NHL
Helene Elliott
on the NHL: The NHL postponed two Stanley Cup playoff games that were scheduled on Thursday and two others scheduled for Friday, a decision made after league officials drew wide criticism for their initial mild reaction to percolating social justice issues that have shaken up the sports world. Those issues, brought back to the forefront by the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wis., prompted teams in the NBA and WNBA to refuse to play their playoff games on Wednesday and also led several MLS and Major League Baseball teams to decline to play in protest of racial injustice.
The NHL's postponements, announced Thursday, involved second-round games in the league's two playoff hubs. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders had been scheduled to face off at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto with their series tied at one game each, and the Vegas Golden Knights had been scheduled to face the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place in Edmonton in a series also tied at 1-1. Friday's postponements encompass Game 4 of the Tampa Bay Lightning's series against the Boston Bruins, and Game 4 of the Colorado Avalanche's series against the Dallas Stars. Tampa Bay and Dallas each hold a 2-1 series lead.
"After much discussion, NHL Players believe that the best course of action would be to take a step back and not play tonight's and tomorrow's games as scheduled. The NHL supports the Players' decision and will reschedule those four games beginning Saturday and adjust the remainder of the Second Round schedule accordingly," according to a statement issued jointly by the NHL and the NHL Players' Assn.
WNBA
Thue Nhi Nguyen
on the WNBA:
After postponing three games Wednesday, the
WNBA will extend its stoppage at least through Thursday's games in light of the Jacob Blake shooting, but players are committed to continuing the season in Bradenton, Fla., after what Sparks forward and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike called a "moment of reflection."
"As a group, we decided last night that we want to play," Ogwumike said Thursday during an interview on ESPN. "There are games scheduled tomorrow, and that's what we're ready to do, but that doesn't come without demands of the players to continue to amplify our voices in more ways than when we came here. We realize that the work is not easy, but we also understand the work is never done."
The WNBA will work to reschedule the three games originally planned for Thursday — Chicago-Indiana, Dallas-New York and Las Vegas-Seattle — along with the three games missed Wednesday.
DODGERS
Jorge Castillo
on the Dodgers:
Mookie Betts didn't plan on playing Thursday. One game, a doubleheader. It didn't matter. The Dodgers star right fielder
left Oracle Park on Wednesday intending to protest racial injustice and police brutality
following Jacob Blake's shooting by sitting out again. And the first lineup the Dodgers released for Game 1 of their doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants reflected those feelings. Betts' name wasn't listed.
But Betts told Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Thursday morning that he had changed his mind. He wanted to play after igniting the Dodgers and Giants' collective decision to have Wednesday's game postponed, creating the first scheduled seven-inning doubleheader in franchise history.
The change, according to Roberts, arose after Betts spoke to Black players around the league. Betts determined he could better use his platform by playing. So, Roberts changed the lineup for his best player. Betts batted first and played right field in the Dodgers' 7-0 and 2-0 seven-inning wins.
"Just to not divide each and every one of us," Betts said after Game 1 when asked why he elected to play on the television broadcast. "We have a great clubhouse here and I don't want to put anybody in an uncomfortable position. So, I'll go play and I'll make sure I take care of those off-the-field things."
ANGELS
Maria Torres
on the Angels: General manager
Billy Eppler entered this season as a lame duck, feeling pressure to field a contender in the last year of his contract. Now Monday's trade deadline is approaching and the Angels aren't buyers.
Again.
Eppler will spend the next few days fielding calls and trying to ensure the long-term viability of the team. All while coming to grips with the probability that nothing he does will save his job.
"I just try to approach everything with a vision of how to continue to keep this organization well-positioned," he said by phone Wednesday. "Control the controllable and do your job. Try to keep it simple. Start thinking about too much, then you get caught up in the fog."
Angels owner Arte Moreno declared vaguely in February, before the coronavirus outbreak struck the U.S., that Eppler had to satisfy "a lot of pieces" to receive a new deal. Then Moreno specified one thing: "As a group, we need to win."
Eppler,
hired in October 2015, has never celebrated a winning record in Anaheim — or even a .500 finish. Barring a miracle, Trout and the Angels will miss the postseason for a sixth year despite an expanded playoff field.
NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
First round (all games in Orlando, Fla.)
All times Pacific
WESTERN CONFERENCE
No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz
Game 1: Denver 135, Utah 125 (OT)
Game 2: Utah 124, Denver 105
Game 3: Utah 124, Denver 87
Game 4: Utah 129, Denver 127
Game 5: Denver 117, Utah 107
Game 6: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder
Game 1: Houston 123, Oklahoma City 108
Game 2: Houston 111, Oklahoma City 98
Game 3: Oklahoma City 119, Houston 107
Game 4: Oklahoma City 117, Houston 114
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic
Game 1: Orlando 122, Milwaukee 110
Game 2: Milwaukee 111, Orlando 96
Game 3: Milwaukee 121, Orlando 107
Game 4: Milwaukee 121, Orlando 106
Game 5: TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
SECOND ROUND
EASTERN CONFERENCE
No. 2 Toronto vs. No. 3 Boston Celtics
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5:* TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
* – If necessary
NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 6 New York Islanders
Game 1: NY Islanders 4, Philadelphia 0
Game 2: Philadelphia 4, NY Islanders 3 (OT)
Game 3: Saturday, 9 a.m., NBC
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 4 Boston Bruins
Game 1: Boston 3, Tampa Bay 2
Game 2: Tampa Bay 4, Boston 3 (OT)
Game 3: Tampa Bay 7, Boston 1
Game 4: Sunday, 5 p.m., NBC
Game 5: TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
Western Conference, all games in Edmonton
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 5 Vancouver Canucks
Game 1: Vegas 5, Vancouver 0
Game 2: Vancouver 5, Vegas 2
Game 3: Saturday, 5 p.m., NBCSN
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 3 Dallas Stars
Game 1: Dallas 5, Colorado 3
Game 2: Dallas 5, Colorado 2
Game 3: Colorado 6, Dallas 4
Game 4: TBD
Game 5*: TBD
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD
*-if necessary
TODAY'S LOCAL MAJOR SPORTS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific.
Dodgers at Texas, 5 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570
Seattle at Angels, 6:30 p.m., FSW, KLAA 830
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1908 — Fred McLeod wins the U.S. Open golf title with a one-stroke victory over Willie Smith in a playoff.
1922 — The oldest American international team golf match, the Walker Cup, is established with the United States beating Britain 8-4.
1949 — The United States wins the Davis Cup, beating Australia 4-1.
1950 — Althea Gibson becomes the first black player to compete in the U.S. Open. Gibson wins her first round match, defeating Barbara Knapp of Britain 6-2, 6-2, at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y.
1956 — Australia sweeps the United States 5-0 to capture the Davis Cup.
1959 — Bye Bye Byrd sets a world record for the mile pace on a half-mile track in 1:57 4-5 at Roosevelt Raceway.
1976 — The Toronto Metros win the NASL championship with a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Kicks.
1989 — Eighteen-year-old Pete Sampras wins his first U.S. Open singles match in four sets over Agustin Moreno of Mexico.
1990 — Stefan Edberg becomes the first top-seeded player, since John Newcombe in 1971, to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open. Edberg loses to Alexander Volkov of the Soviet Union, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2.
1993 — Pinch-hitter Jeremy Hess' bases-loaded single with two outs in the sixth inning gives Long Beach, Calif. a 3-2 victory over Panama in the championship game of the Little League World Series.
1994 — Tiger Woods, 18, becomes the youngest winner in the history of the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, capturing the last three holes of his 36-hole title match against Trip Kuehne.
1995 — Monica Seles, plays in her first Grand Slam tournament in more than 2 1/2 years and beats Ruxandra Dragomir 6-3, 6-1 in first round of the U.S. Open.
2008 — In one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history, top-seeded Ana Ivanovic is ousted from the U.S. Open. Ivanovic is beaten by 188th-ranked Julie Coin 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round. Never before in the Open era that began in 1968 had the No. 1 woman lost this early in the tournament.
2009 — Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva bounces back from losing her world title by setting a world record of 16 feet, 7 1/4 inches in the Weltklasse meet in Zurich.
2011 — Three-time PGA Tour winner Kirk Triplett won the News Sentinel Open in Knoxville, Tenn. to become the oldest winner in Nationwide Tour history. At 49 years, 4 months, 29 days, Triplett closes with his second straight 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Marco Dawson.
2014 — Acknowledging he "didn't get it right" with a two-game suspension for Ravens running back Ray Rice, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces tougher penalties for players accused of domestic violence, including six weeks for a first offense and at least a year for a second.
2014 — Kenny Hill breaks Johnny Manziel's single-game passing record with 511 yards and No. 21 Texas A&M beat No. 9 South Carolina 52-28. Hill, in his first career start, finishes 44 of 60 with three touchdowns.
And finally
The Dodgers discuss why they didn't play Wednesday.
Watch it here.
Gee; this is perfect timing. A bunch of grown men being paid millions to play games saying they won't unless the public at large "takes a knee," months after "professional" sports were locked down, and people found out they didn't really need them after all.
ReplyDelete...Good move, kiddies. Two words, one finger to you all...
Right. Just let all the sports go to hell. I hope so. And if the morons will not play, then no pay.
ReplyDeleteNBA player:"Sheeet,you think we done f***ed up?
ReplyDeleteOther NBAer:Is we getting paid?
NBA player:Don't think so.
Other NBAer:Then we f***ed up.
--GRA
It would be great if Americans ignored these spoiled brats and let them have to work for a living. But you say, they have so many millions they will never have to work. Well that may be true for some, but many athletes and actors and others of that ilk are so irresponsible that they will blow through their money and go broke. I read about a famous black athlete who lived high and was surrounded with "friends." But he blew through all the money and when the money was gone, his fake friend left too.
ReplyDelete"Money, you got lots of friends,
ReplyDelete"Hangin' 'round your door,
"When you're done, and spendin' ends,
"They don't come round no more."