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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy today placed the state's "first legal sports bets," and he is "going with the Devils to win the Stanley Cup next year and Germany to win soccer's World Cup." Murphy made the bets at Monmouth Park's William Hill Sports Bar, with a "large crowd of around 1,000 people who were waiting to make their own wagers." He was "joined at the ceremony" by Monmouth Park President & CEO Dennis Drazin, former state Sen. Ray Lesniak and other dignitaries (APP.com, 6/14). A short time later, the Borgata in Atlantic City began accepting bets. Basketball HOFer Julius Erving and state Senate President Steve Sweeney were "first in line," placing wagers on the Eagles and Packers, respectively, to "win the Super Bowl next February" (PRESSOFATLANTICCITY.com, 6/14).

Meanwhile, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred again criticized N.J. for beginning legalized gambling without the presence of an integrity fee going to the league. “It’s disappointing that some states, New Jersey in particular, went down a very short-sighted path with respect to gaming,” Manfred said. “That short-sighted path will make New Jersey not as competitive as some other states that adopt a better, more integrity-focused approach to the betting landscape” (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).

breaking: Meadowlands Racetrack moving up its sports betting launch to July 15, not start of FB season. Monmouth Park, Borgata debuted today. I also hear Ocean Resort (ex-Revel) will have its book ready upon reopening on June 28

— John Brennan (@BergenBrennan) June 14, 2018

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred today at the end of the owners’ meetings in N.Y. signaled new concerns regarding league attendance, which remains down by 7% from last year. Manfred today said, “We are concerned there’s something to it more than weather. You never want to see attendance down, but weather’s a big part of it, and we’re hoping we rebound in the second half of the season.” When questioned last month about the sluggish attendance, he cited record-setting levels of rainouts and cold weather in April and early May and said the gap was not "a hole indicative of a problem with our product." The shortfall is stuck at roughly the same level nearly a month later, with nearly two-thirds of teams clubs showing declines.

Meanwhile, Manfred said the '19 schedule will likely contain some new tweaks, such as potentially two-game series on a Saturday and Sunday featuring popular matchups. “We have been reluctant because of scheduling traditions to do a two-game series on a weekend. … I think that’s something you will see in the future,” he said. “If it’s our biggest games, maybe with a bit of flexibility and hard work we can put them on the two days when most people are interested in seeing them.”

Austin Country Club members today voted to "approve an extension of a contract" with the PGA Tour to host the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. The course will host the March event through '23; the original contract for the event began in '16 and went through '19. No financial details were given, but sources said that the "club is guaranteed" $1M annually. Sources also said that the club "was given approximately $800,000" by the Tour to host this year's edition (STATESMAN.com, 6/14).

Andretti Autosport today did not deny a report that it is looking into the possibility of trying to acquire financially challenged F1 team Force India. Team Owner Michael Andretti was spotted in McLaren’s garage at this past weekend’s Canadian GP in Montreal, amid McLaren looking at joining IndyCar as part of a partnership with Andretti. But Joe Saward revealed in his weekly Motorsportweek.com column that Andretti, team President J-F Thormann and Pieter Rossi, father of IndyCar driver Alexanderi Rossi, also met with Liberty Media and Force India.

Force India has been rumored for months to be up for sale amid financial issues. Asked about the report, Andretti in a statement told THE DAILY, "Andretti Autosport is a diverse Motorsports property and we have many discussions about opportunities within and outside of our current portfolio."

The Players' Tribune and Self magazine today announced a partnership to create a series of original content, including video and personal essays, celebrating untold stories, triumphs and struggles of women across a wide range of sports. The executive producer of the series is U.S. fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim-American to wear a hijab while competing in the Olympics. The series premieres this fall on Self’s and The Players' Tribune’s channels.

MLB’s removal of a recent viral video on an on-field argument between an umpire and former Mets manager Terry Collins was a collective bargaining issue for the league, according to Commissioner Rob Manfred. “We made a commitment to the umpires that if they would wear microphones, certain types of interactions that we all know go on would not become public,” he said. “We promised them that. It’s in the collective bargaining agreement. We have no choice in a situation like that than to do everything possible to live up to our agreement. It’s kind of labor relations 101.”

Teams competing in the first-ever Women's Int'l Champions Cup this summer in Miami from July 26-29 were officially announced today, with Manchester City, Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain and the NWSL N.C. Courage all participating (Relevent Sports).

Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs Racetrack today unveiled the official Kentucky Derby 145 logo for next year's May 4 race, developed by N.Y.-based branding shop SME (Churchill Downs Racetrack).

Cintas has agreed to a deal with the Red Sox to become the official restroom sponsor of Fenway Park (Cintas). 

Former MLBer David Ortiz has agreed to be a spokesperson for Topps' initiatives throughout the year (Topps).

“This is exactly what Russia needed, this is exactly what the country needed and this is probably exactly what Mr. Putin needed also” -- FS1’s Alexi Lalas, on Russia defeating Saudi Arabia 5-0 to open World Cup competition (“World Cup Today,” FS1, 6/14).

"Our fans like watching Mike Moustakas play. I’m not going to take that away from them just to do a deal -- unless the deal makes really good sense" -- Royals Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM Dayton Moore, on whether the club is looking to deal the popular homegrown player in the midst of a rebuilding year (THEATHLETIC.com, 6/14).

Hey you, Super Bowl halftime show, try to beat this Robbie Williams epic performance!

— Мария Командная (@komandnaya) June 14, 2018

Much talk about quality of play and how more teams are not needed in a World Cup. I don’t agree. For me it’s always been an event that brings people of all cultures together to celebrate the sport we love. It unites the world. I love to see fans of other nations experience it.

— Kay Murray (@KayLMurray) June 14, 2018 

Four years ago, @shanebacon was the first ever guest on the NLU podcast. We had ZERO listeners, but he was still willing to come on and talk to a stranger about golf. The subject was the 2014 U.S. Open.

He's now calling the U.S. Open on Fox. Pretty damn cool.

— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) June 14, 2018

Idea: In a U.S. Open you shouldn't be allowed to be shown on the top page of the leaderboard until you've played at least 6 holes. Birdieing the first hole at Shinnecock should not mean you're tied for the lead in the U.S. Open

— Daniel Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 14, 2018

Wendy's had some fun with Tiger Woods' triple bogey on the first hole of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills today...

Tiger, next time you're going to get a triple... pic.twitter.com/6C24MSDZnp

— Wendy's (@Wendys) June 14, 2018

NASCAR is promoting its new eNASCAR Ignite Series, an esports competition created specifically to attract and identify young talent on a virtual platform.

19 -- Number of MLS players on FIFA World Cup rosters, "even without the U.S. playing." Six national teams feature MLS athletes: Costa Rica, Egypt, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Sweden (PHILLY.com, 6/13).