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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | July 13

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – In the span of one week in this glorious summer of 2025, Boston experienced the (Savannah) Bananas playing two games at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark and the Fenway Faithful going bananas over a Boston Red Sox come from behind victory in a Major League Baseball game played Friday night at Fenway. These are their stories.

If comparing the two? The Red Sox victory over the Tampa Bay Rays wins – every day of the week.

Let us compare the two in more detail, and then I’ll turn the column over to a third party observer who did a tremendous job describing the scene – much better than I can do from a press seat in the Fenway “Bresh Box.”

We’ll use the simple “good” and “not good” method of comparative analysis.

Savannah Bananas:

Good:

  • The Build-up – On a very hot weekend afternoon (3pm start), there was a lot of excitement and revelry going on outside of the ballpark. The Bananas took over (bought out) adjacent parking lots and created mini carnivals and merch sales sites, with admission for anyone and not just ticket holders.
  • On Jersey Street – There were bands playing and players making appearances, signing autographs on jerseys and inflatable plastic bananas. It was quite festive.
  • The Fenway Concourse Scene: Fans jammed the concourse level and stood in line for Banana replica uniforms and every kind of “merch” you could imagine. It did not take a genius to realize the whole carnival was a “merch sale” play, somewhat like the sale of popcorn and circus lights at the old Ringling Bros. Circus at Madison Square Garden.
  • Atmosphere Leading Up to Game: The pregame buzz was fantastic and much of it was generated by very excited children. The Game Operations staff for the Bananas organization should get some combination of an Oscar, an Emmy, a TONY, or a Grammy. The music and activity was pre-programmed and non-stop.
  • Intros: The Banana Players were introduced with much fanfare, and they took the field, not from a dugout, but, instead, from the Green Monster. The players took the field doing flips, back-flips and other tricks, all choreographed to music which was pumping – non-stop – all night long.

Not Good:

  • Once the Game Started: Although there were 18 talented baseball players competing, and some great celebrity (honorary) first pitches (Doug Flutie, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Brock Holt, Johnny Damon), the game itself didn’t excite anyone. No one cared who won. Bananas vs Firemen? No villain.
  • Rules: The Bananas pride themselves on a two-hour show, so they actually set a countdown clock. Nice idea. There’s the normal score of runs produced, but there’s also a side show for trick play points, like a toss of a ball between the legs before throwing a batter put at first. You can even “steal” first if the catcher bobbles a pitch or allows for a passed ball or can’t stop a wild pitch. Nice idea.
  • Music: While the musical selections were good and the Fenway Faithful can sing a tune or two, the constant barrage of music just got to be too much. The dancing and cheerleading umpires were a sight to be seen at first, but it got to be a little much by the late innings. And, how could the Bananas NOT do “Sweet Caroline?”
  • No Player Recognition: After the initial introductions, there was very limited fanfare over the Bananas’ players. If comparing the Bananas to the Harlem Globetrotters, there was no Meadowlark Lemon, and no Curly Neal. As the event moved along, there was no character development – no one player to root for in a big way. The Bananas were hawking one brand and one brand only. Money.
  • Merch Sales, Good, Beer Sales Not Good: Only the Mormon Tabernacle Choir shows might sell less beer than the Bananas. Even on a hot day, the concession lines for hot dogs and soft drinks were quite long but the beer sales were non-existent.
Midway through the Savannah Bananas Game, the beer bartenders were bored.

Boston Red Sox

Good:

  • Maxing Out Fenway Park: On the sports business and marketing side, the Boston Red Sox absolutely “max-out” tiny Fenway Park. From the “Green Monster Seats” in left field to the “Sam Adams Deck” in right field, every inch of the ballpark is packed with seats, fans, ads and revenue generating magic. Seemingly every season, the Fenway Sports Group figures out another way to make an extra buck, and that means booking acts like the Bananas and a whole schedule of Summer Concerts.
  • Atmosphere: From carnival-like activities (all game long) on Jersey Street to good food all around the stadium to the best Game Ops, pre-game ceremonies, honorary first pitches, customer services and everything outside the lines, the Red Sox team (organization) is second to none in sports. They’ve carried that torch with pride for a couple decades. The buzz and excitement on Friday night was as good as its been since the 2018 World Series.
  • The ballpark, itself, is an American treasure.
    • The crowd at a Sox game adds so much to the experience. Of course, it’s magnified when the team carries a nine-game winning streak, but Saturday’s sell out crowd of 36,453 made a 1-0 shutout and complete game by Sox SP Garrett Crochet seem like an event worthy of the Duck Boats being fired up.;
  • As wonderful as the Savannah Bananas spectacle is and can be for fans all across the USA, there’s nothing like a real Major League Baseball game that matters in the standings.

Not Good:

  • Inconsistency, trades, cold weather, errors, poor base-running can frustrate any home team fan anywhere in MLB. In Boston, the crowds take it a bit more serious than they should, but that is the price a franchise pays for playing in a city that only counts championships as a success.
  • That’s about it in this category.
  • Draw your own conclusions.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES AND A THIRD PARTY POINT OF VIEW: As promised, it’s time to turn the column over to a budding, young sports marketer. Here’s the viewpoint of James Gumina, a Yale University student who played baseball, learned Japanese and used to watch Red Sox games in the morning in Tokyo, as we experienced the game the “prior’“ evening in Boston. Gumina is co-founder of Yale’s Media Entertainment and Sports Business Association and he even has Theo Epstein on speed dial. Here’s his look-see:

By JAMES GUMINA

This weekend I watched the Savannah Bananas bring “Banana Ball” to a sold out crowd at Fenway Park. The game started at 3:30, but the show began on Jersey Street well over an hour before first pitch, with music, dancing, and a parade of players and characters. Once inside the stadium, on-field festivities began around 3, and nearly every seat was already occupied, a rarity for October Red Sox games, let alone a game in early July. Not only was it a packed house, it was chock full of yellow Bananas jerseys. The lines outside the stadium for merchandise stretched and snaked all over the concourse, and nearly every fan in the building under the age of 16 was wearing a replica jersey; the majority of which were sporting autographs from the players, a testament to the “Fans First” ethos behind the Bananas’ brand.

Once the game started a raucous crowd was treated to two hours of entertainment, including local Boston legends, like Doug Flutie and Bill Lee. “Banana Ball” is more of an event than a game, with action happening nonstop, both on the field and in the stands. From the dancing umpires and coaches, to the “Man-ana” cheerleading squad, there was not a moment of dead air from when I sat down at 3 to when it was over around 5:30. As a veteran of many Red Sox games, I cannot remember a crowd as engaged in a game since some of the playoff contests I have been to, especially given the brutal 90+ degree temperature. While it is easy to compare the product to that of Major League Baseball, “Banana Ball” is a fundamentally different experience. The Bananas make baseball the backdrop for unique, fun, and innovative ideas, and from the size of the crowd it is obviously working. I was also at the Red Sox game the following day, and it could not have been a more different experience. While the crowd was solid for a weeknight game, it still paled in comparison to the Bananas’ crowd in both size and energy. Based on my experience in the stadium I would almost describe the two as separate sports, the experience was that different. From the constant musical cues, to the dancing, to the backflips on the field, the Bananas drew your attention to a million different places at once, while MLB funnels your attention directly to the battle between the pitcher and the hitter.

If you have heard of the Bananas, and at this point most people have, chances are you first encountered them on social media. Their meteoric rise in recent years has been, in large part, due to constant viral attention on social platforms like TikTok, both from the team and from individual players (The Bananas have 2 million more followers on TikTok than MLB). This growth strategy is clearly at the forefront of the games, with camera crews all over the field. While some of the made for social media moments fell a little flat in-person, the vast majority still played well to the in-stadium experience, and clearly work very well for the social media and TV audience. These videos, and their focus on specific players like Jackson Olson, have allowed the Banana’s to not only turn the team into a must see event, they have also grown many of the players’ individual brands. For instance, Olson, the star of the Bananas, has more followers on Instagram than Red Sox star players Alex Bregman and Jarren Duran, let alone Tik Tok followers. With reach that large, it is no wonder that the Bananas are able to sell out some of the largest football stadiums in the world.

While I do not think the Savannah Bananas’ version of baseball is going to dethrone that of Major League Baseball anytime soon, the Bananas have clearly established the brand and team as more than a gimmick offshoot of baseball. With a recently added fourth team, and no signs of that growth slowing down, the Bananas are looking to form their own style of independent league, one that could attract far more attention and fans than any traditional baseball independent league ever could. Often compared to the Globetrotters, through expansion and their social media dominance, the Bananas have a road map toward much more growth than the age-old Globetrotters. It is not clear exactly where that map will take them, but it is clear that the Savannah Bananas are here to stay.

Editor’s Note: When the Savannah Banana equipment trucks were packing up at Fenway on the evening of July 6, this reporter ask one of the technicians – okay, call ‘em roadies – what his next stop would be. “St. Louis,” he said. Yes, while the franchise played easy games in Savannah and Salem, Virginia this weekend, the big show was on its way to St. Louis for a July 18-19 pair of games at Busch Stadium. On July 26-27, they travel to Philadelphia for a pair of sold out games at Citizens Bank Park, and so on. The Banana Schedule for their 2025 “World Tour” is relentless.

It must get tiresome at some point?

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: If you’ve been following along via WWYI, you surely remember this space applauding the game of – James Wood – of the Washington Nationals. Remember that you heard it first as Wood was named to the 2025 National League All-Star team this week. … Wood will also participate in the HR festivities. In addition to Wood, the full list of participants for the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby include Ronald Acuña Jr., Byron Buxton, Junior Caminero, Oneil Cruz, Cal Raleigh, Brent Rooker and Jazz Chisholm Jr. … The event will take place on July 14, 2025, at Truist Park in Atlanta, with the All-Star Game on July 15 … Look out!

PREZ VANVLEET: The National Basketball Players Association announced that Fred VanVleet was elected President of the NBPA during the annual summer meeting of the Board of Player Representatives. VanVleet’s four-year term begins immediately. “It’s truly an honor to be elected as President of the NBPA by my peers and I look forward to continuing to advocate for the best interest of all the members,” said VanVleet. “With a deep appreciation for the complexities and challenges players face on all levels of their NBA journeys, I am committed to approaching this role with the passion, dignity, and dedication every player deserves.” … VanVleet, a nine-year NBA veteran and current Houston Rockets guard, began his professional career un-drafted in 2016.

U-19 = ONE-SIDED: The USA women’s U-19 team (1-0) tipped off the 2025 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup this weekend. The USA is looking for its 11th overall and fourth consecutive gold medal at the event, and they began in high gear and grand style with a 134-53 win against Korea (0-1) in Brno, Czechia. The 134 points set a single-game U19 record, besting the USA’s own marks of 129 set in 2005 and 2021.

RED SOX: The Boston Red Sox won their season-high ninth straight game on Saturday. It’s the club’s longest winning streak since also winning nine consecutive from April 5-14th, 2019. … The victory also placed the Sox a game and a half above the AL East fourth place Tampa Bay Rays and set a 2025 season-high mark of seven games above .500 for the first time since August 21, 2024 when they were (67-60). … Boston won 11 of their last 12 games going into Sunday’s MLB first half finale against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. … Boston’s Saturday (1-0) win ensured the club’s fourth consecutive series win as ace starting pitcher Garrett Crochet tossed a three-hit complete game, the first CG of his career and the second CG of Boston’s ‘25 campaign (Bryan Bello there the other). … Bello faces Tampa’s Ryan Pepiot in Sunday’s series and first half/ All-Star break curtain call. … The game will be on NESN and the MLB Network.

Sinner Takes Down Alcaraz

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WIMBLEDON – (Wire Service Report) – World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy built an early advantage and shook off some late jitters to finish a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon on Sunday, giving Sinner his first win at Wimbledon and fourth Grand Slam win ever.

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Sinner shook off an opening set loss to notch the major victory at the All England Club.

Previously a two-time winner at the Australian Open (2024, 2025) and a champion at the US Open in 2024, the Wimbledon win was his first Grand Slam final victory over Alcaraz and left him just the French Open — where he finished as runner-up this year — remaining to give him the rare career Grand Slam.

“Back in the days, when I was young, this was only a dream,” Sinner said. “I’m just living a dream.”

Making his first Wimbledon championship all the sweeter, Sinner ended a five-match losing streak to Alcaraz and ended the Spaniard’s 24-match winning streak.

In his first Grand Slam victory off of hard courts, the 23-year-old Sinner actually emerged as a winner as a slight underdog, as Alcaraz, 22, came in with an 8-4 advantage in head-to-head results.

A much anticipated rematch of an epic French Open final in June in which Alcaraz won a five-set marathon that lasted five hours, 29 minutes — the longest Roland Garros final ever — Sinner wrapped this one up in a tidy three hours, six minutes.

“It’s so special,” Sinner said. “I had a very tough loss in Paris. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter how you win.”

Sinner led 4-2 in the fourth set with a 2-1 set advantage and dropped a game before falling behind 40-15 in the eighth, but the Italian rallied to win that game and wrestle back control of the set at 5-3. From there, he put the finishing touches on with a commanding finishing game.

“Every moment can change the match, so I’m very happy I held my nerves.”

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Utilizing a strong serve and playing aggressively near the net for much of the match, Sinner had 30 net points and 81 service points in earning 40 winners.

Alcaraz had 15 aces but was hurt by seven double faults.

“It’s always difficult to lose, even when it’s in the final,” Alcaraz said, pointing to a great off-court relationship with Sinner with an equally good on-court rivalry that has pushed him to get better. “Thank you very much, and congratulations.”

After dispatching Taylor Fritz in four sets on Friday, Alcaraz eventually became the betting favorite to take home his third consecutive Wimbledon title. Sinner swept through 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to set up the rematch final.

–Field Level Media

Chelsea Wins Club World Cup

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Wire Service Report) – Chelsea were clear underdogs before the FIFA Club World Cup final. Cole Palmer didn’t seem to mind, and the pressure of a global stage didn’t slow him down.

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Palmer rang up two goals and one assist in a sensational first half and Chelsea toppled Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the Club World Cup on Sunday.

The 23-year-old winger scored in the 22nd and 30th minutes and Joao Pedro tacked on the third goal right before halftime, capitalizing on Palmer’s fine touch into the box. Robert Sanchez, meanwhile, saved six shots in his best showing of the tournament.

“Obviously, everyone doubted us before the game,” Palmer said. “We knew that, but to go out there and put a fight out like we did, obviously against a great team, yeah, it was good.”

Chelsea, who won the 2021 Club World Cup that featured only eight teams, battled past Portugal’s Benfica and Brazilian sides Palmeiras and Fluminense in the knockouts to face Paris Saint-Germain — six weeks removed from their first UEFA Champions League trophy.

The European champions had allowed just one goal in their first six matches of the Cup. But on Sunday, PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma saved just two of five shots on goal.

The frustrated Parisians went down to 10 men in the 85th minute when Joao Neves pulled Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella by the hair, was caught on video review and shown red.

Altercations spilled past the final whistle, and PSG coach Luis Enrique appeared to grab at Pedro’s neck while he and Donnarumma confronted Chelsea players.

“This was completely avoidable at the end,” Enrique said in translated remarks. “My goal was always to separate footballers, there was a lot of tension and pressure, there was a whole bunch of pushing that we should all try to avoid. My intention is to avoid it getting worse.”

The final capped the end of a month-long tournament with 32 teams representing six continents, a test run for the United States before it co-hosts next year’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico.

President Donald Trump attended the final as a guest of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Trump presented Chelsea the trophy and, quite noticeably, over-stayed his welcome on stage after the trophy was presented and made the club’s celebration quite awkward.

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In his first year as manager, Enzo Maresca guided the Blues to a 2025-26 Champions League berth and won two trophies, the Club World Cup following their victory in the UEFA Conference League.

“I’m especially happy for the players, because just one year ago when I came to the club, I said since the first press conference … We said many times that talent is not enough,” Maresca said. “We need sacrifice, we need readiness, we need a game plan with all the players (facing) the same way. The success is because of them.”

Cucurella made a crucial stop to keep the game scoreless in the 16th minute. Fabian Ruiz made a great pass across the box to Desire Doue, who could have shot it but instead tried a centering pass to a teammate that Cucurella intercepted.

Sports TV Biz: ESPN Extends Orlovsky

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BRISTOL – (Wire Service Report) – Dan Orlovsky, who has served as an NFL analyst with ESPN since 2018, has agreed to terms on a long-term contract, Front Office Sports reported.

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Per the report, the former NFL quarterback will remain as a game analyst for the second-string team on “Monday Night Football” with Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick and Laura Rutledge. Orlovsky, 41, will also continue to appear on “NFL Live,” “SportsCenter,” “Get Up” and “First Take.”

Orlovsky’s new contract is not final but he is apparently “at the 1-yard line” with the network, per the report.

Before the holiday weekend, the former Detroit Lions QB posted a picture on social media toasting himself and on his Instagram story, he wrote, “Here’s to what’s next.”

He wrote on his X account on Monday: “Gotta keep working. Gotta keep proving yourself. Gotta stay hungry. It’s always the journey.”

Orlovsky, whose NFL career began in 2005 and lasted until 2017, is a popular figure at ESPN who has apparently shown interest in becoming a coach in the NFL.

“Dan’s been talking to some teams and seeing if there’s something that interests him and is worthwhile for him,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter told Pat McAfee in an interview.

In February, Front Office Sports reported that Orlovsky was “exploring his options” regarding potential free agency. Last month, it was reported by The Athletic that Orlovsky would likely return to ESPN.

ESPN declined to comment on Monday’s report.

–Field Level Media

ICED OUT

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff Report from Official US Homeland Security News Release) – The Department of Homeland Security announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained prominent Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and is processing him for expedited removal from the United States. Chavez is a Mexican citizen who has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives.

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In August 2023, he entered the country legally with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024.

Chavez is also believed to be an affiliate of the Sinaloa Cartel, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. ICE arrested Chavez in Studio City, California on July 2.

On April 2, 2024, Chavez filed application for Lawful Permanent Resident status. Chavez’s application was based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

On December 17, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made a referral to ICE that Chavez is an egregious public safety threat. However, an entry in a DHS law enforcement system under the Biden administration indicated Chavez was not an immigration enforcement priority.

 

PGA Tour Making Changes

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH – (Wire Service Report) – The PGA Tour has restructured the distribution of playoff bonuses, including the FedEx Cup champion this season earning $10 million in prize money instead of $25 million as in the past two years.

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The new payouts from the $100 million total in bonus money — first reported Wednesday by Front Office Sports and posted on the PGA Tour website — were revealed weeks after an announcement in May that the Tour Championship’s “starting strokes” format will be eliminated. The season-ending tournament in August — for the top 30 following two previous playoff events — will be a standard 72-hole stroke-play format at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

The new three-tier system will reward golfers based on the FedEx Cup points standings after the regular-season finale at the Wyndham Championship (the top 10 splitting $20 million, with No. 1 getting $10 million), and after the second playoff event, the BMW Championship (top 30 splitting $23.93 million, with No. 1 getting $5 million).

The Tour Championship winner will get $10 million of the remaining prize money ($57.08 million), with the rest paid to the other 29 players based on their finishes. Players ranked Nos. 31-150 will divide $17.08 million in deferrals.

“To account for the increased volatility of the final event, reward season-long performance and recognize the significance of the FedExCup, the FedExCup bonus distributions for the top 30 positions were rebalanced,” the PGA Tour posted on its website.

Front Office Sports worked the scenario that if current points leader Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1 at the end of the regular season and after the BMW Championship and then wins the Tour Championship, he will receive the same total of $25 he collected for winning the 2024 FedEx Cup.

The tour also posted that there are no changes in 2025 for the Comcast Business Tour Top 10, which pays $40 million to the top 10 players in the standings at the end of the regular season. First place is worth $8 million, and each place earns less down to $2 million for 10th place.

The bonus structure was led, per the Front Office Sports report, by the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council’s business subcommittee, which consists of Maverick McNealy, Keith Mitchell, Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Kisner, and is overseen and player director Patrick Cantlay.

–Field Level Media

Globetrotters to Conduct Open Tryout

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HARLEM – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters will be hosting the club’s first-ever open tryouts to help select athletes for their Centennial season in 2026.

The Globetrotters’ tryouts will take place in the early fall with the final team being assembled and announced in November. The organization’s goal is to expand and elevate the talent within its ranks and to act as competitive offering for men and women hoopers around the globe for 2026

The Globetrotters continue to add athletic team members, which has been reflected in recent years in the signing of former LSU captain Alexis Morris and this past year with the addition of 6-5 rookie forward Asanti “Cash” Price (Columbia, SC), who signed a contract with the NBA G League’s Texas Legends, the affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. Price was one of six rookies signed to the Globetrotters this past November and had the option to return to the club when his G League time ended, which he did.

“We are creating one of the most unique, once in a lifetime opportunities for talented athletes and entertainers,” said Keith Dawkins, President, Harlem Globetrotters & Herschend Entertainment Studios. “The (opportunity is) to be part of the Centennial of the most iconic global sports and entertainment property.  The right athletes will have that special element of ‘showpersonship’ that the Globetrotters have been known for. It should make for a fun and exciting way to uncover our next group of stars.”

This past year Globetrotter athletes set a new and high bar for excellence on and off the court, bringing their talents to 50 locations around the world and an additional 46 cities in North America.  The Globetrotters anticipate bringing in approximately 30 athletes to the tryout. It will be the first step of a months-long process in selecting the athletes for the Centennial team.

Over the many years, the Globetrotters legacy has seen athletes ranging from Wilt Chamberlain to Connie Hawkins to to Lynette Woodward create lasting memories in the basketball world.

D. Wayne Lukas, 89

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LOUISVILLE – (Wire Service Report) – Hall of Fame horse trainer D. Wayne Lukas died at his home on Sunday. He had been reported as “gravely ill” and was under hospice care.

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The Lukas family issued a statement Sunday that said the 89-year-old had been hospitalized with a severe infection and declined to go through the “aggressive treatment plan” doctors in his hometown in Kentucky had outlined.

USA Today reported earlier in the week that Lukas has returned to his home and is under hospice care to spend his remaining days with his wife, Laurie, and their extended family.

“Wayne is one of the greatest competitors and most important figures in Thoroughbred racing history,” said Mike Anderson, president of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “He transcended the sport of horse racing and took the industry to new levels. The lasting impact of his character and wisdom — from his acute horsemanship to his unmatched attention to detail — will be truly missed. The enormity of this news is immense, and our prayers are with his family and friends around the world during this difficult time.”

The horses trained by Lukas are now under the guidance of Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl via the succession plan of Lukas Enterprises Inc. Nicholl is the longtime assistant to Lukas.

Sports Biz: Mets Pop-Up

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Guest Column, by JAMES GUMINA

This past weekend, I attended the Strat-O-Matic event at the Mets House in New York to cover one of the final events at the Mets’ Union Square pop-up shop. The event, taking place in a city dominated by Fanatics Fest, was a wonderful reminder that sports are all about communities.

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Fanatics Fest, and events like it, are driven by impressions, revenue, and spectacle, whereas the Strat-O-Matic event at the New York Mets store was purely a celebration of the game and its fans. I was there for about an hour and a half and did not have a single item pushed on me. I played Strat-O-Matic for the first time in years against a longtime fan and player (He very generously reminded me of the rules).

Our game took a backseat to our conversation about his experiences playing the game, and his love for it over the years. He told me all about the 12-person Strat-O-Matic league he has played in for the past 30 years, complete with full seasons and championship rings (which did not look dissimilar to the NFL rings that I saw at Fanatics Fest).

I happily watched him give Hal Richman, the founder of Strat-O-Matic, an honorary championship ring and tell him about the impact the game had on his life. I heard another avid player talk about his father introducing him to the game back in the 1960s and how he has been hooked ever since, so much so that he owns every single MLB set that has been released by the company.

While the setup was not fancy—a few folding tables in the back of the store, game boxes for people to take and use, and some pizza—it did not deter new and old fans of the game from swapping stories and playing head to head versus one another.

I got to meet both Hal and his son, who is the current CEO of Strat-O-Matic, and it immediately became clear to me that this type of event was perfectly in line with the SOM ethos. It is a game all about a shared love of sports and for well over 60 years has been bringing people together in communities just like this one, from local Strat-O-Matic clubs, to leagues, to friendly living room games.

In addition to the game and event, the venue was also an interesting branding initiative by the New York Mets.

The pop-up, which closed June 25th, was one of the regularly scheduled NYM special events, like player meet-and-greets and book signings, as well as regular merchandise sales. The space offered exclusive perks and benefits for fans, as well as interactive exhibitions like an augmented reality swing analysis station that many of the Strat-O-Matic players took advantage of.

While always designed to be a temporary “pop-up,” I really admired the space and thought that it was a great community-oriented brand activation that allowed for events like the Strat-O-Matic day for fans of all ages.

The Mets have been doing a lot right in the marketing department recently, and I think this was no exception.

Turner Sports Parts with NBA TV

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ATLANTA – (Wire Service Report) – TNT Sports will relinquish oversight of NBA TV operations, it was announced today by TNT Sports Chair and CEO Luis Silberwasser.

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After a 17-year run with TNT Sports, day-to-day operations will revert to the league on Oct. 1.

“We made several proposals to continue to provide services and operate the NBA TV network and related digital assets,” Silberwasser wrote in a memo to employees of the Warner Bros. Discovery cable unit, in a communique leaked to media. “However, we were unable to agree on a path forward that recognized the value of our expertise, quality content and operational excellence that our fans and partners have come to expect from TNT Sports.”

In July 2024, the league announced a new 11-year agreement with the Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal and Amazon Prime Video to broadcast approximately 75 games on linear television in addition to all national games being available on streaming services.

TNT will continue to generate digital content for the league through Bleacher Report and House of Highlights and maintain editorial control of the Inside the NBA studio show. The highly popular program that features Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson will be produced at Turner for air on ESPN and ABC during select game broadcasts.

–Field Level Media