NBA:
Hal Childs, a former assistant general manager for the New York Knicks and public relations director for the Golden State Warriors and Seattle Mariners, has died due to complications from heart disease. He was 84. Childs' wife, Jacqueline, says her husband died Sunday at his home in Dublin, California.
A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press that the Milwaukee Bucks are opening up their search for a new general manager after John Hammond left to join the Orlando Magic. Assistant GM Justin Zanik was believed to be the heir apparent to Hammond when he left the Utah Jazz to join the Bucks. Zanik will interview for the position, but outside candidates will also be considered.
Tonight, Cleveland goes up against Boston in Game 5. Cleveland leads the series 3-1.
NHL:
Today Ottawa faces Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals before the winner heads to the Stanley Cup to take on Nashville.
MLB:
Hunter Renfroe's tiebreaking, solo blast in the eighth capped San Diego's comeback in a 6-5 win over the Mets. Yangervis Solarte (yahn-HEHR'-vihs soh-LAHR'-tay) had three RBIs, including a two-run double in the fifth after the Mets took a 5-1 lead. Brad Hand pitched in and out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the ninth to get his first save of the year. The Mets have reinstated catcher Travis d'Arnaud from the disabled list and placed pitcher Tommy Milone on the 10-day DL with a sprained left knee.
A boy was struck on the head by Chris Carter's broken bat during the New York Yankees' game against the Kansas City Royals last night. With Didi Gregorius on second base and no outs in the seventh inning, Carter's bat shattered on a 3-1 fastball from Matt Strahm. Much of the bat hit the boy, who was sitting about seven rows back on the third-base side, behind the Royals dugout. The Yankees say the boy was given first aid at the ballpark and was receiving medical attention elsewhere after the game.
Helped by a great first-inning catch that forced center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury from the game with a concussion and sprained neck, Luis Severino won for the first time in a month and led the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 3-0 last night. On the first pitch of the game, Ellsbury sprinted 107 feet and raised his glove above his head to catch Alcides Escobar's fly. Ellsbury's head jarred into the wall as the ball landed in his glove, and he crumpled to the field.
Injured All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman may be cleared by the Yankees to start a throwing program on Saturday. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Chapman is scheduled to see a doctor Friday. Chapman has not pitched since May 12 because of what Girardi has called tendinitis and bursitis in the reliever's left shoulder.
Dustin Pedroia waved home the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch, then singled in two more during Boston's seven-run seventh inning last night and the Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 9-4 for their third straight victory. Chris Sale struck out six, falling short in his attempt to become the first pitcher in baseball's modern era to strike out at least 10 batters in nine straight games in one season.’
Supporters of a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox say Rhode Island could lose the team if state legislators don't reconsider a stalled proposal to help fund it. Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and other supporters held a news conference yesterday at the State House. The team is seeking a $23 million state investment for its $83 million proposal to build a new downtown Pawtucket ballpark.
Elsewhere in the majors:
— The Rockies continued the best start in team history by scoring seven times in the third inning of a 7-2 win at Philadelphia. Carlos Gonzalez belted a three-run homer during the big rally to help Tyler Chatwood improve to 4-6. Chatwood tossed one-hit ball with eight strikeouts over seven innings as Colorado improved to 31-17.
— Tanner Roark allowed a run and eight hits over a season-high seven innings to pitch Washington past Seattle, 5-1. Anthony Rendon's three-run homer put the Nationals ahead 4-0 in the first inning. Rendon has three home runs and eight RBIs in his last two games.
— Jose Iglesias cracked a two-run homer, scored three times and finished a triple shy of the cycle as the Tigers doubled up Houston, 6-3 to halt a three-game skid. Iglesias doubled in the eighth and came around to score the tiebreaking run before going deep in the ninth. The Astros had won the first two games of the series after being swept in Cleveland last weekend.
— Ryan Goins crushed a grand slam and three other Blue Jays homered in an 8-4 rout of the Brewers in Milwaukee. Kevin Pillar, Devon Travis and Jose Bautista hit solo shots as Toronto completed a two-game sweep and a 4-3 road trip. Marcus Stroman picked up his fourth consecutive win and was lifted after Domingo Santana's three-run blast put the Brewers within 8-4 in the sixth.
— Anthony Rizzo crushed a pair of solo homers and Kyle Hendricks limited the Giants to two runs over seven innings of the Cubs' 5-4 win at Wrigley Field. Rizzo has four homers over his last four games and 11 on the season. Wade Davis claimed his 10th save despite serving up a two-run bomb by Mac Williamson in the ninth and putting the potential tying run on base.
— The Cardinals got another nice outing from Mike Leake, who held Los Angeles to a run and four hits over eight innings of a 6-1 victory at Dodger Stadium. Kolten Wong put St. Louis ahead to stay with a two-run single in the second before Yadier (YAH'-dee-ehr) Molina added a solo homer and a sacrifice fly. Dodgers starter Rich Hill lasted just four innings, walking a career-high seven while yielding five runs and four hits.
— Jake Lamb slammed a two-run homer and the Diamondbacks picked up their eighth win in nine games by outscoring the White Sox, 8-6 in Arizona. Five Diamondbacks had at least one RBI, with Lamb, Nick Ahmed and Chris Owings collecting two apiece. Arizona scored six times in the fifth to chase losing pitcher Jose Quintana and take an 8-1 lead.
— Sonny Gray struck out 11 while holding the Marlins to one run and three hits over seven innings of the Athletics' 4-1 victory. Jed Lowrie was 4-for-4 with an RBI double and a run-scoring single as the A's won for the fourth time in six games. Khris Davis has 14 homers this season after slamming a two-run shot off Edinson Volquez, who fell to 0-7.
— Steven Souza Jr. homered twice and had three RBIs as the Rays topped the Angels, 5-2. Colby Rasmus and Souza slammed back-to-back solo shots in the seventh to cap the scoring. Erasmo Ramirez gave up just two runs and four hits in six innings, including Mike Trout's eighth homer in his last 12 games.
— Pittsburgh's seven-run 10th inning led to a 12-5 victory in Atlanta. Gift Ngoepe (ehn-GOH'-puh) doubled home the tiebreaking run and Jose Ramirez added a two-run single before David Freese (freez), Jose Osuna and Jordy Mercer hit consecutive home runs. Osuna also tied the game with a two-run single in the ninth.
NFL:
The Buffalo Bills have signed wide receiver Rod Streater and tight end Wes Saxton, while releasing tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and quarterback Josh Woodrum. Streater is entering his sixth season after spending four with Oakland and 2016 with San Francisco. Saxton has only played in one game, in 2015 with the Jets. He didn't make the roster in 2016.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has reached the point in rehabilitation where he's able to drop back to pass on his surgically repaired left knee. But general manager Rick Spielman says Bridgewater has not been cleared for full practice. That's predictable, less than nine months after the dislocation, torn ACL and other damage occurred to his knee during a non-contact drill.
The Pro Bowl will return to Orlando in 2018 for the second straight year. Orlando will host the Pro Bowl on Jan. 28th.
Soccer:
A former aide to the president of the North American professional soccer federation has pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in a worldwide soccer scandal. Costas Takkas (KAH'-stuhs TAH'-kuhs) entered the plea yesterday in federal court in New York City. The British citizen is the former secretary general of the Cayman Islands Football Association.
NCAA:
Big Ten player of the year Caleb Swanigan has decided to stay in this year's NBA draft. Swanigan averaged 18.5 points and was second in the nation with 12.5 rebounds for Purdue last season. The sophomore becomes the first Boilermaker to leave school early for the NBA draft since Glenn Robinson was taken No. 1 overall in 1994.
Gonzaga forward Johnathan Williams has decided to return to school for his senior season after previously submitting his name for the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Maryland forward Justin Jackson will be back for his sophomore season after considering a move to the NBA. Moe Wagner is returning to Michigan, while Wolverines teammate D.J. Wilson is staying in the NBA draft.
The American Athletic Conference will continue to play its women's basketball tournament at a Connecticut casino. The conference says it's reached an agreement to have the Mohegan Sun to host the tournament through the 2020 season. The event has been held for the past four years in the casino's arena, which seats about 8,000 people.
Kiah Gillespie has completed her transfer from Maryland to Florida State, electing to continue her women's basketball career with the Seminoles. The 2015 McDonald's High School All-American averaged 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in her two seasons with the Terrapins. The 6-foot-2 sophomore forward from Meriden, Connecticut, will sit out next season and have two years of eligibility remaining starting in 2018-19.
The University of Hartford has hired Mary Ellen Gillespie from Wisconsin-Green Bay to be its athletic director. She replaces Anton Goff, who was hired in November as athletic director at St. John's. Gillespie, who has been at Green Bay since 2013, is credited with making changes there that resulted in a student-athlete grade-point average of 3.3 and a graduation success rate of 96 percent.
The NBA says its All-Star game will be held in Charlotte in 2019, two years after the North Carolina city was to host the event. The All-Star game had been set for Charlotte last February, but the NBA moved the game to New Orleans because of the state law restricting the rights of LGBT people. That law has since been modified.
Tennis:
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is adding a fan vote to its election process in 2019, and will make other changes to its induction policies, including allowing players who meet certain standards to automatically be on the ballot. Hall CEO Todd Martin announced the changes yesterday.
Fantasy Sports:
New Jersey's yearslong efforts to allow legal sports gambling have brought more opposition from the federal government. Acting U.S. Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall on Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear New Jersey's appeal of a lower court decision that invalidated the state's sports betting plan. The high court is expected to decide by the end of June whether it will hear the case.
Gambling experts say offering gamblers interactive experiences is going to be a big part of the future for casinos worldwide. Casino executives, digital experts and payment processors who gathered Wednesday at an Atlantic City gambling conference agreed that casinos need to offer new experiences that directly involve the next generation in things like competitive video game contests, skill-based slots, and daily fantasy sports and sports betting.
NASCAR:
Robert Yates will be one of the five newest members of NASCAR's Hall of Fame next January. Yates was a NASCAR Cup champion as both an engine builder and owner. He was voted in along with three-time NASCAR Cup championship crew chief Ray Evernham, drivers Red Byron and Ron Hornaday Jr. and broadcaster Ken Squier. Hornaday and driver Alan Kulwicki tied for the fifth and final spot, and Hornaday won the tiebreaker.
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