“THE SCOREBOARD”
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
HOUSTON 6 COLORADO 4
PHILADELPHIA 8 TAMPA BAY 4
ATLANTA 8 CLEVELAND 1
SAN DIEGO 5 LA ANGELS 3
SAN FRANCISCO 2 SEATTLE 0
OAKLAND 12 DETROIT 3
BALTIMORE 6 NY YANKEES 3
BOSTON 4 TEXAS 2
MINNESOTA 5 KANSAS CITY 0
TORONTO AT CHICAGO WHITE SOX POSTPONED
MIAMI 10 ST. LOUIS 9
CINCINNATI 9 WASHINGTON 2
CHICAGO CUBS 4 MILWAUKEE 3
NY METS 2 ARIZONA 1
LA DODGERS 6 PITTSBURGH 4
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MEMPHIS 4 INDIANAPOLIS 1
FORT WAYNE 6 WEST MICHIGAN 1
SOUTH BEND 6 PEORIA 6 (GAME TO BE COMPLETED THURSDAY)
WNBA SCORES
LIBERTY 99 MERCURY 95
LYNX 90 FEVER 83
ACES 89 WINGS 82
DREAM 90 SPARKS 79
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
NEW YORK CITY 1 CHARLOTTE 1
2023 INDIANA FOOTBALL”GREATER INDIANAPOLIS” SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, AUG. 18
CRISPUS ATTUCKS AT WAYNE, 7 PM
SHORTRIDGE AT PURDUE POLY, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT EDINBURGH, 7 PM
WASHINGTON AT PROVIDENCE, 7 PM
NOBLESVILLE HOMESCHOOL AT CHA MANUAL, 7 PM
FRIDAY, AUG. 25
CHA MANUAL AT PURDUE POLY ©, 7 PM
SHORTRIDGE AT WASHINGTON, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT PARK TUDOR, 7 PM
TERRE HAUTE NORTH AT CRISPUS ATTUCKS, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 1
CHA MANUAL AT WASHINGTON ©, 7 PM
CARDINAL RITTER AT PURDUE POLY, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT CRISPUS ATTUCKS ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 8
CRISPUS ATTUCKS AT CHA MANUAL ©, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT SHORTRIDGE, 7 PM
WASHINGTON AT LAKE STATION, 8 PM
PURDUE POLY AT NOBLESVILLE HOMESCHOOL, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 15
CHA MANUAL AT PHALEN ACADEMY, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT COVENANT, 7 PM
PURDUE POLY AT CRISPUS ATTUCKS ©, 7 PM
RILEY AT WASHINGTON, 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 22
CHA MANUAL AT SHORTRIDGE, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT PURDUE POLY ©, 7 PM
PHALEN ACADEMY AT CRISPUS ATTUCKS, 7 PM
SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL AT WASHINGTON, 7 PM
FRIDAY, SEP. 29
COVENANT AT CHA MANUAL, 7 PM
CRISPUS ATTUCKS AT SHORTRIDGE, 7 PM
TINDLEY AT WES-DEL, 7:30 PM
PURDUE POLY AT WASHINGTON ©, 7 PM
FRIDAY, OCT. 6
TINDLEY AT CHA MANUAL ©, 7 PM
WASHINGTON AT CRISPUS ATTUCKS ©, 7 PM
PHALEN ACADEMY AT PURDUE POLY, 7 PM
FRIDAY, OCT. 13
TINDLEY AT WASHINGTON ©, 7 PM
IRVINGTON PREP AT CHA MANUAL, 7 PM
PURDUE POLY AT HERITAGE CHRISTIAN, 7 PM
SOUTHSIDE HOMESCHOOL AT CRISPUS ATTUCKS, 7 PM
COLTS TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 – 10-11 A.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 – 6-7:30 P.M.
SUNDAY, AUG. 6 – 2-3:45 P.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 8 – 9-10:30 A.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 10 – 9-10 A.M.
TUESDAY, AUG. 15 – 9-10 A.M.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16 – 6-8 P.M.
THURSDAY, AUG. 17 – 6-8 P.M.
WEDNESDAY’S TRANSACTIONS
BASEBALL
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB — SUSPENDED NEW YORK YANKEE RHP JIMMY CORDERO FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE 2023 SEASON AND POST-SEASON FOR VIOLATING JOINT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ABUSE AND CHILD ABUSE POLICY.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
BALTIMORE ORIOLES — SELECTED THE CONTRACTS OF OF COLTON COWSER AND RHP EDUARD BAZARDO FROM NORFOLK (IL). OPTIONED OF RYAN MCKENNA TO NORFOLK. DESIGNATED C ANTHONY BEMBOOM AND RHP CHRIS VALLIMONT FOR ASSIGNMENT.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX — AGREED TO TERMS WITH RHP JORDAN HOLLOWAY ON A MINOR LEAGUE CONTRACT.
DETROIT TIGERS — OPTIONED RHP GARRETT HILL TO TOLEDO (IL). REINSTATED LHP EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ FROM THE 15-DAY IL.
HOUSTON ASTROS — OPTIONED LHP PARKER MUSHINSKI TO SUGAR LAND (PCL).
KANSAS CITY ROYALS — RECALLED RHP DYLAN COLEMAN FROM OMAHA (IL). PLACED RHP ZACK GREINKE ON THE 15-DAY IL.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS — RECALLED RHP ZACK WEISS FROM SALT LAKE (PCL). OPTIONED RHP GERARDO REYES TO SALT LAKE.
MINNESOTA TWINS — REINSTATED RHP COLE SANDS FROM THE 15-DAY IL. OPTIONED RHP JOSH WINDER TO ST. PAUL (IL).
NEW YORK YANKEES — RECALLED RHP RANDY VASQUEZ FROM SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE (IL). PLACED RHP JIMMY CORDERO ON THE RESTRICTED LIST.
SEATTLE MARINERS — SELECTED THE CONTRACT OF LHP TOMMY MILONE FROM TACOMA (PCL). OPTIONED RHP DARREN MCCAUGHAN TO TACOMA. TRANSFERRED RHP PENN MURFEE FROM THE 15-DAY IL TO THE 60-DAY IL.
TAMPA BAY RAYS — OPTIONED LHP JALEN BEEKS TO DURHAM (IL). RECALLED RHP LUIS PATINO FROM DURHAM.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
LOS ANGELES DODGERS — SENT RHP RICKY VANASCO OUTRIGHT TO OKLAHOMA CITY (PCL).
MIAMI MARLINS — RECALLED SS GARRETT HAMPSON FROM JACKSONVILLE (IL).
MILWAUKEE BREWERS — PLACED 1B ROWDY TELLEZ ON THE 10-DAY IL. RELEASED LHP THOMAS PANNONE. REINSTATED 3B BRIAN ANDERSON FROM THE PATERNITY LIST. DESIGNATED 3B MIKE BROSSEAU FOR ASSIGNMENT. SELECTED THE CONTRACT OF RHP J.C. MEJIA FROM NASHVILLE (IL). OPTIONED LHP CLAYTON ANDREWS AND RHP J.B. BUKAUSKAS TO NASHVILLE. RECALLED RHP TYSON MILLER FROM NASHVILLE.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — PLACED RHP ADAM WAINWRIGHT ON THE 15-DAY IL AND C ANDREW KNIZNER ON THE 10-DAY IL. RECALLED C IVAN HERRERA, RHP DAKOTA HUDSON AND LHP ZACK THOMPSON FROM MEMPHIS (IL). OPTIONED RHP JAMES NAILE TO MEMPHIS.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS — RECALLED OF ALEX CALL FROM ROCHESTER (IL). DESIGNATED OF DEREK HILL FOR ASSIGNMENT.
MINOR LEAGUE
ATLANTIC LEAGUE
LONG ISLAND DUCKS — SIGNED RHP MATT SOLTER. SOLD RHP STEPHEN WOODS, JR.’S CONTRACT TO FUBON (CHINESE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE).
FRONTIER LEAGUE
NEW JERSEY JACKALS — SOLD THE CONTRACT OF SS TI’QUAN FORBES TO LEONES DE YUCATAN (MEXICAN LEAGUE). RELEASED LHP ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ.
QUEBEC CAPITALES — RELEASED C JORDAN SIKET.
SUSSEX COUNTY MINERS — SIGNED LHP MIKE REAGAN.
TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS — SIGNED OF LAMAR BRIGGS AND RHP BLAKE WORKMAN.
TROIS-RIVIERES AIGLES — RELEASED RHPS SAM POLIQUIN AND RAY WEBER AND OF MALIK WILLIAMS.
WASHINGTON WILD THINGS — RELEASED LHP WILL SOLOMAN AND C LOLO WILLIAMS.
BASKETBALL
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
BROOKLYN NETS — SIGNED F JALEN WILSON TO A TWO-WAY CONTRACT.
DETROIT PISTONS — SIGNED G MARCUS SASSER TO A ROOKIE CONTRACT.
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS — WAIVED G GARRETT TEMPLE.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS — SIGNED G SIR’JABARI RICE TO A TWO-WAY CONTRACT.
FOOTBALL
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
MIAMI DOLPHINS — SIGNED CB CAM SMITH.
HOCKEY
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
BOSTON BRUINS — SIGNED C JAKUB LAUKO TO A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT.
BUFFALO SABRES — SIGNED D KALE CLAGUE TO A ONE-YEAR, TWO-WAY CONTRACT.
DETROIT RED WINGS — NAMED KRIS DRAPER ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER AND DIRECTOR OF AMATEUR SCOUTING.
FLORIDA PANTHERS — SIGNED F RASMUS ASPLUND TO A ONE-YEAR, TWO-WAY CONTRACT.
MONTREAL CANADIENS — SIGNED D DAVID REINBACHER TO A THREE-YEAR, ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS — SIGNED F JULIEN GAUTHIER TO A TWO-YEAR, CONTRACT AND FS KARSON KUHLMAN AND BRIAN PINHO TO ONE-YEAR, TWO-WAY CONTRACTS.
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS — SIGNED D RONNIE ATTARD TO A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT.
WASHINGTON CAPITALS — SIGNED D CHASE PRISKIE TO A ONE-YEAR, TWO-WAY CONTRACT.
WINNIPEG JETS — SIGNED G DOMENIC DIVINCENTIIS TO A THREE-YEAR, ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT.
SOCCER
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
ATLANTA UNITED — ACQUIRED $400,000 IN GENERAL ALLOCATION MONEY (GAM) AND A 2023 INTERNATIONALS ROSTER SLOT FROM COLORADO RAPIDS IN EXCHANGE FOR D ANDREW GUTMAN.
D.C. UNITED — ACQUIRED A 2024 SECOND-ROUND SUPERDRAFT PICK AND A CONDITIONAL $50,000 IN GENERAL ALLOCATION MONEY FROM NEW ENGLAND IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL FOR M IAN HARKES.
LOS ANGELES FC — ACQUIRED $1,750,000 IN GENERAL ALLOCATION MONEY (GAM) FROM MONTREAL IN EXCHANGE FOR F KWADWO ‘MAHALA’ OPOKU.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION — SIGNED M IAN HARKES TO A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT.
PHILADELPHIA UNION — LOANED M BRANDAN CRAIG TO AUSTIN FC THOUGH THE END OF THE SEASON IN EXCHANGE FOR A 2024 THIRD-ROUND SUPERDRAFT PICK AND UP TO $125,000 IN GENERAL ALLOCATION MONEY (GAM).
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC — ACQUIRED $150,000 IN GENERAL ALLOCATION MONEY (GAM) FROM COLUMBUS IN EXCHANGE FOR A 2023 INTERNATIONAL ROSTER SLOT.
USL CHAMPIONSHIP
SAN DIEGO LOYAL SC — SIGNED D CARLOS GUZMAN, PENDING LEAGUE AND FEDERATION APPROVAL.
NATIONAL WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE
GOTHAM FC — SIGNED F KATIE STENGEL ON LOAN FROM LIVERPOOL FC THROUGH SEPT. 3.
COLLEGE
RUTGERS — NAMED JEANINE WASIELEWSKI ASSISTANT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH.
TENNESSEE — EXTENDED THE CONTRACT OF RYAN RIDDER AS HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH.
TOP NATIONAL RELEASES/HEADLINES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: TWINS’ PABLO LOPEZ FANS 12, BLANKS ROYALS
Pablo Lopez struck out a career-high 12 batters and scattered four hits for the first complete-game shutout of his career as the Minnesota Twins completed a series sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 5-0 win on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Lopez (5-5) needed just 100 pitches, 76 of which were strikes, to complete the gem. He struck out the side in both the fifth and sixth innings to highlight a stretch that saw him retire 15 batters in a row. He didn’t walk a batter and allowed two extra-base hits — two-out doubles in the first and eighth innings.
Ryan Jeffers homered and had two hits and Edouard Julien also went deep for Minnesota, which improved to 9-1 this season against the Royals. It was the second three-game series sweep of the season for Minnesota and the first since opening the season with a three-game sweep in Kansas City.
Alec Marsh (0-2) gave up three runs, two earned, in five innings for the Royals, who lost for the 31st time in 43 road games.
Mets 2, Diamondbacks 1
Francisco Alvarez hit a tying homer with two outs in the ninth inning and Mark Canha ripped a go-ahead triple later in the frame as New York rallied for a stunning victory over Arizona in Phoenix.
Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Chafin (2-2) set down the first two batters in the ninth before Alvarez sent a full-count sinker over the fence in right-center to tie the score.
Brett Baty followed with a single before Canha came up and smacked a long drive to center that Alek Thomas couldn’t run down, driving in Baty. New York rookie Kodai Senga (7-5) matched his career best of 12 strikeouts while tossing a career-high eight innings. He allowed one run on four hits and one walk.
Orioles 6, Yankees 3
Colton Cowser hit an RBI single in his major league debut and Felix Bautista recorded a four-out save as Baltimore beat host New York after losing the first two of the four-game series.
Cowser lined out and grounded out in his first two at-bats before coming through to drive in the first of Baltimore’s four sixth-inning runs against Nick Ramirez (0-1) and Michael King.
Baltimore starter Dean Kremer (9-4) struck out a career-high 10 and pitched seven innings while yielding two runs (one earned). The game was delayed for more than 15 minutes when an errant fifth-inning throw from Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson hit a YES Network camera operator in the head. The cameraman was alert when he was taken to a hospital.
Padres 5, Angels 3
Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits and San Diego drew 11 walks while completing a sweep over visiting Los Angeles — the Padres’ first three-game sweep of the season.
The Angels, who were swept by the Padres for the first time since 1999, have lost seven of their past eight games. With the sweep, the Padres matched their longest winning streak of the season at three games.
Tatis doubled off Angels reliever Jacob Webb (1-1) with one out at the score tied in the seventh then eventually scored what would be the winning run on a Xander Bogaerts groundout to the pitcher. Despite giving up a lead earlier in the seventh, reliever Nick Martinez (4-3) was credited with the win.
Marlins 10, Cardinals 9
St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks’ throwing error allowed two runs to score in the bottom of the ninth as host Miami stunned the Cardinals in walk-off fashion.
With the Cardinals leading 9-8 with one out in the ninth, the Marlins had runners on first and second. Hicks (1-5) fielded Joey Wendle’s soft grounder and had plenty of time to make the play at first, but he double-clutched and threw over Paul Goldschmidt’s head as Garrett Hampson and Yuli Gurriel scored.
With St. Louis down to its final strike in the top of the ninth, Jordan Walker gave the Cardinals a 9-8 lead with a two-run homer. A.J. Puk (4-2) notched the win despite giving up two runs in the ninth inning.
Giants 2, Mariners 0
Alex Cobb threw six shutout innings and San Francisco took advantage of a dropped flyball by All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez for a run in a victory over visiting Seattle.
Taylor Rogers, Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval combined with Cobb (6-2) on a seven-hitter, helping the Giants avoid a three-game sweep while snapping a four-game losing streak.
Promoted from the minors pregame to make just his second start of the season, Mariners left-hander Tommy Milone (0-1) gave up two runs, one earned, in 4 1/3 innings. Seattle had a four-game winning streak end.
Dodgers 6, Pirates 4
J.D. Martinez and David Peralta hit home runs in a span of three pitches and Los Angeles hung on for a victory over visiting Pittsburgh.
Martinez belted a three-run home run in the fifth inning and Peralta added a solo shot one batter later as the Dodgers came back from an early 4-0 deficit.
Los Angeles rookie Bobby Miller (5-1) gave up four runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski homered for the Pirates, who failed to score in the seventh and ninth innings despite loading the bases with no outs each time.
Phillies 8, Rays 4
Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner homered and Taijuan Walker battled through seven innings as Philadelphia earned a victory over Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Philadelphia’s 17-hit attack featured four hits from Bryson Stott, while J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm each chipped in with three hits. Walker (10-3) gave up four runs in the first three innings but held Tampa Bay scoreless over the next four frames.
The Rays went with Zack Littell as an opener, and he allowed two runs in two innings. Reliever Yonny Chirinos (4-4) took the loss after yielding three runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Astros 6, Rockies 4
Yainer Diaz homered twice and drove in three runs, and Houston beat visiting Colorado to win its fourth consecutive game while completing a two-game series sweep.
Diaz set the tone in the second inning with a solo shot to left field off Chase Anderson (0-4). Diaz and Jose Abreu hit two-run homers in the fourth.
C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk went deep for the Rockies, who pulled within 5-4 in the seventh but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Athletics 12, Tigers 3
Jordan Diaz had three hits, including a homer, and three runs as Oakland pounded host Detroit, the fourth win in five games for the A’s.
A’s starter Austin Pruitt retired all nine batters he faced. Ken Waldichuk (2-5) gave up two runs and two hits in 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Detroit starter Eduardo Rodriguez (4-5) gave up five runs and six hits in four innings. Rodriguez was making his first start since May 28. He was activated from the injured list after recovering from a finger injury.
Red Sox 4, Rangers 2
Brayan Bello tossed seven innings to help Boston end a four-game home losing streak by beating Texas.
Bello (6-5) limited the Rangers to two runs on eight hits. Justin Turner had two hits and two RBIs for Boston, which dropped a 6-2 decision to Texas on Tuesday.
Adolis Garcia hit a two-run home run for the Rangers. Texas received three hits from Corey Seager, who has reached base in 24 straight games.
Cubs 4, Brewers 3
Mike Tauchman hit a game-tying, two-run double in the ninth inning, then scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error by third baseman Brian Anderson as Chicago rallied past host Milwaukee.
Chicago trailed 3-1 entering the ninth, facing All-Star Devin Williams (4-2). The Cubs have won two in a row for the first time since a four-game winning streak from June 19-24.
Willy Adames clubbed a tiebreaking homer off Steele in the sixth inning, and Anderson added an RBI single later in the frame for a 3-1 Milwaukee lead. Christian Yelich and Andruw Monasterio each had two hits.
Braves 8, Guardians 1
Sean Murphy belted a solo homer, drove in two runs and scored three times to highlight his four-hit performance, powering visiting Atlanta to a victory over Cleveland.
Austin Riley homered to lead off the seventh inning and Matt Olson did the same in the ninth to cap his three-hit night for the Braves, who banged out 19 hits en route to their 18th win in 20 games.
Guardians starter Cal Quantrill (2-6) absorbed his fourth straight loss after yielding five runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Steven Kwan and Will Brennan each had two hits for Cleveland.
Reds 9, Nationals 2
Elly De La Cruz had a home run and two doubles, Graham Ashcraft pitched six strong innings and visiting Cincinnati beat Washington for its fourth straight win.
Joey Votto had a homer and two singles for the Reds. Cincinnati, 13-2 over its past 15 road games, will look for a four-game sweep on Thursday. The Reds have homered in 19 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in franchise history behind the 1956 club, which homered in 21 straight.
Lane Thomas and Corey Dickerson had two hits each for the Nationals, who have one win in their past 14 home games. Washington starter Josiah Gray (6-7) allowed five runs, three earned, over five innings.
YANKEES PITCHER CORDERO IS SUSPENDED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON UNDER MLB’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE POLICY
NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees pitcher Jimmy Cordero was suspended for the rest of the season by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday for violating the sport’s domestic violence policy.
Major League Baseball said the 31-year-old Dominican right-hander accepted the suspension and will miss the season’s final 76 games and the postseason. He loses $309,677 in pay.
Asked if he would welcome Cordero back on the team, New York captain Aaron Judge told reporters: “I think that’s a ways away. I’m not sure. I’ll have a better answer for you when the season’s over.”
Cordero was 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in one start and 30 relief appearances and has a $720,000 salary, the major league minimum. He missed the 2021 season after having Tommy John surgery while with the Chicago White Sox organization and spent 2022 with the Yankees’ Triple-A team at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
“I found out about the suspension last night. He came to me a couple days ago and gave me a heads-up as to an investigation going on. That’s kind of the extent of it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday night before a game against Baltimore.
“You get that news or you hear about that and it’s sad. Your heart goes out to everyone involved. Again, I don’t have any details, I don’t know what went down, which is part of the idea of the investigation and the policy in place is, it’s meant to work that way.”
The Yankees said in a statement they supported MLB’s discipline and “there is no justification for domestic violence.”
As per the policy, MLB said Cordero will “participate in a confidential and comprehensive evaluation and treatment program supervised by the Joint Policy Board.”
“We talked in person. He kind of just filled me in on what was going to happen before I heard it from anybody else,” Judge said. “I just said, `Hey, learn from this.’ I was pretty upset. I know a lot of the guys on the team were upset. But this is in the league’s hand. The league handed down the suspension. Hopefully, he learns from this and becomes a better person on the other side.”
Cordero is the 18th player disciplined by MLB since the sport’s domestic violence policy was implemented in 2016. New York pitcher Domingo Germán was given an 81-game suspension under the policy that he served in 2019 and 2020. Germán last week pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history.
Boone said the Yankees got wind of a possible MLB investigation underway involving Cordero within the past week or so.
“When things like this that are about as serious as it gets come up, there’s a heavy price to be paid,” Boone said. “And certainly I support that, I know the organization supports that. And hopefully now it turns to hopefully genuine healing.”
Boone said he thinks Cordero began speaking to teammates about the situation after Tuesday’s game. The manager said a large group of Yankees got together Wednesday to talk about it.
“My biggest thing right now is just feeling for the situation and hoping and praying that something good comes out of this, that there’s maturity, that there’s growth, that there’s healing in whatever is going on,” Boone said. “As far as (the) bullpen, I mean that’s — I wouldn’t even say secondary. That’s baseball, we’ll deal with that. This is real life and a much more serious situation.”
The players’ association said Cordero did not ask the organization to issue a statement from him.
“It’s a sad situation. Just thinking about Cordero’s family and his wife and kids, you know, it’s a tough situation that you never want to see anybody go through,” Judge said.
“I just got a chance to meet Jimmy this year in spring training, and it definitely came (as) a surprise to a lot of us because we really didn’t know about it and all of a sudden you come in today and there was a suspension. So I’m hoping he can get some help and his family can get some help and they can get through this process, man, because it’s a very terrible, terrible incident.”
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Cordero is 6-7 with a 4.36 ERA in 114 major league games, including one start, over four seasons with the Nationals, Blue Jays, White Sox and Yankees. His most recent outing was Sunday in St. Louis, where he allowed three runs and five hits in two innings against the Cardinals.
Cordero was placed on the restricted list.
MARLINS PLACE CENTER FIELDER JONATHAN DAVIS ON IL WITH RIGHT KNEE SPRAIN
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins placed center fielder Jonathan Davis on the injured list with a right knee sprain a day after he was carted off the field in a win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Davis dived as he attempted to catch Tommy Edman’s deep drive with one out in the fifth inning Tuesday. He briefly had the ball in his glove but lost possession as he rolled on the warning track and immediately started favoring his knee.
Davis was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Wednesday.
Miami placed him on the 10-day injured list and recalled utility player Garrett Hampson from Triple-A Jacksonville.
The 31-year-old Davis, acquired from Detroit on May 22, figured to get extended time in center field after starter Jazz Chisholm Jr. was placed on the injured list Monday because of a left oblique strain. Davis also stepped in for Chisholm while he was sidelined with a turf toe injury last month.
Miami continues a seven-game homestand Wednesday with third game of a four-game series against the Cardinals.
SPARKED BY ELLY DE LA CRUZ, THE CINCINNATI REDS ARE WINNING AND HAVING PLENTY OF FUN DOING IT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elly De La Cruz walked through the clubhouse wearing a shirt with his face and nickname, “La Cocoa,” on it. Sitting at his locker facing the rest of the room, Joey Votto joked to a nearby coach that he should let the kids play.
The kids are playing, all right, and the Cincinnati Reds are winning as a result.
Sparked by De La Cruz, the rookie sensation whose major league debut last month coincided with Cincinnati’s season turning around, the Reds are rolling toward the All-Star break playing some of the best baseball in quite some time for the storied franchise. They’re atop the NL Central and on pace to make the playoffs for just the second time in a decade, with a team full of young players who are having plenty of fun along the way.
“We have very good vibes going on,” De La Cruz said through an interpreter. “It feels like everyone’s united and everyone’s just trying to help each other out.”
It’s working. The Reds are 20-6 since De La Cruz joined them on June 6.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound dreadlocked 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic has brought smiles in the dugout and production on the field. Through his first 25 games, he is batting .308 and has driven in 13 runs, launched three home runs, stole 10 bases and became Cincinnati’s first player to hit for the cycle since 1989.
“Elly’s playing great since he’s been here, and that’s helped us a lot,” said David Bell, now in his fourth season as Reds manager. “We’ve definitely played well since Elly’s been here.”
It also helps that Votto, the 2010 NL MVP and longtime face of the franchise, returned on June 19 after missing the previous 10 months while recovering from surgery to repair his left biceps and rotator cuff. Now 39, Votto is feeling the best he has in well over a year.
He has a tough time containing his joy.
“I’ve got a dirty little secret: I actually can’t stand baseball, so every day is a nightmare for me,” Votto deadpanned earlier this week after hitting a home run to snap a 0-for-21 slump in yet another win.
“I’ve been having a great time. Guys are young, energized, motivated. Winning, of course, but it has a lot to do with the personalities in the clubhouse. These guys are silly and talented and getting better.”
Votto, who turns 40 in September, is by far Cincinnati’s oldest player. De La Cruz is the youngest — one of 21 players on the 26-man roster who hadn’t been born yet the last time the organization won the World Series in 1990.
Shortstop Matt McLain is 23, first-time All-Star closer Alexis Díaz and second baseman Jonathan India are 26 and center fielder TJ Friedl is 27. The mix has worked well.
“We’re just having fun together, playing the game we love, playing with heart, playing with passion — that’s our mentality,” India said Tuesday after a third consecutive victory. “We just care about winning. We have one goal in mind: to make it to the end and win the ring.”
The Reds haven’t won a playoff series since 1995. Getting to and through October is now their goal.
“It’s really been a fun time so far,” Votto said. “And I think the good times are actually ahead of us.”
CARDINALS PLACE ADAM WAINWRIGHT, ANDREW KNIZNER ON INJURED LIST
MIAMI (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-hander Adam Wainwright and catcher Andrew Knizner on the injured list ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Miami Marlins.
Wainwright was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. He was lifted in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 15-2 loss to Miami after giving up consecutive one-out walks. The 41-year-old Wainwright gave up seven runs, four earned, and seven hits.
Knizner, 28, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right groin area injury after he was hit by a foul ball in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game. He finished the half inning and was replaced by Willson Contreras.
Knizner is batting .227 with a career-high five home runs and 15 RBIs over 35 games this season.
Wainwright made his 401st start Tuesday, tying him with Bob Forsch for second on the Cardinals’ career list. Bob Gibson started 482 games for the Cardinals during his Hall of Fame career.
Wainwright is 3-4 with a 7.66 ERA over 11 starts this season.
St. Louis recalled catcher Iván Herrera, right-hander Dakota Hudson and left-hander Zack Thompson from Triple-A Memphis. They will be active for Game 3 of the series against the Marlins on Wednesday night. Right-hander James Naile was optioned to Memphis.
ROYALS PLACE RHP ZACK GREINKE (SHOULDER) ON IL
The Kansas City Royals placed veteran right-hander Zack Greinke on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to shoulder tendinitis.
Greinke felt pain in his pitching shoulder during the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 9-3 loss against the Minnesota Twins and was pulled from the game.
The Royals recalled right-hander Dylan Coleman from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move.
Greinke (1-9, 5.44 ERA) said the shoulder was not bothering him when he took the mound to start the sixth inning. He said he experienced discomfort during a six-pitch at-bat to Minnesota’s Jose Miranda.
After Greinke retired Miranda on a pop-up, he motioned to the dugout. He soon exited with a team trainer.
“It just wasn’t coming out the same,” Greinke told reporters afterward. “So, figured it was better to come out then try to keep doing that and make things worse all the way around. Probably wasn’t going to get many guys out and probably would have made my shoulder worse.”
Greinke, 39, gave up six runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He served up three homers, struck out three and walked none.
Greinke is winless in his last 11 starts in the second season of his second tour of duty with Kansas City. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2009 during his first and has an overall record of 224-150 and 3.48 ERA with six teams.
Coleman, 26, had an 18.00 ERA during five appearances for the Royals earlier this season.
ASTROS 2B JOSE ALTUVE TO HAVE MRI ON OBLIQUE
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will have an MRI Wednesday on his left oblique, manager Dusty Baker confirmed.
Altuve, who tweaked the muscle at batting practice Tuesday, missed four games last month with an oblique issue but avoided a trip to the injured list.
He is batting .264 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 32 games this season. Altuve missed the first 43 games of the season with fractured right thumb, an injury sustained at the World Baseball Classic.
An eight-time All-Star and three-time batting champ, Altuve is a career .306 hitter with 198 homers and 714 RBIs in 1,610 games over 13 seasons with the Astros.
Altuve was scratched from the lineup before Tuesday’s game against Colorado. He was replaced by Mauricio Dubon at second base in a 4-1 win against the visiting Rockies.
MEN’S TENNIS
NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND IGA SWIATEK WON AT WIMBLEDON. PROTESTERS AND RAIN CAPTURED THE ATTENTION
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The developments at Wimbledon on Wednesday included Novak Djokovic joining Roger Federer and Serena Williams as the only players in tennis history to win 350 Grand Slam matches; a runner-up two years ago, Karolina Pliskova, exiting in the first round against a qualifier; a player seeded No. 8, Maria Sakkari, taking the opening set 6-0 but managing to lose.
Ho-hum. Those turned out to be among the least unusual happenings around the All England Club on Day 3 of this year’s tournament. That’s because so much of the buzz around the place concerned protests and, yes, rain.
Three environmental activists were arrested for interrupting matches by making their way onto court to toss orange confetti — hidden in boxes for 1,000-piece Centre Court puzzles sold at the tournament merchandise shops — and attract attention to an anti-oil organization.
“We’ve had enough disruptions with the weather,” four-time Wimbledon semifinalist Tim Henman, a member of the board at the All England Club, said on the BBC broadcast, “but to get a disruption like that is disappointing.”
The showers that were so problematic on Tuesday returned Wednesday, limiting the hours available for competition and making everyone wait and wait and wait.
“Today was a bit weird in the beginning, because there was supposed to be no rain, then it started raining,” said No. 6 Holger Rune, who eliminated British wild-card entry George Loffhagen 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2 in a first-rounder that was originally supposed to be held Tuesday. “It was a little bit frustrating at the end.”
Consider: While four players who got to play at the two arenas with retractable roofs already are into the third round, including Djokovic and the No. 1 woman, Iga Swiatek, there remain 14 entrants who have yet to contest a single point in the first round. That latter group includes 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, 2020 U.S. Open runner-up Alexander Zverev and Karolina Muchova, who lost to Swiatek in last month’s French Open final.
“For sure, it’s really comfortable,” Swiatek said after beating Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-0 at Centre Court. “I’m happy that my matches were scheduled under the roof, so I always was certain that it’s going to actually happen. It’s a little bit easier to prepare knowing that.”
The others moving into the third round were Jannik Sinner and Daria Kasatkina.
Djokovic, owner of a men’s-record 23 Grand Slam trophies, was two points from dropping the second set against Jordan Thompson before sealing that tiebreaker with an ace, then jutting his right index finger against his temple while strutting to the sideline along the way to winning 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Seeking a record-tying eighth Wimbledon championship, and record-tying fifth in a row, he was on Centre Court — where he’s won 41 times in a row — and so did not need to deal with the sorts of stops and starts endured by players such as Americans Taylor Fritz, the No. 9 seed, and Frances Tiafoe, who is No. 10.
Fritz’s first-round match against Yannick Hanfmann of Germany was suspended midway through the fifth set all the way back on Monday and never resumed Tuesday. So Fritz did a lot of stewing until he finally was able to get back on No. 2 Court to wrap up his 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 triumph.
“It’s tough to kind of just be sitting on that, thinking about it for like two days. You’re potentially (with) 15 minutes left in a match at the very end of it, and for it to be a Grand Slam, fifth set, it kind of adds to it,” Fritz said. “I spent most of the time sitting on the bench near my locker in the locker room, just like on my phone, like YouTube videos, whatever. Just killing time.”
Tiafoe seemed a lot less fussed.
He and Wu Yibing of China were originally due to play Tuesday, but began Wednesday. Tiafoe won 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4.
“It’s just laughable stuff,” Tiafoe said. “I ate a little bit, listened to music, cracked jokes with other players. There’s not really much to do. It’s not like I can go catch a movie or something. I mean, there’s not much going on. Just chilling, honestly.”
One of the highlights of Tuesday’s schedule — 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem vs. two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas — got through just 1 1/2 sets that afternoon and so turned into one of the highlights of Wednesday’s schedule.
Wound up going five sets and nearly four hours on No. 2 Court before Tsitsipas delivered one last forehand winner to close out his 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (10-8) win.
“It was pretty stressful,” said Tsitsipas, who plays Andy Murray on Thursday. “I won’t lie.”
NBA NEWS
ANTETOKOUNMPO HAD KNEE SURGERY THIS OFFSEASON, SHOULD BE READY FOR TRAINING CAMP, BUCKS COACH SAYS
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had surgery on his left knee during the offseason, but the two-time MVP should be ready for training camp, Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin said Wednesday.
Griffin said after a practice with the Bucks’ summer league team that Antetokounmpo had a “routine” procedure.
“He had a routine surgery on his left knee, and it went great,” Griffin said. “Everything went as planned, and we expect him back and ready to go in training camp.”
It’s unclear whether the surgery will prevent Antetokounmpo from playing for Greece in the World Cup, which begins Aug. 25.
Antetokounmpo finished third in MVP balloting this past season. He averaged a career-high 31.1 points along with 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 63 games. Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks post the NBA’s best regular-season record before their stunning first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat.
Eleven of the games he missed over the course of the season were due to what the team described as left knee soreness.
REPORT: CELTICS TRADING GRANT WILLIAMS TO MAVS IN 3-TEAM DEAL WITH SPURS
The Boston Celtics are finalizing a three-team deal that’ll send forward Grant Williams to the Dallas Mavericks, sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Williams, a restricted free agent, will pen a four-year, $53-million contract as part of a sign-and-trade agreement to join the Mavericks, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The San Antonio Spurs will reportedly receive Mavericks wing Reggie Bullock and the right to swap picks with Dallas in 2030 as a part of the deal. Meanwhile, both the Celtics and Mavericks will each acquire two second-round selections, according to Wojnarowski.
Williams emerged as a key piece of the Celtics’ rotation over the past two campaigns, during which he averaged eight points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting over 40% from deep. The 24-year-old was also occasionally thrust into the starting lineup in that span, making 44 starts in 156 contests.
Bullock spent the past two years in Dallas following a pair of seasons with the New York Knicks. In 78 appearances with the Mavericks in 2022-23, the 32-year-old started 55 games and registered 7.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 38% on 5.1 attempts from distance.
The reported acquisition of Williams is Dallas’ second significant transaction Wednesday. The team also reportedly signed Portland Trail Blazers restricted free agent Matisse Thybulle to an undisclosed offer sheet. However, the Blazers have two days to match Dallas’ terms.
LILLARD’S NEXT TEAM: WHO BETTING ODDS SUGGEST WILL TRADE FOR BLAZERS STAR
The Damian Lillard-Trail Blazers partnership is coming to an end. After multiple offseasons of the franchise and its all-time leading scorer playing cat and mouse, Lillard finally requested a trade last week.
Lillard has played in Portland for his entire 11-year NBA career and led the club to eight consecutive playoff appearances, including one Western Conference finals appearance.
However, the Blazers have missed the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns. Lillard averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game this past season, but a lackluster supporting cast prevented Portland from making any noise.
The likelihood of Lillard finishing his career in Portland seems very small. It’s just a matter of where he lands.
Why the Heat are the favorites
The Heat are the most logical fit for Lillard from a basketball standpoint, and Lillard specifically requested to be sent there. However, multiple reports indicate the Blazers are underwhelmed with Miami’s offer, which includes Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, Kyle Lowry, and multiple picks.
The haul for the best player in franchise history should be greater. But there are only so many suitors in play.
Lillard is set to make $45 million next year, $48 million the following season, and $58 million in 2025-26. Some teams are hesitant to take on that salary for an aging star, while others simply lack the cap space.
Miami could ship off younger players and add Lillard to a core of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, who just led the team to the NBA Finals as an 8-seed.
Lillard scored 1.13 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball-handler last season, which ranked in the 93rd percentile. Adebayo scored 1.14 points per possession as the roll man. The two paired together would be devastating for opposing defenses. Lillard is also a seamless fit because he can play off the ball alongside Butler. Lillard shot 51.6% on assisted 3-point field goals last season.
The Heat currently have the fourth-best odds to win the Eastern Conference at +600. Those would shorten considerably if Lillard joined.
Why Portland is still in play
Before Lillard’s trade request, the Blazers were -300 to retain Lillard. They’ve since jumped to +700.
The Blazers don’t have to make a move if they don’t get an offer to their liking. After all, Lillard still has three guaranteed years left on his contract.
In a star-driven league, precedent suggests that when a player asks out, he’s usually sent to his preferred destination. Portland should do what’s best for the franchise’s future, but it doesn’t have leverage. If Lillard isn’t traded, or if he’s moved to a team he doesn’t want to play for, he can refuse to play.
Other teams could put together better trade packages, but if an organization isn’t sure it would have Lillard’s full commitment, it likely won’t even engage.
How the Nets or Celtics could land Lillard
The Nets are constantly discussed as a landing spot for Lillard despite having the sixth-best odds to do so. A move would pair Lillard with Mikal Bridges, who has solidified himself as a bona fide star.
Brooklyn has few other worthy assets to surrender in return for Lillard, though. Any package would be centered around a multitude of draft picks along with Spencer Dinwiddie and perhaps Cam Thomas.
Bridges played second or third fiddle for the first few years of his career with the Suns. He broke through as a worthy primary option in his 27 games in Brooklyn this past season, averaging 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Pairing a budding superstar with an aging one could yield great results if surrounded by the right supporting cast. But does Brooklyn want to mortgage its future for a soon-to-be 33-year-old on an enormous contract?
The Celtics have the second-best odds to acquire Lillard at +550. They could put together a solid package centered around Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, a plethora of first-round picks, and other complementary pieces. But taking on Lillard’s contract with a massive extension for Jaylen Brown looming is financially unfeasible if the team does indeed want to extend Brown, who’s seven years younger than Lillard.
Meanwhile, the 76ers could get creative and make a run at Lillard, but it doesn’t appear they’re willing to part with young cornerstones.
While many expect Lillard to end up in Miami, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Heat will need to include a third team to improve Portland’s return in the trade.
Lillard’s fate will determine the immediate and long-term future of multiple franchises, which is why this situation may not be resolved anytime soon.
REPORT: NBA’S IN-SEASON TOURNEY WILL END IN LAS VEGAS
The NBA’s first in-season tournament will conclude with the semifinals and final in Las Vegas, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
The semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 7 and the final for Dec. 9, and stats from the event, with the exception of the title game, will be included as part of the regular season, per ESPN.
The league will unveil details of the event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, part of the NBA Con fanfest being held at the site of the league’s most visible summer league.
ESPN will conduct a live show for the announcement, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver scheduled to be joined on the broadcast by others including the league’s past four No. 1 overall draft picks: the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero, the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards.
Some details of the tournament format were previously reported when the National Basketball Players Association agreed to the event as part of a labor deal.
Teams will be separated into six groups, three per conference, not necessarily by division. During group play, each club will have two home games and two road games. The six group winners and two wild cards will advance to the quarterfinals.
Players who are part of the championship team reportedly will get $500,000 apiece.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
EX-FLORIDA QB JALEN KITNA AGREES TO PLEA DEAL THAT DROPS 5 FELONY CHILD PORN CHARGES
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Ex-Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna, the son of retired NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, accepted a plea deal Wednesday that dismissed five felony child pornography charges stemming from his arrest last November.
Kitna instead pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, second-degree misdemeanors.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Susan Miller-Jones placed Kitna on six months’ probation for each count but did not levy a fine or require the 20-year-old to register as a sex offender.
Kitna, with his mother and father sitting behind him, read a statement of contrition.
“I want to start off by apologizing to my family, my friends and those that care about me,” Kitna said. “Their support through this whole ordeal has meant a lot to me. The hardest thing about this whole process has been seeing how it’s affected them.
“The valuable lessons that I’ve learned through this whole deal have been very helpful. I’m looking forward to applying those things and moving forward.”
The Gainesville Police Department arrested Kitna on Nov. 30, 2022, on five felony child pornography charges — two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography.
Police said Kitna shared two images of young girls being sexually abused via a social media platform. Officers later searched his phone and found three more images of two nude young girls in a shower — photos that had been saved to Kitna’s phone a year earlier. The report did not estimate the ages of the girls.
The Gators dismissed Kitna from the team days after his arrest. Kitna returned home with his family to Burleson, Texas, after posting bond and completed online classes this past spring. The university banned him from campus until November 2025.
“What we’ve got here today is a result that’s fair, and the right result,” Kitna’s attorney, Ron Kozlowski told the Orlando Sentinel following the verdict. “Obviously the state agrees, and we feel good about that. This is going give Jalen an opportunity to move on to the next step, whatever that is.”
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2023
2022 Record: 5-7 overall, 3-6 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Mel Tucker, 4th year: 18-14, 5th year overall: 23-21
It’s not time to panic … yet.
The 2021 Michigan State team wasn’t as good as the 11-2 record would indicate, and the 2022 team managed to grind and fight much more than the 5-7 record might indicate.
And no matter what, Mel Tucker is the guy for a while thanks to his 10-year, $95 million deal.
Michigan State’s head coach now has a 23-21 career record – 18-14 with the Spartans struggled during his stint as the Chicago defensive coordinator in the mid-2010s, and despite doing a wonderful job helping out the amazing Alabama and Georgia defenses after his run with the Bears, his Spartan Ds have ranged between mediocre and totally miserable.
101st in the nation last year, 110th overall and dead last in college football in pass defense in 2021, and 54th overall in his first season – which he gets a free pass for in the 2020 COVID year. And he has a bowl win in his first three years – you’ll see in a moment why that’s a big plus in his favor.
Several key players and a slew of important parts of the depth chart bolted through the transfer portal, the Big Ten West looks nastier than it has ever been, and …
Welcome to Michigan State football. Give it a few minutes and everything will probably change.
After going 9-0-1 in 1966, MSU went from 1967 to 1999 without a ten-win season – it won nine games in the 1987 Rose Bowl run – and became the definition of a mediocre college football program in the mid-1990s.
From the end of the George Perles era in 1995 up to 1998, the Spartans went 25-22-1 with three bowl appearances and three bowl losses. They were coached by some guy who rose up through the ranks as a star defensive coach, but was just a few clicks above .500 in East Lansing.
And then Nick Saban’s 1999 Spartan team won ten games, he left for LSU, and Michigan State went right back to being mediocre.
Bobby Williams had a rough time, John L. Smith didn’t crank it up, and then the Spartans went 22-17 over three years with three bowl appearances and three bowl losses. They were coached by some guy who rose up through the ranks as a star defensive coach, but was just a few clicks above .500 in East Lansing.
And then Mark Dantonio went on a run of ten wins or more in six of his next eight seasons with three Big Ten championships, a Rose Bowl, and a trip to the College Football Playoff.
Yeah, fine, I know – enough.
No, Mel Tucker isn’t going to be another Nick Saban, because no one will be another Nick Saban. And no, no one will be another Mark Dantonio, because it would take lightning striking East Lansing twice to go on another stretch like that. But it’s also not time to assume Tucker can’t find his footing and succeed with a little bit of time to turn this whole thing back around.
It was Perles, by the way, who cranked up the idea of a coach needing a five-year plan, and it worked with a Rose Bowl season in his fifth year after starting 23-22-1 with two bowl appearances and two losses.
Yes, Michigan State lost a ton of talent thorough the transfer portal. It also landed several excellent new players. Yes, the defense still has a long way to go and the offense has to figure out how to score again. It also gets a few games to tune up a team that should be good enough to crank up a winning season and a bowl game.
And yes, it’s nowhere near time to panic … but a big fourth season from Tucker and his team would do a whole lot to help.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2023: OFFENSE
The defense seems to get all of the blame for any and all problems, mainly because its flaws have been so spectacular. The offense, though, was an even bigger issue at times. It couldn’t run, couldn’t move the chains, and it did absolutely nothing to control the clock. The passing yards were there, but there wasn’t the same explosion or pop like there was in 2021, and …
QB Payton Thorne (Auburn) and top WR Keon Coleman (Florida State) bolted. It’s not like Thorne didn’t have time to work, but he struggled on third downs and the scoring drives weren’t there like they were in 2021.
Junior Noah Kim did a nice job in the little time he had to work last season, hitting 73% of his throws with three touchdowns in mop-up time. He’s battling with 6-3 redshirt freshman Katin Houser, a fantastic recruit with elite pro style passing skills.
The plays from the receiving corps will be there – it just might take a bit. Coleman was the main weapon with a team-high 58 catches for 798 yards and seven scores, and Jayden Reed is now a Green Bay Packer after finishing second on the team with 55 grabs. That leaves senior Tre Mosley as the main retuning veteran after spending four years in the program.
The rest of the group is relatively untested with a few good-looking underclassmen – Antonio Gates Jr. and Jeron Glover – pushing for time along with Nebraska transfer Alante Brown. The tight ends are set with Maliq Carr back and Tynell Hopper a good one coming in from Boise State.
The line wasn’t great, but it has two good veterans to work around in C Nick Samac and OG JD Duplain. There’s enough experience back – along with help from the JUCO ranks and the recruiting class – to be okay, but the pass protection has to be far, far better and …
The ground game needs to start taking over. It averaged just 3.8 yards per carry after barreling for 4.8 yards a pop two seasons ago, but the talent is in place. Elijah Collins left for Oklahoma State and Jarek Broussard was done, but Jalen Berger led the team with 683 yards and six scores, Nathan Carter is a solid back coming in from UConn, and Jaren Mangham is a good power runner who scored 15 touchdowns for USF in 2021 after coming in from Colorado, but he missed most of last year.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2023: DEFENSE
Okay, enough is enough. Michigan State has too much defensive coaching talent from the head man on down to be this bad for this long. This group has GOT to come up with a third down stop and it has GOT to finally fix the glitch in the secondary.
After putting the worst pass defense in college football on the field in 2021, the 2022 defense came up with a grand total of two interceptions. So for good and for bad, there’s a wholesale change happening at defensive back.
Semar Melvin is an untested corner from Wisconsin who’ll get thrown into the mix with Charles Brantley – who did what he could with 48 tackles with six broken up passes and a pick six against Ohio State – and Chester Kimbrough on the outside. The sophomore trio of Jaden Mangham, Dillon Tatum, and Malik Spencer need to grow into their roles at safety.
The linebackers might be the team’s biggest strength. Former UNLV star Jacoby Windmon has made 207 tackles with 17 sacks over the last three seasons for the Rebels and Spartans – he was great last year for MSU before getting hurt – and Cal Haladay is back in the middle after leading the team with 120 tackles and 11 tackles for loss. These two will fill up the stat sheet, but …
The pass rush has to start coming from the line. The linebackers had to do way too much, but now the front four gets former superstar recruit Tunmise Adeleye in from Texas A&M to go along with promising junior Avery Dunn on the end. There’s size and production inside around Simeon Barrow, but the machine broke down against the run late in the year.
PREDICTING THE SEC WIN TOTALS: THREE OVERS, THREE UNDERS FOR 2023
While the value isn’t as high as it was immediately after the 2023 regular season college football win totals release, there is still plenty of value to be had. As such, today we examine six SEC win totals, three teams to fade, and three teams to buy.
Predicting the SEC Win Totals
Georgia Bulldogs — 11.5 (over +116)
Alabama Crimson Tide — 10.5 (over +148)
LSU Tigers — 9.5 (over -115)
Tennessee Volunteers — 9.5 (over +146)
Texas A&M Aggies — 7.5 (over -176)
Ole Miss Rebels — 7.5 (over -124)
South Carolina Gamecocks — 6.5 (over +118)
Kentucky Wildcats — 6.5 (over -162)
Auburn Tigers — 6.5 (over -142)
Arkansas Razorbacks — 6.5 (over -122)
Mississippi State Bulldogs — 6.5 (over +100)
Missouri Tigers — 6.5 (over +104)
Florida Gators — 5.5 (over -134)
Vanderbilt Commodores — 3.5 (over -170)
NFL NEWS
FORMER COMMANDERS CENTER CHASE ROULLIER ANNOUNCES HE’S RETIRING AFTER 2 MAJOR INJURIES
Former Washington Commanders center Chase Roullier has announced his retirement, deciding his football-playing days are over seven weeks shy of his 30th birthday because of injuries that derailed his career.
Roullier cited the effects of two significant injuries in recent years — a broken left fibula and a damaged right knee — as the reason he’s done in the NFL. The Commanders released him earlier this offseason.
“Two years ago, I would have never thought I’d be writing this right now,” Roullier said in a statement posted on Instagram Wednesday. “But in those two years, I have seen two major injuries, two invasive surgeries, two multi-month couch-ridden times, two rehabilitation marathons, two tall mental-health hurdles to climb and two of everything else in between.”
Roullier looked like an impressive draft find before the injuries. After getting picked in the sixth round in 2017, the Wyoming product quickly became Washington’s starting center and kept that job for three full seasons from 2018-20.
He signed a four-year extension worth just over $40 million in January 2021 but only played 10 games since.
The end of Roullier’s time with the Commanders was clear when they signed Nick Gates away from the New York Giants to start at center and drafted Arkansas’ Ricky Stromberg in the third round to be a potential long-term solution in the middle of the offensive line.
Roullier played 4,039 snaps in 69 professional games. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just five sacks and 68 pressures.
“It is a very difficult thing to say goodbye to something that has been a large part of my life for over two decades,” he said. “This decision has not been an easy one, but after lots of prayer and processing I am confident that it is the right one.”
2023 HOUSTON TEXANS TOO EARLY PREVIEW
Houston’s season was an unmitigated disaster, though that was as much a feature of the roster as it was a bug. The team entered the year with Davis Mills as their quarterback despite his subpar showing in 2021. Mills helmed the team to a 1-8-1 record before being benched. He ultimately reclaimed the starting role to close out the season. After trading Deshaun Watson in the offseason for a war chest of draft picks, this type of season was to be expected. Unfortunately, Houston fumbled the No. 1 overall pick at the goal line via a Week 18 win, though the Texans are still loaded with draft capital. Watson’s struggles in Cleveland earned the Texans another top-10 selection, setting up Houston GM Nick Caserio to go all-in on the 2023 NFL Draft. After firing Lovie Smith at the end of the season, Texans fans are now ready to embark on yet another rebuild.
Key Offensive Stats
Points per game: 17 (30th)
EPA per play: -0.17 (32nd)
Dropback EPA per play: -0.15 (32nd)
Passing yards per game: 196.7 (25th)
Rush EPA per play: -0.21 (31st)
Rush yards per game: 86.8 (31st)
Mills quickly proved to be an inaccurate thrower and an ineffective starter, but his receivers didn’t give him much help either. Nico Collins and Brandin Cooks ranked 69th and 77th in ESPN’s open score respectively. Collins led the way in yards per route run, though he still finished 36th among qualified receivers. Mills ultimately paced the NFL with 15 interceptions in as many games. The one bright spot on offense was rookie running back Dameon Pierce . Pro Football Focus charted him as fifth in the league in missed tackles forced and 12th in yards after contact per attempt.
Key Defensive Stats
Points per game: 24.7 (27th)
EPA per play: 0.01 (17th)
Dropback EPA per play: 0.04 (15th)
Passing yards per game: 209.3 (10th)
Rush EPA per play: -0.02 (24th)
Rush yards per game: 170.2 (32nd)
MEN’S GOLF
REPORT: SAUDI ARABIA LAUNCHING BROAD SPORTS INVESTMENT GROUP
Plans are advancing for a sports-specific investment group in Saudi Arabia following successful ventures into professional golf and English football, according to a report in the Financial Times.
The depths of the financial reach of that fund or timing of its launch were not clear.
The Public Investment Fund became prominent in North American professional sports with the launch of LIV Golf, a league built as a rival to the PGA Tour using funds from the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund to lure top golfers including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Cam Smith.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, recognized as the ruler of Saudi Arabia, identified the $600 billion PIF as the central pillar in reformation of the economic structure of the nation with a focus on sports and entertainment investments to spur tourism and grow wealth. The overall plan, known as Vision 2030, includes an expected effort to host the World Cup that year.
In an interview with CNBC, investment minister Khalid Al-Falih said the expansion could involve the PIF as a partial or exclusive investor — as is the case with LIV — in sports entities or franchises.
PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan is the forward-facing figure for most LIV golfers and chairs Newcastle United in the English Premier League. He stands to have a chairman’s role under the future joint venture proposed with the PGA Tour. Saudi Arabia has made noteworthy investments in other sports already, including boxing, Formula 1 racing and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
“It’s part of retaining our Saudi citizens, global residents who choose Saudi Arabia as their home, to stay in Saudi Arabia and to consume this product that is of high demand,” Al-Falih told CNBC, “and also to bring global followers of sport to the kingdom for the various activities and sports that will be taking place here.”
In recent days, many pro sports leagues have admitted to being interested in the windfall behind potential events and partnerships with Saudi officials. Women’s tennis legend Billie Jean King, current American standout Jessica Pegula and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur of Tunisia all said they would be in favor of tournaments in Saudi Arabia to close the pay gap between men’s and women’s tennis. Last year, ATP officials said they had talks described as “positive” with Saudi officials.
WTA chief executive Steve Simon cited issues on women’s rights and LGBTQ+ issues in Saudi Arabia but said the circuit had no plans to “walk away from” the potential opportunity.
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund proposed a purchase of a minority stake in Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NHL’s Washington Capitals and NBA’s Washington Wizards.
WOMEN’S GOLF
U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN AT PEBBLE BEACH CASTS LIGHT ON HISTORY, PROGRESS
Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb and Hilary Lunke, who accounted for U.S. Women’s Open titles from 1999-2003, have played hundreds of courses but recognize the importance of this particular site.
Inkster, winner of the 1999 and 2002 editions, met the media with Webb and Lunke on Wednesday and underscored the deeper meaning of the U.S. Women’s Open landing at Pebble Beach for the first time.
“I think it’s huge,” Inkster said. “I would have loved to be able to play a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, being from this area. But I think the women deserve this, to be able to play these iconic golf courses and have their games challenged just like the men.”
Pebble Beach hosted the men’s PGA Championship once and the men’s U.S. Open six times. The course is on the schedule for 2027, 2032, 2037 and 2044 as well, and the U.S. Women’s open plans to return three more times.
With Thursday’s tee times, Pebble Beach takes its position in the U.S. Women’s Open rotation, now on the schedule for three appearances (2035, 2040 and 2048) beyond this year.
With prize money and momentum on its side, women’s golf figures to be further enhanced by showcasing this major tournament at an easily recognizable setting.
“Playing Pebble Beach,” Inkster said, “the history that has come through here on the men’s side with Tom Watson chipping in and Nicklaus and Tiger, it’s going to be great to have a woman have those memories, also.”
USGA senior director of Women’s Open Championships Shannon Rouillard identified the intersection between course history and women’s golf as an important forward step for the game.
“In this case, Pebble Beach, we’re going to let Pebble Beach be Pebble Beach … it’s important to allow the golf course to be the golf course and let it shine,” she said Wednesday. “What do we think about when we think about Pebble Beach? I know I think about Jack Nicklaus and the 1-iron he hit on 17; Tom Watson’s chip on 17, as well; Tiger Woods’ second shot on 6 and winning by 15 shots; and Gary Woodland’s long birdie putt on 18. While he didn’t need it to win the championship, boy, did the crowd go crazy when he did.
“This course produces iconic moments in golf and in U.S. Open history, and the women will now have an opportunity to place their stamp on Pebble Beach this week.”
Inkster and Webb are certified stampers, seven-time major champions, with Webb taking back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 2000-01 by 5 strokes and 8 strokes, respectively.
Webb believes golf fans undoubtedly will be eager to watch the top professionals fight for a major championship – and to see how the course punches back.
“I think when casual viewers of golf tune in and see that the U.S. Women’s Open is at Pebble Beach, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is something I need to pay attention to,’ because even the casual sports or golf fan knows Pebble Beach,” she said.
The viewers will see a women’s game now dominated by youth.
Lunke, who was 24 when she captured her U.S. Open, appreciates the influx of talent.
“I think it’s fantastic for the game, and it’s exciting to see that there’s so many fantastic young players,” she said. “Every time I come out here, I’m just amazed actually at the depth of talent now compared to when I was playing in college and high school golf.
“There’s just dozens and dozens of these outstanding players that are going to be featured this week.”
With rough weather in the forecast, Pebble Beach will claim a position on the marquee, and it will take a premier performance to become champion.
“I think Pebble Beach will do what it’s always done,” Webb said, “and, you know, one of the best players will be on top of the leaderboard at the end of the week.”
The USGA brought 39 former champions together at Pebble Beach, and the reunion lived up to the venue.
“Well, I’ve been overserved every night, so that’s kind of been — I need to go home and detox for the next week,” said Inkster, who won the Open a couple of weeks short of her 39th birthday. “But it’s been great. It took me so long to win a U.S. Open, and then all — you’re reaping the awards afterwards.”
A major victory at Pebble Beach this week will surely hold an extra-special memory for the 2023 champion.
2023 JOHN DEERE CLASSIC: PREVIEW, PROP PICKS, BEST BETS
With only 70 players qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs this year, several tournaments are enjoying stronger fields than they typically see.
That includes this week’s John Deere Classic, which features nine players ranked in the top 50 in the world for the first time since 2012. But with none of them ranked in the top 15, it still creates an excellent opportunity for those trying to make a push with five weeks to go before the playoffs.
Our golf experts preview the event that begins Thursday at TPC Deere Run, and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win.
JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
Location: Silvis, Ill., July 6-9
Course: TPC Deere Run (Par 71, 7,289 yards)
Purse: $7.4M (Winner: $1.332M)
Defending Champion: J.T. Poston
FedEx Cup leader: Jon Rahm
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming on ESPN+: Thursday-Friday, 7:45 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Twitter: @JDClassic
PROP PICKS
–Cameron Young to Finish Top 10 (+210 at DraftKings): Young’s results of late haven’t been great — a pair of missed cuts preceding a T57 at the RBC Canadian Open, a T32 at the U.S. Open and a T60 at the Travelers. However, he insists his game is in good shape and that he was a bad two-hole stretch on Sunday away from being in contention at the end of the U.S. Open. He’s the top-ranked player in this field at No. 19, and should be able to eat up a course primed for low scoring.
–Russell Knox to be Top Scot (+100 at BetMGM): This is essentially a player matchup with Martin Laird (-125) the only other Scot in the field. Both veterans are multiple-time winners on the PGA Tour who have fallen on rough times inside the ropes. Laird has plummeted to 254th in the world while missing 11 of 15 cuts this year. Knox has also seen his ranking fall to No. 244 as he has failed to reach the weekend in 10 of 17 events in 2023. However, he has made three of his past four cuts, including top-50 finishes the past two weeks.
–Christiaan Bezuidenhout to Beat Byeong Hun An (-105 at DraftKings): Neither player is flashing great form of late. An has missed a pair of cuts following a string of three consecutive top-25s. Bezuidenhout followed a missed cut at the Travelers with a T56 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. However, he did tie for second at TPC Deere Run last year while An failed to make the weekend. On a course that requires going low, Bezuidenhout posted four consecutive rounds in the 60s last year.
2023 Prop Picks Record: 28-40-2
BEST BETS
–Denny McCarthy (+1400 at BetMGM) finished T6 last year and has three top-10s in his past six starts. That includes losing in a playoff to Viktor Hovland at the Memorial and a T6 at the Travelers Championship, where he set the 36-hole scoring record before finishing seventh. McCarthy is +1600 at BetMGM, where he leads the book with 10 percent of the total bets and 11 percent of the money backing him to win.
–Russell Henley (+1400) was the 2019 runner up at the event and is the second highest-ranked player in the field at No. 29. With the same odds at DraftKings, Henley is third with 8 percent of the money backing him.
–Cameron Young (+1800) continues to chase that elusive maiden PGA Tour victory. He’s making his tournament debut and is third at BetMGM with 6.9 percent of the total bets and 8.3 percent of the money backing him. He has been even more popular at DraftKings, drawing 10 percent of the bets and 9 percent of the money at +1600.
–Ludvig Aberg (+2500) is making his ninth career PGA Tour start and was tied for third last week before a closing 72 dropped him to T40.
–Emiliano Grillo (+2800) won the Charles Schwab Challenge earlier this year and finished T2 at the 2022 John Deere Classic.
–Taylor Moore (+2800) is coming off a T4 last week and the Valspar Championship winner is 20th in the FedEx Cup standings.
–Adam Hadwin (+2800) is riding a wave of momentum after losing in a playoff to Rickie Fowler last Sunday. He leads the way at BetMGM with 7.6 percent of the total bets backing him.
–Eric Cole (+3300) is BetMGM’s biggest liability this week, drawing 10.0 percent of the total money to win. Cole has yet to win on tour but has rocketed from 434th in the world to start the 2022-23 season to No. 74.
–J.T. Poston (+4500) offers intriguing longshot odds. He won wire-to-wire last year and is trying to become the fourth player to successfully defend a title this season.
NOTES
–U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson (+10000) has made the cut 14 consecutive times at the event. He can tie Jay Delsing’s tournament record of 18 cuts made this week.
–Peter Kuest (+6600) is in the field following his top-10 last week as a Monday qualifier. With a two-way tied for 76th or better, Kuest would earn Special Temporary Membership for the rest of the season.
–2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Champion Gordon Sargent (+8000) is in the field on a sponsor exemption. He needs four points to become the first player to secure his card via the PGA Tour University Accelerated. He would receive one point for making the cut and another for a top-10 finish. Sargent will also receive two points for competing in the 2023 Walker Cup at St. Andrews in September.
–Michael Kim (+6600) holds the tournament scoring record of 27-under 257 set in 2018.
WIDE-OPEN FIELD SET TO TEE OFF AT JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
Before the golfing world heads overseas in the lead-up to The Open Championship, the PGA Tour has one more long-running tournament to stage: the John Deere Classic, beginning Thursday at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill.
Most of the top players on tour are taking the week off to prepare for the final major of the year, giving those in the field a wide-open shot at some FedEx Cup points before the season winds down.
Only three of the top 40 players in the Official World Golf Ranking will tee it up at the John Deere Classic. The highest-ranked is Cameron Young (No. 19), who, after a strong rookie year, has had a quieter 2022-23 as he hunts for his first win on tour.
The John Deere Classic is an ideal backdrop to do just that. Five of the past nine champions there made the John Deere their first career PGA Tour win. That list includes Bryson DeChambeau, Brian Harman and a 19-year-old Jordan Spieth in 2013.
The list of favorites this week includes several players who’ve yet to win on tour, including Denny McCarthy — who has five top-10 finishes this season and lost in a playoff at the Memorial Tournament — and Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg.
A former Texas Tech golf star, Aberg earned his tour card via PGA Tour University and has finished T25, T24 and T40 in his first three starts as a professional.
“I’ve been close to the lead now for a few tournaments, and it’s a lot of fun,” Aberg said this week. “All I can do is try to put myself in that position again.”
J.T. Poston will seek to defend his 2022 title, when he parlayed an opening-round 62 into a three-stroke victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina.
“It’s just hard to win anywhere, but I think here any time you have a place where there’s going to be some low scores, if you are the guy with the lead, it can be kind of a tricky spot,” Poston said.
“I remember that last year. That was kind of the first time for me or one of the few times for me playing with a lead and trying to get it done and close it out. It’s walking that fine line of still staying aggressive and trying to extend your lead and also trying not to give any back because you know guys are going to be making birdies.”
Some top amateurs received invites to the tournament, including college stars Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt) and Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford).
The field also includes Canada’s Nick Taylor, who won the RBC Canadian Open last month, and Zach Johnson, the U.S. captain for this fall’s Ryder Cup. Johnson, 47, is a native of nearby Iowa and won the John Deere in 2012.
WOMEN’S U.S. OPEN FEATURES RECORD $11M PURSE
The winner of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open will cash a $2 million check as part of the record $11 million purse at Pebble Beach.
Last month, the Women’s PGA Championship paid $1.5 million to the winner as part of a $10 million total event purse, furthering the trend of ballooning tournament prize winnings on the LPGA Tour.
“I just got to say as someone who has spent a lot of his life on the women’s side of the game, to be sitting at Pebble Beach talking about going to Pine Valley, talking about 12 hours of network TV and playing for $11 million, some things are better than what you dream of,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said Wednesday. “When you go back 10 or 15 years ago, those are pretty big moments, and I hope that all of us aren’t both so callused and in a hurry and iPhone driven that we’ve missed that kind of breakthrough moment.”
The USGA received a record number of event entries — 2,107, a record by 250 — for the U.S. Women’s Open. The winner claimed a prize of $1.8 million last year and a total of $10 million in winnings was distributed.
“It doesn’t matter what town you live in, the clothes on your back, or the clubs that you play with,” USGA’s senior director of Women’s Open championships Shannon Rouillard said. “If you can get the ball in the hole, you have an opportunity to play in the U.S. Women’s Open.”
Pebble Beach will host the U.S. Women’s Open again in 2035, USGA president Fred Perpall said in a rundown announcing the upcoming host sites.
“…As a girl dad, I can’t wait to see one of these impressive ladies sink the putt on 18 to win a U.S. Open,” Perpall said. “I know that all the little girls out there also now get to dream their dream about sinking that putt on 18, and what a special gift that is, not just for the little ladies but for the entire game of golf.”
The future U.S. Women’s Open sites include Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club next year, Erin Hills in Wisconsin in 2025, followed by Riviera Country Club (2026), Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio in 2027, Oakmont Country Club in 2028 and Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in 2029.
The 2029 event will be played weeks after the men’s event is held in Pinehurst, N.C.
NASCAR NEWS
2023 GRANT PARK 220: PREVIEW, BEST BETS, LONGSHOT PICK
NASCAR Cup Series faces a big unknown entering Sunday’s Grant Park 220, which will be held on a 2.2-mile, 12-turn circuit in the shadow of Chicago’s skyscrapers and just yards from the shores of Lake Michigan.
It will be a first for the Next Gen car, and how it will handle on a city street circuit is a major question mark.
“Chicago is going to be very interesting,” said A.J. Allmendinger, whose past includes street course racing in IndyCars. “A street course takes me back to my roots of racing open-wheel and being at a lot of different street courses. I think it’s a venue that, if it’s put on right, we can have a great weekend there as an industry.
“It’s a race track that a small mistake can have a huge penalty when it’s that narrow and surrounded by concrete walls. Anything can happen, and we’re not really sure what to expect. Street racing is some of the most fun I’ve had racing in my life, so I’m looking forward to getting to Chicago and trying it out in a Cup car.”
Will there be ample passing zones for Cup cars in Chicago? NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. said during a reconnaissance trip around the course that the racing surface actually seemed wider than he expected after first trying the iRacing simulation of the track.
GRANT PARK 200
The Place: Chicago Street Race
The Date: July 2, 5:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 220 miles (100 laps)
Defending Champion: Chase Elliott
Cup Series Leader: Martin Truex Jr.
TV: NBC
Radio: SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
FIVE BEST BETS
Chase Elliott (+500 at BetMGM)
Time is starting to run preciously short for Elliott, who is in 25th place in the standings. He’s currently without a win – and without a spot in the playoffs. Elliott is racing into form, posting fifth- and fourth-place finishes the past two races and five top-7s in the past eight.
Martin Truex Jr. (+700)
The series leader is red hot with a win at Sonoma the most recent of five career road-course victories. Truex is riding a four-race streak of top-5s, including a runner-up his last time out at Nashville.
Kyle Larson (+800)
Larson is tied for the series lead in top-5s (seven) and in DNFs (five), and the inconsistency has him in ninth place in the standings. He’s also second in total laps led with 588. Larson opened at +700 and is second at BetMGM with 6.8 percent of the total winning bets backing him.
A.J. Allmendinger (+800)
Never mind that Allmendinger failed to finish his three most recent street course races, all in 2013. The fact he has a vast amount of experience on them has caught the public’s eye, as Allmendinger is the book’s biggest liability, leading the field with 8.1 percent of the total bets and 19.4 percent of the money. He also has five top-10s in his past six road course races, and both of Allmendinger’s Cup Series victories have come on road courses.
Kyle Busch (+1000)
A veteran with Busch’s experience should have a quick learning curve on an unknown circuit, and he does have three consecutive top-3 finishes at road courses. Currently fifth in the standings, Busch is tied for the series lead with three victories and 10 top-10s. He’s also the third biggest liability this week as Busch has drawn 6.6 and 9.9 percent of the outright winner action, respectively.
LONGSHOT PICK
Michael McDowell (+2500)
McDowell raced an IndyCar at Surfer’s Paradise in Australia in 2005, competed in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series at Long Beach in 2006 and drove at Trois-Rivieres in Quebec in the Grand American Road Racing Series in 2006.
“I think going to a new course that nobody has any experience on — tricky and challenging — it’s going to play into the hands of guys that have done races like this, and that adapt quickly,” said McDowell, who has five top-10s in his past seven road course races. “We’re talking about the best drivers in the world, so they’re going to figure it out really fast.
“I don’t think I have an ‘advantage.’ I just feel like my comfort level is a bit higher than the majority of the guys that haven’t seen a street course before. We think about this race as a race we need to go and win to get into the Playoffs. So that’s what we’re focused on.”
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
INDIANS BASEBALL
INDY OFFENSE SLOWS IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT LOSS
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Indians mustered just three hits in a 4-1 loss to the Memphis Redbirds on Wednesday night at Victory Field.
Memphis (41-42, 2-6) jumped ahead early with two runs off Indians starter Kyle Nicolas (L, 0-2) in the second inning. Both runs came across on a pair of bases-loaded walks issued to Richie Palacios and Masyn Winn. Nicolas was lifted from the game after 1.2 innings, allowing a hit and five walks. The Redbirds added to their lead with a 432-foot, two-run homer by Winn in the fourth inning.
Sandwiched between Memphis’ pair of two-run frames, came the Indians (38-44, 5-3) lone run of the contest. After second baseman Liover Peguero reached on a fielding error by first baseman Juan Yepez, he stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Tres Barrera. Aaron Shackelford sent him home on a sacrifice fly.
Indians’ relievers Chase De Jong, Cody Bolton and Juan Minaya combined to hold Memphis scoreless through the final 5.0 innings, surrendering just two hits.
Redbirds starter Gordon Graceffo (W, 2-2) held the Indians to one run on three hits in 6.0 innings. Logan Gragg (S, 1) earned the save with 3.0 perfect innings.
Ryan Vilade’s 24-game on-base streak was snapped with an 0-for-3 night.
The Indians and Redbirds continue their six-game series on Wednesday night at 7:05 PM ET at Victory Field. RHP Quinn Priester (7-3, 4.54) will take the hill for Indianapolis. Memphis has yet to name a starter.
INDIANA FEVER
ALIYAH BOSTON EARNS SECOND ROOKIE OF THE MONTH AWARD
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for June, the league announced today. After winning the first Rookie of the Month in May, Boston is now the first player in franchise history to win multiple Rookie of the Month awards.
In June, Boston averaged 15.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists,1.5 blocks and 30.5 minutes per contest in 11 games and has started every game in her WNBA career. Boston still leads the WNBA in field goal percentage shooting 61.8 percent (94-of-152) and leads all rookies in scoring, rebounds, blocks and minutes per game.
Boston scored in double figures in seven of 11 games played in June, highlighted on June 18 against Atlanta, Boston tied a career-high with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, to go along with a career-best four blocked shots. She earlier scored 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds at Chicago on June 6.
The last three Rookie of the Year winners in 2022 (Rhyne Howard), 2021 (Michaela Onyenwere) and 2020 (Crystal Dangerfield) all were awarded every Rookie of the Month recognition during their first season.
GAME RECAP: LYNX HOLD OFF FEVER ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
MINNEAPOLIS – The Indiana Fever (5-12) were defeated by the Minnesota Lynx, 90-83, on Wednesday night at Target Center.
Two-time WNBA Rookie of the Month Aliyah Boston was the leading scorer for Indiana in the matchup as she notched 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and two blocked shots. Boston recorded 16 of her 22 points in the first half alone, which set a new career best for most points in a half. She was followed in the scoring column by forward NaLyssa Smith, who contributed her ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Lexie Hull and Erica Wheeler both pitched in eight points each to support the offense. Hull tied a career high as she contributed four of Indiana’s season-high 10 steals on the night. Wheeler dished out a team-high seven assists, with four of her assists being recorded in the fourth quarter alone.
In addition, Indiana shot 92.9 percent (13-of-14) from the charity stripe. Indiana scored 46 of its points in the paint and all players who took to the court contributed in the scoring column.
With her first assist of the night, Kelsey Mitchell recorded her 500th career assist to put her in sole possession of fourth place in the franchise ranks for most assists. With 502 total career assists, Mitchell now follows Wheeler, who ranks third with 624 assists in a Fever uniform.
The beginning of the first half was defined by back-and forth play. With roughly four minutes remaining in the quarter, the Lynx started to pull away with a 13-5 scoring run to close out the first frame ahead of Indiana, 26-19. Six players contributed to the scoring column in the first quarter, highlighted by Boston’s eight points and Hull with four points.
Indiana was successful in cutting the deficit as they answered with a 13-6 scoring run of its own to open the second quarter. Boston pitched in eight points and closed out the half with a new career best for most points in a half. In addition, Smith scored her first field goal of the matchup at the 3:56 minute mark and finished the quarter contributing eight points as well. Though never taking the lead, the Fever maintained their momentum to finish out the half trailing, 47-42.
Smith guided the Fever in the third quarter as she added eight more points of her own on 3-of-6 shooting. Indiana brought a nine-point deficit within five in the final minutes of the quarter, but it was two completed free throws from Lynx guard Lindsay Allen with 0.6 seconds remaining that put Minnesota ahead by seven going into the final frame, 71-64.
Though Indiana held Minnesota to 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from the floor in the final frame, the Lynx held on to the lead, extending it to as many as 12 points at one occasion. Indiana inched closer to the lead with the help of Wheeler’s four assists, Boston’s six points, and Hull’s two steals in the fourth quarter, but the Lynx responded to their every move and kept Indiana from overcoming the deficit.
With the win, Minnesota earned its fourth consecutive win on Wednesday night. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier led all scorers in the matchup as she notched 32 points in her fourth 30-point outing of the 2023 season. She was supported by Kayla McBride who contributed 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line. Lindsay Allen pitched in 16 points and dished out six assists.
UP NEXT
The Fever head to take on the Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. ET on Friday night. Friday’s game will be broadcast on ION.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
KENDRA KIRKHOFF NAMED ASSISTANT INDIANA SOFTBALL COACH
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Softball head coach Shonda Stanton named Kendra Kirkhoff as the newest addition to the Indiana program. Kirkhoff joins the staff after serving as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina Greensboro for the past two seasons.
“I am thrilled to announce Kendra’s hiring and to welcome her, her husband David, and daughter Kayden home to Indiana,” Stanton said. “As a prolific hitting pitcher, Kendra is a versatile addition who can help oversee our offense and work in the bullpen alongside associate head coach Chanda Bell. Her Indiana ties are a plus in terms of recruitment, given our strong intention to continually and actively recruit in-state. Kendra has been a winner at every stage of her career, from playing to coaching, and her knowledge and work ethic will greatly benefit our student-athletes.”
While at UNCG, the Spartans were the 2022 Southern Conference Regular Season Champions and in 2023 claimed both the regular season and tournament Championship while advancing to the NCAA tournament. Kirkhoff helped mentor the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year.
“I am so grateful for Coach Stanton and the opportunity to work with such a great staff and an outstanding group of student athletes,” Kirkhoff said. “I can’t wait to get to work and be a part of the continued success of the Hoosiers!”
Prior to her time at UNCG, Kirkhoff held a three-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Central Florida coaching the Knights to a 96-45-2 record. UCF earned their eighth NCAA tournament bid and the Knights advanced to the regional final.
Kirkhoff, a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist, began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Florida State during their 2018 national championship season.
Before beginning her coaching career, Kirkhoff was a member of the University of North Carolina’s softball program from 2014-2017 and named an NFCA Second Team All-American in her final season. The captain and All-ACC performer was a tremendous two-way player and as a senior posted a .374 batting average with 21 home runs and 68 RBI along with an 11-4 record in the circle leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA Regional Finals.
In her playing career, Kirkoff appeared in 208 total games, starting 206 of them and totaled 188 hits, 52 home runs, 168 RBIs, 378 total bases, 81 walks, and just 52 strikeouts over 587 at-bats. Kirkhoff finished second all-time at UNC in career slugging percentage, home runs and RBIs, third in total bases and eighth in walks. Inside the circle, Kirkhoff made 114 pitching appearances, posting a 45-29 record with 496.0 innings pitched.
As an NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete, Kirkhoff earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science from UNC in 2017. She completed her Master of Science degree at Florida State in 2018.
INDIANA TRACK AND FIELD
MARSHALL SET FOR TOYOTA USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Camden Marshall, the Big Ten Champion over 800 meters, will head to Oregon this weekend to compete against America’s best athletes in search of a bid to this summer’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The USATF Outdoor Championships, to be held in Eugene from July 6-9, will determine the United States’ three bids in each event to the World Championships in August. Defending world champions and 2022 Diamond League winners will be offered automatic wild card spots.
The Corydon, Ind. native is among 32 accepted entries in the men’s 800 meters this weekend. The first round will be contested Thursday with a semifinal of 16 athletes set for Friday. The final is set for Sunday evening at 9:27 PM ET/6:27 PM CT.
Based off qualifying marks, Marshall’s 1:46.57, run at the Big Ten Championships, is the 16th-fastest time in the field. Only two athletes, Will Sumner and Bryce Hoppel, have run under the World Championships qualifying standard of 1:44.70 this season.
Schedule of Events
First Round: Thursday, July 6th (5:52 PM ET/2:52 PM PT)
Semifinal: Friday, July 7th (9:10 PM ET/6:10 PM PT)
Final: Sunday, July 9th (9:27 PM ET/6:27 PM PT)
PURDUE ATHLETICS
PURDUE ATHLETICS MOURNS SUDDEN PASSING OF DOUG BOERSMA
WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue Athletics lost a beloved member of its family with the sudden passing of Doug Boersma on Wednesday, June 21.
Boersma selflessly served the department as senior associate athletics director for performance and sports medicine. He was a 1997 graduate of Purdue University who returned to his alma mater in 2012 as director of sports medicine.
The department mourns during this difficult time, and is keeping Doug’s family, his wife Cari, and daughters McKenna, Ashlyn and Kayden, in its thoughts and prayers.
A celebration of life will take place Thursday, July 6, at Holloway Gymnasium. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. -1 p.m., with a service immediately following, starting at 1 p.m. Parking will be available to visitors directly north of Ross-Ade Stadium in Lot R, accessible from Cherry Lane off of Northwestern Avenue.
In place of flowers, please consider donating to the Boersma Family Trust to help cover educational expenses for Doug’s three daughters. Via Venmo (@Boersmafamilytrust) or c/o Farmers & Merchants Bank, 275 Sagamore Pkwy W., West Lafayette, IN 47906.
BUTLER WOMEN’S TRACK
ANGELINA ELLIS AMONG ELITE FIELD AT 2023 USATF OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
Butler graduate Angelina Ellis will continue her outstanding outdoor season this week at the 2023 Toyota USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships.
The nation’s most prestigious event on the 2023 calendar begins Thursday in Eugene, Ore.
Ellis will be among the 3,000-meter steeplechase field Thursday. The first round of the event is scheduled for 9:03 p.m. (Eastern, 6:03 p.m. Pacific).
“We are excited for Angelina to put on the Butler uniform one last time,” said Butler head coach Matt Roe. “To qualify for the USA championships as a collegian is a major feat. Angelina has trained well since her All-American performance at the NCAA Championships. She is positioned well to be competitive in the field. I know she will represent the Bulldogs with her signature toughness and race savvy.”
Ellis is one of only 26 Americans to make the 2023 field in the event. She earned second-team All-American honors last month with her ninth-place finish in the steeplechase at the NCAA Championships. Her qualifying time of 9:44.57, which is a Butler record, was set at the 2023 Bryan Clay Invitational earlier this season. Ellis won the 2023 BIG EAST title in the event while also setting a conference meet record time (9:54.10).
Ellis will run in the second of the two heats Thursday night. The top five finishers in each heat plus the next four fastest times will advance to the steeplechase final, which is scheduled for Saturday evening.
USATF.tv will stream a majority of the competition from Eugene, while CNBC will have television broadcast windows during the evenings Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The USATF Championships serve as the selection meet for the 2023 World Championships to be held in Hungary in August, as well as the 2023 Pan Am Games, the 2023 Thorpe Cup and other events.
BALL STATE SOFTBALL
LACY SCHURR MAKING THE MOVE TO PITTSBURGH
MUNCIE, Ind. – – Ball State’s Lacy Schurr is stepping down from her position as head softball coach to join the staff at the University of Pittsburgh.
“We are grateful to Lacy for her contributions to the Ball State program, and we wish her well at Pitt,” said Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell. “Our program is on an upward trajectory, and I’m excited to search for a coach that continues our upward path.”
In her three seasons in Muncie, Schurr led the Cardinals to an 86-75 (.534) overall record, including a 63-34 (.649) mark in Mid-American Conference play. Schurr’s Cardinals produced a program-record 31 MAC wins (31-8) in her first year as a collegiate head coach, including the longest single-season MAC winning streak in program history at 16 games.
Ball State also tied the program record with an 11-game overall winning streak during the 2021 season. The team, which finished the year with a 37-18 overall record, broke the program’s single-season records for doubles (101), batting average (.329), and on base percentage (.415).
Over her three seasons, Schurr helped BSU’s student-athletes earn NFCA All-Great Lakes Region honors seven times, including two first-team honors, four second-team accolades, and one third-team award. On the conference awards list, she mentored the 2022 MAC Player of the Year and the 2022 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. The Cardinals earned 13 All-MAC honors, including seven first-team and six-second team. She also coached three MAC All-Freshman Team selections and a MAC All-Defensive Team honoree.
A national search for a new Ball State head coach will begin immediately.
NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL
KONCIR PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACH
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame head volleyball coach Salima Rockwell announced that Paul Koncir has been promoted to an assistant coach for the Fighting Irish volleyball program ahead of the 2023 season.
Koncir joined the Irish in March of 2022 as the technical coordinator for the program. He will continue to use his experience as technical coordinator while also serving as an assistant coach for the Irish this season.
“I am beyond excited to announce that we will be promoting Paul Koncir to assistant coach this season,” said Rockwell. “In addition to his expertise as a technical coordinator, Paul has a wealth of knowledge and experience as a coach in his 23 years in the profession. He is not only one of the best at breaking down film, generating statistics and analyzing the data for scouting and preparation purposes, but he is also one of the few coaches in the country that possess the technical and biomechanics knowledge as it relates to sports and more specifically, volleyball. We are extremely lucky that he will now be able to work with our student athletes and enhance our level of training in the gym.”
A seasoned coach and veteran tactician, Koncir continues to bring a wealth of experience to the Irish staff.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity and for the chance to be a part of the program for the last year,” said Koncir. “The staff here are truly great people and are one of the most experienced and accomplished in the nation. The character, effort, and personalities of our players are outstanding and have made the work towards improvement over the last year so enjoyable.”
Prior to joining Notre Dame, Koncir spent the past two seasons with the Michigan State Spartans as an associate head coach. Koncir joined the Spartans from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he was the Associate Head Coach for the Roadrunners for two seasons. UTSA earned its first-ever bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) in 2019 after finishing with a 19-8 with a second-place finish in Conference USA in 2018.
Koncir spent from 2010-17 on the staff at Indiana as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach. During his time on staff in Bloomington, he helped the Hoosiers to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2010, its finest season in program history. Over his eight seasons he not only developed the all-time leaders in digs, blocks, and hitting percentage and the rally scoring leaders in assists and service aces at Indiana, but also mentored 49 Academic All-Big Ten selections.
Gaining head coaching experience, Koncir guided Towson University as its head coach before joining the Hoosier staff. In his four seasons guiding the Tigers, Koncir gathered two trips to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, a top-100 recruiting class (2009), seven All-CAA selections, and a CAA Rookie of the Year.
Before taking over at Towson, Koncir spent four years as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at George Mason University (2004-06) and three years at Georgetown as an assistant women’s coach (2001-03). Additionally, Koncir has had extensive coaching experience in men’s volleyball, serving as an assistant at George Mason and as the head coach of the Georgetown men’s team.
Koncir’s coaching experience also extends to the youth level. In 2005, he coached at both the boys and girls USA Youth Development Camp and worked in the USA High Performance Tryouts in 2006. From 2000-02, he was the head coach for the Girls 19U Northern Virginia Juniors, guiding the team to a Chesapeake Region Championship.
A 1999 graduate and volleyball letterwinner at George Mason, Koncir started every match his senior season and was second on the team in kills. Upon graduation, Koncir was a member of the USA Volleyball Chesapeake Region Championship team in 1998 and 1999.
“There is something special about the Notre Dame community and what is being built in this program, and I look forward to contributing in every way I can,” said Koncir.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SYCAMORES SIGN TRANSFERS CHLOE WILLIAMS, LEAH YARBROUGH AHEAD OF 2023-24 SEASON
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head women’s basketball coach Chad Killinger announced the addition of forwards Chloe Williams and Leah Yarbrough to the program Wednesday afternoon.
“We are happy to add two players with the potential that both Chloe and Leah have demonstrated in the past,” Killinger said. “Their addition makes us deeper and more athletic at our forward positions and we’re looking forward to begin working with them this summer.”
Williams, a 6-3 forward from Los Angeles, California, comes to Terre Haute after spending the 2022-23 season at Tulsa. She appeared in 15 games for the Golden Hurricane as a freshman, averaging 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in limited minutes. Williams scored a season-high six points against Alcorn State and also added five points against Long Beach State. She pulled down a season-best three rebounds against Central Arkansas and also led Tulsa in blocked shots on two occasions.
Williams played her senior season at Bishop Montgomery (Calif.) High School, where she was an all-region and first team all-state selection. She averaged a double-double during the 2021-22 season, putting up 22.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for a Bishop Montgomery team that was a perfect 8-0 in league play and reached the regional semifinals. Her 22.8 points per game ranked sixth in program history for single-season scoring, and she is one of just two players in program history to score 35 or more points in multiple games. For her accomplishments during the season, Williams was named the 2021-22 Del Rey League MVP.
A decorated recruit out of high school, Williams was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2022 by ESPN, where she was also ranked as a top-100 prospect entering her senior season. She was also ranked 129th overall and the 14th-best power forward prospect by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
“Chloe was very highly regarded coming out of high school and has the ability to play both inside and out,” Killinger said. “She can handle the ball on the fast break, finish in the paint and knock down threes on the offensive end, while giving us a shot-blocking presence defensively. Her versatility fits in well with what we have tried to address this recruiting class and moving closer to the style of play that we would like to be able to execute.”
Yarbrough, a 6-0 forward from Indianapolis, Indiana, joins the Sycamores after spending the last two seasons at UIC. She appeared in 35 games for the Flames, scoring 100 points and grabbing 43 rebounds in less than 300 minutes of playing time. Yarbrough’s role increased as the 2021-22 season progressed, as she appeared in 26 games that season for UIC and averaged 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game for the Flames. She had a pair of double-figure scoring games and grabbed three or more rebounds on four occasions that season, including career-highs of 15 points and seven rebounds against Detroit Mercy. Yarbrough appeared in nine games last season for UIC, scoring two points against both Chicago State and Murray State and grabbing two rebounds against both Murray State and Bradley.
Yarbrough played her final two seasons of high school basketball at Brownsburg (Ind.) HS, where she was a part of the Bulldogs’ 2021 IHSAA Class 4A State Runner-Up team. She also played at Marian Catholic (Ill.) HS prior to her time at Brownsburg.
“Leah is a kid that I got the opportunity to watch a few years ago during the evaluation periods in July and I was impressed with how hard she played and how well she rebounded the ball,” Killinger said. “She has the potential to stretch the floor a little bit and create some good matchups within our offense.
Williams and Yarbrough become the fifth and sixth college transfers, and third and fourth four-year college transfers, to sign with the Sycamores this season after Saint Louis transfer Kiley Bess, Wisconsin transfer Savannah White and junior college transfers Deja Jones and Olivia Medford signed with the program in May. The six college transfers join four incoming freshmen who signed with Indiana State in November as part of this season’s signing class.
Indiana State Women’s Basketball 2023-24 Newcomers
Asia Donald // 5-9 // G // Hobart, Ind. // Hobart HS
Kiley Bess // 6-0 // G // Poplar Bluff, Mo. // Poplar Bluff HS/Saint Louis
Deja Jones // 5-9 // G // San Antonio, Texas // East Central HS/Cochise College
Olivia Medford // 5-11 // G // Rockville Centre, N.Y. // Long Island Lutheran HS/Monroe College
Jailah Pelly // 5-9 // G // Belleville, Ill. // O’Fallon Township HS
Keslyn Secrist // 5-10 // G // Draper, Va. // Pulaski County HS
Saige Stahl // 6-1 // F // Seymour, Ind. // Columbus East HS
Savannah White // 6-2 // G // St. Paul, Minn. // DeLaSalle HS/Wisconsin
Chloe Williams // 6-3 // F // Los Angeles, Calif. // Bishop Montgomery HS/Tulsa
Leah Yarbrough // 6-0 // F // Indianapolis, Ind. // Brownsburg HS/UIC
INDIANA STATE TRACK AND FIELD
SIX SYCAMORES TO COMPETE AT USATF, WORLD PARA CHAMPIONSHIPS
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Five current Indiana State track and field student-athletes, along with one former Sycamore student-athlete, are set to compete in high-level meets both in the United States and abroad over the course of the next week.
Ryann Porter and Erin Reese will compete at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, while Niesha Anderson, Josie Hapack and Terrance O’Bannon will take part in the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships, also in Eugene. In addition, Noah Malone will be representing Team USA at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, France.
Championship Qualifiers
The USATF U20 Outdoor Championships serves as a selection event for the 2023 Pan-Am U20 Championships in Puerto Rico. Anderson, Hapack and O’Bannon can qualify for the event by placing either first or second in their respective events at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships. If any of them place third, they will serve as an alternate for the 2023 Pan-Am U20 Championships.
The USATF Outdoor Championships serves as a selection event for the 2023 NACAC U23 Championships in Costa Rica and the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary. There is also the potential for results at the USATF Outdoor Championships to serve as selection criteria for the 2023 Pan-Am Games in Chile. Porter and Reese can qualify for the Pan-Am Games with a top-two finish and the World Athletics Championships with a top-three finish. A top-two finish for Porter would also qualify her for the NACAC U23 Championships. Placing third would earn alternate spots at the NACAC U23 Championships and the Pan-Am Games, while a fourth-place finish would earn an alternate spot at the World Athletics Championships.
The World Para Athletics Championships serves as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Noah Malone can earn a spot in the Games with a top-four finish in the 100m.
Meet the Sycamores
Below is a season summary of each current and former Indiana State student-athlete set to compete on the world stage this season.
Niesha Anderson | USATF U20 Outdoor Championships | Shot Put and Hammer Throw
Saturday, July 8 | 2:30 p.m. (Hammer Throw)
Saturday, July 8 | 6 p.m. (Shot Put)
Anderson steadily improved as the season progressed, both indoor and outdoor. She earned points at both MVC Championships contested this season, placing sixth in the weight throw during indoor season and sixth in the shot put during outdoor season. Her top mark in the weight throw of 19.54m (64-01.25) ranks 10th in program history. Anderson’s qualifying marks both came at the Billy Hayes Invitational in Bloomington, Indiana, where she had season-best performances of 15.00m (49-02.50) in the shot put and 54.01m (177-02) in the hammer throw.
Josie Hapack | USATF U20 Outdoor Championships | Discus Throw
Friday, July 7 | 9:45 p.m.
Each of Hapack’s top marks during outdoor season came in home meets. She recorded a season-best mark in the discus of 47.16m (154-09) at the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute, which qualified her for the upcoming championships. Hapack also has marks of 13.49m (44-03.25) in the shot put and 46.67m (153-01) in the hammer throw, both of which came at the Pacesetter Sports Invitational. She was 10th in the discus throw and 13th in the hammer throw at the MVC Outdoor Championships.
Noah Malone | World Para Athletics Championships | 100m
Sunday, July 9 | 4:22 a.m. (Semifinals)
Monday, July 10 | 1:32 p.m. (Finals)
Malone had another strong season for the Sycamores, picking up three all-conference honors and scoring in four events across the two MVC Championships contested. He placed third in both the 60m and 200m during indoor season, with his marks of 6.75 in the 60 and 21.60 in the 200 both ranking in the top 10 in program history. Malone also ran legs in both relays during outdoor season, earning all-conference as the first leg in the 4x400m relay and earning a top-15 finish at the NCAA East First Round as the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay. He placed fourth in the 100m at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Malone’s season-best in the 100m was 10.41, which came at the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute.
Terrance O’Bannon | USATF U20 Outdoor Championships | 100m
Saturday, July 8 | 5:14 p.m. (First Round)
Saturday, July 8 | 7:24 p.m. (Final)
O’Bannon’s first season with the Blue and White was certainly one to remember, as he posted the second-best 60m time in program history, the third-best 100m time in program history and was the alternate on Indiana State’s 4x100m relay team that placed in the top 15 at the NCAA East First Round. His times of 6.65 in the 60 and 10.35 in the 100 were both the fastest times ever run by an Indiana State freshman, and he also ran the opening leg of Indiana State’s fourth-fastest 4x100m relay in program history. O’Bannon earned all-conference honors in the 60 during indoor season.
Ryann Porter | USATF Outdoor Championships | Triple Jump
Thursday, July 6 | 9 p.m.
Porter continued to showcase her talents as one of the top athletes in the nation, qualifying for her third consecutive NCAA Outdoor National Championships in the triple jump. She earned Honorable Mention All-America honors with a wind-legal season-best mark of 13.03m (42-09.00), while her top overall mark of 13.46m (44-02.00) came at the NCAA East First Round. Porter swept the triple jump titles at the MVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships and earned all-conference honors in the 60m hurdles (indoor) and 100m hurdles (outdoor). She ranks second in program history in the triple jump for both indoor and outdoor season, sixth in the 60m hurdles and sixth in the 100m hurdles.
Erin Reese | USATF Outdoor Championships | Hammer Throw
Sunday, July 9 | 7 p.m.
Reese, who was a three-time All-American at Indiana State and currently serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the Sycamore throwers, competes at the professional level for Velaasa. Her top mark of the season came at the Joe Walker Invitational in Oxford, Mississippi, where she recorded a career-best throw of 73.47m (241-00) that briefly ranked No. 1 in the world for the 2023 season. Reese is seeded seventh at the championships and comes into the event ranked in the top 30 in the world in the hammer throw.
EVANSVILLE MEN’S BASKETBALL
ROOSEVELT JONES ELEVATED TO ASSISTANT MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Cementing his staff for the 2023-24 season, University of Evansville head men’s basketball coach David Ragland has announced the promotion of Roosevelt Jones to an Assistant Coach for the Purple Aces.
A former star at Butler University, Jones spent last season as the Director of Men’s Basketball Operations at UE. Before joining the Aces program, Jones was an assistant coach at the University of Indianapolis.
“I am pleased to announce the second promotion this off season for Roosevelt Jones. One of the toughest things to do in life and especially as a college basketball coach is to embrace all aspects of the job. Often times, coaches’ complete tasks that are explained as “other duties assigned” and many of those tasks are not glamorous. I was told prior to knowing Rose better that he is the ultimate teammate and I now know why after working with him,” Ragland exclaimed. “Winners, win and do so because of their willingness to sacrifice for those around them. Roosevelt is a student of the game of basketball. He understands the game, studies the game and can apply it to the court allowing student athletes to be the best version of themselves. Roosevelt will focus more on the recruiting of student athletes, on court instruction of our current roster, and assisting with the offensive game plan.”
In his first season at UE, Jones excelled in assisting the program in multiple facets ranging from travel to coaching. He worked at UIndy as an assistant over the two prior seasons and made history in 2021-22, helping the program advance to its first-ever appearance in the GLVC Tournament Championship Game. The Greyhounds were 19-11 overall and 10-8 in conference action. In his first year with the Hounds, the team won 11 of their final 16 games to advance to the postseason.
His first coaching opportunity a came at IU-Kokomo where he worked for two seasons. The Cougars were 53-15 during his tenure and recorded two NAIA National Tournament appearance. They were ranked as high as 10th nationally.
“We had a great deal of interest in our assistant coaching position. I was humbled and impressed with the quality of candidates throughout the process of filling this position. I have a huge amount of respect for a lot of guys in this profession and was able to grow closer relationships with those interested in joining our staff,” Ragland stated. “However, I am an advocate of promoting from within. Roosevelt basically interviewed all season long on the type of connector and coach he has the ability to be with our student-athletes. The fact that he knows our offensive and defensive philosophy, our programs terminology, our drills, how we function as a university and his relationships with both our returning players and newcomers led me to my decision to elevate Rose as a full-time assistant coach on our staff. I know Rose will continue to do a great job positively impacting our program.”
Prior to his coaching days, Jones enjoyed a storied playing career. The legend at Butler University completed a record-breaking career with the Bulldogs that saw him rank at or near the top in starts (1st), assists (4th), rebounds (5th), steals (8th) and points (11th). The 2-time All-Big East Second Team player earned NABC All-District accolades in 2015-16.
Jones went on to play professionally for two years with the Canton Charge, the G- League affiliate of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, while additionally training players during the offseason in his hometown of O’Fallon, Ill.
U OF INDY FOOTBALL
ALEXIS GARNERS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA NOD
INDIANAPOLIS—Incoming fifth-year senior Kednal Alexis received some well-deserved national recognition this week, earning Division II Preseason All-America Third Team accolades from the College Football Network.
A two-time All-GLVC First Team honoree, Alexis has started 25 consecutive games at left guard for the Hounds. Last season, the Indianapolis native helped the Hounds rank in the top 20 in both rushing and scoring offense on the way to a conference championship and playoff berth. He opened holes for record-breaking running back Toriano Clinton, helping him eclipse the school’s all-time rushing mark.
Alexis garnered All-America Honorable Mention and All-Super Region 3 accolades last fall before earning the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award. He is also an Academic All-District honoree and four-time Academic All-GLVC recipient.
MARIAN TENNIS
MARIAN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS ANNOUNCE FALL CROSSROADS LEAGUE SCHEDULE
INDIANAPOLIS – With the fall rapidly approaching, the Marian men’s and women’s tennis teams have finalized their fall schedules, as released by head coaches Steve Mackell and Tyler Scanlan.
The Knights fall will consist of their eight Crossroads League matchups, along with the Crossroads League Tournament and annual fall staple, the ITA Regional Tournament.
Marian’s fall Crossroads League slate begins on September 5, with the Knights hosting Bethel University for both a JV and varsity match. The busy opening week of the season will also feature a home matchup against Indiana Wesleyan on September 7, and will end with the first road trip of the season, traveling to MT. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday September 9.
In week two of the fall, Marian will open the week with a home match against Huntington University on September 13, with the men also playing a JV match. On Saturday, September 16, the Knights will travel to Grace College with the men starting at noon, while the women will play at 4 p.m.
The final week of the fall Crossroads League slate will include a home matchup on Tuesday, September 19 against Spring Arbor, while on Thursday, September 21, the Knights will travel to Goshen College. The final match of the fall conference season before the tournament will take place on Sunday, September 24, with both the men and women traveling to St. Francis (Ind.).
The ITA Regional Tournament will be held before the Crossroads League Tournament this season, with the tournament being hosted by Indiana Wesleyan from September 27 through September 30.
The Crossroads League Tournament is set to begin on October 3, with matchups being hosted by the top seed in each round of the tournament. The semifinal round is set to take place on Thursday, October 5, while the championship match will be played on Saturday, October 7. The winner of the Crossroads League Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, hosted in Mobile, Alabama, in May of 2024.
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 | 57 | 32 | .640 | – | 34 – 12 | 23 – 20 | 17 – 10 | 14 – 3 | 9 – 7 | 4 – 6 | L 4 |
| Baltimore | 50 | 35 | .588 | 5 | 26 – 18 | 24 – 17 | 15 – 11 | 15 – 7 | 10 – 7 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| NY Yankees | 48 | 39 | .552 | 8 | 27 – 20 | 21 – 19 | 13 – 16 | 8 – 8 | 14 – 8 | 6 – 4 | L 1 |
| Toronto | 46 | 40 | .535 | 9.5 | 23 – 18 | 23 – 22 | 7 – 20 | 12 – 5 | 11 – 8 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| Boston | 44 | 43 | .506 | 12 | 22 – 22 | 22 – 21 | 16 – 11 | 11 – 8 | 6 – 6 | 4 – 6 | W 1 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Minnesota | 45 | 43 | .511 | – | 26 – 19 | 19 – 24 | 12 – 14 | 18 – 12 | 5 – 4 | 6 – 4 | W 3 |
| Cleveland | 42 | 44 | .488 | 2 | 21 – 21 | 21 – 23 | 7 – 8 | 10 – 12 | 13 – 6 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Detroit | 37 | 48 | .435 | 6.5 | 18 – 23 | 19 – 25 | 2 – 14 | 15 – 11 | 6 – 9 | 4 – 6 | L 2 |
| Chi White Sox | 37 | 50 | .425 | 7.5 | 20 – 21 | 17 – 29 | 6 – 14 | 15 – 11 | 9 – 14 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Kansas City | 25 | 62 | .287 | 19.5 | 13 – 31 | 12 – 31 | 4 – 10 | 7 – 19 | 4 – 11 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Texas | 51 | 36 | .586 | – | 27 – 18 | 24 – 18 | 11 – 10 | 11 – 5 | 16 – 11 | 4 – 6 | L 1 |
| Houston | 49 | 38 | .563 | 2 | 24 – 19 | 25 – 19 | 5 – 5 | 8 – 11 | 16 – 7 | 8 – 2 | W 4 |
| LA Angels | 45 | 44 | .506 | 7 | 23 – 20 | 22 – 24 | 8 – 9 | 11 – 8 | 15 – 12 | 3 – 7 | L 3 |
| Seattle | 42 | 43 | .494 | 8 | 24 – 20 | 18 – 23 | 7 – 11 | 7 – 6 | 12 – 10 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| Oakland | 25 | 63 | .284 | 26.5 | 12 – 32 | 13 – 31 | 5 – 15 | 7 – 7 | 4 – 23 | 5 – 5 | W 2 |
| National League | |||||||||||
| East | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Atlanta | 58 | 28 | .674 | – | 30 – 15 | 28 – 13 | 22 – 6 | 8 – 1 | 10 – 7 | 9 – 1 | W 1 |
| Miami | 51 | 37 | .580 | 8 | 28 – 16 | 23 – 21 | 11 – 15 | 11 – 5 | 9 – 10 | 7 – 3 | W 3 |
| Philadelphia | 46 | 39 | .541 | 11.5 | 22 – 16 | 24 – 23 | 8 – 13 | 9 – 4 | 11 – 12 | 7 – 3 | W 2 |
| NY Mets | 40 | 46 | .465 | 18 | 20 – 19 | 20 – 27 | 13 – 13 | 5 – 14 | 12 – 9 | 5 – 5 | W 4 |
| Washington | 34 | 52 | .395 | 24 | 13 – 30 | 21 – 22 | 9 – 16 | 5 – 8 | 9 – 13 | 5 – 5 | L 3 |
| Central | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Cincinnati | 48 | 39 | .552 | – | 23 – 21 | 25 – 18 | 11 – 11 | 11 – 12 | 9 – 6 | 7 – 3 | W 4 |
| Milwaukee | 46 | 41 | .529 | 2 | 23 – 20 | 23 – 21 | 6 – 1 | 14 – 8 | 8 – 15 | 6 – 4 | L 2 |
| Chi Cubs | 40 | 45 | .471 | 7 | 21 – 22 | 19 – 23 | 6 – 13 | 12 – 10 | 9 – 8 | 3 – 7 | W 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 40 | 46 | .465 | 7.5 | 22 – 21 | 18 – 25 | 5 – 5 | 11 – 15 | 13 – 8 | 5 – 5 | L 1 |
| St. Louis | 35 | 51 | .407 | 12.5 | 17 – 25 | 18 – 26 | 4 – 8 | 11 – 14 | 7 – 13 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| West | |||||||||||
| Team | W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | East | Central | West | Last 10 | Streak |
| Arizona | 50 | 37 | .575 | – | 24 – 22 | 26 – 15 | 11 – 13 | 8 – 4 | 17 – 11 | 4 – 6 | L 3 |
| LA Dodgers | 48 | 38 | .558 | 1.5 | 26 – 16 | 22 – 22 | 9 – 6 | 14 – 12 | 14 – 11 | 5 – 5 | W 1 |
| San Francisco | 47 | 40 | .540 | 3 | 24 – 21 | 23 – 19 | 10 – 9 | 13 – 7 | 13 – 9 | 3 – 7 | W 1 |
| San Diego | 41 | 46 | .471 | 9 | 23 – 22 | 18 – 24 | 10 – 9 | 7 – 13 | 12 – 13 | 4 – 6 | W 3 |
| Colorado | 33 | 55 | .375 | 17.5 | 20 – 24 | 13 – 31 | 11 – 14 | 8 – 10 | 5 – 17 | 3 – 7 | L 4 |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1929 The first two pitchers for Philadelphia never record an out, and before the home team comes to bat in the bottom of the first inning, they are trailing the Redbirds, 10-0. The Cardinals, who tally ten runs in the first and fifth frames, will pound the Phillies at the Baker Bowl, 28-6, to set the modern National League record for the most runs in one game by one team.
1930 Bill Veeck Sr.’s popular Ladies’ Day promotion at Wrigley Field reaches new heights when more than 30,000 female fans attend the Cubs’ doubleheader against Cincinnati. An over-capacity crowd packs the small ballpark with thousands of others, including late-arriving regular paying patrons who cannot gain admission into the North Side venue.
1932 Violet Valli shoots Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges, her ex-boyfriend, twice at the Hotel Carlos. The 24-year-old infielder will return to the lineup two weeks later, continuing to contribute to the team’s pennant-winning season.
(Ed. Note: A week after the shooting, the judge dismissed the case against the showgirl when the Chicago ball player appeared in court, stating that he would not testify and wanted the charges dropped.- LP)
1933 At Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the first-ever All-Star Game is played. Babe Ruth’s third-inning two-run home run off Bill Hallahan proves to be the difference when the American League defeats the Senior Circuit, 4-2.
1936 After the first batter makes an out trying to bunt, 17-year-old right-hander Bob Feller, a farm boy from Van Meter, Iowa, strikes out eight consecutive batters in three innings during an All-Star break exhibition game against the Cardinals’ Gas House Gang. The contest marks the Indian rookie’s first appearance in a big-league uniform.
1938 At Crosley Field, Yankees’ hurler Lefty Gomez loses for the first time in four All-Star starts when the National League beats the Junior Circuit, 4-1. Leo Durocher gets a ‘home run’ single when Jimmie Foxx tosses his sacrifice bunt into right field, and Joe DiMaggio overthrows catcher Bill Dickey, scoring Frank McCormick and Durocher, who keeps running until he reaches home.
1941 The Yankees unveil a center field monument dedicated to Lou Gehrig. The memorial, similar to the honor bestowed on the team’s late skipper Miller Huggins in 1932, is a tribute by his teammates to their beloved captain, who died last month of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
1942 Powered by first-inning home runs by Indians’ shortstop Lou Boudreau and Tigers’ first baseman Rudy York, the American League All-Stars defeat the National League, 3-1. The Polo Grounds contest also features the first and only starting sibling battery in All-Star history as losing pitcher Mort Cooper throws to backstop Walker Cooper, his brother.
1945 Tommy Holmes hits safely in his 34th consecutive game, surpassing Rogers Hornsby’s modern National League record set in 1922. The Braves outfielder will extend the streak to 37, with the new mark lasting 33 years until broken by Pete Rose in 1978.
1949 Walker Cooper goes 6-for-7, helping the Reds rout the Cubs at Crosley Field, 23-4. The 34-year-old Cincinnati catcher, acquired in a trade with the Giants last month, collects three home runs and three singles, scores five runs, and drives in ten runs.
1953 In his first major league start, 24-year-old right-hander Al Worthington throws a two-hitter, blanking the Phillies, 6-0. The Giants’ rookie, known as ‘Red,’ will become the first National League freshman to throw consecutive shutouts at the start of a career when he repeats the feat in his next outing, blanking the Dodgers, 6-0.
1956 Jim Busby hits his second grand slam on consecutive days to beat the A’s, 4-2. In a 13-7 loss yesterday, the Indians’ outfielder hit a first-inning bases-loaded homer off Detroit’s right-hander Frank Lary.
1958 A day after he walks outfielder Willie Kirkland with the bases loaded to give the Giants a 5-4 victory, Cardinal reliever Larry Jackson hits Jim Davenport with the bases full in the ninth inning to again force in the winning run.
1962 Rod Kanehl, appearing as a pinch-hitter, hits the first grand slam in Mets history, going deep off Bobby Shantz in the eighth inning of the team’s 10-3 victory over the Cardinals. The Polo Grounds bases-loaded round-tripper comes in the 79th game of the franchise’s existence.
1962 At the Polo Grounds, Gil Hodges homers off Cardinal hurler Ray Sadecki for the 370th and final home run of his career, finishing tenth on the all-time list and the most ever hit by a right-handed batter in the National League. Eight-year-old Howie Rose, the team’s future radio voice at his first major league game, and broadcaster Ralph Kiner, who reminds the first baseman on his show, Kiner’s Korner,he established the right-handed NL home run mark in 1954, witnessed the moment.
1966 Boog Powell, tying an American League record, knocks in 11 runs in a doubleheader. In Game One, the Baltimore first baseman hits two homers, including a grand slam, two doubles, and a sacrifice fly, driving in seven runs in the Orioles’ 11-0 victory over the Kansas City A’s, adding four more RBIs in the nightcap.
1970 At Shea Stadium, Mets’ center fielder Tommie Agee hits a seventh-inning triple off Frank Linzy, completing the second cycle in franchise history. The lead-off batter’s four hits pace the team’s 10-3 victory over the Cardinals.
1970 Ron Santo drives in ten runs, helping the Cubs sweep a doubleheader against Montreal at Wrigley Field. The third baseman’s two-run homer in the opener gives the team a 3-2 victory, and his eight RBIs, including another two round-trippers, contribute to the club’s 14-2 rout in the nightcap.
1970 At Atlanta Stadium, Braves’ second baseman Felix Millan goes 6-for-6, becoming the first player in franchise history to collect six hits in one game. The 26-year-old infielder, called the Cat by his teammates, contributes to the team’s 12-4 victory over the Giants with four singles, a double, and a triple.
1977 After 1,887 plate appearances without a home run from the start of his career, Cubs outfielder Greg Gross finally goes deep when he homers off Don Stanhouse, a three-run shot to left field with two outs in the sixth inning, in the team’s 8-6 victory over the Expos at Wrigley Field. The 24-year-old’s homerless drought establishes a new major league record, far surpassing runner-up Duane Kuiper, who recorded his first round-tripper needing 355 fewer trips to the plate to accomplish the feat.
1983 On the Midsummer Classic’s 50th anniversary, Fred Lynn hits the first grand slam in All-Star competition en route to the American League, setting a record for runs scored by one team in a game in their 13-3 victory, including a record seven-run third inning. The Junior Circuit’s victory at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the site of the first All-Star Game in 1933, halts the National League’s 11-game winning streak.
1986 At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, first baseman Bob Horner becomes the eleventh major leaguer to hit four home runs in one game. However, three of the four homers are solo shots, allowing the Expos to beat the Braves, 11-8.
1989 Mike Schmidt becomes the first retired player to be elected to start an All-Star Game. The Phillies’ third baseman, who announced his retirement on May 29th, is hitting only .203 this season and has decided not to participate in the Midsummer Classic.
1991 In a 9-7 loss to Oakland, Danny Tartabull hits three home runs, one off Gene Nelson and two off Bob Welch. The right-fielder becomes the first Kansas City player to accomplish the feat at Royals Stadium.
1992 Commissioner Fay Vincent, using his ‘in the best interest of baseball’ power, mandates the National League’s realignment next season, forcing teams to be more geographically correct in their respective divisions. The plan, approved by 12 of the 14 NL owners in March, but blocked by Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago franchise, will send the Cubs and the Cardinals to the West Division, with the Braves and Reds moving to the East.
2000 Cardinal rookie Keith McDonald, who homered pinch-hitting in his first big league appearance, hits a round-tripper off Reds’ hurler Osvaldo Fernandez, becoming only the second player in history to homer in his first two major league at-bats. Bob Nieman is the other major leaguer to accomplish the feat, having gone deep twice in his 1951 debut with the Browns.
2000 Vin Scully, 72, is voted the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century by members of the American Sportscasters Association. The Dodger veteran broadcaster’s 51-year career has included play-by-play of 25 Fall Classics and a dozen All-Star Games.
2001 The Cubs, playing in the 101st different park since 1876, beat the Tigers in Comerica Park, 15-8. For the first time in 56 years, the Cubs win in Detroit, dating back to Game 3 of the 1945 World Series when Claude Passeau threw a 3-0 shutout in Briggs Stadium.
2002 Daryle Ward becomes the first player in the brief history of Pittsburgh’s PNC Park to hit the Allegheny River on the fly, helping the Astros rout the Pirates, 10-2. PGA legend Arnold Palmer, also known for long drives, is on hand to watch the Houston left fielder’s fifth-inning towering grand slam, estimated to have traveled 479 feet before making a splash.
2002 During Old Timers’ Day ceremonies at Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers dedicate a plaque in Monument Park honoring Reggie Jackson. During his tenuous five-year tenure with the team, the slugging outfielder helped the club reach the postseason four times, including winning two consecutive world championships in 1977 and 1978.
2003 Devil Rays’ skipper Lou Piniella becomes a blonde, keeping his promise to dye his hair if his last-place Devil Rays won three in a row at any point this season. Last night’s 3-2 victory over the White Sox gave Tampa Bay their first three-game winning streak since last September.
2004 Recently acquired outfielder Richard Hidalgo establishes a club record, homering in five straight games for the Mets. In 16 games with New York, the former Astro has eight home runs, compared to hitting just four with Houston in 56 games.
2005 Starting in the third inning, Marlins’ hurlers retire 28 consecutive Brewers en route to a 5-4 extra-inning victory over Milwaukee at Dolphins Stadium. The club sets a franchise mark with 22 strikeouts, with A.J. Burnett contributing a career-high of 14, establishing a team record in six innings of work.
2007 The Twins sweep a twin bill from the White Sox, beating the home team 20-14 and 12-0 at Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field. The 32 runs tallied by Minnesota are the most scored by one club in a twin bill since the Red Sox crossed the plate 35 times in their double victory over the Philadelphia A’s on July 4, 1939.
2008 In the ninth inning of a tied game at Yankee Stadium, Manny Ramirez, appearing as a pinch-hitter, upsets the citizens of Red Sox Nation when he strikes out on three consecutive fastballs thrown by Mariano Rivera without swinging the bat. Citing knee pains, proven baseless by MRIs ordered by the team’s management, Boston’s disgruntled outfielder had asked to be left off the starting lineup for the critical series with New York.
2009 In the most lopsided loss in Reds history, the Phillies rout the team at Citizens Bank Park, 22-1. The previous dubious mark was a 20-run differential, established in 1892 when the Reds lost 26-6 to Philadelphia.
2009 The settlement of a federal lawsuit brought by a fan kicked out of Yankee Stadium by a police officer for allegedly leaving his seat to use the men’s room during the playing of ‘God Bless America’ results in the resident of Queens receiving $10,001 from New York City. The Yankees claim patrons have always had freedom of movement, with ushers blocking some exits in previous years after complaints that spectators showed a lack of respect by leaving their seats during the playing of the patriotic song.
2010 Down six runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Rockies score nine runs in the final frame to beat the stunned Cardinals, 12-9. Seth Smith’s two-out, three-run homer off Ryan Franklin deals the fatal blow in Colorado’s amazing come-from-behind walk-off victory at Coors Field.
2013 With a late surge of support from the Nationals fans, Bryce Harper is selected as an All-Star, making the 20-year-old outfielder the youngest National League starter in the history of the Midsummer Classic. Four days ago, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year trailed the Braves left fielder Justin Upton by 15,000 votes for the final spot in the outfield.
2016 In the Marlins’ 4-2 loss to the Mets, Giancarlo Stanton’s home run in the sixth inning, his second of the game off Jacob deGrom, gives him four homers in four at-bats, with a base on balls between the second and third round-trippers. The Miami masher went deep twice in his last two at-bats in yesterday’s contest, contributing to 17 dingers at Citi Field, the most by any visiting player.
2017 At Busch Stadium, Ichiro Suzuki becomes the all-time major league hits leader for foreign-born players when he collects an eighth-inning single in the Marlins’ 4-3 loss to the Cardinals. The Miami right fielder’s 3,054th hit surpasses Rod Carew, who hails from Panama.
2019 Andrew Heaney, making his first start since the untimely death of fellow Angel southpaw and close personal friend, Tyler Skaggs, delivers a slow overhand curveball as his first pitch, the signature toss of his late buddy. Before lining out to deep right field on a 3-1 court, George Springer intentionally takes the offering, leading off in the Astros’ 4-0 loss at Minute Maid Park.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
ZACK WHEAT
Left Fielder
“One of the grandest guys ever to wear a baseball uniform, one of the greatest batting teachers I have ever seen, one of the truest pals a man ever had and one of the kindliest men God ever created,” Casey Stengel said of Wheat.
Born in Hamilton, Mo., on May 23, 1888, Wheat made his big league debut in 1909. He played 19 season in the major leagues, 18 of which came with Brooklyn before finishing his career in 1927 with the Philadelphia Athletics.
At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Wheat batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The outfielder topped the .300 mark in 13 full seasons, led the National League in batting in 1918 and finished with a .317 career batting average. He was also an outstanding fly chaser with a strong arm, leading National League left fielders in putouts seven times and fielding percentage twice.
Wheat’s Brooklyn teams reached .500 in only five of his seasons, but he did help his teams claim NL pennants in 1916 and 1920.
Wheat spent the first part of his career in the Dead Dall Era and his best season during those years came in 1914 when he hit .319 with 26 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs and 89 RBI.
When the livelier ball was introduced in the 1920s, Wheat made the necessary adjustments and averaged .347 at the plate from 1920-25, recording three 200-hit seasons in his mid 30s.
Wheat finished his career with 2,884 hits, 476 doubles, 1,289 runs scored and 1,248 RBI.
Wheat was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1959. He passed away on March 11, 1972.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
GANG OF 11 ENSURES IT WILL BE HEARD
This story is of how the NFL owners met in Chicago for a 1st vote for a successor for the soon to be retiring Commissioner Pete Rozelle. Saints President/General Manager, Jim Finks, was the only candidate presented, but his selection as Commish falls just short of the votes needed for election. The main reason why this occurred was that a block of 11 owners headed by Dallas’ Jerry Jones, Philly’s Norman Braman, Victor Kiam of New England, Seattle’s Ken Behring and Pat Bowlen of Denver all abstained from voting luring a few others with them which prevented the necessary number of votes to pass the anointing of a new NFL Commissioner. The League went into what was described as chaos after the vote. Braman spoke to the media after the session and said, “The issue tonight was information… there was a feeling on the part of the 11 owners that we wanted more information… this was not an anti-Finks vote. It really wasn’t and we expressed it that way. That’s why we abstained.” The uncertainty of who the next head of the League would not be settled until October 26, 1989 when Paul Tagliabue was announced.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAY FOR JULY 6
July 6, 1946 – Hawthorne, California – Fred Dryer, who was a defensive lineman in 1967 and 1968 for San Diego State was born. The National Football Foundation website says Dryer had great speed and the athletic prowess to hunt through blockers even by hurdling and cutting inside opponents that earned him a spot on the Little All-America team of 1968. He played in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl and the 1969 College All-Star Game. In 1967 San Diego State went 10-1 and beat San Francisco State in the Camellia Bowl. In 1968 the record was 9-0-1. San Diego State’s head coach was Don Coryell, but the man that recruited Dryer away from El Camino Junior College to San Diego State was the defensive coordinator, John Madden. Fred after college played for the New York Football Giants and the Los Angeles Rams, a total of 13 seasons in the NFL. After his football career he became an actor most notably on his own TV series “Hunter.” Dryer was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
OTHER NOTABLE “NOT YET” IN THE HALL BIRTHDAYS
July 6, 1956- Matt Bahr NFL Kicker that played for Pittsburgh, Cleveland, San Francisco, NY Giants, New England and Philadelphia during his tenured career. Bahr kicked for Penn State University in college.
July 6, 1982- Brandon Jacobs this bruising power running back played for the NY Football Giants and later with the San Francisco 49ers. He wore the uniform of Southern Illinois University on the college game days.
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
KNOWLTON AMES
Position: Fullback
Years: 1886-1889
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
Date of Birth: May 27, 1868
Place of Death: Chicago, IL
Date of Death: Dec 23, 1931
Height: 5-10
Weight: 157
High School: Faribault, MN (Shattuck Military Academy)Lawrenceville, NJ (Lawrenceville Prep)
One of college football’s greatest broken-field runners, Knowlton “Snake” Ames was a member of the first All- America team in 1889. Of Ames, Pudge Heffelfinger said, “He was clever at spinning, changing direction and faking the tackler. It was fatal to go for his knees or legs. They wouldn’t be there.” Ames and his Princeton teammates are credited with being the first team to fully develop the “power sweep.” A true football innovator, Ames was perhaps the first player to execute a fake punt and he also developed a unique running style which enabled him to duck tacklers. His speed and elusiveness resulted in many spectacular long runs. In one game alone Ames returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown, returned another kick 50 yards and ran 105 yards from scrimmage. In Ames’ era, football was played on a 110 yard field. Over 100 years since his playing days ended Ames still holds nearly all the Princeton scoring records. In his career, “Snake” scored 730 points, 62 touchdowns and 176 points after touchdowns. In a single game against Pennsylvania he scored 60 points. Ames was a member of Princeton teams that compiled a 35-3-1 record in his four varsity seasons.
SPORTS NUMBERS
3 – 8 – 7 – 9 – 31
July 6, 1933 – At the first ever MLB All Star Game it was a star studded affair. The American League won the contest 4-2 at Comiskey Park, Chicago, as Number 3 of the Yankees Babe Ruth hit the first All Star home run.
July 6, 1945 – Washington Senator, Number 8, Rick Ferrell caught an MLB record 1,722 games when he suited up on this day to face the St Louis Browns.
July 6, 1949 – Cincinnati Reds catcher Walker Cooper, wearing Number 7 went 6 for 7, with 3 HRs, 3 singles, 5 runs scored, 10 RBI in 23-4 win v Chicago Cubs
July 6, 1956 – Finally a fitting tribute award. MLB Commissioner Ford Frick inaugurates Cy Young Award, to honor baseball’s outstanding pitcher of the season
July 6, 1956 – Cleveland outfielder Jim Busby, Number 31 had a second day in a row where he hit a grand slam during the Indians 4-2 win over the Kansas City A’s.
July 6, 1962 – A pair of New York Yankees legends who were known as the ‘M&M boys’: Roger Maris wearing Number 9 and Number 7, Mickey Mantle each tagged 2 Home Runs in a 7-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. For Mantle it was his 4th consecutive homer. Baseball fans were looking for the very popular Mickey Mantle to break Babe Ruth’s old 60-homer record the previous season in 1961, but it was his teammate, roommate and friend Roger Maris who made history when he had 54 base clearing blasts until he suffered a flu infection in September that hampered him from getting to the Bambinos lofty mark but some how he did it finishing with 61 on the season. Mantle had 54 that same year.
TV THURSDAY
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: John Deere Classic | 4:00pm | GOLF |
| US Women’s Open | 6:00pm | USA |
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Cincinnati at Washington | 1:05pm | MASN/2 Bally Sports |
| Oaklnad at Detroit | 1:10pm | NBCS-CA Bally Sports |
| Chi. Cubs at Milwaukee | 2:10pm | MARQ Bally Sports |
| St. Louis at Miami | 6:40pm | Bally Sports |
| Philadelphia at Tampa Bay | 6:40pm | NBCS-PHI Bally Sports |
| Baltimore at NY Yankees | 7:05pm | MASN/2 YES |
| Texas at Boston | 7:10pm | Bally Sports NESN |
| Kansas City at Minnesota | 7:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Atlanta at Cleveland | 7:10pm | Bally Sports |
| Seattle at Houston | 8:10pm | Root Sports ATTSN-SW |
| Toronto at Chi. White Sox | 8:10pm | Sportsnet NBCS-CHI |
| NY Mets at Arizona | 9:40pm | MLBN SNY Bally Sports |
| Pittsburgh at LA Dodgers | 10:10pm | MLBN ATTSN- PIT Spectrum |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| Argentina Primera División: Arsenal vs Defensa y Justicia | 1:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Unión Santa Fe vs Boca Juniors | 4:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Sarmiento vs Talleres Córdoba | 6:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Argentinos Juniors vs Instituto | 6:00pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Huracán vs Atlético Tucumán | 8:30pm | Paramount+ |
| Argentina Primera División: Belgrano vs Barracas Central | 8:30pm | Paramount+ |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Wimbledon | 6:00am | ESPN |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Seattle vs Connecticut | 7:00pm | Prime |