlands. A few hours later, Bradley shot a 63 to go with his opening 62.
Chez Reavie, the 2019 winner, was two strokes back after a 63. Eric Cole had a 65 to get to 11 under.
McCarthy and Bradley broke the 36-hole mark of 14 under set by Justin Rose in 2010 and matched last year by Xander Schauffele in his run to the title.
“It’s nice, but golf tournaments aren’t 36 holes unfortunately,” McCarthy said. “I know there’s still a lot of golf left and I’m playing some really nice golf, so I’m looking forward to having fun this weekend.”
The 30-year-old from Maryland started slowly, bogeying the second hole. But that was the only blemish on a round that included six birdies, five on the back nine.
McCarthy, who lost in a playoff at the Memorial this month, is trying to become the 18th player to pick up his first PGA Tour victory in Connecticut. Ken Duke was the last in 2013.
Bradley also had a blistering back nine, making five birdies in a row between the 12th and 16th holes. He had just under 174 feet of made putts and after every big make, he held his putter in front of him with two fingers and bowed before handing it to his caddie.
“We just pay our respects,” said the Vermont player, who holed about a 60-footer on No. 3 for his first birdie. “If the putter is working, we’ll do whatever just to keep it going. We just bow and say, ‘Thank you.’”
Cole is the son of former tour players Laura Baugh and Bobby Cole. His father played River Highlands just once professionally, finishing 50th in 1987, but his son didn’t get to see that.
“I was born in ’88, so it would’ve been before me,” the younger Cole said.
Rory McIlroy was tied for 10th at 8 under after a 64. He had a double bogey on the par-3 eighth, the hole he aced Thursday for his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour. This time, McIlroy put his tee shot in the water.
“I hit a pretty good shot, I just misjudged the wind a little bit and it came up short in the one place you couldn’t miss today,” he said. “But, other than that, it was a really good round of golf.”
McIlroy got a break on his last hole when his tee shot landed on a cable trench behind a tree on the ninth hole. He was given relief by a tournament official, but hit a limb on his approach shot, which still landed just short of the green, where he managed to get up and down for par.
Schauffele also was 8 under after a 64. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler reached 7 under with a 70.
Wyndham Clark, the U.S. Open champion Sunday in Los Angeles who arrived here Wednesday, had a 67 to get to 5 under. He spent the first part of the week in New York, appearing on numerous talk shows.
A light rain left the greens soft, helping keep the scores low. The cut line was at 4 under, with Masters champion Jon Rahm dropping out with round of 67 and 71.
On Saturday, with heavy rain expected in the morning, the players will start at 10:45 a.m. in threesomes off both Nos. 1 and 10.
WOMEN’S GOLF
LEE-ANNE PACE SHOOTS 66 FOR THE FIRST-ROUND LEAD IN THE KPMG WOMEN’S PGA
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) Lee-Anne Pace isn’t playing a lot of competitive golf these days at 42-years-old and her practice habits have tailed off. She enjoys the game, and every once in a while, the South African really enjoys it.
The first round of the Women’s PGA Championship at historic Baltusrol on Thursday was one of them.
Pace made a two-putt birdie on the final hole in fading daylight to cap a bogey-free 5-under 66 and grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the second major of the year in women’s golf.
“Honestly, I just came over because I like to come over every now and then for one or two events,” Pace said. “I honestly did not expect to be leading the tournament after day one. It’s a very, very difficult golf course. To be in my position, I’m just really happy that I had a good score.”
Teeing off at 2:28 p.m., Pace made seven pars to start her round, then finished with five birdies in her final 11 holes, hitting the par-5 18th in two and getting down in two. She also made a key par save from the bunker at the par-3 16th.
She joked about the last birdie.
“Yeah, at my age, the darkness isn’t your friend,” said Pace, who turned pro in 2007 and has one win on the LPGA Tour, the Blue Bay event in China in 2014. “But like I said, I felt very comfortable on the greens.”
She’s playing in her second event in the United States this year. She tied for 30th two weeks ago at the ShopRite Classic near Atlantic City.
Two-time major winner Brooke Henderson of Canada and Ruoning Yin and Xiyi Lin of China were a shot back as Baltusrol’s historic Lower Course yielded 16 under-par rounds to the field of 156 players.
Henderson, who won this event in 2016 and the Evian last year for her majors, had a bogey and five birdies, the last from about 35 feet on the ninth hole, her final one.
“Everything was working pretty well,” Henderson said. “I would like to hit a few more fairways tomorrow, but when I needed to I was able to get up-and-down a few times and the putter was rolling, and it’s nice to make five birdies out on this golf course. Hopefully just do something similar over the next few days.”
The 20-year-old Yin, who won this year in Los Angeles, had two birdies and an eagle in a bogeyless round. Lin, who finished third last week, had four birdies in search of her first win on tour. The 27-year-old lost in a playoff earlier this year in California.
They are looking to become the second Chinese player to win a major. Shanshan Feng won the LPGA Championship in 2012. That event became the Women’s PGA Championship in 2015.
Yin is not surprised she and her friend played so well.
“Janet (Xiyu), she has a pretty solid game, too, and I’m not surprised she can shoot 4 under at this course, maybe 5 under,” Yin said.
Wichanee Meechair of Thailand was alone at 68. Leona Maguire of Ireland, the winner last week in Michigan, was at 69 with Ayaka Furue and Yuka Saso of Japan, Jenny Shin of South Korea, Celine Borge of Norway and Esther Henseleit of Germany.
Rose Zhang, the two-time NCAA individual champion at Stanford who became the first player in 72 years to win an LPGA Tour event in her pro debut this month at nearby Liberty National, opened with a 70.
The 20-year-old Zhang had bogeys on the second and fourth holes, but played steady after that and made three birdies the rest of way, settling for a birdie on the 18th after missing an 8-foot eagle attempt.
“I knew when you’re going to be out here, it’s going to be very difficult, and you’re going to have to try to claw your way back when things aren’t going your way,” Zhang said.
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko and Lilia Vu, the only two-time winners on the LPGA Tour this year, shot 72. No. 5 Minjee Lee also had a 72.
Defending champion In Gee Chun was 2 under at the front nine, but had five bogeys on the back nine and finished at 74.
Second-ranked Nelly Korda and No. 9 Lexi Thompson each shot 76.
NFL NEWS
BUFFALO BILLS REWARD SUCCESS OF GM BEANE AND COACH MCDERMOTT WITH 2-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSIONS
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Bills locked up their brain trust tandem of general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott through the 2027 season after signing the duo to two-year contract extensions on Friday.
The timing of the deals represents a reward while also emphasizing the long-term faith of co-owner Terry Pegula in the pair, who are now on their third respective contracts with the team since signing extensions in 2020. Beane, at 46, and McDermott, 49, have transformed what had been a floundering franchise upon their arrival in 2017 into a consistent playoff contender.
In that time, the Bills went from enduring a 17-year playoff drought, which was the longest active streak in North America’s four professional major sports, to qualifying for the postseason in five of the past six years. The run of success began with the team ending the drought in 2017, and now includes a four-year playoff run in which the Bills are three-time defending AFC East champions.
McDermott, who was hired in January 2017 following Rex Ryan’s dismissal, is credited with instilling a winning culture built around a trusted group of leaders headed by the safety tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.
He was also praised for helping navigate the team through a series of adversity. The Bills finished second in the AFC at 13-3 in a season where safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2. There also were two schedule disruptions because of snowstorms.
With a 62-35 record, McDermott ranks third on the franchise regular-season win list behind Marv Levy (123) and Lou Saban (70).
The only knock on McDermott has been how each of the past two Bills seasons have ended.
Buffalo came out flat in a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the divisional round last season. Two years ago, the Bills squandered a three-point lead in the final 13 seconds of regulation in a 42-26 overtime loss to Kansas City in the divisional round.
McDermott is taking on extra responsibilities in overseeing the defense this year after the team abruptly announced in February that coordinator Leslie Frazier is taking the year off from coaching.
Beane, who was hired in May of 2017 after Doug Whaley’s dismissal, is credited for purging Buffalo’s over-priced and under-producing roster by rebuilding the Bills through the draft and free agency. His most influential decision was using a stockpile of draft picks to eventually trade up in the 2018 draft order and select quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh pick.
Of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2018 draft, Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson are the remaining two still on the teams that selected them.
The relationship between Beane and McDermott dates to the Carolina Panthers in 2011. Beane was the Panthers director of football operations at the time, when McDermott was hired to become the team’s defensive coordinator.
Their tenure in Buffalo together marks a rare period of stability for a franchise that from 2001-2016 featured six head coaches (not including two interim promotions) and five GMs.
Beane and McDermott are prepared to become the longest-serving GM-coach tandem in franchise history entering their seventh season together. That will surpass the six-plus seasons GM Bill Polian and Levy – both Pro Football Hall of Famers – worked together in Buffalo from 1986 to ’92.
At 11-plus seasons, Levy is the team’s longest-serving coach. Bob Lustig ranks as the Bills’ longest-serving GM, having held the job from 1967-78.
McDermott broke into the NFL ranks as a member of Andy Reid’s staff with the 1999 Philadelphia Eagles. Beane’s NFL career started as a member of the Panthers communications department in 1998.
NFL OWNERS PLAN TO MEET JULY 20 AND POTENTIALLY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMMANDERS SALE, AP SOURCE SAYS
NFL owners are set to meet July 20 to consider and potentially vote to approve the sale of the Washington Commanders, a person with knowledge of the situation said Friday.
The person said teams were notified Thursday of a special league meeting that will take place in Minneapolis. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the league meeting was not announced.
Three-quarters — 24 of the league’s 32 owners — approval is needed to finalize the deal between Dan Snyder and his family and a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris. Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is also among those involved in the incoming ownership group.
The deal is for a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion, surpassing the $4.55 billion Walmart heir Robert Walton paid for the Denver Broncos last year.
Snyder and Harris’ group had a deal in principle for the Commanders in April, then came to a firm agreement in May. One of the next steps was approval of the NFL’s finance committee before going to the full ownership group for consideration.
If approved next month, it would pave the way for new ownership to take control before the start of the regular season in September.
Snyder has owned his favorite boyhood team since 1999, when he bought it for $750 million, and despite mounting criticism repeatedly said he’d never sell. That changed after multiple investigations by the league and Congress into Washington’s workplace misconduct and potential financial improprieties. The congressional investigation found Snyder played a role in a toxic culture.
Harris’ group includes Washington-area billionaire Mitchell Rales, the basketball Hall of Famer Johnson and David Blitzer, among others. Harris and Blitzer have owned the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers since 2011 and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils since 2013.
“Josh Harris has assembled an amazing group who share a commitment to not only doing great things on the field but to making a real impact in the (Washington-area) community,” Johnson tweeted in May. “I’m so excited to get to work on executing our vision for the Commanders and our loyal fanbase.”
Harris grew up in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He said he got to experience the excitement of the team winning three Super Bowls and establishing a long-term culture of success.
“We look forward to running a world-class organization and making significant investments on and off the field to achieve excellence and have a lasting and positive impact on the community,” Harris said.
The new owners’ first major task for the long-term future of the organization is a new stadium to replace FedEx Field, the rushed-to-completion home of the team since 1997 in Landover, Maryland, that has not aged well. Virginia abandoned a stadium bill last year amid a number of off-field controversies swirling around the team, though possibilities exist to build there, in Maryland or the District of Columbia at the site of the team’s former home, RFK Stadium.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
INDIANS BASEBALL
INDIANS POUR 18 RUNS ON CLIPPERS IN ROUT
INDIANAPOLIS – In front of 13,312 fans – the largest home attendance of the 2023 season – the Indianapolis Indians put on an offensive display with 18 hits, including 10 for extra bases, in an 18-5 blowout over the Columbus Clippers on Friday night at Victory Field.
Indianapolis (32-40) sent 11 batters to the plate during a six-run second that featured six walks and four hits, led by Jared Triolo who tripled home Canaan Smith-Njigba for Indy’s first run and capped the frame with a run-scoring single. Between Triolo’s knocks, Miguel Andújar – who tied his career high with his third four-hit game of the season – dumped a two-run single into right.
Columbus (32-40) responded with five runs of its own in the third against Kyle Nicolas in his second Triple-A start, but the Indians scored the game’s final 12 runs to run away with their largest margin of victory at home since a 16-0 shutout against Rochester on June 11, 2012. The triumph was Indianapolis’ largest margin of victory since blasting the Clippers 21-1 at Huntington Park on July 6, 2017.
Facing Riley Smith (L, 0-1) in his Clippers’ debut and first affiliated appearance since Sept. 11, 2022, the Indians tacked on three runs in the third to push their lead back to four. Endy Rodríguez rocked a 107.3 MPH single to right to plate two, and Andújar doubled moments later to make it 9-5.
In the fourth, Triolo tripled again before Aaron Shackelford roped his second double of the game. Indy then piled on four runs in the fifth and four more in the eighth. Andújar recorded his third run-scoring hit of the night ahead of a three-run shot by Ryan Vilade that made it 14-5, and Alika Williams and Chris Owings launched back-to-back homers off Jason Bilous – both measured over 400 feet – to complete the scoring.
With Nicolas removed after three innings, John O’Reilly (W, 1-3) posted a pair of scoreless innings while Indy added on. Colin Selby and Chase De Jong followed suit, each tossing 2.0 shutout innings in relief. The trio yielded just two hits and registered seven strikeouts.
Triolo recorded three of Indy’s 10 extra-base knocks, marking its highest total since notching 11 on Aug. 7, 2021, at Iowa. The three extra-base hits matched a career high for Triolo as well, and he became the 11th player in the Victory Field era to have two triples in a game.
Indy’s 18-run output was its second-most scored at Victory Field, one shy of 19 vs. Charlotte on May 6, 2004.
The Indians and Clippers continue their series with a 7:05 PM ET start on Saturday at Victory Field. RHP Quinn Priester (7-3, 4.74), who is 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts this season at the Vic, gets the nod for Indianapolis.
INDY ELEVEN
INDY FACES HARTFORD FOR SECOND TIME IN THREE WEEKS
#HFDvIND Preview
Hartford Athletic vs Indy Eleven
Saturday, June 24, 2023 – 7:00 p.m. ET
Trinity Health Stadium – Hartford, Connecticut
Follow Live:
ESPN+
Streaming Video: ESPN+ (click to subscribe)
In-game updates: @IndyElevenLive Twitter feed
Stats: #HFDvIND MatchCenter at USLChampionship.com
2023 USL Championship Records:
Hartford Athletic: 2W-9L-4D (-12); 10pts; 12th in Eastern Conference
Indy Eleven: 4W-6L-4D (-2), 16 pts; 7th in Eastern Conference
Community Health Network Sports Medicine Indy Eleven Injury Report:
OUT: DF B. Rebellon (L adductor), MF S. Velasquez (L adductor)
QUESTIONABLE: None
SETTING THE SCENE
The Boys in Blue return to action Saturday when they travel to Hartford Athletic for the second of two matches with the club. In the first meeting on June 10, the teams played to a 1-1 draw at Carroll Stadium. Indy leads the all-time series 3-2-1.
The Eleven are coming off a 2-1 defeat at Birmingham Legion FC and are 2-2-1 in their last five games. With a 4-6-4 record, Indy is seventh in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference.
Hartford sits at 2-9-4 and 12th in the division and is 0-3-2 in its last five matches coming off a 4-3 loss to Eastern Conference leader Charleston.
SERIES VS. HARTFORD ATHLETIC
Saturday marks the seventh meeting between the two teams, with Indy holding the 3-2-1 all-time advantage in USL Championship action. The is the second meeting of the 2023 season, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw on June 10 in Indianapolis.
IND leads: 3-2-1
GF 9, GA 5
Recent Meetings
6.10.23 home D, 1-1
8.13.22 at HFD L, 2-1
4.30.22 home W, 1-0
7.29.20 home W, 4-0
7.13.19 at HFD L, 2-1
LAST MATCH
USL Championship Regular Season
Indy Eleven 1:1 Hartford Athletic
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Carroll Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Scoring Summary
HFD – Kyle Edwards 11’
IND – Jack Blake (Sebastian Guenzatti) 85’
Discipline Summary
IND – Adrian Diz Pe (ejection) 6’
HFD – Antoine Hoppenot (caution) 6’
HFD – Triston Hodge (caution) 45+1’
HFD – Triston Hodge (caution-ejection) 49’
IND – Cam Lindley (caution) 50’
HFD – Luke Merrill (caution) 58’
IND – Douglas Martinez (caution) 64’
HFD – Danny Barrera (caution) 77’
IND – Gustavo Rissi (ejection) 90+3’
LAST TIME OUT
JUNE 17, 2023
BHM 2:1 IND
Indy Eleven fell, 2-1, at Birmingham Legion FC as the Legion’s Enzo Martinez scored in the 89th minute to earn Birmingham three points.
Birmingham struck first in the 55th minute when Diba Nwegbo took a pass from Anderson Asiedu and scored his first professional goal to give Legion FC a 1-0 lead.
Indy Eleven responded right away. Just over a minute later, Eleven captain Guenzatti took a pass from Harrison Robledo and ricocheted a shot off a Birmingham defender into the back of the net to tie it at 1-1, scoring his third goal of the season, which ties for the team lead.
In the 89th minute, Martinez took a feed from Neco Brett and beat Yannik Oettl to the far post for his sixth goal this season, giving Birmingham the 2-1 lead.
Scoring Summary
BHM – Diba Nwegbo 55’
IND – Sebastian Guenzatti (Harrison Robledo) 56’
BHM – Enzo Martinez (Neco Brett) 89’
Discipline Summary
IND – Younes Boudadi (caution) 8’
BHM – Gabriel Alves (caution) 21’
IND – Jesus Vazquez (caution) 24’
BHM – Alex Crognale (caution) 62’
BHM – Anderson Asiedu (caution) 64’
INDIANA WRESTLING
SAM GOIN NAMED A WRESTLING USA SENIOR ALL-AMERICAN
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Incoming Hoosier wrestler Sam Goin was announced as a 2023 Senior All-American by Wrestling USA Magazine this week.
Goin was one of 87 wrestlers across the nation picked to the Senior All-American team. He was the only Indiana native of the list, excluding two who were named honorable mentions.
The incoming freshman had a fantastic high school career including being a two-time individual IHSAA State Champion in 2022 and 2023 at 160 lbs. He was a four-time state placer, finishing in fourth and fifth place in 2020 and 2021 in addition to his individual state titles.
His team, Crown Point, also won three team state titles in his four years there.
His 39-2 senior season helped propel him to being the No. 56 overall rated prospect in the 2023 senior class and earned him the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.
INDIANA VOLLEYBALL
GOSNELL, HAWORTH TO REPRESENT INDIANA AT 2023 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL MEDIA DAYS
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Senior outside hitter Grae Gosnell, junior setter Camryn Haworth and head coach Steve Aird will represent the Indiana volleyball program at the Second Annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Days on August 1st in Chicago.
Two athletes and each head coach from the conference’s 14 programs will speak over a two-day period at the Big Ten Network studios.
Seven programs, including Indiana, will open up on Tuesday, August 1st with the remaining seven schools speaking on Wednesday, August, 2nd.
Last year, the Big Ten became the first conference to host an in-person, preseason volleyball event. The conference’s commitment to the growth of women’s volleyball was showcased by the inaugural media days and by a record-breaking number of televised matches in 2022.
Along with their media schedules, student-athletes, and coaches from all 14 Big Ten Conference volleyball programs will gather on the evening of Tuesday, August 1st, for an exclusive dinner and reception, celebrating the success and future promise of Big Ten volleyball.
The Hoosiers are coming off a season where they finished 16-16 overall and 9-11 in the conference. IU’s nine conference wins were the most since 2010. Its eighth-place finish in the Big Ten was the highest since the conference expanded to 14 teams.
Haworth was one of three setters to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors, IU’s first athlete to earn top conference honors since Ashley Benson in 2010.
She compiled 1,111 assists, 290 digs, 127 kills and 49 aces on the season while tallying IU’s first triple-double since 2001 with a 37 assist, 11 dig, 10-kill effort against Northwestern.
Gosnell played in 29 matches with eight starts in 2022. She recorded a career-high 16 digs in a win over No. 5 Ohio State and piled up 12 kills and four digs at Iowa. She was also selected as IU’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree following the conclusion of the season.
IU will open its 2023 season on Friday, August 25th at home against New Hampshire in the first of three matches at the Indiana Invitational.
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL
COLVIN HEADS TO HUNGARY FOR FIBA U19 WORLD CUP
DEBRECEN, Hungary – Myles Colvin begins his quest for a gold medal on Saturday when the group-phase portion of the FIBA U19 World Cup begins in Debrecen, Hungary.
Action gets underway on Saturday, June 24, when Team USA plays Madagascar at 6 a.m. ET (Noon local time).
USA Basketball will also face Slovenia on June 25, at 2 p.m. ET, and wrap up pool play on June 27, against Lebanon at 9 a.m. ET.
Colvin is representing USA Basketball, marking the fifth straight U19 World Cup that a Boilermaker has been a member of the USA contingent. The late Caleb Swanigan helped the Americans to a World Cup title in 2015. Carsen Edwards won bronze in 2017, Trevion Williams won gold in 2019 and Jaden Ivey and Caleb Furst won gold in 2021 in Latvia. In addition, Zach Edey won bronze with Team Canada in 2021.
Both Ivey and Edey were selected to the FIBA U19 World Cup 5 All-Star Team, joined Victor Wenbanyama, Chet Holmgren and Serbian standout Nikola Jovic.
Colvin made the squad from a group of 35 players invited to try out. He is one of four players aged 17 or younger on the team.
Fans are able to watch Colvin and his USA Basketball teammates on FIBA’s YouTube page at YouTube.com/FIBA.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MADDIE WISE JOINS BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STAFF
Maddie Wise has joined the Butler women’s basketball staff as the Coordinator of Recruiting and Creative Content.
“We are thrilled to welcome Maddie to our Butler family,” said Butler head coach Austin Parkinson, who enters his second season leading the Butler program. “Having had the opportunity to coach her in her graduate season, I saw firsthand her knowledge, work ethic and passion for the game of basketball. Being from Indiana she has excellent ties in the community and is going to be a great addition to our staff.”
Wise spent the 2021-22 student playing for Parkinson as a member of the IUPUI team. She started all 28 games that she played in, finishing second on the team at 4.8 rebounds per game. She added 6.4 points and 2.1 assists per game as Jaguars went 24-5, won the Horizon League title and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
She appeared in 113 games and made 68 starts in four seasons at Iowa State before joining the Jaguars as a graduate transfer. Wise averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Cyclones with 723 career points and 459 rebounds. She was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree and three-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week her first season.
A four-year letterwinner at Greenfield Central High School, Wise was rated as a five-star prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz and the No. 42 overall prospect nationally in her class. She was a finalist for Miss Basketball in Indiana.
“I am beyond excited and blessed to have the opportunity to join Coach Parkinson and the Butler Staff! This staff has a rich tradition of winning and outstanding leadership, and having the opportunity to learn and grow from them is something I am greatly looking forward to,” said Wise. “With Butler’s prestigious academics, enriching community, and incredible support, being a part of the Butler Community is a dream come true!”
Once her playing career at IUPUI ended, Wise interned for the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever in the Game Day Operations Department. Her most recent role has been as the Basketball Operations Coordinator at Optimum Performance Sports in Fort Wayne, Ind. In this position, Wise helped to oversee 34 AAU basketball teams and 10 basketball trainers.
IUPUI GOLF
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S GOLF PROGRAMS ANNOUNCE FALL SLATES
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI Athletics Department and head golf coach Jamie Broce have announced the fall schedules for the men’s and women’s programs. Both programs will play five fall events apiece, largely in the Midwest. Both the men’s and women’s teams return extensive groups of returners for the 2023-2024 season.
The men’s team will compete at the EKU Colonel Classic (Aug. 31-Sept. 1), Earl Yestingsmeier Invitational (Sept. 9-10), Zach Johnson Invitational (Sept. 25-26), Tom Tontimonia Invitational (Oct. 2-3) and Murray State’s The Buddy (Oct. 16-17) this fall. The roster is keyed by junior Sam McWilliams and senior Taylor Gardner as the duo combined on seven top-10 finishes last season. McWilliams had a team-best 74.48 stroke average this past season while Gardner was just off his pace at 74.63. Fellow senior Kevin Tillery also played all 30 rounds this past season with a 76.07 scoring average and Morgan Tournemire was fourth on the team with 19 rounds played.
The women’s team will compete in the Redbird Invitational (Sept. 10-11), Cardinal Classic (Sept. 18-19), Butler Fall Invitational (Oct. 2-3), Dayton Flyer Invitational (Oct. 16-17) and Terrier Intercollegiate (Oct. 23-24). Senior Annaliese Fox had a team-best 77.55 scoring average this past season in earning All-Horizon League honors. Junior Nerea Lancho was second on the squad at 78.17 and senior Madeleine Pape was third at 78.67. Senior Shelby Busker also returns to the Jaguars’ veteran lineup.
EVANSVILLE SWIMMING
UE SELECTED TO HOST THE 2024 MVC WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first time in school history, the University of Evansville will serve as the host school for the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships this February. The four-day event featuring nine teams will come to the Deaconess Aquatic Center in Evansville from Wednesday, February 21, 2024 through Saturday, February 24, 2024.
“We are extremely excited and honored to be named as the host site for the 2024 MVC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships,” said UE head swimming coach Stuart Wilson. “The be able to bring an event of this caliber to the Evansville swimming community has been our goal since the Deaconess Aquatic Center became a reality a few years ago. I am extremely excited to be able to provide this type of experience to our student-athletes as well.”
The Deaconess Aquatic Center opened in the fall of 2021, and UE was able to host the first-ever meet at the $30 million state-of-the-art facility on November 6, 2021. The facility features the ability for a stretch 50-meter competitive pool, plus a separate diving well with both one-meter and three-meter springboards. For the Valley Championships, the main pool will feature a 10-lane, 25-yard pool, as well as a warm-up/cool-down area.
The Deaconess Aquatic Center features raised spectator seating for just under 1,000 fans, with the deck-area also able to house all nine competing squads. The DAC has hosted various competitive meets since its opening, including the Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships, as well as various UE and city swim meets. It is located at 24 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, across the street from historic Bosse Field.
Missouri State is the defending MVC women’s swimming and diving champion. The MVC features women’s swimming and diving teams from regular Valley members UE, Missouri State, Illinois State, Indiana State, Southern Illinois, UIC, UNI, and Valparaiso, and affiliate member Little Rock.
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
SPORTS EXTRA
MLB STANDINGS
| American League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Tampa Bay | 53 | 26 | .671 | – | 33 – 9 | 20 – 17 | 17 – 10 | 13 – 2 | 8 – 5 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Baltimore | 45 | 29 | .608 | 5.5 | 22 – 14 | 23 – 15 | 14 – 9 | 14 – 5 | 8 – 7 | 5 – 5 | L 2 |
| NY Yankees | 41 | 35 | .539 | 10.5 | 23 – 19 | 18 – 16 | 11 – 15 | 8 – 8 | 10 – 7 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| Toronto | 41 | 36 | .532 | 11 | 19 – 14 | 22 – 22 | 7 – 17 | 11 – 5 | 9 – 8 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Boston | 40 | 37 | .519 | 12 | 21 – 18 | 19 – 19 | 13 – 11 | 11 – 6 | 5 – 5 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 39 | 38 | .506 | – | 23 – 19 | 16 – 19 | 10 – 13 | 14 – 11 | 5 – 4 | 5 – 5 | W 3 |
| Cleveland | 36 | 39 | .480 | 2 | 19 – 18 | 17 – 21 | 7 – 8 | 8 – 11 | 13 – 6 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 32 | 42 | .432 | 5.5 | 17 – 20 | 15 – 22 | 2 – 14 | 14 – 10 | 4 – 5 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Chi White Sox | 32 | 45 | .416 | 7 | 18 – 20 | 14 – 25 | 4 – 13 | 15 – 11 | 6 – 10 | 3 – 7 | L 2 |
| Kansas City | 21 | 55 | .276 | 17.5 | 10 – 28 | 11 – 27 | 3 – 9 | 6 – 14 | 4 – 11 | 3 – 7 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 47 | 28 | .627 | – | 24 – 13 | 23 – 15 | 10 – 7 | 9 – 3 | 15 – 8 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Houston | 41 | 35 | .539 | 6.5 | 22 – 19 | 19 – 16 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 13 – 6 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| LA Angels | 41 | 36 | .532 | 7 | 20 – 16 | 21 – 20 | 8 – 9 | 9 – 6 | 15 – 12 | 5 – 5 | L 3 |
| Seattle | 37 | 37 | .500 | 9.5 | 21 – 17 | 16 – 20 | 5 – 8 | 7 – 6 | 12 – 10 | 6 – 4 | W 2 |
| Oakland | 20 | 58 | .256 | 28.5 | 9 – 29 | 11 – 29 | 4 – 11 | 3 – 6 | 4 – 23 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 48 | 27 | .640 | – | 24 – 15 | 24 – 12 | 19 – 6 | 6 – 1 | 10 – 7 | 8 – 2 | L 1 |
| Miami | 43 | 34 | .558 | 6 | 23 – 16 | 20 – 18 | 11 – 12 | 6 – 5 | 9 – 10 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Philadelphia | 39 | 36 | .520 | 9 | 20 – 13 | 19 – 23 | 6 – 10 | 6 – 4 | 11 – 12 | 7 – 3 | W 1 |
| NY Mets | 34 | 41 | .453 | 14 | 17 – 15 | 17 – 26 | 12 – 12 | 4 – 11 | 8 – 8 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| Washington | 28 | 47 | .373 | 20 | 13 – 27 | 15 – 20 | 7 – 15 | 5 – 5 | 7 – 13 | 2 – 8 | L 2 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Cincinnati | 41 | 35 | .539 | – | 21 – 18 | 20 – 17 | 8 – 9 | 11 – 12 | 7 – 5 | 10 – 0 | W 12 |
| Milwaukee | 39 | 36 | .520 | 1.5 | 22 – 18 | 17 – 18 | 3 – 0 | 11 – 5 | 8 – 15 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Chi Cubs | 36 | 38 | .486 | 4 | 20 – 17 | 16 – 21 | 6 – 10 | 9 – 8 | 9 – 8 | 8 – 2 | W 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 35 | 40 | .467 | 5.5 | 18 – 19 | 17 – 21 | 5 – 3 | 10 – 13 | 9 – 6 | 1 – 9 | W 1 |
| St. Louis | 31 | 44 | .413 | 9.5 | 13 – 21 | 18 – 23 | 4 – 5 | 10 – 13 | 7 – 13 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Arizona | 46 | 31 | .597 | – | 23 – 18 | 23 – 13 | 11 – 11 | 8 – 4 | 16 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| San Francisco | 43 | 33 | .566 | 2.5 | 22 – 18 | 21 – 15 | 9 – 7 | 13 – 7 | 12 – 8 | 9 – 1 | W 1 |
| LA Dodgers | 42 | 33 | .560 | 3 | 23 – 14 | 19 – 19 | 9 – 6 | 12 – 11 | 12 – 10 | 5 – 5 | W 3 |
| San Diego | 37 | 39 | .487 | 8.5 | 20 – 20 | 17 – 19 | 10 – 7 | 6 – 8 | 12 – 13 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| Colorado | 30 | 48 | .385 | 16.5 | 17 – 19 | 13 – 29 | 11 – 14 | 8 – 10 | 4 – 15 | 2 – 8 | W 1 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1868 The Forest Citys, an amateur team organized by the Forest City Baseball Club in 1865, endure a devastating defeat when the Philadelphia A’s pummel them, 85-11. A professional Forest City team will take the field next season, losing Cleveland’s first pro baseball game when they drop a 25-6 decision to the Cincinnati Red Stockings at Case Commons.
1911 Red Sox owner John I. Taylor announces he plans to lay out his new ballpark on slightly more than eight acres of land in the Fenway section of Boston. James McLaughlin serving as chief architect and the Cleveland-based Osborn Engineering Company, a well-respected firm involved in designing Yankee Stadium, Forbes Field, and Tiger Stadium, responsible for the civil engineering services for the $650,000 project, scheduled to begin in September.
1936 Joe DiMaggio becomes the first Yankee and fifth player in major league history to hit two home runs in one inning. The 21-year-old rookie outfielder’s homers come in the fifth frame in an 18-11 rout of the White Sox at Comiskey Park.
1946 Traveling at dusk in light rain en route to Bremerton, eight Spokane Indians players and skipper Mel Cole die when their team bus veers off a Cascade Mountain pass road to avoid an oncoming car approximately sixty miles east of Seattle. Jack Lohrke, a future infielder with the Giants and Phillies, will become known as ‘Lucky,’ having left the bus at its last stop to report to San Diego 15 minutes before the accident at Snoqualmie Pass on Washington’s Highway 10.
1947 At Forbes Field, Jackie Robinson steals home in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the Pirates. It is the Brooklyn infielder’s first thievery of the dish, something the rookie will accomplish 19 times during his ten-year career.
1948 Salisbury Cardinals manager Gene Corbett, previously tossed from the game, instructs batboy Paul Murrell to tell the umpire to “get in the game and keep your eyes open.” After relaying the message, the arbitrators also ejected the 13-year-old from the Class D Eastern Shore League contest.
1950 Giants’ catcher Wes Westrum hits three home runs and a triple, scoring five times and driving in four runs. The 27-year-old cleanup hitter’s fifteen total bases help New York defeat Cincinnati at the Polo Grounds, 12-2.
1950 Willie Mays makes his professional baseball debut, playing centerfield for Trenton, the Giants’ farm team in the Class B Inter-State League. The 19-year-old outfielder from Alabama goes hitless in the game against Hagerstown in Maryland but will hit .353 in 81 games before being promoted to the Minneapolis Millers, the Triple-A affiliate of the parent club.
1953 The Braves sign right-hander Joey Jay from Middletown, Connecticut as an amateur free agent. The 17-year-old bonus baby will become the first former Little Leaguer to play in the major leagues.
1955 Senator third baseman Harmon Killebrew hits his first major league home run in Washington’s 18-7 loss to the Tigers. The 18-year-old rookie, who becomes known as ‘Killer,’ will finish his 22-year Hall of Fame career with 573 homers.
1960 Stan Musial returns to the Cardinals’ lineup after being benched by skipper Solly Hemus, who tried to implement a youth movement at the start of the season. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer responds with a single in the team’s 4-3 loss to Philadelphia.
1962 The longest game ever played in Yankee history ends thanks to a home run hit by Jack Reed in the 22nd inning. The Mississippi native’s lone big league career homer helps the Bronx Bombers beat Detroit in Tiger Stadium, 9-7.
1968 After striking with the bases loaded in the first inning, Jim Northrup becomes the sixth big leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game. The ‘Slammer’s’ power surge in the fifth and sixth frames enable the Tigers to rout the Indians at Cleveland Stadium, 14-3.
1969 Phillies skipper Bob Skinner suspends Dick Allen indefinitely after the slugger fails to appear for a twilight doubleheader at Shea Stadium against New York. Philadelphia reinstates the 27-year-old first baseman, who got stuck in traffic after watching a horse race in New Jersey on July 20.
1970 In the last game played at Crosley Field, Lee May and Johnny Bench hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth to give the Reds a 5-4 win. After the game, home plate is presented to Mayor Eugene Ruehlman and then flown by helicopter to the Reds’ new home, Riverfront Stadium.
1970 After fouling off a “Folly Floater” Steve Hamilton threw in the ninth inning of the eventual 7-2 Cleveland victory at Yankee Stadium, Tony Horton asks the New York hurler to throw him the pitch again. The Indians’ first baseman crawls back to the dugout when backstop Thurman Munson catches his second foul ball.
1977 Bob Watson becomes the first player to complete a cycle in both leagues when he hits an eighth-inning RBI single, leading Houston to a 6-5 victory over the Giants at the Astrodome. The 31-year-old first baseman, duplicated by John Olerud (Mets, 1997, and Mariners, 2001) and Michael Cuddyer (Twins, 2009, and the Rockies, 2014), also collected a single, double, triple, and a home run while wearing a Red Sox uniform in 1979.
1977 After White Sox outfielder Ralph Garr hits what appears to be a three-run homer in the third inning at Metropolitan Stadium, the umpire calls him out when he passes teammate Jim Essian, who waited at first base to make sure the ball cleared the fence. The arbitrators award the ‘Road Runner’ a two-run single, but the mistake proves costly when Chicago loses the game in Minnesota, 7-6.
1979 In a 5-1 defeat to Texas, future Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson makes his major league debut with the A’s. The 20-year-old outfielder singles and doubles and swipes the first of his 1,406 stolen bases, a major league record.
1988 In one of the longest games ever played, it takes 27 innings for the Bluefield Orioles to beat the hometown Burlington Indians, 3-2. The Appalachian League contest, which ended at 3:27 in the morning, lasted eight hours and 15 minutes.
1992 Much to the protest of the Yankees brass, Fay Vincent permanently suspends pitcher Steve Howe for repeated drug offenses after the authorities arrest the left-handed reliever for buying a gram of cocaine. However, an arbitrator will overturn the lifetime ban in November, allowing the former Rookie of the Year to enjoy one of his best seasons when he saves 15 games with a 1.80 ERA for the Bronx Bombers in 1994.
1993 The Padres trade Gary Sheffield and Rich Rodriguez to the Marlins for Andres Berumen, Jose Martinez, and a little-known rookie reliever named Trevor Hoffman. The 25-year-old rookie right-hander will save 552 games during his fifteen and half years with the franchise.
1997 Randy Johnson (11-2) breaks Ron Guidry’s 1978 American League record for strikeouts in a game by a left-hander. The Mariners southpaw whiffs 19 A’s, 13 swinging and eight looking, losing the Kingdome contest, 4-1, while giving up 11 hits, including Mark McGwire and George Williams solo home runs.
2003 Brad Wilkerson becomes the fifth Expo to hit for the cycle, collecting a bunt single in the second, a double in the fifth, a triple in the sixth, and a homer in the seventh. The left fielder’s 4-for-4 performance, which drives in four runs, enables Montreal to beat Pittsburgh, 6-4.
2003 After a 6-for-6 performance against Philadelphia three days ago, Nomar Garciaparra goes 5-for-5 in the Red Sox’ 10-1 rout of Detroit at Fenway Park. All eleven hits are singles.
2004 In a slugfest at the Skydome, Julio Lugo goes 5-for-5 to set a club record for hits in a game. Unfortunately, the Toronto shortstop’s effort isn’t enough to stop the Devil Rays when they pound out 24 hits en route to a 19-13 rout of the Blue Jays.
2005 After Bernie Williams drops the ball in center field, the Mets become the first National League team to hit three sacrifice flies in one inning, starting with Ramon Castro’s sac fly tying the game at 1-1 with David Wright advancing to third. Next, the Yankees’ center fielder drops Jose Reyes’ fly ball, allowing Wright to score; Mike Cameron skies to right, plating Doug Mientkiewicz, who had advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw.
2008 A bench-clearing brawl, resulting in the ejections of 15 players, with some allowed back so the teams could complete the contest, starts when the Peoria Chiefs’ right-hander Julio Castillo fires a ball toward the Dayton Dragons dugout at Fifth Third Field. The 20-year-old Dominican starter will be arrested on a felony assault charge because his errant throw ricochets into the crowd, hitting a male fan.
2008 During an eventual 11-0 interleague loss to the Mariners at Shea Stadium, Brian Runge enrages Jerry Manuel when the ump appears to show up Carlos Beltran after calling a strike on the center fielder. The commissioner’s office suspends the home plate umpire for a game for bumping the Mets manager during the ensuing argument, with the New York skipper and outfielder thrown out of the game and fined for arguing balls and strikes.
2011 In their 5-1 interleague loss to the Rays at Minute Maid Park, the Astros become the first to use three pitchers with the same last name in a single game. Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez is followed to the mound by Fernando Rodriguez in the seventh and eighth, with Aneury Rodriguez tossing a scoreless ninth frame.
2011 In New York’s 4-2 loss to Colorado, A.J. Burnett becomes the first Yankee hurler to strike out four hitters in one inning. The right-hander starts the sixth frame by whiffing Rockies batters Chris Iannetta and Carlos Gonzalez, and when Chris Nelson reaches first base after swinging at a wild pitch for a third strike, he faces Todd Helton and strikes him out swinging to end the inning.
2011 Michael Kacer, a 29-year-old veteran who lost his arm during a rocket attack in Afghanistan, grabs Curtis Granderson’s foul ball at Yankee Stadium. The event attracts national attention when the video of the catch becomes viral on the web, with ESPN including the snag in its top plays segment on SportsCenter.
2011 John McLaren is named the Nationals’ interim manager, replacing Jim Riggleman, who surprised the team by quitting yesterday. Washington GM Mike Rizzo indicates the appointment is just for a few games and will name Davey Johnson as the long-term replacement in the next few days.
2011 For the second time in two years, a club plays as the road team in its home ballpark when MLB shifts the Marlins’ three-game series with the Mariners to Safeco Field due to preparations at Sun Life Stadium for a U2 concert scheduled for Miami. Last season, MLB moved the Blue Jays’ Rogers Centre home series against the Phillies due to security concerns raised by protests directed at the G20 Summit near the Toronto stadium.
2013 At Tropicana Field, the Rays halt the Blue Jays’ 11-game winning streak, 4-3, thanks to back-to-back-to-back home runs in the second inning by James Loney, Wil Myers, and Sam Fuld. The trio of round-trippers marks the second time in franchise history that the team has hit three consecutive home runs; Evan Longoria, Willy Aybar, and Dioner Navarro accomplished the feat in 2008 in Anaheim.
2014 Devin Mesoraco homers in his fifth straight game, tying a Reds’ record previously accomplished by Ted Kluszewski (1954), George Crowe (1957), Johnny Bench (1972), Ken Griffey Jr. (2003), and Adam Dunn (2008). The Cincinnati catcher’s clout comes in the ninth inning of the team’s 7-3 loss to Chicago at Wrigley Field.
2016 The Lexington Legends, a Class A affiliate of the Royals, give away a Glenn Hubbard bobblehead depicting him with a snake draped around his neck. The former Braves infielder’s 1984 Fleer baseball card, showing him holding a real, eight-foot boa constrictor, inspired the minor league team’s promotion.
2018 The A’s connect for a home run in their 25th consecutive road game, breaking the previous mark set by the 1996 Orioles when the team connects. The record-breaking round-tripper comes in the top of the fifth inning when Mark Canha takes Carlos Rondon deep in the top of the fifth inning of Oakland’s eventual 10-3 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
2018 The Dodgers tie a National League record, last accomplished by the 2006 Braves, when the team socks seven solo shots, dealing the Mets a crushing 8-7 loss at Citi Field. Former New York infielder Justin Turner delivers the decisive dinger in the top of the twelfth inning to complete the series sweep and extend the team’s consecutive win streak over the Amazins to twelve straight victories.
2021 At Dodger Stadium, Cubs starter Zach Davies tosses six spotless innings, with Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Craig Kimbrel each adding a hitless frame for the 17th and the first combined no-hitter in franchise history. Chicago’s 4-0 victory marks the seventh major league no-no this season, equaling the record established in 1990, 1991, 2012, and 2015.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Football League Changes its Name
The story was about the June 24, 1922 event where the American Professional Football Association officially renamed itself the National Football League. The article says that the league would soon be offering franchises to many interested cities as they expanded the reach of pro football. The possibility that the cities of Chicago and Cleveland could each have two franchises was eminent as multiple teams were forming and joining the new NFL, as you will soon see below. Each franchise was asked to pony up $1000 to guarantee that they would follow the League’s rules including playing college players while they are still affiliated with a school. A first offense of this was a $500 fine and the second offense was expulsion from the NFL.
June 24, 1922 – Milwaukee Badgers franchise forms and plays from 1922 through 1926. There is more about this team below.
June 24, 1922 – Oorang Indians franchise forms and survives in the 1922 through the 1923 season.
June 24, 1922 – Racine Legion/Tornadoes franchise forms and plays 1922 through 1926.
June 24, 1922 – The Chicago Staleys franchise changes their name to the Chicago Bears.
June 24, 1987 – The Canadian Football League’s Montreal Allouettes franchise folds. This franchise has had its ups and downs. The CFL considers all versions of teams in the city of Montreal to fly under the banner of the Allouettes. In short the team was the Alloutettes from 1946 through the 1981 season. They were then a new team called the Mpntreal Concordes in 1982 to 1985. They came to life once more after the “New” Allouettes in the 1986 and 1987 season only to shut it down once again. After some experimentation in the early 1990’s the Baltimore Stallions were relocated to Montreal and the franchise once again became the Allouettes in 1996.
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
JOE “DOC” ALEXANDER
Position: Guard/Center
Years: 1916-1920
Place of Birth: Silver Creek, NY
Date of Birth: Apr 01, 1898
Place of Death: New York, NY
Date of Death: Sep 12, 1975
Height: 5-11
Weight: 210
High School: Syracuse, NY (Central HS)
Joe Alexander was a three-time All-America choice, making it as a guard in 1918-19 and center in 1920. He was Syracuse captain two years and also captained the lacrosse team one season. Alexander graduated from medical school and began practicing medicine in New York City. He specialized in lung treatment and helped found one of the first tuberculosis centers in New York. For seven years 1921-27 he played in the National Football League on weekends while practicing medicine. He was playing coach of the New York Giants in 1926 posting an 8-4-1 record. Playing for Syracuse in 1918 against Rutgers, he picked up a loose ball and ran 75 yards for a touchdown. He starred in a 1919 conquest of Pittsburgh. It was Pitt’s first loss in four years. Against Colgate in 1920 he lined up on defense on the one-yard line. Colgate ran four plays. Alexander made the tackle on the first three and intercepted a pass on the fourth. He stood 5-11, weighed 210 pounds, and Walter Camp called him “a whirlwind with weight.” In 1937 the New York World-Telegram named him on an all-time All-America team. In 1954 Syracuse University started the Joseph Alexander Award, given each year to a Syracuse player for excellence in football, scholarship, and citizenship. Alexander was born April 1, 1898, and died September 12, 1975.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
9 – 42 – 12
June 24, 1922 – The 2 year old professional football league called the American Professional Football Association renamed itself the National Football League under the direction of President Joe Carr.
June 24, 1922 – The APFA/NFL franchise known as the Chicago Staleys was renamed to the Chicago Bears by team founder, owner, and head coach George Halas. In 1920 the team joined the inaugural season of the league as the Decatur Staleys.
June 24, 1936 – Yankees Rookie outfielder Joe DiMaggio, wearing Number 9 that year, tied a trio of MLB records in New York’s 10-run 5th inning against the Chicago White Sox. DiMaggio hit 2 home runs for 8 total bases as he helped the Yankees beat Chicago, 18-4.
June 24, 1947 – Future Baseball Hall of Fame infielder, Jackie Robinson in his famous Number 42 jersey stole home for the first of 19 times in his career as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
JOHN WARD
Shortstop
“Players have been bought, sold and exchanged as though they were sheep instead of American citizens,” John Montgomery Ward said.
Throughout his career, Ward fought to broaden players’ rights in the game while fashioning an outstanding record as a pitcher and infielder.
Ward was a bright child who attended Penn State University at the age of 13. But tragedy struck the following year, when Ward’s mother died – his father had passed away in 1871 – and he was forced to quit school and support himself. He tried to make it as a traveling salesman, but quit after two weeks and discovered baseball.
He played on semipro teams for a few years and did odd jobs on the side before his big break came with the National League’s Providence Grays in 1878. That year, as an 18-year-old pitcher, he led the NL with a 1.51 ERA on his way to a 22-13 season over 37 starts and 334 innings.
He won a league-leading 47 games in 1878, and the following year became the second pitcher in big league history to throw a perfect game.
Ward was a pitcher and outfielder for his first seven seasons before a nagging arm injury forced a move over to shortstop and second base for the next 10 years. He hit .275 over his career, totaling 2,107 hits and 1,410 runs scored. As a pitcher, he finished with a record of 164-103 and a 2.10 ERA.
Ward also acted as a player-manager, managing parts of seven seasons. He attended law school in the offseason and earned a law degree from Columbia in 1885 and a political science degree in 1886.
He put the degrees to good use by fighting for players’ rights and set up the first-ever players union in 1885, successfully challenging the player reserve clause, which bound players to one team.
Ward retired from baseball at age 34 to continue with his legal career. He represented baseball players against the National League and later acted as president of the Boston Braves franchise.
Ward passed away on March 4, 1925. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964.
TV SATURDAY
| COLLEGE BASEBALL WORLD SERIES | TIME ET | TV |
| Finals Game 1: Florida vs. LSU | 7:09pm | ESPN |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA Tour: Travelers Championship | 1:00pm | GOLF |
| Champions Tour: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| PGA Tour: Travelers Championship | 3:00pm | CBS |
| Women’s PGA Championship | 3:00pm | NBC |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Chi. Cubs at St. Louis | 1:10pm | FOX Bally Sports MARQ |
| Arizona at San Francisco | 4:05pm | Bally Sports NBCS-BAY |
| NY Mets at Philadelphia | 4:05pm | FS1 SNY NBCS-PHI |
| Seattle at Baltimore | 4:05pm | Root Sports MASN/2 |
| Texas at NY Yankees | 4:05pm | Bally Sports YES |
| Oakland at Toronto | 4:07pm | MLBN NBCS-CA Sportsnet |
| Atlanta at Cincinnati | 4:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Kansas City at Tampa Bay | 4:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports |
| Boston at Chi. White Sox | 4:10pm | NESN NBCS-CHI |
| Pittsburgh at Miami | 4:10pm | ATTSN-PIT Bally Sports |
| Milwaukee at Cleveland | 4:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Minnesota at Detroit | 7:15pm | FOX Bally Sports |
| Houston at LA Dodgers | 7:15pm | FOX ATTSN-SW Spectrum |
| Washington at San Diego | 8:40pm | MLBN MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| LA Angels at Colorado | 9:10pm | MLBN Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| MMA | TIME ET | TV |
| UFC Featherwights: Josh Emmett vs. Ilia Topuria | 3:30pm | ABC |
| MOTORSPORTS | TIME ET | TV |
| Xfinity: Tennessee Lottery 250 | 3:30pm | USA |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Brasileirão: Athletico-PR vs Corinthians | 3:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Unión Santa Fe vs Independiente | 4:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fortaleza vs Atlético Mineiro | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Brasileirão: Fluminense vs Bahia | 5:30pm | Paramount+ |
| NWSL: North Carolina Courage vs Racing Louisville FC | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |
| NWSL: Orlando Pride vs Kansas City Current | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Lanús vs Talleres Córdoba | 7:00pm | Paramount+ |
| MLS: Charlotte vs CF Montréal | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Columbus Crew vs Nashville SC | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: DC United vs Cincinnati | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: New England vs Toronto FC | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: New York RB vs Atlanta United | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Philadelphia Union vs Inter Miami | 7:30pm | Apple TV |
| Brasileirão: Cruzeiro vs São Paulo | 8:00pm | Paramount+ |
| MLS: Austin vs Houston Dynamo | 8:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Sporting KC vs Chicago Fire | 8:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Colorado Rapids vs LA Galaxy | 9:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Real Salt Lake vs Minnesota United | 9:30pm | Apple TV |
| NWSL: San Diego Wave vs OL Reign | 10:00pm | Paramount+ |
| MLS: Los Angeles FC vs Vancouver Whitecaps | 10:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Portland Timbers vs New York City | 10:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: Seattle Sounders FC vs Orlando City SC | 10:30pm | Apple TV |
| MLS: SJ Earthquakes vs St. Louis City | 10:30pm | Apple TV |
| TRACK & FIELD | TIME ET | TV |
| NYC Grand Prix | 1:00pm | NBC |
| USFL PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| Pittsburgh vs. Michigan | 8:00pm | NBC Peacock |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Indiana vs Las Vegas | 9:00pm | NBATV |
| Phoenix vs Seattle | 9:00pm |