In Columbus, Michael Arace notes notes the MLS '18 schedule was released on Thursday and the Crew will for the first time "play three home games amid March weather," which led to local supporters believing that this "type of crappy scheduling is one of many active measures used to sabotage attendance in Columbus." Ten of 17 home games will be "played before the first day of summer -- or, prior to the point when attendance traditionally spikes in Columbus." Arace notes Crew playoff games were "among the highest-rated on ESPN last season," but the Crew will "appear on national television just twice, two weeks apart, in the middle of the season." Columbus power brokers are now in a "tough spot" as they have to "wait on Austin because they are standing on the principle that bidding wars between cities are immoral and unhealthy" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 1/5).
HISTORY LESSON: In N.Y., Scott Cacciola notes the 76ers, under the direction of CEO Scott O’Neil have been "dipping into the franchise’s past even as the team reinvents itself." 76ers President of Business Operations Chris Heck "cited the team’s new slate of uniforms, which quilt together several eras." There is the "Phila" lettering from '60, stars from the '70s and a "collar taken from the jerseys worn by the 76ers during" the '82-83 season, when they last won an NBA championship. This includes the song "Here Come the Sixers," which O’Neil "hoped to incorporate in recent seasons as a regular part of the game-night experience." But Heck said that the rest of the staff "voted to reserve it for home wins, which meant that nobody got to hear it much at all" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/5).
TIME'S ALMOST UP: In N.Y., Peter Botte writes Islanders co-Owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin should not grant GM Garth Snow "yet another free pass" if the team fails to "make the playoffs for the second straight year and for what would be the eighth time in his dozen seasons as the team’s GM." The "largely overlooked" franchise "received some monumental off-ice news last month concerning the long-overdue commitment for a new Belmont arena." But its grand opening "still a few years away." Botte notes Islanders C John Tavares’ status is "still uncertain until he signs on the dotted line" and another playoff miss "shouldn’t spare Snow from the same fate" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/5).
