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Sunday, Sept. 20, 2:00pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... Best Laid Plans?

PawSox Seek Next Ballpark Move With Providence Deal Officially Dead

Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Triple-A Int’l League Pawtucket Red Sox Chair Larry Lucchino yesterday said that no ballpark "will be built on prime riverfront property in Providence." Mattiello: "The project is not going to happen at that site." Lucchino said, "The formal decision was largely made for us." He added that the team "is still looking in Rhode Island." PawSox spokesperson Patti Doyle in a statement said the team "will now devote its energy to preparing for the 2016 season in Pawtucket at McCoy Stadium, but will continue to listen to ideas and plans regarding the long-term future of the franchise" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 9/20).

The proposal "faced strenuous public opposition from the start." The planned site along the Providence River "was home to protests in recent months from stadium naysayers who wanted the land to be a public park" (AP, 9/20). Yesterday’s announcement "marks a major setback for the team’s new owners, who took control in February and immediately said they wanted to move to a new stadium in Providence" (WPRI.com, 9/19).

One Buffalo Clothing Line Debuts Ahead Of Hyped Pats-Bills Game

A line of One Buffalo clothing designed by Kelly Pegula, the daughter of Bills and Sabres Owners Terry and Kim Pegula, "hit stores Friday." The collection is "more subdued and trendy than traditional red and blue Bills gear." The gear is "available at the Bills and Sabres stores, as well as online at shop.onebuffalo.com" (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/19).

The Bills today host the Patriots for the first time under new coach Rex Ryan, in what the Buffalo News' Bucky Gleason called the "most anticipated game" at Ralph Wilson Stadium since '04 (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/20). Bills fans on Friday were "already lining up outside the Ralph to get spots in the camper/RV lot." Police said that this is the "earliest they have seen fans line up" (WGRZ.com, 9/19). Meanwhile, the Pro Football HOF honored former NFL GM Bill Polian, a '15 inductee, at today's game (Pro Football HOF).

Mike Lupica Addresses N.Y. Daily News Layoffs In Sunday Column

The N.Y. Daily News' Mike Lupica closed his column today by addressing last week's layoffs at the paper, writing, "Friends of mine, some of the best I have ever had in the newspaper business and some of the best people with whom I have ever worked -- and with whom I will ever work -- left the Daily News this past week." Lupica specifically addressed former Sports Editor Teri Thompson, "as truly great an editor as I have known in this business." He also acknowledged Bill Madden and Filip Bondy. Lupica: "I will miss them mightily ... You should miss them more" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/20). Lupica did not address his own reported departure from the paper (THE DAILY).

Larry Scott Discusses Pac-12 Nets' Carriage Standoff With DirecTV

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott yesterday said that he is "disappointed the conference has been unable to come to terms with DirecTV to carry the Pac-12 Networks." He added that the Pac-12 is "unwilling to give DirecTV a deal better than other carriers have." Scott also said that the conference "remains at odds with Charter Communications, which serves much of rural Oregon" (OREGONLIVE.com, 9/19).

Tacopina Leaves Serie A Club Bologna Amid Rift With Saputo

N.Y. attorney Joe Tacopina "has resigned" as President of Serie A club Bologna after just 11 months "due to a rift" with team Chair Joey Saputo, who also owns the MLS' Impact. The move "clears the way" for Saputo to become Bologna's next president. Tacopina "is reportedly interested in taking over" Italian soccer club Venezia FC, "which is in the fourth division" (AP, 9/20).

Denver Rock 'N' Roll Marathon Nixed For '16; Half Marathon To Stay

The Denver Rock 'n' Roll full marathon has "run its course," as race organizers on Friday said that the event "will not continue" next year. Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series VP/Events Alan Culpepper said that the city and race organizers "agreed that finding 26 miles within the metro area that did not negatively impact either runners or residents was nearly impossible." He added that area runners can now "focus on the half-marathon course" (DENVER POST, 9/19).

Basketball Legends Pay Respects To Late HOFer Moses Malone

An estimated 1,200 people yesterday "flocked from around the country" to Houston's Lakewood Church to "honor the life" of Basketball HOFer Moses Malone, who was "mourned, but also fittingly celebrated." Speakers "punctuated stories with imitations of Malone’s distinctive, rapid-fire mumble" (CHRON.com, 9/19). Fellow HOFer Charles Barkley "delivered the eulogy." Also in attendance were HOFers Calvin Murphy and Julius Erving, Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks and former NBAers Rudy Tomjanovich, John Lucas and Major Jones (ESPN.com, 9/19).

Weekend Briefs....

Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., will "drive the No. 32 car prepared by Go Green Racing" in the '16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His car "has a sponsorship from all-terrain vehicle company Can-Am for 11 events" (ESPN.com, 9/19).

John Bacon's book "Endzone," on the Univ. of Michigan football program, debuted on the N.Y. Times' combined print and e-book nonfiction best sellers list at No. 7 (THE DAILY).

The Giants today will commemorate the 25th anniversary of their Super Bowl XXV victory "before and during the home opener against the Falcons" (NJ.com, 9/18). The Giants last week launched an accompanying microsite honoring the accomplishment.

Washington State Univ. "honored the 25 members" of its '15 athletics HOF class at yesterday's game against Wyoming (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/20).

The USTA runs a full-page ad in today's N.Y. Times, which reads in part, "A sincere thank you from the USTA to all the players, fans, media and the great city of New York for your help and support in making the 2015 U.S. Open the best ever!" (THE DAILY).

Quick Hits....

"It’s about the money. The game is growing, fans want to see football and I get it. I just know from a player’s standpoint, it’s extremely tough to play on a Thursday night game. Your body is just beat up, especially when you play a late Sunday or Monday game" – NFL Giants LB Jon Beason (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/19).

"They’re having their problems, but in any business, you’re going to have problems. ... Those things are going to happen" – Saints Owner Tom Benson, on the NFL's handling of recent crises and scandals (N.Y. TIMES, 9/20).

"You mean the 130-character limit?" – Vikings President & co-Owner Mark Wilf, when asked about Twitter reaction to the team's season-opening loss to the 49ers (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/20).

Weekend Hot Reads....

The N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE's Jay Caspian Kang writes under the header, "What the World Got Wrong About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar." Kang spends a "long, strange day with the least understood basketball star of all time." Abdul-Jabbar has "found an unexpected role among the online commentariat" and has "written on Lena Dunham, Ferguson, the body-shaming Serena Williams has endured, the Charleston shootings and Donald Trump."

NEWSDAY's Neil Best wrote under the header, "Olympic Softball Star Jessica Mendoza A Big Hit In ESPN Booth." Mendoza's debut as an MLB analyst was an "immediate, almost universal hit among fans and professional critics alike."

Elsewhere:

Sunday Comic....

A sneak preview of SportsBusiness Journal's weekly editorial cartoon:

Twitter Me This....

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Back Pages....

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

N.Y. Post N.Y. Daily News Newsday Boston Herald Chicago Sun-Times

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

THE DAILY’s Week Ahead: September 21-27

MONDAY
• Int'l Centre for Sport Security roundtable discussion on the legalization of sports gambling (moderated by political news commentator James Carville) - N.Y.
• ATP World Tour Moselle Open begins - Metz, France
• ATP World Tour St. Petersburg Open begins - St. Petersburg, Russia
• WTA Tour Guangzhou International Women’s Open begins - Guangzhou, China
• WTA Tour Korea Open begins - Seoul
• WTA Tour Toray Pan Pacific Open begins - Tokyo

TUESDAY
• NFL Network premiere of docuseries “Football Town: Barrow, Alaska”

THURSDAY
• Smithsonian Associates program: An Evening with Bud Selig, Baseball Commissioner Emeritus - DC
• PGA Tour’s Tour Championship by Coca-Cola begins (FedEx Cup Playoffs finale) - Atlanta
• Web.com Tour Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship begins - Columbus

FRIDAY
• Champions Tour Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach begins - Monterey Peninsula, Calif.
• AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals begin (Countdown to the Championship, Event No. 2 of 6) - Madison, Ill.
• ITTF European Championships begin (table tennis) - Ekaterinburg, Russia

SATURDAY
• NBA training camp opens for teams participating in preseason NBA Global Games
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175 - Loudon, N.H.
• NASCAR Xfinity Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 - Sparta, Ky.
• Red Bull Air Race event begins - Fort Worth, Texas

SUNDAY
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sylvania 300 (Chase for the Sprint Cup Challenger Round, Race No. 2 of 3) - Loudon, N.H.
• F1 Japanese Grand Prix- Suzuka, Japan
• WTA Tour Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open begins - Wuhan, China

Note: Events are subject to change. Information about upcoming events can be sent via email to calendar@sportsbusinessjournal.com.