Digital Sports Desk

The online destination for sports purists

Blues Advance

by

St. Louis Blues 5, San Jose Sharks 1


When: 8:00 PM ET, Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Where: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Attendance: 18,684
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

Embed from Getty Images

ST. LOUIS– The worst team in the entire NHL a few days into the new year completed an astounding turnaround Tuesday as the St. Louis Blues advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1970.

The club that fired its coach in November and sat dead last in the NHL when the sun rose on Jan. 3 dispatched the San Jose Sharks in a six-game Western Conference finals, capped by a 5-1 home-ice victory on Tuesday.  

The Blues will meet the Boston Bruins in the championship round.

“A lot of us felt we were in games and close and couldn’t find a way to win them,” St. Louis captain Alex Pietrangelo said. “We had some good honest conversations and knew we had to be better. We looked each other in the eye, and we did it.”

The Blues dominated the undermanned Sharks in the clincher. They now will open the Stanley Cup Final on Monday in Boston, facing the same team they met the last time they went this far. That series was memorialized by Bobby Orr’s winning overtime goal for Boston that he celebrated by going airborne.

David Perron collected a goal and an assist Tuesday, and Ryan O’Reilly posted three assists in the victory.

“It was a special moment for all of us,” said Blues rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, who stopped 25 shots. “We’re excited and looking forward to the next round.”

The Sharks, who are potentially facing major turnover before next season, were without a trio of key players. Forwards Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl were injured in Game 5, while defenseman Erik Karlsson was sidelined due to an apparent groin injury, and the hosts took advantage.

Perron opened the scoring just 92 seconds into the clash and Vladimir Tarasenko netted a power-play goal with 3:44 remaining in the opening frame to stake St. Louis to a 2-0 lead.

Dylan Gambrell — who drew into the San Jose lineup due to the injuries — scored his first NHL goal at the 6:40 mark of the second period to put the Sharks on the board and give them life.

However, St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn quashed those hopes six minutes later when he buried a rebound for the power-play goal that snapped his goal drought at 13 games. Tyler Bozak and Ivan Barbashev iced the game with third-period goals.

Embed from Getty Images

St. Louis won the last three games in the series, all coming after their controversial Game 3 overtime loss in which the winning goal was scored despite an obvious hand pass. That game appeared to galvanize the Blues, even if they outwardly shrugged it off at the time.

“My feeling was if we’re going to win the next gamem we were going to win the series because we took that road,” Perron said. “I’m glad we approached it that way.”

The Blues outscored the Sharks 12-2 in the final three games.

“Their team is a hard team. I think the two hardest, heaviest teams are in the final,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “Everyone talks about skill and all the small players, and there is room for that, but I don’t think it’s an accident. They’re heavy, hard and organized. There wasn’t any room out there.”

Certainly not any room for a Sharks comeback.

“I was proud of our group tonight,” DeBoer added. “I don’t think the score reflected the work we put in. I know what the scoreboard said at the end of the night, but I felt we made them earn it. We showed up in tough circumstances and got efforts from everybody. That’s all you can ask.”

–Field Level Media

Gettin’ Rowdy

by

Toronto Blue Jays 10, Boston Red Sox 3

When: 7:07 PM ET, Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 14407
Recap for Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

Embed from Getty Images

TORONTO – Rookie Rowdy Tellez homered twice and drove in five runs as the Toronto Blue Jays ended the Boston Red Sox’s three-game road winning streak with a 10-3 victory on Tuesday night.

Tellez belted a towering, two-run homer to right field in the fourth inning off Eduardo Rodriguez, which was quickly followed by a solo shot from Randal Grichuk in the next at-bat. The husky Tellez then parked a three-run homer to right in the fifth to give Toronto a 6-0 lead. 

It was the first multi-homer performance in 64 career games for Tellez, who has eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season. Ninth-place hitter Brandon Drury had two hits with three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who bounced back from Monday’s 12-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Boston had won nine of its previous 11 on the road, but didn’t muster much offense after having its way in the opener. The Red Sox had the bases loaded in the third inning with one out, but right-hander Marcus Stroman struck out Mitch Moreland and Xander Bogaerts to leave unscathed.

Boston also loaded the bases in the seventh with nobody out but Toronto relievers Tim Mayza and Joe Biagini closed the door on the threat.

Stroman (2-6, 2.81 ERA), who received 10 runs of support over 58 innings coming into this start, walked six and allowed one run and five hits while pitching into in the seventh. He gave up Moreland’s opposite-field home run in the sixth and induced three double plays.

Moreland is batting .389 (7-for-18) with three homers against Toronto in 2019. After giving up five runs in six innings against Colorado last Wednesday, Rodriguez (4-3, 5.43 ERA) surrendered those three homers in five innings for this loss.

Rafael Devers and Jackie Bradley Jr. each hit solo homers in the eighth for Boston, which was minus star J.D. Martinez for a second consecutive game due to an illness. The Red Sox are hoping Martinez will be back Wednesday.

–Field Level Media

Two-For-All

by

Toronto 120, Milwaukee 102

When: 8:30 PM ET, Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 20,237
Special to Digital Sports Desk by Field Level Media

Series Tied at 2-2 (House of Highlights/Youtube)

TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 25 points — 18 in the first half — and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 120-102 Tuesday night to even the Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece.

Game 5 in the best-of-seven series will be played Thursday in Milwaukee.

Kawhi Leonard, who favored his left leg at times, scored 19 points and had seven rebounds for Toronto. Norman Powell added 18 points off the bench. Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol each scored 17 points, and Fred VanVleet had 13 points. Ibaka also grabbed 13 rebounds.

Khris Middleton scored 30 points with six rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 points and 10 rebounds and Nikola Mirotic contributed 11 points.

The Raptors led by as many as 16 points during the third quarter and had a 13-point margin entering the fourth.

VanVleet made a 3-pointer that bounced around the rim several times before dropping in, Ibaka sank a free throw and Powell hit a one-footer to put Toronto ahead by 20 points with 8:35 to play in the game.

The Bucks crept within 14, but Lowry’s layup had the lead at 21 with 3:50 to go. Ibaka’s dunk bumped the lead to 25.

The Raptors led 32-31 after one quarter, and they scored the first nine points of the second quarter to increase the margin to 10.

Middleton’s 3-pointer with 7:08 remaining in the first half trimmed the deficit to five.

George Hill made two free throws to reduce the margin to four with 3:08 left, but Toronto went up by nine on Powell’s 3-pointer with 1:53 left.

The Raptors led 65-55 at halftime with Lowry scoring 18 points. Middleton had 16 first-half points for Milwaukee.

The Raptors led by 13 early in the third quarter on Pascal Siakam’s layup and free throw.

The Raptors had the lead as high as 14 before the Bucks went on a 7-0 surge to cut the gap in half.

Toronto pulled away again, taking a 12-point lead on Leonard’s step-back jumper with 3:15 remaining.

Lowry made two free throws with 1:17 to go, and Toronto led by 15.

The Raptors got the lead to 16 before the third quarter ended with Toronto leading 94-81.

–By Larry Millson, Field Level Media

While We’re Young Ideas – 4

by

By TERRY LYONS 

BOSTON –  This week, the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center at The Seaport played host to ICE North America, the first major sports gambling convention ever staged by Clarion Gaming on the grounds of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was very well organized and well attended, with a high influx of European gaming experts, industry analysts and casino operators on board. 

While We’re Young Ideas

The agenda included just about everything you could imagine on sports gaming (from age and geo-tracking software developers to slot machine operators to Fantasy sports game builders to League, team and State Lottery executives). In general, it was fantastic and the recommendation for anyone touching upon the industry as it evolves in the USA is to keep an eye out for Clarion Gaming’s next foray to the USA.

Embed from Getty Images

Speaking of “evolving,” that was the topic of discussion for a panel I moderated on Tuesday afternoon, specifically, “Evolving Sports Sponsorships – What a Deal Could Look Like.” … The subject was quite broad and we sought opinions from some of the industries’ most forward thinkers who are doing their best to stay ahead of the trends in the space, including Monument’s Randy Boe, the Commissioner of the AFL, Lalia Mintas, Chairwoman of the Strategic Advisory Board for BetWorks  along with Keith Wachtel – the Chief Business Officer of the NHL and Scott Warfield, the MD of Gaming for NASCAR. All fantastic panelists who provided a gathering of about 50 execs with insights from their experience garnered from their specific sport or area of expertise. … There’s been a ton written on the conference, but one quote by Draft Kings CEO Jason Robins stood out and it came from an early morning session on May 14th. Robins made a plea for the industry to “come together and work together” for the common good.  He had noted the fact various sports gambling or fantasy products in each State require providers to present different experiences, via different “wallets” in mobile apps, and more or less require the consumer to “start from scratch” every time they might simply cross from the likes of Pennsylvania to New Jersey or New Jersey to Delaware and so on and so on.  That is frustrating to the consumer and not a typical business model for most industries. Could you imagine having to fill out all new info, load credit card info into a computer so you could use your Debit Card if you ate lunch at a McDonald’s on the NJ Turnpike and then did the same in Maryland the next day?

Jason Robins of Draft Kings on NESN

Similarly, as a mobile and app consumer, could you imagine having to load in a new app, fill-out all the information, credit card details, license, other background every time you needed a Lyft or Uber ride in a different State? … No! … If you fly from New York to New Orleans, when you land, you can pull-out your mobile phone and just access Uber for a ride. … Robins seeks a similar experience for consumers who might travel to the various States that offer sports gambling. He’s right. … In general, Robins was once a young, disrupting up-start, hotshot, Biz Dev guy, fighting for his career/life against rival Fan Duel for Daily Fantasy Sports relevancy, and is now a mature CEO of a $1.5B company at the epicenter of Sports Gambling in the United States who sees sports gambling as quite mainstream and less disruptive. … Picture the differences between non-drinkers, wine drinkers, beer drinkers, cocktail drinkers and those who choose to chug shots of Tequila. Each of those can exist in a restaurant without having any interaction with the others. Each can choose what they want or decline a drink at anytime. … Those who choose to gamble on sports can do so “for fun,” or for “an experience,” which – if the leagues and teams are creative enough – can be experiences “money can’t buy.” Some can choose season-long fantasy or DFS, some can bet in a traditional way (Win/Loss, Over/Under, Spread/Money Line) and others can play more exotic prop bets, teasers, parlays and other evolving offerings, like “In-Game” gambling.  Certainly, “In-Game” is the tequila-shot of sports gambling but that can be fun and interesting. Robins is at the center of all of it, and is hoping the Leagues/Teams, Fed/States, Operators and Fans/Gamblers can all work out the differences – sooner than later. … Smartest thing uttered at the conference? “Alexa, give me $250 bucks on the Patriots.”  Oh my!

HERE NOW THE NOTES:  New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman received something special to add to his collection of three Super Bowl rings. A college diploma. Thirteen years after he entered Kent State with a year of community college under his belt, Edelman was back in Ohio on Saturday, walking in the graduation ceremony and later posing for photos with his proud parents. Edelman shared on Instagram earlier in the week that he had earned his degree and would put on the cap and gown. … Name the greatest Baseball Movies! Parade Magazine (Yes, it still exists and is in that Sunday newspaper of yours somewhere with the FSIs (free-standing inserts), named its seven top Baseball Motion Pictures. They are:

  1. The Pride of the Yankees (1942 – Gary Cooper)
  2. The Bad News Bears (1976 – Walter Matthau)
  3. The Natural (1984 – Robert Redford)
  4. Bull Durham (1988 – Kevin Costner)
  5. A League of their Own (1992 – Geena Davis)
  6. The Sandlot (1993 – no leading man/woman named)
  7. Moneyball (2011 – Brad Pitt)
All-Time Fave

I can’t say I have any major beef with the list, although any list of great baseball movies, to me, must include Field of Dreams and my two all-time favorites which Parade did not list. I will include them but broaden the topic to address the “best” sports motion pictures of my lifetime. You can feel free to Tweet any additions-subtractions-alternations.  

Here’s my view on the Greatest Sports Motion Pictures of All-Time:

  1. Seabiscuit (2003 – Tobey Maguire/Jeff Bridges/Chris Cooper/Elizabeth Banks/GaryStevens/William H. Macy) – (Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture and others, adapted screenplay and cinematography).
  2. Rocky – (1976 – the entire field of work, not just any one film; The 1976 original garnered 10 Academy Award nomination, including Best Picture for 1977).
  3. Bull Durham (1988 – Kevin Costner)
  4. Caddyshack (1980 – Rodney Danderfield/Chevy Chase/Bill Murray)
  5. Angels in the Outfield (1951 – Paul Douglas/Janet Leigh)
  6. It Happens Every Spring (1949 – Ray Milland/Paul Douglas/Jean Peters)
  7. Secretariat (2010 – Diane Lane)
  8. Field of Dreams – (1989 – Kevin Costner; others)
  9. Slapshot (1977 – Paul Newman; others)
  10. Hoop Dreams (1994 – William Gates/Arthur Agee – by Steve James)
  11. The Big Lebowski (1998 – Jeff Bridges/John Goodman; others)
  12. He Got Game (1998 – Spike Lee/Denzel Washington/Ray Allen)
One of the All-Timers

There were many sequels and remakes of some of these films, as well as many “Also-Rans” for my list. In fact, there are too many “Also Rans” to mention. As with all lists of this nature, I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow, and you might see the likes of “Miracle” make it to the Top 10. … Speaking of Seabiscuit, by the way, Brooks Koepka is to golf what Seabiscuit was to thoroughbred horse racing. … The late, great comedian Robin Williams might’ve been reincarnated and has joined souls with Maureen Madill, a commentator for this week’s PGA Championship on Sirius XM Radio. I challenge any listener not to think of Mrs. Doubtfire – one of Williams’ all-time classic roles – every single time Ms. Madill opens her mic. … Love you Poppet!

Two recent pro and college coaching searches were messy but in each case, a damn good coach was hired. In Los Angeles, the job was Tyronn Lue’s to have but negotiations fell apart and the Lakers switched directions and settled on Frank Vogel for the job. Vogel, a tremendous coach who had NBA stints with Indiana (2011-16) and Orlando (2016-18) along with his work as an assistant with b both the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. … In New York, the tabloids had a field day criticizing and then suggesting the next coach to be considered for St. John’s University, but AD Mike Cragg made an “out of the box of NYC or Duke” hire in Mike Anderson, the former Arkansas coach who was let go earlier this year. Anderson is building the program in a new and different image than what Hall of Famer Chris Mullin had in mind. Anderson is gradually hiring his assistants (most recent was a local NYC man Van Macon) while signing up a few players, including 5-9 PG Johnathan McGriff and 6-9 bruiser JUCO transfer Damien Sears. … After the debacle of the Johnnie’s misfiring on hires like Bobby Hurley (Arizona State and a NJ guy) and Tim Cluess (Iona), the most hardened New York college basketball fans are encouraged by Anderson’s work thus far. The tough BIG EAST awaits. … Meanwhile, Mullin (who parted ways amicably with the Johnnies), hinted to Newsday columnist Steve Popper that it was more likely for the St. John’s all-time great to seek work in the NBA, rather than another college job. … All eyes of sports fans and golfers have been on Bethpage Black for the PGA Championship this week. The public course is located in Farmingdale, NY (Long Island) where the British camped out when they invaded Long Island/New York as they sent some 20-40,000 troops to fight the Revolutionary War. … A stones throw from the five terrific public golf courses was the Grumman plant where the “LEM” … aka Lunar Module … was built for the Apollo space program. After the near-disaster of Apollo 13, when the LEM as used to power the Command Module back to earth because a technical oxygen tank problem forced NASA to scrap the mission, the hard-working Grumman staff was honored after the astronauts returned safely to earth in April, 1970 – the third lunar landing mission. The “funny-looking” LEM was one of the modern engineering marvels of all time, as it used newly engineered light-weight material and incredible navigation software. … Given the proximity, Apollo 13’s Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert and the NASA flight control great Gene Kranz might’ve tucked in a round at Bethpage back in ’70, but probably would have played the Red or Blue!

NBA basketball all-time greats and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry Bird will be co-recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia. TNT will televise the third annual NBA Awards live on Monday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET from Barker Hangar in Los Angeles. … The two previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award were Bill Russell (2017) and Oscar Robertson (2018) and with that in mind, you might think Elgin Baylor, Julius Dr. J” Erving or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might be in line for the award before Earvin and Larry. … What can you say about Albert Pujols? He keeps on keepin’ on. Earlier this week, a two home runs and a single outing gave LA Angels star Pujols 3,110 career hits, tying him with Dave Winfield for 22nd place on the all-time list. … The Brooklyn Dodgers’ 1951 season ended in heartbreak, but Jackie Robinson‘s home uniform from that year fetched some $500,000 at auction last weekend. … Overall, the auction price was down as the most recent sale of a Robinson jersey is nowhere near the top dollar that his rookie uni garnered in the past. That rookie jersey from Jackie’s 1947 season sold for $2.6 million in April 2018. … This week, however, the auction website goldinauctions.com showed a listing for Robinson’s game-used home jersey from the ’51 season with 16 bids that concluded with a $553,500 sale. The bidding started at $150,000, with a portion of the winning bid going to the Jackie Robinson Foundation. … The most important news announcement this week was the appointment of a new Commissioner for the WNBA. …  Accomplished accounting executive Cathy Engelbert was appointed to the new position Wednesday and, in fact, is the league’s first Commissioner. Previous heads of the WNBA were titled as Presidents, including Val Ackerman – the current Commish of the BIG EAST and lock for first ballot Hall of Famer. Ackerman’s tenure ran (1997-2005), while Donna Orender (2005-10), Laurel Richie (2011-15) and Lisa Borders (2016-2018) each held the job as WNBA President.  … Englebert, currently CEO of Deloitte and the first woman to lead a “Big Four” professional services firm in the United States, will join the WNBA on July 17 and report to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, once her four-year term as head of Deloitte (US) concludes. The WNBA’s 23rd season tips off on May 24. … A smart move by the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA was announced this week. They signed the very first ticketing support partnership of its kind with Bernie Mullin‘s The Aspire Group. … The “Next-Practice” sales training concept will help the WNBA team develop benchmarks for sales and will include the customized Performance Analytics Report for the Dream this season. Note to Ms. Englebert: Check it out and deploy Aspire Group’s consultants, staff and tactics for all WNBA teams to help increase ticket sales league-wide.

Digital Sports Desk posts a once-a-week Sunday notes column, entitled: “While We’re Young Ideas.” The reference salutes the great Dick Young, of course, but the obvious Rodney Dangerfield connection connotes the style and humor I’ll be seeking to provide as Spring turns to Summer. We’ll see where we stand on Labor Day before I try to break any ground that Jimmy Cannon or Young walked upon.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the attempt and it will become worthy of a Sunday Morning read and share. I’ll welcome the feedback by connecting “While We’re Young Ideas” with Digital Sports Desk(@DigSportsDesk) and (@WhileYoungIdeas). Please follow those two Twitter accounts, along with @terrylyons

Bruins Consult Pats On Big Game

by

BOSTON – The Boston Bruins are in the midst of 10 days off before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final following their sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With the long layoff, the Bruins are turning to some local experts for tips on how to stay focused.

Embed from Getty Images

The New England Patriots.

According to NHL.com, the organization will contact the Patriots to seek advice about blending preparation and time off. After all, the Patriots have experienced some two-week breaks before the Super Bowl, which they’ve won six times.

“There’s crossovers that we’ve all identified that we’re going to tap into,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “There’s a local team I think that’s had time (before) they’re going to Super Bowls, so we are going to look at different resources that have done it and done it well.”

Even though the layoff presents challenges, Sweeney seems grateful for it, especially given the tough series the Bruins played before the Eastern Conference finals.

“I think in the short term, it’s really beneficial for our group,” Sweeney said.

“The players themselves (after) a seven-game series, six-game series, (we were) fortunate to be able to close out quickly against Carolina, but we’ve been pedal to the metal here mentally and physically for a while. I do believe in the short term, it will help us a lot.”

–Field Level Media

Price Coming Off IL Monday

by

BOSTON – Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price is expected to come off the injured list and start Monday at the Toronto Blue Jays, manager Alex Cora said Friday night.

Embed from Getty Images

The veteran left-hander last pitched May 2 before going on the injured list four days later because of left elbow tendinitis.

The five-time All-Star and 2012 Cy Young Award winner is 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA in six starts this season. He has struck out 42 and walked 10 in 36 innings.

Red Sox right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who underwent surgery on April 23 to remove loose bodies in his pitching elbow, is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session since the surgery on Tuesday. Eovaldi has started four games this season, with a 6.00 ERA and no decisions.

–Field Level Media

NBA’s Silver on Today

by

NEW YORK – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver appeared on The Today Show to promote the NBA Playoffs. He commented on the fact WNBA players will be paid at the market economy rate until the league can grow its revenues.

Silver also noted LeBron James’ move to the west and the cord-cutting younger generation have caused NBA TV rating to dip.

The interview:

Adam Silver (Today Show/Youtube)

Marquee Taps McCarthy as GM

by

CHICAGO – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Marquee Sports Network announced Michael McCarthy as General Manager.

McCarthy will be responsible for driving the success of Marquee Sports Network which is scheduled to launch in February 2020 in partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Mike McCarthy’s new home field in Chicago is the great Wrigley Field (Getty Images)

McCarthy, among the most respected sports and broadcasting executives in the country, served as president of MSG Network where he was responsible for revenue and content across all platforms. The MSG Network won over 75 Sports Emmy Awards during McCarthy’s tenure as he helped launch the careers of nationally known broadcasters, such as Mike Breen, Gus Johnson and Doris Burke.

McCarthy also served as vice chairman and CEO of the St. Louis Blues and was the COO of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Since August of 2018, McCarthy served as a consultant for the Chicago Cubs in the evaluation and formation of the Marquee Sports Network launch strategy.

“We’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Mike and his proven ability to drive results over the past several months at Marquee,” said Crane Kenney, president of business operations for the Chicago Cubs. “With his combined sports and media background, Mike is the right person to bring our network online and deliver unprecedented Cubs coverage for our fans.”

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the launch of the first independent regional sports network for the Chicago Cubs,” said McCarthy. “The recent transformation of this iconic brand is incredibly impressive and the next big effort to better serve Cubs fans is the launch of Marquee.

“For years, I watched the Cubs become a nationally recognized brand. For that reason, I’m honored and intensely motivated by the confidence the Ricketts family, Sinclair and the Cubs have placed in me to add to the incredible broadcasting experience enjoyed by fans for the past 70 years,” he added.

Marquee Sports Network, a new regional sports network, will be the exclusive television home of the Chicago Cubs starting in February 2020. Marquee Sports Network will feature live game broadcasts from Chicago Cubs broadcasters, Len Kasper and Jim Deshaies, extensive pregame and postgame coverage, in-depth unique Cubs content and other local sports programming. Sinclair Broadcast Group is the network’s broadcast partner.

Copyright 2019

www.digitalsportsdesk.com