Menu

Sunday, April 23, 2:15pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... Chuck Wielgus Dies

A's To Reveal Site Of New Ballpark Sometime Later This Year

The A's have "doubled down" on their commitment to Oakland, as the club said that it will announce a new ballpark site later this year. The announcement came after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred last week said, "If we were looking at relocation, Las Vegas would be on the list" (EAST BAY TIMES, 4/22). No other details or hints about the ballpark site "were provided" by the A's (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/21). While the statement "certainly qualifies as good news, it should be noted 'we will announce a ballpark site' is a very long way from 'we have a new ballpark coming'" (CBSSPORTS.com, 4/21).

ESPN Events Purchases Miami Beach Bowl, Moving Game To Frisco

The AAC has "sold" the Miami Beach Bowl to ESPN Events and the bowl game played at Marlins Park will "leave the state." An AAC school will still be represented in the bowl game, and Conference USA "likely will remain" as well. Only "three Miami Beach Bowls were played." The AAC "didn’t want to get into financial specifics of the game." ESPN Events now owns 15 bowls (MIAMI HERALD, 4/22). Sources said that the game "will be played in Frisco, Texas," at Toyota Stadium, home to FC Dallas, which has a capacity of 20,500 (ESPN.com, 4/21).

Bettman Insists NHL Players Will Not Compete In PyeongChang Games

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday said that even if the IOC "sweetens its offer," the NHL "will not participate" in the '18 PyeongChang Games. Bettman: "We're not going. That decision has been made." Bettman added the league is "confident our players will remain with their teams" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/22). Bettman also commented on parity in the NHL, saying, "We have extraordinary competitive balance. You see it throughout the regular season. Every game seems to matter when you get to the point where you need to qualify for the playoffs. Virtually every team gives its fans hope at the start of the regular season. And I think what you've seen over the last decade or so is once the playoffs start, anything can happen" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/22).

Marta Makes NWSL Debut, But Orlando Pride Do Not Sell Out Game

Orlando Pride F Marta made her NWSL debut yesterday, as 14,452 fans witnessed the "unveiling of the greatest athlete to ever call Orlando home." Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said, "This is a historic day." NWSL Managing Dir Amanda Duffy said, "She's going to bring global attention to our league and to the Orlando Pride." However, it was "too bad Marta's debut didn’t attract more local attention." The Pride had "hoped to fill" Orlando City Stadium for Marta's home-opening unveiling, but "fell about 10,000 fans short" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/23).

Cubs Fans Begin Buying Up Replica World Series Rings

Cubs fans have been "snapping up their own championship rings, and the most expensive version sold out Friday morning." A representative of ring manufacturer Jostens said that "sales of Cubs-related jewelry have more than doubled that of any previous World Series winner after one week on the market." Most people have "purchased the $499 deluxe ring in either 10-karat white gold or sterling silver." The top ring sold for $10,800 and "includes 144 diamonds, 55 sapphires and 13 rubies." Only 108 of those "were made" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/22).

S.F. Sports Legends Honored With Street Names Near Candlestick Park

Legendary S.F. sports figures from the Candlestick Park era, including Pro Football HOFers Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, will be honored today with streets "named after them in a new neighborhood near the site of the now-demolished stadium." The others "so honored" by the city of S.F. and FivePoint, the developer in charge of the Candlestick site, are Pro Football HOFers Bill Walsh, Ronnie Lott and Eddie DeBartolo Jr.; former 49ers President & CEO Carmen Policy; Barry Bonds; and Baseball HOFers Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichal (MERCURYNEWS.com, 4/20).

Rapids G Tim Howard Issues Apology Following Altercation With Fan

Rapids G Tim Howard has "issued an apology for an incident nearly two weeks ago that earned him a three-game suspension." Howard in a statement wrote, "We all want passionate fans but there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed. It is not ok for an apparently drunk fan to get inches away from an athlete’s face and yell obscenities at them. While I should have controlled my reaction, I want to make it clear that I have never been put into a situation like that until Kansas City. I’m not a security expert, so don’t know the details of how a fan could get so close, but it was not the norm and not right." Howard urged “MLS, Sporting Kansas City, the Colorado Rapids and sports institutions in general to review fan-athlete interactions -- both what is permitted and how that is supervised” (USATODAY.com, 4/21).

Target Field Named First Ballpark In U.S. With Gold LEED Certification

Target Field yesterday was named the "first sports facility in the country to receive gold LEED certification for building operations." The seven-year-old ballpark "already had silver certification through LEED." The Twins announced that Target Field is the "first to use Arc, a digital platform, to track sustainability." With Arc, the Twins are able to "track and increase alternative transportation, energy and water efficiency, waste diversion and recycling" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/23).

Speed Reads....

The D-backs yesterday drew an "enthusiastic crowd of 36,294" for their game against the Dodgers. After a 93-loss season in '16, the team has begun the season 8-1 at Chase Field, its best home start (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/23).

Boston College's baseball team yesterday played N.C. State in the sixth annual ALS Awareness game at Fenway Park in front of a crowd of 3,603. The Red Sox "suggested moving it to Fenway to give the players a big league experience" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/23).

Silver medal-winning U.S. boxer Shakur Stevenson made a victorious "professional debut" last night at StubHub Center (L.A. TIMES, 4/23).

UNC-Charlotte's football program "hosted 8,253 fans" for its spring game yesterday at Richardson Stadium (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 4/22).

Authorities said that a man working on the stage for next week's NFL Draft in Philadelphia was "injured when he fell 30 feet from the roof." He is in "stable condition," and his injuries "were not disclosed" (AP, 4/22).

​Canadian Olympic Committee President Tricia Smith won her re-election bid after running "unopposed" (CP, 4/22).

Quick Hits....

Jim Dolan’s Rangers finished off the Montreal Canadiens last night, which just goes to show you that when you're an owner who cares about the fans and community, good things just seem to happen” – ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap, sarcastically discussing the success of the NHL team  (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 4/23).


"(New Univ. of Tennessee AD John) Currie has got a hard job and a lot to do. Being a head coach or an athletic director, those are hard jobs. He's got a lot to prove. ... It's my university, too, and I'm going to be around and be involved" – Former UT football coach Phillip Fulmer (Knoxville NEWS SENTINEL, 4/22).

"Let me tell you something: I know I'm on the right step because if nothing ain't happen like this in 100 years, guess what? We in a new lane, baby. That Big Baller Brand about to be your competition" – Lavar Ball, responding to comments made by Nike's George Raveling (ESPN.com, 4/22).

"For all the prognostication and everything you can see on paper, I think everybody was surprised. ... But that's our playoffs, right?" – NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, on the Western Conference's top-seeded Blackhawks getting swept by the eighth-seeded Predators (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/22).

Twitter Me This....

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

Sunday Comic....

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

Weekend Hot Reads....

The BOSTON GLOBE in a front-page profile examines Patriots QB Tom Brady's charitable efforts and his relationship in the Best Buddies charity. Since '01, Brady has helped raise $46.5M for the charity, but in recent years, he has "taken millions for his own charitable trust." Best Buddies is responsible for "80% of the money raised" for Brady's foundation from its inception in '05 to '15. 

Former Mariners broadcaster Ken Levine wrote a tribute to late team broadcaster Dave Niehaus in SI's special Mariners 40-year anniversary keepsake. Niehaus was a "throwback to the days when announcers had distinctive styles and unique personalities, and great catchphrases." He "didn’t announce; he shared." He was "your favorite uncle, only far more interesting."


Elsewhere:

Channel Surf....

CBS' "60 Minutes" will highlight the annual Maryland Hunt Cup tonight, which features a horse race held on a 4-mile, 22-fence racecourse (Baltimore SUN, 4/22).

Today's 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 HeraldChicago Sun-Times

Hit The Ground Running: The Week Ahead

THE DAILY’s Week Ahead April 24-30

MONDAY
  • ATP Tour Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell begins
  • ATP Tour Gazprom Hungarian Open begins (Budapest)
  • WTA Porsche Tennis Grand Prix begins (Stuttgart, Germany)
  • WTA TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup

TUESDAY
  • Pan American Sports Organization General Assembly (Punta del Este, Uruguay)

THURSDAY

  • PGA Tour Zurich Classic of New Orleans begins (Avondale, La.)
  • LPGA Volunteers of America Texas Shootout begins (Irving, Texas)

 FRIDAY

  • Pirelli World Challenge (Virginia Int'l Raceway)

SATURDAY

  • IndyCar Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix (Phoenix Raceway)
  • NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 (Richmond Int'l Raceway)

SUNDAY

  • F1 VTB Russian Grand Prix (Sochi Autodrom)
  • Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 (Richmond Int'l Raceway)

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