Weekday Morning Sports – Tuesday 6/30/15

sportsreport

Sports Radio 1400 WSJM     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Tuesday, June 30, 2015

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
Tigers, Cubs, and White Sox were off

Tonight
Pittsburgh (G.Cole 11-3) at Detroit (Verlander 0-1), 7:08 p.m.            WSJM-AM/WCSY-FM 6:40
Chicago Cubs (Hendricks 2-4) at N.Y. Mets (Niese 3-7), 7:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox (Sale 6-4) at St. Louis (Lynn 5-4), 8:15 p.m.

NHL – Pronger, Lidstrom, Fedorov, Ruggiero among Hockey Hall picks
Stanley Cup winners Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Pronger and Sergei Fedorov and former NHL star Phil Housley are among the seven newcomers in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hall announced Monday that Angela Ruggiero, Bill Hay and Peter Karmanos Jr. also were voted into the shrine. Pronger, traded from Philadelphia to Arizona last weekend, hasn’t played since November 2011 because of post-concussion syndrome. He works for the league. The fearsome defenseman was eligible because of a bylaw that specifies a player’s final game must be three full seasons ago. Lidstrom earned seven Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman and won four Stanley Cups with Detroit. Fedorov was his longtime teammate. Housley has the most points of any American defenseman. Hay, a former president of Hockey Canada, and Karmanos, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, made it in the builder category. Ruggiero was a defenseman on four United States teams in the Olympics and was the fourth woman to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

NHL – Blackhawks agree to terms with D David Rundblad
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms with defenseman David Rundblad on a two-year extension through the 2016-17 season. The 24-year-old Rundblad had three goals and 11 assists in 49 games with the Blackhawks last season along with a career-best plus-17 rating. He saw time in five playoff games as the Blackhawks relied primarily on four defensemen to win the Stanley Cup championship. The Swede has 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) in 104 career NHL games over four seasons with Ottawa, Arizona and Chicago.

NHL – Preview center opens for Detroit entertainment district
A preview center has opened for the planned Detroit entertainment district that includes a new Red Wings hockey arena north of downtown. Olympia Entertainment and Olympia Development say Monday that the center in the northeast corner of Comerica Park features models of The District Detroit and the new arena. An aim is to inform potential investors, sponsors and season ticket holders. The center is initially open to businesses and potential investors. Open house events and season ticket holder appointments will begin next year. A public information center also is planned. Officials say 26 of the 52 planned suites at the new arena already have been sold. Olympia Development is owned by Wings’ owners Mike and Marian Illitch. The $450 million arena is expected to open in 2017.

NFL – Lions fan accused of using laser due in court in November
A Detroit Lions fan who was banned from Ford Field after being accused of directing a laser pointer at Buffalo Bills players during a game is due back in court in November for a review of the case. The Detroit Free Press reports Marko Beslach of Oakland County’s West Bloomfield Township last year pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct misdemeanor and was given a one-year suspended sentence, 80 hours of community service and a $235 fine. The newspaper says he paid the fine earlier this year. The review is Nov. 23.  Quarterback Kyle Orton and holder Colton Schmidt said they had a laser directed at them during Buffalo’s 17-14 win over the Lions in October. Fans caught using lasers also can be ejected and are subject to being arrested.

NFL – Hyundai replaces General Motors as NFL auto sponsor
The National Football League is getting a new official automotive sponsor in Hyundai. The Korean automaker will replace General Motors. The deal gives Hyundai the ability to use NFL trademarks in its marketing and access to big events year-round such as the Super Bowl, playoffs and the widely watched draft of college players.

NFL – California bill would make cheerleaders employees
Pro cheerleaders are professionals. That’s the gist of legislation passed by California lawmakers. The measure makes it clear that cheerleaders are employees of sports teams. It would require the teams to pay their cheerleaders at least the minimum wage. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez says many teams treat their cheerleaders like glorified volunteers. The San Diego Democrat adds that cheerleaders deserve the same level of respect and dignity as other team employees. The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature.

NBA – Chicago Bulls introduce first round pick Bobby Portis
With the Chicago Bulls already loaded in the frontcourt, Bobby Portis understands playing time won’t come easy. Portis, the Bulls’ first-round draft pick and reigning SEC Player of the Year out of Arkansas, said Monday he is prepared to do whatever it takes to play his way into a rotation that includes Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic. General manager Gar Forman said at Portis’ introductory news conference that the versatile rookie will have to work for everything he gets.  The 6-foot-11, 248-pound power forward averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last season. Portis says he was the player always chosen last growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas _ something he used as motivation all the way to becoming the 22nd overall pick.

NBA – Veteran guard Hinrich returning to Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls say guard Kirk Hinrich has exercised his player option and will return next season. Terms were not disclosed in Monday’s announcement. A 12-year NBA veteran, the 34-year old Hinrich has played in 833 regular-season games and averaged 11.4 points, five assists, three rebounds and 1.15 steals per game. He also has played in 65 playoff games.

NBA – Wade to become free agent
Dwyane Wade will become a free agent Wednesday, and his 12-year stay with the Miami Heat could be ending. Wade averaged 21.5 points this past season, 11th-best in the NBA and third-best in the Eastern Conference, and Heat officials have said they want Wade back.

Tennis – Wimbledon – Big names do well on Day 1
The top seeds got off to a fast start on the first day at Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams each rolled into the second round with straight-sets wins. The same goes for women’s fourth-seed Maria Sharapova and men’s No. 4 and French Open champ Stan Wawrinka. American John Isner, the men’s 17th-seed, also advanced. Five-time champ Venus Williams had the most impressive start to the tournament. She scored a 6-love, 6-love win over fellow American Madison Brengle.

Olympics – Boston 2024 Olympics organizers update $4.6B bid
The group trying to bring the 2024 Olympics to Boston released the most detailed look yet at its bid for the Summer Games on Monday, unveiling a $4.6 billion plan it says would create thousands of jobs and housing units, expand the city’s tax base and leave behind a vastly-improved regional transit system, all with a $210 million surplus. The announcement was designed to answer critics who say the privately funded Boston 2024 has withheld details of the bid to prevent the public from assessing whether the games could be staged, as promised, without the need for taxpayer money. The so-called “Bid 2.0” comes as Boston 2024 organizers head to San Francisco for a critical meeting before the U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors Tuesday.

MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
West Michigan Whitecaps 3, Lake County Captains 1
Dayton Dragons 9, Great Lakes Loons 2
South Bend Cubs 4, Lansing Lugnuts 2

TONIGHT
Lake County Captains at West Michigan Whitecaps, 7 p.m.
Great Lakes Loons at Dayton Dragons, 7 p.m.
Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m.