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Sunday, July 27, 3:00pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... Driving Away

Roush Fenway Racing Announces Carl Edwards Will Leave Team In '15

Roush Fenway Racing this morning issued a statement announcing driver Carl Edwards will not return to the team in ’15. Edwards has driven the No. 99 Ford for RFR since ’05. Team Owner Jack Roush said that he has “known for more than a month that Edwards would be leaving the team" (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/27). Edwards is "believed to be headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in a new fourth car," but his contract with Roush "does not permit him to announce his plans until September" (USATODAY.com, 7/27).

Edwards said of his decision, “Look at what’s going on -- in not just the NASCAR world, but in all of sports. Change sometimes just on its own is a good thing from a performance standpoint. This is my decision. It’s a decision I made. I didn't take it lightly” (“NASCAR Countdown,” ESPN, 7/27).

Penn State Names Former Cal AD Sandy Barbour To Same Position

Penn State President Eric Barron yesterday named former Cal AD Sandy Barbour to the same position "after a national search that began just four weeks ago." She replaces Dave Joyner on Aug. 18. Barron said Barbour was the "first" and "unanimous" choice of PSU's search committee to succeed Joyner. She was given a "five-year contract that will pay her $700,000 in base salary annually with a $100,000 retention bonus and another bonus of $100,000 for meeting performance goals" (CENTRE DAILY TIMES, 7/27). Members of the search committee are listed below.

NAME
TITLE
NAME
TITLE
David Gray*
Senior VP/Finance & Business
Robert Pangborn
VP and Dean for Undergraduate Education
Linda Caldwell
Professor and Faculty Athletics Rep
Tom Poole
VP/Administration
Julie Del Giorno
Athletics Integrity Officer
Coquese Washington
Women's basketball coach
Charmelle Green
Associate AD/Senior Woman Administrator


NOTE: *=Committee Chair

NBPA To Elect New Exec Dir Monday Without Kevin Johnson's Input

By Liz Mullen

The NBPA is scheduled to elect a new Exec Dir tomorrow, but will do so without the guidance of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who had been acting as an adviser to the union for the past few months. NBA players are scheduled to elect one of three candidates -- Mavericks President & CEO Terdema Ussery, Information Technology Industry Council President & CEO Dean Garfield or Skadden Arps Partner Michele Roberts -- according to sources and published reports. Johnson pulled out of the process Friday, sending an email to agents.

NBA Considers Extending All-Star Break To A Full Week

The NBA is "poised to turn the All-Star break into All-Star week" this coming season, giving teams a "full week off at midseason." A source said that the move would "give players seven days off between games in mid-February" and result in "an increase of one or two back-to-back sets per team for the coming season." Meanwhile, the release of the '14-15 schedule has "been pushed back into August to allow the league's television partners to adjust for the dramatic shakeup created by free agency," including LeBron James' move from the Heat to the Cavaliers (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/26).

WEEI's Minihane Suspended After Fox Decides To Pull Advertising

Entercom Communications President & CEO David Field on Friday night suspended WEEI-FM "Dennis & Callahan" co-host Kirk Minihane for a week without pay. The move came hours after Fox Sports informed Field it "was pulling all advertising from the company’s more than 100 stations nationwide, including WEEI." The suspension stems from "disparaging on-air comments" Minihane made about Fox Sports' Erin Andrews during two recent programs (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/26).

AECOM Could Announce Purchase Of Hunt Construction Group This Week

By Don Muret, Staff Writer

AECOM, the world's largest architectural services firm, is poised to buy Hunt Construction Group, a leading builder of major-league sports facilities. The deal could be announced this week, possibly as early as tomorrow, according to several sources attending the Int'l Association of Venue Managers conference in Portland. As part of the process, Hunt has been informing its clients of the potential change in ownership as required under contract terms tied to their respective projects.

Panthers, Jaguars Unveil Stadium Upgrades, Including New Video Boards

The NFL Panthers held their Fan Fest on Friday, and 36,315 fans "turned out to see the upgrades" made this offseason to Bank of America Stadium. Fans were surrounded by $65M worth of stadium enhancements, including "two new videoboards and ribbon boards, an updated sound system, escalators, lighted domes at the entrances, exterior lighting and paving bricks." The newly installed escalators were "a popular attraction for curious fans" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/26).

Meanwhile, the Jaguars yesterday "publicly unveiled the world’s largest video boards at EverBank Field." The stadium hosted both a soccer friendly between English club Fulham FC, which is owned by Jags Owner Shahid Khan, and DC United, as well as a concert by Carrie Underwood. The opening video presentation, "which lasted seven minutes, was a tour of the Jacksonville area capped by several Jaguars highlights" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 7/26).

ManU Wins Before 54K At Mile High As Friendlies Are Held Nationwide

EPL club Manchester United yesterday defeated Serie A club AS Roma at Sports Authority Field at Mile High "in front of 54,117" in the Guiness Int'l Champions Cup matchup. The "majority of supporters in attendance by far" were ManU fans. This marked the second of four games ManU will play during its U.S. tour (DENVER POST, 7/27).

A slew of other friendlies took place across the country this weekend. EPL club Tottenham defeated the Fire 2-0 before 17,156 at Toyota Park (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/27). The Red Bulls beat EPL club Arsenal in front of 25,219 at Red Bull Arena in the inaugural N.Y. Cup. The match featured Red Bulls F Thierry Henry, "one of the greatest" Arsenal players of all time, playing against his former club (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 7/27). More than 52,000 fans attended the Fulham-DC United match at EverBank Field (FULHAMFC.com, 7/26).

Officials From Cities Hoping To Land '24 Games Meet With USOC

Officials from Boston, DC, L.A. and S.F. "came together at the USOC headquarters in Colorado" on Friday for a briefing on the cities' efforts to land the '24 Games. USOC Chair Larry Probst after meeting with the groups said that he "feels good about the nation's prospects" to land the Olympics. Probst: "Our discussions this week have created a foundation for something that could be truly unique" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/26). While Friday's meetings "went well," the USOC "did not commit to submitting a bid, mindful that the U.S. has struggled in recent attempts to win the Games" (L.A. TIMES, 7/26).

Rockies Misspell Tulowitzki's Name On 15,000 Giveaway Jerseys

The Rockies yesterday "gave away" 15,000 jerseys featuring the name and number of SS Troy Tulowitzki, but misspelled the player's name. The second "T" was missing from the jerseys, leaving the name incorrectly spelled "Tulowizki." The Rockies in a statement said, "Acknowledging that many fans came to the game for the jersey, rather than disappoint them, we decided to go ahead and hand them out. We have made plans to reproduce the jersey and fans wishing to exchange will be able to do so at a future date." The team is also offering fans exchanging the jersey "a complimentary ticket to a future game" (DENVERPOST.com, 7/26).

KKFN-FM's Darren McKee wrote on his Twitter account the misspelled jersey is "symbolically rock bottom" for the Rockies. The Denver Post's Troy Renck: "Next year's giveaway jersey prediction: Will say Tulo on back.. And it will be in different team's colors."

Judge Approves Braves' Bonds To Fund New Ballpark Construction

Cobb County (Ga.) Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard II on Friday validated up to $397M in bonds that will "fund a large portion of construction costs" associated with the Braves' new $622M ballpark, which will be "completed in time" for the '17 season. The judge "overruled a dozen objections lodged by citizens who sought to block the issuance on a variety of legal grounds" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 7/26).

Reinsdorf Discharged From Hospital After "Precautionary" Overnight Stay

Bulls and White Sox Chair Jerry Reinsdorf yesterday morning was "released from the hospital" after he experienced an "'episode of lightheadedness' during his stay in Cooperstown." Officials said that he was kept overnight Friday as a "precautionary measure." Reinsdorf was in Cooperstown for today's induction ceremony, which includes longtime White Sox DH Frank Thomas (NBCCHICAGO.com, 7/26).

Weekend Briefs....

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley on Friday "cleared the way ... for construction to begin" on the Kings' new $477M arena after rejecting an "attempt by the arena’s opponents to block" the project's build (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/26).

HBO last night announced Manny Pacquiao "will return to the pay-per-view ring in November against contender Chris Algieri" in a bout that will take place in Macau (MULTICHANNEL.com, 7/26).

Last night's UFC on Fox 12 saw fighter Robbie Lawler defeat Matt Brown "before a crowd of 11,482 at SAP Center" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/27).

Colts Owner Jim Irsay yesterday appeared at training camp in Anderson, Ind., and "gave out $100 bills to some fans who came to watch the team" (USATODAY.com, 7/26).

A crowd of 6,200 yesterday attended the Chiefs' training camp at Missouri Western for Family Fun Day. Coach Andy Reid said that it "is a record for the practice field" (K.C. STAR, 7/27).

Quick Hits....

"They're not going to get in. And talking to all the Hall of Famers, they're going to boycott (if anyone gets elected) to make sure they don't get in" – Baseball HOF inductee Frank Thomas, on opposition to the induction of players known to have used PEDs (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/27).

"Frank and I are going to be a little bit longer than Greg. No surprise. His speech probably will be about his pitching -- direct and to the point and see you later" – Baseball HOF inductee Tom Glavine, on his expectations for fellow inductee Greg Maddux' speech at today's induction ceremony (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/27).

“They probably should have done a great deal more than they did quite frankly. But I will say, there are criminal avenues available, there are civil penalties available. He did pay a half a million dollars. I think this is a good discussion that we're having" -- U.S. Rep Tom Cole (R-Okla.), on the NFL giving Ravens RB Ray Rice a two-game suspension ("This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” ABC, 7/27).

"The playoffs have changed. The wild card is worth less than half what it used to be worth. You need to win the division in baseball these days" – Red Sox Owner John Henry, on how MLB's recently amended playoff system influences the team's strategy heading into the trade deadline (BOSTON HERALD, 7/27).

"It was the way he ran the Broncos -- hiring talented people and then giving them the freedom to perform their work -- that had everyone at Dove Valley sad this week" -- ESPN's Ashley Fox, on Broncos Owner Pat Bowlen giving up control of the team ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 7/27).

"I think Rutgers will bring a lot to the table" – Ohio State AD Gene Smith, on the addition of Rutgers to the Big Ten conference (NJ.com, 7/26).

"Not only is it a great idea, but if you don’t, you’re going to fall behind" – Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, on the team's desire to embrace advanced statistics and possibly hire an analytics guru (FREEP.com, 7/25).

Twitter Me This....

Cavaliers F LeBron James: "23 it is! It's only right I go back. 2·3=6  We still family 6."

Baseball writer Keith Law: "Astros players upset that a recent #1 pick threw a bullpen at Minute Maid forgot to take their reality pills this morning."

Blogger John Daly: "Kudos to @NBCSN as @letour coverage concludes. Outstanding telecasts with the right announcers and production staff."

Real Madrid MF Cristiano Ronaldo, on reports he would be joining a new agency headed by rapper Lil Wayne: "There have been news about changes on my management team - it's all false, and I can assure the team is - and will be - the same."

Forbes' Alicia Jessop: "Jaguars owner Shad Khan is so great. He just announced he'd take a selfie with anyone in the crowd tonight."

ESPN's Ed Werder: "At #Niners camp, I was impressed with Levis Stadium and all the high-end restaurants supervised by Jesse Shen. #VegascomestoSantaClara"
 
If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Today's Events....

The Twins will screen the '94 film "Little Big League" on the Target Field scoreboard after today’s game against the White Sox as part of a 20th anniversary celebration of the movie. The film is about an 11-year-old becoming manager of the Twins.

Weekend Hot Reads....

The K.C. STAR's Kellis Robinett writes under the header, "Big 12 Football Facilities Always On The Grow." An "arms race is heating up across the conference, with programs looking to spend huge sums on stadium improvements." In the wake of Baylor's construction of a new $260M stadium, four other Big 12 schools will "break ground on massive projects." The race, "it seems, has no finish line."

The Portland OREGONIAN's John Canzano writes Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's visit to Rex Hill Vineyards this weekend "fell somewhere between a whisper and a state secret." Popovich in '02 "became the largest outside investor in the outfit now known as 'A to Z Wineworks,'" owned in part by his friends Bill and Deb Hatcher. The winery has since created a pinot noir, called Rock & Hammer, specifically for Popovich, who has "started tasting and collecting."

Elsewhere:

Back Pages....

The Weekend Rap offers today's back page sports covers from some of the nation's major metropolitan tabloids:

   N.Y. Post  N.Y. Daily News Philadelphia Daily News  Boston Herald

Hit The Ground Running: The Week Ahead....

THE DAILY’s Week Ahead: July 28-Aug. 3

MONDAY
• ATP/WTA Tour Citi Open begins (Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series event) - DC
• WTA Tour Bank of the West Classic begins (Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series event) - Stanford, Calif.

TUESDAY
• Deadline for bids to be submitted from parties seeking to buy the Bills
• Alameda County (Calif.) Board of Supervisors scheduled to vote on A’s 10-year lease agreement at O.co Coliseum

THURSDAY
• MLB nonwaiver trade deadline
• WGC: Bridgestone Invitational begins - Akron, Ohio
• PGA Tour Barracuda Championship begins - Reno, Nev.
• Web.com Tour Stonebrae Classic begins - Hayward, Calif.

FRIDAY
• Champions Tour 3M Championship begins - Blaine, Minn.
• O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries begins - Kent, Wash.

SATURDAY
• Pan-Mass Challenge - Needham, Mass.
• Indians unveil Jim Thome statue at Progressive Field
• Pro Football HOF enshrinement ceremony (inductees Derrick Brooks, Ray Guy, Claude Humphrey, Walter Jones, Andre Reed, Michael Strahan and Aeneas Williams) - Canton, Ohio
• Levi’s Stadium opening match: Earthquakes vs. Sounders - Santa Clara, Calif.
• NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 presented by New Holland - Newton, Iowa
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 150 - Long Pond, Pa.

SUNDAY
• Pro Football HOF Game: Bills vs. Giants - Canton, Ohio
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GoBowling.com 400 - Long Pond, Pa.
• Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Lexington, Ohio