Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday 5/18/20
18 May 2020 Sports
According to a report by Stadium, Green Bay has fired men’s basketball coach Linc Darner after five seasons. Darner, 49, compiled a 92-80 record with the Phoenix and this past season Darner coached the Phoenix to a 17-16 record. Overall, Darner guided Green Bay to three postseason berths, including the 2016 NCAA tournament in his first season. Green Bay also played in the CBI in 2017 and the CIT in 2019 where it finished as the runner-up.
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This was a 400-mile drive unlike any other in modern day NASCAR. The grandstands were completely empty. Everyone wore face coverings — some with the team logos, others opting for plain disposable medical masks. But when the engines fired at Darlington Raceway following a 10-week layoff during the coronavirus pandemic, it turned into a regular old race. Kevin Harvick beat Alex Bowman to win NASCAR’s first race back. Kurt Busch, winner of the closest finish in Darlington history, was third for Ganassi. Chase Elliott gave Hendrick two cars in the top-four. Denny Hamlin was the highest-finishing Toyota driver at fifth for Joe Gibbs Racing, one spot ahead of teammate Martin Truex Jr.
Also in the field was Matt Kenseth, who at 48 was the oldest driver at Darlington and he raced for the first time since the 2018 season finale. Kenseth was brought out of retirement by Chip Ganassi when Kyle Larson was fired for using a racial slur during an iRacing event that kept NASCAR occupied when racing was on hold. Kenseth finished 10th.
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Anthony Harris isn’t going anywhere this season and he and the Vikings are still working to ensure a long-term future in Minnesota.
For now, though, the standout safety has signed his franchise tag tender, as he announced Sunday. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added that Harris’ agents and the Vikings will continue to work toward a long-term extension. The Vikings applied the tag on Harris in mid-March and still have until July 15 to agree upon a long-term pact.
The 28-year-old Harris is a true success story in the NFL, having emerged from being an undrafted free agent in 2015 to a starter for the Vikings. A head-scratching Pro Bowl snub in 2019, Harris had an NFL-high six interceptions to go along with 60 tackles and 11 passes defended.
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Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Ed Oliver was arrested Saturday night in his hometown of Houston on charges of driving while intoxicated and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Oliver was taken to the Montgomery County Jail after being pulled over on State Highway 242. Both charges are misdemeanors, according to the jail’s website. The 22-year-old Oliver had an open beer between his legs and was determined to be impaired after a field sobriety test.
The officer who administered the test noted that Oliver may have been impaired by something other than alcohol, and police discovered a pistol in Oliver’s vehicle. No drugs were found.
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Bail has been set for DeAndre Baker of the New York Giants and Quinton Dunbar of the Seattle Seahawks, who turned themselves into police on Saturday on warrants for armed robbery.
According to ESPN, Broward County Judge Michael Davis set bail for Dunbar at $100,000 total, which comprises $25,000 for each of his four armed robbery charges. Bail for Baker was set at $200,000, or $25,000 for each of his four armed robbery charges and four aggravated assault charges, all with a firearm.
Both made bond Sunday morning after the state had asked for no bond for either. Davis ordered both to stay in state, but that he would revisit that order if either was subject to work requirements out of state, according to ESPN.
Baker and Dunbar have been accused of robbing an illegal dice game with 15-20 attendees in Miramar, Florida on Wednesday, along with a third man who has not been identified. Baker allegedly pulled out a gun and told Dunbar and the third man, who was wearing a red mask, to start robbing the other guests. No shots were fired, though multiple witnesses said in affidavits that Baker instructed the man in the red mask to shoot someone who had just entered the house.
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Not thrilled, surprised, understands……these are the words Aaron Rodgers used Friday in a conference call with reporters to describe his reaction to the Packers drafting of his potential successor in the first round, Jordan Love.
“It was more the surprise of the pick based on my own feelings of wanting to play into my 40’s, and the realization that it does change the controllables a little bit,” Rodgers said. “Because as much as I feel confident in my abilities in what I can accomplish and what we can accomplish, there are some new factors that are out of my control. And so my sincere desire to start and finish with the same organization, just as it has with many other players over the years, may not be a reality at this point. And as much as I understand the organization’s future outlook and wanting to make sure they are thinking about the team now and down the line, and I respect that, at the same time I still believe in myself and have a strong desire to play into my 40’s and I’m just not sure how that all works together at this point.”
Until it’s time for the decision to be made, Rodgers won’t have any problems with Love as a backup. He will draw on what he learned being in Love’s shoes 15 years ago with Brett Favre.
In 2019, Rodgers posted the 2nd best interception percentage in franchise history (he also has the top spot in that category), but also recorded his 2nd lowest completion percentage, and 3rd lowest passer rating as a starter. Maybe that is why some view the drafting of Love as a fire-starter for the 36-year old, 2-time MVP.
2nd year head coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t see any need to motivate Rodgers. “I think he is very motivated and he doesn’t need any external motivation. He’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever been around, you can see that competitiveness every time we step out on that field. So I don’t think it is going to drive him any more than if we would have drafted somebody else.”
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Phyllis George, the former Miss America who became a female sportscasting pioneer on CBS’s “The NFL Today” and served as the first lady of Kentucky, has died. She was 70. A family spokeswoman said George died Thursday at a Lexington, Kentucky, hospital after a long fight with a blood disorder. Miss America in 1971, George joined Brent Musburger and Irv Cross in 1975 on “The NFL Today.” Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder later was added to the cast. George was briefly married to Hollywood producer Robert Evans in the mid-1970s and to John Y. Brown Jr. from 1979-98. Brown owned Kentucky Fried Chicken and the NBA’s Boston Celtics and served as the governor of Kentucky.
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Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy paired up against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff for a charity skins match in the first live U.S. golf broadcast since the PGA Tour shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Through 18 holes, $1.1 million remained unclaimed. Through 17, the Fowler/Wolff pairing held the money lead with $1.15 million in skins won against McIlroy/Johnson’s $750,000. But as six $100,000 skins carried over to a $500,000 final hole, bragging rights and a lot of money for their respective charities remained on the line. Johnson and McIlroy each had birdie putts on 18 to claim the final $1.1 million, but neither player connected, meaning the money remained up for grabs in a 19th-hole shootout. The players returned to the 120-yard 17th at Juno Beach, Florida’s Seminole Golf Club for a closest-to-the-pin challenge to claim the final prize.
Wolff stuck his shot within 15 feet to set the standard. Fowler missed the green, as did Johnson, meaning world No. 1 McIlroy had one shot for the prize. He lived up to his lofty status, landing his shot pin-high to claim the final seven skins of the match.
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