Wednesday Morning Sports Update-10/27/2021

blackhawks-investigation-bowman-hockey

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Washington Capitals, 7:30 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Chicago Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m.

NHL – Blackhawks GM resigns, team fined after sexual assault probe
An independent review has found that the Chicago Blackhawks mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player during the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2010. Stan Bowman resigned as the Blackhawks’ general manager and president of hockey operations in the wake of the report by a law firm hired by the team. The NHL fined the team $2 million for “the organization’s inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response.” The former Blackhawks video coach was alleged to have sexually assaulted two players, with the front office knowing and doing nothing. Bowman also stepped down from his position as GM of the U.S. men’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics.

NHL – Blackhawks captain Toews enters NHL’s COVID-19 protocol
The Chicago Blackhawks put captain Jonathan Toews and Henrik Borgstrom in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, giving the winless team five players on the list. Toews and Borgstrom missed practice after they joined fellow forwards Patrick Kane and Jujhar Khaira and defenseman Riley Stillman in the protocol. Assistant coaches Marc Crawford and Tomas Mitell are away from the team for the same reason. The use of the COVID-19 list doesn’t necessarily mean any of the players or coaches tested positive. They could have been deemed a close contact of someone who tested positive. The team was 100% vaccinated at the start of training camp.

MLB – Major League Baseball – 2021 World Series – Best of 7
Last Night
Atlanta Braves 6, Houston Astros 2                                          (ATL leads 1-0)

Braves 6, Astros 2 – Soler, Braves overcome Morton injury, top Astros in Game 1
Making his first start since testing positive for COVID-19, Jorge Soler became the first player to begin a World Series with a home run and the Atlanta Braves, despite the loss of pitcher Charlie Morton to a broken leg, hushed the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 1. Boosted by a strong bullpen effort, a two-run homer by Adam Duvall and a late sacrifice fly from Freddie Freeman, the Braves coasted in their first Series appearance since Chipper Jones and the Big Three aces ascended in 1999. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and the Astros mostly looked lost at the plate. This is their third World Series in five seasons — and first since their illegal sign-stealing scheme was revealed.

Tonight
Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros, 8:09 p.m.                               (ATL leads 1-0)

MLB – Manfred remains optimistic on labor; pitch clock encouraging
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred exchanged a handshake with players’ union head Tony Clark on the field before the World Series opener and expressed optimism about reaching an agreement before the current deal expires Dec. 1 but did not detail any progress in talks that appear headed to a lockout. There is no evidence of progress toward an agreement, and many management officials and player agents have said they are prepared for a lockout if there is no deal when the current agreement expires. Clark said talks have been ongoing and he’s “looking to take advantage of as many days as the schedule permits throughout the course of the next five-plus weeks or so to continue that dialogue.”

MLB – Braves bullpen another long winning night in World Series G1
The relievers keep coming through for the Atlanta Braves. Left-hander A.J. Minter threw a career-high 43 pitches before three other relievers finished off Atlanta’s 6-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the World Series. Minter had to enter in the third after starter Charlie Morton departed with a broken right leg. Minter got the victory and was followed by Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek and Will Smith. That is the same order of finish for the clinching games in the NL Division Series and NL Championship Series.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Indiana Pacers at Toronto Raptors, 7:30 p.m.

NFL – NFL not planning to issue report on Washington Football Team
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is not going to issue a report on its 10-month investigation into allegations the Washington Football Team engaged in harassment and abuse. Goodell said the league would not make the investigation public because of its promise to protect the identities of those who testified. The commissioner spoke after the first day of meetings for the league’s 32 owners. He said the league wanted to protect the roughly 150 former employees who spoke to lawyer Beth Wilkinson, who conducted the NFL investigation. He noted the NFL released a summary of the investigation and that Washington owner Daniel Snyder has been “held accountable.”

NFL – Mike Lucci, Pro Bowl player with Detroit Lions, dies at 81
Mike Lucci, a Pro Bowl linebacker who played nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, has died. He was 81 years old. Lucci died in Florida after an extended illness. Lucci played on Cleveland’s 1964 NFL championship team. But he spent most of his 12-year career with the Lions, from 1965-73. Lucci was a native of Ambridge, Pennsylvania. He got a football scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh but transferred and played three seasons at Tennessee. After his NFL career, Lucci was a radio and TV broadcaster and businessman.

NFL – Mike Tomlin: idea he’s a candidate for college jobs ‘a joke’
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says he considers it a “joke” that his name has been linked to open college jobs at USC and LSU. Tomlin says he has one of the best jobs in professional sports and has no interest in leaving. Former USC star quarterback Carson Palmer said on a radio program that Tomlin was a “wild card” in the search for the next Trojans head coach. Tomlin said there isn’t a booster check big enough for him to consider leaving the Steelers.

NCAAFB – Struggle is real when most Big Ten offenses enter red zone
Most Big Ten offenses are struggling when they move inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The 14 teams have combined for the conference’s lowest scoring rate in at least 10 years in the so-called red zone. Big Ten offenses have scored on 81% of their trips inside the 20. That includes touchdowns on 56%. Both marks are lowest among the Power Five conferences and ninth among the 10 FBS leagues. Ohio State is the outlier. The Buckeyes lead the nation with TD’s on better than 79% of their red-zone possessions and they’re tied for fifth in overall scoring at almost 97%.

NCAA – Second NCAA gender equity report shows spending disparities
The NCAA has fallen short of upholding its commitment to gender equity, spending more on male athletes on average than female ones. That’s according to a second report by a law firm, which released its 153-page report Tuesday night. The report includes a series of recommendations to improve the gap among all sports tournaments, going beyond the first set of recommendations regarding men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Spending per Division I and national championship participants, excluding basketball, was about $1,700 less for women than men.

NCAA – ACC considering new headquarters options outside Greensboro
The Atlantic Coast Conference says it is now looking at options for relocating its headquarters outside of its longtime home in Greensboro, North Carolina. The league said Tuesday its Board of Directors will expand the evaluation process to include cities elsewhere. Commissioner Jim Phillips had said previously that the league was limiting its evaluation solely to Greensboro in a first phase. The league was founded in Greensboro in 1953. Board chair and Duke president Vincent E. Price says Greensboro “will be given thorough consideration” to remain home to the league offices.

USA Soccer – Carli Lloyd plays final match for US in rout of South Korea
The U.S. women sent Carli Lloyd into retirement with a 6-0 rout of South Korea. Lloyd didn’t score in her final match, but it hardly mattered because the night was all about her. She was subbed out in the 65th minute and sobbed as she left to a standing ovation by the crowd of 18,115 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lloyd’s final match was her 316th with the national team, the second-most international appearances of any player. She scored 134 goals for the United States, third most in team history, along with 61 assists.

AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Chicago Wolves at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Last Night
Women’s Volleyball
Lake Michigan College 3, Ancilla College 1

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Soccer – Regional Semifinals
Division 2 at Otsego
St. Joseph 2, Marshall 1
Gull Lake 1, Holland 0

Division 4 at Portage Northern
Holland Black River 4, Schoolcraft 0
Hartford 5, Kalamazoo Christian 0

Volleyball
Michigan Lutheran 3, Howardsville Christian 0

Tonight
Boys Soccer – Regional Semifinals
Division 3 at Holland Christian
GR South Christian vs. Holland Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Watervliet vs. Delton-Kellogg, 7:00 p.m.