Show notes
MLB – Major League Baseball Last Night Los Angeles Angels 6, Chicago Cubs 2 Detroit Tigers at Philadelphia Phillies, PPD, Air Quality Chicago White Sox at New York Yankees, PPD, Air Quality Angels 6, Cubs 2 – Trout, Moniak use bats and gloves to power Angels past Cubs, 6-2 Mike Trout homered, Mickey Moniak had a three-run double and Luis Rengifo hit a tying homer and a tiebreaking RBI single in the Los Angeles Angels’ 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Trout and Moniak also made stellar defensive plays for the Angels, who are on their first three-game winning streak in two weeks. Hard-throwing reliever Ben Joyce earned his first major league victory for the Angels. Trey Mancini hit an RBI double and scored on Miguel Amaya’s single for the Cubs, who have lost three straight and nine of 13. Tigers at Phillies, PPD, – Phillies-Tigers game postponed to Thursday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires The Philadelphia Phillies’ series finale against the Detroit Tigers was postponed due to poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires. The game was rescheduled for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, originally an off day for both teams. Philadelphia won 1-0 Tuesday in haze and with the smell of smoke in the air. Phillies players and manager Rob Thomson said the conditions did not affect them, though a strong wind blowing in from center field halted three would-be home runs short of the fence. White Sox at Yankees, PPD – White Sox-Yankees postponed, Rodón throws simulated game despite hazardous air The hazardous air quality at Yankee Stadium didn’t prevent Carlos Rodón from putting in some work. With several members of the New York Yankees’ front office watching closely, Rodón threw 20 pitches in a simulated game on the field Wednesday afternoon — the latest step in his long rehabilitation from back trouble. The left-hander faced teammates Jake Bauers and Oswaldo Cabrera under a hazy sky in the Bronx, which smelled of smoke because of Canadian wildfires that disrupted professional sports schedules along the East Coast of the United States. A little while after Rodón was on the mound, the unhealthy air prompted Major League Baseball to postpone New York’s game against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday — along with the Detroit Tigers’ game in Philadelphia. Today Chicago White Sox (Lynn 4-6) at N.Y. Yankees (Severino 0-1), 4:05 p.m. – Game 1 Chicago White Sox (Clevinger 3-3) at N.Y. Yankees (Vásquez 0-1), 7:05 p.m. – Game 2 Detroit (Holton 0-0) at Philadelphia (Wheeler 4-4), 6:05 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 5:40 Chicago Cubs (Smyly 5-3) at L.A. Angels (Detmers 0-5), 9:38 p.m. NBA – 2023 NBA Finals – (best of seven) Last Night Denver Nuggets 109, Miami Heat 94 (DEN leads 2-1) Nuggets 109, Heat 94 – Jokic and Murray both have triple-doubles, Nuggets beat Heat 109-94 for 2-1 lead Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver’s two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat 109-94 in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, getting the rebound he needed with 9 seconds remaining. Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. Game 4 is Friday in Miami. Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Bam Adebayo finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds for the Heat. Friday Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, 8:30 p.m. (DEN leads 2-1) WNBA – Texas homecoming for Griner in WNBA star’s 1st game there since Russian release Brittney Griner had a Texas homecoming in her first game in her home state since being released from a Russian prison. The Phoenix Mercury were on the road for only the second time this season, since Griner missed all of last season while detained before a prisoner swap in December. People were shouting words of encouragement to Griner when she was out to dinner with teammates. She also met in private before Wednesday’s game with the women’s basketball team from Baylor. That campus about 100 miles away is where she was part of a 40-0 national championship in 2012. NHL – 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Finals – (best of seven) Tonight Vegas Golden Knights at Florida Panthers, 8:00 p.m. (VGK leads 2-0) MLS –Messi picks MLS’s Inter Miami in a move that stuns soccer after exit from PSG Lionel Messi says he is coming to Inter Miami and joining Major League Soccer. After months of speculation, Messi announced his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon in David Beckham since its inception but has yet to make any real splashes on the field. That will likely soon change. One of Inter Miami’s owners, Jorge Mas, tweeted out a photo of a darkly silhouetted Messi jersey shortly before the Argentinian great revealed his decision in interviews with Spanish news outlets Mundo Deportivo and Sport. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner makes his move after two years with Paris Saint-Germain. MLS – Messi heads to Miami as latest big name to raise soccer’s profile in US Lionel Messi is set to become part of the next chapter of men’s soccer in North America. Messi’s announcement that he will join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami is another landmark moment for the league and the sport in the United States. But he’s only the latest big-name international player to bring his talents to the U.S. It started with Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cryuff in the NASL, and since the MLS was launched other stars like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimović have raised the profile of the game in North America. Golf – McIlroy, a strong anti-Saudi voice, now feels like ‘sacrificial lamb’ amid merger Rory McIlroy says the PGA Tour’s collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund makes him feel like a sacrificial lamb. McIlroy has been the strongest anti-Saudi voice during the disruption brought on by LIV Golf. He was among those left in the dark on the agreement that merges the business end of the PGA Tour, European tour and the Public Investment Fund. McIlroy says Saudi Arabia was going to keep spending money in golf. He says the tour is better off having it as a minority investor instead of trying to keep up and going to court over lawsuits. Golf – Hypocrisy isn’t new in sports, it’s just more obvious in PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger Major League Baseball was once so concerned about gambling it banned Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays just for working as casino greeters. Now MLB itself and almost all its teams have official casino sponsors. The NCAA railed for decades that paying players would destroy college sports, all while raking in billions off of their unpaid labor. Now schools boast of booster collectives that help recruit top talent to their teams. So when the PGA Tour overcame its indignation and agreed to merge with LIV Golf the flip-flop followed a long-established tradition in sports of flexible attitudes. NFL – Jaylon Johnson hopes to remain with Bears, seeks contract extension Cornerback Jaylon Johnson insists he is not worried about his future with the Chicago Bears and hopes to remain with the team beyond next season. Johnson says he “100%” would like a contract extension as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Johnson has established himself as one of Chicago’s best players. His absence from voluntary offseason activities until this week stirred speculation that he was upset and holding out for a new deal. But he insists that wasn’t the case. Johnson says his main reason for remaining home in Fresno, California, was simply to spend time with his 3-year-old daughter. He also had charitable commitments, including a golf tournament this past weekend as well as a nonprofit football camp. NFL – Colts keep Rodgers out of practice as NFL investigates gambling allegations Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers Sr. sat out of Wednesday’s practice, two days after team officials said they were aware of an NFL investigation into gambling allegations about one of Indy’s players. Neither the Colts nor the league have publicly identified Rodgers as the target. But Rodgers issued a statement on Twitter acknowledging he made an “error in judgment” just hours after media reports linked him to the investigation. Coach Shane Steichen would not say whether Rodgers would practice until there is a resolution. Tennis – Gauff is 0-7 vs. Swiatek after losing to her in the French Open quarterfinals Coco Gauff has lost in the French Open quarterfinals to two-time champion Iga Swiatek in a rematch of last year’s final at Roland Garros. The No. 1-ranked Swiatek won 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday and has not dropped a set in the tournament. Swiatek will face 14th-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia in Thursday’s semifinals. Gauff is a 19-year-old American who has lost all seven matches she has played against Swiatek. Haddad Maia is the first Brazilian woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal since 1968. She eliminated No. 7 Ons Jabeur in three sets earlier Wednesday. Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud reached the men’s semifinals. NCAAFB – Ex-Florida State football player acquitted in fatal shooting A South Florida jury has agreed that a former Florida State football player acted in self-defense when he fatally shot one man and injured another several hours after he scuffled with his girlfriend. Travis Rudolph was found not guilty Wednesday of one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder by a Palm Beach County jury. Rudolph was first arrested in April 2021 after investigators say four men went to his home several hours after he fought with his girlfriend. Rudolph armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire on them as they drove away. He testified that the men shot back at him. Investigators say they never found evidence of the fleeing men returning fire. WWE – The Iron Sheik, charismatic former pro wrestling villain, dies at 81 The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who played a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars, has died at age 81. The WWE posted an article confirming the death of the ex-wrestler and Twitter personality Wednesday. A statement also was posted on his Twitter page, but neither mentioned a cause of death or where he died. The Iron Sheik, whose real name was Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, grew up in Iran. In his pro career, he donned curled boots and used the “Camel Clutch” as his finishing move on matches while playing the role of an anti-American heel for the WWF, which later became the WWE. MWL – Midwest League Baseball Last Night Wisconsin 9, West Michigan 4 Great Lakes 10, Lake County 1 South Bend 1, Lansing 0 Tonight Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at West Michigan Whitecaps, 6:35 p.m. Lake County Captains at Great Lakes Loons, 7:05 p.m. Lansing Lugnuts at South Bend Cubs, 7:05 p.m. MHSAA – High School Sports Yesterday Girls Soccer – Regional Semifinals Division 2 at Vicksburg Plainwell 1, Thornapple-Kellogg 0 – OT Pinckney 1, Gull Lake 0 Baseball – Regional Semifinals Division 1 at DeWitt Battle Creek Lakeview 11, Okemos 2 Division 1 at Portage Northern Mattawan 6, Zeeland East 3 Division 2 at Berrien Springs Lakeshore 8, Vicksburg 0 Division 2 at Hamilton Hamilton 3, Gull Lake 1 Division 3 at Watervliet Watervliet 3, Parchment 2 Division 3 at Bridgman Bridgman 6, Centreville 2 Division 4 at Colon Decatur 9, Michigan Lutheran 5 Division 4 at Mendon Kalamazoo Hackett 5, Zion Christian 1 Today Girls Soccer – Regional Finals Division 1 at Byron Center Portage Central vs. Hudsonville, 6:00 p.m. Division 4 at Portage Northern Our Lady of the Lake vs. Kalamazoo Christian, 6:30 p.m.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.