Weekday Morning Sports – 11/4/14

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Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports      wsjmsports.com     Tuesday, November 04, 2014

MLB – Chicago Cubs introduce Joe Maddon as manager
The Cubs think Joe Maddon is the right manager for their promising roster. Chicago introduced Maddon during a news conference Monday at a bar across the street from Wrigley Field, which is undergoing renovations. The 60-year-old takes over for Rick Renteria, who was fired after leading Chicago to a 73-89 record in his only season as a major league manager. Maddon managed Tampa Bay for nine seasons before he opted out of his contract last month. The move to Chicago means he inherits an impressive group of prospects and a famous title drought that goes back to the Cubs’ win in the 1908 World Series. Chicago has finished with a losing record in each of the last five seasons. It hasn’t made it to the playoffs since 2008.

MLB – Tigers hire Trammell as special assistant
Alan Trammell is returning to the Detroit Tigers as a special assistant to team president Dave Dombrowski. Trammell, who played 20 years for the Tigers from 1977-96 and was the MVP of their 1984 World Series victory over San Diego, rejoins the franchise after spending the last four seasons as a bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Trammell was Detroit’s manager from 2003-05 and a hitting coach for the Tigers in 1999. The 56-year-old Trammell will assist in on-field duties at both the major league and minor league levels. He’ll also be involved in all personnel meetings, travel throughout the minor league system and participate in community relations. Dombrowski says Trammell is an outstanding baseball person who offers a wealth of experience and perspective.

NFL – National Football League – Week 9
Last Night
Indianapolis Colts 40, New York Giants 24

Colts 40, Giants 24 – Luck leads Colts’ rout
Andrew Luck was 25 of 46 for 354 yards and four touchdowns as the Indianapolis Colts won for the sixth time in seven games, ripping the New York Giants 40-24. He hit Coby Fleener for a 32-yard TD in the first half and added scoring throws of 31 yards to T.Y. Hilton, 40 yards to Reggie Wayne and 2 yards to Dwayne Allen in the third period. The Colts are 6-3 following Luck’s franchise-record seventh consecutive 300-yard passing game.

NFL – Mosley says little about suspension
Detroit Lions defensive tackle C.J. Mosley is back from his suspension, and he isn’t saying much about it. Mosley was sent home from the team’s trip to London and suspended for Detroit’s game against Atlanta on Oct. 26 for an unspecified violation of team rules.  Reports have surfaced saying Mosley was caught with marijuana in his hotel room after workers went to his room after getting an alert that the smoke detector was disconnected.  The Lions have activated him off the reserve-suspended by club list, and he made a statement Monday apologizing to his teammates, his family and fans.

NFL – Bears get back to work coming off a bye
With his team coming off a bye, Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman continues to look for answers to his team’s struggles. Trestman said after Monday’s practice that the team has all its goals within reach, even at 3-5, because the Bears have played only one division game. The Bears are getting healthier. Linebacker Lance Briggs appears to be over a rib injury, safety Chris Conte has had a week to rest an injured shoulder and cornerback Kyle Fuller got rest after hand, hamstring and hip injuries.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Montreal Canadiens, 7:30 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.

NCAA Football – Hoke says he can’t let job status distract him
Michigan coach Brady Hoke says he’s never been concerned about his job status because he can’t allow himself to be distracted. Hoke discussed athletic director Dave Brandon’s resignation Monday. The AD’s exit was announced Friday, but after Michigan’s victory over Indiana the following day, Hoke would not discuss Brandon’s departure. He did talk about it at his weekly news conference Monday. Hoke says he has a lot of respect for Brandon, and he did a lot of good things for the school. Hoke’s own job seems as precarious as ever. Michigan hired Jim Hackett to be the interim athletic director, but aside from brief remarks at a news conference announcing Brandon’s exit, Hackett has not spoken to reporters.

NCAA Football – Buckeyes still haven’t forgotten loss to Spartans
It’s been 11 months since Ohio State had its school-record 24-game winning streak and national championship hopes dashed at the hands of Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. Now the teams meet again, and several Buckeyes say they’ve never really gotten over that 34-24 defeat. The 13th-ranked Buckeyes travel to eighth-ranked Michigan State for a Saturday night showdown at Spartan Stadium. It’ll mark the first time Ohio State has played a nationally ranked team this season _ and may just be a last shot for a while for the Buckeyes to prove that they can win a big game against a quality opponent. The winner has the inside track to return to the conference championship game.

NCAA Football – Big Ten – Maryland WR Diggs suspended for 1 game by Big Ten
Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs has received a one-game suspension from the Big Ten for his part in an altercation before Saturday’s game at Penn State. Diggs and several Maryland players got into a scuffle with the Nittany Lions, and Diggs made contact with a referee who was trying to separate the players. The league deemed that Diggs violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy. His one-game suspension will come on Nov. 15, against Michigan State.  Diggs has a team-high 52 catches for 654 yards. The Big Ten also determined that coach Randy Edsall failed to control his team, and fined Maryland $10,000 for the violation. In a statement, Edsall said: “I accept the penalties handed down by the Big Ten Conference and take full responsibility of our actions.”

NASCAR – Penske supports Keselowski after another fight
Roger Penske has given his unwavering support to driver Brad Keselowski, who has now been involved in two post-race fights in four races.  Keselowski was confronted by Jeff Gordon following Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick pushed Keselowski from behind into a scrum of crew members. That ignited a brief brawl between the Team Penske and Hendrick Motorsports crews.  Keselowski and Gordon were bloodied in the melee, but neither driver appeared to throw a punch. Hendrick Motorsports said Monday it is reviewing what happened. Penske said in a statement that Keselowski is a “champion who competes to win in every race, which is what I expect of him.” He added that actions by others were “unfortunate,” but Keselowski has his “100 percent support.”

Olympics – Beijing emerges as 2022 Winter Olympics favorite
The new front-runner to host the 2022 Winter Olympics doesn’t have a long winter sports tradition. Just 20 years ago, there were fewer than 10,000 skiers in China _ out of a then-population of 1.2 billion. Then there’s the matter of snow. Or lack of it. The mountains near Beijing where backers of the Olympic bid want to stage skiing events receive less than a meter of snow each winter. But what increasingly matters in the race for the 2022 Games is money, and China has plenty of that. Combined with political will and strong public support, Beijing may be the strongest bidder left to host an Olympics that few other cities seem to want. A year ago, Beijing was considered a long shot. Suddenly, the Chinese capital is in a two-city race with Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Tennis – Surgery for Rafa
Rafael Nadal has undergone successful surgery to remove his appendix and will remain in the hospital for up to two days to recover. Nadal first experienced symptoms related to his appendix four weeks ago during a tournament in Shanghai. He will miss next week’s ATP finals in London due to the surgery.

ECHL – East Coast Hockey League
Tonight
Toledo Walleye at South Carolina Stingrays, 7:05 p.m.

Junior College Basketball – Women’s
Last Night
Glen Oaks 76, Andrews University 21

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Volleyball – Districts
Class B at Dowagiac
Buchanan 3, Benton Harbor 0

Class B at Allegan
South Haven 3, Hopkins 0
Paw Paw 3, Allegan 0

Class C at Gobles
Kalamazoo Hackett 3, Hartford 0
Gobles 3, Kalamazoo Christian 2

Class C at Cassopolis
Watervliet 3, Eau Claire 2
Brandywine 3, Cassopolis 1

Class C at Lawton
Decatur 3, Marcellus 1
Schoolcraft 3, Lawton 0
White Pigeon 3, Centreville 2

Class D at River Valley
Michigan Lutheran 3, Watervliet Grace Christian 0
River Valley 3, Countryside Academy 0

Class D at Athens
Howardsville Christian 3, Colon 1

Tonight
Girls Volleyball – Districts
Class A at Portage Central (round 1 at local sites)
St. Joseph at Mattawan, 6:30 p.m.
Portage Northern at Niles, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Portage Central, 6:30 p.m.
Lakeshore first round bye

Class D at Climax-Scotts
Battle Creek Calhoun Christian vs. Kalamazoo Heritage Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Martin vs. Climax-Scotts, 6:30 p.m.