Weekday Morning Sports – Wednesday 10/18/17

95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports     @wsjmsports     wsjmsports.com     Wednesday, October 18, 2017

MLB – Major League Baseball – 2017 League Championship Series (Best of 7)
Yesterday
Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Chicago Cubs 1                                                 (LAD leads 3-0)
New York Yankees 6, Houston Astros 4                                                  (Series tied 2-2)

Dodgers 6, Cubs 1 – Dodgers close in on World Series with 6-1 win over Cubs
Yu Darvish pitched into the seventh inning, Chris Taylor homered again and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 on Tuesday night to open a commanding 3-0 lead in the NL Championship Series. Andre Ethier also went deep and Taylor added an RBI triple in the fifth as Los Angeles set a franchise record with its sixth consecutive playoff win. Yasiel Puig had two more hits in another entertaining performance that included an impressive bat flip _ on a long foul ball in the first inning. Looking for a four-game sweep, the Dodgers will send Alex Wood to the mound Wednesday night at Wrigley Field with a chance to reach the World Series for the first time since their last championship in 1988. Jake Arrieta, eligible for free agency after the season, pitches for the Cubs in what could be his final start with the team.

Yankees 6, Astros 4 – Yanks knot series
The American League Championship Series is tied at two games apiece after the New York Yankees came back from four runs down to beat the Houston Astros 6-4. Gary Sanchez delivered the tiebreaking, two-run double while New York scored four times in the eighth. Aaron Judge started the Yankees’ rally with a seventh-inning homer and tied the game with an RBI double in the eighth.

Tonight
Houston (Keuchel 14-5) at New York (Tanaka 13-12), 5:08 p.m.             (Series tied 2-2)
Los Angeles (Wood 16-3) at Chicago (Arrieta (14-10), 9:08 p.m.           (LAD leads 3-0)

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at St. Louis Blues, 8:00 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association – Season Opener
Last Night
Cleveland Cavaliers 102, Boston Celtics 99
Houston Rockets 122, Golden State Warriors 121

Cavaliers 102, Celtics 99 – Cavs win opener, Hawyard breaks ankle
The NBA season opener was supposed to feature a matchup between LeBron James and former teammate Kyrie Irving. Instead, a gruesome injury overshadowed an otherwise entertaining game as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Boston Celtics 102-99. Gordon Hayward had to be carted off the floor after breaking his ankle in the first quarter of his Celtics debut. He went up for an alley-oop pass and fell awkwardly following a collision with James.  Hayward had his leg wrapped in an air cast as he left the arena. Irving scored 22 points and helped Boston overcome am 18-point, third-quarter deficit, but he missed a potential game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer. Irving received plenty of boos as he was introduced just two months after being traded by the Cavaliers.

Rockets 122, Warriors 121 – Rockets rally to spoil defending champion Warriors return
Kevin Durant’s baseline jumper swished through the net just barely too late, and the Houston Rockets rallied in the fourth to beat Golden State 122-121 Tuesday on the night the Warriors received their championship rings. The Warriors had one last chance with 10.6 seconds left and Durant came up with the ball after Stephen Curry had missed. Durant and the Warriors thought they’d won and confetti began to fall when the two remaining officials, the third got hurt in the fourth quarter, reviewed the play and said Durant’s shot was after the buzzer.

Tonight
Charlotte Hornets at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Nets at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.

NBA – Bulls’ Mirotic injured in fight with Portis at practice
The Chicago Bulls say forward Nikola Mirotic suffered multiple broken bones in his face as well as a concussion in a fight with teammate Bobby Portis during practice. The team says Mirotic will likely need surgery and is out indefinitely. They say they are “evaluating disciplinary action” after Tuesday’s incident. Mirotic averaged 10.8 points over his first three seasons with Chicago. A restricted free agent, he signed a two-year contract that could pay as much as $27 million in September. The club holds an option on the second season. A 2015 first-round pick, Portis has averaged 6.9 points and 5 rebounds.  The Bulls open at Toronto on Thursday.

NFL – Another legal win for Elliott
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has received another legal reprieve in his fight to avoid a six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations. A New York federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the league’s suspension, clearing Elliott to play Sunday at San Francisco. U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty’s ruling came five days after a federal appeals court overturned a Texas court’s injunction that had kept Elliott on the field.

NFL – NFL players, owners hold `constructive’ talks on issues
A group of 11 NFL owners and more than a dozen players met at the league’s headquarters to discuss social issues, a discussion that Indianapolis Colts defensive back Darius Butler termed “positive.”  Among the topics discussed was enhancing the players’ platforms for speaking out on social issues. The players’ union and the league issued a joint statement saying the meeting focused on how the two sides “can work together to promote positive social change and address inequality in our communities.”  Dolphins owner Stephen Ross called the meeting “constructive” but added that the NFL’s policy on the national anthem “did not come up.”

NCAA Football – Notre Dame QB Wimbush ‘100 percent’ for game vs No. 11 USC
No. 13 Notre Dame will have quarterback Brandon Wimbush ready for Saturday’s home game against No. 11 Southern California. Coach Brian Kelley says Wimbush is “100 percent” after missing the win over North Carolina two weeks ago because of a foot injury.  Last weekend’s bye allowed Wimbush to heal. Wimbush completed 52.3 percent of his passes for 782 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions in the first five games for Notre Dame (5-1). He was second on the team to Josh Adams with 402 yards rushing and a team-leading eight TDs on the ground. Kelly says senior linebacker Greer Martini, who is third on the team in tackles, is day to day with a knee injury for the game against the Trojans (6-1).

NCAA Basketball – Michigan State increases police presence, security at events
Michigan State University police say they’re increasing security for campus events, including a no-bag policy for all events at indoor athletic facilities.  They said Tuesday police also will have a more visible presence at high-profile events such as home football games. The changes take effect with Friday’s men’s and women’s basketball Midnight Madness at the Breslin Center. The no-bag policy means all bags such as purses, large bags, camera and binocular cases, and other similar bags, are prohibited at all events at indoor athletic facilities, including the Breslin Center and Munn Ice Arena. The policy affects not only athletic events but also concerts and special events.  The East Lansing and university police departments announced Oct. 6 they were investigating general threats made against sporting events at the university.

NCAA Basketball – Former Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino sues Adidas
Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino is suing Adidas and says the sportswear maker “outrageously conspired” to funnel money to the family of a Cardinal recruit without his knowledge. Pitino’s lawsuit filed Tuesday comes a day after Louisville’s Athletic Association fired him for cause after acknowledging the program’s involvement in a national federal bribery investigation of college basketball. Ten people, including an Adidas executive, were arrested in the probe but Pitino is not named in the federal complaint. Hours after his firing Monday, Adidas terminated its personal services agreement with Pitino. The coach’s lawsuit states that Adidas’ activities made it appear he was aware of the practices and notes, “That could not be further from the truth.” Pitino’s suit seeks a jury trial along with compensatory and punitive damages. Adidas said in an email to The Associated Press that Pitino’s suit “is clearly a reaction to his termination yesterday and is without merit.”

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Soccer – Districts
Division 2 at St. Joseph (1st round at local sites)
St. Joseph 2, Mattawan 1
Lakeshore 8, Vicksburg 0
Edwardsburg 6, Three Rivers 0
Sturgis 1, Niles 0

Division 4 at New Buffalo (1st round at local sites)
Covert 2, New Buffalo 1
Bridgman 8, Bangor 0
Hartford 5, Lake Michigan Catholic 1
Michigan Lutheran (bye)

Girls Swimming and Diving
Bridgman/Lakeshore 112, Portage Northern 73
Battle Creek Lakeview 103, St. Joseph 80

Girls Volleyball
Lake Michigan Catholic 3, Howardsville Christian 0
New Buffalo 3, Grace Christian 0
Gobles 3, Lawrence 2
Coloma 3, Watervliet 0
Brandywine 3, Dowagiac 0

Cross Country
Wolverine Conference at South Haven (Warner Camp)

Tonight
Boys Soccer – Districts
Division 2 at Gull Lake
Plainwell vs. Otsego, 5:30 p.m.
Harper Creek vs. Gull Lake, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Buchanan
Dowagiac vs. Coloma, 5:00 p.m.
South Haven vs. Berrien Springs, 7:00 p.m.

Division 3 at Comstock
Schoolcraft vs. Fennville, 6:00 p.m.
Delton Kellogg AT Paw Paw, 6:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Bloomingdale
Lawton vs. Howardsville Christian, 5:00 p.m.
Heritage Christian vs. Bloomingdale, 7:00 p.m.

Division 4 at Bellevue
Kalamazoo Hackett vs. Potterville, 5:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian vs. B.C. Calhoun Christian, 7:00 p.m.

Girls Volleyball
Niles at Lakeshore, 6:30 p.m.
Portage Central at St. Joseph, 6:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Mattawan, 6:30 p.m.
Berrien Springs, White Pigeon, Bangor at Bridgman Quad, 5:00 p.m.