Friday Morning Sports Update-07/16/2021

071621-gondrezick

BH’s Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins Facing Charges In Las Vegas
Former Benton Harbor basketball star Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins is facing felony battery and domestic violence charges after a fight with her husband July 3 at The Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins lost a tooth when she hit him and cut his lip. The two were married in March and Gondrezick-Haskins told police they were going to renew their vows in Vegas and were also there for a wedding with 14 others. The fight happened after she and several women went to a "Magic Mike" show and he and others went without waiting for them to a nightclub. The argument got physical when they all returned to the hotel. Haskins is the Steelers backup quarterback and was drafted by Washington in the first round in 2019 out of Ohio State. Gondrezick-Haskins played basketball briefly for Michigan State, and her sister, Kysre, was the first-round pick of the Indiana Fever of the WNBA this season.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Tonight
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers, 2:10 p.m. – Game 1      94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 1:50
Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers, 7:10 p.m. – Game 2      94.9 WSJM/103.7 Cosy-FM 6:50
Houston Astros at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m.

MLB – Braves acquire OF Joc Pederson in trade with Cubs
The Atlanta Braves have acquired Joc Pederson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, bolstering their outfield after losing Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending knee injury. Atlanta sent minor league first baseman Bryce Ball to Chicago for Pederson, who is batting .230 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs in 73 games. The 29-year-old Pederson spent his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before signing with the Cubs in free agency in February. The Braves are looking to return to the playoffs, but their pursuit of a fourth straight NL East title took a hit when Acuña tore the ACL in his right knee during Saturday’s 5-4 victory over Miami.

MLB – Health official: Blue Jays trending toward return to Canada
Canada’s deputy chief public health officer says the Toronto Blue Jays’ return to their home ballpark is “trending in a very good direction.” But Dr. Howard Njoo would not say when an announcement would be made. Toronto has played its home games this year in Dunedin, Florida, and Buffalo, New York, because of Canadian travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. The Blue Jays also played all their home games in Buffalo last year. The team has applied for an exemption to the travel rules. Njoo said there has been “a lot of good back-and-forth” between the Blue Jays and the government over the application.

NBA – 2021 NBA Finals – Best of 7
Saturday – Game 5
Milwaukee Bucks at Phoenix Suns, 9:00 p.m.                                          (Series tied 2-2)

NFL – AP source: 4 NFL teams remain under 50% vaccinated
Four NFL teams remain under 50% vaccinated less than two weeks from the start of training camp, a person familiar with the vaccination rates told The Associated Press. Washington, Indianapolis, Arizona and the Los Angeles Chargers had the four lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the league as of Thursday, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, because the league hasn’t released the numbers. Pittsburgh, Miami, Carolina and Denver have the highest vaccination rates and are among 10 teams that have achieved at least 85%. About 73% of players have been vaccinated. Teams on the lower end of the vaccination table face potential competitive disadvantages. The NFL doesn’t plan to cancel any games this season, the person said.

NFL – NFL funding study on its most common injury: hamstrings
The NFL is funding a study that will investigate the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries. The league has announced a four-year, $4 million award to a team of medical researchers led by the University of Wisconsin. The study is part of the NFL’s effort to better understand and prevent lower-extremity injuries, including soft tissue strains such as hamstrings. Hamstring injuries are the most common in the NFL, and nearly 75% of them result in missed time.

Golf – LPGA – Jutanugarn sisters shoot best-ball 59 to take LPGA Tour lead
Thai sisters Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn shot an 11-under 59 in best-ball play Thursday to take a two-stroke lead in the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in Midland, Michigan. The Jutanugarns had a 14-under 126 total at rainy Midland Country Club after opening with a 67 on Wednesday in alternate-shot play. They will play alternate shot Friday and close with best ball Saturday. Two-time major champion Ariya got things going, birdieing the first two holes and four of the first five. Moriya added birdies on Nos. 6, 7 and 12, Ariya birdied No. 14, they both birdied Nos. 15 and 17, and Moriya birdied 18. Fellow Thai player Pajaree Anannarukarn and India’s Aditi Ashok were second after a 63. Anannarukarn eagled the par-4 12th.

NHL – Fallen Blue Jackets goalie remembered as friend, hero
Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks was hailed as a friend and hero during a memorial service for the player who died on the Fourth of July from an errant fireworks mortar blast. Authorities have said the firework at a private home northwest of Detroit tilted slightly and started to fire toward people nearby. Kivlenieks was in a hot tub and was trying to move out of the way of the firework when he was struck. Fellow Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins, a close friend of the 24-year-old Kivlenieks, told the mourners on Thursday that his teammate saved him and his pregnant wife the night he was killed.

NHL’s expansion struggles changed with Vegas and now Seattle
The NHL’s last great expansion era was 30 years ago. It brought hockey into untapped markets. It also created some pretty terrible teams. The arrival of Vegas in 2017 changed the story. With new expansion draft rules in place, the Golden Knights took advantage and created a roster that not only won but reached the Stanley Cup Final in its first season. Those same rules are in place now for the Seattle Kraken. Seattle will put together its first team with an expansion draft next week. It will come with the expectation of trying to match what Vegas accomplished.

Soccer – Dike scores twice as US routs Martinique 6-1 in Gold Cup
Daryl Dike scored twice and helped force an own goal, helping the United States to overwhelm Martinique 6-1 and clinch a berth in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals. Miles Robinson, Gyasi Zardes and Nicholas Gioacchini also scored for the U.S., which started a lineup of players who have not been in coach Gregg Berhalter’s top-level player pool.

NCAA – NCAA’s Emmert: It is time to decentralize college sports
NCAA President Mark Emmert is suggesting it could be time for a decentralized and deregulated version of college sports. Emmert says a recent Supreme Court ruling against the NCAA along with lifting restrictions on athletes monetizing their fame are a catalyst. Emmert says he is not offering a mandate or even a recommendation. But he says the time is right to consider a collegiate model that puts fewer constraints on athletes and de-emphasizes the role of a national governing body.

NCAA – U-Michigan creates office to handle sexual misconduct, bias
The University of Michigan is creating a new office dedicated to investigating sexual misconduct claims, which will provide support to victims and offer education to the campus community. The office will have a broad portfolio, including to address civil rights issues and other discrimination. Separately, supervisors will be prohibited from starting a romantic relationship with subordinates. The university has been rocked by sexual misconduct scandals involving a senior official and a longtime doctor. The new, much larger office will replace the Office for Institutional Equity. President Mark Schlissel says the goal is to have a campus where students and staff feel safe and can thrive.

MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Yesterday
West Michigan Whitecaps 5, Fort Wayne Tin Caps 0 – Game 1
West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Fort Wayne Tin Caps 0 – Game 2 (Tigers prospects Sandel De La Cruz, Michael Bienlien, Jared Tobey, and Bryce Tassin combined to throw the first no-hitter in Whitecaps history since June 13, 2000)
South Bend Cubs 2, Cedar Rapids Kernels 1
Lansing Lugnuts 4, Lake County Captains 0
Great Lakes Loons 10, Dayton Dragons 3

Tonight
Fort Wayne Tin Caps at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7:05 p.m.
Cedar Rapids Kernels at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
Lake County Captains at Lansing Lugnuts, 7:05 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Dayton Dragons, 7:05 p.m.

Summer Olympic Games – Games of the XXXII Olympiad – Tokyo 2020

Men’s Basketball – Bradley Beal out of Olympics for health and safety reasons
Bradley Beal will miss the Olympics after being placed into health and safety protocols and the U.S. men’s basketball team said it will replace him on its roster at a later date. Hours later, the team’s exhibition game against Australia scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas was canceled because of health and safety protocols. USA Basketball cited “an abundance of caution” in making the decision. The Americans also announced Thursday that forward Jerami Grant has also been played in health and safety protocols.” Beal had started all three exhibition games for the U.S. so far in Las Vegas, averaging 10.3 points on 10-for-21 shooting.

Men’s Basketball – US-Australia basketball game canceled because of protocols
The United States’ men’s basketball exhibition game against Australia scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas has been canceled because of health and safety protocols. USA Basketball cited “an abundance of caution” in making the decision Thursday night. The U.S. women’s game against Australia will be played as scheduled Friday. The decision to cancel the game came hours after Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal was ruled out of the Olympics after being placed into health and safety protocols. The team also said Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant also was in health and safety protocols “out of an abundance of caution.” The US is still scheduled to play Spain on Sunday before heading to Tokyo, with their opening game against France set for July 25.

Women’s Basketball –Ogwumike and Williams request to play for Nigeria denied
Nneka Ogwumike (nehm-KAH’-dee ah-GWOO’-mih-kay) and Elizabeth Williams have been notified by FIBA that their petitions to play for Nigeria in the Olympics were denied because they played for the U.S. for too long. That’s according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press.

Truce – UN chief calls on warring parties to observe Olympic truce
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling on all warring parties to observe the traditional Olympic truce during the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan, and to pursue cease-fires and lasting peace after the competitions end. The U.N. chief said in a video message Thursday that athletes from around the world have had to overcome “enormous obstacles” to participate in the games in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: “We need to show the same strength and solidarity in our efforts to bring peace to our world." The Olympic Games run from July 23 to Aug. 8.

Women’s Gymnastics – Too much, too soon? USA Gymnastics in midst of culture shift
The USA Gymnastics program finds itself at a crossroads on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics. The athletes have praised a culture change at the top of the sport following the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal. Some athletes like reigning world and Olympic champion Simone Biles fear a new, more positive environment may come at a price. Biles believes discipline is required to reach the pinnacle of the sport and is concerned that coaches may not be able to do their jobs properly to help athletes attain their goals.