MLB
TODAY
MINNESOTA TWINS AT DETROIT TIGERS 7:10 PM – 98.3FM
CHICAGO CUBS AT MILWAUKEE BREWERS 8:10 PM
KANSAS CITY ROYALS AT CHICAGO WHITE SOX 8:10 PM
TURNER INJURES THUMB
THE DODGERS SAY JUSTIN TURNER BRUISED HIS RIGHT THUMB WHEN HE WAS HIT BY A PITCH DURING THURSDAY’S GAME AT PHILADELPHIA. TURNER WAS PLUNKED BY A 91-MPH FASTBALL FROM MARK LEITER. HE STAYED IN THE GAME AND PLAYED THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST BEFORE COMING OUT OF THE GAME. TURNER IS BATTING .321 WITH 21 HOMERS AND 70 RBIS.
MONDESI GETS PRISON
FORMER ALL-STAR OUTFIELDER RAUL MONDESI HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON AFTER BEING CONVICTED OF EMBEZZLEMENT. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE CHARGED MONDESI OF EMBEZZLING $6.3 MILLION WHILE HE WAS MAYOR OF SAN CRISTOBAL IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FROM 2010-16, ACCORDING TO THE COURT. MONDESI WAS ALSO ORDERED TO PAY A $1.3 MILLION FINE.
NFL
THE PACKERS HAVE LOST ANOTHER KEY PLAYER TO INJURY WITH OUTSIDE LINEBACKER NICK PERRY SCHEDULED TO HAVE HAND SURGERY. COACH MIKE MCCARTHY SAYS HE DOESN’T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME PERRY WILL MISS. PERRY WAS OFF TO A GOOD START AS THE BOOKEND TO FELLOW EDGE RUSHER CLAY MATTHEWS WITH 11/2 SACKS.
BRONCOS LEFT TACKLE GARETT BOLLES HAS RETURNED TO PRACTICE, FOUR DAYS AFTER HURTING HIS LEFT LEG IN THEIR BLOWOUT WIN OVER THE COWBOYS. HE INITIALLY FEARED IT WAS A SEASON-ENDING ACHILLES TENDON TEAR.
PANTHERS QUARTERBACK CAM NEWTON IS EXPECTED TO START SUNDAY AGAINST THE SAINTS DESPITE BEING LIMITED TO MOSTLY LIGHT THROWING DURING THURSDAY’S PRACTICE. HEAD COACH RON RIVERA CALLED NEWTON’S LIMITED PRACTICE SCHEDULE DURING THE WEEK THE “NEW NORMAL” UNTIL THE QUARTERBACK COMPLETELY RECOVERS FROM OFFSEASON ROTATOR CUFF SURGERY.
SUNDAY NFL GAMES:
ATLANTA FALCONS AT DETROIT LIONS 1 PM – 957 & 1400 WSJM SPORTS (11 AM PREGAME)
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 1 PM
PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT CHICAGO BEARS 1 PM
CINCINNATI BENGALS AT GREEN BAY PACKERS 4:25 PM
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SATURDAY GAMES:
OHIO AT EASTERN MICHIGAN 2 PM
MIAMI (OH) AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3:30 PM
#8 MICHIGAN AT PURDUE 4 PM
WAGNER AT WESTERN MICHIGAN 7 PM
NOTRE DAME AT MICHIGAN STATE 8 PM
FORMER MICHIGAN STATE PLAYERS WAIVE KEY HEARING IN ASSAULT CASE
THREE FORMER MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL PLAYERS CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT HAVE WAIVED A KEY HEARING AND WILL ADVANCE TO TRIAL. MICHIGAN JUDGES TYPICALLY DECIDE WHETHER THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO HOLD A TRIAL. BUT JOSH KING, DONNIE CORLEY JR. AND DEMETRIC VANCE WAIVED THAT HEARING THURSDAY IN EAST LANSING. A WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS ASSAULTED IN AN APARTMENT BATHROOM IN JANUARY.
NEBRASKA AD FIRED
NEBRASKA HAS FIRED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR SHAWN EICHORST, CITING HIS FAILURE TO IMPROVE “ON-FIELD PERFORMANCE” BY THE CORNHUSKERS. EICHORST JOINED NEBRASKA IN OCTOBER 2012, AND HAS ABOUT $1.7 MILLION REMAINING ON A CONTRACT THAT RUNS THROUGH JUNE 2019. EICHORST AND FOOTBALL COACH MIKE RILEY HAVE BEEN UNDER INCREASED SCRUTINY WITH THE CONTINUED MEDIOCRITY OF THE PROGRAM. EICHORST HIRED RILEY IN 2014, REPLACING BO PELINI.
CLEMSON LOSES KICKER
SECOND-RANKED CLEMSON SAYS KICKER GREG HUEGEL WILL MISS THE REST OF THE SEASON AFTER HE WAS INJURED ON THE LAST PLAY OF WEDNESDAY’S PRACTICE. COACH DABO SWINNEY EXPLAINED THAT A DEFENSIVE LINEMAN ROLLED INTO HUEGEL’S LEG AFTER HE KICKED DURING A TWO-MINUTE DRILL. SWINNEY SAYS JUNIOR ALEX SPENCE WILL BE THE KICKER SATURDAY AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE.
NBA
REFS CAN RULE RECKLESS CLOSEOUTS AS FLAGRANTS OR TECHS
THE NBA HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS CLAMPING DOWN ON DEFENDERS WHO GIVE JUMP SHOOTERS NO SPACE TO LAND, ALLOWING REFEREES TO CALL FLAGRANT OR TECHNICAL FOULS. GOLDEN STATE’S ZAZA PACHULIA MADE A SIMILAR PLAY THAT INJURED SPURS STAR KAWHI LEONARD IN LAST SEASON’S PLAYOFFS. LEONARD SPRAINED HIS ANKLE WHEN PACHULIA SLID HIS FOOT UNDER LEONARD’S IN GAME 1 OF GOLDEN STATE’S VICTORY IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS. OFFICIALS WILL ALSO MAKE SURE JUMP SHOOTERS ARE IN THEIR UPWARD SHOOTING MOTION WHEN DETERMINING IF A PERIMETER FOUL IS WORTHY OF FREE THROWS. NBA SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF REPLAY AND REFEREE OPERATIONS JOE BORGIA SAYS THE LEAGUE HAS MADE THE PLAY A POINT OF EMPHASIS FOR REFEREES IN THE SPIRIT OF PLAYER SAFETY.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
STANLEY OPENS STRONG AT EAST LAKE, AND SO DOES SPIETH
KYLE STANLEY IS THE LEADER AFTER THE OPENING ROUND OF THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP IN ATLANTA. STANLEY RAN OFF FOUR STRAIGHT BIRDIES ON THE FRONT NINE AND FINISHED WITH A 6-UNDER 64 THAT LEAVES HIM TWO STROKES IN FRONT OF BROOKS KOEPKA, PAUL CASEY, WEBB SIMPSON AND DANIEL BERGER. JORDAN SPIETH IS THREE SHOTS BACK AS HE TRIES TO WRAP UP THE FEDEX CUP. NO ONE AMONG THE TOP FIVE SEEDS HAD A LOWER SCORE, KEEPING SPIETH ON TRACK IN HIS BID TO JOIN TIGER WOODS AS THE ONLY TWO-TIME WINNER OF THE $10 MILLION BONUS.
