10/25/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Wednesday
25 October 2023 Sports
The Packers (2-4) return to the practice field today in preparation for Sunday’s matchup against the Vikings (3-4) at Lambeau Field. Minnesota is coming off at 22-17 home victory over the 49ers Monday night while the Packers lost at Denver to the Broncos 19-17.
Ketel Marte capped his record-setting night on Tuesday by not only helping the D-backs punch their ticket to the World Series, but by earning the 2023 National League Championship Series MVP Award in the process.
Just when Marte’s bid for history seemed to be on the ropes, he ripped a clutch seventh-inning double in the D-backs’ 4-2 victory over the Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS at Citizens Bank Park. The hit extended his postseason hitting streak to 16 games, making it the longest by any player to start his postseason career in MLB history.
Marte went 12-for-31 (.387) with four doubles, a triple, three RBIs and a stolen base in the NLCS. He was also a catalyst in all four of Arizona’s wins, going 8-for-19 (.421) with four extra-base hits and all three of his RBIs in the club’s victories against the Phillies.
Corbin Carrol wen 3-4 and drove in 2 runs while scoring 2 for the D-backs.
Ryan Thompson went 1 1/3 innings to pick up the win in relief. Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez went 4 2/3 innings and took the loss.
The World Series opens Friday night with the Rangers hosting the D-backs.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted to make sure his contract status didn’t distract the Milwaukee Bucks as they made a run at another championship.
That’s one reason the two-time MVP changed his mind and signed a three-year, $186 million extension rather than waiting until next summer to make his future plans known.
Antetokounmpo, 28, explained his decision Tuesday, one day after announcing on social media he had agreed to the extension. “I don’t need the media talks to be about my contract and if I’m going to stay, if I’m going to leave,” Antetokounmpo said. “Because I knew in my heart that I wanted to stay. I don’t want people, when we lose a game to come back and say, ‘Oh, Giannis is being irritated, he doesn’t like what’s going on, this, that, he’s going to leave, blah, blah, blah.’ No. The conversation right now is going to be straight basketball.”
Antetokounmpo noted he made a similar decision back in 2020, when he signed his supermax extension about a week before the start of the season rather than pursuing free agency the following summer. The Bucks went on to win their first title in a half-century.
“It was very helpful,” Antetokounmpo recalled. “I didn’t have to think about it. And I don’t think it’s just helpful to me, it’s helpful to the team too. They don’t want to hear about, ‘Oh, Giannis is leaving. Giannis is staying’ the whole year.”
Antetokounmpo said he feels a responsibility to put the organization at ease.
“I want to be here, right?” Antetokounmpo said. “There’s no secret in that. Everybody knows that. It feels good. Like I stress a lot of people out. And I don’t want to be the reason that a lot of people are stressed out because my life is really stressed out and I know how I feel. So, if I can make it easier on the organization and my teammates and put us in a better position to win a championship, heck yeah. Let’s do it.”
Antetokounmpo’s announcement on the eve of the NBA’s season opener capped an eventful few months for the Bucks and their superstar.
Antetokounmpo is now under contract for at least four more years — and a fifth if he’s so inclined. He will earn about $94.4 million over the next two seasons, then about $120 million more from 2025-27.
If he exercises his option for the final year, he could make roughly $66 million in 2027-28.
Had he waited until next year to sign the extension, it could have been a four-year agreement at a figure exceeding $250 million.
The NBA opened the regular season last night. The Nuggets won at home over the Lakers 119-107 and the Suns won at Golden State 108-104.
Defending Big East champion Marquette has been chosen to win the conference again by the league’s coaches. The Golden Eagles, who were 29-4 last season, garnered seven-first place votes. Marquette was picked ninth in last year’s preseason poll.
“It doesn’t matter where we’re picked, we are always the hunters,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said.
Smart brings back eight of his nine top scorers from last season, including Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek.. The junior guard, who averaged 12.9 points and led the league with 7.5 assists, was picked to win the award again.
Creighton was picked second and received the other four first-place votes. The Bluejays lost in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season and return three starters — center Ryan Kalkbrenner and guards Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman.
Defending NCAA champion UConn was picked third. The Huskies only bring back two starters from last season, but have a stellar freshmen class led by Stephon Castle — the preseason Freshman of the Year.
Villanova and St. John’s round out the top five. Xavier and Providence were the next two. Georgetown, which is now led by former Providence coach Ed Cooley, was picked eighth.
Photo: The Ripon Red Hawks entering the field at the Grand Opening of Hopp Stadium last Saturday. The Red Hawks beat Lake Forest College 12 to nothing.
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