ARENA FOOTBALL
The Albany Empire football team has lost its membership in the National Arena League, according to a league announcement Thursday. The N-A-L board of owners decided to terminate the Empire’s membership after team owner and seven-time NFL Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Antonio Brown failed to pay the league-mandated and overdue assessments. The former NFL star wide receiver – whose father played indoor football in Albany – became part owner in March. He since claimed outright ownership of the franchise and suggested he would play for the franchise without taking the field. The season has also seen a host of staff and player departures. The decision leaves the league with six teams. The league says it will be adjusting the rest of the 2023 regular season schedule, which runs through July. MVP Arena says tickets will be refunded for the remaining three home games at the county-owned facility. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy called the situation unfortunate.
Brown is a seven-time NFL Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion. He was also suspended for eight games in 2020 after a no contest plea to battery and burglary charges, and he was accused of sending intimidating messages to a woman who claimed he made unwanted advances. The Empire had been in its third season in the league.
US OPEN
Rickie Fowler is the first player in U.S. Open history with a 62. He held that record for all of 15 minutes until Xander Schauffele joined him. It was an extraordinary morning for the so-called toughest test in golf. Fowler had 10 birdies and finished his round with a two-putt par from just inside 60 feet. Schauffele was two groups behind him and played bogey-free. They settled for their place in the record book. Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark played in the afternoon and each shot 64 to get within two shots of the record-breaking duo. Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman finished three shots off the lead.
A person familiar with the matter says the Justice Department is looking into an agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian backers of LIV Golf. It wants to determine whether last week's surprise deal violates federal antitrust statutes. The Justice Department already was looking into any antitrust issues involving the PGA Tour and Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Both golf leagues are involved in an antitrust case now in federal court. The agreement would end that litigation. The deal is for the PGA Tour, European tour and Saudi's national wealth fund to pool commercial businesses in a new for-profit company.
MLB
Bryson Stott hit his second homer in three games, Aaron Nola threw 6 2/3 effective innings and the Philadelphia Phillies moved over .500 for the first time in more than a month by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4. Last year’s National League champions have won 10 of 12 and own a 35-34 record, jumping above .500 for the first time since May 13. They took three of four games from the NL West-leading Diamondbacks this week.
Elsewhere, the Yankees, Red Sox and Mets were off last night. The Yankees will be at Fenway Park tonight to take on the Red Sox at 7:10. The Mets face the Cardinals at home tonight at 7:10.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred thinks the use of banned sticky stuff is more widespread than the three pitchers ejected this season for illegal grip aids. Manfred says umpires are erring on the side of not ejecting when they are less than 100% certain of a violation. New York Mets pitchers Drew Smith and Max Scherzer and Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán have been ejected this year, triggering 10-game suspensions. Manfred says: “I think it is fair to say across the board the violation situations were in the unquestionable zone.”
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has signed into law a $380 million public financing package to help build a Major League Baseball stadium for the Oakland Athletics on the Las Vegas Strip. He signed the bill Thursday in Carson City a day after the Democrat-controlled legislature approved the plans. Hours earlier, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred outlined a months-long approval process for the A’s proposed move there. The $1.5 billion stadium with a retractable roof is planned near the homes of the NFL’s Vegas Raiders and the NHL’s Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup this week in just their sixth season.
Shohei Ohtani pitched six innings for his first victory in five starts and matched the MLB lead with his 22nd homer as the Los Angeles Angels beat the AL West-leading Texas Rangers 5-3. Ohtani had already thrown the last of his 99 pitches before Mickey Moniak’s game-tying homer leading off the top of the seventh. That came off Nathan Eovaldi, who lost in his bid to become only the second 10-game winner in the majors. Ohtani hit a 443-foot homer in the eighth inning. It was his 10th homer over the past 16 games, and the second pitching start in a row when he also went deep.
NBA
The NBA and the Miami Heat are investigating an allegation that former UFC champion Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman inside an arena bathroom after Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, said her client has provided Miami police with the clothing she was wearing that night and that a report was filed. Miami police did not respond when asked Thursday evening whether they were investigating. McGregor's attorney, Barbara Llanes, says her client denies wrongdoing and “will not be intimidated.” The accuser's attorney says her client would discuss settlement offers before June 12 or else proceed with litigation.
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets celebrated their first NBA title with a parade through the streets of downtown Denver. Everyone was in a festive mood as swarms of fans cheered and hollered as the players went by. This has been a long time in the making. It took 47 seasons in the NBA for the franchise to finally make Denver the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Nuggets capped off an impressive postseason by beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. It’s the city’s second parade in two years. The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup last season.
WNBA
Brionna Jones scored 18 points, Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Atlanta Dream 89-77. The Sun scored the last five points of the third quarter to lead 65-60 entering the fourth. Jones and Tyasha Harris then scored the first eight points of the period and Connecticut led by at least nine points the rest of the way. Allisha Gray scored to get the Dream within 84-75 near the one-minute mark, but Thomas made a driving layup and DeWanna Bonner added a technical free throw to put the Sun ahead by double digits again. Bonner and Harris scored 15 points each for the Sun.
SOCCER
Four players were ejected and the match was cut short by the referee after repeated homophobic chants. The United States’ 3-0 win over Mexico for a spot in Sunday’s CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada will be remembered as much for the ugliness as for two goals by Christian Pulisic and one by Ricardo Pepi. Americans Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest were ejected by Salvadoran referee Iván Barton along with Mexicans César Montes and Gerardo Arteaga during the second half. Play was halted in the 90th minute because of homophobic chants, then stopped again with four minutes of stoppage time left.
A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that Gregg Berhalter has agreed to return as U.S. national team coach after being cleared in a domestic violence investigation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not been made. The person said an announcement by the U.S. Soccer Federation was likely on Friday. Earlier in the evening, Jesse Marsch’s agent, Ron Waxman, tweeted his client will not become the American coach.
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