NFL
NFL players prefer playing on natural grass. It’s why the NFL Players Association called on the league Wednesday to switch all fields to grass. The union's executive director Lloyd Howell says it's the easiest decision the NFL can make. Players consider it a matter of career preservation. The union's repeated request for all grass comes less than 48 hours after four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in his debut with the New York Jets. A new artificial surface was installed this year at MetLife Stadium. Carolina linebacker Shaq Thompson has been fighting for grass the past two years. He says he hopes to see everyone to take a stand.
Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers’ season is over. It appears he might not be ready to call it a career. The New York Jets quarterback wrote on Instagram Wednesday night that "I shall rise yet again.” That came after coach Robert Saleh said he'd be shocked if Rodgers ends his playing career this way, but he hasn't had any conversations along those lines with him. The 39-year-old quarterback tore his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap in his debut with the Jets on Monday night in a 22-16 overtime win over Buffalo. Saleh said Rodgers is currently going for some medical consultations to determine his next step, which will include surgery.
On Thursday night football, Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles host Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings in their home opener in prime time for the second straight season. The Eagles and Vikings kick off Week 2 at 8:15 tonight at rowdy Lincoln Financial Field. The defending NFC champions were rusty and lucky to pull off a 25-20 win last week at New England. The Vikings, who lost a wild-card playoff game at home last season after going 13-4, picked up where they left off with a 20-17 upset loss at home to Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Philadelphia overpowered the Vikings on both sides of the ball in a convincing 24-7 victory on Monday night in Week 2 last season.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said Wednesday that he would have changed his approach to his holdout if given another chance. But the All-Pro pass rusher also said he was happy with how things worked out. He was at practice for the first time since agreeing to a reworked one-year deal Monday that includes incentives that could push his salary over the $19.5 base that he was scheduled to make. Chiefs coach Andy Reid expected Jones to play on Sunday in Jacksonville. He watched last week's opening loss to Detroit from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium.
Doug Pederson has known Andy Reid for nearly 30 years. He played for Reid in Green Bay and then Philadelphia in the late 1990s. He spent seven years coaching under Reid in Philadelphia and then Kansas City. They share offensive philosophies, coaching principles and core beliefs. They’ll share the field for the third time in 10 months when Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars host Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. And Pederson is still looking for a breakthrough victory against his mentor and close friend.
MLB
Arizona ace Zac Gallen was hit hard in a damaging loss for the Diamondbacks as Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos powered the New York Mets to a 7-1 victory. Just back from the minors, Joey Lucchesi carried a shutout into the eighth inning and the fourth-place Mets improved to 5-1 against Arizona this season by battering the Diamondbacks for the second consecutive night. Arizona dropped into a tie for the third National League wild card with Cincinnati, which won 4-3 at Detroit. San Francisco and Miami are close behind in a crowded race for the final NL playoff spot. Alonso had an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the fifth off Gallen, who fell to 15-8.
The Atlanta Braves clinched their sixth straight NL East title, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 behind Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 17th win and Austin Riley’s two-run homer. Kirby Yates struck out Brandon Marsh to end the game and the players danced in a mob near the mound as Phillies fans booed them off the field. Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. responded to booing fans by raising both arms and signaling with his hands to bring it on.
For the second time this week, the Red Sox and Yankees were postponed by rain. The games will be made up today as a day-night doubleheader. Game 1 will start at 1:35 p.m., followed by the regularly-scheduled game at 7:15 p.m.
Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the regular season because of a strained muscle in his shoulder. Rangers general manager Chris Young says it's also unlikely that Scherzer would be able to pitch in the postseason if Texas qualifies for the first time since 2016. An MRI on Wednesday revealed a low-grade strain of the teres major muscle. The 39-year-old Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star, left Tuesday’s game at Toronto in the sixth inning of a win. He finishes the season 13-6 in 27 starts for the New York Mets and Rangers.
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
DeWanna Bonner scored 17 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds as Connecticut opened the playoffs with a 90-60 rout of Minnesota. Alyssa Thomas added 15 points and 10 assists for the Sun, who earned the WNBA’s No. 3 seed after going 27-13 in the regular season. Tiffany Hayes hit four of her six 3-point attempts and finished with 14 points. The Sun made 16 of their 30 attempts from behind the arc and held Minnesota to 35 % shooting. Connecticut led by 14 at halftime and closed the game on a 17-3 run. Kayla McBride had 16 point and Napheesa Collier added 14. for Minnesota, which also lost three of their four regular-season meetings with Connecticut.
Chelsea Gray had 20 points and seven assists, Jackie Young added 18 points and the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces beat the Chicago Sky 87-59 to begin a WNBA playoff series. The defending champion Aces host Game 2 of the best-of-three series on Sunday. Las Vegas, which had the best record in the league at 34-6, has won all four matchups with Chicago this season. Kelsey Plum scored 16 points and A’ja Wilson had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Las Vegas. The Aces defense held Chicago to 33% shooting. Kahleah Copper scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half for Chicago.
GOLF
The chairman of a Senate investigations subcommittee is subpoenaing Saudi officials for documents on the kingdom’s new golf partnership with the PGA Tour. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had to be more transparent about what he said was its $35 billion in investments in the U.S. The move is the latest to challenge Saudi Arabia’s assertion that as a foreign government it enjoys sovereign immunity from some U.S. courts and institutions. That includes when it comes to disclosing information related to its golf investments. The Saudi Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Netflix golf documentary series “Full Swing” won’t have full access at the Ryder Cup. U.S. captain Zach Johnson says he spoke to his team when concerns were raised about a film crew in the team room. He says they agreed to keep certain areas off limits. Netflix is in production for its second season of the popular series. The Ryder Cup figured to be a big part of 2023. PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh says Netflix will still be at Marco Simone. He says decisions about access to the team room are typically left up to the captain and the team.
NBA
The NBA has taken steps to try to ensure that its star players appear in more games, particularly nationally televised matchups and the in-season tournament that is being added this year. The league’s board of governors has approved a new player participation policy that will take effect for this upcoming season, replacing the player resting policy that was implemented prior to the 2017-18 season. The new rules focus primarily on star players — someone who has been an All-Star or on the All-NBA team in any of the prior three seasons. Teams will have to manage their rosters to ensure that multiple available star players aren’t sitting out the same game to rest.
NCAA
The Atlantic Coast Conference and the rest of the power conferences are relying on off-site help for stadium officials when dealing with football replay reviews. The use of collaborative replay has gone from experimental several years ago to essential at the top levels of college football. It has officials in a centralized location consult with stadium officials in making the review. The ACC recently opened its expanded operations at its new headquarters in Charlotte. League supervisor of football officials Alberto Riveron says officials are using technology to make sure officials catch any “egregious mistake” with an incorrect call.
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