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Archives for December 6, 2023

Listless and Lifeless On to Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rarely have the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves sporting a more impressive offense than their opponent this season, but that very well could be the case on Thursday night when they face the visiting New England Patriots.

New England (2-10) has been anemic over its past three games, scoring a total of 13 points. It was shut out for the second time this season in a 6-0 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Prior to that, the Patriots lost 10-7 to the New York Giants on Nov. 26 after falling 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, New England is the first team in 85 years to allow no more than 10 points in three straight games while dropping all three.

Bailey Zappe was hoping to help the Patriots turn things around when he made his third career start on Sunday, but he ended up completing just 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards. Zappe was starting in place of Mac Jones, who was benched after throwing for 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through the first 11 games.

While New England appears to already have enough on its plate, here come the Steelers (7-5) on a short week.

“It’s about rest, recovery, being physically ready to go and mentally. It’s a quick turnaround from (Sunday’s) game to Pittsburgh’s scouting report,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You know, a couple days of trying to get things covered. We’re pretty far into the season, I don’t think there is a lot of new things. It’s more about adapting to what we do against what they do.”

One of those adaptations New England will have to make is game planning for Mitch Trubisky, who will be taking over behind center for Kenny Pickett.

Pickett sustained an ankle injury during a 24-10 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday and underwent surgery on Monday. Trubisky threw for 117 yards and a TD on 11-for-17 passing against Arizona, but he knows facing the Patriots will be a challenge.

“They’re always very sound,” Trubisky said of the Steelers’ longtime AFC rivals. “I think their guys up front don’t get a lot of credit, but they’re very good players. … Always well coached. They do a good job of mixing it up trying to confuse the quarterback with different looks.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s gonna be a good challenge for us on Thursday.”

Trubisky will try to provide a spark for a Pittsburgh team averaging the fifth-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.0). New England ranks dead last with 12.3 points per game.

In what is already expected to be a low-scoring matchup, both sides could be without some of their top playmakers, too.

ESPN reported Tuesday that Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be out for a few weeks due to a high ankle sprain. He has not practiced this week.

Demario Douglas (concussion) has yet to practice for the Patriots this week as well, while fellow receivers DeVante Parker (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) were among those limited, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott (thigh).

Running back Najee Harris did not participate in the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday because of a knee injury. Cornerback James Pierre (shoulder) was also out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (broken hand) practiced in full.

–Field Level Media

Castiglione Honored with Frick Award

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COOPERSTOWN – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Joe Castiglione, who has called Red Sox games on the radio for a record 41 seasons, has been selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

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Castiglione will be honored during the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation as part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 19-22, 2024. Castiglione becomes the 48th winner of the Frick Award, as he earned the highest point total in a vote conducted by the Hall of Fame’s 15-member Frick Award Committee.

The final ballot featured broadcasters whose main contributions came as local and national voices and whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card Era. The 10 finalists were: Joe Buck, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr., Ken Korach, Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dan Shulman and Castiglione.

“Bringing knowledge and passion to the booth every day for more than four decades, Joe Castiglione has given voice to the greatest era of Red Sox success in the broadcast era,” said Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “Starting with the team in 1983 in Carl Yastrzemski’s final season, Joe has connected generations of Red Sox fans with a delivery that has become part of the New England fabric. His calls of the team’s four World Series wins in the past 20 seasons provided fans with memories that will echo forever throughout Red Sox nation.”

Born March 2, 1947, in Hamden, Conn., Castiglione earned an undergraduate degree at Colgate University and took his master’s degree at Syracuse University – each about an hour from Cooperstown – before beginning his career at WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio. After moving to Cleveland to work for WKYC-TV, he began calling Indians games in 1979 before working Brewers games in 1981 and then returning to the Indians’ booth in 1982.

Joining the Red Sox radio team in 1983, Castiglione has shared the microphone with partners including Bob Starr, Dave O’Brien, Jerry Trupiano and Will Flemming while also teaching broadcast journalism at Northeastern University, Franklin Pierce University and Emerson College.

Inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014, Castiglione is the longest tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history and has called historic moments that have included both of Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout games and four no-hitters. In 2022, the home Fenway Park radio booth was named in his honor.

The 15-member Frick Award voting electorate, comprised of the 12 living recipients and three broadcast historians/columnists, includes Frick honorees Marty Brennaman, Bob Costas, Ken Harrelson, Pat Hughes, Jaime Jarrín, Tony Kubek, Denny Matthews, Al Michaels, Jon Miller, Eric Nadel, Bob Uecker and Dave Van Horne, and historians/columnists David J. Halberstam (historian), Barry Horn (formerly of the Dallas Morning News) and Curt Smith (historian).

The list of 10 Frick Award finalists was constructed by a subcommittee of the electorate that included Brennaman, Costas, Hughes, Halberstam and Smith. The Ford C. Frick Award is voted upon annually and is named in memory of the sportswriter, radio broadcaster, National League president and baseball commissioner. Frick was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970.

For a complete list of Frick Award winners, click here.

As established by the Board of Directors, criteria for selection is as follows: “Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers.”  To be considered, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, network, or a combination of the two.

The Frick Award election cycle rotates between a composite ballot featuring local and national voices whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card Era in four consecutive years, followed by a fifth year featuring a ballot of candidates whose broadcasting careers concluded prior to the advent of the Wild Card Era in 1994. The cycle began with the 2023 Frick Award, with composite ballots of local and national voices continuing with the Awards in 2024, 2025 and 2026 before the pre-Wild Card Era ballot is considered for the 2027 Award.

VERDU- GO! – Red Sox Trade Outfielder to Evil Empire

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NASHVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees added an outfielder from their fiercest rival on Tuesday, acquiring Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for three right-handed pitchers as the MLB Winter Meetings are underway.

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Boston got Greg Weissert and minor-leaguers Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice in the swap.

Verdugo, 27, is arguably better known for how he got to Boston rather than anything he has accomplished on the field. He, catcher Connor Wong and infielder Jeter Downs were acquired in the February 2020 deal that sent superstar Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In four years with the Red Sox, Verdugo hit a composite .281 with a .338 on-base percentage, a .424 slugging percentage, 43 homers and 206 RBIs. He played 142 games in 2023, batting .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs.

Counting the three seasons he spent with the Dodgers, Verdugo has a career .281/.337/.428 batting line with 57 home runs and 255 RBIs in 651 games.

Primarily a corner outfielder, Verdugo also has seen time in center field. He could be a free agent following the upcoming season.

Weissert, 28, made 17 relief appearances for the Yankees this year, netting no decisions and a 4.05 ERA. He broke into the majors with 12 games out of the New York bullpen in 2022, when he finished 3-0 with a 5.56 ERA.

Fitts, 23, spent the 2023 season in Double-A, where he went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts. He was a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Auburn.

Judice, 22, has yet to make his pro debut after New York selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of UL-Monroe.

The Red Sox and Yankees have come together for just eight trades since 1969, according to MLB.com.

–Field Level Media

NFL Thursday Preview: Patriots Visit Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Rarely have the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves sporting a more impressive offense than their opponent this season, but that very well could be the case on Thursday night when they face the visiting New England Patriots.

New England (2-10) has displayed an anemic offense over its past three games, scoring a total of 13 points. It was shut out for the second time this season in a 6-0 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Prior to that, the Patriots lost 10-7 to the New York Giants on Nov. 26 after falling 10-6 to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, New England is the first team in 85 years to allow no more than 10 points in three straight games while dropping all three.

Bailey Zappe was hoping to help the Patriots turn things around when he made his third career start on Sunday, but he ended up completing just 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards. Zappe was starting in place of Mac Jones, who was benched after throwing for 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through the first 11 games.

While New England appears to already have enough on its plate, here come the Steelers (7-5) on a short week.

“It’s about rest, recovery, being physically ready to go and mentally. It’s a quick turnaround from (Sunday’s) game to Pittsburgh’s scouting report,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You know, a couple days of trying to get things covered. We’re pretty far into the season, I don’t think there is a lot of new things. It’s more about adapting to what we do against what they do.”

One of those adaptations New England will have to make is game planning for Mitch Trubisky, who will be taking over behind center for Kenny Pickett.

Pickett sustained an ankle injury during a 24-10 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday and underwent surgery on Monday. Trubisky threw for 117 yards and a TD on 11-for-17 passing against Arizona, but he knows facing the Patriots will be a challenge.

“They’re always very sound,” Trubisky said of the Steelers’ longtime AFC rivals. “I think their guys up front don’t get a lot of credit, but they’re very good players. … Always well coached. They do a good job of mixing it up trying to confuse the quarterback with different looks.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them. It’s gonna be a good challenge for us on Thursday.”

Trubisky will try to provide a spark for a Pittsburgh team averaging the fifth-fewest points per game in the NFL (16.0). New England ranks dead last with 12.3 points per game.

In what is already expected to be a low-scoring matchup, both sides could be without some of their top playmakers, too.

ESPN reported Tuesday that Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will be out for a few weeks due to a high ankle sprain. He has not practiced this week.

Demario Douglas (concussion) has yet to practice for the Patriots this week as well, while fellow receivers DeVante Parker (knee) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) were among those limited, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott (thigh).

Running back Najee Harris did not participate in the Steelers’ practice on Tuesday because of a knee injury. Cornerback James Pierre (shoulder) was also out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (broken hand) practiced in full.

–Field Level Media

Lakers Advance Over Suns

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – LeBron James scored 31 points with 11 assists, Anthony Davis scored 27 points with 15 rebounds and the Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the semifinals of the NBA in-season tournament with a 106-103 victory Tuesday over the visiting Phoenix.

Austin Reaves scored 20 points for the Lakers, who will face the New Orleans Pelicans in one semifinal game Thursday at Las Vegas. The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Indiana Pacers in the other semifinal, also on Thursday at Las Vegas, with the final set for Saturday there.

Los Angeles improved to 5-0 during in-season tournament games.

Kevin Durant scored 31 points for the Suns, who lost for the third time in their past four games after a seven-game winning streak. Phoenix lost two of its five games in the in-season tournament, both against Los Angeles.

Devin Booker and Grayson Allen each scored 21 points for the Suns, with Booker grabbing 11 rebounds. Phoenix head coach Frank Vogel, who was the Lakers’ coach when they won the 2020 NBA title, is 0-3 this season against his former team.

The Suns took a 95-94 lead on a 3-pointer from Durant with 5:45 remaining, but then they went more than four minutes without a field goal as the Lakers took a 102-97 lead with 2:20 remaining after six consecutive points from James.

Durant ended the field-goal drought with a short jumper to bring Phoenix within 102-99 with 1:02 remaining, and Booker brought the Suns within a point at 102-101 on a layup with 30 seconds left.

After missing his first five shots of the fourth quarter, Reaves buried a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left for a 105-101 lead. Durant made a quick layup to get the Suns within 105-103, with Davis making a free throw with 6.6 seconds remaining. Durant missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

The Lakers stormed out to a 33-23 lead after one quarter, assisted by nine Suns turnovers. Los Angeles led 59-47 at halftime after Davis scored 20 points with six rebounds.

After the Suns opened the second half on a 14-0 run, the Lakers’ lead was trimmed to 83-82 through three quarters.

–Field Level Media

The Belmont Stakes Moving to The Spa

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The third and final leg in horse racing’s Triple Crown will have a new venue in 2024 as the Belmont States is set to move to Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, one of the oldest most most beloved race tracks in the world.

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Massive renovations at Belmont Park in Elmont, are set to take up to two years at a cost of $455 million, with some speculation that the Belmont could be held at Saratoga in 2025 as well.

“It’s good we have at least an alternative,” New York governor Kathy Hochul said when announcing the move. “Instead of shutting down Belmont (race cards) completely, we can take the races elsewhere in the state.”

The Belmont Stakes will be moving from its regular home for the first time since 1967 when it was held at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens for the last of five consecutive years amid a previous renovation.

The current renovations will include the installation of a synthetic track in place of the dirt track, as well as completely renovating both turf courses.

The 2024 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga will be the 156th running and will see the winner’s purse rise to $2 million from $1.5 million, with the race length reduced to 1 1/4 miles from its grueling 1 1/2 miles.

The 2023 Belmont Stakes winner was Arcangelo, ridden by Javier Castellano. The last time a horse clinched the Triple Crown with a victory in the Belmont Stakes was Justify in 2018, ridden by Mike Smith.

–Field Level Media