THE INDIANA “SRN” SPORTSPAGE” TUESDAY JUNE 13, 2023

“THE SCOREBOARD”

BASEBALL STATE FINALS ***(ALL 4 GAMES CAN BE HEARD ON INDIANASRN.ORG, FREE!!!!)***

FRIDAY, JUNE 16

CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 5:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM CT
ILLIANA CHRISTIAN (24-9) VS. COVENANT CHRISTIAN (16-15)

CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT
ANDREAN (28-6-1) VS. SILVER CREEK (25-7)

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 4:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM CT
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (24-11) VS. BARR-REEVE (29-3)

CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP | 8 PM ET / 7 PM CT
PENN (21-8) VS. CENTER GROVE (29-3)

INDIANA BOYS GOLF

STATE FINALS: ROUND ONE TEE TIMES: TUESDAY HTTPS://WWW.IHSAA.ORG/SITES/DEFAULT/FILES/DOCUMENTS/2022-23%20BOYS%20STATE%20PAIRINGS.PDF

NBA FINALS

DENVER 94 MIAMI 89

COLLEGE BASEBALL SUPER REGIONALS

MONDAY

TENNESSEE 5 SOUTHERN MISS 0

STANFORD 7 TEXAS 6

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD

DETROIT 6 ATLANTA 5 (10)

COLORADO 4 BOSTON 3 (10)

CINCINNATI 5 KANSAS CITY 4 (10)

SEATTLE 8 MIAMI 1

LA ANGELS 9 TEXAS 6 (12)

OAKLAND 4 TAMPA BAY 3

SAN FRANCISCO 4 ST. LOUIS 3

ARIZONA 9 PHILADELPHIA 8

TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES

NBA FINALS

NUGGETS TAKE HOME 1ST NBA TITLE IN RUGGED 94-89 WIN OVER HEAT

DENVER (AP) Confetti flying in Denver. The Nuggets sharing hugs while passing around the NBA championship trophy.

Those scenes that, for almost a half-century, seemed impossible, then more recently started feeling inevitable, finally turned into reality Monday night.

The Nuggets outlasted the Miami Heat 94-89 in an ugly, frantic Game 5 that did nothing to derail Nikola Jokic, who bailed out his teammates with 28 points and 16 rebounds on a night when nothing else seemed to work.

Jokic became the first player in history to lead the league in points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in a single postseason. Not surprisingly, he won the Bill Russell trophy as the NBA Finals MVP – an award that certainly has more meaning to him than the two overall MVPs he won in 2021 and ’22 and the one that escaped him this year.

“We are not in it for ourselves, we are in it for the guy next to us,” Jokic said. “And that’s why this (means) even more.”

Denver’s clincher was a gruesome grind.

Unable to shake the tenacious Heat or their own closing-night jitters, the Nuggets missed 20 of their first 22 3-pointers. They missed seven of their first 13 free throws. They overcame that to take a late seven-point lead, only to see Miami’s Jimmy Butler go off. He scored eight straight points to give the Heat a one-point lead with 2:45 left.

Butler made two free throws with 1:58 remaining to help Miami regain a one-point lead. Then, Bruce Brown got an offensive rebound and tip-in to give the Nuggets an edge they wouldn’t give up.

Trailing by three with 15 seconds left, Butler jacked up a 3, but missed it. Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two free throws each down the stretch to clinch the title for Denver.

Butler finished with 21 points.

“Those last three or four minutes felt like a scene out of a movie,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Two teams in the center of the ring throwing haymaker after haymaker, and it’s not necessarily shot making. It’s the efforts.”

Grueling as it was, the aftermath was something the Nuggets and their fans could all agree was beautiful. There were fireworks exploding outside Ball Arena at the final buzzer. Denver is the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in the franchise’s 47 years in the league.

“The fans in this town are unbelievable,” said team owner Stan Kroenke, who also owns the Colorado Avalanche, the team that won its third Stanley Cup last year. “It means a lot to us to get this done.”

The Heat were, as Spoelstra promised, a gritty, tenacious bunch. But their shooting wasn’t great, either. Miami shot 34% from the floor and 25% from 3. Until Butler went off, he was 2 for 13 for eight points. Bam Adebayo finished with 20 points.

The Heat, who survived a loss in the play-in tournament and became only the second No. 8 seed to make the finals, insisted they weren’t into consolation prizes.

They played like they expected to win, and for a while during this game, which was settled as much by players diving onto the floor as sweet-looking jump shots, it looked like they would.

The Nuggets, who came in shooting 37.6% from 3 for the series, shot 18% in this one. They committed 14 turnovers.

The tone was set with 2:51 left in the first quarter, when Jokic got his second foul and joined Aaron Gordon on the bench. Jeff Green and Jamal Murray, who finished with 14 points and eight assists on an off night, joined them there, too.

It made the Nuggets tentative on both sides of the court for the rest of the half. Somehow, after shooting 6.7% from 3 – the worst first half in the history of the finals (10-shot minimum) they only trailed by seven.

True to the Nuggets’ personality, they kept pressing, came at their opponent in waves and figured out how to win a game that went against their type. Their beautiful game turned into a slugfest, but they figured it out nonetheless.

“What I was most proud about is, throughout the game, if your offense is not working and your shots are not falling, you have to dig in on the defensive end,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

It felt almost perfect that an unheralded and once-chubby second-round draft pick from Serbia would be the one to lift Denver to the top of a league that, for decades, has been dominated by superstars, first-round draft picks and players who lead the world in sneaker and jersey sales.

Over their near five-decade stay in the league, the Nuggets have been the epitome of a lovable NBA backbencher – at times entertaining, adorned by rainbows on their uniforms and headlined by colorful characters on the floor and bench. But never quite good enough to break through against the biggest stars and better teams to the east, west and south of them.

Before this season, there were only two teams founded before 1980 – the Nuggets and Clippers – that had never been to an NBA Finals. The Nuggets took their name off that list, then joined San Antonio as the second original ABA team to capture the NBA’s biggest prize. The other two ABAers, the Pacers and Nets, have been to the finals but lost.

It was the Joker’s blossoming into a do-everything force that made the Nuggets a team to watch. Not everybody did. A shift to winning couldn’t change Denver’s location on the map – in a weird time zone in flyover territory – and it didn’t shift everyone’s view of the Nuggets.

Even in Denver.

There’s little doubt that this has always been a Broncos-first sort of town. No single Denver victory will outshine the day in 1998 when John Elway broke through and that team’s owner, Pat Bowlen, held the Lombardi Trophy high and declared: “This one’s for John!”

But this one? It won’t take a back seat to much. It’s for every Dan (Issel), David (Thompson), Doug (Moe) or Dikembe (Mutombo) who ever came up short or got passed over for a newer, shinier model with more glitter and more stars.

For the first time in 47 seasons, nobody in the NBA shines brighter than the Nuggets.

“You live vicariously through these guys,” said Denver great LaPhonso Ellis, as he pointed to the big scoreboard announcing the Nuggets as champions. “And to see that there, ‘2023 NBA Champions’ here in Denver, that’s so cool, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

NHL NEWS

VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS BUCK TREND OF SMALL D-MEN DURING STANLEY CUP FINAL RUN

Alex Pietrangelo gets beaten up a lot this time of year.

The veteran Vegas Golden Knights defenseman understands the grind of a long playoff run and the toll it can take. The good news is Vegas’ blue line ranges from 6-foot-1 to 6-6, the kind of size that has allowed the Golden Knights to advance to the verge of winning the Stanley Cup.

Vegas has successfully bucked the trend of smaller defensemen by having bigger players at the position who can skate quickly and move the puck efficiently in line with modern hockey.

“You’re able to take the hits and you’re able to withstand a little bit more physical play,” Pietrangelo said. “As a group, we’re able to handle that, but I think we skate well enough, too, where we can get out of that. I think we’ve got a good balance back there of size and speed.”

Pietrangelo is 6-3 and line partner Alec Martinez is two inches shorter. Nic Hague is 6-6, Zach Whitecloud and Shea Theodore 6-2, and original Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb is 6-3.

None are the dinosaurs of hockey’s past who could hit but not do much else but clear the front of the net. They’re still physical when they need to be.

“We’re not going to get pushed out of the game,” Hague said. “We can hold our own winning puck battles, and we want to try to move the puck quick in transition.”

Fleet-footed defensemen who can swiftly move the puck up ice are the flavor of the decade in the NHL. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy had 5-9 Torey Krug with him on the Boston Bruins when they lost in the final to Pietrangelo and the Blues in 2019.

Cassidy has since learned about Pietrangelo being an all-around player and knows defensemen of various shapes and sizes can pave the way to the Cup. Vegas happens to be big and can handle the bruising.

“For right now, that’s how we’re built and it’s working for us,” Cassidy said. “It’s not always the physical part. It’s the length sometimes to get inside, right? That’s the system you play. Your stick length, you’re just getting into people when you’re longer and taller and heavier and wear people down.”

The Golden Knights haven’t just worn opponents down. They’ve also been able to absorb the punishment that comes with a long playoff run, an important ingredient in winning.

At those times, size matters.

“All playoffs long, you’ve got guys who are going to come in and every check gets finished,” Hague said. “It’s a pretty physical game out there, and we’ll never get pushed out of it and that won’t deter us from trying to do what we’re going to do because we can handle it.”

MAJOR LEGUE BASEBALL

MLB ROUNDUP: TIGERS RALLY PAST BRAVES, END 9-GAME SKID

Spencer Torkelson blasted a two-run home run in the ninth, then delivered a walk-off RBI single in the 10th as the host Detroit Tigers snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

Andy Ibanez had three hits, including a homer, and scored the winning run. Zack Short had two hits and drove in two runs. Alex Lange (4-2) tossed an inning of scoreless relief to pick up the victory.

Ronald Acuna Jr. drove in three runs for the Braves. Michael Harris II had three hits, including a solo homer. Charlie Morton tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out eight.

Detroit staged a three-run rally in the ninth to force extras. Jake Rogers sacrificed Detroit’s automatic runner, Ibanez, to third in the 10th, but Rogers reached on Austin Riley’s fielding error. Jonathan Schoop lined out before Torkelson ripped a long single to center off Joe Jimenez (0-2).

Diamondbacks 9, Phillies 8

Evan Longoria homered and drove in four runs as Arizona recorded a wild win over Philadelphia in Phoenix to post its sixth consecutive victory.

Ketel Marte had three hits and three runs as Arizona recovered from a four-run deficit to win for the 12th time in 14 games. J.T. Realmuto became the first Philadelphia player to hit for the cycle since David Bell in 2004, and he drove in three runs.

Bryson Stott singled home Realmuto to make it a one-run game in the ninth. Pinch hitter Kody Clemens then narrowly missed a two-run, go-ahead homer down the right field line before striking out on the next pitch as Arizona’s Miguel Castro got his seventh save. Arizona trailed 5-1 before scoring eight consecutive runs.

Athletics 4, Rays 3

Shea Langeliers highlighted a four-run fifth inning with a three-run double as Oakland stunned visiting Tampa Bay in the opener of a four-game series for its sixth straight win.

Ken Waldichuk struck out Randy Arozarena to kill a Tampa Bay threat in the seventh inning, helping the A’s hang on. The A’s did all their scoring in the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Langeliers lashed a two-strike double to left-center field, plating all three runners for a 3-0 lead against Zach Eflin (8-2). Langeliers then scored on Ryan Noda’s two-out RBI single.

A’s starter James Kaprielian (2-6) lost his shutout bid in the sixth when Jose Siri followed a bunt single by Luke Raley and a two-out walk to Josh Lowe with a three-run homer, his 12th long ball of the season.

Mariners 8, Marlins 1

Ty France hit a three-run homer and rookie Bryce Miller and two relievers combined on a one-hitter as Seattle defeated visiting Miami in the opener of a three-game series.

Eugenio Suarez and Tom Murphy also homered for Seattle. Miller (4-3) allowed one run on one hit in six innings. The right-hander gave up only a solo homer to left field by Nick Fortes with two outs in the fifth inning. Miller walked three and struck out six.

Ty Adcock, called up earlier in the day from Double-A Arkansas, pitched two hitless innings in his major league debut, and Gabe Speier worked a 1-2-3 ninth to cap the victory. Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (5-5) made his shortest start of the season, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits over four innings.

Angels 9, Rangers 6 (12 innings)

Shohei Ohtani hit two home runs, including a go-ahead shot in the 12th inning, as Los Angeles rallied for a victory in Arlington, Texas.

The Angels cushioned their 12th-inning lead with another two-run home run off Cole Ragans (2-3), this one coming from Chad Wallach. The Rangers, who led 5-1 early in the game, got one run in the bottom of the 12th but fell short.

Angels reliever Sam Bachman (1-0) earned his first major league victory with two scoreless innings. Leody Taveras had three hits for Texas, while Marcus Semien finished 0-for-7.

Rockies 4, Red Sox 3 (10 innings)

Colorado scored twice in the top of the 10th inning and hung on to beat host Boston in the opener of a three-game series.

The Rockies led 3-2 after Randal Grichuk drew a bases-loaded walk against Nick Pivetta (3-4), and Colorado added to its lead when Boston first baseman Triston Casas made a fielding error on a Nolan Jones grounder that allowed Ryan McMahon to score.

There was a rain delay of nearly 1 1/2 hours following the Casas error. The Red Sox pulled within 4-3 in the bottom of the 10th when automatic runner Connor Wong scored on a fielder’s choice, but Alex Verdugo grounded into a game-ending double play. Daniel Bard (2-0) earned the win for pitching a scoreless ninth, and Matt Carasiti worked the 10th to record his first save.

Giants 4, Cardinals 3

Mitch Haniger drove in two runs as visiting San Francisco beat St. Louis for its fifth win in seven games.

Brandon Crawford hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth inning for the Giants. San Francisco starter Logan Webb (5-6) allowed three runs on seven hits in seven innings. Camilo Doval got the final four outs for his 17th save.

Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer and Paul DeJong hit a solo shot for the Cardinals, who lost for the eighth time in 10 games. Reliever Chris Stratton (1-1) took the loss.

Reds 5, Royals 4 (10 innings)

TJ Friedl scored on an overturned call in the 10th inning and visiting Cincinnati extended Kansas City’s losing streak to seven games.

Friedl began the inning as the automatic runner at second base, then moved to third on Matt McLain’s groundout. Friedl originally was ruled out at the plate on Jonathan India’s fielder’s-choice grounder to third before the call was overturned. Cincinnati scored the decisive run in the 10th against Carlos Hernandez (0-4).

Kansas City’s Salvador Perez forced extra innings by hitting a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth off Buck Farmer (2-3), who still emerged with the win. Stuart Fairchild homered for the Reds, who won their third straight game.

DEFIANT A’S FANS PLAN “REVERSE BOYCOTT” AT OAKLAND COLISEUM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dawn Pieper will show her love for the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night in the spirit of her late husband, Jay, who is the reason she became such a loyal supporter. Lifelong fan Gabriel Hernandez will cheer his heart out in hopes everyone in attendance can make a meaningful, monumental statement that they are far from done fighting to keep their team in the East Bay.

Fed-up fans in Oakland have hatched an unusual plan to protest the A’s despised ownership group.

They’re buying tickets.

Organizers are calling on A’s supporters to stage a “Reverse Boycott” at the Coliseum on Tuesday. They plan to give away T-shirts to the first 7,000 fans to arrive and are hoping to make a statement with the biggest, most spirited crowd of the year when the A’s host Tampa Bay. The goal is a sellout for a team with dismal attendance all season that has regularly been topped by most Triple-A franchises.

The bright green T-shirts made by local company Oaklandish read “SELL” — a message for owner John Fisher to give up the team to someone who might keep it here. Nevada lawmakers, meanwhile, are discussing the A’s proposed financing plan to build a new ballpark in Las Vegas.

Among those planning to attend: the drummers in the right-field bleachers that used to echo their support for the franchise that’s been in the Bay Area since 1968.

Hernandez offered this message to fellow fans: “Be Loud, Be Proud, Bring Sign, Speak Your Mind, Go A’s.”

“I’ve been a fan my whole life. Raised in Oakland my whole life, no other sport connected with me like how the A’s have and started going diehard mode in 2014,” the 24-year-old Hernandez said. “Personally, I’m at a loss for words, as A’s fans try again to keep their team in Oakland with plans already in full swing for a new ballpark in Las Vegas. To see not only A’s fans but other MLB fans help come together supporting the movement, I’m proud of the fans who participated.”

Naomi Arnst, a fan for 51 years, purchased a pair of tickets Monday for $144 each, including service charges, and another $147.50 on parking. The seats in section 110 are close to where she used to sit with corporate tickets. It’s all worth the expense to be there Tuesday, and she notes, “With parking it cost as much as an A-list Broadway show.”

“But it is time to make a statement,” she said.

Pieper, a season ticketholder for five years, said her husband who grew up in Oakland would “be sick to his stomach over this situation.”

“I’ve been an A’s fan since the early 2000s. He and (former player) Mark Ellis made me fall in love with the A’s. I’m not at all surprised how big the Reverse Boycott has become and how much traction it’s getting nationally,” she said. “Never, ever underestimate A’s fans. We are an incredibly loyal and passionate group. We will never give up and we will fight to the end to keep our team in Oakland.”

Fans are hoping to show that support still exists for the A’s, if not for Fisher, in a sign that the franchise shouldn’t turn its back on Oakland.

“I want to thank and appreciate the fans who organized the incredible reverse boycott for Tuesday, and encourage people to attend the A’s game tomorrow,” Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan said in a message to The Associated Press. “Oakland has the best weather, the best community, and is a fabulous place for baseball.”

Hernandez offered his gratitude to everyone who has helped in some way to make Tuesday’s event happen, vowing that A’s fans will be heard.

“We hope to make a statement to not only ownership but to MLB and the whole world that this isn’t our fault, that we are here. Stop blaming us as fans for someone who is basically telling me to stop coming by trading our players, raising prices, taking away season ticket benefits like 50% concessions, 25% (merchandise), $10 parking. We aren’t going down without a fight.”

NFL NEWS

JETS, BRONCOS KICKER JIM TURNER DIES AT 82

Former New York Jets and Denver Broncos kicker Jim Turner passed away at age 82, his family revealed Monday.

According to reports, Turner died of heart failure on Saturday with his family at his side.

Turner kicked for the Jets from 1964 when they were a member of the AFL until the team’s first season after the NFL merger in 1970. He then moved on to the Broncos from 1971-79, playing 16 total professional seasons after he was a quarterback and kicker at Utah State.

The Crockett, Calif., native and straight-footed kicker made 304 of his 488 field-goal attempts over 228 games in both the AFL and NFL. He also made 521 of 534 extra-point attempts for 1,439 total points.

He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1968 and 1969 — topping the AFL in each season in total points — and was the NFL’s second-leading scorer when he retired following the 1979 season.

Turner kicked three field goals in New York’s 16-7 win over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, winning a title with the Jets, and also converted a field goal in the Super Bowl XII with the Broncos. He was also named to the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in 1988.

“Jim was instrumental in helping establish the Broncos’ winning tradition in the 1970s as a key member of our first Super Bowl team,” the Broncos said in a statement. “While his competitive spirit and reliability defined him as a player, Jim’s dedicated mentorship and support of youth following his career with leave a lasting legacy in our community.”

Turner is survived by his wife Mary Kay and daughters Lisa, Chris and Allison.

REPORT: PATRIOTS WAIVE RB JAMES ROBINSON

The New England Patriots waived former 1,000-yard rusher James Robinson on Monday, ESPN reported.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets running back signed a two-year, $4 million deal in March.

Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards as an undrafted rookie with the Jaguars in 2020.

He rushed for 85 yards in four games with the Jets last season after being acquired in a trade in October.

Robinson, 24, has gained 2,879 yards from scrimmage with 23 touchdowns in 39 career games (32 starts).

Rhamondre Stevenson is the RB1 for the Pats, who also have Pierre Strong Jr. and Ty Montgomery on the roster.

COMMANDERS CALL OFF FINAL DAY OF OTAS

The Washington Commanders called off their final day of organized team activities (OTAs) scheduled for Tuesday, with head coach Ron Rivera and his coordinators happy with how the spring went for their club.

The Commanders instead will have meetings and a light workout Tuesday to conclude their offseason program. The team held a minicamp last week.

Washington will reconvene for training camp next month, when Sam Howell will make his bid to be the 2023 starting quarterback. Veteran Jacoby Brissett remains in the mix for QB1.

The Commanders finished last in the NFC East last season with an 8-8-1 record. They haven’t had a winning record since 2016 but did make the playoffs in 2020 with a 7-9 mark.

Jack Del Rio is the defensive coordinator and Eric Bieniemy is entering his first season as offensive coordinator.

REPORT: DE DANIELLE HUNTER TO SKIP VIKINGS’ MINICAMP

Minnesota Vikings three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Danielle Hunter will skip the team’s mandatory minicamp, choosing to hold out over his contract, NFL Network reported Monday.

Hunter, 28, is set to make $5.5 million this season after the team restructured his deal to move up money to him in 2022, per the report. He wants a new deal after signing a five-year, $72 million extension in June 2018.

Hunter has 71 career sacks for the Vikings, including 10.5 last season. He’s started 73 of 102 games in Minnesota since being selected in the third round of the 2015 draft out of LSU.

He has 85 tackles for loss, 112 quarterback hits, seven forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in his seven seasons.

The Vikings have received trade calls on Hunter, per the report.

Hunter is subject to fines totaling $99,000 if he skips all three days of camp.

TEXANS TO INDUCT J.J. WATT INTO RING OF HONOR

The Houston Texans will induct J.J. Watt into their Ring of Honor on Oct. 1.

Watt, who cemented his legacy with the Texans as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a tireless philanthropist, will become the third person so honored. He joins the late Robert McNair, the founding owner, and wide receiver Andre Johnson.

The Texans made the announcement Monday in a video posted to social media.

“Everybody knows how much J.J. means to our family, the Texans organization and the entire City of Houston,” the McNair family said in a statement. “He is one of the most dominant players in NFL history and he created a unique and irreplaceable bond with our fans. J.J. has always kept a special place in Houston’s heart and we’re thrilled to welcome him back.”

The induction ceremony will be held when the Texans host the Steelers, meaning his brother — Pittsburgh star T.J. Watt — will be in the stadium that day.

Watt spent the first 10 seasons of his career (2011-20) in Houston after the Texans drafted the Wisconsin product with the No. 11 overall pick in 2011. He played two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before retiring.

Watt, 34, was named the NFL’s top defender in 2012 and 2014-2015 and a first-team All-Pro in those seasons, plus 2013 and 2018. He also earned the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year award after raising more than $41 million to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

He played in 151 career games, 128 of them with the Texans. Injuries limited him to just eight games in the 2016-17 seasons combined.

He set the franchise record for sacks (101) and made 172 tackles for loss, the most in the NFL since TFLs became an official stat. He also holds franchise records for quarterback hits (281), multi-sack games (26), forced fumbles (25) and fumble recoveries (16).

BROWNS’ WINFREY HAS ASSAULT CHARGED DISMISSED AFTER HE COMPLETED DIVERSION PROGRAM

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey had a misdemeanor assault charge against him dropped in Texas after he completed a pretrial diversion program.

According to Harris County Court documents, Winfrey’s case was dismissed on June 9.

The 22-year-old Winfrey was arrested in April after he allegedly caused “bodily injury” during an argument with a woman he was dating.

Winfrey has had a turbulent tenure with Cleveland since the Browns drafted him in the fourth round in 2022 out of Oklahoma. He was disciplined by the team as a rookie last season on at least two occasions, and Winfrey acknowledged he needed to mature as a professional.

Last week, Winfrey and cornerback Greg Newsome II were robbed at gunpoint by six masked men in downtown Cleveland outside a nightclub. Neither player was hurt in the incident, which remains under investigation.

Winfrey remained inside the team’s facility last week for two days while the Browns practiced outdoors during minicamp. Coach Kevin Stefanski declined to say if Winfrey was being disciplined. He rejoined his teammates on the third day.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Winfrey is expected to be with the team at training camp next month. The Browns will practice the first week in West Virginia.

The Browns are hoping that Winfrey, who showed signs of being a productive player in 13 games last season, can be part of their defensive line rotation this season.

JAGUARS’ JOSH ALLEN ATTENDS MANDATORY MINICAMP, VOWS TO ‘GROW AS A PLAYER’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen skipped voluntary workouts because he wanted to “prioritize” himself.

He’s counting on it paying dividends on and off the field. The veteran outside linebacker, entering the final year of his rookie contract, made his offseason debut at Jacksonville’s three-day, mandatory minicamp Monday and said he’s “ready to take those next steps individually.”

“My individual growth last year wasn’t good enough,” he said. “Just the tape that I watched, you got to be real critical of yourself. I watched all the games, and I was real critical and I knew I needed to not put that out there no more.

“I wanted to prioritize that … to grow as a player overall.”

Allen was the only Jacksonville player under contract who skipped organized team activities. Tight end Evan Engram also was absent, but he hasn’t signed his franchise tender as the sides negotiate a long-term deal.

The 25-year-old Allen, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft, has 185 tackles and 27½ sacks in four seasons. He finished with 57 tackles, seven sacks and four forced fumbles last season — his first in a 3-4 scheme.

But he went eight games in the middle of the season without a sack before coming on strong down the stretch and in the postseason.

Still, the Jaguars didn’t see enough to offer him a long-term deal. Instead, they want him to play out his contract.

He’s due to make $10.9 million in 2023. Jacksonville could use its franchise tag on Allen next year, especially if general manager Trent Baalke decides he wants to use cap space to sign quarterback Trevor Lawrence and maybe receiver Calvin Ridley or others.

In the meantime, Allen just needs to be more consistent.

“We got the same staff as last year, so that’s a plus,” Allen said. “Obviously coming back in from last year, it’s like, ‘Oh, I know the majority of this.’ So now it’s just getting the rust off. … Kind of slowed it down for me just to get back into the flow of things.

“I was definitely excited about that and just to get back out there working with them, just show my face.”

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson dismissed most of his veterans for the mandatory camp, but he required Allen and anyone recovering from an injury to show to avoid fines that could total nearly $100,000 for skipping all three days.

“I just want to see him run around,” Pederson said. “I want to see the type of shape he’s in. I want to see the communication (since) he’s going to be with some young guys in his group, and I want to see that leadership this week and everything that he’s shown last year and being a Jaguar now. I want to see that this week. I just want to see that enthusiasm and that excitement to be a part of this football team.”

Pederson insisted Allen’s participation in mandatory camp should not be viewed as punitive.

“I haven’t seen him, so this is an opportunity to see him and really, really just embrace him and welcome him back,” Pederson said. “Listen, there’s no bad blood or nothing like that. Guys are entitled to the voluntary program. They can do what they want to do and it’s just good to get him back in this building and embrace him and get him back with his team.”

Allen split his offseason between Arizona and Jacksonville. He worked on movement and technique at Exos Athletic Training in Phoenix and returned home in time to catch his son’s football games.

“I had a great time and I’m ready to get back to work,” Allen said.

2023 ALL-BREAKOUT TEAM: KENNY PICKETT, BRIAN ROBINSON AND CHRISTIAN WATSON AMONG PLAYERS SET FOR BIG SEASONS

(Profootballfocus)

Every year, we see players who may not be household names that have been toiling about in mediocrity put it all together and become forces to be reckoned with in the league. Last year, that included Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith and Andrew Thomas, among others.

In this piece, we’re going to look at a starting lineup of players who could be in line for a breakout season of their own. For this exercise, the personnel groupings will be 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) on offense and a nickel defense (four defensive linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs) to reflect the way the modern NFL is played today.

QUARTERBACK: KENNY PICKETT, PITTSBURGH STEELERS

His counting stats leave something to be desired, as Pickett finished his rookie year throwing for just 2,404 yards with only seven touchdowns and nine interceptions without a single multi-TD game. However, the Steelers’ late-season playoff push coincided directly with Pickett’s late-season improvement. Starting with Week 12, where he finished with an 88.5 offensive grade and an 86.3 passing grade, Pickett didn’t have a single game where his offense or passing grade dipped below 70 for the rest of the year (excluding a Week 14 matchup against Baltimore where he was knocked out early with a concussion). Pickett finished the season with a 75.5 offensive grade and 73.5 passing grade and with that late-season push, he could be primed for a big year in 2023.

RUNNING BACK: BRIAN ROBINSON JR, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

After missing four games while recovering from a gunshot wound, Robinson became a surprising bright spot for the Commanders as the team’s power back. Robinson had a big stretch late in the season where he posted 84.7, 83.1, 74.1 and 76.1 rushing grades in four consecutive outings that helped him put up the eighth-best offensive grade amongst running backs at 82.5. With a clean bill of health, look for Robinson to take over as the Commanders’ bell cow this upcoming season.

WIDE RECEIVER: DRAKE LONDON, ATLANTA FALCONS

With all the praise and accolades going to the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson, London was actually the first receiver off the board in 2022 when the Falcons made him the eighth overall pick. Despite a very run-heavy system in Atlanta, London still put together a very strong rookie year, catching 72 passes for 866 yards and four TDs to go along with an 85.3 receiving grade. He saved his best performance for last, as his Week 18 performance saw him catch six passes for 120 yards and an 87.7 offensive grade. London is expected to be the No. 1 receiver in Atlanta and with the lack of other receiving threats around him, expect Desmond Ridder to go to him early and often in 2023.

WIDE RECEIVER: CHRISTIAN WATSON, GREEN BAY PACKERS

Watson had a boom-or-bust rookie year for Green Bay. This was most apparent in an early-season stretch where he went four consecutive games with no more than two receptions in any game before following that up with a four-game stretch where he caught seven touchdowns. Watson also finished top-10 in the NFL in YAC per reception (6.4) and contested catch rate (75% of his contested targets were caught) so with a full year under his belt, we could be in for an explosion from the second-year man out of North Dakota State.

WIDE RECEIVER: KADARIUS TONEY, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

With all the noise surrounding Toney’s departure from the New York Giants and his Super Bowl run with the Chiefs, it’s hard to believe he’s entering just his third season in the NFL. Toney wasn’t able to make it work in New York, but he seemed to be more at home in Andy Reid’s offense, as he put up an 80.4 receiving grade in his limited time with the Chiefs. With a lack of high-end receiving options in Kansas City and a full offseason to get acclimated to the system, Toney could be in for a big year.

TIGHT END: CHIGOZIEM OKONKWO, TENNESSEE TITANS

Okonkwo was a relative unknown to the casual fan when he was selected with the 143rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s a bit undersized for the tight end position at 6-foot-3 and 238 pounds, but he’s a crazy athlete, as he ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 35.5-inch vertical. As the season went along, he managed to take over the starting TE role for the Titans and made some big plays down the stretch, earning 75.0-plus receiving grades in five of the last six games of the Titans’ season. While Tennessee faltered down the stretch, Okonkwo did not, and he’s primed for a breakout 2023 with an added workload.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE: COLTON MCKIVITZ, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

After Mike McGlinchey left to join the Denver Broncos in free agency, the 49ers had a hole to fill at right tackle. Yet, with their nine draft picks, not one was used on an offensive lineman, let alone a tackle. This leaves the door open for a competition for the starting right tackle job between Matt Pryor, who spent the last two seasons in Indianapolis, and 2020 fifth-rounder McKivitz. Pryor has much more starting experience, but he’s coming off a season where he put up a 44.9 overall grade, including a 40.8 pass-blocking grade. McKivitz only really got significant playing time in Week 4 of the 2022 season, but he played pretty well against a difficult pass rush, putting up an 87.3 pass-blocking grade while surrendering zero pressures. Don’t be too surprised if you see McKivitz take the majority of the snaps at right tackle for the 49ers this season.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE: BERNHARD RAIMANN, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

With all the issues the Colts had on the offensive line last season, surprisingly, the one guy who didn’t have a down year was Raimann, who was consistently solid across the board, finishing with a 73.3 offensive grade, 74.7 run-blocking grade and a 71.4 pass-blocking grade. After a 48.5 pass-blocking grade against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, Raimann didn’t have a single game below 70 the rest of the season. If the rest of the offensive line bounces back to what each member has historically been capable of, then Anthony Richardson’s going to have plenty of time to throw in his rookie year.

OFFENSIVE GUARD: COLE STRANGE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Strange had a very volatile rookie season after the Patriots shockingly made him the 29th pick in the 2022 draft. Strange had some very high highs, as he put up eight games with an 80.0-plus pass-blocking grade, including four of his last five contests. However, he also had some very low lows, as he also recorded four games with a sub-50.0 pass-blocking grade, including one performance against the Colts in Week 9, where he managed to post a 0 pass-blocking grade. However, given the way Strange finished his rookie year, it’s likely that we see a big leap in Year 2.

OFFENSIVE GUARD: TEVEN JENKINS, CHICAGO BEARS

As a rookie second-round tackle in 2021, Jenkins didn’t make his NFL debut until Week 14 and had a lot of struggles, finishing with a 47.5 offensive grade, a 62.7 run-blocking grade and a 54.6 pass-blocking grade. He kicked inside to guard in 2022, and his performance improved dramatically, as he put up an 80.7 offensive grade, a 82.2 run-blocking grade and a 65.9 pass-blocking grade. With a full season as a guard under his belt, look for Jenkins to continue to make strides toward becoming one of the top linemen in the league.

CENTER: JOSH MYERS, GREEN BAY PACKERS

After being a second-round pick in 2021, Myers took on the starting center job for the Packers in 2022 and was about as average as they come. Myers’ PFF grade never dipped below 53.2 nor rose above 71.2 at any point in the season, leading to a 60.4 season-long grade. All of his grades improved over his rookie season, though, as his offensive grade jumped from 54.9 to 60.4 while his run blocking improved from 49.4 to 53.5 and his pass blocking went up from 65.9 to 74.3. With this continued improvement, look for Myers to make new starting quarterback Jordan Love’s life a lot easier in 2023.

EDGE DEFENDER: DAVID OJABO, BALTIMORE RAVENS

Due to an injury suffered during pre-draft workouts, Ojabo slid to the second round of the 2022 draft and missed nearly his entire rookie season, only appearing in three games and getting notable playing time in just one, a Week 18 loss. Ojabo did register his first career sack and forced a fumble in that game, though, putting up an 83.2 overall grade with a 77.2 pass-rush grade. With a clean bill of health in 2023, look for Ojabo to be one of the breakout stars along what is currently a thin Ravens pass rush.

EDGE DEFENDER: MICHEAL CLEMONS, NEW YORK JETS

As a rookie fourth-rounder in 2022, Clemons didn’t start a single game but was effective when he did appear on the field. While not a finished product as a pass-rusher, as his 58.6 pass-rush grade can attest to, Clemons was very stout as a run defender, putting up an 86.4 run-defense grade and an 81.5 tackling grade. If Clemons can add some more pass-rush moves to his repertoire, he could form a dangerous edge trio alongside Jermaine Johnson II and Carl Lawson.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR: DEVONTE WYATT, GREEN BAY PACKERS

One of Green Bay’s two first-rounders in 2022, Wyatt didn’t start to see significant playing time until the last three games of the season, which featured his highest snap totals. He was a beast with the Packers’ season on the line against the Detroit Lions in Week 18, putting up a 90.6 defensive grade and a 92.2 pass-rush grade in that game. With the Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed departures, expect a big bump in playing time for Wyatt on the Packers’ defensive line.

DEFENSIVE INTERIOR: CHRISTIAN BARMORE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Barmore missed a lot of time in the middle of the season due to knee inflammation but played some of the best football of his career upon returning, as he recorded a career-best 90.8 defensive grade against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17 while putting up seven pressures, including a sack and three QB hits. He followed that up with an 88.4 grade in Week 18 to go along with an 86.8 pass rush grade. Look for Barmore to build on that late-season momentum and carry it into 2023.

LINEBACKER: NAKOBE DEAN, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

As the leader of an all-time great defense at Georgia in 2021, Dean was projected by many to be a first-round pick in the 2022 draft. Concerns over his shoulder caused him to drop to the third round, though, and Dean only played 47 defensive snaps during the Eagles’ run to an NFC championship. With the departures of T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in the offseason, Dean will have every opportunity to take over the middle of this Eagles defense as they attempt to return to the Super Bowl.

LINEBACKER: PATRICK QUEEN, BALTIMORE RAVENS

Since being a first-round pick in 2020, Queen has been a fixture in the Ravens’ defense, for better or worse. Queen got off to a very shaky rookie year, putting up some very poor grades in pretty much every category except pass rushing. Below are Queen’s three-year performances.

CORNERBACK: KAIIR ELAM, BUFFALO BILLS

After being taken with the 23rd selection of the 2022 draft, Elam had a very up-and-down rookie season, as he put up seven sub-60.0 coverage grades. However, a switch seemed to flip in the playoffs, as Elam put up his best game in the wild-card round, posting an 88.1 overall grade and an 88.0 coverage grade to go with an interception. In Buffalo’s two postseason games, Elam combined to allow just two catches for eight yards. If Elam can ride that postseason momentum into the 2023 regular season, the Bills may have an answer for some of the high-flying offenses in the AFC.

CORNERBACK: TRENT MCDUFFIE, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

While seventh-rounder Jaylen Watson received a lot of attention for his explosive plays as a rookie, McDuffie was quietly the more reliable rookie corner for the Chiefs amidst their Super Bowl run. After returning from a hamstring injury that knocked him out of action for six weeks, McDuffie started every game and put up a 74.9 defensive grade and 75.1 coverage grade. McDuffie’s versatility to play both outside and in the slot (536 snaps outside vs 247 as a slot corner) will make him a valuable member of the secondary as the Chiefs attempt to defend their Super Bowl title.

CORNERBACK: MARTIN EMERSON, CLEVELAND BROWNS

With a crowded cornerback room featuring the likes of Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II, Emerson had the highest defensive and coverage grades of the group at 72.5 and 75.1, respectively. In an AFC North that features receivers like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and George Pickens, building on a strong rookie campaign from Emerson will help the Browns keep pace in a tough division.

SAFETY: REED BLANKENSHIP, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

After going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee in 2022, Blankenship had to scratch and claw to make an impact on an Eagles defense with Super Bowl aspirations, and he did just that starting in Week 12. In limited action, Blankenship posted solid numbers across the board, posting a 79.4 PFF grade, an 89.4 run-defense grade, a 82.1 tackling grade and a 70.8 coverage grade. After the departures of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps, Blankenship is looking at a major uptick in playing time and production in 2023.

SAFETY: DAXTON HILL, CINCINNATI BENGALS

Hill played very sparingly as a rookie in 2022, as the Bengals had one of the best safety duos in football with Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell already in tow. However, both departed in free agency, thrusting the former first-rounder out of Michigan into the spotlight. Going up against quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Kenny Pickett in the AFC North, Hill will likely be tested early and often, giving him plenty of opportunities to show why he was the 31st pick in last year’s draft.

MEN’S GOLF

SENATOR ASKS LIV GOLF, PGA TOUR LEADERS FOR RECORDS ON MERGER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The leader of a Senate subcommittee is demanding the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf present records about negotiations that led to their new agreement and plans for what golf will look like under the arrangement.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent letters Monday to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV CEO Greg Norman spelling out the “serious questions regarding the reasons for and terms behind the announced agreement.”

Blumenthal, who is chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said he also wanted to hear the tour’s plans to retain its tax-exempt status.

Last week, LIV and the tour stunned the golf world by agreeing to merge the PGA Tour and European tour with the Saudi golf interests, while also dropping all lawsuits between the parties. The governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which bankrolls LIV, will join the PGA Tour board of directors and lead a new business venture as its chairman. The PGA Tour itself will remain a tax-exempt entity.

It was a move expected to receive scrutiny from federal regulators and lawmakers, and the launch of a Senate investigation is among the first dominoes to fall.

The agreement announced last week was to combine the golf-related businesses of Saudi’s Public Investment Fund — which includes LIV Golf — with those of the PGA Tour and European tour. That would be a new for-profit company still to be named.

Among the uncertainties is how LIV Golf goes forward after 2023. PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, is to be chairman of the new venture, with Monahan as CEO and two PGA Tour board members joining them on an executive committee.

In his letters to Monahan and Norman, Blumenthal wrote about the skepticism critics hold over the Saudis’ intent “to use investments in sports to further the Saudi government’s strategic objectives.”

“Critics have cast such Saudi investments in sports as a means of “sportswashing” — an attempt to soften the country’s image around the world — given Saudi Arabia’s deeply disturbing human rights record at home and abroad,” the letter said.

Blumenthal asked for a sweeping set of documents — essentially all communications between LIV and the tour beginning in October 2021 through the present.

Al-Rumayyan said last week that Norman was not apprised of the deal until shortly before it was announced.

US OPEN FIELD

LOS ANGELES. (AP) — The field for the 123nd U.S. Open on June 15-18 at Los Angeles Country Club. Players listed only in the first category for which they are elegible (a-amateur).

U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS (10-year exemption): Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Gary Woodland, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Martin Kaymer, Justin Rose.

TOP 10 AND TIES FROM 2022 U.S. OPEN: Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Denny McCarthy, Adam Hadwin, Keegan Bradley, Joel Dahmen.

U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPION: Padraig Harrington.

U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPION AND RUNNER-UP: Sam Bennett, a-Ben Carr.

U.S. JUNIOR AMATEUR CHAMPION: a-Wenyi Ding.

U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPION: a-Matthew McClean.

PGA CHAMPIONS (5-year exemption): Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson.

BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONS (5-year exemption): Cameron Smith, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari.

2022 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD: Sungjae Im, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Sepp Straka, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Tom Hoge, Joaquin Niemann, Aaron Wise, Viktor Hovland, J.T. Poston, Cameron Young, Brian Harman, Billy Horschel, Sam Burns, Adam Scott, Corey Conners, K.H. Lee, Sahith Theegala, Scott Stallings.

MEN’S TENNIS

ANALYSIS: NOVAK DJOKOVIC HAS 23 SLAMS, SO IS HE THE GOAT? HE LEAVES THAT DEBATE TO OTHERS

PARIS (AP) — The query was swift and direct. Novak Djokovic’s reply was slow, thoughtful and revelatory, delivered in paragraphs.

“How does it feel,” a reporter wanted to know, “to be the greatest male player in history?”

First, a quick bit of background: Djokovic’s championship at the 2023 French Open, earned via a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud on Sunday that included a so-so start and then a cascade of brilliance, provided his 23rd Grand Slam title.

No man has won as many. After spending his entire career trying to accumulate as much hardware as rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic now stands alone atop the list. He had been tied at 22 with Nadal; Federer, who announced his retirement last year, has 20.

So, now, back to that question. For years, as that so-called Big Three dominated men’s tennis, the debate has swirled over which should be considered the “GOAT” — “Greatest of All-Time.”

Federer has his backers. So does Nadal. Djokovic, too.

There are those who want to make it purely about numbers, and Djokovic earns that crown: In addition to the majors count, he has spent a record number of weeks at No. 1 in the rankings and has won each of the Masters 1000 events twice, while the other guys haven’t won each once.

There are those who want to make it about style. There are those who want to look at other intangibles.

Then there are those who believe all three men deserve to be lauded and appreciated equally. No need to take a side.

And so, let’s hear Djokovic’s reply.

“I mean, I don’t want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel — I’ve said it before — it’s disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in a completely different way than it is played today,” Djokovic said Sunday night, wearing a red jacket with “23″ stitched on the front. “I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport in such a great stage worldwide.”

He was just getting started.

“So,” the 36-year-old from Serbia continued, ”I leave those kind of discussions of who is the greatest to someone else. I have, of course, huge faith and confidence and belief (in) myself and for everything that I am and who I am and what I am capable of doing. So this trophy obviously is another confirmation of the quality of tennis that I’m still able to produce, I feel.”

He went on to say what he’s said before about the significance of the four major tournaments — the Australian Open (which he’s won 10 times), French Open (three), Wimbledon (seven) and the U.S. Open (three) — and called them “THE biggest priorities on the checklist for not just this season, but any season, especially at this stage of my career.”

There was more.

About how he didn’t fare particularly well during the clay-court portion of the season leading up to Roland Garros. About how he is a different player when the best-of-five-set format arrives at majors (“He has this software in his head that he can switch (on) when a Grand Slam comes,” was the explanation offered by his coach, Goran Ivanisevic). About the inner and outer pressure and expectations he feels leading into the tournament. About the satisfaction and relief and pride and fulfillment he feels when it’s over and he’s won it.

And then Djokovic veered again.

Although he was not asked about what the future might hold, he did spin things forward a bit, certainly implying he is intent on continuing to add to his trophy total.

“Of course, the journey is still not over. I feel if I’m winning Slams, why even think about ending the career that already has been going on for 20 years?” Djokovic said. “So I still feel motivated. I still feel inspired to play the best tennis (at) these tournaments, the … Grand Slams. Those are the ones that count, I guess, the most in history of our sport.”

In the end — 450 words into a response to a question of 12 — he gave some insight into his mindset. Remember: He is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, something last done by a man in 1969, and play begins at the All England Club on July 3.

Djokovic wrapped up by adding six more words to form a sentence that should make every other player wary: “I look forward, already, to Wimbledon.”

NASCAR NEWS

TOP TEAMS NOT WORRIED WHEN NASCAR CUP SERIES TAKES ONLY BREAK IN GRINDING SCHEDULE

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — The relentless grind of the NASCAR Cup Series pauses this week, and just about everybody involved with the cars is looking to take advantage.

Martin Truex Jr. plans to go fishing after claiming his second victory of the season on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway. Aric Almirola’s wife and children were in wine country to watch his surprising Xfinity Series victory at Sonoma on Saturday because they’re all spending the next 10 days in California, surfing and hiking and going to a Dodgers game on Father’s Day.

NASCAR’s schedule in its top flight is famously busy: This is the teams’ sole weekend without a race between the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19 and the Cup Series championship at Phoenix on Nov. 5.

But for the teams and drivers doing their best work now, it’s natural to wonder whether the break could slow their momentum right before the start of the 10-race sprint to the eight-race Cup playoffs.

Kyle Busch is the hottest driver on the grid, with four straight top-10 finishes, culminating in a victory outside St. Louis and a second-place finish behind Truex in Sonoma.

“I mean, I don’t know if I want an off week,” Busch said Sunday, wearing the closest facial expression he ever makes to a smile. “Let’s go, right? We’re rolling right now.”

“It’ll be a good break for everybody to regroup and refocus and set in for the last 18 in a row,” Busch added. “All in all, just real proud of the guys and the communication and the way they’re able to go to work and kind of work through some of our issues and try to improve on what I need to be able to feel in a race car to be able to put out finishes like that. If we can keep doing those things, we’ll be a force.”

In truth, Busch and his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team are already a force.

He won at Fontana last February in only his second race for his new team after a 15-year tenure at Joe Gibbs Racing. After a few early season bumps, he has surged up to sixth in the driver standings with a playoff spot secure through his three victories — tied with William Byron for the Cup wins lead.

Truex and his team also are on a roll, with two victories and four top-five finishes in the last six races. His only finish outside the top 10 in this stretch was last month at Darlington, where he won the pole and had a dominant car that led the most laps before collisions with Ross Chastain and Joey Logano knocked him out of the race.

“I don’t know that it really matters,” Truex said of the one-week break. “We’ve got a great team. We know what we are capable of now. We have a lot of confidence back that we lacked last year in our decision-making, whether it was strategy or whatever. It seems like things are clicking right now. I don’t know that an off week will change anything. We could probably use a few more off weeks before the playoffs, if I’m being honest with you, but we don’t get those, so I’m ready whenever.”

The improvements by Truex’s JGR team and Toyota were the talk of the paddock after his dominant victory at Sonoma, with Gibbs and crew chief James Small praising their ability to learn from a disappointing 2022. They’re a clear championship contender after Truex went to the top of the overall driver standings in Sonoma.

So while Truex said he will enjoy his time away with that fishing trip or “just hanging out,” he expects to be right back in front when racing resumes at Nashville Superspeedway next weekend.

“I try to get away from racing a couple of days a week no matter what, just to keep my sanity,” the 42-year-old Truex said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ll talk to James on Monday. I’ll talk to James usually on Wednesday or Thursday again. So I’ll have a few days in between there to kind of regroup and keep my sanity.”

Just don’t call too soon this week: After raising a victorious wine glass in Sonoma, Small said he was headed to Colorado for a short break to clear his own head before NASCAR’s sprint to the finish.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

OKLAHOMA SOFTBALL ACE JORDY BAHL ANNOUNCES PLANS TO TRANSFER AFTER WINNING NATIONAL TITLE

Just days after leading Oklahoma’s softball team to its third straight national title, pitcher Jordy Bahl announced Monday on social media that she is transferring and heading back to her home state of Nebraska.

Bahl is from Papillion, a suburb of Omaha. She said in the post that she’s homesick and wants to help grow the sport in a state she feels is overlooked at all levels of softball.

“For the last 2 years, despite the amazing opportunities and accomplishments, my love for home and the acknowledgement of my foundation have grown,” she wrote. “Being away from these things has been very tough.”

Bahl was a first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American this season and a Top 10 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. She finished this season with a 22-1 record and an 0.90 ERA. In 2022, she was NFCA Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-American. In her two years at Oklahoma, she won two national titles and finished with a 44-2 record.

She pitched 24 2/3 scoreless innings at this year’s Women’s College World Series and was named its Most Outstanding Player. She went 4-0 at the World Series in Oklahoma City and earned the save in the decisive championship series victory in Game 2 against Florida State.

Bahl did not say which school she will play for, but there are three Division I programs in the state: Nebraska, Creighton and Omaha. Nebraska and Omaha reached the NCAA Tournament and lost in regional play this season. Creighton went 22-31.

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said in a statement that the two had a cordial conversation about Bahl’s decision.

“We’re understanding of her situation and certainly want her to be the happiest she can be,” Gasso said. “We are supportive of her and she will always be part of the OU Softball family.”

MISC. SPORTS

THE ATHLETIC CUTS NEARLY 20 JOBS, 4% OF NEWSROOM FOR NEW YORK TIMES-OWNED SPORTS SITE

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Athletic, a subscription sports outlet owned by The New York Times, is laying off about 4% of its newsroom staff as part of reorganization efforts, the company confirmed on Monday.

The job cuts will impact nearly 20 journalists of The Athletic’s 450-person newsroom. In addition to the layoffs, more than 20 additional reporters from the San Francisco-based outlet will be moved to new assignments, The New York Times reported.

The New York Times Co. bought The Athletic for $550 million in January 2022, marking one of the news company’s largest-ever acquisitions. In a Monday statement to The Associated Press, New York Times Co. executive director of communications Jordan Cohen noted that the company had reorganized the sports site “to cover the most compelling stories that matter to fans across all the teams in a given league daily.”

“As part of the reorganization, we made the difficult decision to eliminate a limited number (4%) of newsroom roles,” Cohen said. “We will continue to invest in our editorial operation as we prioritize initiatives that help us achieve our strategy and expect The Athletic’s newsroom to be larger at the end of this year than it was last year.”

The layoffs were announced in a memo to staff from David Perpich, the publisher of The Athletic, and executive editor Steven Ginsberg, multiple outlets reported Monday.

In the note, Perpich and Ginsberg wrote about goals to broaden coverage to meet audience interest — with a shift away from having one beat reporter for each sports team, the Times reported.

“Even with the changes being announced today, the size of our newsroom will grow this year compared to last, as will our overall investments in our editorial group in the years ahead,” Monday’s memo read, per The Times. “At the end of this process, we will have more than 100 beat reporters on teams.”

For the start of 2023, New York Times Co. reported first-quarter earnings of $22.3 million, or 13 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 19 cents per share.

Adjusted operating losses for The Athletic were $7.8 million in the first quarter of 2023. In 2022, The Athletic saw annual losses of about $36 million — compared with operating losses of about $55 million in 2021, before the Times acquisition, according to the Times.

TOP INDIANA RELEASES

INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER

CHICAGO (June 12, 2023) – In advance of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach B.J. Callaghan has selected the final 23-player roster. The BioSteel USMNT Training Camp opens June 20 in Chicago.

With a mix of experience and young talent, the United States will pursue its eighth confederation championship title.

“This is a group that we have a lot of confidence in as we look to win another Gold Cup trophy. It’s a roster that has a good mix of veteran players that have World Cup experience and younger players that have earned an opportunity to come into camp and represent the United States in the Gold Cup,” Callaghan said. “Many of these players have performed well at their clubs as well as the previous opportunities that they have had in the national team environment. We’re trying to expose as many players as possible to tournament competition. Some have a lot of experiences that we continue to build on, while others are just starting out. In all cases it will be valuable for the group moving forward.”

The USMNT is part of Group A in the Gold Cup along with Jamaica, Nicaragua and a team that will be determined through the 2023 Gold Cup Prelims.

Based on the Gold Cup Prelims draw, the remaining team in Group A could be one of four possibilities: Curaçao, French Guiana, Sint Maarten or St. Kitts and Nevis. The Prelims Round will run from June 16-20 at DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

The U.S. will seek a record-tying eighth confederation championship this summer. The USMNT won the inaugural tournament in 1991 before being crowned regional champions again in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013 and 2017 and 2021. Should the USA win the 2023 competition, it would tie Mexico’s record of eight titles.

Per tournament rules, the final roster will be submitted no later than June 14. A player may be replaced on the roster up to 24 hours prior a team’s first match of the group phase, as well as 24 hours after the completion of its group stage competition, in the case of injury. The replacement player must come from the 60-man preliminary rosters.

USMNT GOLD CUP DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Sean Johnson (Toronto FC/CAN; 12/0), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; 1/0), Matt Turner (Arsenal/ENG; 26/0)

DEFENDERS (8): DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 2/0), Aaron Long (LAFC; 32/3), Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati; 23/1), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; 2/0), Bryan Reynolds (Roma/ITA; 3/0), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 21/3), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; 1/0), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami; 78/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 9/0), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ Alkmaar/NED; 6/1), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; 2/0), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders; 32/3), James Sands (New York City FC; 8/0), Alan Soñora (FC Juárez/MEX; 2/0)

FORWARDS (6): Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0), Jesús Ferreira (FC Dallas; 18/8), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps/CAN; 2/0), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders; 52/11), Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati; 3/1), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 3/1)

REPPING FROM NEAR AND FAR

As expected, this Gold Cup roster has a more U.S.-based influence, with a total of 16 of the 23 players coming from Major League Soccer. Players also join from clubs in England (2), Italy (2), Mexico (2) and Netherlands (1).

With two selections each, FC Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders lead the list of 12 MLS teams represented on the roster, followed by Atlanta United, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Inter Miami, LAFC, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls and San Jose Earthquakes.

Five players will do double duty as part of both the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup squads: goalkeepers Sean Johnson and Matt Turner, defender Miles Robinson, midfielder Alan Soñora and forward Alex Zendejas.

EXPERIENCE AT THE CORE

The roster is anchored with players who have tournament action under their belts. A total of 11 players have previous Gold Cup experience, with eight having won the competition at least once and 10 having reached a final. Matt Turner and Miles Robinson earned a spot on the 2021 Tournament Best XI, leading a total of six players to lift the ’21 championship trophy.

In addition, the squad features seven players from the 2022 FIFA World Cup team: Jesús Ferreira, Sean Johnson, Aaron Long, Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Matt Turner and DeAndre Yedlin.

With 78 appearances, two-time FIFA World Cup veteran Yedlin is the leading cap winner, followed by Morris (52), Long (32), Roldan (32), Turner (26), Matt Miazga (23) and Miles Robinson (21). Sean Johnson becomes the ninth USMNT player named to five or more Gold Cup rosters, joining DaMarcus Beasley (6), Landon Donovan (6), Frankie Hejduk (6), Kasey Keller (6), Clint Dempsey (5), Brad Guzan (5), Cobi Jones (5) and Eric Wynalda (5).

CRUISING FOR A CAP (TIE)

While all the players on the roster have appeared at least once for the senior team, a total of nine players will seek their first caps in official competition: Cade Cowell, Julian Gressel, DeJuan Jones, Aidan Morris, Jalen Neal, Gaga Slonina, Alan Soñora, John Tolkin and Brandon Vazquez.

Meantime, six dual national players will be cap-tied to the United States should they appear in any match during the Gold Cup: Cowell, Gressel, Morris, Slonina, Soñora and Vazquez.

ROSTER NOTES

The roster holds an average age of 25 years, 20 days as of June 21, the first day of training.

The roster also averages 14 caps overall and seven caps in official competition.

With 78 appearances, two-time FIFA World Cup veteran DeAndre Yedlin is the leading cap winner, followed by Jordan Morris (52), Aaron Long (32), Cristian Roldan (32), Matt Turner (26), Matt Miazga (23) and Miles Robinson (21).

Sixteen of the 23 players are based in Major League Soccer. Players also come from clubs in England (2), Italy (2), Mexico (2) and Netherlands (1).

With two selections each, FC Cincinnati and Seattle Sounders lead the list of 12 MLS clubs represented on the roster, followed by Atlanta United, Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Inter Miami, LAFC, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls and San Jose Earthquakes.

Five players from the USA’s Concacaf Nations League squad will continue with the team for the Gold Cup: goalkeepers Sean Johnson and Matt Turner, defender Miles Robinson, midfielder Alan Soñora and forward Alex Zendejas.

The squad features seven players from the 2022 FIFA World Cup team: Jesús Ferreira, Sean Johnson, Aaron Long, Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Matt Turner and DeAndre Yedlin.

Eleven players have previous Gold Cup experience, with eight having won the competition at least once (tournament caps/previous rosters; years won) and 10 having reached a final: Jordan Morris (11/2; 2017, 2019), Cristian Roldan (10/3; 2017, 2019, 2021), Miles Robinson (6/1; 2021), Matt Turner (6/1; 2021), Gianluca Busio (6/1; 2021), James Sands (6/1; 2021), DeAndre Yedlin (5/1; 2015), Aaron Long (5/1; 2019), Matt Miazga (4/2; 2017, 2019), Sean Johnson (2/4; 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021), Djordje Mihailovic (2/1; 2019).

Seven players are 24 or younger: Brandon Vazquez (24); James Sands and Jesús Ferreira (22); Aidan Morris (21); John Tolkin (20); Cade Cowell and Jalen Neal (19)

Should he appear in one match at the Gold Cup, veteran defender DeAndre Yedlin will become the 25th USMNT player to earn 40 appearances in official competition. Official competition cap leaders in this squad: Yedlin (39), Jordan Morris (30), Matt Turner (21), Cristian Roldan (19), Miles Robinson (18), Aaron Long (12).

Sean Johnson becomes the ninth USMNT player named to five or more Gold Cup rosters, joining DaMarcus Beasley (6), Landon Donovan (6), Frankie Hejduk (6), Kasey Keller (6), Clint Dempsey (5), Brad Guzan (5), Cobi Jones (5) and Eric Wynalda (5).

After earning tournament Best XI honors in 2021, goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Miles Robinson are among six returnees from that year’s championship side. They are joined by Gianluca Busio, Sean Johnson, Cristian Roldan and James Sands.

Turner claimed the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper at the 2021 Gold Cup, earning five clean sheets and conceding only one goal in six matches. Robinson contributed mightily to those five clean sheets, while also adding two goals including the extra time winner in the 1-0 victory against Mexico in the final.

Like Robinson, Jordan Morris has also tallied a game-winner in the Gold Cup Final, hitting home in the 88th minute of the 2-1 victory against Jamaica in the 2017 championship match.

Cade Cowell and Gaga Slonina were key pieces of the USA’s run to the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Slonina became the first U.S. goalkeeper to record four shutouts at a youth World Cup, while Cowell registered three goals and an assist in four matches.

Nine players will seek their first caps in official competition: Cade Cowell, Julian Gressel, DeJuan Jones, Aidan Morris, Jalen Neal, Gaga Slonina, Alan Soñora, John Tolkin and Brandon Vazquez.

Six dual national players will be cap-tied to the United States should they appear in any match during the Gold Cup: Cade Cowell, Julian Gressel, Aidan Morris, Gaga Slonina, Alan Soñora and Brandon Vazquez.

Nine players made their USMNT debut this year: Julian Gressel, DeJuan Jones, Aidan Morris, Jalen Neal, Gaga Slonina, Alan Soñora, John Tolkin, Brandon Vazquez and Alex Zendejas.

With 10 goals on the season for FC Dallas, forward Jesús Ferreira will come to camp tied for the lead in the MLS Golden Boot race, while winger Jordan Morris sits just one back with nine goals for Seattle Sounders this season.

In the midst of his first season with Toronto FC, goalkeeper Sean Johnson has six clean sheets thus far, tying him for third overall league wide.

Appearing in his second match since returning from concussion protocol, Cristian Roldan tallied a goal and assist for Seattle Sounders in their 3-3 draw at Charlotte FC on Saturday, June 10.

Miles Robinson, Aidan Morris and Cade Cowell each grabbed assists in MLS play on Saturday, June 10. Robinson set up the opening goal in from Giorgios Gakoumakis in Atlanta United’s 3-1 win against D.C. United, Morris intercepted a pass that led directly to Lucas Zelarayán’s winner from 60 yards in Columbus Crew’s 2-1 victory at Chicago Fire and Cowell provided the helper on Jeremy Ebobisse’s eighth minute goal in San Jose Earthquake’s 2-1 win against Philadelphia Union.

INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren has announced the hiring of Amber Smith as an assistant coach to her staff.

Smith arrives in Bloomington after a total of seven seasons with Kentucky Women’s Basketball. She served as an assistant coach for the last five seasons (2018-23) and two seasons as director of player development (2016-18).

“I am thrilled that Amber is joining us in Bloomington” Moren said. “Amber is passionate, high energy, excellent at building relationships and is the ultimate competitor that will fit in perfectly to our culture. We are excited that she has decided to become a part of our Hoosier family.”

A native of Winter Haven, Florida, Smith helped the Wildcats to four NCAA Tournament appearances in her seven seasons and was instrumental in development of Kentucky’s guards including the overall 2022 No. 1 WNBA draft pick in 12-time All-American and two-time SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard. In five seasons as an assistant coach, UK won the 2022 Southeastern Conference tournament title and finished in the top four of the conference on multiple occasions. Smith helped develop starting point guard and freshman Jada Walker, who averaged 10.4 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting from the field and 35.5 percent from long range. Walker was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.

While serving as the director of player development, Smith helped coordinate student-athlete community service, while working with the players in a variety of other areas. Her development work has been rewarded by UK producing the SEC Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. The UK women’s basketball program also made history under Smith’s leadership with two players selected in the 2017 WNBA Draft in third-overall pick Evelyn Akhator and 33rd-overall pick Makayla Epps. Akhator was the highest draft pick in program history.

Smith returned to Lexington in the spring of 2016 as the director of player development after spending three years in the coaching ranks at the Division I level. Smith started her coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Tennessee before a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech, where her main roles were recruiting and on-court development. During her time in Knoxville, the Lady Vols won 29 games, including winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

A member of the most successful senior class in Kentucky women’s basketball history, Smith played in 123 career games for UK at guard with 109 starts. She was a member of the 2008 SEC All-Freshman Team and ranks sixth all-time in program history in assists and eighth all-time in assists per game. During her tenure, Smith averaged 7.0 points per game and 3.4 assists per game, helping Kentucky advance to four consecutive postseason tournaments, including two trips to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

A May 2011 graduate from UK with a bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications, she recently earned her Master’s in sports management from Morehead State University in May 2020.

PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Indiana Sports Corporation has announced that Purdue will play Arizona in the second annual Indy Classic, held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The event will be played Saturday, Dec. 16, in Indianapolis as part of a college basketball doubleheader. The other game will pit Indiana State against Ball State. Game times and television designations will be announced at a later date.

This marks the second released game of Purdue’s non-conference schedule after it was announced that Purdue would play Xavier in the Gavitt Games on Nov. 13. The Boilermakers will also compete in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational (Kansas, Purdue, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Marquette, UCLA, Syracuse, Chaminade).

More schedule announcements will be made when they become available.

Arizona expects to be ranked in the top 20 of the early-season AP Top 25 polls after posting a 28-7 record a year ago and earning a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats finished second in the Pac-12 regular-season standings with a 14-6 record, but won the Pac-12 Tournament title with a victory over league champion UCLA in the title game.

Over the last two years, Arizona is third nationally with 61 wins (61-11 record), while Purdue is sixth with 58 wins (58-14 record).

Purdue owns a 7-5 all-time record with Arizona, having won two straight games, and five of the last seven contests, with the Wildcats. The last meeting came in the Battle 4 Atlantis in November 2017, an 89-64 Purdue victory over the No. 2-ranked Wildcats. The win kick-started a school-record 19-game winning streak for the Boilermakers. The coach of that Arizona team was Sean Miller, whom Purdue will now face on Nov. 13, when Xavier visits Mackey Arena.

Season-ticket renewals are now available for the highly-anticipated 2023-24 season. The Boilermakers return six of their top-seven scorers from last year’s team that posted a 29-6 record and won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles.

PURDUE BASEBALL

By: Ben Turner

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Redshirting along with his fellow freshman classmates has not slowed down Purdue baseball’s Brady Chrisman, whose three-homer, 10-RBI outburst Saturday highlighted a red-hot start to the summer ball season for the undefeated Cape Catfish.

Chrisman entered the June 10 game in O’Fallon, Missouri, 15-for-32 with six extra-base hits and 15 RBI over his first eight games of the summer, delivering a game-tying, two-run double as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of a comeback win June 8 in the first game of the summer he did not start. That showing alone during an eight-game hit streak would qualify as a great start to the wood bat season.

But the lefthanded hitting outfielder went supernova in Suburban St. Louis on Saturday, connecting for home runs in the third, fifth and ninth innings as part of a 4-for-4, 10-RBI night in which he also drove in runs with an infield single and bases-loaded hit by pitch. He hit his second grand slam of the week. Chrisman has a .514/.578/1.027 slash line with four doubles, five homers and 25 RBI through 10 games.

“It’s ridiculous how much I grew while I was at Purdue,” Chrisman said in an interview with Tony Capobianco of the Southeast Missourian newspaper. “The facilities there, everything that we’ve got there, including our strength coach Ty Webb, they’ve done nothing but helped me advance my game and advanced my level of play. I went in at 187lbs and now I weigh about 211lbs. The food options there, everything we have, it’s just unreal. That’s allowed me to become more physical, hit the ball harder, farther, and I’d like to say that improved as a player as well just even the little things in practice.

“It’s just taking what the game gives you. I thoroughly believe that God has His blessings and just about everything we do. And while it may have been quite a bit of a struggle to not play or not get the opportunity to go into the games during school ball season, I think that was all part of the process. I think that’s ultimately what led me here, what gave me the ability and the drive to want to play every night.”

The Cape Catfish are off to a franchise-record 10-0 start as the only undefeated team remaining in the 17-team Prospect League, which is the same league the Lafayette Aviators call home. The two teams are in opposite conferences and aren’t scheduled to play each other in the regular season.

The Thrillville Thrillbillies (of Marion, Illinois) had little interest in pitching to Chrisman on Sunday. He walked three times and scored a run as Cape won big again 11-1. The Catfish have outscored the opposition 121-35 over the first 10 games.

Chrisman was a first-team all-state honoree and IHSBCA North/South All-Star as a senior at Zionsville High School in 2022. Last summer, he was selected an all-star again while playing against college players at the College Summer League at Grand Park.

STEPHEN MAKES OPENING DAY START IN CAPE COD LEAGUE

• The Cape Cod League began its season Saturday (June 10) and Khal Stephen was an Opening Day starter for the second time this year. After starting the Boilermakers’ season and home openers as a sophomore this season, Stephen took the ball for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and impressed with seven strikeouts vs. 20 batters faced over four innings. The All-Big Ten performer struck out five of the final six batters he faced. He’s the first Boilermaker to play in the prospect-rich Cape Cod League since the summer of 2019.

TAYLOR AT THE CENTER OF WALK-OFF EXCITEMENT

•Keenan Taylor is no stranger to summer ball success having been an all-star for the Danville Dans of the Prospect League the last two years. This summer he’s quickly become a productive starter for the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League. Saturday, he put the ball in play in the ninth inning that led to a walk-off win vs. the Lakeshore Chinooks. He’s been a starter at third base and reached base safely 21 times over his first 12 games for Madison, scoring 12 runs.

BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER

MUNCIE, Ind. – Josh Rife and the Ball State women’s soccer team announced the addition of Mary Seiffert to the 2023 coaching staff on Monday.

Seiffert joins the Ball State coaching staff after spending the last five season at Indiana Wesleyan. During her time with the Wildcats, she helped guide the squad to the Crossroads League regular season championship as well as an elite eight finish in the nation tournament in 2019. In 2020, she helped the team reach the national tournament where the squad made it to the second round.

Prior to her time at IWU, she spent time at Olivet Nazarene. While at ONU, she aided in CCAC regular season and tournament champions in 2011. In a combined four seasons at ONU, she won the NCCAA National Tournament, was a runner-up in the NCCAA National Tournament, and made the NCCAA National Tournament in all four seasons.

The Grand Haven, Michigan, native played four season at Cornerstone University from 2004-07. During her time at CU, she helped win its first WHAC Tournament title in 2004, its first WHAC regular season title in 2006, its first ever NAIA Region Championship. She was a two-time First Team All-WHAC selection as well as a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete. When she graduated, she was the sixth all-time leading scorer. In 2015, she was inducted into the Cornerstone Hall of Fame.

From Head Coach Josh Rife

“I’m excited to have Mary joining our staff. She has vast experiences at many different levels and has been successful along the way. Her commitment to developing the whole student-athlete aligns perfectly with our program and I know our players will benefit from working with her.”

From Assistant Coach Mary Seiffert

“I am very excited for the opportunity to be a part of the Women’s Soccer program here at Ball State University. Coach Rife has built something special at BSU both on and off the field and I am thankful for the opportunity to work alongside him as well as with the entire staff and Cardinal Athletics community!”

BALL STATE WOMEN’S TENNIS

MUNCIE, Ind. – – Ball State University Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell has named Sachin Kirtane to lead the Cardinals women’s tennis program. Successful in every stop of his coaching career, Kirtane inherits a Ball State program that has had success of its own – two straight Mid-American Conference championships and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

During his nine seasons at Mississippi State, Kirtane helped the Bulldogs to five NCAA appearances and five ITA top 50 finishes. Kirtane coached three All-Americans at Mississippi State and eight NCAA singles selections. Within the Southeastern Conference, MSU reached the SEC Championship quarterfinals in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and athletes earned 11 All-SEC selections. Hired as MSU’s assistant coach in Fall 2014, he was elevated to associate head coach following his naming as ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017.

“Coach Kirtane exudes a passion for teaching and development, and consistently has guided teams to a high level of success,” said Mitchell. “I believe that our women’s tennis program will continue to perform at a championship caliber level with Coach Kirtane at the helm.”

Kirtane made his jump to the SEC following two seasons as the men’s and women’s head coach at NAIA Lindsey Wilson College, in Kentucky. He led the women’s team to back-to-back national semifinal appearances while guiding the men to consecutive quarterfinal showings. His 2014 squads both captured Mid-South tournament titles and after being tabbed as the Mid-South women’s coach of the year following a sweep of regular season and tournament titles, he returned his focus to the women’s game at Mississippi State.

A former Division II All-America player at Valdosta State, Kirtane made the most of his first head coaching opportunity by leading the Northern Iowa women’s program for 10 seasons and maintaining a 129-88 overall record. The 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, he became the winningest coach in program history and broadened his influence as a committee member for the NCAA Division I Tennis Championships.

During Kirtane’s direction from 2002-12, the Panthers posted eight consecutive winning seasons including a second-place regular-season finish in 2011. The Panthers also captured ITA All-Academic Team honors eight straight seasons under Kirtane.

“My wife Stephanie and I are thrilled to join the Ball State Cardinal family,” said Kirtane, “and I am thankful to Jeff Mitchell for giving me this opportunity. Ball State tennis has such a rich tradition, and it is an honor to lead this program. I am looking forward to meeting the players and embarking on this journey.”

Kirtane was inducted into the Valdosta State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005, celebrating a two-time All-America (1997 & 1998) playing career with four Gulf South all-conference selections. He was part of a 1995 VSU team that finished fourth nationally. He earned a marketing degree at VSU (1998) and later received a master’s degree in management (2000) while beginning his coaching career as a VSU graduate assistant coach.

BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS – The second annual Indy Classic powered by Sports Tech HQ will feature the men’s basketball programs of Purdue versus Arizona and Indiana State versus Ball State at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 16. Game times and TV information will be announced at a later date.

The Cardinals are no strangers to Gainbridge Fieldhouse as BSU played the first college game inside the fieldhouse in 1999 against Purdue. Ball State has played inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse a total of five times, with the most recent being an 83-69 victory over Illinois State on December 17, 2022.

Indiana Sports Corp, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and Russ Potts Productions, Inc. partner to host this annual basketball showcase that focuses on bringing the top collegiate basketball teams to Indianapolis to compete in a doubleheader. The Indy Classic serves as an annual fundraiser for Indiana Sports Corp’s non-profit mission.

“We are thrilled to welcome four historic basketball programs to Indianapolis as we continue to build Indy Classic into a premiere basketball showcase,” said Indiana Sports Corp President Patrick Talty. “The 2023 Indy Classic allows fans to see some of the best collegiate basketball in the country in the nation’s most storied basketball state.”

“The very best college basketball belongs right here in the basketball capital of the world, and we are excited that this year’s Indy Classic will showcase some of the country’s most successful and iconic programs,” said Pacers Sports & Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Rick Fuson.

“We are excited for the second annual Indy Classic that features one of the top non-conference matchups in the country this season,” said Zach Franz, President of Russ Potts Productions, Inc. “We look forward to working with our great partners at Indiana Sports Corp and Pacers Sports and Entertainment to deliver a marquee event that will put the basketball spotlight on Indy once again this December. We invite basketball fans across the country to join us in continuing the new tradition of the Indy Classic.”

Indiana State and Ball State have an extensive history against each other, with their first game dating back to 1919.

NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — On Monday, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey announced that she has added a new, key member to her staff.

Carlos Knox will join the Irish as the new player development program director. He has spent nearly a decade working with the Indiana Fever as an interim head coach, assistant coach and player development coach. During his tenure in Indianapolis, Knox helped lead the team to eight consecutive WNBA playoff appearances and was a 2012 WNBA champion. He wore many hats for the team throughout his time, helping with everything from scouting to rehabilitation training to practice preparation. He has worked with many notable players, including four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings and five-time WNBA All-Star Katie Douglas.

“I’m super excited to add Carlos Knox to our coaching staff,” Ivey said. “He has been instrumental in the development of some of the best players in both the WNBA and NBA, and he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team.  My vision for our program is to continue developing NEXT LEVEL pros, and I believe Carlos will help continue and elevate that mission!”

Knox has also had stints as an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati (2020-21),  University of North Texas (2017-20) and San Diego State University (2010-11). Finally, Knox spent time from 2015-16 as the director of training at the Jonathan Byrd Grand Park Fieldhouse, Indiana’s state-of-the-art basketball facility.

The former point guard had a lengthy and decorated career as a collegiate player after attending high school outside of Dayton, Ohio. While earning a degree in communications from IUPUI from 1994-98, he was a two-time NCAA scoring champion, NCAA All-American and NCAA Player of the Year. His jersey has been retired at IUPUI, and the team became a Division I program just after his graduation due in part to Knox’s contributions. He was inducted into the IUPUI Hall of Fame in 2004.

Knox went on to play for the Indiana Pacers from 1998-99 and played overseas in Croatia, Germany, Venezuela and Italy. He has also served as a head coach in the International Basketball League, Continental Basketball Association and American Basketball Association.

The newest member of the Notre Dame staff comes to South Bend from Dallas.

INDIANA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The second annual Indy Classic powered by Sports Tech HQ will feature the men’s basketball programs of Purdue versus Arizona and Indiana State versus Ball State at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 16. Game times and TV information will be announced at a later date.

Indiana Sports Corp, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, and Russ Potts Productions, Inc. partner to host this annual basketball showcase that focuses on bringing the top collegiate basketball teams to Indianapolis to compete in a doubleheader. The Indy Classic serves as an annual fundraiser for Indiana Sports Corp’s non-profit mission.

“We are thrilled to welcome four historic basketball programs to Indianapolis as we continue to build Indy Classic into a premiere basketball showcase,” said Indiana Sports Corp President Patrick Talty. “The 2023 Indy Classic allows fans to see some of the best collegiate basketball in the country in the nation’s most storied basketball state.”

“The very best college basketball belongs right here in the basketball capital of the world, and we are excited that this year’s Indy Classic will showcase some of the country’s most successful and iconic programs,” said Pacers Sports & Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Rick Fuson.

“We are excited for the second annual Indy Classic that features one of the top non-conference matchups in the country this season,” said Zach Franz, President of Russ Potts Productions, Inc. “We look forward to working with our great partners at Indiana Sports Corp and Pacers Sports and Entertainment to deliver a marquee event that will put the basketball spotlight on Indy once again this December. We invite basketball fans across the country to join us in continuing the new tradition of the Indy Classic.”

Purdue and Arizona have played twelve times previously, with Purdue leading the all-time series seven games to five. The two programs have previously met in Indianapolis in 2000 at then Conseco Fieldhouse as part of the John Wooden Tradition.

Indiana State and Ball State have an extensive history against each other, with their first game dating back to 1919. The Sycamores lead the all-time series 73-63 after most recently defeating Ball State 83-71 in Terre Haute Nov. 12, 2022.

Tickets for the 2023 Indy Classic will go on sale later this summer through Ticketmaster.com. For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, visit IndianaSportsCorp.org.

EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With two years of steady improvement to the University of Evansville women’s basketball program, University of Evansville Director of Athletics Ziggy Siegfried has announced a contract extension for head women’s basketball coach Robyn Scherr-Wells.

“Robyn is one of the most driven coaches that I have ever worked with in my career.  She has shown a commitment to academics, the student-athlete experience and competitive excellence and her engagement with the campus and community has been fantastic,” Siegfried stated.  “Robyn is committed to being at UE and understands that commitment takes time.  We are proud to show that commitment to her.  I have no doubt that she is a leader who can and will build a championship program.”

In a short amount of time, Scherr-Wells has made significant progress in building the Purple Aces program.  The first season under her direction saw the team post its highest amount of wins in five seasons.  Her team followed that up with an 11-win campaign last season, which was the marked the first double digit win season and the highest victory total since the 2016-17 season.

“I would like to thank President Pietruszkiewicz, Dr. Siegfried, and Sarah Solinsky for their belief in me and their commitment to Evansville Women’s Basketball. I am grateful to lead the Purple Aces,” Scherr-Wells said.  “We have made great strides forward in the last two years, and I am excited to continue to build upon that. When I was hired in 2021, I wanted the job because of the top, private school education that UE offers combined with high mid-major basketball in the MVC.”

“We fit a unique niche in Division I basketball that not many schools can offer, and I am so proud to recruit student-athletes to UE. I will continue to work tirelessly to build UE Women’s Basketball into an MVC championship program!”

Scherr-Wells’ system has led to a much higher pace of play.  In four seasons prior to her arrival, UE averaged 59.5 points per game and under.  Since she took the helm, the team has averaged 66.1 and 64.6 points, respectively.  Her staff has recruited and coached four All-Missouri Valley Conference selections and that success translated to increased attendance and the first sellout in program history.

Off the court, her impact has been just as important.  The team GPA for the women jumped from 3.0 in her first season to 3.3 last year.  Her efforts have also translated to an increase in fundraising.  During the 2022-23 campaign, her program raised over five times the amount of funds as it did in the season prior to her arrival.

VALPO TENNIS

The Valparaiso University tennis program and head coach Bob Modesto have announced the addition of three newcomers to the program for the 2023-2024 academic and athletic year. Valpo tennis will welcome Sydney Stone, Jolene Fernandes and Lillian Kelly.

Stone, a native of Brisbane, Australia, was recently named a junior college All-American by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) as one of the top junior college players in the nation after a standout season at Tyler JC in Texas. Tyler finished the season ranked third in the JUCO nation with Stone ranked fifth nationally in singles and third in doubles. She reached the national semifinals in both singles and doubles.

“One thing we’re very excited about is that Sydney is bringing college experience with her,” Modesto said. “Whenever we have a player who comes in with college experience, it bodes well for us because we love that they’ve been in the same arena. (Assistant coach) Claire (Czerwonka) feels strongly about us having Sydney on board, and I trust Claire’s expertise.”

Stone was named to the 2022 All-Australian team and was a three-time Junior ITF Doubles winner. She has participated in the Australia European Tour, traveling to Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. Stone, who intends to major in psychology at Valpo, played soccer as well as tennis growing up.

“I chose Valpo because I instantly felt a connection with the tennis coaches and a few of the players I met on a virtual tour from Australia,” Stone said. “The team had a standout tennis season in 2022-23 on the court and in the classroom, and I want to be a part of that.”

Fernandes, a native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has a long list of achievements on the International Tennis Federation circuit, including the following – J5 ITF singles champion in Quito, J5 ITF doubles semifinalist in Quito, J5 ITF singles finalist in Managua, J5 ITF doubles champion in Managua, J5 ITF singles and doubles semifinalist in Managua, J4 ITF singles and doubles quarterfinalist in Victoria and J5 ITF doubles finalist in Kingston.

“What really excites me about Jolene is that she’s left-handed,” Modesto said. “She’s the first left-handed player that we’ve had in my tenure as coach, and one of my strengths is working with the left-handed game. We’re really excited about having her come on board and I’m excited to have another lefty to work with.”

Modesto instructed left-hander Mary Hill during his time as a high school coach at Munster, and she became the first female singles player from Northwest Indiana to win a state title.

Fernandes reached an ITF Junior career-high ranking of 663 on Jan. 3, 2023. She has been ranked No. 3 in U18 Singles in Alberta, No. 6 in U18 Doubles in Alberta and No. 28 in U18 Singles in all of Canada.

“I am so excited to be joining the Valpo women’s tennis program and becoming a part of Valparaiso University,” Fernandes said. “Valpo stood out to me for several reasons, and it was an easy decision to choose this institution. I really liked the tennis program because I connected well with the values of the coaches and felt they genuinely cared about the growth and success of their players. The warm and welcoming nature of the girls on the team made me feel like I was joining a family. I am really excited to surround myself with a group of strong, determined and disciplined girls.”

Away from tennis, Fernandes enjoyed recreational figure skating when she was younger. She has dedicated 13 years to playing the piano and received honors in Levels 6, 7 and 8 through the Royal Conservatory of Music. She has traveled to eight different countries to compete in tennis tournaments. Fernandes plans to study nursing at Valpo.

“My mom is a nurse and my ultimate hero,” she said. “She has inspired me to follow in her footsteps and strive to be just like her. The University’s passion for education and dedication to academic excellence stood out to me. I was looking for a school that provided the perfect environment for me to grow as a student-athlete, and found that Valparaiso University is the right fit for me.”

Kelly, a native of Fullerton, Calif., was recently named a 2022 USTA SoCal Player of the Day. She was a four-time high school varsity MVP, a team captain for three years and a four-time scholar-athlete.

“I first met Lillian when we were recruiting on the national trail,” Modesto said. “I met her in San Diego when she was playing in the national tournament there. I was already impressed by her, and then she also had the opportunity to meet Amanda Tabanera, because Amanda is from Southern California as well. Amanda was equally impressed with Lillian. Lillian then came to Valpo for a visit, and we feel really good about her joining our program.”

Kelly earned principal’s honor roll all four years of high school and graduated with honors. In her free time, she cofounded a service club with her sister that raises money and donates supplies to Los Angeles animal shelters.

“I chose Valpo because of the amazing physician assistant program,” Kelly said. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to be studying in the PA program at a school that will allow me to play tennis at the same time.”

The trio joins a Valpo tennis program that has made positive strides in recent years, finishing the 2023 campaign with its highest winning percentage since 2006.

VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL

The assembly of the 2023-24 Valparaiso University men’s basketball roster continued on Monday as head coach Roger Powell Jr. officially announced the signing of Kaspar Sepp, a 6-foot-7 forward from Tartu, Estonia.

After spending last season at Fairmont Academy – a prep school in Orlando, Fla. – Sepp will join Valpo’s program as a freshman for the 2023-24 campaign.

“The coaching staff was definitely a big factor in my decision,” Sepp said. “I had a good connection with (assistant coach) A.J. (Moye) because he used to play for my national team head coach, that’s where my connection to Valpo started. My prep school coach was roommates with A.J. as well. Valpo had my desired major, which is bioengineering. I like the entire coaching staff, and I’m excited to be a part of a new, young team and have an opportunity to earn quality minutes.”

Sepp is poised to play for the Estonian national team again this summer before joining Valpo’s Summer 2 practice session in late July. In the final game last summer, Sepp helped Estonia beat Finland to earn a promotion to the “A” Division, so Estonia will compete in the “A” Division this year.

“It’s really important to me to represent my country,” Sepp said. “I’m proud to be a part of the team. Estonia hasn’t been in the ‘A’ Division in a long time, so it’s going to be really important for us to stay there this year. We have to perform.”

Sepp was able to acclimate to life in the United States this past year during his prep school time at Fairmont.

“The basketball wasn’t much different from what I experienced in Estonia,” he said. “There is a little bit more discipline here in the United States and practices are tougher. Culture wise, one thing that I really like about the States is that people are really outgoing and totally different from Estonia.”

Sepp began playing basketball at the young age of 8. He enjoyed his conversations with Moye throughout the recruiting process and hopes to step up as a leader on a new-look Beacon squad.

“My strengths are definitely my basketball IQ and my view for the game,” Sepp said. “I like to make others better on the court. I can make shots for myself, too, and I’m a skilled player under the basket. Defense is also important to me; I’m a guy who will do the dirty work.”

Sepp becomes the sixth newcomer announced by Powell this summer, joining Central Michigan transfer Ola Ajiboye, junior college transfer Isaiah Stafford, Murray State transfer Jaxon Edwards, freshman Cooper Schwieger and Hofstra transfer Lual Manyang.

“I’m super excited about Kaspar,” Powell said. “He has a great feel for the game of basketball. He brings an international pedigree and helps us continue the longstanding international pipeline at Valpo. He fits great within my system and is going to be an awesome addition to Valpo Basketball and the way that I want to play.”

MARIAN MEN’S SOCCER

INDIANAPOLIS – The Marian men’s soccer team signed 29 student-athletes to its 2023 signing class, as announced by interim head coach James Jenkins on Friday morning. The Knights’ 2023 class is represented by 14 different countries, including 12 signees from the state of Indiana.

“I am extremely excited to add so many new faces to our men’s soccer program for 2023. We have recruited a very diverse group of young individuals who are all aligned in what we to achieve here at Marian. We were able to attract local Indiana talent with the playing style that is being implemented here and I am pleased with the relationships we are building with the clubs in the surrounding area. Not only have we been able to recruit in the U.S., but we have gone heavily international too, with 14 different nationalities signing on the dotted line to join our roster in August. I cannot wait to inject their culture into ours and become a family united by the sport of soccer. The new 2023 incoming class is the start of something special here at Marian, and it is something we plan to build on for the future of our program.”

Name    Yr.           Pos.        Ht.          Hometown          Previous School

William Anders                 Fr.          FW         6’0          Terre Haute, Ind.              Terre Haute North Vigo HS

Hugo Benavente               So.          DF          5’9          Madrid, Spain     Heartland CC

Charlie Blair        Fr.           FW         6’1          Castle Rock, Co. Castle View HS

Vanlian Ceu        Fr.           MF         5’6          Indianapolis, Ind.             Perry Meridian HS

Caleb Del Valle   Fr.           MF         5’9          Puebla, Mexico   UPAEP Lomas de Angelopolis

Bryce Dolenc       Fr.           FW         6’1          Westfield, Ind.    Westfield HS

Evan Frost           Fr.           MF         6’0          Brownsburg, Ind.             Brownsburg HS

Mason Ham        Fr.           MF         5’4          Terre Haute, Ind.              Terre Haute South Vigo HS

Louis Honeyford Fr.           MF         6’0          Cheltenham, England      Cheltenham Bournside School

Agon Hoxha        Jr.           D            6’1          London, England               Garden City CC

Nathaniel Ireland             Fr.           FW         6’0          Ontario, Canada               Frontenac Secondary School

Luke Irwin           Fr.           D            6’4          Fishers, Ind.        Hamilton Southeastern HS

Carric Joachim    Fr.           FW         5’11       Auburn, Ind.       Dekalb HS

Brennan La Belle              Fr.           FW         5’8          Fortville, Ind.      Mt. Vernon HS

Ximo Leon Gisbert            Fr.           D            6’2          Alicante, Spain   IES Nou Derramador

Bruno Merle       Jr.           D            5’8          Bordeaux, France             Grand View University

Nick Merrion       Fr.           FW         5’7          Rochdale, Ind.    Tri-West HS

Keiji Nakamae    Fr.           FW         5’8          Mie, Japan          Fishers HS

Christos Perontsis             Fr.           MF         5’6          Thermi, Thessaloniki, Greece       1st Lyceum of Thermi

Timo Prinzhorn   Fr.           D            6’1          Bad Fischau-Brunn, Austria          Wiener Neustadt

Gerald Ramirez  Fr.           FW         5’11       Puerto Cabello, Venezuela             Colegio Los Robles Valencia

Jonas Schaefer   Fr.           D            5’10       Bad Hersfeld, Germany   Modellschule Odersberg

Daniel Smith       Fr.           FW         5’11       Carmel, Ind.        Martinsville HS

Yoshiaki Takeishi               Jr.           D            5’11       Chiba, Japan       Southeastern CC

Victor Thang       Fr.           MF         5’9          Hriphi, Burma     Perry Meridian HS

Juan Torres          Jr.           GK          6’1          Bogota, Colombia             Southeastern CC

Valentin Ursino  Jr.           D            5’10       Buenos Aires, Argentina Bethany College

Josh Wesseling   Fr.           FW         5’7          Carmel, Ind.        Cathedral HS

Henry Yoder        Fr.           GK          6’0          Westfield, Ind.    Westfield HS

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	48	21	.696	–	31 – 7	17 – 14	16 – 9	12 – 1	6 – 4	8 – 2	L 1
Baltimore	41	24	.631	5	20 – 12	21 – 12	11 – 7	14 – 5	8 – 6	6 – 4	W 4
NY Yankees	38	29	.567	9	21 – 17	17 – 12	11 – 12	8 – 8	8 – 5	4 – 6	L 1
Toronto	37	30	.552	10	19 – 13	18 – 17	6 – 15	11 – 5	8 – 5	7 – 3	W 1
Boston	33	34	.493	14	17 – 17	16 – 17	10 – 11	8 – 4	5 – 5	3 – 7	L 1
Central
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Minnesota	33	33	.500	–	18 – 14	15 – 19	8 – 11	12 – 8	5 – 4	4 – 6	L 1
Cleveland	31	34	.477	1.5	16 – 17	15 – 17	7 – 8	8 – 11	10 – 6	6 – 4	W 1
Chi White Sox	29	38	.433	4.5	17 – 17	12 – 21	4 – 12	15 – 11	4 – 6	6 – 4	L 2
Detroit	27	37	.422	5	15 – 16	12 – 21	2 – 14	9 – 7	4 – 5	1 – 9	W 1
Kansas City	18	48	.273	15	9 – 24	9 – 24	2 – 8	5 – 12	3 – 9	1 – 9	L 7
West
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Texas	41	24	.631	–	21 – 10	20 – 14	7 – 6	7 – 2	14 – 6	6 – 4	L 2
Houston	37	29	.561	4.5	18 – 14	19 – 15	5 – 5	8 – 11	13 – 6	4 – 6	L 1
LA Angels	37	31	.544	5.5	20 – 14	17 – 17	8 – 9	7 – 5	13 – 11	7 – 3	W 2
Seattle	32	33	.492	9	18 – 15	14 – 18	3 – 6	5 – 5	12 – 10	4 – 6	W 1
Oakland	18	50	.265	24.5	8 – 24	10 – 26	2 – 9	3 – 3	4 – 23	6 – 4	W 6

National League
East
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Atlanta	40	26	.606	–	20 – 15	20 – 11	17 – 6	6 – 0	6 – 7	7 – 3	L 2
Miami	37	30	.552	3.5	21 – 13	16 – 17	8 – 12	5 – 4	9 – 10	8 – 2	L 1
Philadelphia	32	34	.485	8	19 – 11	13 – 23	5 – 8	6 – 4	8 – 12	7 – 3	L 1
NY Mets	31	35	.470	9	15 – 12	16 – 23	12 – 11	3 – 9	8 – 8	2 – 8	L 1
Washington	26	38	.406	13	12 – 21	14 – 17	7 – 12	4 – 3	7 – 11	3 – 7	W 1
Central
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Pittsburgh	34	30	.531	–	18 – 16	16 – 14	4 – 2	10 – 4	9 – 6	7 – 3	W 1
Milwaukee	34	32	.515	1	18 – 16	16 – 16	3 – 0	8 – 5	7 – 13	5 – 5	L 4
Cincinnati	32	35	.478	3.5	17 – 18	15 – 17	7 – 9	11 – 12	4 – 5	6 – 4	W 3
Chi Cubs	28	37	.431	6.5	15 – 16	13 – 21	6 – 10	3 – 8	9 – 8	4 – 6	L 1
St. Louis	27	40	.403	8.5	13 – 19	14 – 21	0 – 3	10 – 13	7 – 11	2 – 8	L 3
West
Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Central	West	Last 10	Streak
Arizona	41	25	.621	–	21 – 14	20 – 11	10 – 8	6 – 3	16 – 9	8 – 2	W 6
LA Dodgers	37	29	.561	4	20 – 10	17 – 19	9 – 6	12 – 11	12 – 7	3 – 7	L 1
San Francisco	34	32	.515	7	18 – 17	16 – 15	9 – 7	11 – 7	5 – 7	6 – 4	W 2
San Diego	31	34	.477	9.5	15 – 18	16 – 16	9 – 7	6 – 8	11 – 10	6 – 4	L 1
Colorado	28	40	.412	14	16 – 19	12 – 21	11 – 10	8 – 7	4 – 15	4 – 6	W 2

TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1905      Giants hurler Christy Mathewson, who, in 1901, became the first rookie in the modern era to throw a no-no, pitches his second career no-hitter, beating the Orphans at Chicago’s West Side Grounds, 1-0. Matty and Mordecai Brown match hitless innings until the top of the ninth when New York reaches the future Hall of Famer for two hits.

1912      In the top of the ninth inning with no outs at New York’s Polo Grounds, Christy Mathewson strands a runner on third base to record his 300th victory when the Giants edge the Cubs, 3-2. During his 17-year major league career, ‘Big Six’ will compile a 373-188 record.

1921      Babe Ruth pitches the first five innings and hits two home runs in the Yankees’ 11-8 victory over the Tigers at the Polo Grounds. The ‘Bambino’ will break his major league record this year, going deep 59 times, but this is the only time he will be the starting pitcher for the Bronx Bombers this season.

1930      For the first time in baseball history, former batting champions are exchanged for one another when the Senators trade Goose Goslin to the Browns for Heinie Manush. Each Hall of Fame outfielder won his titles in the American League, with Manush hitting .387 for the Tigers in 1926 and Goslin leading the circuit two years later with a .378 batting average for Washington.

1938      The Reds acquire Bucky Walters from the Phillies in exchange for catcher Spud Davis, southpaw Al Hollingsworth, and $50,000. Cincinnati’s new right-hander will play a major role in the team’s two consecutive National League pennants, winning 27 games in 1939 and another 22 victories the following season.

1940      In the inaugural Hall of Fame game, the Red Sox beat the Cubs at Doubleday Field, 10-9. Future Hall of Famer Ted Williams hits two home runs during the six-inning rain-shortened exhibition.

1947      The Red Sox score all their runs in the fifth inning to beat the White Sox, 5-3, in the first night game played at Fenway Park. The contest is not the first major league game played under the lights in Boston, with the crosstown NL rivals having played an evening tilt last season against the Giants at Braves Field.

1948      With a crowd of 49,641 singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ to the Babe, the Yankees celebrate the silver anniversary of Yankee Stadium by holding ‘Babe Ruth Day.’ With members of the 1923 team (the first club to play in the Bronx ballpark) looking on, the dying superstar’s uniform number 3 is retired and sent to Cooperstown.

1957      At Comiskey Park, an ugly brawl, precipitated by an Art Ditmar pitch behind Larry Doby’s head, breaks out when the White Sox infielder takes exception of being the target of the beanball and punches the Yankee hurler. Billy Martin, Walt Dropo, Bill Skowron, and Enos Slaughter actively participate in the melee.

1957      Having accomplished the feat against the White Sox on May 8th, Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams becomes the first American Leaguer to have two three-homer games in one season. The ‘Splendid Splinter,’ hitting his trio of round-trippers off Early Wynn and Bob Lemon, two future Hall of Famers, drives in five runs, helping Boston defeat the Indians at Cleveland Stadium, 9-3.

1957      In a game that features the ejection of Johnny Logan and Don Drysdale, Clem Labine loses for the first time in ten months and 38 relief appearances when the Braves beat Brooklyn, 8-5. The Milwaukee shortstop charged the mound after getting drilled in the ribs by the Dodger right-hander, resulting in banishment for both players.

1957      The Indians, to get more power from their outfielders, send Jim Busby to the Orioles in exchange for 28-year-old Dick Williams, who plays only 67 games with the Tribe before being dealt back to Baltimore. As a result of the trade, Roger Maris will move from left to become Cleveland’s full-time center fielder.

1962      Warren Spahn’s record drops to 6-7 when the Braves southpaw suffers his fifth one-run decision of the young season, losing a 2-1 decision to the Dodgers at Milwaukee’s County Stadium. Sandy Koufax’s fifth-inning home run, the first of only two round-trippers he collects during his 12-year career, proves to be the difference.

1965      Ron Swoboda, who finishes the season with 19, breaks the franchise record for homers hit by a rookie when he goes deep off Dick Ellsworth in the first-inning three-run homer, providing all the runs the Mets need in their 3-2 victory over Chicago at Shea Stadium. Jim Hickman had established the mark with 13 round-trippers in 1962, the club’s inaugural season.

1966      After he demands more playing time, the Orioles trade Jerry Adair and minor leaguer John Riddle to the White Sox for right-hander Eddie Fisher. The former Baltimore infielder will miss an opportunity to play in the World Series this season with the Birds but will participate in the Fall Classic with Boston in 1967.

1971      Alex Johnson accuses his Angel teammate Chico Ruiz of waving a gun at him in the clubhouse during the game, an eventual 5-2 loss to Washington at Anaheim Stadium. Although Ruiz denies the incident and the club finds no evidence of a gun, Johnson, not known for his diplomacy, adamantly claims he was threatened with a firearm by the infielder during an argument they had after being used as pinch-hitters in the contest.

1973      The Dodgers infield, a quartet that will be together for eight and a half years, setting a major league record for longevity, plays together for the first time. First baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, third baseman Ron Cey, and shortstop Bill Russell are in the lineup in the 16-3 defeat to the Phillies.

1973      Dock Ellis walks a batter without ever throwing a pitch to him. After he goes 2-0 on the Atlanta left fielder Sonny Jackson, Ramon Hernandez replaces the Pirates right-hander, who throws two more balls to Dick Dietz, a pinch-hitter for Jackson, to complete the base-on-balls.

1975      The Indians deal right-hander Gaylord Perry to the Rangers for three pitchers, Jim Bibby, Jackie Brown, and Rick Waits, and approximately $100,000. In his three-plus years with Texas, the future Hall of Famer compiles a 48-43 record, posting an ERA of 3.26.

1976      The Mets sweep the Giants in a twin bill at Candlestick Park, 4-2 and 4-1. The victories mark the first time in 17 tries that the team has won two games on the same day, losing nine and splitting seven of the previous 16 twin bills.

1984      The Indians trade Rick Sutcliffe, George Frazier, and Ron Hassey to the Cubs for Joe Carter, Mel Hall, Don Schulze, and minor league hurler Darryl Banks. After the midseason trade, the 28-year-old right-hander, who will go on to win the NL Cy Young award, posts a 16-1 record for Chicago, leading the team to the NL East flag.

1994      During a pregame ceremony at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Braves retire Dale Murphy jersey #3. The two-time National League MVP (1982-83) played 15 seasons with the team, batting .268 and driving in 1,143 runs while playing on teams mostly with losing records.

1994      At age 34, Cubs’ second baseman Ryne Sandberg suddenly retires, walking away from $16 million. ‘Ryno’ will return to the Chicago lineup in 1996 to play for two more seasons before completing his 16-year Hall of Fame career.

1994      Don Mattingly surpasses fellow first baseman Wally Pipp for consecutive games played in a Yankees uniform. Donnie Baseball’s 1,469th game is second to only another Bronx Bomber first-sacker named Lou Gehrig, who played in 2,130 straight contests.

1998      Darren Dreifort (p), Eric Young (2b), Jose Vizcaino (ss), and Bobby Bonilla (3b) turn the triple play ever completed at Dodger Stadium. With Colorado runners on first and second base, the 1-6-4 double play becomes a triple killing when Jamey Wright is thrown out at third base by the LA second baseman, who covered first base for the second out.

1998      For the fourth time in major league history, teammates hit back-to-back homers in consecutive innings. Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones accomplish the feat in the second and third frames of the Braves’ 9-7 victory over Montreal at Turner Field.

1998      The Angels stroke a franchise-record eight doubles in their 18-6 victory in Texas. Jim Edmonds leads the Halos’ attack with three two-baggers, with Gary Disarcina (2), Darin Erstad, Matt Walbeck, and Garret Anderson contributing to the club’s new mark.

1999      In a 22-1 interleague rout of the Braves, Cal Ripken becomes the first Oriole to go 6-for-6 as Baltimore scores the most runs in their franchise history. As the St. Louis Browns, the team had set the previous mark on Aug. 18, 1951, tallying twenty times.

1999      When Houston manager Larry Dierker, unable to speak, falls and begins shaking violently due to a grand mal seizure, the umpires suspend the Astros game against the visiting Padres. After four weeks of recovery, the skipper will return, leading the team to a third consecutive National League Central Division title.

1999      Omar Olivares ties a major league record by hitting four Diamondbacks. The Angels’ hurler becomes the 19th pitcher to hit four batters in a game but the second Anaheim moundsman in three weeks to tie the dubious mark, matching teammate Steve Sparks who also plunked four hitters on May 22.

2001      After losing to the Expos in 12 innings on Mark Smith’s home run, which is foul when viewed with video replays, the Yankees restore the missing screen on the bottom three feet to the fair side of the left-field foul pole. The team removed the section so fans sitting there would have an unobstructed view of the game.

2001      The Pirates exchange infielder Enrique Wilson (.186, 8, 1 in 46 games) to the Yankees for Double-A Norwich relief pitcher Damaso Marte (3-1, 3.50 in 23 appearances).

2001      Van Meter, Iowa, best known for being the home of Bob Feller, and St. Marys (Martensdale) tie a national high school record established in 1928 by hitting 16 home runs in one game. Twelve individual players go deep in the 17-15 contest, which Van Meter won, thanks to the wind blowing out in a small ballpark.

2003      On his fourth attempt, 40-year-old Roger Clemens becomes the 21st pitcher, the first since 1990, to record his 300th victory, tossing 6.2 innings in the Yankees’ 5-2 interleague victory over the Cardinals. In the second inning, when Edgar Renteria swings through a full-count fastball, the ‘Rocket’ also joins Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136) as just the third hurler to record his 4000th career strikeout.

2005      Before the interleague series begins against the Reds, who have not played at Fenway Park since the 1975 World Series, the Red Sox pay tribute to Carlton Fisk and his Game 6 walk-off homer by naming the bright yellow stanchion in left field, where the ball landed, the Fisk Foul Pole. Sitting in Monster Seats, the hometown hero enjoys the festivities as the crowd cheers when the team replays the home run on the scoreboard to Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

2006      The first wireless bullpen communication system in baseball history is used at Wrigley Field when a cell phone, destined to be sent to the Hall of Fame, is used for the first time in major league history to call the bullpen. From the dugout, Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild calls the bullpen during the third inning to start warming up reliever Angel Guzman.

2008      Omar Vizquel becomes the first Giant to steal home in a quarter-century. The infrequent swipe of the plate, last accomplished by Max Venable in 1983, comes in the second inning of a 5-1 interleague loss to the A’s.

2010      Against their crosstown rivals at Wrigley Field, the Cubs get out of a bases-loaded jam in the final frame for a 1-0 victory over the White Sox. Juan Pierre’s leadoff single in the top of the ninth spoils Ted Lilly’s bid for a no-hitter, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished at the ‘Friendly Confines’ since Milt Pappas threw a no-no in 1972.

2010      The Angels, with their first sweep at Dodger Stadium, complete their 14-game road journey with 11 victories, the most for the team on a single trip since 1962. In the 6-5 decision over their crosstown rivals, Halo hurler Jered Weaver strikes out his older brother, Jeff, who came into the game as a long reliever in the third inning, for the first time since they were kids.

2010      Jorge Posada’s fifth-inning grand slam, his second in the past two games, proves to be the difference in the Yankees’ 9-5 victory over Houston at the Stadium. The Bronx Bomber backstop joins Bill Dickey (1937) and Babe Ruth (1927, 1929) as the only players in franchise history to hit home runs with the bases loaded in consecutive contests.

2012      Matt Cain tosses the fifth no-hitter and second perfect game of the season when he retires 27 consecutive batters in the Giants’ 10-0 rout of the Astros at AT&T Park. The San Francisco right-hander, with the help of two great defensive plays from outfielders Melky Cabrera and Gregor Blanco, becomes the first pitcher in the 129-year history of the franchise and the 22nd in major league history to accomplish the feat.

2012      Ted Barrett becomes the first major league home plate ump for two perfect games. In addition to calling balls and strikes for today’s gem thrown by the Giants’ Matt Cain, the 18-year veteran arbitrator was also the home-plate umpire when David Cone threw his perfecto against the Expos at Yankee Stadium in 1999.

2012      R.A. Dickey, who gives up only a first-inning infield single for his second career one-hitter in the Mets’ 9-1 victory over the Rays, breaks the franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings. The 37-year-old knuckleballer, surpassing the previous club mark of 31.2 scoreless innings in a row set by Jerry Koosman in 1973, extends it to 32.2 frames before an unearned run in the ninth inning snaps his string.

2013      After going deep 445 times as a Cardinal, Angels’ first baseman Albert Pulos becomes the sixth player to hit at least 200 round-trippers with two different teams when he homers off Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough at Tropicana Field. The 33-year-old slugger joins:

Jimmie Foxx: Philadelphia Athletics (302), Red Sox (222)

Mark McGwire: Oakland Athletics (363), Cardinals (220)

Rafael Palmeiro: Rangers (321), Orioles (223)

Ken Griffey Jr.: Mariners (417), Reds (210)

Manny Ramírez: Red Sox (274), Indians (236)

2014      The Northwest League’s Spokane Indians, the short-season single-A affiliate of the Rangers, introduce a new home alternate uniform that features the name “S’q’n’i” in lettering across the front of the jersey, along with a character not in the English language. The word, which translates to Spokane in the Salish’s native language, will be in addition to a logo created in 2006 that uses local native imagery.

2015      With his sixth-inning two-run home run off Bud Norris in the Yankees’ 9-4 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards, Alex Rodriguez becomes the third major leaguer in the modern era to surpass the 2,000 RBI mark. The New York designated hitter trails only Hank Aaron (2,297) and Babe Ruth (2,213) on the all-time RBI list.

2019      A day before the College World Series opening ceremonies, the Royals beat the Tigers, 7-3, at TD Ameritrade Park in the first major league regular-season game in Nebraska. The nationally-televised contest, resulting from an agreement between MLB, the NCAA, Minor League Baseball, the Omaha Storm Chasers, and the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority, continues the sport’s effort to showcase the solidarity that links each level of the national pastime.

FOOTBALL HISTORY

June 13, 1903 – Red Grange  is a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a multiple offensive position early star of the NFL. Known as the “Gallopping Ghost” and the “Wheaton Iceman” Grange became the face of the early NFL. His professional career was predominantly with the Chicago Bears, although he did spend a season with an ill-fated New York Yankees Football team in 1927, which was an endeavor by Grange and his agent C.C. Pyle when they tried forming a rival league, the American Football League. The AFL only lasted one season and then Red Grange returned to Chicago to play out the remainder of his career. Red’s prolific college career at the University of Illinois made him legendary and the signing with George Halas’ Chicago Bears gave legitimacy to the fledgling league. He was a 3 time consensus All American selection and in 1924 was the only All American running back selected that was not a member of the Famous Notre Dame Four Horseman backfield. In 2008 ESPN named Grange to be the best college football player in history.

June 13, 1909 – Chicago. Illinois – Jack Riley the fine Northwestern tackle from 1929 to 1931 was born. According to the NFF, Riley was one of four brothers to play football for Northwestern University. He was a key man in the school’s glory years when Northwestern had a 20-5-1 record and won two Big Ten championships in his time there. After his stellar play during the 1931 season he was named to the All-America team. Jack was also a great crew member on the rowing team and a fantastic wrestler as he was the national collegiate heavyweight champion in 1931 and 1932. He also won a silver medal in wrestling in the 1932 Olympics. In 1988, Jack Riley’s accomplishments on the collegiate gridiron were memoralized in the College Football Hall of Fame.  After college Riley played pro football two years with the Boston Redskins then went into pro wrestling. 

FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

ALEX AGASE

Position: Guard
Years: 1941-1943, 1946
Place of Birth: Chicago, IL
Date of Birth: Mar 27, 1922
Place of Death: Tarpon Springs, FL
Date of Death: May 04, 2007
Jersey Number: 59
Height: 5-10
Weight: 191
Other College: Purdue
High School: Evanston, IL (Evanston Township HS)

Alex Agase was listed as right guard in the lineup, and nobody ever played the position with more aggressiveness. Playing for Illinois against Minnesota in 1942, he scored two touchdowns. On the first, he stole the ball from Bill Daley and ran 38 yards to the goal line. On the second, he recovered Vic Kulbitski’s fumble. This was only the second time in history a guard scored two touchdowns in a game. In another game in 1942, Agase made 22 tackles against Great Lakes. Agase was All- America in 1942. He played at Purdue as a Marine Trainee in 1943 and again made All-America. In 1944-45 he was on duty in the Pacific zone. He was in battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He returned to play at Illinois in 1946, was All- America a third time and the Big 10’s Most Valuable Player. Alex played pro football 1947-53 and was on three championship teams with the Cleveland Browns. He was Northwestern head coach 1964-72 and Purdue head coach 1973-76. The Football Writers Association named him national coach of the year, 1970. Alex was athletic director at Eastern Michigan 1977-81 and then was a volunteer assistant coach for Bo Schembechler at Michigan. He was named to the Walter Camp Foundation all-century team in 1989 and the Illinois all-century team in 1990.

NUMBERS IN SPORTS

3 – 5 – 9

June 13, 1905 – Future Hall of Fame inductee and New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson threw a second career no-hitter, beating the Chicago Cubs, 1-0 at West Side Grounds, Chicago

June 13, 1921 – The New York Yankees had a pretty talented guy on the mound when they faced the Detroit Tigers. The pitcher was none other than Babe Ruth who hit 2 Home Runs to help his own cause in the victory over the Tigers 11-8. Ruth took the hill in relief with revenge in his heart. Oh and did we mention that Ruth also struck out rival hitter Ty Cobb in the contest after Cobb in an earlier game in the series humiliated the Yankee’s star with discouraging remarks about the Bambino’s nose and waist-line?

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

TOM YAWKEY

On his 30th birthday, Tom Yawkey came into a multimillion dollar inheritance left by his late uncle. Four days later, at the advice of Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, Yawkey bought the struggling Boston Red Sox franchise.

Over the next four-plus decades, Yawkey would become as synonymous with his franchise as perhaps any owner in baseball history. Along the way, Yawkey elevated his club from cellar dwellers to perennial contenders.

When Yawkey bought the Red Sox in 1933, the team had been consistently mired in baseball’s second division for more than a decade after selling Babe Ruth and many other star players to the New York Yankees. Upon assuming ownership, Yawkey opened his pocketbook and acquired some of the American League’s best players – including future Hall of Famers Joe Cronin, Jimmie Foxx, Rick Ferrell, Lefty Grove and Heinie Manush. By 1938, Boston was a contending team.

“Some men like to spend their dough on fast horses and other things that go fast,” Yawkey told writer Dan Daniel in 1937. “Some men like to go in for polo, for example, and spend thousands of dollars on ponies. Some go nuts for paintings, and give half a million for a hunk of canvas in a fancy frame. But my passion is baseball. My idea of heaven is a pennant winner. Boston would go nuts over a winner, and maybe someday we’ll get all the dough back. But in the meantime, don’t let anybody tell you Tom Yawkey is a sucker.”

Yawkey transferred his attention toward the minor leagues by the late 1930s, when the Red Sox purchased future All-Star prospects Bobby Doerr, Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio from the Pacific Coast League. In 1942, Yawkey’s home-grown Red Sox recorded 93 wins, setting the franchise’s best mark since 1915.

When Williams returned home from World War II, the Red Sox delivered Yawkey his long-desired pennant in 1946.

Beyond the Red Sox’s fortunes on the field, Yawkey was tremendously popular in Boston for his generosity. To players like Williams, Yawkey was more than a savior for the franchise; he was a beloved grandfather-like figure.

“(Yawkey) had a heart as big as a watermelon,” the “Splendid Splinter” once said. “I loved the man from the bottom of my heart. He was unselfish, fair, sincere and honest.”

Yawkey established a long-lasting partnership between the Red Sox and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1953, and set up a fund for Boston-area student athletes following the death of Red Sox player Harry Agganis in 1955.

“I was always taught to help others; that those of us fortunate enough to be born with material abundance should do what we can for those who are not,” Yawkey said. “I do what I can.”

Under Yawkey’s leadership, the Red Sox captured additional pennants in 1967 and 1975, falling one game short of a World Series Championship in each season.

But Yawkey’s legacy is complicated. Despite his alleged readiness to sign quality ballplayers regardless of race, Yawkey repeatedly accepted his scouts’ claims that they could not find Black ballplayers good enough to play in the majors. The Red Sox became the last major league club to integrate, with infielder Pumpsie Green debuting in Boston a dozen years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. As the sole owner of the Red Sox, Yawkey ultimately bears the responsibility for the inaction of his franchise.

Yawkey passed away on July 9, 1976. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.

TV TUESDAY

MLB REGULAR SEASON GAMES	TIME ET	TV
TORONTO AT BALTIMORE	7:05PM	SPORTSNET MASN/2
ATLANTA AT DETROIT	7:10PM	BALLY SPORTS
COLORADO AT BOSTON	7:10PM	ATTSN-RM NESN
NY YANKEES AT NY METS	7:10PM	TBS YES SNY
MILWAUKEE AT MINNESOTA	7:40PM	BALLY SPORTS
SAN FRANCISCO AT ST. LOUIS	7:45PM	NBCS-BAY BALLY SPORTS
LA ANGELS AT TEXAS	8:05PM	BALLY SPORTS
PITTSBURGH AT CHI. CUBS	8:05PM	ATTSN-PIT MARQ
CINCINNATI AT KANSAS CITY	8:10PM	BALLY SPORTS
WASHINGTON AT HOUSTON	8:10PM	MASN/2 ATTSN-SW
CLEVELAND AT SAN DIEGO	9:40PM	MLBN BALLY SPORTS
MIAMI AT SEATTLE	9:40PM	BALLY SPORTS ROOT SPORTS
PHILADELPHIA AT ARIZONA	9:40PM	BALLY SPORTS NBCS-PHI
TAMPA BAY AT OAKLAND	9:40PM	NBCS-CA BALLY SPORTS
CHI. WHITE SOX AT LA DODGERS	10:10PM	MLBN NBCS-CHI SPECTRUM
NHL PLAYOFFS	TIME ET	TV
STANLEY CUP FINALS GAME 5: FLORIDA AT VEGAS	8:00PM	TNT
SOCCER	TIME ET	TV
ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: DEFENSA Y JUSTICIA VS BELGRANO	5:00PM	PARAMOUNT+
ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: COLÓN VS ESTUDIANTES	5:00PM	PARAMOUNT+
ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: ATLÉTICO TUCUMÁN VS GODOY CRUZ	7:30PM	PARAMOUNT+
ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: GIMNASIA LA PLATA VS HURACÁN	7:30PM	PARAMOUNT+
WNBA	TIME ET	TV
WASHINGTON VS INDIANA	7:00PM	TWITTER
ATLANTA VS NEW YORK	8:00PM	CBSSN
SEATTLE VS PHOENIX	10:00PM	CBSSN