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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | June 21

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Over the many years of WWYI and maybe a column or two on Digital Sports Desk, I’ve written a lot of different angles on Father’s Day. Some upbeat and noting fond memories, while others a bit sad.

It’s hard to write this, but when I think of Father’s Day, I think of my Dad very late in his life. He fell ill when I was very young (8th Grade), and passed away in the summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years at St. John’s. I looked at a picture just the other day, and instead of just seeing my Dad – as I did when I looked at the picture back in 1977 at my high school graduation – I looked at a relatively young man (60) appearing very old and fragile, barely able to walk past the Trinity baseball field and out another 100 yards to our football field – Jay Kutner Field. He did everything he could just to be there for me.

Of course, I think of a million happier and more meaningful thoughts. At the risk of repeating some things I might’ve written in the past, I’ll list a just a few things that pop into my mind:

  • My Dad pulling out colored (red and blue) markers from his work shirt pocket – complete with the plastic protector to not allow the ink to stain his white shirt – and drawing the red and blue lines of a hockey rink to properly teach the NHL ice hockey “off-sides” rules to me while watching Jim Godon and Bill “The Big Whistle” Chadwick call the New York Rangers games on WOR-TV-9. He also illustrated the more intricate “two-line pass” rule, using a black marker and dotted lines of the passes.
  • My Dad taking me to special Pan American World Airways functions when the New York Nets were sending players to ramp-up ticket sales. One function stands out as Ollie Taylor was the guest and took pictures with all of us (mine ended up in the Long Island Press) and the great Olympic swimmer, Donna deVerona, was being honored.
  • My Dad taking me to see “Patton” in the movie theatre near Salisbury Park (which eventually became Eisenhower Park).
  • Great “Pan Am” vacations in Montego Bay, Jamaica; St. Thomas (USVI); and Frankfurt, Germany. We always had to fly in a suit or sport jacket, hoping for an upgrade to First Class but also not to have to pack the bulky jackets. I still do it ‘til this day.
  • My Dad – somehow, someway – putting up with us (my brothers and entire neighborhood) playing Wiffel Ball on our front driveway. As we aged, those Wiffel Balls would sound like M-80s hitting our garage door on a foul back. (We only broke two or three windows, and actually purchased them in half-dozens to be sure we could replace any broken windows. We bought Wiffel Balls by the CASE!
  • My Dad taking me to dozens of Nets games at the Island Garden in the York Larese and Lavern Tart era.
  • Harlem Globetrotters at the Commack Arena
  • Long Island Ducks (minor league ice hockey) at Commack, too.

I could go on and on and on.

Anyway, for this Father’s Day, I thought I’d jot down some REALLY random but not very important in the grand scheme of life notes for my daughters to know. Some of the “trivial items in the key of life.”

  • As much as I admired Gregg Allman singing “Melissa,” my favorite ABB song is “Jessica,” an instrumental written by Dickie Betts with organ pieces by Gregg Allman, of course, double drums (former ABB, the late Butch Trucks; with Jaimoe), then an incredible piano solo by Check Leavell. As you’ll note from the clip below, Betts wrote the song with the influence of jazz legend Django Reinhardt but inspiration from his two-year old daughter, Jessica,” bouncing around the house. Here it is, in all its glory, being taught by Chuck Leavell himself.

My favorite motion pictures, in real order of preference, but I always reserve the right to change my mind, add and subtract shows, and I don’t include legendary motion pictures that EVERYONE lists and loves, such as The Godfather and Godfather II, Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz or the great “action” movies in the James Bond or Mission Impossible category.

  1. Casablanca
  2. The Sting
  3. Almost Famous
  4. The Way We Were
  5. STAR WARS to The Return of the Jedi (old school)
  6. All the President’s Men
  7. The Purple Rose of Cairo
  8. Cinema Paradiso
  9. The Maltese Falcon
  10. The Big Chill

There are hundreds of “also rans” on my list, including a ton of great sports (Slap Shot), War Movies (Saving Private Ryan), Baseball Movies (It Happens Every Spring and the original Angeles in the Outfield) plus plenty more, like the silly set of “My Cousin Vinnie,” “STRIPES,” and “Airplane.”

KESWICK AMERICANS SPECIAL for FATHER’S DAY

By the way, here’s an extra bonus “Father’s Day Gift,” dedicated to all of those who wore the uniform of the Keswick Americans. This clip is from an ‘84 Dickie Betts concert, a few years after our heydays of 1978-79-80-81. Of course, Chuck Leavell is featured, but it is one of Betts’ best performances ever.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: A few friends and former NBA colleagues pointed out that this year’s NBA Draft will mark 40 years since we lost Len Bias. For those who don’t know the Len Bias story, please clock HERE. For everyone else, Bias’ death marks a terrible tragedy when we know exactly where we were when we heard the terrible news. There were several points of anguish that late night/ear;y morning in June 1986, a few hours after we saw Bias at the Draft in New York, then watched as he met the media in Boston a couple hours after we said good-bye and good luck. The most serious place was with Bias’ family, especially his mother, Dr. Lonise Bias. Then, there was the shock of the Boston Celtics, and then the point of the most media attention and all out shock – was the crime scene on the campus of the University of Maryland at College Park. Lastly, was with us, the people of the NBA who had staged the draft and saw a young, vibrant, can’t miss talent shake hands with Commissioner David Stern and get his Celtics’ hat, conduct his press conferences then head off to Boston for a same day event. … Dr. Lonise Bias passed away a couple years back. She had to endure the death of two sons. … I can share this brief snippet: After a very late night at the 1986 NBA Draft and the proverbial “End of the Season gathering of sorts,” even though it was really the start of the new season, I got about four hours of sleep, sucked it up and went to the office at 645 Fifth Avenue to edit film shot at the Draft the night before. Upon entering the office at about 8:35am, (15th floor), our receptionist Rhea Williams said, “Thank God, someone’s here.” I had no idea what she was talking about but glanced at the “old fashioned” switchboard and every single line was lit or blinking. … I CAN NOT think of a day worse than that day and that covers over 25 years of fielding calls for the NBA. I’m sure it was even harder, more emotional and just terrible at U of Maryland. May God Bless Len and his family.

JUNGLELAND: “They’ll meet ‘neath that CITGO sign that brings this fair city light.” No! … They’re coming after the CITGO sign.

According to multiple media accounts, the iconic CITGO sign in Boston is moving, but only slightly. The sign will be moved 30 feet higher and 120 feet to the east on the roof of 660 Beacon St, which is being redeveloped. This will “restore and preserve the original viewshed corridor” for the sign, developers say. The project will be done in two phases over six months. The first was taking the sign apart, which included removing the letters and the logo.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: A time out in any sporting event is often a horse of a different color. In some sports, the timeouts seem excessive. In the World Cup, they are infrequent, but this year there seems to be a new moniker for a timeout. Let’s look at the evolution of mandatory timeouts:

  1. An “automatic” timeout
  2. A “TV” timeout
  3. A media timeout
  4. A “hydration break”

Maybe all the leagues should change their stripes (rules) and everyone can call it a “hydration break?” Seems like it’s all for the benefit of over-heated players, on the edge of dehydration. Then, a miracle. A “hydration break” fixes everything.

A group of men in kilts marching down a street
Photo by Sebastian Pociecha on Unsplash

SCOTLAND YARD: Boston says “Thank-You” to our guests from Scotland. The cities of Boston (and Providence, RI) were graced with two World Cup preliminary round games played at “Boston Stadium,” a.k.a. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The Scottish fans made quite an impression. Last Sunday night, they organized and staged a parade of some 5,000 fans who marched to Fenway Park. The parade was led by bagpipers and Scottish flags, and a massive group who carried tunes with the best of ‘em. The city fell in love with the Scots and rooted their team on. When Scotland flew off to Miami for their third game, the editors of The Boston Globe took it upon themselves to do a full page formal “Thank You,” which read:

Dear Tartan Army,

You came for the World Cup, but gave us something more.

“For a week, you turned train stations into singalongs, Fenway into a football ground and an ordinary June into something we’ll be talking about for years.

“Boston has hosted championships, parades and celebrations of every kind. But we’ve never hosted guests quite like you all.

“Thank you for the laughter, the bagpipes and the memories. The World Cup will move on. So will the songs, but we’ll never forget the joy you brought to our city.”

CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Olympiakos and Panathinaikos squared-off for the Greek League basketball finals and, as per usual, there were some serious sparks. This year, however, it went above and beyond. The sports commission of Greece imposed a six-month ban (from attending games) and a fine on Panathinaikos team owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos during Game 4 of the Finals. The fine of $50,000 (Euros) was doubled when the basketball club was also fined for the same amount, with the commission stating Giannakopoulos was penalized for “repeated defamation of the sport.” … The Game 4 fine was stiffer as Giannakopoulos was previously penalized with a one-month ban and a $30,000 (euros) fine from Game 1 of the Finals with the ban obviously ignored. … It got worse. … Following Game 2, Giannakopoulos was handed another one-month ban. Game officials reported that he stepped onto the court to aggressively protest and threaten referees, explicitly demanding a technical foul be given to Olympiacos coach Georgios Bartzokas. Olympiacos won the championship series. They defeated Panathinaikos 3-2 in the best-of-five.

Ailing Mariners Host Struggling Sox

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Preview) – Outfielder Luke Raley was over the lower back tightness that forced him to miss the first two games of the Seattle Mariners’ series with the Baltimore Orioles. But he sat out the series finale on Thursday in Seattle with the flu.

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The players who normally occupy the top six spots in the Mariners’ batting order — J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor, Randy Arozarena and Raley — all missed games this week because of injuries.

Crawford (left hand contusion) and Raleigh (strained right oblique) were activated from the injured list Tuesday, the same day Arozarena (left hamstring strain) was placed on the IL. Naylor (right wrist discomfort) missed two games before returning Thursday, and Rodriguez (hamstring spasm) sat out the finale against the Orioles after leaving Wednesday’s game after six innings with a left hamstring spasm.

“We were banged up, no question,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “We’ve had some injuries over the last week, but it doesn’t do any good to focus on that. We focused on winning the series.”

The Mariners did that with a 3-0 victory Thursday, scoring all of their runs in the first inning to back Bryan Woo, who allowed three hits over seven-plus innings with nine strikeouts.

“That’s the team stepping up in a situation where we needed it to,” Wilson said. “That’s what the fight in there is all about.”

Wilson said he considers Rodriguez, who ran in the outfield and performed agility drills before Thursday’s game, as day-to-day.

“Julio’s just getting a chance to get a day (off) to make sure we’re all set with his legs,” Wilson said. “I think that’s a smart thing to do.”

The Red Sox, in last place in the AL East, have lost four games in a row and eight of their past 10. They were swept in a three-game series at home by Toronto, including a 4-3 defeat Thursday afternoon as the Blue Jays scored the go-ahead run off closer Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning.

That came after Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin hit back-to-back homers leading off the bottom of the eighth to give the Red Sox the lead.

“They’re all kicks (to the gut),” Kiner-Falefa said. “Swept at home, in division, it doesn’t get worse than that, right? So hopefully, we just go to the West Coast and play well. We’ve got to go on a streak, and we’ve got to go on a streak now. It’s time to go on a streak, or we’re going to be having new players in this locker room. So just got to figure it out ASAP.”

The Red Sox will start left-hander Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.21 ERA) in Friday’s series opener against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (3-0, 1.54)

Suarez is 0-1 in his past seven starts since his last win on April 27. He didn’t get a decision Saturday in a 6-3 victory against visiting Texas despite allowing just two runs on six hits over five innings, with seven strikeouts.

Suarez is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in two career starts against Seattle.

Miller has won his past two starts and three of his past four. He pitched eight innings in a 10-2 victory last Friday at Washington, giving up two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.

Miller is 0-3 with an 8.22 ERA in three previous starts vs. the Red Sox.

–Field Level Media

Sox Can’t Walk 500 Miles for a Win

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief

BOSTON – Screw Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and here’s a hearty New England welcome to “The Proclaimers.“

If you were around in 1988 and buying records in the United Kingdom, all the kids’ pounds (£) were being plunked down in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen for a catchy little tune that made it to No. 11 on the charts.

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“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” was the song and it was released in August of that year, placed on an album called, “Sunshine on Leith.”

Apparently, the Toronto Blue Jays and Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman didn’t buy the album, as Chapman – the closer of closers – came to the mound at Fenway with the score tied, 3-3, in the top of the ninth inning. He was in for the hold, really, with Boston interim manager Chad Tracy dreaming of a come-from-behind victory on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon when 32,027 fans packed the tiny ballpark. And, yes, about 5,000 of those fans had first-hand connections to the Scottish National soccer team who will play their second of three World Cup preliminary games at “Boston Stadium” in Foxborough on Friday night. They were all singing 500 Miles and they were lit.

Fenway’s game ops people have jumped on the Scottish bandwagon since Sunday night when a (literal) parade of Scots in kilts marched to Fenway from the Fens, playing bagpipes and singing their favorite tunes. “Sweet Caroline” is not one of them, as that particular song has been co-opted by England’s footy team, so the Scots sit it out when the Fenway faithful sing-a-long in the middle of the eighth, as per usual.

Scotland’s fans have fallen in love with Boston, mainly because the locals have been buying the sons and daughters of Scotland cold beers to act as a gesture of hospitality to make up for the ridiculous price-gouging by the trains, planes and automobile prices to get from Boston to the hinterlands of what was formerly known as Gillette Stadium – located someplace west of Boston and east of Providence. There’s talk of Glasgow and Boston becoming sister-cities.

Somewhat fueled by a raucous Boston crowd, singing and dancing and carrying on in the middle of the 8th inning, Boston shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Caleb Durbin hit back-to-back solo home runs to lead-off the home half of the eighth and tie the score at 3-all, knotting what had been a 3-1 Toronto Blue Jays crusher and another loss at home.

But, the Scots and The Proclaimers sang of “Walking 500 Miles” in a song expressing a deep commitment to love, and emphasizing the lengths one would go to for a partner, a fan, maybe a teammate?

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It just wasn’t meant to be when Toronto’s second baseman Ernie Clement got onboard with an infield hit in the ninth. With two outs, Blue Jays back-up catcher Brandon Valenzuela drove in the game-winning run with a double down the left field line to score Clement from first base and put the Jays up, 4-3.

The run earned Toronto its second series sweep and sent the Red Sox packing for Seattle as losers of four straight, and eight of 10. The Sox were swept in a series for the fifth time this season, including the third time at home. Boston is now (29-43) and in last place in the American League East, 16 games off the lead, while the Jays are mired in third place in the AL East at (37-38).

Chapman took the loss (0-2) after starter Sonny Gray went a season high 7.0 IP and 89 pitches (63 strikes). Gray let up three earned runs and six hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Toronto’s starter, Trey Yesavage pitched a strong, career-high  7.1 innings, giving up only four hits with the three earned runs and six strikeouts. Reliever Tommy Nance was credited with the victory, his first of the season against two losses. Blue Jays reliver Mason Fluharty earned the save, his first, against two losses.

The loss dropped Boston record against AL East teams to (6-17) as they have lost each of their last seven games to divisional opponents, dating back to June 7 at New York (Yankees). It was Toronto’s first series sweep of the Sox since September 15-17, 2023.

Boston jets off to Seattle for a three-game set (Friday to Sunday), then continues to Colorado for three games, scheduled June 22 to 24. The Red Sox return home, without their friends from Scotland, for a four-game series against the AL division leading Yankees, June 25-28.

 

 

 

PGA Tour: It’s On to Shinnecock Hills

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SOUTHAMPTON, NY – This week will feature the third major of the 2026 season (Rory McIlroy/Masters Tournament; Aaron Rai/PGA Championship) and the 126th playing of the U.S. Open, dating to 1895.

The 2026 U.S. Open will be the 76th USGA championship and 21st U.S. Open conducted in New York. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is the lone course to have hosted the U.S. Open in three different centuries. The golf course was founded in 1891, is the oldest incorporated golf club in the United States. Shinnecock is one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA, which was established in 1894 and conducted its first championships in 1895.

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In 1896, Shinnecock Hills hosted the second U.S. Open (35 total players) and second U.S. Amateur (58 total players).

The 2026 U.S. Open is the 10th USGA championship to be conducted by the club and the sixth U.S. Open (1896/James Foulis, 1986/Raymond Floyd, 1995/Corey Pavin, 2004/Retief Goosen, 2018/Brooks Koepka).

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club will also host the 2036 U.S. Open and 2036 U.S. Women’s Open.

The USGA accepted 10,201 entries for the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, one entry shy of the record 10,202 entries accepted for the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. This year marks the fifth time in championship history that the number of entries exceeded 10,000.

The field will be cut after 36 holes to the low 60 and ties.

In the event of a playoff, a two-hole aggregate playoff will take place following the completion of Sunday’s final round

U.S. Open | Tournament Facts

COURSE: Shinnecock Hills Country Club, Southampton, Long Island

YARDS/PAR: 7,440 yards/Par 70

ARCHITECT/DESIGN: Willie Davis in 1891 and later expanded by Willie Dunn in 1894. William Flynn is credited with the major redesign in 1931.

PRIZE Money – Purse/Winner’s Share: TBD

DEFENDING CHAMPION: J.J. Spaun

PAST RESULTS: (link)

OVERVIEW: (PGATourCom)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 750

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup #USOpengolf

U.S. Open | The Basics

The Tee Times at Shinnecock start at 6:35am (ET) and go to 2:42pm (ET).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast on the East End of Long Island is uncertain. Morning sun still sees a 41% chance of rain. Temperatures 77-83 degrees but winds blowing at 20 mph.

Tournament Web Site: (link)

PGA Tour Brunch – U.S. Open edition – will post at 6:00am (ET) on Thursday.

U.S. Open – Field and Tee Times

The Field: (link)

Tee Times: (link)

U.S. Open | Tournament Odds

Odds Courtesy Betting Hero – Select Players

Scottie Scheffler +550

Rory McIlroy +1200

Jon Rahm +1500

Xander Schauffele +1600

Tommy Fleetwood +1800

Matt Fitzpatrick +1800

Cameron Young +2000

Ludvig Åberg +2200

Russell Henley +3300

Si Woo Kim +3500

Collin Morikawa +4000

Chris Gotterup +4000

Patrick Reed +4000

Sam Burns +4000

Tyrrell Hatton +4000

Bryson DeChambeau +4000

Brooks Koepka +4500

Patrick Cantlay +5000

Viktor Hovland +5000

Justin Rose +5000

Justin Thomas +5000

Wyndham Clark +5000

Maverick McNealy +6000

Min Woo Lee +6000

Kurt Kitayama +6000

J.J. Spaun +6000

Aaron Rai +6500

Jordan Spieth +7000

Harris English +7000

Hideki Matsuyama +7000

Joaquin Niemann +7000

Shane Lowry +7000

Robert MacIntyre +8000

Ryan Gerard +8000

Adam Scott +8000

Kristoffer Reitan +8000

Ben Griffin +8000

Jake Knapp +10000

Jacob Bridgeman +10000

David Puig +10000

Alex Fitzpatrick +10000

Gary Woodland +10000

Cameron Smith +10000

Nicolai Højgaard +10000

Sepp Straka +10000

Alex Noren +10000

Bud Cauley +10000

Blue Jays Way

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BOSTON – Toronto’s Dylan Cease tossed five scoreless innings and the visiting Blue Jays received home runs from Andres Gimenez, Davis Schneider and George Springer en route to a 6-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

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Cease (4-3) limited Boston to four hits, walked four and struck out seven. He threw 108 pitches. Louis Varland recorded the final four outs and earned his 13th save.

Schneider and Gimenez hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth, then Springer drove in two in the ninth with his 300th career homer. Springer had three RBIs in the win.

Jarren Duran accounted for Boston’s run by hitting a solo home run against Tommy Nance in the eighth. Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Connor Wong each collected two hits for the Red Sox, who were 1 of 12 with runners in scoring position. Willson Contreras struck out four times.

Gimenez, who missed Sunday’s game against the New York Yankees with a sore wrist, scored the game’s first run in the third inning. He doubled, moved to third when Myles Straw hit a fly ball to right and scored on Springer’s sacrifice fly.

The home runs by Gimenez and Schneider in the fifth both came against Boston starter Payton Tolle and stretched Toronto’s lead to 3-0.

Tolle (3-4) also was pulled after five innings. He allowed three runs on four hits, walked two and struck out six.

Toronto made it 4-0 in the sixth. Kazuma Okamoto walked, took third on a Nathan Lukes single and scored when Schneider doubled.

Duran’s home run cut Toronto’s lead to 4-1 in the eighth. Boston brought the tying run to the plate, but Varland entered and struck out pinch hitter Mickey Gasper to end the inning.

The loss dropped the Red Sox’ record to 9-30 when their opponent scores first.

–Field Level Media

Stanley Cup Scores in Ratings

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – The high-scoring Stanley Cup Final turned into a ratings win for ABC, which drew the highest viewership for the NHL’s championship round in seven years, the network announced.

The Carolina Hurricanes’ six-game win over the Vegas Golden Knights attracted an average of 5.2 million viewers. The last time more people tuned in to see the Stanley Cup Final was in 2019, when 5.3 million on average watched the St. Louis Blues top the Boston Bruins in seven games.

The decisive game of the Hurricanes’ title run brought in 5.9 million, the highest for a finals Game 6 since 2019. The Game 6 rating more than doubled the audience that saw the Florida Panthers lift the cup after winning Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers last year.

The 2025 finals were carried on the Turner networks. The Sunday clincher saw a 40% viewership rise from the last time ABC had the finals, in 2024, another series featuring the Panthers and Oilers.

The peak for the Sunday game was 7.2 million late in the contest as Carolina wrapped up the second championship in franchise history.

The first five games of the 2026 finals all featured at least six total goals, with both teams pulling off comebacks and two contests extending into overtime. Only the finale, a 3-0 Hurricanes victory, bucked the trend of both teams scoring multiple goals.

Ratings on ABC and ESPN for the entire 2026 playoffs were the highest ever for the company, averaging 2.2 million across 43 games, the networks announced. That figure was up 127% from 2025 and up 19% from 2024. ESPN aired the NHL playoffs from 1994-2002 plus each year since 2021.

–Field Level Media

Vegas Blown Away: Like a Hurricane

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LAS VEGAS — Rod Brind’Amour captained the Carolina Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup in 2006.

Twenty years later on Sunday night, Brind’Amour got to pick up and hold the trophy again on the ice at T-Mobile Arena after coaching the Hurricanes to another Stanley Cup victory.

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Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi, a waiver-wire pickup from Florida in October, made 22 saves to win his third straight start and record his first career playoff shutout, and Jackson Blake had a goal and an assist to lead the Hurricanes to a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 on Sunday night.

Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Carolina, which won the best-of-seven series, 4-2.

“I think it was just our time,” Brind’Amour said. “We weren’t going to be denied.”

Carolina captain Jordan Staal, who tied a Stanley Cup Final record with goals in five straight games to start the series and totaled six goals in the finals, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

According to Sportsnet Stats, Brind’Amour became just the fourth person to both captain and coach a franchise to a Stanley Cup, joining Toe Blake (Montreal Canadiens), Hap Day (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Cooney Weiland (Boston Bruins).

“It felt great (to lift the Cup again),” Brind’Amour said. “I’m so happy for everyone. That’s what this is about. That’s what hockey is about. It’s the ultimate team sport.”

Brind’Amour was asked to compare winning the Stanley Cup as a player and a head coach.

“It’s different, because as a player, I really wanted it for myself,” Brind’Amour said. “Now, sitting back behind (the bench) watching, I really wanted it for these guys because there’s no harder-working group. I see it every day. It’s just like a proud dad watching his kids go to work. Just couldn’t say enough good things about this group.”

At 37 years and 277 days, Staal became the oldest winner of the Conn Smythe. Goaltender Tim Thomas (2011) of the Boston Bruins was the previous oldest at 37 years and 61 days.

Staal also won the Stanley Cup in 2009 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“That’s a lot of years,” Staal said. “I mean, it’s amazing. It’s something I’ve been going after ever since I got the first one. You want to win it again and again and again.”

Carter Hart finished with 20 saves for Vegas, which lost in the finals for the second time in the team’s nine-year history. The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023.

Hall gave Carolina a 1-0 lead at the 3:47 mark of the first period. Jaccob Slavin set up the score with a stretch pass from blue line to blue line. Hall was open as he took the pass and broke in on the left wing, beating Hart with a wrist shot past his glove side for his seventh goal of the playoffs and second in the finals.

Vegas, which outshot the Hurricanes 11-8 in the opening period, had several excellent chances to tie the game later in the period. Brett Howden broke in alone down the slot midway through the period, but Bussi made a stick save on his five-hole try.

The Golden Knights had a flurry of chances near the end of the period, including two close-in tries by Mark Stone and a one-timer by Pavel Dorofeyev from the bottom of the right circle that Bussi made a diving save to stop.

Carolina tightened up on defense in the second period, holding Vegas to just three shots on goal. The Hurricanes extended the lead to 2-0 at the 13:31 mark when Logan Stankoven fed Blake alone on the edge on the right circle, and Blake blasted a one-timer past Hart’s glove side for his seventh goal of the playoffs.

Vegas had a chance to cut the lead in half midway through the third period when Carolina forward Eric Robinson went to the penalty box for high-sticking Nic Dowd. On the ensuing power play, Stone crossed a pass to a wide-open Jack Eichel at the bottom edge of the left circle, but Eichel’s snap shot against a stickless Bussi went off the crossbar.

The Golden Knights pulled Hart for an extra attacker with three minutes to go, and Ehlers intercepted a pass and sealed the win with an empty-netter with 68 seconds to play, his eighth goal of the playoffs.

“As I’ve always said, it’s a find-a-way league,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “All the games were close, and it was just try to find a way, and they did tonight, and they beat us.”

Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb, who played the final four  games with a full cage after taking an Ehlers slap shot on the nose that needed 30 stitches to repair, said he was proud of his team.

“We came together late in the year and we battled our asses off,” McNabb said. “I’m proud of how we got here. We just came up a little bit short.”

Slavin joined Ken Morrow (Islanders, 1980) as the only American-born players to win Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year.

–Steve Guiremand, Field Level Media

 

Rangers Hold Off Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – Wyatt Langford and Kyle Higashioka homered in back-to-back innings to start the game, and the visiting Texas Rangers avoided a three-game series sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox with a 6-4 win on Sunday night.

The Rangers tagged Boston starter Connelly Early (5-5) for six runs and 11 hits through the first 4 2/3 innings and totaled 13 knocks in the game.

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Beyond the long balls, Brandon Nimmo (2-for-5) hit a clutch two-RBI double in the fourth inning, while Justin Foscue went 3-for-3 with a run scored. Higashioka and Cody Freeman also had multiple hits.

The early offense stood tall as Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi (6-7) pitched seven innings, striking out six while working around three runs and six hits.

Willson Contreras homered twice on his 3-for-4 night and Masataka Yoshida went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored to lead the Red Sox, who have lost five of their last seven games.

With the Tartan Army filling the Fenway Park stands after Scotland’s World Cup win in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday, Early was tagged for a first-pitch leadoff home run for a second consecutive start. Langford crushed a solo shot completely over the Green Monster and out of the ballpark to lift Texas to an immediate 1-0 lead in the first inning.

The Rangers busted open the score with three straight hits to start the second. After Foscue and Cody Freeman stung back-to-back singles to center, Higashioka drove them both home with a three-run shot that just cleared the left-field wall.

After Eovaldi set down his former team 1-2-3 to start the game, Contreras went deep to left to get Boston on the scoreboard at 4-1. The inning continued with Caleb Durbin drawing a one-out walk and Isiah Kiner-Falefa knocking an infield single over second base. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, Marcelo Mayer’s RBI grounder made it a two-run game.

Early escaped a two-on jam without any damage in the third, but Texas extended its lead in the following frame. Alejandro Osuna started the rally with a one-out single, then back-to-back walks preceded Nimmo’s key double high off the Monster.

While Greg Weissert (1 1/3 innings), Ryan Watson (two innings) and Tommy Kahnle (one inning) teamed up for scoreless relief, Boston inched closer when Contreras knocked another solo shot out to deep left with two outs in the sixth, making it a 6-3 game.

In the eighth, Yoshida’s one-out knock got the Sox started, and he scored on Abreu’s liner to right two batters later.

Contreras followed with his third hit, but Jacob Latz entered to induce an inning-ending grounder from Jarren Duran before dealing a scoreless ninth to finalize his 11th save.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Cauley Gets His Win

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TORONTO – (Wire Service Report) – It was a long climb for Bud Cauley, but he finally made it.

Cauley birdied three consecutive holes on the back nine during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on his way to shooting 5-under-par 65 and winning on the PGA Tour for the first time Sunday in Caledon, Ontario.

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Cauley, 36, had never finished higher than third since turning pro in 2011. The RBC Canadian Open was his 239th PGA Tour event — most of them coming prior a 2018 car accident that broke six of his ribs, fractured his leg and forced a collapsed lung.

“Just how hard that was,” said Cauley, reflecting on his journey. “Just so many people helped me get here and I’m just really thankful for all the help that I’ve gotten.”

Cauley ended up at 17-under 263 for a two-stroke victory over England’s Matt Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick shot 64, finishing his round with a 12-foot eagle putt on No. 18 after a bogey on the previous hole pretty much dashed his hopes of winning the tournament at rainy TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley’s North course.

Norway’s Viktor Hovland (65) claimed third at 14 under.

Cauley used four birdies, including a chip-in on No. 12, on a five-hole stretch (Nos. 11 to 15) to pull away from the pack for a three-shot lead.

“I’m just very proud of the way I kind of kept going and continued to make birdies there on the back nine and I’m just so happy,” he said.

Fitzpatrick generally liked his performance.

“It’s a good week,” he said. “I would have taken it at the start of the week. I felt like there was a lot of good stuff in there.”

Jimmy Stanger trailed by three going to No. 18, but an approach into the water cost him and he bogeyed the hole and settled for 67. At 13 under, he tied with Jackson Suber (70), Brice Garnett (68) and Sweden’s Jesper Svensson (68) for fourth place. Suber led Cauley by one shot through three rounds.

Still, Suber had a worthwhile experience, gaining entry later this year in the British Open and Travelers based on the result. He qualified for the U.S. Open during a Monday qualifier at the beginning of the week.

“To be able to play in the U.S. Open next week, Travelers, and then the British Open, I mean, that’s a pretty big schedule change, especially coming into the year with conditional status,” Suber said.

Defending champion Ryan Fox of New Zealand posted 68 and tied with two others — Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju (68) and South African Aldrich Potgieter (65) — at 12 under.

“Obviously going into the week, it was like you have that little bit of added pressure being at the Canadian Open and for me being pretty close to home and stuff like that,” Yellamaraju said. “I just kind of tried to keep trying to tell myself to play the best that I could and just fight until the very end, which was pretty much what I did.”

Second-round leader Ben James recovered from a disastrous third round to shoot 69 and tie for 54th place at 3 under in his PGA Tour debut.

Brooks Koepka, who was a co-leader after a first-round 64, withdrew prior to the final round citing a hand injury. After a 72 on Saturday, he stood at 6 under through three rounds.

The start of Sunday’s round was pushed back because of concerns related to the weather forecast. Golfers were sent off the first and 10th tees in threesomes.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Aim for Sweep of Texas

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – After their first home series win since April, the Boston Red Sox go for a series sweep against the visiting Texas Rangers on Sunday evening.

The Red Sox are now 2-8-1 this season in home series and interim manager Chad Tracy knows if Boston is going to climb out of the American League East cellar, it will have to improve its performance at home.

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“It’s been a minute (since a home series win) and it feels good,” Tracy said. “It’s no secret. We all know we have to play better at home. We played two really good ball games and now have a chance to go sweep a series. It feels good for the guys for sure.”

While Red Sox fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about at home, Ceddanne Rafaela changed that – for an afternoon anyway – with a clutch, two-run go-ahead single that came with two outs in the seventh to give Boston a 4-2 lead.

The 25-year-old center fielder ranks second on Boston in batting average (.291), doubles (14) and stolen bases (seven).

“Every win matters,” Rafaela said. “Especially at home. I want the fans to be happy, that’s what we are showing up for to try and accomplish.”

With two straight wins, Jarren Duran said Boston has to stay focused as it has the chance to get on a roll. Duran launched a two-run homer in the eighth to provide the Red Sox bullpen with breathing room.

“We are picking it up, which is good,” Duran said. “We just need to put our heads down and keep going.”

Boston starter Connelly Early (5-4, 3.30 ERA) is scheduled to make his first career appearance against the Rangers. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in a 3-1 loss in his last start at the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

The Rangers will counter with Nathan Eovaldi (5-7, 4.26 ERA), who took the loss in a 5-3 setback at the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. The veteran right-hander surrendered four runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

In 12 appearances, including 11 starts, against one of his former teams, Eovaldi is 4-1 with a 4.68 ERA. He’s racked up 46 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings pitched.

After scoring just four runs in the first two games of the series – a 10-1 loss on Friday and a 6-3 setback on Saturday – Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said his club’s offense has to provide more support for its pitching staff.

“The challenge for us is providing more cushion on the offensive side for our starting pitchers,” Schumaker said.

Jake Burger provided some offense with a solo shot in the eighth, his 100th career home run. Burger leads the Rangers in homers (12) and RBIs (42).

Michael Helman also contributed to the Rangers’ offensive output with an RBI sacrifice fly that tied the game 2-2 in the fourth. But the center fielder, who has 30 at-bats in 15 games, was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the eighth, and after being checked out by the Rangers’ training staff at first base, he exited the game.

“Michael has multiple fractures in at least one finger, if not two,” Schumaker said. “He will be out for a bit, (the pitch) got him pretty good.”
-Field Level Media