Remembrances and tributes continue to pour in. The N.Y. TIMES in a front-page piece notes Summitt "helped transform women's college basketball from a sport ignored" by the NCAA into "one that drew national television audiences and paid its most successful coaches" more than $1M annually. WALL STREET JOURNAL: "She was celebrated by hoops fans for the intensity she instilled in her players and more broadly for being instrumental in making women's sports a mainstream phenomenon." The L.A. TIMES notes Summitt "made an impact that went far beyond the grasp of Nielsen or Twitter while fighting a daily gender equity battle."
 
Recent headlines:

• Knoxville News Sentinel: "Summitt Boosted Women's Sports, But Was 'Ahead Of The Game'"
• Newsday: "Summitt’s Impact Went Well Beyond Tennessee Lady Vols"
• Philadelphia Daily News: "Summitt Was A Champion – In Basketball And For Basketball"
• ESPN.com: "Whether Or Not You Played For Her, Pat Summitt Inspired A Generation Of Basketball Players"

Donald Trump yesterday on Twitter denied that Mike Tyson "had been invited to speak" at the Republican National Convention (WASHINGTON POST, 6/29). However, Trump’s campaign aides "are lining up a slate of iconic sports figures to appear at the convention in Cleveland next month," including Pro Football HOFer Mike Ditka, former Indiana men's basketball coach Bobby Knight and NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France. Organizers said that talks "are in the works with a broad slate of other celebrities and top athletes, so the list of those appearing at the convention will grow" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/28).

The first pitch of last night's Blue Jays-Rockies game at Coors Field "was delayed for hours after rain, wind and hail hammered the field and caused fans to take cover." Rain "poured through, rushing over stairs and flooding some areas inside." The hail that was falling "looked like snow on the grass" (KDVR.com, 6/28). The weather "caused flooding" in the Rockies dugout and clubhouse tunnel. Grounds crews "were able to clear the water away by sandbagging the tunnel entrance and clearing debris over the drains, allowing the pooled water to dissipate." The game was delayed for a total of 2 hours, 41 minutes (AP, 6/29).

NFL Cardinals President Michael Bidwill told "PFT Live" that he "expects an online video distributor like Amazon, Netflix or YouTube will some day out-bid the traditional television companies to broadcast NFL games." Bidwill said, "There’s no doubt it’s coming. The question is how we transition into it. What we need to do is do a great job of listening to our fans about how they want to consume NFL content. Our fans are switching to digital, they’re switching to handheld and mobile devices, and we want to respond to that" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/29). 

The Sabres said that they "wanted to bring an NHL preseason game to downtown Rochester for the first time in more than a decade, but an antiquated arena with inadequate facilities prompted them to take the game" to Penn State. Instead of a Sept. 26 exhibition game at Blue Cross Arena at the Community War Memorial, the Sabres and Wild "will play at Pegula Ice Arena in State College." Sabres President Russ Brandon said, "The game was going to be in Rochester but we don’t feel the facility is up to the standards to play an NHL game." The Sabres today "will announce the Penn State site, along with their entire preseason schedule" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 6/29).

UFC and Joe Hand Promotions announced a multiyear extension of their PPV distribution agreement. UFC will keep the company as its exclusive commercial distributor throughout the U.S. (UFC).

Coastal Carolina last night beat Arizona 5-4 in the second game of the College World Series before a crowd of 24,716 at TD Ameritrade Park to force tonight’s winner-take-all finale (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 6/29).

USL club Oklahoma City Energy FC's match last night against Liga MX side Chivas de Guadalajara saw "6,687 fans packed into Taft Stadium for Energy FC’s first international exhibition in club history" (USLSOCCER.com, 6/28).

"I would like to extend that to the decade, and we're going to have three major league sports here" – Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, saying the city will be host to three franchises from major sports leagues within 10 years ("The Herd," Fox Sports Radio, 6/28).

"In all honesty, the course will probably have to be completely redone" – The Greenbrier Owner Jim Justice, on the damage sustained by the resort due to recent flooding (AP, 6/28).

"With the position of this organization and the financial strengths of this organization, it's not in the DNA here to rebuild. We'll continue to invest" – Angels GM Billy Eppler, whose team is 14 games under .500 as the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline nears (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/29).

"I'm just not sure in the grand scheme of things, if all things are equal, whether Durant is going to care whether those old farts out there named Cousy and (Bill) Russell and (Tom) Heinsohn and whoever did all these wonderful things 50 years ago" – Basketball HOFer Bob Cousy, on whether the Celtics' history could entice free agent F Kevin Durant to join the franchise (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/29).

"We’re trying to make us just as good … as the Lynx are" – T'Wolves C Karl-Anthony Towns, saying his team is trying to build a championship culture like that of the Twin Cities' WNBA team ("We Need To Talk," CBS Sports Network, 6/28).

USA TODAY: "From the beginning of negotiations with Nike and adidas for a shoe and apparel deal, Ben Simmons sought a lucrative contract beyond the norm for an NBA rookie."

BLEACHER REPORT notes, "NFL owners aren't the kinds of multimillionaires who are willing to let a few football-free summer weeks go by without turning a smidgen of extra profit. The players may be at the beach. The facilities may be dark. ... But the NFL's money machine keeps on grinding."

Also:

• Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie owes Buddy Ryan debt of gratitude.
• SEC looks to shed perception of second-rate men's basketball.
• Las Vegas NHL club should have edge over '00-01 Wild, Blue Jackets.
• Univ. of Oregon's Vin Lananna has made TrackTown USA a reality.
• NFL scout headed to Australia's National Gridiron League.
• E-sports team owner Rick Fox eyes "H1Z1" game as next big thing.

Rory: I play four Olympics a year. Golfers dream about Claret Jugs and Green Jackets, not Gold Medals

— Golf Monthly (@GolfMonthly) June 29, 2016

I love the cadence of ⚾️ play-by-play on the radio on a summer night. Always have. Always will.

— Michael Kelly (@MKellyCFP) June 29, 2016

Love seeing interviews with Coastal Carolina players. They seem genuine & truly appear to embody amateurism of college sports #CWSFinals

— Paula Lavigne (@pinepaula) June 29, 2016

Sources on @TheVertical: Kevin Durant's free agent meetings will be staged in the Hamptons on Long Island (N.Y.) Friday and Saturday.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 29, 2016

#sustainability leaders from @MLB @NASCAR @NHL @sportsalliance #greensports "authentic messaging goes a long way" pic.twitter.com/4raq3yYWrL

— Essex Consulting Grp (@Go2Essexco) June 28, 2016

The Dolphins Cancer Challenge will announce its largest-ever single donation for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Univ. of Miami.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “American Inventors.”

“Before his death in 1932, he donated over $100 million, including $50 million to the University of Rochester.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “Name Their Sport.”

For $200: “Abby Wambach.”
For $400: “Julian Edelman.”
For $600: “Michelle Kwan.”
For $800: “Jason Day.”
For $1,000: “Missy Franklin.”

NBC’s Tom Brokaw was a guest on CBS’ “The Late Show” and said of the Rio Games, “We’re constantly told that they are going to be ready. Sochi was not really ready, but they got the thing done, and NBC will be there. And if there's a section of the stadium that is not finished, we're not going to show it” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 6/28).

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said, “Welcome to beautiful, stunning Los Angeles, California. … We're hoping to get the Olympics here, the Summer Olympics in 2024. Even though that's eight years away, I think we're already better prepared than Rio is for the Olympics that start on August 5th” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 6/28).

CBS’ Stephen Colbert: “Rio's acting governor warned the Olympics could be a ‘big failure,’ which is actually an improvement, because until yesterday, it looked like a massive catastrophe.” Colbert said of Euro '16, “Yesterday Iceland, the tiniest nation in the tournament, beat powerhouse England 2-1. This is the worst thing to happen to England in four days” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 6/28).

“Who was George Eastman?”

Correct responses to the “Name Their Sport” category:

$200: “What is soccer?”
$400: “What is football?”
$600: “What is figure skating?”
$800: “What is golf?”
$1,000: “What is swimming?”