Twitter last night debuted its live stream of "Thursday Night Football," and SI.com's Richard Deitsch writes the user experience gives the platform "a solid foundation to build on." The picture quality "was excellent," and watching the game on a Mac laptop and iPhone was "similar to HD television." The stream was "about a play or two (maybe 40-45 seconds) behind the television coverage." Users "need to have an option to customize what tweets they want to see" (SI.com, 9/16).

CNBC's Jim Cramer tweeted, "Love jousting with the Twitter guys during a fabulous #TNF game. Congratulations to you, Adam, Jack, Anthony. Well done." ESPN's Darren Rovell: "Problem with #TNF feed is that Twitter's biggest users, who have spent time cultivating their feed, don't want to see random tweets below." Sydney Morning Herald's Matt Bungard: "Twitter has changed the game. This has to push other streaming services to be better. A free service on their 1st night was A++ quality." SportTechie's Mark Burns: "Surprised I haven't seen a sponsored tweet in the aggregated Twitter timeline yet."

See more on this story in THE DAILY.

MLB yesterday handed down a 30-day suspension without pay for Padres GM A.J. Preller, "one of the more severe penalties for an executive in recent memory." The punishment was "levied as the result of an investigation into the Padres’ handling of medical information related to the July 14 trade that sent" P Drew Pomeranz to the Red Sox. At least three teams who made trades with the Padres this season "expressed displeasure over what they believed to be deliberate withholding of information" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/16).

Megan Rapinoe again "chose not to stand for the national anthem" prior to last night's friendly against Thailand. It was her first time kneeling for the anthem "while wearing" the USWNT uniform. U.S. Soccer  "released a statement during the game, saying it did not agree with Rapinoe's decision." The statement said, "As part of the privilege to represent your country, we have an expectation that our players and coaches will stand and honor our flag while the national anthem is played." Rapinoe after the game said she still plans "to keep kneeling" (ESPNW.com, 9/16).

Nordstrom is "casting Nike directly in a fashion light with a new concept shop" called Nordstrom x Nike, which opens today in the retail chain's new Toronto Eaton Centre store. More locations are "planned to open in October and November in Seattle and Chicago." The women’s-only Nordstrom x Nike is being "billed as a lifestyle shop," with Nike apparel and sneakers "merchandised from an array of other brands and categories from Nordstrom’s general buy." Nike "has been raising its fashion profile for a while" (WWD.com, 9/16).

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday called for an "independent review of allegations that the NFL sought to improperly influence a government study into the link between football and brain disease." In a letter to Department of Health & Human Services' Inspector General Daniel Levinson, GOP leaders of the Energy & Commerce Committee said that a "thorough assessment is needed to ensure the integrity of the process for awarding research grants" (AP, 9/15).

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory yesterday "blamed politics" for HB2 fallout that cost the state high-profile college sports events, "citing the state's pivotal role in the presidential election." McCrory said that "boycotts were being inconsistently applied," as the NCAA held the '16 Final Four in Houston "even though that city voted down an anti-discrimination ordinance." He also "took aim at academic boards" for the NCAA and ACC "meeting 'in private behind closed doors with no transcripts of what they’ve done'" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/16).

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Mediacom Communications yesterday announced it has finalized a new agreement with the Big Ten Network (Mediacom).

Bauer Hockey has added women's hockey players Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, Jennifer Wakefield and Kacey Bellamy to its roster of endorsers (Bauer).

A report from the Dunkin' Donuts Park architect "paints a bleak picture of the workmanship and attention to detail" at Hartford's stalled ballpark project, "documenting numerous construction defects that would need to be repaired once work resumes" (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/16).

Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen, who serves as an MMA analyst for ESPN, is "coming back to the cage" after signing "a multiyear, multi-fight deal with Bellator" (ESPN.com, 9/16).

New Hampshire Motor Speedway runs a full-page ad in USA TODAY promoting its Sept. 23-25 slate, culminating in the NASCAR Sprint Cup New England 300, Tony Stewart's final race at the track (THE DAILY).

"Are they Neymar? No, they’re not professional athletes in that sense. These people are not incredible physical specimens. But I would argue it is athletics, similar to how archery is athletics" – Delaware North CMO Todd Merry, on whether e-sports players should be considered athletes (USA TODAY, 9/16).

"You never want to come out in the middle of a series. Especially in a close game, a good game. But it's protocol, so you have to deal with it" – Bills QB Tyrod Taylor, on being removed from last night's game against the Jets to be evaluated for a possible concussion (ESPN.com, 9/16).

"I believe so, and I'd be shocked if they weren't" – MLS Commissioner Don Garber, on whether the Revolution will be playing in their own soccer-specific stadium in five years (SI.com, 9/15).

"We’re just becoming a larger business as time goes on. It makes sense to have at least one inside lawyer" – Ravens President Dick Cass, on the team this week hiring its first in-house counsel in Cass' tenure (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/15).

The SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS writes the 49ers and Raiders are "linked in a business sense, depending on how events spool out." 49ers CEO Jed York is "a member of the NFL's Stadium Committee" and "has said that he supports" the Raiders' stadium quest. Therefore, he will be in a "position to help guide his closest geographic competitor to a soft landing elsewhere."

ESPN.com notes wood from the old bleachers at Cal's Memorial Stadium "sold like hotcakes" and can now be found throughout the Bay Area. The bar and tables at Mission Rock Resort in S.F. are "made of refinished Memorial Stadium bleacher wood," and the wood has "spread to dozens of other establishments." Plus, Cal alumni have "found a plethora of home uses for the historic wood."

Also:

• Staples Center's $20M upgrade results in new L.A.-themed event suites.
• Six reasons to be "irrationally annoyed" with the new World Cup of Hockey.
• Why all NFL players should be paying attention to the Sam Huff case.
• The Cowboys and Redskins "were once model franchises."
• Dwight Burgess has seen it all in his 20 years calling Crew games.

Off to Europe. Excited about meeting some GM/Sporting Director candidates @SJEarthquakes #Quakes74 pic.twitter.com/nFMXqjL0Xj

— Dave Kaval (@QuakesPrez) September 15, 2016

Did Megan Rapinoe kneel during the Thailand national anthem, a country with human trafficking issues? Because she did during the U.S. anthem

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) September 16, 2016

Republican members of House committee view NFL-NIH interactions differently than Democrats on same committee did... https://t.co/9MxTJ8hn5C

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) September 16, 2016

The Bills are one of the most mismanaged, poorly coached teams in the NFL. I feel bad for the Pegula's

— Greg Gabriel (@greggabe) September 16, 2016

Thank you to my wonderful husband for these beautiful flowers on this very special day. #JetUp #TNF #GoLive pic.twitter.com/FQOWt70YlW

— Laura Froelich ✈️🏈 (@laurafrofro) September 15, 2016

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Dante’s Inferno.”

“During the journey, Dante encounters Homer, Socrates and Cicero, who bide their time in the first circle, AKA this.”

CBS’ Stephen Colbert noted Donald Trump "said he doesn’t exercise that often, but he’s good enough at golf to play with the PGA. That’s a real medical shocker right there. I mean, judging by the size of his hands, I would have said mini-golf” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 9/15).

TBS’ Conan O’Brien said, “A 100-year-old tortoise named Diego has now fathered over 800 offspring. Isn't that cute? Which is why today he was the first tortoise in history to be drafted into the NBA” (“Conan,” TBS, 9/15).

"What is limbo?"