Sports Radio 1400 WSJM @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Tuesday, August 18, 2015
MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Los Angeles Angels 2, Chicago White Sox 1
Tigers and Cubs were off
Angels 2, White Sox 1 – Cron’s go-ahead HR helps Angels beat Chicago 2-1
C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning and Albert Pujols also homered, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night. The victory was only the second in eight games for the defending AL West champion Angels, who returned home from Sunday night’s 10-inning loss at Kansas City out of a playoff spot for the first time since July 2. They still trail Houston by 3 1-2 games in the division race, and Toronto by a half-game for the second wild card spot. Cron drove an 0-1 pitch into the right field seats for his ninth homer with one out against rookie Carlos Rodon (5-5), who allowed just four hits over eight innings and struck out five in the longest of his 17 big league starts. Fernando Salas (3-1) pitched one inning for the victory. Joe Smith got three outs in the eighth and Huston Street set down the White Sox 1-2-3 in the ninth for his for his 28th save in 32 attempts.
Tonight
Detroit (An.Sanchez 10-10) at Chicago Cubs (Hammel 6-5), 8:05 p.m. WSJM-AM/WCSY-FM 7:40
Chicago White Sox (Joh.Danks 6-9) at L.A. Angels (Richards 11-9), 10:05 p.m.
MLB – Another chilly Fall Classic
Major League Baseball has announced the schedule for post-season play and once again the World Series will be contested in November. The Fall Classic will start on Tuesday, October 27 in the American League city with the seventh game, if needed, on Wednesday, November 4. The playoffs will begin Thursday, October 8.
NFL – Former players reject deal
Former NFL players who object to terms of the potential $1 billion concussion settlement are filing appeals with a federal court in Philadelphia. About a dozen appeals are expected on behalf of about 90 ex-players. They are likely to be argued this fall and delay payments until 2016. Some appeals challenge the exclusion of future cases of CTE, the brain decay that some link to football concussions. Negotiators who forged the deal say the science on CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is still evolving.
NFL – James Thrash hired as NFL/NFLPA appeals officer
Former NFL wide receiver James Thrash has been hired jointly by the NFL and the players’ union as an appeals officer for on-field player discipline. The announcement of the hiring of Thrash, who played with the Redskins and Eagles from 1997-2008, was made Monday by the league and the NFLPA. He joins Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks to handle such appeals. Since retiring, Thrash headed player development for Washington, helping coordinate an internship program for players, working with players and their families on financial programs and continuing education initiatives. Thrash then joined the league’s player engagement staff, where he worked for three years. The NFL and NFLPA jointly pay appeals officers.
NFL – Big fan turnout greets Rams at their California workout
If the Rams are headed back to Southern California, their long-suffering local fans are ready to welcome them home. The St. Louis Rams were greeted by a huge contingent of jersey-wearing, flag-waving fans chanting “L.A. Rams!” as they took the practice fields Monday in Oxnard, an hour west of Los Angeles. The Rams are in Ventura County for three days of workouts at the Dallas Cowboys’ training complex. But they’re also providing a tantalizing appetizer for fans who know the franchise is weighing a return to Los Angeles, its home for 49 years until 1995. Two decades away haven’t dimmed the passion among their most faithful devotees. They watched and cheered as Nick Foles, Robert Quinn and their teammates went through drills two days after a preseason game in Oakland.
NCAA Football – Latest on athlete unions: QB says team `fine’ with ruling
Northwestern University senior quarterback Zack Oliver says “there wasn’t much of a reaction” when the football team heard about a national ruling that prevents its members from unionizing. Oliver declined to say Monday how he voted last year when the team cast secret ballots on whether to unionize. Those ballots were sealed pending the full National Labor Relations Board’s ruling and will now be destroyed. He says the team, which is currently holding summer practices in Wisconsin, was “going to be fine either way.” Monday’s ruling dismissed a March 2014 decision by a regional NLRB director in Chicago who said scholarship football players are effectively school employees and entitled to organize. It didn’t directly address the question of whether the players are employees.
NBA – Chicago Bulls hire Toni Kukoc in advisory role
Toni Kukoc has been hired by the Chicago Bulls as a special adviser to the team president. Kukoc helped the Bulls win three championships. President Michael Reinsdorf says Kukoc’s duties will be “wide-ranging,” from relating to international players to talking to business partners and fans. Kukoc calls it “a thrill and an honor” to be back with the Bulls. Kukoc spent 13 seasons in the NBA _ seven in Chicago. He played on the Bulls’ second championship three-peat in the 1990s and was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1996. The Bulls announced the hiring Monday. Former teammate Scottie Pippen has been in a similar role since 2012.
NBA – Manager: Michael Jordan protects image for youngsters
Michael Jordan’s business manager says the former basketball star’s image has been meticulously protected so young people will know of his achievements. Curtis Polk testified Monday in federal court in Chicago in the former Chicago Bulls star’s lawsuit seeking damages from a now-defunct grocery store chain that used his image without permission. Polk says marketing deals can have promotional value for Jordan beyond cash compensation. But defense attorney Steve Rosenfeld disputed the value of Jordan’s recent deals, focusing on a $500,000 agreement that allowed Sirius Radio to use Jordan’s image in an ad. Earlier, Jordan expert witness and Smith College economist Andrew Zimbalist testified the fair market value of Jordan’s image in advertising is at least $10 million. He noted Jordan’s endorsement income was $75.5 million in 2012.
NHL – End of the line for a longtime NHL vet
Danny Briere is calling it quits after 17 NHL seasons that included stops with the Coyotes, Sabres, Canadiens, Flyers and Avalanche. Briere spent the bulk of his career with Buffalo and Philadelphia and earned All-Star nods playing for both franchises. He was the MVP of the 2006 All-Star game, the same year he helped lead the Sabres to the Eastern Conference finals.
WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Tonight
Indiana Fever at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30 p.m.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
No games last night
Tonight
Great Lakes at West Michigan, 7 p.m.
Dayton at South Bend, 7:05 p.m.
Lake County at Lansing, 7:05 p.m.
