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Digital Sports Desk

NHL: Senators Games Postponed

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OTTAWA – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The National Hockey League will postpone Ottawa Senators’ games at least through Saturday, Nov. 20. The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups after 10 Senators’ players entered the NHL’s COVID+ protocol, and evidence of continued spread became obvious in recent days, said the league in a news release to media.

As an appropriate precaution, the team’s training facilities have been closed, and will remain closed to players until further notice. The NHL is in the process of reviewing and revising the Senators’ regular season schedule. The Senators organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, provincial and national agencies.

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Nov. 14

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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – DIGGIES for Best Sports Town

BOSTON – One of the most popular sports columnists in the whole shooting match, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe, got a hold a sports survey by a financial service firm, called Wallet Hub. The site named Boston as the No. 1 sports town in the USA.

Wallet Hub reporter Adam McCann, a 2017 graduate of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, penned the report and crunched some numbers to determine his listings. As Mr. McCann graduated with a Hopkins’ degree in Writing Seminars (one of the toughest majors, aside from Hopkins’ famed medical school and science degrees) AND International Studies, we’re here to applaud his efforts. Here’s a few other McCann columns archived on Muck Rack). Way to be Adam and Go Hop!

But, this TL Sunday sports notebook zigs when others might zag, so there will be a new version of the popular DIGGIES Awards with our very own 2021-22 @DigSportsDesk – Best Sports Towns listing.

In case you weren’t onboard for previous Digital Sports Desk DIGGIES,here’s an example of a prior listing. Click HERE for The Influencers. Or, click HERE for an archived 2018 DIGGIES on Hot Sports Properties to Watch. Sadly, with a Pandemic Purge of our prior Digital Sports Desk archives, there were dozens of other DIGGIES that are on a Cloud computing device somewhere. Exactly where, we do not know.

Getting back to the efforts of Mr. McCann for Wallet Hub and Mr. Ryan’s take on the listing for the Globe, the methodology of the report was quite in-depth and it started with the Global Sports Media Report of 2014. The seven-year-old report was then supplemented by scores of data, collected from and cited properly by Wallet Hub. Ready? … They used: The U.S. Census Bureau, Team Marketing Report, ESPN, NCAA, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sports Reference, Forbes, Sports Analytics Research from Mike Lewis, MLB Advanced Media, Minor League Baseball, Nielsen, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The National Collegiate Athletic Association, Wikipedia, Facebook, Twitter, NBA, Ranker.com, NHL.com, U.S. College Hockey Online, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, USL, Soccer Stadium Digest, FlashScore, Sportico, Google Trends, National Soccer Hall of Fame and WalletHub analysis.

Somehow or another, they left Barstool Sports and Digital Sports Desk out?

The other key factor in the report and rankings, the data crunching of 392 cities in the United States was carved into three population-based categories of:

  • Large Cities (300,000+ people)
  • Mid-sized Cities (100,000 to 299,999 people)
  • Small Cities (Fewer than 100,000 people)

Here are the findings:

Large Cities:

  1. Boston
  2. Los Angeles
  3. New York
  4. Pittsburgh
  5. Philadelphia
  6. Denver
  7. Wash DC
  8. Dallas
  9. Chicago
  10. Miami

(Note: They went 61 deep in their listing of Large Cities.

Mid-sized Cities:

  1. Buffalo
  2. Green Bay
  3. Salt Lake City
  4. Orlando
  5. Glendale
  6. Durham
  7. Ann Arbor
  8. Baton Rouge
  9. South Bend
  10. Norman

Small Cities:

  1. Clemson
  2. West Point
  3. Fayette (Michigan)
  4. East Lansing
  5. Tuscaloosa
  6. Hanover
  7. State College
  8. Buies Creek (North Carolina)
  9. Stanford
  10. Morgantown (West Virginia)

Much to its credit, the report also broke down the various cities by the major sports. Ryan was quick to point out that Boston ranked No. 5 in Baseball, No. 1 in ice hockey, No. 3 in football and No. 2 in basketball while also placing the very-much “pro” sports town as No. 15 in college basketball. … You ‘gotta love’ the Buffalo, Green Bay, Clemson and West Point mentions, too.

The college basketball rankings had Durham as No. 1 (thanks Coach K and Duke) and Lexington as No. 2 (thanks Coach Cal and UK). All things considered, Boston’s rather high ranking had to come from the fact you can see no fewer than seven Division I college programs, including:

  1. America East – UMass Lowell
  2. Atlantic 10 – UMass
  3. ACC – Boston College
  4. BIG EAST – Providence
  5. Colonial – Northeastern
  6. IVY League – Harvard
  7. Patriot League – Boston U, and Holy Cross

With all things considered, there’s no real way to determine the No. 1 Sports City. Do you consider success in a calendar year by pro sports teams and then add some college programs when it is appropriate? How many sports in the NCAA athletics do you consider?

Do you base it on a loyal fan base? Attendance? TV Ratings logged when the clubs play on national TV and/or the playoffs?

Do you base the rankings on the athletes themselves and try to pinpoint the cities which have had the most champions, MVPs, league leaders in scoring and the other key stats? Do you base it on players who might be considered the Greatest of All-Time (G.O.A.T.S) who all played in the same city?

If the last question provides the full criteria, then there’s no question that Boston would rank as the No. 1 sports city, with all due respect to Jim Brownof football’s Cleveland Browns, Babe Ruth (who played in Boston before his incredible baseball career with the New York Yankees), Wayne Gretzky (who put Edmonton on the map when he led the Oilers to four Stanley Cup championships between 1983-84 and 1987-88, and basketball’s Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

This is where the 2021-22 DIGGIES for Best Sports Towns come into the picture.

The criteria:

  • Winning
  • Loyal Fans who come out to the park and watch on TV
  • Deep knowledge by large numbers of fans “on the streets”
  • LOUD buildings from sold-out crowds supporting their team
  • History
  • Great players, coaches and organizations (G.O.A.T.S included)
  • New Trends in sports success

Here we go:

  1. CHICAGO: When you combine the friendly confines of Wrigley, the passion for the Cubs, the up & coming White Sox, the incredible Michael Jordan-led run and newfound resurgence of the Bulls and the loyalty of the Blackhawks and Bears fans, Chi-town has to be No. 1. There was no sports venue any louder than the old Chicago Stadium. There never will be.
  2. PHILADELPHIA: Although the City of Brotherly Love has not cashed-in on a major sports championship since the Philly Eagles upset the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS in Super Bowl LII in 2017, the rabid (and sometimes felonious) fanbase that is a Philly sports fan earns the No. 2 spot. … On two different occasions, while seeking information on the great Red Sox vs NY Yankees rivalry and crazy fans, I was told by security honchos at both Yankees Stadium and Fenway Park that the Phillies fans were “by far” the rowdiest group.
  3. BOSTON: The incredible history and winning ways of the Celtics and Patriots combined with the recent successes of the NHL Bruins and Red Sox place Boston HIGH on any list of great sports towns. That success, however, has spoiled the average fan as its now an expectation for teams to reach “The Finals” in every sport.
  4. TAMPA BAY: Maybe a surprise, but the recent trend of winning by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, the consistent winning teams put on the baseball field by the Tampa Bay Rays of late and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning. Rays fans deserve a new baseball stadium as opposed to the giant Hefty Bag that is Tropicana Field.
  5. NEW YORK: There’s been a bit of a drought for champions in New York but sports fans can not overlook the 27 World Series championships by the Yankees and sporadic success of the New York Giants. While the Mets, Knicks, Jets, and Rangers have struggled of late, NY fans have hope with the Nets in Brooklyn and the Islanders in their brand new Belmont building. New York sports fans are loyal, loud and knowledgeable but very demanding. Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of College Basketball and home for the Knicks and Rangers, is reason enough to get a Top 5 listing.
  6. SAN FRANCISCO BAY: Roller Derby’s Bay Area Bombers come right to mind as one of the greatest teams of all-time, but the Golden State Warriors are the reason the SF-Oakland area is listed so high. The Bay Area can also lay claim to the 49ers (now playing in nearby Santa Clara) but perennial contenders in the NFL as the SF 49ers and their five Super Bowl victories. This year, the SF Giants surprised everyone while winning 107 games to take the highly competitive National League West. The Giants disappointed in Postseason, losing to the LA Dodgers.
  7. LOS ANGELES: The Hall of Fame players, sold-out crowds and historical success of the Dodgers and Lakers carry weight for LA, even though the current version of the Lakers are struggling. The LA Kings had their 15 minutes of fame, which is reason enough not to allow LA to crack the Top 5, but with this season’s Super Bowl scheduled for February 13th at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, both the LA Rams and LA Chargers are bound to make the NFL Playoffs come January. In college basketball, U.C.L.A. is ranked No. 1 and could do some damage come March Madness time.
  8. DALLAS: The iconic NFL franchise valued at $6.5 billion by Forbes Magazine puts Dallas on every Top 10 list for sports towns and the relative success of the Dallas Mavericks (NBA), Stars (NHL) and a brand new ballpark for the Texas Rangers (MLB) fill-out the list of pro teams. Dallas is also noted as a top Nielsen TV market for national sports, no matter the teams playing. Of course, College football is king in Texas and the AT&T Dome (the house that Jerry Jones built) plays host to all kinds of sports championships.
  9. ST. LOUIS: With the support baseball fans show year-after-year to the Cardinals, that alone places St. Louis as a Top 10 sports town in the USA. The 2019 St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup, too, but the fact there’s no NFL (good-bye Rams) and no NBA (good-bye Hawks) in town sets St. Louis back.
  10. MIAMI: Pat Riley’s winning ways for the Heat, combined with the iconic ways of the Miami Dolphins and the upstart 2021-22 Florida Panthers put the heart of South Florida as our No. 10 great sports city.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The Top 10 listing deserves a few “also rans” and certainly great sports cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh and its Terrible Towels and Steelers, Salt Lake City for its support of the Jazz, Seattle, Wash DC/Baltimore, and Atlanta – home of the 2021 World Series champion Braves are all worthy of consideration. Small towns? How about Annapolis?

Parting Words …

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE: Former Celtics champion Kevin Garnett’s documentary, entitled with his famous exclamation of joy, post 2008 NBA Championship debuted on Showtime this past Friday. Look for a review in next week’s notebook.

Big East: UConn Wins, Hoyas Lose

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HARTFORD – (Staff Report from Official News Recap) – Playing on back-to-back nights, Butler became the first BIG EAST team to reach a perfect 3-0 record as the early days of the college basketball season progress. UConn, St. John’s and DePaul also were victorious on Saturday. Georgetown was upset in its season opener.

Butler struggled offensively in the first half against Troy until the halftime buzzer when Bryce Nze threw in a shot from approximately 80 feet, which tied the game 23-23. Butler seized the momentum and scored 47 points in the second half in a 70-59 victory. Chuck Harris scored a team-high 23 points.
UConn played its first game at the XL Center in 21 months and had little pushback in an 89-54 win over Coppin State. Adama Sanogo scored 20 points for the second straight game and led five Huskies in double figures. R.J. Cole added 16 points and six assists.

St. John’s joined the group of 2-0 teams with a 91-70 triumph over Saint Peter’s. Julian Champagnie scored a game-high 22 points. The Johnnies, who struggled with the Peacocks last season, led 47-27 at halftime. Tareq Coburn came off the bench to score 17 points.

DePaul pulled away in the second half of its 99-66 handling of Central Michigan. For a second straight game, Javon Freeman-Liberty led the way, posting 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Minnesota transfer Brandon Johnson helped with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Georgetown was the only team not to taste victory on Saturday. The Hoyas overcame a 22-point deficit to take a brief lead in the second half against Dartmouth, before losing 69-60. In his collegiate debut, Aminu Mohammed, the Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, had 17 points and six rebounds.

BIG EAST teams own a 19-2 record going into Sunday’s schedule, which has only one contest. Seton Hall will look to improve to 2-0 with a home game against Yale at noon ET on FS1.

Sox Exercise Option on Vázquez

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BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official Club News Release) – The Boston Red Sox exercised their club option on veteran catcher Christian Vázquez for the 2022 season. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom made the decision.

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Vázquez, 31, played in 614 major league games, all with the Red Sox. He was selected by Boston in the ninth round of the 2008 MLB Draft and ranks seventh in franchise history with 573 games at catcher. A 2018 World Series champion, he has appeared in 25 postseason games, second most among Red Sox catchers behind only Jason Varitek (62).

In 2021, Vázquez matched a career high with 138 games played. He led the majors in innings caught (1,051.1), the most by a Red Sox backstop since Varitek in 2008 (1,064.1). The Puerto Rican native was voted the American League’s best defensive catcher by managers and coaches in Baseball America’s annual Best Tools survey, finishing the season with 18 runners caught stealing and three pickoffs. In addition to his 132 games at catcher, Vázquez appeared in two games at third base, two at second base, and one at first base.

Vázquez has hit .259 (527-for-2,035) with 46 home runs and 224 RBI in his career. In 2021, he batted .258 (118-for-458) with six home runs, 49 RBI, 51 runs scored, and a .659 OPS, also leading the Red Sox with eight stolen bases. He went 9-for-32 (.281) in 11 Postseason games, including 6-for-16 (.375) with one home run and four RBI in the Division Series.

BU’s Eichel Traded from Sabres to Vegas

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BUFFALO – (Staff and wire service report) – The Jack Eichel era at Boston University ended with a Hobey Baker Award and his rights being selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Now, Eichel’s career in Buffalo is over because of an eight-month feud which came to a conclusion when the Sabres traded their former captain and face of the franchise to the Vegas Golden Knights.

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The trade ends a stalemate between Eichel and Buffalo over how to repair his herniated disk, which has sidelined him since March. The dispute revolved around the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement giving teams the final say over the treatment of injuries.

Until Eichel was Knighted, surely Boston Bruins, Boston U. and Chelmsford, Massachusetts ice hockey fans hoped for a return to Boston to skate for the Boston Bruins but the $10m a year salary combined with a bad back left the Sabres with a limited number of NHL takers, especially until the results of his back surgery and rehabilitation are known.

Though Eichel remains sidelined, the Golden Knights lived up to their Vegas name and took a gamble to address their biggest long-term need, obtaining a top-notch scorer and first-line -line center, by trading forward Alex Tuch, rookie center Peyton Krebs and two draft picks to the Sabres. Eichel is expected to have the disk replacement surgery he preferred, though the recovery timetable means he’ll likely miss most, if not all, of the remainder of the season.

NBA Re-Ups with Draft Kings, Fan Duel

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The National Basketball Association expanded partnerships making DraftKings and FanDuel Group its “co-official” sports betting partners with both companies having expansive rights to integrate NBA highlights, statistics, and content throughout their sports betting and daily fantasy sports platforms.

As part of the expanded relationships, DraftKings and FanDuel will continue to utilize official NBA betting data and league marks and logos across their sports betting and free-to-play game offerings. Beginning immediately to celebrate the NBA’s 75th Anniversary, DraftKings and FanDuel will create and feature NBA content that includes game highlights.

FanDuel and DraftKings will also become sports betting partners of the NBA in Canada, where they both plan to launch later this season.

“DraftKings and FanDuel are market leaders who have been incredible partners in engaging with the millions of NBA fans who enjoy fantasy and betting,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures, NBA. “DraftKings and FanDuel sit at the center of the continued convergence between media and sports betting, and, together, we are excited to bring these unique content experiences to our fans.”

Expanding on its existing partnership dating back to 2014, FanDuel will now become the exclusive presenting partner of the weekly NBABet Show each Monday night on NBA TV. As part of the new deal, fans will be able to choose to see FanDuel odds displayed on the Games page of NBA.com.

“For the past seven years the NBA and FanDuel have architected the platinum standard of partnership between a professional sports league and mobile sports gaming operator,” said Amy Howe, President & CEO of FanDuel Group. “Combining the star power of the NBA with our industry leading platform has resulted in innovations that have significantly enhanced the fan experience. We are proud of the deep working relationship we have built with the NBA, and that this agreement will celebrate a decade of official partnership.”

DraftKings, whose business relationship with the NBA dates back to 2019, will now become the exclusive presenting partner of NBABet Stream, the NBA’s betting-focused telecast on NBA League Pass and the NBA TV App. NBABet Stream presented by DraftKings will air its first game this Friday, November 5. In addition, DraftKings will activate on-site at tentpole NBA events, including the NBA All-Star Game, Rising Stars, NBA All-Star Saturday Night and NBA Draft presented by State Farm.

“The NBA season only just tipped off, and yet we have already seen the immediate impact of the sport among our customer base with significant reengagement along with healthy new betting activity across all of our states,” said Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings. “All of this signals the rising demand for NBA basketball in its 75th anniversary season among sports bettors and daily fantasy players, and we are pleased to continuously collaborate with the league on new offerings like our NBABet Stream integration.”

The NBA will collaborate with both DraftKings and FanDuel in support of its ongoing commitment to responsible gambling, which includes public education via social media messaging and public service announcements, public advocacy, and the enforcement of strict standards and limitations on betting-related advertising across NBA and partner platforms. Both DraftKings and FanDuel will also work with the league on best-in-class practices to protect the integrity of NBA games.

While We’re Young (Ideas) – October 31

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The Top 25 for NCAA College Basketball 2021-22

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – It’s Halloween, the eve of All-Saints Day a.k.a All Hallows’ Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows. Others think of it differently, with all due respect to the Roman Catholic Holy day of obligation, says this disciple of the great Hall-of-Fame St. John’s head coach, Louie Carnessecca.

For college basketball fans, it’s officially MIDNIGHT M🏀DNESS!

Lately, college basketball is a lot like Halloween as prominent coaches and their recruiting assistants and runners repping bigtime schools go house-to-house “trick-or-treating” for players – once committed to another school – but now in the transfer portals.

In 2018, the NCAA put in place a new rule that college student athletes can transfer one time without having to sit-out a season. The system is in place and popular for college soccer players and for men’s and women’s basketball, in particular. There are favorable transfer portal rules for graduate transfers and for the players left behind by a coach who was either fired or moved on to a better position or more money. Also, because of the pandemic, the NCAA has allowed student-athletes an extra year of eligibility and that has been reason for some players to look to transfer.

Depending on the coach and the program (sans the IVY League which doesn’t fool around with such nonsense), the recruitment of a transfer can fill a hole in a program, replace an injured player, replace a player who might’ve dropped-out or other circumstances that require relocation. Note: Here is an interesting compilation of the transfer portals researched and provided by Athletic Director U.

Although the rules provide for an immediate return for programs that seem “one player away,” many college coaches don’t actively shop the transfer portal., including the likes of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, a Hall-of-Famer.

According to AD U, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman has nearly perfected a system to project how a low-major player will perform at a high major, an “Up-Transfer” to a tough competition conference, such as the SEC. He did the same when he was successfully coaching Nevada in the Mountain West.

What is quite interesting is a good look at the annual preseason college basketball rankings. A tough task, yes, but the Associated Press, the College Basketball Coaches and the bible of college basketball, the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook all do their very own Top 25 predictions.

On first look, all three are very similar in their rankings. Additionally, the listings include the “usual suspects,” those college basketball juggernauts that we all find in the 68-team NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament every March.

To save time and space, our parent publication, Digital Sports Desk, crunched some numbers and created a “Consensus Top 25,” utilizing the three polls cited above while adding insights and observations from college basketball media days, player updates and trends.

Here is the 2021-22 Consensus Preseason College Basketball Top 25:

  1. Gonzaga
  2. UCLA
  3. Kansas
  4. Villanova
  5. Texas
  6. Michigan
  7. Purdue
  8. Baylor
  9. Kentucky
  10. Duke
  11. Illinois
  12. Memphis
  13. Oregon
  14. Alabama
  15. Arkansas
  16. Houston
  17. Tennessee
  18. Ohio State
  19. Florida State
  20. North Carolina
  21. Maryland
  22. Auburn
  23. St. Bonaventure
  24. UConnecticut
  25. Virginia

Keep an Eye On: Mississippi State, Indiana, USC, Texas Tech, and Virginia Tech.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The bible of college basketball noted above, Chris Dortch’s Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, is a must-purchase for every hoops fans. Media members contribute and benefit from the enormous amount of work and research provided by the editorial staff headed by editor/publisher Chris Dortch. This columnist can’t remember the last time a college basketball season began without the yearbook in the home office. One reporter refers to the day Blue Ribbon arrives as “the best day of the year.” with respects to Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, The Breeders’ Cup, BIG EAST Thursday & Friday, March Madness Thursday, and Final Four Saturday, no one disagrees.

This year Dortch wrote, “For the second consecutive year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the production of this book challenging. But, in 41 years of publishing, we’ve faced down many potential roadblocks. Some we’ve faced head-on and overcome, others we’ve had to devise a work-around.” … Dortch also wrote about Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski who announced this would be his last year coaching college basketball and Blue Ribbon dedicated its cover to Coach K. … You can get your very own (we recommend the spiral bound and digital download combo) Blue Ribbon by visiting their online site HERE. You can also read about the college basketball news all season long by subscribing to Blue Ribbon on this Substack platform.

COLLEGE COACHES AND OTHER ITEMS FOR NEXT WEEK: This week, in a salute to the great career of Duke’s Coach Krzyzewski, we’ll provide a list of the Top 10 coaches in college basketball. Next week, we’ll delve into the BIG EAST conference.

While We’re Young (Ideas) Top 10 College Basketball Coaches 2021-22: There’s no other place to start than with Coach K, who not only guided Duke University to great heights but also helped restore the pride and winning ways of the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team.

  1. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
  2. Mark Few (Gonzaga)
  3. Jay Wright (Villanova)
  4. Tom Izzo (Michigan State)
  5. Bob McKillop (Davidson)
  6. Eric Musselman (Arkansas)
  7. Chris Beard (Texas Tech)
  8. Jim Boeheim (Syracuse)
  9. Ed Cooley (Providence)
  10. Tony Bennett (Virginia)

SIGN-UP: For your very own and complete “While We’re Young (Ideas) column,” sent to your inbox each weekend, please sign-up HERE.

Also: Our PGA Tour Brunch will return in the new year of 2022 with the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Sign-Up HERE.

Happy Halloween.🎃

Baseball Series: The Shot Heard Around a Local Neighborhood

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By TERRY LYONS

ATLANTA – Welcome to Game 3 of the Unincorporated Community of Cumberland Series. After two games at the Harris County Series, Major League Baseball will stage its first pitch of the first truly local, everyday series with the Harris County Astros tied with the Cumberland Braves, 1-game apiece.

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Gone are the days of the World Series and amazing feats like the Miracle of Coogan’s Bluff which brought the 1951 NY Giants to an early version of the Local Series, called a Subway Series which was lost to the New York Yankees in six games. Gone are “I can’t believe what I just saw” moments, as no one will see it.

“We don’t market our game on a nationwide basis,” said Manfred as the series opened in Harris County, Texas. “Ours is an everyday game, you’ve got to sell tickets every single day to the fans in that market. And there are all sorts of differences among the clubs among the regions as to how the games are marketed.”

That is certainly true and to be fair to MLB and Manfred, he was explaining how every MLB club must compete in each MLB town to attract fans, sell tickets and get TV eye-balls on their regular season games. It’s a difficult task multiplied by 81 home games in the heat of summer, the cold dampness of April in the northern USA cities and the sad reality of being 20 games back in September for the cellar-dwellers.

Manfred was defending MLBs attempt to be “apolitical,” Yet, and in all seriousness, with the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 World Series, baseball found itself in the State of Georgia where they left this summer’s All-Star Game behind to make a stand against the obvious voter suppression laws being enacted by state lawmakers in reaction to the upset election of two Democratic United States Senators (Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock) in a State run by a Republican governor. The All-Star Game went to Denver, Colorado and baseball found itself right, smack in the middle of politics in these formerly United States.

Apolitical?

Let me say this,” Manfred said. “It’s harder than it used to be. It sure is.”

That brings us to the Braves, the club name and the (adopted from the Florida State Seminole fans) Tomahawk “Chop.”

“We have 30 markets around the country. They’re not all the same,” said Manfred. “The Native American community in that region is fully supportive of the Braves program, including the chop. And for me, that’s kind of the end of the story.”

Note to PR practitioners: When someone hoping to end a story says it’s “kind of the end of the story,” the public relations people still have a story and potential crisis on their hands.

While scores of athletic programs (college mostly) dropped mascots and program nicknames like, “Warriors, Redmen, and Indians,” and the North Dakota Fighting Sioux dropped their college nickname and have yet to replace it, as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish look on.  Two professional teams found themselves as the major focal points of the politically incorrect position of promoting their franchises as the Cleveland Indians (MLB) and the Washington Redskins (NFL).

The Redskins made the PC move to become the Washington Football Team two seasons ago but are yet to come up with a suitable team name. The Cleveland Indians made the announcement that they would become the Cleveland Guardians but were recently sued in U.S. District Court by a Roller Derby team claiming ownership of the word “Guardians.”

No matter what the case may be, someone, somewhere and somehow will be offended – some rightfully and others trying to make a fuss or a buck but the Braves and Astros will play Game 3 of the Series of the pastime formerly known as national.

NHL Fines Chicago Blackhawks $2M for Botching 2010 Harassment Incident

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NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official League News Release). – The National Hockey League fined the Chicago Blackhawks $2 Million for the organization’s inadequate internal procedures, along with an insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s employment with the team and ultimate departure in 2010. The league and the Blackhawks have decided that $1 Million of the fine money will be dedicated to fund local organizations in and around the Chicago community that provide counseling and training for, and support and assistance to, survivors of sexual and other forms of abuse.

The NHL’s substantial fine comes after a review of an independent investigative report conducted and prepared by the law firm of Jenner & Block, LLP. The league said in a statement it “has reviewed the report and is satisfied as to its methodology and thoroughness.”

The investigation was conducted independent of interference or other influence from the Blackhawks, the NHL or any other third party. Said the NHL statement, “The scope of the investigation was broad and comprehensive, involving the interviews of 139 witnesses and the review of all relevant documents and records that remained available for inspection. We are comfortable that the Report provides an accurate account (or at least as accurate as possible) of the events that transpired 11 years ago.’

The report is primarily focused on the club’s response (or lack of response) to an incident brought to senior management’s attention in the Spring of 2010, when the Blackhawks were competing in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which involved then-current video coach Brad Aldrich. According to the Report, based on available evidence and recollections of those involved, Aldrich was involved in a sexual encounter with another individual in the organization (a player), which some described as a sexual assault and others described as consensual. Unfortunately, as a result of the club’s inadequate and delayed follow-up upon learning of these events, as well as the sheer passage of time, it is now difficult, if not impossible, to determine the specifics of the incident with any adequate degree of certainty. Nevertheless, and regardless of the precise nature of the incident itself, it is recognized and must be acknowledged that the respective employment roles of the two involved individuals (coach and player) rendered the encounter — even if it was consensual — problematic and inappropriate.

The report describes in detail a meeting that was convened among members of the team’s senior management on May 23, 2010, following the clinching game of the 2010 Western Conference Championship Series. The meeting involved (at various times) six individuals from then-senior management, including then-President John McDonough, then-Senior Vice President Jay Blunk, General Manager Stan Bowman, then-Senior Director of Hockey Administration Al MacIsaac, then-Assistant General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, and then-head coach Joel Quenneville. (Jim Gary, at the time a mental skills coach for the Blackhawks, was also present for the beginning of the meeting, but departed upon making his report.)

According to the report, after discussion of the alleged incident and how the club should be dealing with it — including the potential options of initiating an investigation, notifying appropriate members of the team’s Human Resources department, ensuring the immediate separation of Aldrich from the club’s players, among other things — ultimately the determination was made and direction given that Hockey Operations personnel should devote their exclusive attention to on-ice matters heading into the Stanley Cup Final, and that other appropriate club personnel within the organization would take responsibility for “handling” the Aldrich situation in a prompt and appropriate manner — which, as subsequent events make clear, did not happen.

Specifically, the report concluded, “after being informed of Aldrich’s alleged sexual harassment and misconduct with a player, no action was taken for three weeks…While there was a lack of recollection as to whether anyone else present in the meeting besides [the club’s president] needed to or would take any additional steps, nothing was done by the other senior leaders to address the situation.” The failure to promptly and thoroughly investigate the matter not only violated the Blackhawks’ own sexual harassment policy in effect at the time, the decision to take no action from May 23 to June 14, [2010] had real consequences, including allegations involving an additional unwanted sexual advance by Aldrich to a Blackhawks’ intern before he was ultimately separated from the club.

“We acknowledge that the Blackhawks have taken responsibility and ownership for what transpired, and have already implemented new preventative measures, as well as committed to additional changes that may be deemed appropriate as part of its responsive plan of action to the investigation and Report,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in the statement. “Such steps have included, but were not limited to: (i) retaining independent counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into the facts surrounding the 2010 allegations and the sufficiency of the club’s response thereto; (ii) reviewing the club’s internal policies, procedures and practices, including its internal operating structure and management personnel, to ensure a best-in-class approach going forward; and (iii) implementing various changes and upgrades to its internal procedures and personnel, including by adding enhanced subject matter expertise, creating more stringent reporting obligations, developing new and modernized employee handbooks, and implementing more comprehensive training and education programs.

“Having said that, this fine represents a direct and necessary response to the failure of the club to follow-up and address the 2010 incident in a timely and appropriate manner,” Bettman continued. “And, this response should send a clear message to all NHL clubs and all NHL personnel that inappropriate acts must be addressed in a timely fashion. In that regard, we also reiterate that the League has implemented a confidential and anonymous Hot Line, which is available at any time to all NHL personnel.”

Importantly, the report makes clear that senior management’s handling of the alleged incident included a failure to report the matter to Chicago ownership, both as to what was alleged and how it was being handled. This failure only highlights the flawed and inadequate procedures the Club had in place at the time to deal with an allegation of this type.

“Additionally, we are faced with determining whether the imposition of league discipline is appropriate for the club’s senior leaders at the time who were specifically referenced in the Report. As to four of those individuals (i.e., John McDonough and Jay Blunk and, as of today, Stan Bowman and Al MacIsaac), they are no longer employed by the Chicago Blackhawks and are no longer employed in the league. Should they wish to re-enter the NHL in some capacity in the future, I will require a meeting with me in advance of their accepting any NHL club-related position in order to determine the appropriate conditions under which such new employment might take place,” Bettman said.

“With respect to Messrs. Cheveldayoff and Quenneville, who are currently employed by NHL franchises other than the Blackhawks (the Winnipeg Jets and the Florida Panthers, respectively), I plan to arrange personal meetings in the near future with both individuals to discuss their roles in the relevant events as detailed in the report.

“I will reserve judgment on next steps, if any, with respect to them.”

While We’re Young (Ideas) – October 24

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Final Wrap on All Things NBA 75

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The “official” NBA75 listing was published by the league this week.

There were nine NBA legends that made the While We’re Young (Ideas) list that DID NOT MAKE the official listing. Obviously, the Denver Nuggets and Kentucky Colonels’ alum, and the ABA overall, made much more of an impression on this reporter than the NBA committee members, as three Nuggets greats and four former ABAers were with us and none with them. Here’s the full list cross-referenced:

While We’re Young (Ideas) had:

  1. Vince Carter
  2. Alex English
  3. Artis Gilmore
  4. Connie Hawkins
  5. Tommy Heinsohn
  6. Dan Issel
  7. Bernard King
  8. David Thompson
  9. Jamaal Wilkes

Looking at it the other way, the NBA 75 had:

  1. Carmelo Anthony
  2. Anthony Davis
  3. Dave DeBusschere
  4. Damien Lillard
  5. Jerry Lucas
  6. Chris Paul
  7. Gary Payton
  8. Dennis Rodman
  9. Dolph Schayes
  10. Bill Sharman

Note: The one person discrepancy lies with the fact the NBA named 76 players.

COACHING TREE: To tie this all in a sweet, 75-year-old bow, two additional aspects of the anniversary team should be examined – Coaching and Play-by-Play broadcasters.

At the NBA@50, only 10 coaches were honored. They were:

  1. Red Auerbach
  2. Chuck Daly
  3. Bill Fitch
  4. Red Holzman
  5. Phil Jackson
  6. John Kundla
  7. Don Nelson
  8. Jack Ramsay
  9. Pat Riley
  10. Lenny Wilkens

Since only 10 coaches were named at year 50, WWYI will add only THREE more to the list above for NBA 75. The opinion here places these two coaches into the hall of glory:

  1. Hubie Brown
  2. Gregg Popovich
  3. Erik Spoelstra

While the great, Sports Emmy award winner in Turner Sports studio anchor Ernie Johnson Jr. was noted as a key contributor to the successes of the NBA in our listing last week. That prompted a final NBA at 75 list of 12 of the league’s Greatest Play-by-Play commentators, a list of artists who brought the games to millions of fans. Here’s one columnist’s opinion of the best of the best in the industry:

  1. Marv Albert
  2. Mike Breen
  3. Jim Durham
  4. Ian Eagle
  5. Marty Glickman
  6. Mike Gorman
  7. Chick Hearn
  8. Al McCoy
  9. Brent Musburger
  10. Johnny Most
  11. Dick Stockton
  12. Joe Tait

There are MANY other deserving (radio and TV) voices of the NBA teams over the years, far too many to mention but Eddie Doucette, Hot Rod Hundley, Bill Schonely, and Bob Wolff are listed with apologies while Bob Costas and Curt Gowdy are to be honored in Baseball. There are also a fair number of NBA team play-by-play commentators who were somewhat exposed by the advent of NBA League Pass (TV and audio) and the amount of complaining about referee calls is second only to the players themselves who seem to whine about every call.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: According to France’s L’Equipe and Spanish EuroPresse, EuroLeague Basketball denied possible creation of “an NBA division in Europe,” although it has admitted a three-way meeting last month with the NBA and the FIBA. The intention of the meetings were, “joining forces to increase the popularity of basketball in Europe,” confirmed related parties attending the meeting. As both the NBA and FIBA ​​have confirmed, executives from the three parties (FIBA, NBA and EuroLeague Basketball) met in Madrid in September. … Spain’s highly regarded sports section in “Marca” ran a front page story with banner headline, “The NBA Lands in Europe,” but EuroLeague Basketball quickly shot down the possibilities.

FIBA (International Basketball Federation) went a bit further with a statement that specified the meeting was only to discuss “the unification of European basketball, divided between the Euroleague, the private professional league, and International Federation competitions such as the Champions League (BCL). The International Federation also said in a statement that monthly meetings would now be held on the subject.

The NBA commented, but kept the discussions close to the vest, stating: “We were recently invited to initiate discussions on how we can work together to develop basketball in Europe. We look forward to participating to further these discussions in the future.”

Said Marca, “A European NBA with a Western Conference (clubs in Spain, Italy, France, United Kingdom, the Benelux region, Germany, Austria and the northern countries such as Poland or Sweden) and an Eastern Conference (with clubs in Russia, Turkey, Greece, the Baltic States, Israel, Romania etc. “would be fire.”

The speculation of the idea was presuming the entity would run on its own and not interact for in-season games with the NBA in North America. In other words, it would run similar to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) that began this year on the African Continent.

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