Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Sunday, Aug. 6, 2:00pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... If The Jacket Fits ...

Jerry Jones All-Inclusive In Giving Thanks During HOF Induction

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones last night was inducted into the Pro Football HOF, and in his "nearly 37 minutes" on stage he "managed to touch on all constituencies and keep an eye on the future of the NFL." Jones, sporting a "pair of custom gold tennis shoes" given him by Nike co-Founder & Chair Emeritus Phil Knight, "paid tribute to owners, coaches, players, business partners and media." Jones was "disciplined in his delivery" and "largely on point." His speech was "about the love of family, relationships and football" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/6). Jones "never cried -- though it seemed he came close." Also, he thanked "specific members of the media" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/6). Jones acknowledged "people he likes from all walks of sports," including writer Rick Gosselin, Redskins Owner Dan Snyder, Pro Football HOFer John Madden and his son, Stephen (Canton REPOSITORY, 8/6).

Close to 1,000 guests were "treated to a party for the ages Friday night at Glenmoor Country Club" celebrating Jones' induction. It is "believed the Jones family spent well over" $10M to "surpass any other" HOF party. Justin Timberlake was the "featured entertainer." Singer Jon Bon Jovi, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings were on hand (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/6).

Plenty Of Memorable Moments During HOF Induction Speeches

A "smaller than usual crowd of 13,500" was on hand yesterday at Tom Benson HOF Stadium to watch the enshrinement of the Pro Football HOF Class of '17, which consisted of Jerry Jones and former players LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Kurt Warner, Terrell Davis, Morten Anderson and Kenny Easley (STLTODAY.com, 8/6)

Below are some highlights from yesterday's ceremony:

  • Tomlinson "stole the show" with a "powerful speech calling for 'Team America' to be a place for inclusion and opportunity" (AP, 8/6).
  • Easley "captured the attention of the audience right from the start and held it throughout his speech" (Canton REPOSITORY, 8/6). He concluded with a "nod toward athletes using their platforms to promote social activism." Easley: "Black lives do matter. And all lives matter, too. But the carnage affecting young black men today from random violence to police shootings across this nation has to stop" (ESPN.com, 8/5).
  • Andersen in his speech "openly expressed his deep love" for the Saints and Owner Tom Benson. Andersen: "Benson has done a remarkable job not only with the Saints, but throughout professional football. We're here in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium tonight. I'm thankful we have an owner who reinvests in the game" (Canton REPOSITORY, 8/6). Andersen at times "drew huge laughs," and the HOF "might want to think about bringing" him back next year as emcee (ESPN.com, 8/5).
  • Davis was "presented for induction by his agent, Neil Schwartz" (AP, 8/5).

Meanwhile, USA TODAY shares its choices for best quotes.



The lengths of the induction speeches were: Andersen (19:39), Davis (26:33), Easley (21:55), Jones (36:20), Taylor (31:48), Tomlinson (26:01) and Warner (32:45) (Canton REPOSITORY, 8/6).

USA Hockey Reveals Roster Plan, Coaching Staff For '18 Games

USA Hockey on Friday "revealed some of its plan for building a roster without NHL players" for the '18 PyeongChang Games. The U.S. team will be "made up mainly of players" from the AHL, European leagues and colleges. USA Hockey is also in "discussions with at least three or four older American players who are considering retiring from the NHL and extending their careers" to play for the U.S. (N.Y. TIMES, 8/5).

Meanwhile, former NHL and current Univ. of Wisconsin coach Tony Granato on Friday was "named head coach of the U.S. Olympic team," while USA Hockey Assistant Exec Dir of Hockey Operations Jim Johannson was named GM. Granato "seems like the perfect fit for a team that will made up of college players, minor league pros and Americans who are playing in Europe's pro leagues." His "diverse coaching background will serve him well" (USATODAY.com, 8/4).

IAAF Moves Medal Ceremony After Gatlin's Shocking Win Over Bolt

U.S. sprinters Justin Gatlin and Christian Coleman finished 1-2 in yesterday's IAAF World Championships 100m final in London, with Usain Bolt taking third place in his final individual race before retirement. Tonight's medal ceremony was "switched because athletics chiefs do not want to see a full stadium booing" Gatlin and the U.S. National Anthem. The ceremony was "originally due to be held" at 8:00pm local time but has now been moved to 6:50pm before the evening program starts. The IAAF "officially insisted that the switch has 'nothing to do with the result.'" IAAF President Sebastian Coe said, "I’m hardly going to sit here and tell you I’m eulogistic that somebody that has served two bans in our sport would walk off with one of our glittering prizes, but he is eligible to be here" (THEGUARDIAN.com, 8/6).

Bolt finishing third was "inconceivable," because since his first Olympic victory in '08, "no one had ever outrun him in a championship" (ESPN.com, 8/5). Gatlin entered the stadium with the "crowd's boos ringing in his ears." He is "regarded by many as the sport's villain" (CNN.com, 8/5). The 100m final drew a crowd of 55,900 at Olympic Stadium (N.Y. TIMES, 8/6).

Chargers, Rams Hold Joint Practice At StubHub Center, Drawing 8,000

The Chargers got their "first real look at StubHub Center when they hosted the Rams in a padded practice at the 30,000-seat StubHub Center" yesterday, drawing about 8,000 fans for an event that "included full contact but no tackling." Chargers QB Philip Rivers said, "This has a chance to be a heck of an atmosphere" (AP, 8/5). The Chargers "closed off the top-level sections, giving themselves a more manageable dry run before the start of the season." Access was limited to "season-ticket holders and waitlist members" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/6). 

NBC Sports, MRN Extend Partnership On NASCAR Telecasts

By Adam Stern

NBC Sports and MRN have extended their partnership in which MRN race announcer Mike Bagley will call part of today’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series I Love NY 355 at Watkins Glen Int'l. Bagley was part of NBCSN's experimental broadcast for yesterday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Zippo 200, where Bagley was one of three announcers stationed throughout the 2.5-mile road course, plus two announcers in the main booth. The move received mostly positive reviews on Twitter during yesterday’s race. NBC Sports and MRN could additionally look to extend the move to other races this year, as the Xfinity Series has two more road-course races this season. MRN, which is owned by ISC, is one of the two NASCAR radio networks that calls races for affiliates alongside SMI’s PRN.

Meanwhile, Watkins Glen today announced that the track has a sellout for its roughly 33,000-seat grandstands for today’s Cup race. That makes it the second race this year to announce a grandstand sellout after the season-opening Daytona 500.

NBA Africa Game Draws Sellout Crowd, Caps Week Of Outreach

Yesterday's NBA Africa Game exhibition at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg "drew a sellout crowd of 7,348" and "culminated a week of outreach on the continent through the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 8/6). Celtics F Jaylen Brown was "one of 24 players who participated in the second NBA Africa Game" as the league has "increased its presence in Africa." The exhibition "features first-generation, second-generation, or players of African descent against a team of selected NBA players" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/6).

In the week leading up to the game, "members of the NBA family spent a few days participating in NBA Cares events in and around Johannesburg in an effort to leave a long-lasting legacy." These included youth clinics and Habitat For Humanity projects (USA TODAY, 8/5).

Charles Oakley Accepts Plea Deal To Drop Charges From MSG Incident

Former NBAer Charles Oakley on Friday "accepted a deal" to have charges stemming from a February incident at MSG dismissed, but he "left open the possibility of pursuing civil action" against Knicks Owner James Dolan. The charges against Oakley will be dropped if he "stays out of trouble for six months and complies with a condition that prohibits Oakley from trespassing" at MSG for one year (ESPN.com, 8/4). Oakley previously "promised to fight the charges all the way through the legal process" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/5).

Speed Reads....

The Dolphins and Fox NFL analyst Jay Cutler are "finalizing a one-year deal," worth $10M, "plus incentives," according to sources (ESPN.com, 8/6).

A's RF Matt Joyce was "suspended for two games Saturday for his use of a homophobic slur during Friday night’s game" at Angel Stadium, and the A’s "will donate the more than $54,000 that Joyce will forfeit in salary to PFLAG." Joyce was "overheard" by an AP photographer while "directing an anti-gay insult at a fan" (SFGATE.com, 8/5).

UFC Fight Night 114 "drew an announced attendance of 10,172" to Mexico City Arena (MMAJUNKIE.com, 8/6).

Boxer Vasyl Lomachenko's seventh-round knockout of Miguel Marriaga drew a crowd of 4,102 last night in the "main event of the Top Rank ESPN card at the Microsoft Theater at LA Live" (ESPN.com, 8/5).

Colorado State's on-campus stadium open house drew 21,447 fans. The free event "unveiled the complex in its final stages of construction" and "provided a multipronged test run for several internal systems" (DENVERPOST.com, 8/5). There were a "few kinks, but all told the day seemed to be a big success" for the school's $220M, 41,000-capacity stadium (COLORADOAN.com, 8/5).

The Indians yesterday "unveiled a bronze statue" of Lou Boudreau, the last player or manager to "direct the franchise to a championship." The team also "relocated Jim Thome's statue to inside the center-field gates" (CLEVELAND.com, 8/5).

Quick Hits....

"Thank you for the opportunity to come to Washington. I know I didn't give you much, 2.5 sacks. Stole a lot of money from you, but I appreciate it. Hey, I'm just being honest, alright?" -- Pro Football HOFer Jason Taylor, describing his time with the Redskins during his induction speech (USATODAY.com, 8/5).

"It is now new and improved and it is as beautiful as any stadium that you will walk into, certainly for where mostly high school games are played" -- NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, on the newly rebuilt Tom Benson Stadium (“HOF Saturday,” NFL Network, 8/5).

"My life sucks. It's no fun being in this body right now. Everything hurts" -- Former NFLer Jim Plunkett, on dealing with life after football (MERCURYNEWS.com, 8/4).

"It was an unbelievable experience, and to shoot two 74s, I'll take that" -- Warriors G Stephen Curry, on playing in a Web.com Tour event this weekend (USATODAY.com, 8/4).

"[MLS ownership groups] have built slowly, brick by brick. ... They didn't step up to the plate and try to hit home runs. They've been trying to hit a series of singles to move the runners around the bags, and I think they've done an excellent job of that in a market that's much more competitive" -- Earthquakes President Tom Fox, on how the league has gone about developing itself (AP, 8/4).

Weekend Hot Reads....

SI.com goes with the header, "VAR Is Here: How MLS' New Refereeing Tool Will Work And Impact Matches." After "years of discussion, dry runs in youth tournaments, and a troubling moment in the spotlight during the 2017 Confederations Cup, MLS will become one of the first domestic leagues" to adopt the Video Assistant Referee as an "everyday reality."

Elsewhere

Twitter Me This....

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: Aug. 7-13

MONDAY

• ATP/WTA Rogers Cup begins (Montreal/Toronto)
• The Int'l “Dota 2” Championships main event begins (KeyArena, Seattle)

TUESDAY
• "Hard Knocks" season premiere on HBO (Buccaneers)

WEDNESDAY
• Women’s Rugby World Cup begins (Ireland)

THURSDAY
• PGA Championship begins (Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, N.C.)

SATURDAY
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Mid-Ohio Challenge (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington)
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series LTI Printing 200 (Michigan Int’l Speedway)
• IAAF World Championships conclude (London)
• Int'l “Dota 2” Championship finals (KeyArena, Seattle)

SUNDAY
• Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 (Michigan Int’l Speedway)

If you know of any events that should be in our calendar, send them to us at mmiceli@sportsbusinessdaily.com.