NFL:
In the NFL on Thursday Night Football, Baltimore blasted Cleveland 28-7.
On Sunday at 1 p.m. Los Angeles takes on the Jets at Metlife Stadium. Later at 8:30 p.m., Seattle sees New England in Gillette Stadium. On Monday, Cincinnati goes head to head with the Giants in Metlife Stadium at 8:30 p.m. Buffalo has a bye week.
The Seahawks' defense gave Tom Brady and the Patriots plenty to handle during their Super Bowl matchup in 2015. New England won't be facing a completely healthy defense on Sunday, but the Patriots will be matching up with the highest-ranked unit they've seen since Brady's return.
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman confirmed he's been fined by the NFL for unnecessary roughness for his hit on Buffalo kicker Dan Carpenter in last Monday's game against the Bills. Sherman said Thursday that the explanation and wording of the letter from the league makes it nearly impossible for him to appeal. Sherman said the league's justification in the letter was that the hit came after the whistle was blown. Sherman said he won't appeal the fine.
NBA:
In the NBA, New Orleans beat Milwaukee 112-106, Chicago won against Miami 98-95, Golden State defeated Denver 125-101, and it was the Lakers over Sacramento 101-91.
You learn a lot about people when they're down, President Barack Obama declared Thursday, and he wasn't talking about the election. Obama saluted the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers for rallying from behind to defeat the Golden State Warriors and end a Cleveland pro sports title drought stretching back to 1964. Obama honored the Cavs on the South Lawn of the White House, squeezing in another sports champion before he leaves office. He opened with: "That's right. I said world champion and Cleveland in the same sentence." The Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship against the Golden State Warriors.
NHL:
In the NHL, Boston topped Columbus 5-2, Anaheim doubled up Carolina 4-2, Tampa Bay bested the Islanders 4-1, Detroit beat Vancouver 3-1, San Jose won against Florida 4-2, Nashville trumped St. Louis 3-1, Winnipeg beat Arizona 3-2, Dallas doubled up Calgary 4-2, and it was Montreal over the Kings 4-1.
The Bruins have announced that Noel Acciari will miss three to four weeks with a lower body injury. Up next for Boston is a game on Saturday in Arizona against the Coyotes.
Buffalo center Tyler Ennis has undergone surgery to repair a groin injury and is listed as being out indefinitely. The club says he will miss several weeks after being hurt in a 4-0 loss at Boston on Monday. This is just another setback for Ennis who missed the last half of last season because of concussion-related issues. The Sabres also report that center Jack Eichel is expected to miss another few weeks recovering from a sprained left ankle he hurt on Oct. 12.
NCAA:
In top 25 college football, Duke beat No. 15 North Carolina 28-27 and it was No 13 Utah over Arizona State 49-26.
The Final Four is headed back to New Orleans. The NCAA has announced that the 2022 men's basketball Final Four will be held in the Superdome. New Orleans last hosted the Final Four in 2012. This will be the sixth time the city has hosted the national semifinals and championship game.
It wouldn't be all that big a surprise if women's college basketball coaches across the country had UConn's graduation date circled on their calendars last spring. They were happy to see the Huskies' mighty trio, led by Breanna Stewart, head to the WNBA after winning four consecutive national championships and their last 75 straight games. Now for the first time in a while, it appears the road to the title is more wide open.
MLB:
A New York Mets pitcher featured in a new anti-domestic violence ad campaign has pleaded not guilty to a disorderly persons charge stemming from a domestic violence case. Jeurys Familia appeared Thursday in municipal court in Fort Lee, New Jersey, with his lawyer and a Spanish interpreter. He was arrested Oct. 31. A complaint filed by authorities alleges that Familia caused "bodily injury to another" and that the victim's chest was scratched and cheek was bruised. The 27-year-old All-Star pitcher from the Dominican Republic is identified in the complaint as Jeurys F. Mojica. Major League Baseball says Familia's extended last name is Mojica. The married father of one serves as the Mets closer. Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday he anticipated it would take time for MLB to investigate.
Knuckleballer and former NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey has agreed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. The 42-year old had a career-high 20 wins in 2012 in his final season with the Mets when he won the Cy Young. The right-hander spent the last four years with the Blue Jays, going 10-15 with a 4.46 earned run average in 2016.
— Outfielder Matt Holliday became the final free agent, formally leaving the St. Louis Cardinals when he and the team agreed to waive a provision in his contract. The 37-year old gets a $2 million buyout after hitting .246 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs in 110 games last season.
— Indians right-hander Cody Anderson has had elbow surgery after being bothered by pain in his elbow late in the season. The club says he will need two months to recover. Anderson went 2-5 with a 6.68 ERA in nine starts this past season. The team says he was diagnosed with impingement in the back of the elbow joint.
Golf:
A set of golf items that once belonged to former President George H.W. Bush has sold at auction for $30,000. Bush had given the Callaway golf bag, size 11 Nike Air golf shoes and Titleist Scotty Cameron 'Big Sur' putter to a worker at the Cape Arundel Golf Club in Maine. The auction ended yesterday for the items including golf balls that were offered by Boston-based RR Auction.
Chris Kirk shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 to take the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour's OHL Classic. That puts him a shot up on Camilo Villegas, Gary Woodland and Ben Crane.
Carlota Ciganda birdied three of the last six holes for a 5-under 67 and a share of the lead with Sarah Jane Smith in the LPGA's Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Mexican amateur Maria Fassi is two strokes back at 69 along with South Korea's Chella Choi and France's Karine Icher. Fassi is a freshman at the University of Arkansas playing on a sponsor invite.
World Chess:
A Norwegian who's the highest rated player in chess history faces Russia's top contender this week for the World Chess Championship. Twenty-five-year-old Magnus Carlsen is the defending champion in the games starting Friday in New York. Trying to wrest away his title is Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, who's 26. The tournament's prize purse of over $1 million will be divided 60-40 between the two players. They'll compete in a building in Manhattan's former Fulton Fish Market, which has been renovated. Brains get most of the exercise in chess. But the International Olympic Committee considers chess a sport that requires physical endurance. The New York games will last as long as six hours each, played over three weeks.
FIFA:
Former Venezuela soccer federation president Rafael Esquivel has pleaded guilty to federal charges in New York. The case is part of a U.S. investigation into corruption among senior figures in the sport and its top governing body, FIFA.
Esquivel pleaded guilty Thursday to racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors say he participated in bribery schemes related to the awarding of contracts for the media and marketing rights.
He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count. He's also agreed to forfeit $16 million — raising total forfeitures in the scandal to over $200 million. Esquivel was president of the Venezuelan soccer federation from 1988 to 2015. He also was a vice president of the South American soccer confederation CONMEBOL.
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