Thursday Morning Sports Update-08/05/2021

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MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Boston Red Sox 4, Detroit Tigers 1
Kansas City Royals 9, Chicago White Sox 1
Chicago Cubs 3, Colorado Rockies 2

Red Sox 4, Tigers 1 – Rodriguez helps Red Sox top Tigers 4-1, snap 5-game skid
Eduardo Rodriguez struck out 10 in five shutout innings and the Boston Red Sox snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Rodriguez allowed two hits and four walks in helping Boston end its longest losing streak of the season. J.D. Martinez, Enrique Hernandez and Jarren Duran homered for the Red Sox. Boston pitchers struck out 18 batters, with Matt Barnes getting two as he pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 28 chances. Casey Mize gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three and allowed all three Boston homers.

Royals 9, White Sox 1 – Pérez hits 2-run HR as Royals roll to 9-1 win over White Sox
Salvador Pérez hit a two-run homer and the Kansas City Royals went deep four times to beat the Chicago White Sox 9-1. Kansas City ended a four-game losing streak, while the AL Central-leading White Sox lost for the eighth time in 13 games. Royals starter Carlos Hernández yielded only two hits over five innings in beating the White Sox for the second time in seven days. Hernández has allowed six hits while striking out 10 in his last 11 innings against Chicago. Pérez launched his 27th homer in the third, tying his career high.

Cubs 3, Rockies 2 – Wisdom’s 3-run double lifts Cubs over Rockies, 3-2
Patrick Wisdom hit a three-run double to back a solid outing from Alec Mills and lead the Chicago Cubs past the Colorado Rockies 3-2. Mills overcame a rocky start to pitch six innings and earn his first win since July 7, and Wisdom finished with three hits. Manuel Rodriguez gave up a two-out single in the ninth but got Sam Hilliard on a comebacker to pick up his first career save. Raimel Tapia had two doubles and nearly made a run-saving catch in the sixth for Colorado.

Tonight
Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers, 1:10 p.m.            103.7 Cosy-FM/94.9 WSJM-FM 12:50
Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies, 3:10 p.m.
Kansas City Royals at Chicago White Sox 8:10 p.m.

MLB – MLB season starts March 31, again with every team scheduled
Major League Baseball will open the 2022 season on March 31 and will try for the fourth time to have every team play its first game on the same day for the first time since 1968. The league released the full schedule on Wednesday. MLB tried to have all 30 clubs play on the same opening day for three of the past four seasons, but it never happened because of weather and other factors. Complicating matters next year is a potential work stoppage. The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players’ association expires Dec. 1. Given the acrimonious relationship between the sides, a lockout or strike appears possible.

NFL – National Football League Preseason – Hall of Fame Weekend
Tonight
Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:00 p.m.

NFL – Don’t expect starters in Cowboys-Steelers Hall of Fame game
If you’re looking for stars during Hall of Fame enshrinement week, concentrate on the museum itself and the inductions this weekend. You won’t find many, if any, stars playing Thursday night when the NFL preseason begins with Dallas playing Pittsburgh. Indeed, with the number of preseason games reduced from four to three, with the exception of the Cowboys and Steelers, the opportunity to see the big names on the field will be diminished further. For Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, the Hall of Fame game carries importance as a trial for guys on the back end of the roster, and for backups at key positions.

NFL – Lions defense a work in progress, has nowhere to go but up
Defensively, the Detroit Lions have nowhere to go but up as head coach Dan Campbell prepares for his first season. Last year’s squad finished last in the NFL in both points (519) and yards (6,716) allowed, the worst marks in the franchise’s 91-year history. The transformation is underway under new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who’s tasked with developing the Lions’ young secondary. The Lions defense is transitioning to a 3-4 scheme this year and the players are already developing a camaraderie.

NFL – Bears sign veteran linebacker Ogletree to 1-year contract
The Chicago Bears have signed veteran linebacker Alec Ogletree to a one-year contract. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Ogletree has started all but one of the 95 games he has played in since the St. Louis Rams drafted him with the No. 30 overall pick in 2013. He has 7 1/2 sacks and 12 interceptions in eight seasons for the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants and New York Jets. Ogletree was signed to the Jets’ practice squad in Week 1 last season, then got released after recording three tackles in two games.

NFL – Packers’ Rodgers: Relationship with GM ‘work in progress’
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says his relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst is a “work in progress.” But he has nothing but affection for the man Gutekunst drafted as his possible replacement: backup Jordan Love. Rodgers returned to the Packers last week, reporting on time for training camp after an offseason in which he made clear he was unhappy with the organization. Love took the majority of reps at minicamp and likely would have been the Packers’ starter this season if Rodgers hadn’t returned. Rodgers did his part by staying in touch with his understudy, noting that he was in a similar situation with Brett Favre early in his career.

NFL – Calvin Johnson aims to change game with cannabis business
Calvin Johnson is simply in awe that he will soon join Jim Brown and Gale Sayers as Pro Football Hall of Famers inducted at the age of 35 years old or younger. Johnson plans to make the most of a post-playing career. He aims to change the conversation about cannabis and to help improve the lives of people whether or not they want to partake. He co-founded a cannabis research company that is collaborating with Harvard University to research how marijuana can help people with CTE and chronic pain.

NCAA – NCAA recommends routine COVID testing only for unvaccinated
Updated NCAA COVID-19 protocol recommendations reflect clear differences for those who are vaccinated and those who are not. The latest guidelines say unvaccinated athletes should be tested weekly, wear masks in most situations and be quarantined if exposed to a close contact who tests positive. Vaccinated individuals should not face such restrictive measures. Those exposed to a positive close contact could remain with the team while masking in public indoor setting and avoid missing games or practices. Individual conferences are working on their own COVID protocols as football practice is starting across the country.

NCAAFB – K-State athletic director replaces Texas AD on CFP committee
Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor has been added to the College Football Playoff selection committee, replacing Texas AD Chris Del Conte. The CFP’s announcement comes less than a week after Texas and Oklahoma announced they would be leaving the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025. The 13-member selection committee is comprised of mostly sitting athletic directors along with former players and coaches. Each Power Five Conferences is represented by an active athletic director. With Texas in the process of leaving the conference, the Big 12 nominated Taylor to replace Del Conte.

NCAA – AAC’s Aresco: Did not plot with ESPN to poach other leagues
American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says his league has never “plotted” with ESPN to undermine another conference by poaching its schools and says the league is not actively looking to add schools.  Last week the Big 12 accused ESPN of encouraging at least one other conference to raid that conference as it tries find a way forward with Texas and Oklahoma on their way to the Southeastern Conference. The AAC was reported to be the conference ESPN was incentivizing to woo Big 12 teams. Aresco denied that.

Soccer – Police: 11 arrests over racial abuse of England players
British police investigating the online racial abuse of England players following the team’s Euro 2020 soccer final loss against Italy say they have made 11 arrests. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were victims of abuse after they missed penalties in the shootout defeat at Wembley on July 11. The UK Football Policing Unit said that of the 207 posts on social media identified as criminal, 123 accounts belong to individuals outside the United Kingdom. It said the details of those individuals and cases are in the process of being passed on to the relevant countries to act on them.

MILB – Minor League Baseball – High-A Central
Yesterday
Peoria Chiefs 5, South Bend Cubs 2
West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Dayton Dragons 1
Lake County Captains 8, Lansing Lugnuts 4
Fort Wayne Tin Caps 12, Great Lakes Loons 5

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

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

Track – Track records keep falling in fast Tokyo Games
The world records keep falling on the track at the Tokyo Olympics. A day after the men’s 400-meter hurdles staged possibly one of the greatest races ever run, the women put on their own show. Sydney McLaughlin smashed the world record and Dalilah Muhammad broke it as well in a sensational American 1-2 finish in the women’s 400 hurdles. The U.S. women’s basketball and volleyball teams advanced to the semifinals and Japanese skateboarders won two more medals to complete the host country’s dominance in the new event.

Track – A star is found: In 200, De Grasse finally gets his gold
Andre De Grasse of Canada won the Olympic gold medal in the 200-meter race at the Tokyo Games five years after finishing second to Usain Bolt in Rio. De Grasse won in a national record time of 19.62 seconds. He held off two Americans for the medals. Kenneth Bednarek won silver in a personal best 19.68 seconds and 2019 world champion Noah Lyles took bronze in 19.74. Erriyon Knighton placed fourth in 19.93. Knighton is the youngest member of the U.S. men’s track team at 17.

Track – Not again! US men’s team gone after another messy relay
A slow exchange left the American 4×100-meter relay team out of medal contention at the Olympics. The team of Trayvon Bromell, Fred Kerley, Ronnie Baker and Cravon Gillespie finished sixth in their qualifying heat to extend a quarter-century of misery for the country that brings the deepest track team to the Games. The United States hasn’t won the Olympic 4×100 since 2000 and hasn’t made it cleanly to the finish line in a final since taking a silver medal in 2012. But they gave that one back because of a doping ban against Tyson Gay. The U.S. got DQ’d for another bad pass in the medal race in 2016.

Track – "It’s about results": Coburn takes no solace after bad race
America’s preeminent steeplechaser for the past decade flamed out at the Olympics in a final that was as stunning for her as it was thrilling for her teammate, second-place finisher Courtney Frerichs. Emma Coburn crossed the line in 14th place but then found out she’d been disqualified because she stepped off the track after a last-lap stumble over the barrier. It didn’t matter all that much. It was way too late to salvage anything by that time. Coburn said she took no solace in simply finishing the race and was disappointed in herself. She had been favored to win a medal, and says she can’t figure out what went wrong.
Basketball – US routs Australia 97-78, to play for more basketball gold
Kevin Durant and the Americans still have their grip on gold and it’s going to take more than a few bad minutes for anyone to take it away from them. Durant scored 23 points, Devin Booker had 20 and the U.S. blew past and eventually blew away Australia 97-78 on Thursday in the Olympic men’s basketball semifinals after falling into a 15-point hole. With their gold-medal streak looking in jeopardy midway through the second quarter, the Americans overwhelmed the Australians with a 48-14 stretch that gave them a 74-55 lead after three periods. They will play Slovenia or France for gold.

Beach Volleyball – American A-Team will play Aussies for beach volleyball gold
The United States pair of April Ross and Alix Klineman will play Australia for the Olympic beach volleyball gold medal. The Americans quickly dispatched Switzerland in the semifinals to reach the championship match. The win assures the U.S. of at least one beach volleyball medal for the seventh straight Olympics. That’s all of them since the sport was added to the Summer Games in 1996. Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy of Australia advanced with a straight-set victory over Latvia. Latvia will meet the Swiss for the bronze.

Volleyball – US advances to women’s volleyball semifinals
The United States women’s volleyball team is back in the semifinals after a win over the Dominican Republic. The short-handed Americans overcame the absence of two starters to win 25-11, 25-20, 25-19. The U.S. will play Serbia on Friday for a spot in the gold medal game in a rematch of a semifinal the Americans lost five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.

Volleyball – US women’s volleyball team forms strong bond with ’80 squad
The Japanese-style lanterns hanging in the rooms of the U.S. women’s volleyball players at the Olympics provide much more than light. Those lanterns symbolize the strong bond that has formed between the team that built the foundation for USA Volleyball despite being denied an opportunity to compete at the Olympics and the team that is trying to deliver the first gold ever for the U.S. women. The 1980 U.S. team adopted this year’s squad after seeing similarities from the one-year delay because of the pandemic to the trauma they endured during the U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games.

Shotput – Crouser sets Olympic record, defends shot put title in Tokyo
Ryan Crouser broke his own Olympic record on his way to defending his shot put title. Crouser went 23.30 meters on his last attempt to earn the first track and field gold for the American men at the Tokyo Games. U.S. teammate Joe Kovacs finished second and Tomas Walsh of New Zealand was third. The 28-year-old Crouser is already the world-record holder after breaking a 31-year-old mark in June at the U.S. Olympic trials. Crouser took the lead on his first attempt and saved his best for his final one. His family and friends gathered for a watch party in Oregon. They had plenty to celebrate.

Canoe – American teen Harrison wins first Olympic women’s canoe 200
American teenager Nevin Harrison surged over the second half of the women’s canoe 200 sprint race to win the gold medal in the event’s Olympic debut. Harrison’s late power overtook early leader Laurence Vincent Lapointe. The event was added as part of Olympic efforts for gender equity and the Tokyo Games were the first meeting of the two best paddlers in the world in the 200. Harrison won the 2019 world championship at age 17. Vincent Lapointe has six world titles. Lisa Carrington of New Zealand won the women’s kayak 500 for her third gold medal in three days.



Cycling – US BMX rider Fields released from Tokyo hospital after crash
BMX rider Connor Fields was released from St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo on Thursday. That’s five days after a horrific crash in his semifinal race at the Tokyo Olympics left him with a brain bleed and other injuries. Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, the chief medical officer for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said in a statement that Fields will be able to return to his home in Henderson, Nevada, in the coming days to begin his rehabilitation. Fields was hurt last Friday. He had a brain hemorrhage along with broken ribs and a collapsed lung. His mother, Lisa Fields, said “we are all overjoyed at the news that he is booked on a flight home.”

Athletes fight limits on endorsements at Tokyo Olympics
Many Olympic athletes are social media influencers these days, but they can’t work closely with their sponsors at the Tokyo Olympics. Most face strict limits about what they can post and when. U.S. athletes get a maximum of seven simple “thank you” posts for partners. German athletes are pushing the envelope after an antitrust ruling in their home country gave them more freedom to make money from their Olympic successes. That’s allowed athletes like long jumper Malaika Mihambo to promote products when her rivals can’t.

Black women, across generations, heed Biles’ Olympic example
Being a young Black woman in American life comes with its own built-in pressure to perform, and entails much more than meets the eye. But for people like Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles, both prominent young Black women athletes under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight,  the glare on the world’s stage is even hotter.  Both cited their mental health as reasons to step back from relentless competition and critique, a decision Black women across generations took notice of. It’s part of an increasing discussion of mental health that is rising around race and sports, and in some cases is split by generational divides.

Belarus Olympic runner who feared going home lands in Poland
Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who feared for her safety at home after criticizing her coaches on social media, flew into Warsaw on Wednesday night on a humanitarian visa after leaving the Tokyo Olympics. Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said the 24-year-old athlete had arrived in the Polish capital after flying from Tokyo via Vienna, a route apparently chosen to confuse those who would endanger her safety. The diplomat said he “wanted to thank all the Polish consular & diplomatic staff involved, who flawlessly planned and secured her safe journey.” It’s not clear what lies ahead for the runner. Her husband fled Belarus this week and Poland has given him a visa as well.

This isn’t Cobra Kai: Karate finally makes Olympic debut
The story of karate’s journey to the Olympics would make a pretty good backstory for a martial arts movie. A half-century of work ends this week when some of the brightest talents in modern karate step onto the tatami at the iconic Nippon Budokan martial arts hall for its Olympic debut. But this won’t look exactly like the All Valley Tournament on “Cobra Kai” and it’s definitely not a Chuck Norris movie. The Olympic competition will be held both in kumite and in kata. Kumite is competitive sparring and skata is a demonstration of form often compared to a gymnastics floor exercise.