MLB – Home Run Derby – Harper wins HR Derby over Schwarber in thrilling fashion
Bryce Harper thrilled the home crowd and surely made his father proud, winning the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night with an exceptional display of power that carried him past Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs 19-18. Harper hit the contest-winning blast in extra time, the reward for hitting two homers at least 440 feet during the 4 minutes of regulation. After he connected with the game winner, the Washington Nationals slugger threw his bat in the air and pointed both index fingers toward the sky as a shower of streamers rained upon the crowd of 43,698. Harper arranged to have his father, Ron, pitch to him in the annual contest on the eve of the All-Star Game. Harper, a six-time NL All-Star, responded with a performance that drew the loudest cheers of the night. Wearing a headband that resembled the District of Columbia flag and displaying a right sleeve with stars and stripes, Harper trailed 18-9 with 1:20 left before rallying.
MLB – Harper to bat 6th, Scherzer vs. Sale to start All-Star Game
Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper will bat sixth for the National League in the All-Star Game in his home ballpark. Harper is hitting .214 with a .365 on-base percentage, .468 slugging percentage, 23 home runs and 54 RBIs. Despite his hitting struggles, Harper is an All-Star _ voted in by fans _ for the sixth time in his seven-year major league career. Nationals teammate Max Scherzer will take the mound for the NL as expected with Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saying it’s good for baseball and for the country to give him the ball. Scherzer (12-5) has a 2.41 ERA and a league-high 182 strikeouts. Scherzer is the 14th player in Major League Baseball history to start the All-Star Game for three different teams after doing so previously with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale opens for the American League, his third consecutive All-Star Game start. He’s the third player to do that, following Lefty Gomez and Robin Roberts.
Tonight
2018 MLB All Star Game – Nationals Park, Washington, DC)
American League vs. National League, 7:30 p.m.
NFL – Eagles QB Wentz weds girlfriend in lakeside ceremony
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz married his longtime girlfriend Maddie Oberg in a lakeside ceremony that thrilled some fans in boats. The two were wed at the Lake House Inn in Bucks County on Sunday, and kayakers and canoers on Lake Nockamixon were treated to a waterside view of the nuptials. Christy Stack posted on Facebook that she was able to hear the vows from her boat, and after the officiant said “you may kiss the bride” a man in a nearby kayak did the Eagles chant. Wentz posted photos of the event on Twitter and wrote it was “such a blessing” to marry his best friend, adding that “it was an incredible day and God has his fingerprints all over our story.”
NFL – Bell, Steelers failed to reach deal on new contract
Le’Veon Bell’s next season with the Pittsburgh Steelers will almost certainly be his last. The Pro Bowl running back and the defending AFC North champions failed to reach an agreement on a new contract by Monday’s deadline, meaning he will play under the franchise tag for a second straight year and hit the open market next spring. Bell tweeted that he “both sides worked extremely hard” to try and find common ground but ultimately could not.
NFL – Green Bay Packers says missing playoffs hurt bottom line
The Green Bay Packers’ profit fell by nearly 50 percent in the last fiscal year as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. President and CEO Mark Murphy says the outlook for the Packers remains strong as the NFL’s only publicly owned team released its 2018 financial statement. The Packers announced a profit from operations of $34.1 million, a steep decline from $65.4 million a year earlier. Expenses soared 11.9 percent, from $376.1 million to $420.9 million, a byproduct of player salaries, coaching changes and travel costs. Revenue increased just 3.1 percent to $454.9 million. Local revenue grew by a scant 0.8 percent. A 7-9 record – the team’s first losing season since 2008 – hurt the bottom line.
NCAA – Michigan State introduces Beekman as AD
Michigan State has officially introduced Bill Beekman as its new athletic director, giving him the job he has held on an interim basis since early February. The school held a news conference Monday across the street from its basketball arena. John Engler, Michigan State’s interim president, says he’s confident Beekman will bring “success and honor” to the athletic department. Beekman took over on an interim basis shortly after athletic director Mark Hollis retired following the sex abuse scandal involving former sports doctor Larry Nassar and just before ESPN reported allegations of sexual assault and violence against women involving Michigan State football and basketball players. The report questioned how the athletic department handled those cases. Engler appointed Beekman as interim AD on Feb. 5.
FIFA – World Cup – French team celebrates at presidential palace
France’s World Cup champions have been sharing their win on the soccer field with hundreds of youths at the presidential Elysee Palace after getting a hero’s welcome home in Paris. Following a victory lap down the packed Champs-Elysees Avenue in an open air bus, the squad that defeated Croatia 4-2 in the tournament final on Sunday right attended an informal garden party hosted by President Emmanuel Macron on Monday. Team members sang off-the-cuff songs and Macron told the crowd: “This team is beautiful because it was united.” The diverse origins of France’s players attracted appreciation during the month-long World Cup. Many of the players grew up in the disadvantaged suburbs of Paris.
NHL – Police: Drowning of NHL goalie Ray Emery not suspicious
Police say the drowning of former NHL goalie Ray Emery does not appear suspicious. The 35-year-old player whose career spanned more than a decade drowned in Hamilton Harbour on Sunday. Police say he jumped off a boat near the Leander Boat Club to go swimming, and friends called emergency services at about 6 a.m. when he didn’t resurface. Inspector Marty Schulenberg calls it a “case of misadventure.” Schulenberg adds that Emery’s body was found at about 2:50 p.m. Sunday, about 20 yards from where he went into the water. He says first responders were not able to locate Emery right away so they called the dive unit. Emery played for Ottawa, Chicago and Philadelphia and won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013.
NCAAMBB – Houston, Phoenix among future Final Four sites
The Final Four is headed back to Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio and Indianapolis. The NCAA announced the sites for 2023-2026 on Monday, with all four cities recently hosting the finale of the NCAA Tournament. Houston, site of Villanova’s last-second win over North Carolina in 2016, will host the Final Four in 2023. Phoenix will get the Final Four for the second time in 2024 after hosting in 2017. San Antonio, site of this year’s Final Four, will host in 2025 and Indianapolis will be the host city in 2026, along with 2021.Indianopolis has hosted the Final Four five times, including in 2015. The Final Four will be played in Minneapolis in 2019, Atlanta in 2020 and New Orleans in 2022.
NCAAMBB – Ex-college basketball player sentenced in student’s slaying
A former Western Michigan University basketball player has been sentenced for his role in a robbery that led to the fatal shooting of another student. The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that 21-year-old Joeviair Kennedy was ordered Monday to spend at least 17 ½ years in prison. Kennedy was convicted last month of armed robbery and using a firearm during a felony. But he was acquitted of murder in the 2016 slaying of 19-year-old Jacob Jones in an off-campus apartment. Kennedy’s co-defendant and former Muskegon High School teammate, Jordan Waire, was convicted in April of murder and armed robbery. He’s been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Witnesses said Waire and Kennedy burst into Jones’ apartment demanding money and marijuana. Kennedy was on Western Michigan’s basketball team when he was arrested.
MWL – Midwest League Baseball
Last Night
Clinton 9, Lansing 8 – 10 innings
South Bend 9, Wisconsin 2
Beloit 3, West Michigan 2 – 12 innings
Great Lakes 5, Burlington 0
Tonight
No games today
