95.7 & 1400 WSJM Sports @wsjmsports wsjmsports.com Wednesday, April 05, 2017
MLB – Major League Baseball
Yesterday
Detroit Tigers 6, Chicago White Sox 3
Chicago Cubs 2, St. Louis Cardinals 1
Tigers 6, White Sox 3 – Verlander fans 10 as Tigers beat White Sox 6-3 in opener
Justin Verlander struck out 10 to match the most by a Detroit pitcher on opening day since Mickey Lolich in 1970, and the Tigers backed him with three home runs in a 6-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. JaCoby Jones hit his first career homer, Nick Castellanos and Ian Kinsler also went deep against Jose Quintana (0-1), and the Tigers sent Rick Renteria to a loss in his debut as White Sox manager. A day after the teams were rained out, Jones’ three-run homer and Castellanos’ two-run drive in a five-run second lifted Detroit into a 5-1 lead. Kinsler added a solo shot in the fourth. Verlander (1-0), the AL Cy Young Award runner-up last season, gave up two runs and six hits while walking two in 6 1/3 innings. Francisco Rodriguez relieved with two on in the ninth and retired three straight batters for the save. He gave up an RBI groundout to Jacob May before catcher James McCann leaned over the railing in front of the Tigers dugout to snag Tyler Saladino’s foul for the final out.
Cubs 2, Cardinals 1 – Arrieta, Cubs rebound with 2-1 win over St. Louis
Albert Almora Jr. robbed Matt Adams of a home run and Javier Baez made a terrific sliding stop on Kolten Wong’s game-ending grounder, sending Jake Arrieta and the Chicago Cubs to a 2-1 victory against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. It looked as if the Cardinals had tied the game in the seventh, but Almora tracked Adams’ deep fly ball to the wall and hauled it in with a leaping grab at the top of the fence in center. A pumped-up Almora then celebrated with left fielder Kyle Schwarber as Adams tipped his batting helmet in appreciation of the catch. t. Louis had a runner on first in the ninth when Baez went into short right field to take a hit away from Wong. The Cardinals challenged the call on the bang-bang play, but it was allowed to stand.
Today
Chicago Cubs (Lackey 0-0) at St. Louis (Lynn 0-0), 1:45 p.m.
Detroit (Zimmermann 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Shields 0-0), 2:10 p.m. WSJM Sports/Cosy-FM 1:45
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Ottawa Senators 2, Detroit Red Wings 0
Colorado Avalanche 4, Chicago Blackhawks 3 – Shootout
Senators 2, Red Wings 0 – Anderson earns 24-save shutout as Sens blank Wings 2-0
Craig Anderson made 24 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and Erik Karlsson and Tom Pyatt scored in the Senators’ 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The win coupled with Tampa Bay’s 4-0 loss to Boston means the Senators need just one point in their final three games to clinch a playoff spot. The win also snapped a five-game losing streak for Ottawa and was just its third victory in its past 12 games. Jimmy Howard made 22 saves in the loss for the Red Wings, who are playing out the string as they will miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 seasons.
Avalanche 4, Blackhawks 3 – SO – Johnson scores winner in OT as Avs beat Blackhawks 4-3
Defenseman Erik Johnson went coast-to-coast to score at 1:57 of overtime and the Colorado Avalanche rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat the Blackhawks 4-3 on Tuesday night. Johnson grabbed the puck near his goal, took advantage of a line change by the Blackhawks to cruise up the ice and beat goaltender Scott Darling with a nifty shot. Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog had short-handed goals for the last-place Avalanche, who won for just the second time in 10 games. Mikhail Grigorenko tied it up early in the third period off a pass from Duchene. Artemi Panarin, Ryan Hartman and Marcus Kruger scored in the second period for the Blackhawks to stake them to a 3-0 lead. It wouldn’t last as they remain stuck on a franchise record-tying 24 road wins.
NHL/Olympics – Ice hockey world body still works for Olympic deal with NHL
The International Ice Hockey Federation thinks NHL players need not miss the 2018 Winter Olympics _ though team owners likely now need a “game-changer” offer on the table. Horst Lichtner, the federation’s general secretary says in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that “we are continuing to try to find solutions,” after the NHL said it would not take part in the games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Lichtner spent much of the day in talks with IOC officials and winter sports leaders about the NHL’s announcement late Monday. The league ended negotiations aimed at ensuring it would shut down for the Olympic period in February and let its superstars play in South Korea. The federation’s view looked to be shared by Russia’s star Alex Ovechkin, who said Tuesday he would play at the games anyway, suggesting the NHL was bluffing.
Olympics – LA, Paris share 2024 plans with Olympic leaders
Los Angeles and Paris have made a direct appeal to Olympic sports leaders today in their bids to host the 2024 Games. In the first of three campaign events this year, the two 2024 Olympic candidates focused on small details in their plans that are key to athletes and organizers _ a break from the big picture talk of also choosing a 2028 host when IOC members meet on Sept. 13. LA was on stage first today in Denmark, and made a 10-minute presentation followed by five minutes of questions from the audience. Paris followed in what is now a two-horse race that could yet have two winners, according to speculation fueled by IOC President Thomas Bach. That would make both cities a three-time Olympic host.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Indiana Pacers 108, Toronto Raptors 90
New York Knicks 100, Chicago Bulls 91
Pacers 108, Raptors 90 – Pacers boost playoff hopes with comeback over Raptors
Paul George scored 18 of his 35 points in the third quarter Tuesday night and the desperate Indiana Pacers rallied from a 19-point, first-half deficit and blew out Toronto 108-90. The Pacers ended a four-game losing streak that saw them slide from a tie for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference to the very real possibility of missing the postseason. DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto, which had won its previous two.
Knicks 100, Bulls 91 – Anthony helps Knicks beat Bulls 100-91
Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points, and the New York Knicks snapped the Bulls’ four-game win streak with a 100-91 victory on Tuesday night. Courtney Lee had 14 points for New York, and Maurice Ndour added 13 points and 12 rebounds in his first career start. The Knicks (30-48) had dropped seven of nine. The Bulls (38-40) shot just 38.1 percent from the field and committed 15 turnovers. They dropped into a tie with Indiana for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game ahead of idle Miami. All-Star Jimmy Butler scored 26 points for Chicago, and Nikola Mirotic had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Tonight
Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m.
NBA – AP source: NBA board to discuss Charlotte as All-Star host
A person with knowledge of the plans says the NBA will discuss whether to bring the 2019 All-Star Game to Charlotte at its Board of Governors meeting this week. The person tells The Associated Press that the NBA board was already planning to discuss the matter at its meeting Thursday, though it’s not known if a decision will be made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the board’s agenda is not publicized. The league pulled this year’s All-Star event out of Charlotte and it went to New Orleans instead. The NBA had it said it hoped the All-Star game could go to Charlotte in 2019 if changes were made to a North Carolina law that limited anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people. North Carolina has repealed the “bathroom bill” and replaced it with a compromise law. The NCAA said Tuesday it would again consider the state as a host for championship events. The 2018 All-Star Game is already set for Los Angeles.
NCAA – NCAA: NC back in running to host events after law change
The NCAA says it will consider North Carolina as a host for championship events again after the state rolled back a law that limited protections for LGBT people. The governing body says its Board of Governors has reviewed moves to repeal the so-called “bathroom bill” and replace it with a compromise law. The NCAA says the new law “meets the minimal NCAA requirements,” but it’s still concerned about provisions within it.
NFL – Cowboys’ Tony Romo retiring, replacing Phil Simms at CBS
Is it easier to call an audible from the broadcast booth than the football field? Star Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will find out before long. After months of speculation about Romo’s future with the Cowboys, it has been announced that he’s hanging up his spikes in favor of a place before the microphone, teaming with CBS’s Jim Nantz on the broadcast of NFL games this fall. The network announced Tuesday that Romo will appear with Nantz on Thursday night and Sunday games next season. The former 10-year starting quarterback considered multiple network offers while also deciding whether to keep playing after losing the Dallas job to rookie Dak Prescott last season. Romo will replace former NFL quarterback Phil Simms as the No. 1 analyst at CBS. The departure of the all-time passing leader has been expected since November, when Romo conceded the job after missing 10 weeks with a back injury. The Cowboys were in the middle of a franchise-record 11-game winning streak when Romo returned. The Cowboys released Romo on Tuesday after delaying the decision to see they could generate interest in a trade, which also gave the married father of two with another child on the way more time to consider his future.
Michigan sports doc’s alleged victims seek to stop gag order
Lawyers for dozens of women who say they were sexually assaulted by a Michigan sports doctor are trying to overturn a judge’s gag order. They asked a federal judge to intervene Tuesday and strike an order that bars attorneys and Larry Nassar’s alleged victims from talking publicly. Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina is overseeing a criminal case against Nassar and says his rights could be violated if the public is repeatedly served with negative comments about him. The order covers anyone who might be called as a witness in the criminal case, the alleged assault of a girl. Lawyer Stephen Drew says it’s an illegal restriction on free speech. If Nassar feels he can’t get a fair trial in the Lansing area, Drew says he can try to move it elsewhere.
Finland, Germany advance to semifinals at women’s worlds
Noora Raty made 16 saves, and Finland advanced to the semifinals of the women’s hockey world championship with a 4-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday. Finland will face Canada on Thursday. The United States takes on Germany in the other semifinal after the Germans beat Russia 2-1 in another quarterfinal Tuesday. Finland upset Canada 4-3 on Saturday in the group stage, and the Finns also played the Americans tough, losing 5-3 on Monday night. The quarterfinal against Sweden wasn’t much of a contest, with Finland outshooting its rival 42-16. Raty made 35 saves against both Canada and the U.S., but she had a lighter workload Tuesday against Sweden.
Roger Federer, Microsoft’s Gates to play doubles for charity
How’s this for a doubles team? Roger Federer and Bill Gates. The 18-time Grand Slam champion and the billionaire Microsoft co-founder will pair up in a one-set exhibition match in Seattle on April 29 to support children’s education in Africa. Federer and Gates will play against John Isner _ the American who won the longest match in tennis history _ and an as-yet-unannounced celebrity partner. Then Federer and Isner will square off in a best-of-three-sets singles exhibition. Proceeds from the Match for Africa 4 will benefit the Roger Federer Charitable Fund and Roger Federer Foundation. Federer added to his record total of major championships by winning the Australian Open in January. He is 19-1 this season, including a title at Key Biscayne, Florida, on Sunday.
AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Manitoba 3, Grand Rapids 1
Tonight
Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 7:00 p.m.
