INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL REGIONALS
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL REGIONALS
INDIANA GIRLS TENNIS STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET:
GIRLS STATE TRACK FINALS-MAY 31
GIRLS PERFORMANCE LIST: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2023-24%20GTr%20State%20Performance%20List.pdf
Order of Events
3:00 p.m. – Pole Vault, Long Jump and Discus
3:30 p.m. – High Jump; Shot Put
4:15 p.m. – 3200 M Relay Finals
5:00 p.m. – 100 M Dash Trials
5:15 p.m. – 100 M High Hurdle Trials
5:40 p.m. – 200 M Dash Trials
6:10 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
6:15 p.m. – 100 M High Hurdles
6:25 p.m. – 100 M Dash
6:35 p.m. – 1600 M Run
6:45 p.m. – 400 M Relay
7:05 p.m. – 400 M Dash
7:20 p.m. – 300 M Low Hurdles
7:45 p.m. – 800 M Run
8:05 p.m. – 200 M Dash
8:15 p.m. – 3200 M Run
8:30 p.m. – 1600 M Relay
Advancement from State Meet Trials to Finals
1. 110 and 100 Hurdles, 100; 200
a. 3 heats with 9
b. 1st, 2nd from each heat plus next 3 best times.
2. 400 Relay, 1600 Relay, 400, 300 Hurdles
a. no trials
b. 3 sections timed; 9 per section
3. 3200 Relay, 800
a. no trials
b. 2 sections; 1 with 13, 1 with 14
4. 1600 and 3200
a. no trials
b. 1 race timed
5. Field Events
a. top 10 qualify plus ties
BOYS STATE TRACK FINALS-JUNE 1
BOYS PERFORMANCE LIST: https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/2023-24%20BTr%20State%20Performance%20List.pdf
Order of Events
3:00 p.m. – Pole Vault, Long Jump and Discus
3:30 p.m. – High Jump; Shot Put
4:15 p.m. – 3200 M Relay Finals
5:00 p.m. – 100 M Dash Trials
5:15 p.m. – 110 M High Hurdle Trials
5:40 p.m. – 200 M Dash Trials
6:10 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
6:15 p.m. – 110 M High Hurdles
6:25 p.m. – 100 M Dash
6:35 p.m. – 1600 M Run
6:45 p.m. – 400 M Relay
7:05 p.m. – 400 M Dash
7:20 p.m. – 300 M Int. Hurdles
7:45 p.m. – 800 M Run
8:05 p.m. – 200 M Dash
8:15 p.m. – 3200 M Run
8:30 p.m. – 1600 M Relay
Advancement from State Meet Trials to Finals
1. 110 and 100 Hurdles, 100; 200
a. 3 heats with 9
b. 1st, 2nd from each heat plus next 3 best times.
2. 400 Relay, 1600 Relay, 400, 300 Hurdles
a. no trials
b. 3 sections timed; 9 per section
3. 3200 Relay, 800
a. no trials
b. 2 sections; 1 with 13, 1 with 14
4. 1600 and 3200
a. no trials
b. 1 race timed
5. Field Events
a. top 10 qualify plus ties
INDIANA TRACK RESULTS: HTTPS://IN.MILESPLIT.COM/RESULTS
INDIANA BOYS GOLF SECTIONAL SITES
MAY 31, JUNE 1, JUNE 3
1. Valparaiso (10) | Forest Park Golf Course | Fri, 8:30 am CT |Results
Boone Grove, Chesterton, Hammond Bishop Noll, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Hobart, Portage, Valparaiso, Wheeler, River Forest, Whiting
2. Lake Central (13) | Palmira Golf & Country Club | Fri, 8 am CT |Results
Andrean, Calumet, Crown Point, DeMotte Christian, Griffith, Hanover Central, Highland, Illiana Christian, Lake Central, Lowell, Merrillville, Munster, Kankakee Valley
3. LaPorte (12) | Beechwood Golf Course | Fri, 8:30 am CT |Results
Glenn, Knox, LaPorte, Marquette Catholic, Michigan City, Morgan Township, New Prairie, North Judson-San Pierre, Oregon-Davis, South Central (Union Mills), Tri-Township, Westville
4. South Bend Riley (12) | Erskine Golf Course | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Elkhart, Jimtown, LaVille, Mishawaka, Mishawaka Marian, Penn, South Bend Adams, South Bend Clay, South Bend Riley, South Bend Saint Joseph, South Bend Washington, Trinity School at Greenlawn
5. Logansport (12) | Dykeman Park Golf Course | Fri, 9:30 am ET |Results
Caston, Frontier, Logansport, North Newton, Pioneer, Rochester Community, Rensselaer Central, South Newton, Tri-County, Twin Lakes, West Central, Winamac Community
6. Northridge (12) | Meadow Valley Golf Club | Fri, 8 am ET |Results
Bremen, Bethany Christian, Concord, Elkhart Christian Academy, Fairfield, Goshen, Lakeland, Northridge, NorthWood, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview
7. East Noble (12) | Noble Hawk Golf Links – Kendallville | Fri, 9 am ET |Results
Angola, Carroll (Fort Wayne), Central Noble, Churubusco, Columbia City, DeKalb, East Noble, Eastside, Fort Wayne Northrop, Fremont, Garrett, Leo
8. Warsaw (11) | Rozella Ford Golf Club | Mon, 8 am ET |Results
Culver Academies, Culver Community, Huntington North, Manchester, Northfield, Plymouth, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw Community, Wawasee, Whitko
9. Fort Wayne Canterbury (13) | Chestnut Hills Golf Club | Fri, 8:30 am ET |Results
Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, Fort Wayne Canterbury, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Fort Wayne North Side, Fort Wayne Snider, Fort Wayne South Side, Fort Wayne Wayne, Heritage, Homestead, New Haven, Woodlan
10. Peru (12) | Rock Hollow Golf Club | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Eastern (Greentown), Kokomo, Lewis Cass, Maconaquah, North Miami, Northwestern, Peru, Southwood, Taylor, Tri-Central, Wabash, Western
11. Lafayette Jefferson (12) | Battle Ground Golf Club | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Benton Central, Carroll (Flora), Clinton Central, Clinton Prairie, Delphi Community, Faith Christian, Harrison (West Lafayette), Lafayette Central Catholic, Lafayette Jefferson, McCutcheon, Rossville, West Lafayette
12. Westfield (10) | Ulen Golf and Country Club | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Bethesda Christian, Carmel, Frankfort, Guerin Catholic, Lebanon, Sheridan, University, Western Boone, Westfield, Zionsville
13. Attica (11) | Harrison Hills Golf and Country Club | Fri, 9 am ET |Results
Attica, Covington, Crawfordsville, Fountain Central, North Montgomery, North Putnam, Parke Heritage, Seeger, South Vermillion, Southmont, Tri-West Hendricks
14. Decatur Central (10) | Winding River Golf Course | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Ben Davis, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory, Covenant Christian (Indpls), Decatur Central, Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter, Pike, Purdue Polytechnic (Broad Ripple), Purdue Polytechnic (Downtown), Riverside, Speedway
15. Martinsville (11) | Foxcliff Golf Course | Mon, 9:30 am ET |Results
Avon, Brownsburg, Cascade, Cloverdale, Danville Community, Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, Plainfield, South Putnam, Greencastle
16. Norwell (12) | Timber Ridge Golf Club | Fri, 9 am ET |Results
Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Eastbrook, Madison-Grant, Marion, Mississinewa, Norwell, Oak Hill, South Adams, Southern Wells
17. Indianapolis Cathedral (11) | Maple Creek Golf Club | Fri, 8 am ET |Results
Heritage Christian, Indianapolis Arsenal Technical, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Scecina Memorial, International School of Indiana, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, North Central (Indianapolis), Park Tudor, Warren Central
18. Noblesville (12) | Harbour Trees Golf Club | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Alexandria Monroe, Anderson, Daleville, Elwood Community, Fishers, Frankton, Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Southeastern, Lapel, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Tipton
19. Monroe Central (11) | Hickory Hills Golf Course | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Cowan, Delta, Jay County, Monroe Central, Muncie Burris, Muncie Central, Randolph Southern, Union City, Wapahani, Wes-Del, Winchester Community, Yorktown
20. Greenfield Central (11) | Hawk’s Tail of Greenfield | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Blue River Valley, Eastern Hanco*ck, Greenfield-Central, Knightstown, Morristown, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), New Castle, New Palestine, Shenandoah, Triton Central, Tri
21. Terre Haute North (12) | Hulman Links | Mon, 9 am ET |Results
Bloomfield, Clay City, Dugger Union, Eastern Greene, Linton-Stockton, North Central (Farmersburg), Northview, Shakamak, Sullivan, Terre Haute North Vigo, Terre Haute South Vigo, West Vigo, White River Valley
22. Vincennes Lincoln (13) | Cypress Hills Golf Club of Vincennes | Fri, 9 am ET |Results
Barr-Reeve, Gibson Southern, North Daviess, North Knox, Pike Central, Princeton Community, South Knox, Tec*mseh, Vincennes Lincoln, Vincennes Rivet, Washington, Washington Catholic, Wood Memorial
23. Evansville Mater Dei (13) | Helfrich Hills Golf Course | Thurs, 7 am CT |Results
Boonville, Castle, Evansville Bosse, Evansville Central, Evansville Christian, Evansville F.J. Reitz, Evansville Harrison, Evansville Mater Dei, Evansville North, Evansville Reitz Memorial, Mt. Vernon, North Posey, Signature School
24. Jasper (14) | Sultan’s Run Golf Club | Thurs, 10 am ET |Results
Crawford County, Forest Park, Heritage Hills, Northeast Dubois, Jasper, Loogootee, Orleans, Paoli, Perry Central, Shoals, South Spencer, Southridge, Springs Valley, Tell City
25. Bloomington North (12) | Cascades Golf Course | Mon, 8 am ET |Results
Bedford North Lawrence, Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Brown County, Brownstown Central, Edgewood, Mitchell, Salem, Seymour, Trinity Lutheran, West Washington, Owen Valley
26. Franklin Community (13) | The Legends Golf Club | Mon, 8 am ET |Results
Beech Grove, Center Grove, Edinburgh, Franklin Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood Christian Academy, Greenwood Community, Indian Creek, Indianapolis Lutheran, Perry Meridian, Roncalli, Southport, Whiteland Community
27. Union County (10) | Liberty Country Club | Mon 9 am ET |Results
Cambridge City Lincoln, Centerville, Connersville, Franklin County, Hagerstown, Northeastern, Richmond, Rushville Consolidated, Union County, Oldenburg Academy
28. Greensburg (14) | Greensburg Country Club | Fri, 8:30 am ET |Results
Batesville, Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central, Greensburg, Hauser, Jac-Cen-Del, Milan, North Decatur, Shelbyville, South Decatur, South Ripley, Southwestern (Shelbyville), Waldron
29. Madison Consolidated (12) | Sunrise Golf Course | Mon, 11 am ET |Results
Austin, Charlestown, Henryville, Jennings County, Lawrenceburg, Madison Consolidated, Rising Sun, Scottsburg, Shawe Memorial, Southwestern (Hanover), South Dearborn, Switzerland County
30. Providence (14) | Covered Bridge Golf Club | Mon, 8 am ET |Results
Borden, Christian Academy of Indiana, Clarksville, Corydon Central, Crothersville, Eastern (Pekin), Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Lanesville, New Albany, North Harrison, Providence, Silver Creek, South Central (Elizabeth)
INDIANA GIRLS LACROSSE STATE PLAYOFFS
1A
CENTER GROVE 15 ST. JOSPEH 12
PARK TUDOR 18 EVANSVILLE CENTRAL 16
INDIANA BOYS LACROSSE STATE PLAYOFFS
2A
HAMILTON SOUTEASTERN 13 CATHEDRAL 8
CARMEL 21 CENTER GROVE 8
NBA PLAYOFFS
WESTERN CONFERENCE
• GAME 1:DALLAS 108 MINNESOTA 105 (DALLAS LEADS SERIES 1-0)
• GAME 2:DALLAS 109 MINNESOTA 108 (DALLAS LEADS SERIES 2 – 0)
• GAME 3:DALLAS 116 MINNESOTA 107 (DALLAS LEADS SERIES 3-0)
• GAME 4:MINNESOTA 105 DALLAS 100 (DALLAS LEADS SERIES 3-1)
• GAME 5:MAVERICKS VS. TIMBERWOLVES, THURSDAY, MAY 30 (8:30 ET, TNT)*
• GAME 6:TIMBERWOLVES VS. MAVERICKS, SATURDAY, JUNE 1 (8:30 ET, TNT)*
• GAME 7:MAVERICKS VS. TIMBERWOLVES, MONDAY, JUNE 3 (8:30 ET, TNT)*
* = IF NECESSARY
> NBA FINALS SCHEDULE
THE 2024 NBA FINALS PRESENTED BY YOUTUBE TV WILL BEGIN JUNE 6, WITH ABC AS THE EXCLUSIVE BROADCASTER.
- GAME 1:THURSDAY, JUNE 6 (8:30 ET)
- GAME 2:SUNDAY, JUNE 9 (8 ET)
- GAME 3:WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12 (8:30 ET)
- GAME 4:FRIDAY, JUNE 14 (8:30 ET)
- GAME 5:MONDAY, JUNE 17 (8:30 ET)*
- GAME 6:THURSDAY, JUNE 20 (8:30 ET)*
- GAME 7:SUNDAY, JUNE 23 (8 ET)*
* = IF NECESSARY
WNBA SCORES
NEW YORK 81 PHOENIX 78
ATLANTA 73 WASHINGTON 67
LAS VEGAS 80 MINNESOTA 66
NHL PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NEW YORK RANGERS VS. FLORIDA
SCHEDULE:
GAME 1:FLORIDA 3 NY RANGERS 0 (FLORIDA LEADS SERIES 1-0)
GAME 2:NY RANGERS 2 FLORIDA 1 OT (SERIES EVEN 1 – 1)
GAME 3:NY RANGERS 5 FLORIDA 4 OT (RANGERS LEAD SERIES 2-1)
GAME 4:FLORIDA 3 NY RANGERS 2 OT (SERIES TIED 2-2)
GAME 5:FLA @ NYR | MAY 30, 8 P.M. ET* (ESPN/ESPN+) |PREVIEW
GAME 6:NYR @ FLA | JUNE 1, 8 P.M. ET* (ABC/ESPN+) |PREVIEW
GAME 7:FLA @ NYR | JUNE 3, 8 P.M. ET* (ESPN/ESPN+) |PREVIEW
WESTERN CONFERENCE
DALLAS VS. EDMONTON
SCHEDULE:
GAME 1:EDMONTON 3 DALLAS 2 (2OT) (EDMONTON LEADS SERIES 1-0)
GAME 2:DALLAS 3 EDMONTON 1 (SERIES TIED 1-1)
GAME 3:DALLAS 5 EDMONTON 3 (DALLAS LEADS SERIES 2-1)
GAME 4:EDMONTON 5 DALLAS 2 (SERIES TIED 2-2)
GAME 5:EDM @ DAL | MAY 31, TBD ET* (TNT) |PREVIEW
GAME 6:DAL @ EDM | JUNE 2, TBD ET* (TNT) |PREVIEW
GAME 7:EDM @ DAL | JUNE 4, TBD ET* (TNT) |PREVIEW
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
DETROIT 8 PITTSBURGH 0
ST. LOUIS 5 CINCINNATI 3
TEXAS 6 ARIZONA 1
PITTSBURGH 10 DETROIT 2
PHILADELPHIA 6 SAN FRANCISCO 1
LA DODGERS 10 NY METS 3
MIAMI 9 SAN DIEGO 1
BALTIMORE 6 BOSTON 1
TAMPA BAY 4 OAKLAND 3
WASHINGTON 7 ATLANTA 2
TORONTO 3 CHICAGO WHITE SOX 1
KANSAS CITY 6 MINNESOTA 1
MILWAUKEE 10 CHICAGO CUBS 6
COLORADO 7 CLEVELAND 4
NY YANKEES 2 LA ANGELS 1
SEATTLE 2 HOUSTON 1 (10)
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SCORES
OMAHA 8 INDIANAPOLIS 2
WISCONSIN 4 FORT WAYNE 3 (10)
SOUTH BEND 15 QUAD CITIES 0
COLLEGE BASEBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT
FRIDAY MAY 31
ATHENS REGIONAL HOSTED BY GEORGIA BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION REGIONAL HOSTED BY TEXAS A&M CHAPEL HILL REGIONAL HOSTED BY NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL HOSTED BY VIRGINIA CLEMSON REGIONAL HOSTED BY CLEMSON CORVALLIS REGIONAL HOSTED BY OREGON STATE FAYETTEVILLE REGIONAL HOSTED BY ARKANSAS GREENVILLE REGIONAL HOSTED BY EAST CAROLINA
#1 GEORGIA (39-15) VS. #4 ARMY WEST POINT (31-21), 1 P.M., ESPN+
#2 UNCW (39-19) VS. #3 GEORGIA TECH (31-23), 7 P.M., ESPN+
#1 TEXAS A&M (44-13) VS. #4 GRAMBLING (26-26), 1 P.M., ESPN+
#2 LOUISIANA (40-18) VS. #3 TEXAS (35-22), 6 P.M., ESPNU
#2 LSU (40-21) VS. #3 WOFFORD (41-18), 12 P.M., ESPNU
#1 NORTH CAROLINA (42-13) VS. #4 LIU (33-23), 6 P.M. ESPN+
#1 VIRGINIA (41-15) VS. #4 PENN (24-23), 12 P.M., ESPN+
#2 MISSISSIPPI ST. (38-21) VS. #3 ST. JOHN’S (NY) (37-16-1), 7 P.M., ESPN+
#2 VANDERBILT (38-21) VS. #3 COASTAL CAROLINA (34-23), 12 P.M., ESPN2
#1 CLEMSON (41-14) VS. #4 HIGH POINT (34-25), 7 P.M., ACCN
#2 UC IRVINE (43-12) VS. #3 NICHOLLS (38-20), 4 P.M., ESPN+
#1 OREGON ST. (42-14) VS. #4 TULANE (35-24), 9 P.M., ESPNU
#1 ARKANSAS (43-14) VS. #4 SOUTHEAST MO. ST. (34-25), 3 P.M., ESPN+
#2 LOUISIANA TECH (45-17) VS. #3 KANSAS ST. (32-24), 8 P.M., ESPN+
#1 EAST CAROLINA (43-15) VS. #4 EVANSVILLE (35-23), 1 P.M., ESPN+
#2 WAKE FOREST (38-20) VS. #3 VCU (37-21), 6 P.M., ESPN+
KNOXVILLE REGIONAL HOSTED BY TENNESSEE LEXINGTON REGIONAL HOSTED BY KENTUCKY NORMAN REGIONAL HOSTED BY OKLAHOMA
#2 SOUTHERN MISS. (41-18) VS. #3 INDIANA (32-24-1), 1 P.M., ESPN+
#1 TENNESSEE (50-11) VS. #4 NORTHERN KY. (35-22), 7 P.M., SECN
#1 KENTUCKY (40-14) VS. #4 WESTERN MICH. (32-21), 12 NOON, SECN
#2 INDIANA ST. (42-13) VS. #3 ILLINOIS (34-19), 7 P.M., ESPN+
#2 DUKE (39-18) VS. #3 UCONN (32-23), 1 P.M., ESPN+
#1 OKLAHOMA (37-19) VS. #4 ORAL ROBERTS (27-30-1), 7 P.M., ESPN+ RALEIGH REGIONAL HOSTED BY NC STATE SANTA BARBARA REGIONAL HOSTED BY UC SANTA BARBARA STILLWATER REGIONAL HOSTED BY OKLAHOMA STATE
#2 SOUTH CAROLINA (36-23) VS. #3 JAMES MADISON (34-23), 2 P.M., ESPN+
#1 NC STATE (33-20) VS. #4 BRYANT (36-19), 7 P.M, ESPN+
#2 SAN DIEGO (40-13) VS. #3 OREGON (37-18), 3 P.M., ESPNU
#1 UC SANTA BARBARA (42-12) VS. #4 FRESNO ST. (33-27), 9 P.M., ESPN+
#2 NEBRASKA (39-20) VS. #3 FLORIDA (28-27), 3 P.M., ESPN+
#1 OKLAHOMA ST. (40-17) VS. #4 NIAGARA (38-15), 7 P.M., ESPN+
TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL HOSTED BY FLORIDA STATE TUCSON REGIONAL HOSTED BY ARIZONA
#1 FLORIDA ST. (42-15) VS. #4 STETSON (40-20), 12 P.M., ACCN
#2 ALABAMA (33-22) VS. #3 UCF (35-19), 6 P.M., ESPN+
#2 DBU (44-13) VS. #3 WEST VIRGINIA (33-22), 3 P.M., ESPN2
#1 ARIZONA (36-21) VS. #4 GRAND CANYON (34-23), 9 P.M., ESPN+
COLLEGE SOFTBALL-NCAA TOURNAMENT
WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE
THURSDAY MAY 30
GAME 1 – UCLA (39-10) VS. ALABAMA (35-17), NOON
GAME 2 – OKLAHOMA (51-6) VS. DUKE (50-7), 2:30 P.M.
GAME 3 – TEXAS (49-8) VS. STANFORD (44-14), 8 P.M.
GAME 4 – FLORIDA (47-12) VS. OKLAHOMA ST. (46-10), 10:30 P.M.
FRIDAY MAY 31
GAME 5 – GAME 1 LOSER VS. GAME 2 LOSER, 7 P.M.
GAME 6 – GAME 3 LOSER VS. GAME 4 LOSER, 9:30 P.M.
SATURDAY JUNE 1
GAME 7 – GAME 1 WINNER VS. GAME 2 WINNER, 3 P.M.
GAME 8 – GAME 3 WINNER VS. GAME 4 WINNER, 7 P.M.
SUNDAY JUNE 2
GAME 9 – GAME 5 WINNER VS. GAME 8 LOSER, 3 P.M.
GAME 10 – GAME 6 WINNER VS. GAME 7 LOSER, 7 P.M.
MONDAY JUNE 3
GAME 11 – GAME 7 WINNER VS. GAME 9 WINNER, NOON
X-GAME 12 – GAME 7 WINNER VS. GAME 9 WINNER, 2:30 P.M.
GAME 13 – GAME 8 WINNER VS. GAME 10 WINNER, 7 P.M.
X-GAME 14 – GAME 8 WINNER VS. GAME 10 WINNER, 9:30 P.M.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5-SATURDAY JUNE 7
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
MLS
NY RED BULLS CHARLOTTE 1
ATLANTA 3 MIAMI 1
NASHVILLE 2 CINCINNATI 0
PHILADELPHIA 0 TORONTO 0
MONTRÉAL 4 DC UNITED 2
VANCOUVER 2 KANSAS CITY 1
CHICAGO 1 ORLANDO CITY 1
HOUSTON 3 COLORADO 1
PORTLAND 2 AUSTIN 0
SALT LAKE 1 SEATTLE 1
LA GALAXY 3 DALLAS 1
LOS ANGELES 2 MINNESOTA 0
UFL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
TOP NATIONAL SPORTS HEADLINES
NBA NEWS
CLIPPERS AGREE TO REPORTED 5-YEAR, $70M DEAL WITH LUE
The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to a long-term contract extension with head coach Tyronn Lue, the team announced on Wednesday.
The deal is valued at $70 million over five seasons, league sources tell The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The 47-year-old, who was set to become a free agent after the 2024-25 season, will become one of the league’s highest-paid bench bosses with the new deal. Earlier this month, it was reported that Lue was considered a candidate for the vacant Los Angeles Lakers job after Darvin Ham’s firing.
Had Lue taken the Lakers job, he’d have reunited with LeBron James. The pair won the 2016 NBA title together as a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization.
Lue will be at the Clippers’ helm as they move to their new home, Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome, next season.
L.A. could undergo major personnel changes this offseason as both James Harden and Paul George can become free agents this summer. George has a $48.7-million player option, which he could decline. The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly eyeing the 34-year-old should he decide to leave Los Angeles.
Lue has gone 184-134 during his four-year tenure with the Clippers, good enough for the sixth-best record in the league over that stretch. Los Angeles has made the playoffs in three of its four seasons with Lue in charge, including a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2021.
The Clippers went 51-31 last year, good enough for fourth in the Western Conference, but were knocked out of the postseason by the Dallas Mavericks in six games in Round 1.
CELTICS ‘NOT SURE’ IF KRISTAPS PORZINGIS WILL BE READY FOR GAME 1
Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porzingis has “ramped it up” in workouts but coach Joe Mazzulla said Wednesday he’s “not sure” if the 7-foot-2 forward will be ready for the NBA Finals opener.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be June 6 in Boston against either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves.
Porzingis has not played since straining his soleus muscle in Game 4 of a first-round series against the Miami Heat on April 29.
“I’m not sure. I don’t know yet,” Mazzulla said Wednesday in his weekly radio interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“I do know he ramped it up on the court a little bit. Like I said, he’s working really, really hard,” Mazzulla added. “There’s been a couple shootarounds where he hasn’t done anything with the team but has been in a 1-on-1 setting kind of ramping it up with the intensity level of it. He’s been getting better and better.”
The Celtics are on a seven-game winning streak and have gone 9-1 overall since Porzingis was injured.
For his part, Porzingis sounded upbeat in a post to X, writing “see you in the finals,” according to a translation from Latvian to English.
Al Horford played a big role in the Eastern Conference finals and said he’ll be ready to do anything the Celtics need if Porzingis isn’t back in the fold.
Porzingis, 28, averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in 57 starts during the regular season.
WNBA NEWS
A’JA WILSON LEADS ACES TO ANOTHER WIN OVER LYNX
With 29 points and 15 rebounds, A’ja Wilson notched her fifth straight double-double to open the season and the Las Vegas Aces captured their first road win of 2024, beating the Minnesota Lynx 80-66 Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Wilson, who also had four blocks, two steals and three assists, shot 11 of 23 from the floor to lead the two-time defending champs. The Aces (4-1) also got 19 points and 10 assists from Jackie Young, and 10 points and six assists from Kelsey Plum.
Napheesa Collier powered the Lynx (4-2) with 18 points and 13 rebounds, marking her fourth double-double in six games. Collier, a UConn product playing in her sixth WNBA season, also grabbed her 1,000th career rebounds in the game.
Additionally for Minnesota, Kayla McBride added 11 points and Courtney Williams scored 12.
Las Vegas trailed only briefly in the first quarter after Williams sank a pullup jumper from 19 feet out with less than four minutes to play in the opening period. After an Aces timeout, Young responded with a pullup of her own, then assisted a Kate Martin 3-pointer.
Minnesota grabbed the lead once more in the second quarter, on a 3-pointer from Alanna Smith with 5:31 left in the frame, but the Aces punched back by ending the first half on a 13-3 run which was punctuated by a 3-pointer from Plum.
The Lynx trimmed the deficit to a point in the third quarter before falling behind by as much as 17 in the fourth.
Las Vegas outscored Minnesota 32-18 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 41-36.
For the Aces, Chelsea Gray remained sidelined with a lower left leg injury and Kierstan Bell remained out with a right leg injury.
The Aces are now 9-1 against the Lynx in their last 10 meetings. Las Vegas will host the Lynx on June 11.
LIBERTY HOLD ON TO END LOSING SKID AGAINST MERCURY
Sabrina Ionescu collected 22 points and nine assists as the host New York Liberty blew a 15-point lead before making enough plays down the stretch for an 81-78 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.
Jonquel Jones added 11 of her 20 in the fourth quarter to help New York outscore Phoenix 10-4 in the final 2:54. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton contributed 15 and Breanna Stewart chipped in 13 and eight boards as New York dodged a third straight loss, shot 41.2 percent and survived misfiring on 23 of 32 3-point tries.
Natasha Cloud scored a game-high 21 points for Phoenix, which lost its third straight but turned in a much better showing than Tuesday’s 70-47 loss at Connecticut. Kahleah Copper added 20 and nine rebounds and Diana Taurasi contributed 14 as the Mercury shot 42.6 percent and hit 10 3s after going 1-of-27 from behind the arc Tuesday.
Ionescu scored 10 points as the Liberty sank six 3-pointers and shot 66.7 percent for a 33-20 lead through the opening quarter. New York held a 36-21 lead after Kayla Thornton sank a 3-pointer with 8:10 left in the second but Phoenix outscored the Liberty 23-11 the rest of the half and trailed 47-44 by halftime.
In the third, Phoenix finally regained the lead for the first time since early in the first when Copper hit a layup with 63 seconds left. After Copper missed a 10-footer, Courtney Vandersloot scooped in a coast-to-coast layup for a 60-59 lead with 23.5 seconds left and the Mercury could not get a shot off on their final possession of the third.
Taurasi hit 3s on consecutive possessions to give Phoenix a 65-60 lead with 7:52 left. New York scored the next nine points and Phoenix called a timeout after Ionescu connected with Jones for a layup with 5:17 left.
The Mercury took a 72-69 lead with 3:32 left when Copper intercepted Stewart’s pass and converted a layup.
Vandersloot split two free throws for a 74-74 tie with 1:54 left after intercepting Copper’s pass and Jones snapped the tie with two free throws with 69 seconds remaining. After Copper missed a layup with 54.5 seconds left, Laney-Hamilton leaned in for a foul line jumper with 31 seconds left for a four-point lead.
Ionsecu then finished it off by hitting two free throws with 24.6 seconds remaining.
DREAM PULL AWAY LATE, KEEP MYSTICS WINLESS
Allisha Gray scored 19 points and Tina Charles paired 17 points with 15 rebounds as the visiting Atlanta Dream extended the Washington Mystics’ winless start to the season with a 73-67 victory on Wednesday.
Former Mystic Aerial Powers added 12 points off the bench for the Dream (3-2), while Cheyenne Parker-Tyus bundled 10 points with nine boards. Gray shot 7 of 9 from the floor and made four of six 3-pointers. Charles finished 7-of-11.
Rhyne Howard went 2-of-11 from the floor but hit all seven of her free throw attempts for Atlanta, which went 15-of-21 from the line compared to Washington’s 7-of-7 clip.
Ariel Atkins scored 21 points to lead the Mystics (0-7), who are off to their worst start since opening the 2007 season 0-8. Shakira Austin supplied 12 points with nine rebounds and Stefanie Dolson had 10 points.
Neither team led by more than six until the Dream engineered a 10-2 run to build a 67-60 lead with just under three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Atlanta began its surge when Howard fed a cutting Parker-Tyus for a layup that put the Dream up 59-58 with 7:30 left. Atkins’ pullup that pulled Washington within 63-60 midway through the quarter was the Mystics’ only bucket over nearly an eight-minute span as Atlanta slowly pulled away.
Gray’s jumper from the elbow capped the Dream’s decisive surge with 2:55 to play. Julie Vanloo ended Washington’s field goal drought with her only basket, a 3-pointer that made it 71-65 with 35.1 seconds left.
Howard made four free throws in the final minute to seal the win for Atlanta.
Gray had eight points on 3-of-3 shooting less than two minutes in as the Dream controlled the game’s early stages, opening a 15-9 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Mystics soon found their stroke and pulled ahead 18-17 on Karlie Samuelson’s 3-pointer from the left wing. Aaliyah Edwards and Myisha Hines-Allen added buckets for Washington to power a 13-3 run that propelled the Mystics into the second quarter leading 22-18.
Atlanta finished the second quarter far stronger than it did the first.
Gray drilled two triples during the Dream’s 10-0 run over the half’s final three minutes to flip their six-point deficit into a 38-34 halftime lead.
Washington opened the second half with a 10-2 spurt to go up 44-40 before Powers hit two treys for Atlanta late in the third quarter to level the game at 54 entering the final period.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB ROUNDUP: PIRATES’ PAUL SKENES TURNS 22, TAMES TIGERS
Paul Skenes struck out nine in six innings on his 22nd birthday as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the host Detroit Tigers, 10-2, in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday.
Skenes (2-0), the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball, allowed two runs and three hits in his fourth major league start. He had two strikeouts apiece in the first two innings and struck out the side in the fourth, relying as much on his splitter as his fastball. The flamethrowing right-hander has a 2.45 ERA, 30 strikeouts and five walks in 22 innings.
Andrew McCutchen blasted a three-run homer in the third inning on his 1,600th hit with the Pirates. McCutchen, who has played for five different teams in 16 years in the major leagues, also doubled and singled while driving in four runs. Nick Gonzales added three hits, including a solo homer, and drove in two runs.
Matt Vierling hit his fourth homer in three games for Detroit. Tigers starter Keider Montero, making his major league debut, gave up four runs and five hits while striking out five in 4 1/3 innings.
Yankees 2, Angels 1
Luis Gil gave up just two hits through eight innings, Alex Verdugo homered and New York hung on to beat Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Gil (7-1) allowed only a single to Luis Rengifo in the third inning and a solo homer to Logan O’Hoppe — his sixth of the year — in the seventh on his way to winning his sixth consecutive start.
Gil struck out nine and walked two while making 95 pitches, and at one point retired 11 straight Angels. With Gil out of the game in the ninth, however, the Angels nearly rallied. Los Angeles put runners on first and second with no outs against Yankees closer Clay Holmes, who eventually escaped for his 16th save.
Mariners 2, Astros 1 (10 innings)
J.P. Crawford’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning brought home the deciding run as Seattle defeated visiting Houston.
Dominic Canzone homered for the Mariners, who will attempt to sweep the four-game series against their American League West rivals on Thursday afternoon.
Justin Verlander allowed one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked one and matched his season-high with nine strikeouts for the Astros.
Brewers 10, Cubs 6
Christian Yelich, Blake Perkins and Willy Adames each hit a two-run homer and Milwaukee roughed up previously undefeated Shota Imanaga en route to a win over visiting Chicago.
Yelich put the Brewers up 2-0 in the first and Milwaukee added five runs in the third off Imanaga, who entered the contest with a 0.84 ERA. He had allowed a total of five earned runs in his first nine starts. But Imanaga (5-1) was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings on Wednesday, striking out one and walking one as his ERA climbed to 1.86.
Jared Koenig (5-1) got the win with two innings of scoreless relief.
Dodgers 10, Mets 3
Will Smith hit two homers, including the tiebreaking solo shot in the eighth inning, as visiting Los Angeles beat slumping New York to complete a three-game sweep.
The Dodgers outscored the Mets 18-5 in the series, which was played over a 27-hour span due to a rainout Monday. Smith finished 3-for-5 while Miguel Rojas tied a career-high with four hits and had an RBI single in the eighth.
First baseman Pete Alonso, who leads the Mets with 12 homers, left after being hit on the right hand by a pitch in the first inning. He underwent imaging during the game, and initial examinations didn’t reveal a broken bone. CT scan results are expected Thursday.
Rangers 6, Diamondbacks 1
Dane Dunning threw five scoreless innings and Corey Seager homered and drove in a pair of runs to help lead Texas to a win over Arizona in Arlington, Texas.
Dunning (4-3) allowed just three hits while striking out six and walking four in guiding Texas to its third straight win.
Corbin Carroll went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Arizona, which dropped its third consecutive game. Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson (3-4) pitched six innings of five-hit, four-run ball. He walked three and struck out three.
Nationals 7, Braves 2
Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer and MacKenzie Gore struck out 10 batters to lead visiting Washington to another win over Atlanta. The Nationals have won two of the first three games of the four-game series.
Gore (4-4) pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks. It was his second double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach (0-1) made his major league debut after being called up from Double-A Mississippi. He began with four scoreless innings but, after Thomas homered with one out in the fifth, finished the inning and then left the game. In five innings he gave up three runs, five hits and one walk and with five strikeouts.
Cardinals 5, Reds 3
Andre Pallante tossed six shutout innings in his first start in two years while Nolan Gorman homered for the second straight game to lead visiting St. Louis over Cincinnati. Pallante (1-1) allowed three hits and struck out four while walking three, running his shutout string as a starter to 17 innings.
Ryan Helsley allowed one run in the ninth but managed to force Elly De La Cruz to ground into a game-ending forceout to record his National League-leading 18th save in 19 chances. Masyn Winn had three hits and extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
Despite allowing three runs on six hits over six innings, and earning his third quality start of the season, Frankie Montas posted his eighth straight start without a win.
Royals 6, Twins 1
Nelson Velazquez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs and Kansas City pulled away for a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Salvador Perez doubled, homered and drove in two runs for Kansas City, which snapped a three-game skid. Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (9-1) won his fourth straight start. He allowed one run on six hits in six innings.
Jose Miranda drove in Minnesota’s only run. Willi Castro went 3-for-4 with a double. Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (5-3) gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings.
Phillies 6, Giants 1
Kyle Schwarber sent the fourth pitch of the game over the left-center-field wall, Cristopher Sanchez logged six scoreless innings and Philadelphia salvaged one win in a three-game series against host San Francisco.
Cristian Pache added an RBI single in the second and Nick Castellanos had a two-run homer in the fifth, helping the visitors snapp a season-worst, three-game losing streak. The homers both came off Giants starter Kyle Harrison (4-2), who suffered the first home loss of his career.
Sanchez (3-3) protected the lead with his six innings of shutout ball. He struck out seven, allowing four hits and one walk. Castellanos racked up a single, double, homer, two RBIs and two runs for Philadelphia, which took the season series 5-2.
Marlins 9, Padres 1
Josh Bell collected three of visiting Miami’s 16 hits and Jesus Sanchez homered in a 9-1 rout of San Diego that prevented a three-game sweep.
Miami starter Braxton Garrett (2-0) scattered six hits and a run over five innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Four relievers kept San Diego at bay, permitting only two hits and a walk in four scoreless innings, denying the Padres their first three-game home sweep of the season.
Yu Darvish (4-3) absorbed his second straight loss, lasting just three innings and allowing six hits. He was charged with three runs (two earned), walked one and struck out two. Donovan Solano was San Diego’s only hitter with two hits.
Orioles 6, Red Sox 1
Gunnar Henderson hit his 18th home run of the season, a grand slam during a five-run second inning as host Baltimore went on to defeat Boston.
Starter Corbin Burnes (5-2) gave up one unearned run in seven innings, allowed three hits and issued three walks while striking out five. The Orioles improved to 5-1 against the Red Sox this year and picked up their sixth victory in their past seven games overall.
The Red Sox were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and produced only six singles in the game. Boston starter Kutter Crawford (2-4) pitched six frames, yielding five runs on four hits. He walked two and fanned five.
Rays 4, Athletics 3
Jose Siri ripped a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to send Tampa Bay past Oakland in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Brandon Lowe also had two hits — a double and a triple — for the Rays, who won for just the second time in their past nine games. Tampa Bay starter Ryan Pepiot fired 5 2/3 innings, yielding two runs on three hits. He fanned seven and walked one.
Oakland’s JJ Bleday went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run, while Miguel Andujar had two hits and two RBIs. A’s starter Joey Estes tossed five innings of one-run ball. Estes gave up two hits, walked two and struck out five.
Tigers 8, Pirates 0 (Game 1)
Matt Vierling hit a three-run homer for a second straight game, Tarik Skubal tossed seven strong innings and host Detroit rolled past Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader.
Vierling, who had three hits and drove in four runs, smacked a game-winning, three-run homer in a 14-11 Detroit victory over Toronto on Sunday. Riley Greene contributed two hits and scored two runs.
Skubal (7-1) limited the Pirates to three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in seven innings. Mason Englert completed the shutout as Detroit won its fourth straight. Pirates starter Jared Jones (3-5) allowed seven runs (five earned) and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Rockies 7, Guardians 4
Brendan Rodgers homered in a six-run second inning, Ty Blach tossed seven strong innings, and Colorado beat Cleveland in Denver.
The Rockies took two of three games from Cleveland, which came to Coors Field riding a nine-game winning streak. Brenton Doyle finished with two of the nine hits for Colorado.
Josh Naylor and Brayan Rocchio had two hits apiece for Cleveland. Guardians starter Logan Allen was roughed up for seven runs on six hits in just 1 2/3 innings.
Blue Jays 3, White Sox 1
Trevor Richards delivered 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in a combined four-hitter and Isiah Kiner-Falefa drove in two runs as visiting Toronto blanked skidding Chicago.
The Blue Jays earned a three-game sweep while sending the White Sox to a season-worst eighth straight defeat. Chicago has lost 12 of 13.
White Sox starter Chris Flexen fell to 2-5 after allowing two runs and four hits in five innings. He walked five and struck out six.
REPORT: METS TO DFA LÓPEZ AFTER HE TOSSED GLOVE INTO STANDS
The New York Mets plan to designate reliever Jorge López for assignment, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
López threw his glove into the stands in frustration following an ejection in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I don’t regret it. … Whatever happens, happens,” López said postgame, according to SNY. “Whatever they want to do, I’ll be here tomorrow.”
Lopez later added that he was the worst teammate on the worst team in MLB, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said postgame that he planned to talk to the team about López’s glove-throwing incident.
“That’s not acceptable,” Mendoza said, per DiComo.
López was unhappy after giving up a two-run home run to Shohei Ohtani and was ejected by third base umpire Ramon De Jesus after the two exchanged words.
López and Adam Ottavino combined to allow six runs in the eighth inning, turning a 3-3 tie into a 9-3 deficit. The Dodgers went on to win 10-3, completing the three-game sweep.
FORGET 300 CAREER WINS. EVEN 200 WINS FOR AN MLB PITCHER MIGHT BE A THING OF THE PAST
PHOENIX (AP) — José Berríos turned 30 years old on Monday, giving up an obscure crown in the process.
The two-time All-Star, who started his career with the Minnesota Twins and now pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays, has 88 career wins, which made him the active leader for under-30 pitchers in Major League Baseball, according to baseball-reference.com.
“That’s crazy,” D-backs pitcher Zac Gallen said a few weeks ago. “I didn’t realize he wasn’t 30 yet.”
He is now. And his ascension into the 30-plus category has brought into focus just how few young, accomplished pitchers there are in the big leagues these days, at least when it comes to traditional stats. Forget about the 300-win pitcher that was the gold standard for Hall of Fame career excellence over the past century — even 200 career wins might be out of the question soon.
Thanks to a combination of less usage for starting pitchers and an uptick in arm injuries — particularly Tommy John surgery — the up-and-coming group of 20-something pitchers has been slow to develop. Colorado’s Germán Márquez is now the under-30 leader with 65 career wins, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery.
That’s a common theme. Cleveland’s Shane Bieber is next on the list with 62 wins, and he’s also on the shelf because of Tommy John. After Bieber, its Boston’s Lucas Giolito with 61 wins, and he’s out too after elbow surgery.
The sub-30 leader who is actually pitching these days is Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes, who has 49 career wins and turns 30 on Oct. 22. He’s one of the few young flamethrowers to stay relatively healthy. Others, like Atlanta’s Spencer Strider or Miami’s Eury Perez, haven’t been as fortunate. Not far behind Burnes are Dylan Cease (48 wins at age 28), Walker Buehler (47 wins at 29) and Logan Webb (46 wins at 27).
Once the current generation of older pitchers like Justin Verlander (260 career wins), Zack Greinke (225), Max Scherzer (214) and Clayton Kershaw (210) retire, it’s fair to wonder if we’ll ever see a 200-win pitcher again.
There’s still a solid chance that 33-year-old New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, who has 145 career wins, could get there. Of course, he’s also hurt at the moment, out with an elbow injury that hasn’t required surgery.
Gallen helped lead the Diamondbacks to the World Series last season and is still under 30. The 28-year-old started the All-Star Game for the National League last season and is widely viewed as one of the game’s top young pitchers. But even with his health and relative success, he’s got just 44 career wins.
It’s fair to wonder, when it comes time for Hall of Fame selections in 2040, if there will be any pitcher who can make the cut? The last pitcher who spent his entire career as a starter and made the Hall of Fame despite fewer than 200 wins is Sandy Koufax more than 50 years ago. He won 165 games and three Cy Young Awards, but his career was cut short by injuries at age 30.
“That’s a really good question,” Gallen said. “It used to be 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts. That was the benchmark. Now it’s probably going to be closer to 200 wins and 2,000 strikeouts. Careers aren’t as long. The length of a career is just shorter.”
Indeed, 2,000 strikeouts could also be a stretch. The active under-30 leader there is Giolito with 1,077, the only pitcher over 1,000.
Gallen’s old enough to remember pitchers like Randy Johnson, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens, legends who wrapped up their careers around 2007-09. All of them reached 300 wins. That might not seem like that long ago, but in the realm of pitching, it feels like an eternity.
Gallen says he wouldn’t be surprised if current pitchers are evaluated by a similar standard — at least for a while.
“The generation now for the next 20 years is going to be that bridge gap,” Gallen said. “You might seem some guys who were really good players in their time get burned for the Hall of Fame, because they just don’t have the counting numbers.”
There are other alphabet soup stats that pitchers can be judged by like WHIP, ERA+, FIP and SO/9. Those might be better indicators of true dominance, anyway.
But there’s something that still stands out about the win. After all, it’s the whole purpose of competition.
“It makes me appreciate those guys who did it that long at that level for that much intensity,” Gallen said. “As a kid, I thought a good career is 20 years, but then you get into it and then you realize 20 years is unbelievable. Especially being dominant for 15 of them.”
Last week, Miami Marlins lefty Braxton Garrett had a throwback outing in a 3-0 win against the Diamondbacks, finishing with complete-game shutout and needing just 95 pitches to do it. Highlighting how much the game has changed at every level over the past 20 years, the 26-year-old said it was the first time he’d thrown nine full innings in his life.
Garrett’s teammate Sandy Alcántara is the closest thing to a current-day ironman on the mound after throwing 228 2/3 innings in 2022, including six complete games. The effort earned him the NL Cy Young Award.
After Garrett’s gem, Alcántara jokingly called the left-hander a “mini-Sandy.”
“He seems to do (complete games) with ease, so it’s cool to do that in front of him,” Garrett said.
Then again, carrying a heavy workload like Alcántara comes with risks. You’ll never guess why the right-hander isn’t pitching this season.
CAREER AND SEASON MLB RECORDS THAT CHANGED FOLLOWING THE ADDITION OF NEGRO LEAGUES STATISTICS
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball said Tuesday that it has incorporated records for more than 2,300 Negro Leagues players following a three-year research project. Players like Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Satchel Paige now hold significant standing on MLB’s career and season leaderboards. Here’s a look at some of the stats most affected.
(asterisk)signifies newly incorporated Negro Leagues stats
Career Batting Average
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .372
Ty Cobb, .367
(asterisk)Oscar Charleston, .363
Rogers Hornsby, .359
(asterisk)Jud Wilson, .350
(asterisk)Turkey Stearnes, .348
Career Slugging Percentage
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .718
Babe Ruth, .690
Ted Williams, .634
Lou Gehrig, .632
(asterisk)Mule Suttles, .620
Career On-Base Percentage
Ted Williams, .482
Babe Ruth, .474
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .459
Career OPS
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, 1.177
Babe Ruth, 1.164
Ted Williams, 1.116
Season Batting Average
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .466 in 1943
(asterisk)Charlie “Chino” Smith, .451 in 1929
Hugh Duffy, .440 in 1894
(asterisk)Oscar Charleston, .434 in 1921
(asterisk)Charlie Blackwell, .432 in 1921
(asterisk)Oscar Charleston, .427 in 1925
(asterisk)Mule Suttles, .425 in 1926
Season Slugging Percentage
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .974 in 1937
(asterisk)Mule Suttles, .877 in 1926
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .871 in 1943
(asterisk)Charlie “Chino” Smith, .870 in 1929
Barry Bonds, .863 in 2001
Season On-Base Percentage
Barry Bonds, .609 in 2004
Barry Bonds, .582 in 2002
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, .564 in 1943
(asterisk)Charlie “Chino” Smith, .551 in 1929
Season OPS
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, 1.474 in 1937
(asterisk)Josh Gibson, 1.435 in 1943
Barry Bonds, 1.4217 in 2004
(asterisk)Charlie “Chino” Smith, 1.4214 in 1921
Other changes of note
Satchel Paige’s 1.01 ERA for the 1944 Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League ranks third since ERA became an official stat in the National League in 1912 and American League in 1913. Paige was also credited with 28 Negro Leagues wins, raising his career total to 125. … Minnie Miñoso was credited with 150 hits with the New York Cubans of the second Negro National League from 1946-1948, raising his total to 2,113. … Jackie Robinson was credited with 49 hits for the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League, raising his total to 1,567. … Willie Mays was credited with 10 hits for the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League, raising his total to 3,293. He remains in 13th place.
REDS ACTIVATE OF TJ FRIEDL FROM IL, DFA MIKE FORD
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl was activated from the injured list and inserted at the top of the lineup for Wednesday afternoon’s game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals.
To make room for Friedl, the Reds designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment. Ford signed a one-year contract with the Reds on May 8.
Friedl, 28, was placed on the 10-day injured list on May 13 with a fractured left thumb. He has played in just six games this season after sustaining a broken right wrist during spring training.
Friedl is batting .182 in 22 at-bats with two steals and two RBIs. In 2023, he batted .279 with 18 homers, 66 RBIs and 27 steals in 138 games.
Ford, 31, batted. 150 with one homer and four RBIs in 17 games with the Reds.
He is a career .205 hitter with 37 homers and 89 RBIs in 251 games with the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners and Reds.
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
IS DOOR OPEN FOR OKLAHOMA TO GET KNOCKED OFF AT WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES?
OKLAHOMA CITY — A few weeks ago, it looked like the door was wide open for a team other than Oklahoma to win the Women’s College World Series.
While this season’s WCWS, which begins Thursday in Oklahoma City, features several teams capable of winning the title, the Sooners are looking more and more like the favorites they were thought to be for much of the season.
Last year, the Sooners became just the second program to win three consecutive WCWS titles.
Now, they’ll try to become the first to win four consecutive.
“It would be easy to say, ‘We’ve had enough. This is hard work and we’ve had enough,’” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said. “But they’re elite athletes. Whether they want to or not, they grind, they work hard. Their best is always on the biggest platform.”
The Sooners enter the event on a nine-game winning streak including sweeping through both regional and super regionals.
They’ll open the WCWS against Duke, the only team in the field who is making its first appearance.
Duke softball, which is in just its eighth year of existence, opened the season with a 3-0 loss to the Sooners.
“We just want to be the grittiest and toughest team in the field,” Blue Devils coach Marissa Young said.
UCLA is in the WCWS for an NCAA-record 32nd time, back in the field after missing last year’s world series for the first time since 2014.
The Bruins struggled early in the season but turned a corner and enter the WCWS on a 13-game winning streak.
“I believe we’re battle-tested,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “There was a lot of emotion and frustration because that what sports does.”
The Bruins open the tournament against No. 14 Alabama, the lowest-seeded team of eight in the field.
However, Alabama is third among WCWS teams in pitching with a 1.89 team ERA.
“We preach the defense and the pitching stays constant,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “If we can scratch a run, we’re going to win. They’ve basically done that all year.”
Texas is the No. 1 overall seed after winning the Big 12 — the first team other than Oklahoma to win the league’s regular-season crown since 2011 — though the Longhorns fell to the Sooners 5-1 in the Big 12 Tournament championship game on May 11 in the same park where the WCWS is held.
The Longhorns went down to the wire in the super regional, battling back from a loss to Texas A&M in the opener to beat the Aggies in back-to-back games to advance to the WCWS for the second time in three seasons.
“I think that’s exactly what we needed going into this week,” Texas sophom*ore Reese Atwood said. “It’s definitely going to be hard. That series prepared us. It was a fight every single inning.”
Texas will take on Stanford in the first round.
The teams split two games this season.
Atwood and Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady were two of the three finalists for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the year, with Canady winning the award.
Canady burst onto the scene as a freshman in last year’s WCWS, with four strong outings.
Canady’s changeup has elevated her game this season.
“When you have the capability to throw with this speed and movement that NiJaree does, batters are going to begin to cheat and try to get going a little bit sooner,” Stanford coach Jessica Allister said.
The final game of the day features a pair of former college teammates going head-to-head as head coaches, with Oklahoma State’s Kenny Gajewski and Florida’s Tim Walton facing off.
The two were teammates on Oklahoma’s 1994 national championship baseball team. Gajewski was an assistant under Walton at Florida from 2013-15.
“I miss being around him a lot, to be very honest,” Gajewski said. “But it’s really cool to be able to showcase his team and our team on this stage, and to be able to do that is just an incredible thing.”
The Cowgirls are in the WCWS for the fifth consecutive season, the longest streak outside of Oklahoma (eight).
The Gators are led by SEC Player of the Year Jocelyn Erickson, an Oklahoma transfer.
“She’s been a phenomenal addition,” Walton said.
Players to watch:
Reese Atwood, Texas
The sophom*ore is hitting .435 with 23 home runs and a nation’s-best 90 RBIs.
Kayla Beaver, Alabama
Beaver is 18-9 with a 1.58 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings.
Maya Brady, UCLA
Brady is hitting .431 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs, with a .844 slugging percentage.
NiJaree Canady, Stanford
Canady burst onto the scene in last season’s WCWS, throwing 18 2/3 innings across four games and allowing just three earned runs while striking out 25 with just two walks. She leads the nation with an absurd 0.65 ERA
Cassidy Curd, Duke
The sophom*ore carried the load in the circle in the super regionals, and is 13-3 with a 1.29 ERA in 119 1/3 innings this season.
Jocelyn Erickson, Florida
The Oklahoma transfer is hitting .383 with 13 home runs and 80 RBIs.
Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma
Jennings’ stats aren’t as lofty as they’ve been in her previous seasons but she’s still plenty dangerous, hitting .372 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs.
Lexi Kilfoyl, Oklahoma State
Kilfoyl’s 1.06 ERA is second in the country behind only Canady. She’s 26-3 with 146 strikeouts in 171 innings.
MEN’S GOLF
CHARGES AGAINST WORLD’S TOP GOLFER SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER DROPPED AFTER ARREST OUTSIDE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against Scheffler, who was not required to be in the courtroom. The prosecutor said his team reviewed the case in a “thorough and expeditious manner.”
“Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said during the hearing that lasted less than 10 minutes. “Mr. Scheffler’s characterization that this was ‘a big misunderstanding’ is corroborated by the evidence.”
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, said the golfer is “happy it’s over” and “obviously, he didn’t do anything wrong.”
Scheffler was charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, was outside the gate of Valhalla Golf Course May 17 directing traffic after a pedestrian death when he encountered Scheffler.
During the hearing, prosecutor O’Connell said the findings of his office’s review of the case led him to request the dismissal of the charges.
“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said. “However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”
Romines was asked if he wanted to comment and replied: “Judge, it’s taken me a long time to understand that when I’m winning, don’t talk. So I have nothing to say, your honor.”
The judge then accepted the dismissal motion.
Scheffler, 27, was driving a PGA courtesy vehicle when Gillis said he “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” Gillis to the ground. Gillis said his uniform pants were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
A surveillance video released by Louisville police last week showed Gillis pursuing Scheffler’s vehicle on foot and stopping him from entering the course. Scheffler is later pulled from the car and cuffed. But the video did not show Gillis’ first contact with Scheffler, authorities said.
Gillis has been disciplined for not activating his body-worn camera during the arrest. In a report on that failure, Gillis wrote that Scheffler had “demanded to be let in” the golf course.
Scheffler has said he simply misunderstood the commands coming from traffic officers.
The famous golfer spent a brief stint in a jail cell, then returned to the course for the second round. He finished the tournament tied for eighth place.
Romines said eyewitness accounts confirmed that the officer was not dragged by Scheffler’s car.
“The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows that Scottie was a victim here. And I think everybody sees something like this happen and realizes they’re one wrong turn … from going to jail themselves,” he said after the hearing.
The lawyer said there were grounds for a civil lawsuit against the Louisville police department but Scheffler is not interested in pursuing litigation.
“Scottie Scheffler doesn’t want the taxpayers of Louisville to have to pay him a dime,” he said.
CANADIAN OPEN PREVIEW: EXPECT MORE FIREWORKS UP NORTH
One of the oldest tournaments on the PGA TOUR is upon us as the circuit returns north of the border to Hamilton Golf and Country Club for the RBC Canadian Open.
Nick Taylor electrified the country last year with an insane 72-foot eagle putt in a playoff to become the first Canadian in 69 years to win the tournament. Prior to that, it was a lengthy four-year reign for Rory McIlroy with the 35-year-old winning on both sides of the two pandemic-enforced cancelations.
The Canadian Open has produced some of the most thrilling golf on the PGA TOUR over the past five years. While the field may lack the strength of next week’s signature event at the Memorial Tournament, don’t be shocked if more drama decides the winner this year about 45 minutes outside of Toronto.
For all the off-course drama during Canadian Open week in recent years, the tournament has been absolute box office on the course. McIlroy’s recent success was very popular with the Canadian crowd, but nothing topped last year’s result at Oakdale.
Taylor offered one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history with an outrageous 72-foot eagle in the playoff to defeat Tommy Fleetwood. The putt caused bedlam on the 18th green, with security tackling fellow Canadian golfer Adam Hadwin as he charged toward Taylor with champagne to celebrate.
Recent winners
2023: Nick Taylor (-17)
2022: Rory McIlroy (-19)
2021: Canceled due to COVID-19
2020: Canceled due to COVID-19
2019: Rory McIlroy (-22)
2018: Dustin Johnson (-23)
2017: Jhonattan Vegas (-21)
2016: Jhonattan Vegas (-12)
Group: Tom Kim, Daniel Berger, Adam Scott
Round 1 – 7:29 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Round 2 – 12:44 p.m.
Group: Rory McIlroy, Taylor Pendrith, Nick Taylor
Round 1 – 7:40 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Round 2 – 12:55 p.m.
Group: Sahith Theegala, Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners
Round 1 – 12:33 p.m.
Round 2 – 7:18 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Group: Akshay Bhatia, Erik van Rooyen, Cameron Young
Round 1 – 12:44 p.m.
Round 2 – 7:29 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Group: Mackenzie Hughes, Adam Hadwin, Shane Lowry
Round 1 – 12:55 p.m.
Round 2 – 7:40 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Reasons to watch
Rory in Canada
For 51 weeks a year, McIlroy is a citizen of Northern Ireland, but the week the PGA TOUR heads north, he’s undoubtedly an adopted Canadian. He holds the unique distinction of winning back-to-back Canadian Opens (though it coming over a four-year stretch).
“If there was some honorary Canadian citizenship bestowed upon me I certainly wouldn’t turn it down,” McIlroy said with a laugh after winning in 2022. “The fans are amazing. They come out and they support this event really well. I think they just really appreciate the fact we come up here and play in your national championship.”
McIlroy will surely be the crowd favorite once again in Hamilton, where he flirted with a 59 in the final round before finishing with a 61 and a seven-shot win in 2019. He comes in on fine form with two wins in his last three starts on the PGA TOUR.
National Open status
While the tournament isn’t designated as a signature event on the PGA TOUR, the Canadian Open brings the extra punch of a national open to the calendar. Despite a tough date that comes before three straight signature events or majors, the home crowd always rises to the occasion to bring one of the more raucous atmospheres of the season. It also offers the potential for a national hero to arise as we saw last year with Taylor.
Canadian men’s golf has never been stronger than it is this time around at Hamilton as a record six players currently find themselves in the top 100 in the world rankings. There are 28 in the field looking to join Taylor and grab a slice of history this week.
Renovated Hamilton
McIlroy’s 22-under total from 2019 suggests a very player-friendly setup, but the fact he won by seven shots and nobody else got past 15-under challenges that narrative. The course has also changed drastically since the last time the PGA TOUR stopped by, with world-renowned architect Martin Ebert leading a restoration to return the layout closer to its original Harry Colt design.
The result is a much bigger challenge on the putting surfaces with numerous new options for testing pin positions. Added bunkering will come into play off the tee and tightly mown areas around the greens will confound even the world’s best players. There will still be plenty of scoring opportunities for those who find the fairway, but Hamilton should present a solid test for the field this week.
Betting odds
Rory McIlroy +375
Sahith Theegala +1,600
Tommy Fleetwood +1,600
Alex Noren +2,200
Corey Conners +2,200
Shane Lowry +2,200
Sam Burns +2,500
Cameron Young +2,500
Tom Kim +3,000
Maverick McNealy +3,300
Adam Scott +3,500
Mackenzie Hughes +3,500
Aaron Rai +4,000
Keith Mitchell +4,000
Akshay Bhatia +5,000
Adam Hadwin +5,500
Taylor Pendrith +5,500
Davis Thompson +6,000
Erik van Rooyen +6,000
Nick Taylor +6,000
Odds via theScore Bet
2024 RBC CANADIAN OPEN: PREVIEW, PROPS, BEST BETS
The PGA Tour heads north of the border for the RBC Canadian Open, which begins Thursday at the Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario.
In addition to featuring two-time winner and No. 3-ranked Rory McIlroy, the field includes a host of players vying for the final spots into next week’s signature event at the Memorial Tournament.
Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite props picks along with the best bets to win this week.
RBC CANADIAN OPEN
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, May 30-June 2
Course: Hamilton Golf & Country Club (Par 70, 7,084 Yards)
Purse: $9.4M (Winner: $1.69M)
Defending Champion: Nick Taylor
FedEx Cup Leader: Scottie Scheffler
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 2:30-5:30 (GC), 5:30-7:30 (CBS); Sunday, 1:30-2:30 (GC), 2:30-6:30 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday, 6:45 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday, 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
X: @RBCCanadianOpen
PROP PICKS
–Cameron Young to beat Corey Conners (+100): Conners was considered the likeliest candidate to break Canada’s nearly seven-decade drought in its national tournament until Taylor beat him to the punch last year. He does have a strong track record in the event, but we like the underdog odds on Young. He has struggled over his past three starts — finishing no better than T34 — but Young does have five top-10s worldwide this year and keeps cashing significant paychecks as the No. 18 player in the world.
–Ryan Fox Top Oceania Player (+250): At No. 63, the Australian is the top-ranked player yet to play in a signature event this season. He’s in position to do so with a solid week in Canada. Fox has made three consecutive cuts, including a T4 in Myrtle Beach to kick off this Aon Swing 5 trio of events. Adam Scott (+105) is the favorite in this prop, and clearly presents the biggest threat as he comes off a T12 last week. The other two options are longshots in Aaron Baddeley at +450 and Harrison Endycott at +600.
–Sahith Theegala Top 20 (+100): This should be easy money in backing the world’s No. 12-ranked player. He finished T12 at the PGA Championship while battling allergies that sapped his energy. Theegala has six top-20s in his past 10 starts, with one of the four misses being a T45 at the Masters and two others against signature event fields.
2024 Prop Picks Record: 29-31-1
BEST BETS
–Rory McIlroy (+360 at DraftKings) carded a final-round 61 at Hamilton five years ago to capture the first of his two Canadian Open titles. He also won in 2022 and tied for ninth last year. McIlroy leads the field in both total bets (11%) and money (13%) backing him to win at the book.
–Tommy Fleetwood (+1600) lost to Taylor in last year’s playoff. He’s third at DraftKings with 8 percent of the money backing him.
–Sahith Theegala (+1800) has four top-10s among 11 consecutive made cuts, and has drawn 9 percent of the money to win this week.
–Corey Conners (+2000) desperately wants to win his country’s biggest event. He finished sixth two years ago and T20 last year.
–Shane Lowry (+2200) finished T2 to McIlroy in 2019 and paired with his Ryder Cup teammate to win the Zurich Classic last month.
–Sam Burns (+2500) has struggled of late but did post four consecutive top-10s earlier this year.
–Taylor (+6000) doesn’t have a top 10 since his win at the WM Phoenix Open in February. However, the defending champ is a four-time winner on tour.
NOTES
–An event record 28 Canadians are in the field, including seven previous winners on the PGA Tour. Taylor made a 72-foot, 6-inch eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole last year to become the first Canadian to win the event since Pat Fletcher in 1954. The last time Canadians won in consecutive years was Albert Murray and Karl Keffer in 1913 and 1914, respectively.
–This is the final event for players to qualify for the next two signature events, the Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship, via the Aon Swing 5, which will also include points earned at the Myrtle Beach Classic and Charles Schwab Challenge. However, a player in the Aon Next 10 after this week could still be knocked out of the Travelers following the U.S. Open, which could impact the Aon Swing 5.
–Hamilton will play host to the event for the seventh time, and the first since McIlroy won in 2019.
AUTO RACING
STUBBS: STEWART-HAAS CLOSURE SHOULD SERVE AS CAUTIONARY TALE
For a team that has enjoyed so much success over the past 15 years, the news that Stewart-Haas Racing will shut down following the 2024 season sent shockwaves through the sport.
Yes, Stewart-Haas has reportedly been seeking buyers for its four charters for the past few months. But Tuesday’s news brought no mention of buyers for those charters while creating plenty of questions about how the once-proud organization came to this ending.
It wasn’t losing the 2020 championship with Kevin Harvick, despite Harvick winning nine races. It wasn’t winning just two races combined in 2021 and 2022. It wasn’t putting just one of four cars in the playoffs in 2023, and relying on a 48-year-old Harvick to put an entire company on his back.
For a race team, this is rock bottom. An organization that won two NASCAR Cup Series championships, Stewart-Haas Racing will shut down all four Cup Series teams and both Xfinity Series teams.
Despite poor performance over the past three seasons, Stewart-Haas seemed to be on the upswing when the haulers rolled into Daytona in February. They returned half of their 2023 lineup in Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece, and boasted new talent in rookie Josh Berry and second-year driver Noah Gragson to complete their Cup Series lineup.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, they returned a perennial playoff contender in Riley Herbst and the 2023 Xfinity Series champion in Cole Custer. Combined with a series of inspirational social media posts, Stewart-Haas wanted fans to believe that they were ready to shock the world and return to their dominant form in 2024.
It’s an understatement to say that announcing your closure more than five months before the season ends is falling short of returning to form.
Ironically, the team’s on-track performance has seen an uptick this season.
Briscoe has been floating around the Cup Series playoff bubble all season while Berry is on pace to win Rookie of the Year honors. And despite penalties incurred at Atlanta, both Gragson and Preece have put forth respectable efforts, with Gragson earning five top-10 finishes through the first 14 events of the season.
In the Xfinity Series, Custer and Herbst remain comfortably inside the postseason picture, with Custer finishing top-10 in nine of the series’ first 12 races.
Unfortunately, any development taking place this season for the organization will all be for naught.
While the team will still put forth plenty of effort in a quest to reach victory lane, a Cup Series championship seems much too lofty a goal. An Xfinity Series championship, while a nice piece of hardware, would do little to console the more than 300 employees who will be seeking new jobs.
The question of how Stewart-Haas got to this point doesn’t have a concrete answer, but one particular piece of evidence has many fans pointing fingers.
It seems that the team’s two namesakes, three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and business mogul Gene Haas, have been frequently absent from the NASCAR circuit. While every team owner in the sport isn’t at the track every week, several — including a few north of 70 years old such as Rick Hendrick and Richard Petty — have been spotted far more frequently than Stewart or Haas.
Both have other racing ventures to attend to, but it would certainly be a boost — both morally and in terms of on-track performance — if a boss like Stewart was seen more around the race shop and less on TV participating in drag racing events.
While Stewart has been more involved in drag racing in recent years, Haas has been focusing efforts on his Formula 1 team, which has produced poor results so far in 2024. Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen sit 13th and 17th in 20-driver F1 standings.
The lack of their regular presence certainly isn’t the sole reason for Stewart-Haas’ exit from NASCAR, but it’s fair to assume it likely played a role. But whatever the reasons for Stewart-Haas’ departure are — lack of involvement from bosses, losing sponsors, a pure lack of speed on the racetrack, etc. — their relatively sudden departure from America’s most popular motorsports needs to be meticulously examined by every team owner in the garage area.
It would be hard to replicate the sudden fall from grace that Stewart-Haas Racing experienced. But if it can happen to a team that won multiple NASCAR championships and featured popular drivers throughout its time along with ties to marquee sponsors, it can happen to anyone.
NASCAR teams beware — Stewart-Haas’ demise shouldn’t be seen as just another breaking news story, but rather, a cautionary tale of the uncertainty of modern day auto racing.
HELIO CASTRONEVES REPLACING BENCHED TOM BLOMQVIST FOR TWO RACES
Helio Castroneves will take over for struggling IndyCar rookie Tom Blomqvist for the next two races at Detroit and Road America, Meyer Shank Racing announced Wednesday in a team release.
Castroneves, 49, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and MSR’s newest co-owner, finished 20th in last Sunday’s 108th edition of the race in what was supposed to be his lone IndyCar start of the year. But Blomqvist, in the No. 66 Honda, has endured a tough first season on the circuit, including an early crash at the Indy 500.
“Making this decision was by far the hardest one we have had to make,” MSR co-owner Mike Shank said in a release. “Tom is 100% still a part of the MSR family and will remain a part of the team for the rest of the season. The decision was not made lightly and after much discussion with Tom, and with back-to-back races coming up, we have decided to have Helio drive in Detroit and at Road America.”
In the first turn of the first lap of the Indy 500, the 30-year-old Blomqvist ran into the wall and took out 2022 500 winner Marcus Ericsson in the process. As a result of the crash, Blomqvist finished 31st.
“It is fair to say that the last couple of days have been some of the hardest in my career,” Blomqvist said in a release. “Everyone who knows me knows how much I love being a part of the MSR family, and together we have enjoyed some amazing successes and victories. I am looking forward to remaining part of the MSR family and contributing to the MSR vision as we chase down further successes in the future.”
Blomqvist started off strong this season, finishing 15th at St. Petersburg after qualifying 17th, along with solid qualifying spots at Long Beach (15th) and Barber (12th). But his 19th-place finish at Barber was his highest since St. Pete. This month has taken a downward turn as he qualified 25th for the 500 after starting 26th and finishing 23rd on the road course.
Blomqvist, who has consecutive Rolex 24s with MSR along with the 2022 IMSA Dpi championship, signed a multi-year deal with the organization last August.
Last August, Blomqvist signed a multi-year deal with MSR for what seemed to be a long-term career change to IndyCar with the team he won back-to-back Rolex 24s and the 2022 IMSA DPi championship with.
FRM EXPANDING TO 3 FULL-TIME CUP SERIES ENTRIES IN ’25
Front Row Motorsports will have three chartered cars in the NASCAR Cup Series next year, it was announced Wednesday.
Two cars — Ford Mustang Dark Horses driven by Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland — are currently being operated by the organization, which has used a third car in previous Cup Series events but hasn’t had three full-time slots since 2015.
Announcements regarding next year’s driver lineup will be made at a later date.
“It is good to get the news out now as we have a lot of work to do to prepare a new team,” Front Row Motorsports general manager Jerry Freeze said in a statement. “All of us on the leadership team will be working through that, obtaining the parts and pieces needed for the new team. And, most importantly, adding to the dedicated and talented staff and culture that exists today within our organization.”
Front Row began its Cup Series tenure as a part-time entry in 2005 before upgrading to a full-time entry in 2009.
TOP INDIANA SPORTS RELEASES
INDIANA PACERS
CAN THE PACERS BUILD ON THEIR BREAKTHROUGH?
Every so often, a middle-of-the-road playoff team will, through a combination of matchup fortune and timely performance, unexpectedly punch through to the conference finals. Most of the time, that team is dispatched by a true contender and left to ponder its next steps after being reminded of the sizable gap it still needs to close.
That’s where the Indiana Pacers find themselves after capping a fun and frenetic 47-win season with a thoroughly strange playoff run, in which they overcame wounded versions of the Bucks and Knicks before playing arguably their best basketball in a competitive sweep at the hands of the 64-win Celtics. They led in the final minute of three of those games, despite missing Tyrese Haliburton for the last two.
People will invoke the 2021 Hawks as a comparison, which feels apt mainly because of the similarly gifted point guards at the heart of each team, and the similar challenges that come with trying to build a competent defense around them. The 2019 Blazers had a lot more experience and prior success when they broke through, but they’re an even closer sibling in terms of how the conference finals played out for them. That team – also built around an offensively brilliant, defensively flawed point guard – also earned a moral victory in getting swept by a juggernaut. (The Blazers held second-half leads of 15, 13, and 17 in Games 2, 3, and 4 of that series, only to succumb in all three to the dynastic Warriors.)
Those teams also beat healthier, more impressive competition en route to the final four than the Pacers did, and in spite of that, neither team was able to replicate its breakthrough success in the ensuing years. Neither’s won a playoff series since.
Every team is its own unique organism, so those two don’t necessarily read as cautionary tales for Indiana, which has more 25-and-under talent than either squad did at the time. (Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin, Ben Sheppard, and Jarace Walker is a nice young core. Myles Turner’s still here and still only 28.) But as the Pacers’ front office charts a path forward this summer, it’s worth keeping in mind that these runs turn out to be blips as often as they prove to be springboards to future glory.
There are two main risks associated with buying too heavily into an unexpectedly successful season: doing too much (i.e. hitting the accelerator and making pricy win-now moves before the team is ready), or doing too little (assuming things will continue to progress on an upward trajectory rather than taking steps to address clear weaknesses). And the line separating those two extremes can be paper thin.
Part of what makes the Pacers different is that they already made their big win-now move when they swung for Pascal Siakam at this year’s trade deadline. The 30-year-old two-time All-NBAer isn’t on the exact same timeline as the rest of the core, but he was a near-perfect on-court fit, and the trade didn’t cost Indiana much in terms of assets (Bruce Brown, two late first-round picks in this year’s maligned draft, and another 2026 first-rounder that’s also expected to fall in the late teens or 20s). That deal will continue to look like a steal for the Pacers even after they lavish Siakam with a lucrative new contract this offseason.
Siakam and Haliburton didn’t get to showcase the full extent of their capabilities as a tandem this season because Haliburton strained his hamstring before the trade and never came close to recapturing his pre-injury form after returning. They’ll be a more dangerous duo after Haliburton gets healthy and they spend an offseason workshopping their two-man game.
Siakam still got to demonstrate exactly why the Pacers saw fit to acquire him. He gave them the mismatch-hunting, post-up, and mid-range scoring dimension that all teams need against playoff defenses and that Indiana wouldn’t have got from anyone else. They wouldn’t have beat the Knicks or possibly even the Giannis-less Bucks without him. And though he couldn’t help them close out a single win over Boston, the fact he gave buckets to every All-Defensive-caliber stopper the Celtics threw at him (to the tune of 23-8-5 on 58% true shooting) felt very encouraging.
As did the fact Nembhard, the second-year guard already having a breakout postseason, proved plenty capable of taking the reins of Indiana’s offense after Haliburton went down. Nembhard put up 56 points on 22-of-39 shooting with 19 assists to just five turnovers across Games 3 and 4. He did that while primarily being guarded by Jrue Holiday and Derrick White and while frequently guarding the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at the other end. Even though he got his cookies stolen by Holiday to seal a heartbreaking Game 3 loss, it was the kind of showcase that teases star potential.
The 24-year-old finished the playoffs with averages of 15 points and 5.5 assists on 65% true shooting, which included him shooting 74% at the rim and 66% on long mid-rangers. His arrhythmic, stop-and-start driving game, and the mid-range and floater-range touch that goes with it, has some shades of his compatriot in Oklahoma City. (This is a stylistic comparison, not a qualitative one; let’s not get too crazy.)
We know the Pacers can score with anyone. Haliburton’s one of the best offensive orchestrators in the game, able to conduct a lethal transition attack while applying the same quick-hitting ethos to the half court. The combination of his shooting, passing vision, and – when he’s physically right – driving ability allows him to bend defenses and then break them. Throw in a star playmaking forward and a bourgeoning secondary ball-handler who can take the pressure off him, along with a stretch center in Turner whose scoring package gets a bit more well-rounded every year, and this offense that ranked second during the regular season and first in the playoffs should continue to reside in the NBA’s upper echelon.
But there are obviously major holes to patch at the other end, where the Pacers ranked 24th in defensive efficiency during the regular season and 13th out of 16 in the playoffs. They also ranked 26th in defensive rebound rate and 14th in the playoffs. A look at their starting lineup suggests they shouldn’t be that bad, with four average to above-average defenders in Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam, and Turner surrounding Haliburton. But Haliburton may be the type of liability who needs to be insulated by elite team defenders, and with Turner backsliding significantly in that regard and Siakam a long way from his defensive peak, Indiana doesn’t have that.
Perhaps internal improvement can provide an answer, with promising hybrid forward Jarace Walker waiting in the wings. Maybe Isaiah Jackson’s flashes are ready to coalesce into a consistent bright spot. Maybe Nesmith can take another step forward or Turner can rediscover his all-world rim-protection. It’s worth pointing out that the Pacers tweaked their scheme late in the season to layer in more help, and after allowing a 37.6% opponent rim frequency (highest in the league) during the regular season, that number dipped to 30.9% (seventh lowest) in the playoffs.
The bottom line is they still need more point-of-attack resistance, more secondary rim-protection, more rebounding grit, more size on the wing, and probably a better answer at backup center. That seems like a lot to address but those are all interconnected deficiencies that could theoretically be improved with a couple of savvy additions. Although Siakam’s cap hold leaves Indiana without much cap space, these wouldn’t have to be blockbuster moves. Heck, look at what Derrick Jones Jr. has done for the Mavericks on a minimum deal.
It won’t be easy finding guys who can meaningfully improve the Pacers’ defense without taking too much away from their offense, but there are options, especially because Haliburton is the type of playmaker who can optimize specialists and mask offensive liabilities. The Pacers could have access to the full mid-level exception, which they can use to splurge on one guy or spread around to a few helpful contributors. Think Naji Marshall, Nic Batum, or maybe even Jones himself. Do the Pacers believe in Isaac Okoro’s offensive development? Can I interest them in a lightly used Precious Achiuwa?
Obi Toppin made a strong case this season to be retained, and Indiana even got away with playing him at center some in the postseason, but he’s one of the worst rebounding and rim-protecting bigs in the league. Jalen Smith had a terrific offensive season but very quickly proved to be unplayable in the playoffs, and the Pacers should let him walk if he declines his player option.
They can explore the trade market armed with the type of young pieces who can get them in the mix for an elite defensive role player like Alex Caruso, Deni Avdija, or Jonathan Isaac. They don’t need to rush things, but they can’t afford to be complacent, either. Acquiring Siakam accelerated their timeline, because the co-star who’ll soon be taking up about 30% of their cap is at the back end of his prime. None of Mathurin, Sheppard, or Jackson should be off-limits if the right deal presents itself.
Building on a breakthrough like this, when expectations suddenly ramp up and the rest of the league catches onto what you’re doing, is one of the biggest team-building challenges in the sport. The Pacers can’t just run this back and expect the same result; they could improve a great deal and still not make it back to the East finals because their bracket is unlikely to be as forgiving as it was this year. But they’re a good team with room to grow, and the right moves on the margins could make this season look more like the start of something significant than a flash in the pan.
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS
INDIANS STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF SCOTT ALAN
The Indianapolis Indians are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Scott McIlrath, who died Monday in an automobile accident near Bloomington, Ill. Known by many as Scott or Scott Alan on the Indianapolis sports scene, his voice became a staple on game days at Victory Field for six seasons from 2016 to 2022. His voice and personality also extended to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, home of the Indy Fuel, and Michael A. Carroll Stadium, home of the Indy Eleven, where he held emcee and public address announcer roles for many seasons. His 10-year commitment to the Fuel ended in early May, when he was announced as the first hire by the Bloomington Bison, an ECHL expansion team, as their vice president of operations. He was 59 years old.
Randy Lewandowski, Indianapolis Indians president and CEO, issued the following statement:
“Scott brought the best out of everyone in his six seasons with the Indians, and he found a way to connect to fans, players and staff through his infectious personality and energy. He had just landed his dream job in Illinois, which makes his sudden loss even more heartbreaking. We extend our condolences to Scott’s family, the Indy Fuel, Indy Eleven, and all who crossed paths with him over the years.”
JARVIS HOMERS AS INDIANS FALL TO OMAHA, 8-2
INDIANAPOLIS – The Omaha Storm Chasers combined for eight runs in the first four innings in an 8-2 defeat of the Indianapolis Indians on Wednesday evening in the second game of series at Victory Field.
Omaha (34-16) opened the scoring with a three-run first inning courtesy of a Devin Mann double off Michael Plassmeyer (L, 1-4) to score John Rave and CJ Alexander. One batter later, Nick Pratto traded places with Mann to plate another.
The Storm Chasers continued to look sharp as they tallied five runs on five hits in the next three innings. Drew Waters and CJ Alexander both logged an RBI in the second inning before Omaha added three runs courtesy of a two-run homer by Cam Devanney and solo shot from John Rave.
In the sixth, Mike Jarvis blasted his second homer of the year to give Indianapolis (24-26) its first run of the contest. The Indians added another run after Jason Delay roped a double to right field before being plated by a Henry Davis single to cap Indy’s scoring.
Omaha starter Kris Bubic, in the first game of a rehab assignment, fanned seven across 3.2 shutout innings. John McMillon (W, 2-1) tossed a scoreless inning with one strikeout while the Omaha bullpen combined for 5.1 innings with five strikeouts.
The Indians and Storm Chasers continue the series with a doubleheader on Thursday. First pitch for Game 1 is at 5:35 PM, and the nightcap will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first contest. RHP Daulton Jefferies (0-1, 9.00) is the probable starter for Indy in the opener against LHP Daniel Lynch (4-0, 4.76). Omaha will send RHP Chandler Champlain (0-0, 4.50) to the bump in Game 2 while Indy has yet to name its starter.
INDY ELEVEN WOMEN
USL W LEAGUE RECAP – STC 0:9 IND
ST. PETERS, Missouri (Wednesday, May 29, 2024) – Indy Eleven hit the road and came out victorious in a 9-0 win over St. Charles FC on Wednesday night. The win improved the Girls in Blue to 3-0-1 in 2024, while St. Charles falls to 0-4-0.
Three players posted multi-goal performances in Norah Jacomen, Ella Rogers and Amelia White. Natalie Mitchell, Emma Pelkowski and Anna Bagley also contributed to the scoring. In the assist column, Mitchell led the way with three and Pelkowski, Rogers and Kayla Budish added one.
Nona Reason returned to the lineup and picked up the clean sheet for the Girls in Blue.
Indy Eleven has outscored its opponents 25-4 this season and has scored three-plus goals in each of its four matches.
The Girls in Blue return home Sunday for their first match up of the season with Lexington SC. Kick is slated for 2 p.m. ET with action streaming on SportsEngine Play.
USL W League Regular Season
St. Charles FC 0:9 Indy Eleven
Wednesday, May 29, 2024 | 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. ET
Lutheran High School | St. Peters, Mo.
2024 USL W League Records
St. Charles FC: 0-4-0, 0 pts (-27)
Indy Eleven: 3-0-1, 10 pts (+21)
Scoring Summary
IND – Norah Jacomen (Natalie Mitchell) 13’
IND – Ella Rogers 27’
IND – Ella Rogers (Emma Pelkowski) 31’
IND – Amelia White (Natalie Mitchell) 45’
IND – Natalie Mitchell (Ella Rogers) 49’
IND – Norah Jacomen (Natalie Mitchell) 55’
IND – Amelia White 58’
IND – Anna Bagley (Kayla Budish) 75’
IND – Emma Pelkowski 79’
Discipline Summary
STC – Jordan Holingsworth (caution)
Indy Eleven line-up: Nona Reason, Emma Pelkowski, Norah Jacomen, Brooke Otto, Hadley Snyder, Ella Rogers (captain) (61’), Amelia White (61’), Karsyn Cherry, Abby Unkraut, Natalie Mitchell, Zoe Cuneio
Indy subs: Ashton Blair, Anna Bagley (61’), Amalie Darey (61’), Addie Chester (61’), Lizzie Sexton (61’), Kayla Budish (61’), Lauren Adam (61’)
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S BASKETBALL ANNOUNCES HOME GAME AGAINST SOUTH CAROLINA
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana men’s basketball program will host the South Carolina Gameco*cks in a non-conference game on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
The time and television designation of the game will be announced at a later date.
The Hoosiers hold a 2-1 series lead over South Carolina. The Gameco*cks will return to Bloomington for the first time since an 84-71 Hoosier win on Dec. 22, 1973. Indiana also took down South Carolina by a score of 76-55 on Nov. 8, 1998, in Indianapolis as part of the 1998 Hoosier Classic.
Overall, Indiana is 68-51 against teams currently residing in the Southeastern Conference.
INDIANA BASEBALL
BASEBALL CENTRAL: NCAA KNOXVILLE REGIONAL
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After sweating it out on Selection Monday, the Indiana Baseball team (32-24-1) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Baseball Tournament for the second-straight season. It’s the third regional the Hoosiers have reached under head coach Jeff Mercer and the eighth that the program has made since 2013.
IU earned a spot as the No. 3 seed in the Knoxville Regional, home of the NCAA’s top-overall seed in Tennessee. The Hoosiers will meet the Sun Belt Tournament Champions, second-seeded Southern Miss, in the first round on Friday afternoon (1:00 PM) in Knoxville.
This will be first time IU plays in a regional with the No. 1 overall seed. The Hoosiers are 0-4 all-time against Southern Miss and beat Northern Kentucky earlier this season. This will be the fourth time in program history that IU has played in an NCAA Regional hosted by a school from the SEC (Kentucky – 2, Vanderbilt).
Sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell will get another chance to pitch for the Hoosiers as he approaches 200 career innings pitched for the program. He will start Friday’s game against Southern Miss. He’s currently seventh in school history with 231 strikeouts. He pitched 8.2 innings in last year’s Lexington Regional across two appearances.
Junior third baseman Josh Pyne is currently riding a 30-game reach based streak. He had a similar streak of 29 games in 2022 as a freshman but becomes the seventh player since 2010 to reach in at least 30-consecutive games.
First pitch on Friday afternoon in Knoxville will be at 1:00 PM at Lindsey Nelson Stadium against Southern Miss. The winner of that game will play at 6:00 PM on Saturday. The loser of the first game will be forced into an elimination game on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
Gameday Info
vs. Southern Miss (Friday, May 31st – 1:00 PM ET)
Live Video: t.ly/0P3P2
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/mCu10
vs. #1 Tennessee/Northern Kentucky (TBD)
Live Video: TBD
Live Audio: bit.ly/IUAudio
Live Stats: t.ly/mCu10
Probable Starters
Indiana vs. Southern Miss
• Friday – Ty Bothwell, LHP (IU) vs. Billy Oldham, RHP (USM)
Indiana vs. #1 Tennessee/Northern Kentucky
• Saturday – TBD (IU) vs. TBD (TBD)
Player and Stat Trends
Tibbitts Chases 200
• Brock Tibbitts made his return to the lineup at the beginning of May after missing a month with a lower-leg injury. He had four hits in the weekend series win over Purdue including the hit that kickstarted an amazing ninth-inning rally. He had two more in the series at Nebraska. Tibbitts now has 194 for his career and is six away from becoming the 25th member of the 200-hit club at Indiana.
Notable
Back in the Big Dance
• For the 11th time in program history, the Indiana Baseball team will partake in the NCAA Baseball Regionals. The Hoosiers were sent to Knoxville in a four-team bracket that features top-overall seed Tennessee, Southern Miss and Northern Kentucky.
• This is the second-straight appearance for IU in the big dance and third overall for sixth-year head coach Jeff Mercer. The last three head coaches – Jeff Mercer (2019; 2023-24), Chris Lemonis (2015; 2017-18) and Tracy Smith (2009; 2013-14) – all had three tournament appearances including back-to-back trips during their tenure.
Pyne on Base Streak, Career Numbers
• There’s not a player on IU’s team that plays harder or cares more about the Hoosiers than junior third baseman Josh Pyne. Although his numbers have been “down” during his third season at IU, his ability to make an impact is as high as always.
• Heading into the NCAA Tournament, he’s got a reached-base streak 30-consecutive game. He’s the seventh player at IU since 2010 with a streak of 30-straight games. During his freshman season in 2022, he was on base in 29-consecutive games.
Nearing the Doubles Record
• This IU ballclub is built to hit doubles. With the power, incredible bat-to-ball skills and the speed this lineup features, the Hoosiers have racked up 134 doubles on the season. Seven players have at least 10, four have at least 15, and two have 20-or-more.
• IU is tied for No. 10 in the entire NCAA with 134 doubles. In fact, all four regional teams are top-25 in the entire country in doubles. Tyler Cerny leads the Big Ten and is top-15 in the NCAA with 23 doubles. His 23 doubles are third most in a single season in program history.
Bothwell Gets Another Chance
• IU’s lone sixth-year senior Ty Bothwell will get another shot to pitch for the Hoosiers this weekend as he takes the ball in Friday’s first round game against Southern Miss. He pitched twice in the Big Ten Tournament despite battling a fever the week before.
• In his career, he’s pitched 196.1 innings across 64 appearances. His 231 strikeouts as a Hoosier are seventh most in program history. With seven strikeouts this weekend, he could move into the top-five in IU history.
Mathison Playing His Best Ball
• Despite some offensive struggles at the plate, Carter Mathison has had such a big impact this year due to his power and his defensive talent in center field. He’s made zero errors and tracked down a lot of balls in the gap. He was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after hitting over .400 in the four games.
Who Steps Up?
• Every NCAA tournament run needs a player to step up and make an impact. Last year was catcher Pete Serruto, who hit a home run out of the nine hole to beat #12 Kentucky in the regional. This year could be a number of options. Jasen Oliver loves the big moment but IU has a host of talented players who could step up in the right moment.
Scouting the Opponent
Southern Miss (41-18, 20-10 SBC)
• The Sun Belt Conference tournament champions ride into Knoxville as one of the hottest teams in the country. Southern Miss lost to Tennessee in last season’s Super Regional, denying them of their fourth trip to Omaha. IU is 2-2 against Sun Belt teams this year.
• The Golden Eagles will send their ace to the mound in the form of Billy Oldham on Friday. The old-school right-hander, known for precision pitching and a bevy of quality pitches, owns a 7-2 record and a 3.97 earned run average this year. He’s got 96 strikeouts to just 26 walks in 90.2 innings pitched.
• Offensively, Slade Wilks rides a hitting streak that’s reached over 30-straight games this season. He’s hitting .329 with 14 home runs and 65 RBIs this year. Dalton McIntyre is the hit man for Southern Miss, leading the team with 86 base knocks and a .389 batting average.
Inside the Series
Indiana vs. Southern Miss
• These two teams have played just four times in the program’s respective history. IU has yet to beat Southern Miss, getting swept in a series in 1990 and losing a solo contest in 2007.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY
IRISH ALUM HONORED WITH KING CLANCY MEMORIAL TROPHY
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A leader on and off the ice, former Irish forward and current captain of the New York Islanders, Anders Lee was recognized with the King Clancy Memorial Trophy Wednesday evening for his leadership on the ice and philanthropic mindset off the ice. The award is presented annually “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community”.
A longtime role model in his community, back in 2017 Lee first developed a friendship with a local teenager who was battling cancer, Fenov Pierre-Louis. The teen’s courage and positivity motivated Lee who chose to honor his legacy upon his passing by continuing the fight to end cancer.
It was Pierre-Louis who first introduced Lee to Jam Kancer in the Kan, a foundation in which to raise funds for those affected by cancer. Lee has now hosted four Kancer Jam events and most recently raised more than $155,000 for cancer patients during the September 2023 event. His commitment and influence has led numerous other NHL players to host similar events.
In addition to his annual Kancer Jam fundraiser, Lee also established a scholarship in his friend’s name. Started in 2018, the Fenov Scholars college scholarship has been awarded to 24 individuals.
While on the ice, Lee often invites families impacted by cancer to attend home games, providing them with tickets to the event, gifts and meet and greets following the game. His generosity stretches far beyond the confines of UBS Arena where the Islanders play. He regularly checks in with those he has hosted for games and maintains personal connections with the families.
The Irish now boast two alumni to have earned the distinguished honor as Dave Poulin was recognized in 1993 making Notre Dame the only university with multiple King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners.
NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL
NOTRE DAME AND NBC ANNOUNCE 2024 FOOTBALL GAME TIMES
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame Football has announced game times for the 2024 home slate, which includes six matchups at Notre Dame Stadium, as well as the 2024 Shamrock Series game at Yankee Stadium. Two games, meetings with Florida State and the Shamrock Series vs. Army, will kick off in prime time.
The 2024 season marks the 34th year of the historic partnership between the University of Notre Dame and NBC Sports.
The home season opens with Northern Illinois at Notre Dame Stadium on September 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peaco*ck. Later on, the Irish host a two-game home stand, facing Miami (Ohio) at 3:30 p.m. ET on September 21 (NBC/Peaco*ck), and Louisville on September 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET which will be streamed exclusively on Peaco*ck.
After the bye week, Notre Dame remains at home to face Stanford on October 12 at 3:30 p.m. ET (NBC/Peaco*ck). Florida State then visits Notre Dame Stadium on November 9 for a 7:30 p.m. primetime game on NBC and Peaco*ck.
The final game at Notre Dame Stadium in 2024 will kick at 3:30 p.m. vs. Virginia on November 16 (NBC/Peaco*ck). The Irish will then host the 2024 Shamrock Series at Yankee Stadium, taking on Army at 7 p.m. ET, also on NBC and Peaco*ck.
Throughout the 2024 season, Peaco*ck will simulstream all Notre Dame football games aired live on NBC, including pre- and post game coverage. For the fourth-consecutive season, the Irish will stream one game exclusively on Peaco*ck, the September 28 contest with Louisville.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S TENNIS
IRISH SEASON CONCLUDES IN STILLWATER
STILLWATER, Okla. – The University of Notre Dame men’s tennis season came to an end in Stillwater, Oklahoma last Wednesday. The Fighting Irish were represented in the NCAA Individual Championships by a pair of players. Sophom*ore Sebastian Dominko and senior Jean-Marc Malkowski competed at host school Oklahoma State University.
Dominko was competing in the ITA Individual Singles Championships for the second year in a row. In the opening round, he defeated the #20 player in the country from Texas A&M 7-5, 7-6 (6). In this second round, he won the opening set 6-3, before dropping the next two 3-6, 4-6 to end his sophom*ore singles campaign.
In doubles, Dominko and Malkowski took on Hunter Heck and Karlis Ozolins from Illinois, the same duo that Dominko and partner Connor Fu played last year in the first round of the ITA Doubles Championships. Dominko and Malkowski dropped the match 6-4, 6-3 under the lights in Stillwater. But they entered the tournament seeded which secured their status as ITA All-Americans.
Notre Dame has had a player advance to the second round of the singles tournament for four consecutive years. Last year, Dominko won his opening match against Harvard to advance. The two years prior, Axel Nefve, won his first round contests and fell to the #1 seed each year. Notre Dame is one of only three schools to have had a player move on to round 2 in the singles tournament each of the last 4 years (TCU, Kentucky).
IU INDIANAPOLIS MEN’S SOCCER
IU INDIANAPOLIS RELEASES 2024 MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE
INDIANAPOLIS – The IU Indianapolis Athletics Department released its 2024 men’s soccer schedule on Wednesday (May 29), including 10 home matches at the on-campus Michael A. Carroll Stadium. The Jaguars will welcome Dayton (Aug. 10), Notre Dame (Aug. 14) and Grace College (Aug. 17) as part of a loaded preseason schedule at Carroll Stadium.
Head coach Sid van Druenen’s team is coming off a 7-7-5 campaign and a second straight berth in the Horizon League Championships.
The Jaguars will open the regular season with five of their first six games away from home, beginning with a two-game trip to Texas for matches with Incarnate Word (Aug. 22) and Houston Christian (Aug. 25). The home opener will be against Bowling Green on Aug. 30 before a three-game road stretch at Saint Louis (Sept. 2), Akron (Sept. 9) and the Horizon League opener at Wright State (Sept. 14).
Other non-conference matches will include home contests with Western Illinois (Sept. 24) and Butler (Oct. 8) and a road trip to Bellarmine (Oct. 15). In addition to the Wright State match, the Jaguars will trek to Oakland (Sept. 28), Cleveland State (Oct. 12), Green Bay (Oct. 26) and Milwaukee (Nov. 2) in league play. IU Indy will host Robert Morris (Sept. 21), Detroit Mercy (Oct. 5), Northern Kentucky (Oct. 19) and Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 6) in Horizon League action.
The six-team Horizon League Tournament is slated to begin on Nov. 10 with the semifinals on Nov. 14 and the championship on Nov. 16.
The Jaguars top returners include junior defender Brady Horn (team-high 1,593 minutes) and sophom*ore midfielder Gijs Velings, who was named to the Horizon League’s All-Freshmam Team last season. In addition, van Druenen brought in a group of midyear transfers that included Quentin Flowers (Penn State), Cameron Maung Maung (Furman) and Liam Zimmerman (Trine).
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S SOCCER
2024 MASTODON MEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The 2024 Purdue Fort Wayne men’s soccer schedule has been released.
Purdue Fort Wayne will play three exhibition contests against Illinois schools in August. The first will be a home match with Northern Illinois on August 9. The ‘Dons will travel to Chicago State four days later (Aug. 13). Northwestern will come to the Hefner Soccer Complex on August 16 at 2 p.m. It will be the third consecutive season a Power Five conference opponent visits Hefner in the preseason.
The regular season slate opens with four road games. First up is a trip to West Virginia on August 22. Trips to Eastern Illinois (Aug. 29), Bradley (Aug. 31) and Marquette (Sept. 5) follow.
The 2024 regular season home opener will be on September 11 against IU East as part of a doubleheader with the Mastodon women’s program. It will be the fifth annual Party at the Pitch extravaganza.
Purdue Fort Wayne’s remaining five home matches on the schedule are all Horizon League contests: September 14 vs. Milwaukee, September 21 vs. Green Bay, October 5 vs. Robert Morris, October 19 vs. Detroit Mercy and November 2 vs. Northern Kentucky.
The regular season will conclude November 6 at IU Indianapolis.
Tickets will be sold for home games at the Hefner Soccer Complex this season. Season tickets will be $30. Single game tickets will be $5 for general admission, $2 for ages 4-12, and $3 for groups of 10 or more. Purdue Fort Wayne students will be free, like other athletic events. Single-game ticket links are available on this page.
In 2023, the ‘Dons advanced to the Horizon League Championship Semifinals for the first time in program history.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BASKETBALL
MASTODON MEN’S BASKETBALL INTRODUCES THREE 2024-25 ADDITIONS
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball program has announced three additions for the 2024-25 season.
“I am excited about the additions of three transfers this spring,” Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball head coach Jon Coffman said. “Our program has been built on players that love to play, live in the gym and are obsessed with their player development. All three fit this mold and will thrive in our pace and space style of play.”
Trey Lewis (RS-Sophom*ore | 6’6″ | Ferndale, Mich. | Ferndale HS | Loyola Chicago)
Lewis finished his redshirt freshman year at Loyola Chicago in 2023-24 by appearing in 10 games. He was one of the most decorated players in the Michigan High School class of 2022 after earning First Team All-State, Michigan Dream Team and AP All-State selections. He ranked as high as the second-best prospect in the state of Michigan. Lewis helped Ferndale High School win four district titles. His team reached semi-state as a junior and the state championship game as a senior with Lewis averaging better than 20 points both seasons. Lewis scored a career-high 50 points in a game against Detroit Douglas. He played scholastic basketball for Juan Rickman and AAU for ‘The Family’.
“Trey has been coming to our team camp since he was in middle school,” Coffman said. “I have watched him grow up and have great respect for his high school coach. Trey is another gym rat in this recruiting class who is obsessed with his player development. He is a versatile wing that can really score the ball. He can guard multiple positions and comes to us from two winning programs–Ferndale High School and Loyola University. Trey redshirted as a freshman and has three years to play, and we look forward to watching his impact and development in our program over the next three seasons.”
Chandler Cuthrell (Senior | 6’8″ | Baltimore, Md. | Baltimore City College | UTSA)
Cuthrell finished his junior season at UTSA, member of the American Athletic Conference, averaging five points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He grabbed over six rebounds on 11 separate occasions. He recorded three separate double-digit rebounding games on the year including a double-double against South Florida. Cuthrell made 16 three-pointers on the year including a 4-of-6 performance from three at Tulsa. Prior to UTSA, he played two seasons at Odessa College where he averaged seven points and three rebounds per game while shooting 40 percent from three. He helped Odessa advance to the NJCAA DI National Quarterfinals as they reached as high as third in the country. He played the final two years of his high school career at Baltimore City College, where he averaged 10 points and six rebounds. He played his freshman and sophom*ore seasons at Baltimore’s Kenwood High School.
“Chandler is a versatile college-proven player who can guard multiple positions,” Coffman said. “He brings size and physicality to our roster and can play inside and outside, shoot the three and really, really rebound. We see Chandler impacting winning in so many ways and love his fit in our program.”
De’Vion Lavergne (Sophom*ore | 6’3″ | Melville, La. | North Central HS | Lee College)
Lavergne finished his freshman year at Lee College where he guided the Navigators to a NJCAA Division I National Tournament berth. He averaged 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 2023-24. Lavergne earned an All-American nod as well as all-region and all-conference honors. He played for South Region Coach of the Year Nick Wade. Lavergne won four state championships with North Central High School. His senior year he was the Louisiana 1A Player of the Year. He was the MVP of his District and named All-State his senior year. In the championship game of his senior year, he recorded 23 points, 11 rebounds and the game winning block, which earned him the most outstanding player of the game award. He holds his school’s record with 64 points in a game. Lavergne is one of the most decorated Louisiana players in 1A history.
“De’Vion earned All-American honors as a freshman, which is an extremely tough feat,” Coffman said. “We are excited about his proven college experience coupled with having three years to develop in our program. He is a winner with four state championships in high school and a junior college national tournament berth. We are excited to watch him continue his consistent efforts to impact winning in our program for the next three years.”
Last season the Mastodons earned 23 wins and advanced to the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
SHIDER SIGNS WITH USI
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball announced the signing of junior forward Jadyn Shider (Albany, Georgia) for the 2024-25 season. Shider is the third player to sign with USI and Head Coach Stan Gouard this spring.
“When I think about Jayden, I think about toughness,” said Gouard. “He has the ability to face up to 15 in the post or play with his back to the basket.
“Jayden brings grit to the team and will have an opportunity to make an impact on both ends of the floor with a terrific combination of length, strength, and toughness,” concluded Gouard.
Shider comes to USI after a two-year stint at Northwest Florida State College where he was named second-team All-Panhandle Conference in 2023-24. The 6-foot-8 forward posted 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists during his second season with Northwest Florida. He also recorded a season-high 22 points and 19 rebounds versus East Central Community College.
During his freshman season with Northwest Florida, Shider posted 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds 34 games. He recorded a season-high 12 points twice and seven rebounds versus John A. Logan College.
Prior to playing at Northwest Florida, Shider lettered in basketball, football, and cross country at Dougherty High School (Albany, Georgia). He was named first-team All-Region in 2020-21 and second-team All-Region in 2019-20.
The Screaming Eagles reached the Ohio Valley Conference Championship post-season in 2023-24 marking the second-straight season since USI made the transition to NCAA Division I. USI appeared in the 2023 College Basketball Invitational during its first transition year.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS:https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS:https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS:https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS:https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS:https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS:https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS:https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS:https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS:https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS:https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS:https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS:https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS:https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS:https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS:https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS:https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BENDATHLETICS:https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS:https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS:https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS:https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OFTHE WOODS ATHLETICS:https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS:https://goleafs.net/
HOY CROSS ATHLETICS:https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS:https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS:https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
3 – 4
May 30, 1890 – The first ever recorded home run of the Dodgers organization too place when first baseman Dave Foutz of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms’, the early name of the Dodgers, hit a ball that cleard the fence during doubleheader to help the Grooms overcome the Chicago Colts at Washington Park, Brooklyn.
May 30, 1994 – Boston Beaneaters baseball second baseman Bobby Lowe became the very first player to hit 4 home runs in an MLB game. Lowe’s production aided in a 20-11 win against Cincinnati.
May 30, 1927 – Walter Johnson posted the 110th and final shutout of his Baseball career, the most in MLB history. Johnson and the Washington Senators earned a 3-0 win over Boston Red Sox with the performance.
May 30, 1930 – Walking is great exercise right? Well Philadelphia Athletics player Max Bishop, Number 4 got plenty of aerobic health then as he was walked in 8 different at-bats in a doubleheader to set an MLB record.
May 30, 1931 – Philadelphia Phillies hitter Chuck Klein, Number 3 hit homeruns off of pitcher Ben Cantwell of the Boston Braves in both games of a single day’s double header.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
Foot-Ball
It is reporting about the May 30, 1879 instance where the first game ever to be played “West of the Alleghenies” took place on May 30th in Chicago. The article starts by saying, “At the White-Stockings Grounds yesterday afternoon an interesting game of foot-ball was played between Racine College and the Michigan University teams. The attendance was good, and enthusiastically cheered the contestants wherever opportunity occurred.”
The report goes on to say that the game lasted nearly two hours and was played by what was described as a modified rule of rugby. We can see that the influence of the 1874 Harvard vs. McGill games influence was spreading across the country. This is only about a year away from Walter Camp suggesting major revisions to the game that would make it a much more recognizable form of American football.
As for the game, the University Michigan defeated Racine College 1-0. The reported in 1879 tells us that; “No bones were broken, but (C.) Tolbert was stretched on the turf once. A bucket of water, however, revived him.”
A fun fact about Racine’s football team was that in 1903 the program ended for what we would look at today as the oddest of circ*mstances! A November 6, 1903 article in the Champagne, Illinois Daily Gazette posts the headline of:
Bounced for Eating Fudges: Football team of Racine Gets its Walking Papers
Yes the entire football team was discharged allegedly because the players were caught eating fudge which in the eyes of the school administration was thought to make them poor students and athletes. Thank God that same criteria isn’t used for your friendly blog writer!
The May 30 Hall of Fame Birthdays
Here are the bios on some birthday boys that are either in the College Football Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame that were born on this day. There is plenty more about them to read by either clicking their high-lighted name or at the top of this page clicking the “On This Day in Football History” and going to May 30 Football History.
May 30, 1891 – Lockhaven, Pennsylvania – Bob Peck, the University of Pittsburgh’s center from 1913 to 1916 arrived to claim his date of birth. Peck, according to the NFF, was a leader of the Panthers during one of their finest eras. He would motivate the rest of the men before and during games when he thought their fire was going out. The 5 foot-9 inch snapper would raise his voice above all others and cry out, “When Peck fights, the team fights!” There was a renewed vigor in their play, for the Panthers would find new spirit within their hearts, new strength in their weary bodies. It was not long before the Pitt cheering section took up the call to arms. “When Peck fights, the team fights!” It became the battle cry. In just his first varsity season, the Panthers lost only one game in nine. Then Glenn “Pop” Warner took over as head coach and Pitt immediately ran off two unbeaten and untied seasons, going 8-0-0 in 1915 and 8-0-0 once again in 1916, and winning the National Championship in the last of those two campaigns. Peck was the Panther captain that year and repeated as an All-America selection, the first Pitt player to receive such national recognition. Bob Peck was honored with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954 after the National Football Foundation tabulated their votes.
May 30, 1915 – Conneaut, Ohio – Yale’s great end from 1934 through the 1936 season, Larry Kelley was born. Good enough that in 1936 he won the Heisman Trophy, the second year of the award and the first time it was called the Heisman. The National Football Foundation selected Larry Kelley for entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
May 30, 1943 – Wichita, Kansas – Gale Sayers the top notch Kansas Halfback, also known as the “Kansas Comet” was born. The University retired his number 48 jersey soon after he wore it last. The Chicago Bears drafted Sayers in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Gale Sayers with enshrinement in 1977 to become one of a very few that entered both Football Hall’s in the same year.
May 30, 1949 – Salem, New Jersey – Lydell Mitchell 3 time Pro- Bowl NFL Running back played for the Colts, Chargers & Rams. Lydell Mitchell entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
May 30
1894 — Boston’s Robert Lowe became the first player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game, leading the Beaneaters to a 20-11 win over Cincinnati. After hitting four straight homers, all line drives far over the fence, Lowe added a single to set a major league record with 17 total bases.
1922 — Between the morning and afternoon games of a Memorial Day twin bill, Max Flack of the Chicago Cubs was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Cliff Heathcote. They played one game for each team.
1927 — In the fourth inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, shortstop Jim Cooney of the Chicago Cubs caught Paul Waner’s liner, stepped on second to double Lloyd Waner and then tagged Clyde Barnhart coming from first for an unassisted triple play.
1935 — Babe Ruth made his last major league appearance. He played one inning for the Boston Braves against the Philadelphia Phillies. Jim Bivin retired Babe Ruth on an infield grounder in the Babe’s final major league at-bat.
1940 — Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants threw 87 pitches in a 7-0 one-hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He faced the minimum 27 batters. Johnny Hudson, who singled, was caught stealing.
1956 — Mickey Mantle hit a home run that came within a foot-and-a-half of leaving Yankee Stadium. It hit the face of the upper deck in right field, 370 feet from home plate and 117 feet in the air. Mantle became the first player to hit 20 home runs by the end of May as the Yankees beat the Washington Senators 4-3.
1961 — Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Bill Skowron each hit two homers to lead the New York Yankees to a 12-3 rout of the Boston Red Sox. Yogi Berra also added a homer.
1962 — Pedro Ramos of the Cleveland Indians tossed a three-hitter and hit two home runs, including a grand slam, for a 7-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
1977 — Cleveland’s Dennis Eckersley pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against the California Angels.
1982 — Baltimore’s Cal Ripken Jr. began his record consecutive games streak by starting at third base against the Toronto Blue Jays.
1987 — Eric Davis hit a grand slam in the third inning, breaking two National League records and leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis became the first NL player to hit three grand slams in a month and his major league leading 19 homers broke the NL record for most homers in April and May.
1992 — Scott Sanderson became the ninth pitcher to beat all 26 major league teams as New York defeated Milwaukee 8-1. Sanderson joined Nolan Ryan, Tommy John, Don Sutton, Mike Torrez, Rick Wise, Gaylord Perry, Doyle Alexander and Rich Gossage as those who have defeated every club.
2001 — Barry Bonds hit two home runs, moving past Willie McCovey and Ted Williams into 11th place on the career list with 522. Bonds with 17 home runs in May, surpassed the mark set by Mark McGwire in 1998 and Mickey Mantle in 1956.
2003 — Ken Griffey Jr. hit a game-tying home run in the ninth and a go-ahead homer in the top of the 11th to lead Cincinnati over Florida 4-3.
2006 — Vernon Wells hit three home runs and Troy Glaus added two more in Toronto’s 8-5 victory over Boston.
2009 — Travis Tucker hit an RBI single with one out in the top of the 25th inning, leading Texas to a 3-2 victory over Boston College in the longest game in NCAA history. The game eclipsed the previous record of 23 innings, set in 1971 when Louisiana-Lafayette defeated McNeese State 6-5.
2010 — Albert Pujols hit three long home runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 9-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. Pujols homered in the first, fifth and ninth innings for his fourth career three-homer game.
2011 — Jo-Jo Reyes won for the first time in 29 starts by throwing his first career complete game to lead Toronto to an 11-1 rout of Cleveland. Reyes avoided becoming the first pitcher to go winless in 29 starts. Oakland’s Matt Keough went 28 starts between wins in 1978 and 1979, matching the dubious mark first set by Boston’s Cliff Curtis in 1910 and 1911. The left-hander went 0-13 with a 6.59 ERA in his 28 starts between wins.
2011 — Arizona’s Kelly Johnson became the second player in the majors this year to have four extra-base hits in a game as the Diamondbacks beat the Florida Marlins 15-4. Johnson hit solo home runs in the third and sixth, doubled in the fourth and tripled in the seventh.
2015 — The Dodgers snap a 42-inning scoreless road streak in beating the Cardinals, 5-1. They are held hitless for five innings by Michael Wacha to beat an unenviable club record dating back to 1908, until a run-scoring single by Howie Kendrick in the 6th puts the team on the board and a three-run homer by Yasmani Grandal gives them the lead. It is Wacha’s first loss after opening the year with seven straight wins.
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
May 30
1903 — Flocarline becomes the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes.
1908 — Jockey Joe Notter misjudges the finish of the Belmont Stakes and eases up on his mount, Colin, whose career record to that point was 13-for-13. Notter recovers from his mistake and holds off Fair Play, who came within a head of defeating Colin. When he retired, Colin’s record stood at 15 wins in as many starts.
1911 — Ray Harroun wins the first Indianapolis 500 in 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds with an average speed of 74.59 mph.
1912 — Joe Dawson wins the second Indianapolis 500 in 6:21:06. Ralph Mulford is told he has to complete the race for 10th place money. It takes him 8 hours and 53 minutes as he makes several stops for fried chicken. The finishing rule is changed the next year.
1951 — Lee Wallard wins the Indianapolis 500, becoming the first driver to break the 4-hour mark with a time of 3:57:38.05.
1951 — Ezzard Charles beats Joey Maxim in 15 for heavyweight boxing title.
1952 — At 22, Troy Ruttman becomes the youngest driver to win the Indianapolis 500.
1955 — Bob Sweikert, an Indianapolis native, wins the Indianapolis 500. Bill Vukovich, seeking his third consecutive victory, is killed in a four-car crash on the 56th lap.
1957 — European Cup Final, Madrid: Alfredo Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento score as defending champions Real Madrid beats Fiorentina, 2-0.
1971 — Willie Mays hits his 638th HR, sets NL record of 1,950 runs scored.
1974 — 17th European Cup: Ajax beats Juventus 1-0 at Belgrade.
1985 — The Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year with an 8-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5.
1986 — Barry Bonds makes his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1987 — Mike Tyson beats Pinklon Thomas by TKO in round 6 in Las Vegas to retain WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing titles.
1993 — Emerson Fittipaldi wins his second Indianapolis 500, by 2.8 seconds. Fittipaldi takes the lead on lap 185 and holds on, outfoxing Formula One champion Nigel Mansell and runner-up Arie Luyendyk.
2004 — In Cooper City, Fla., Canada easily beats the United States in a three-day cricket match, the first competition on American soil sanctioned by the International Cricket Council.
2005 — Johns Hopkins wins its first NCAA lacrosse title in 18 years, beating Duke 9-8 to complete an undefeated season.
2009 — Travis Tucker hits an RBI single with one out in the top of the 25th inning to give Texas a 3-2 victory over Boston College in the longest baseball game in NCAA history.
2009 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,391): Chelsea beats Everton, 2-1; Frank Lampard scores 72′ winner.
2010 — Dario Franchitti gets a huge break from a spectacular crash on the last lap to climb back on top of the open-wheel world to win the Indianapolis 500. Franchitti’s second Brickyard victory in four years helps his boss, Chip Ganassi, become the first owner to win Indy and NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in the same year.
2011 — Jim Tressel, who guided Ohio State to its first national title in 34 years, resigns amid NCAA violations from a tattoo-parlor scandal that sullied the image of one of the country’s top football programs.
2012 — Roger Federer breaks Jimmy Connors’ Open era record of 233 Grand Slam match wins by beating Adrian Ungur of Romania 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in the second round of the French Open. Federer, who owns a record 16 major championships, is 234-35 at tennis’ top four tournaments. Connors was 233-49. The Open era began in 1968.
2015 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,283): Arsenal beats Aston Villa, 4-0; Gunners’ 12th title.
TV SPORTS THURSDAY
| MLB REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Oakland at Tampa Bay | 1:10pm | MLBN NBC Sports-California Bally Sports-Sun MLB.TV Fubo |
| Chi. Cubs at Milwuakee | 1:10pm | MLBN MARQ Bally Sports-Wisconsin MLB.TV Fubo |
| Kansas City at Minnesota | 1:10pm | Bally Sports-Kansas City Bally Sports-North MLB.TV Fubo |
| Houston at Seattle | 4:10pm | SCHN Root Sports MLB.TV Fubo |
| Arizona at NY Mets | 7:10pm | MLBN YurView SNY MLB.TV Fubo |
| Detroit at Boston | 7:10pm | Bally Sports-Detroit NESN MLB.TV Fubo |
| Washington at Atlanta | 7:20pm | MLBN MASN Bally Sports-South MLB.TV Fubo |
| NY Yankees at LA Angels | 9:38pm | MLBN YES Bally Sports-West MLB.TV Fubo |
| NBA PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| West Finals Game 5: Dallas at Minnesota | 8:30pm | TNT Fubo |
| NHL PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| East Finals Game 5: Florida at NY Rangers | 8:00pm | ESPN Fubo |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| DP World Tour Golf: European Open | 7:00am | GOLF |
| LPGA Tour: US Women’s Open | 2:00pm | USA |
| PGA Tour: RBC Canadian Open | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| Copa Libertadores: Palmeiras vs San Lorenzo | 6:00pm | beIN Sports Fubo |
| Copa Libertadores: Independiente del Valle vs Liverpool | 6:00pm | beIN Sports Fubo |
| Copa Libertadores: Libertad vs Nacional | 8:00pm | beIN Sports Fubo |
| Copa Libertadores: River Plate vs Deportivo Táchira | 8:00pm | beIN Sports Fubo |
| WNBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Seattle vs Indiana | 7:00pm | Prime Bally Sports North |
| Los Angeles vs Chicago | 8:00pm | MARQ Spectrum Sportsnet |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| Roland-Garros Tennis: Second Round | 5:00am | TENNIS |
| Roland-Garros Tennis: Second Round | 1:00pm | TENNIS |
