http://www.dailyregister.com/sports/20170725/juco-hoops-smithpeters-jalc-add-to-depth-with-two-more-signings

CARTERVILLE, IL – (Harrisburg Register.  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

John A. Logan basketball coach Kyle Smithpeters has announced the signing of two more players for the 2017-18 season.

Clivonte Patterson of Ballard County High School just outside Louisville, Ky,. and Jonah Jackson of Maryville, Ind. have both signed letters of intent to attend John A. Logan and play for the Volunteers

“Paterson, 6-4, is a very versatile player who can play a lot of positions,” Smithpeters said. “He is a lefty who can handle the ball, rebound and make shots. He is a tough match up.”

From the Southern Illinois Miners

MARION, IL – The Southern Illinois Miners beat the Gateway Grizzlies 6-0 at Rent One Park on Wednesday night in the second game of a doubleheader, earning a split of the two games after the Grizzlies rallied late to win 3-2 in the first game.

In the second contest, the Miners jumped in front 1-0 in the first inning against Gateway starter Will Landsheft (4-8) by loading the bases on walks with no one out before a sacrifice fly by former Grizzlie Craig Massoni put the Miners ahead. Southern Illinois then touched up Landsheft by scoring five runs in the bottom of the third inning with two outs. With the bases loaded after an infield hit by Ryan Sluder and two walks, a wild pitch by Landsheft scored Sluder from third base to make it 2-0. Brett Wiley then singled into left field to plate the other two Miners on base and extend the lead to 4-0. The next batter was Ryan Lashley, and he followed by drilling a two-run home run to left-center field to give Southern Illinois a 6-0 lead.

That was all Tyler Stubblefield (6-2) needed, as the southpaw pitched five shutout innings while allowing just one walk and one hit, striking out four to earn the victory. Austin Dubsky and Tre Hobbs each also pitched a scoreless inning to finish the contest as the Miners earned their sixth shutout win of the season.

In the first game, the Miners also scored first on a sacrifice fly, this time in the second inning by James Alfonso, to take a 1-0 lead. Gateway would tie the score at 1-1 in the fourth on an RBI single by former Miner Joel McKeithan to plate Matt Hearn, who had reached on an error, for an unearned run against starter Matt Parish. That would be the only run Parish allowed in six innings of work in the contest, and the Miners got the lead back in the fifth inning on Sluder’s first professional homer, a solo shot to left-center, for a 2-1 lead.

The Miners held that lead until the seventh inning, when the Grizzlies mounted a comeback against John Werner. After a leadoff walk, single and sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third base with one out, Werner (3-1) struck out Chase Simmons for the second out, but then allowed a single by Hearn that scored both baserunners and put the visitors in front. Vincent Molesky (5-5) then finished off a complete game by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the frame as Gateway took game one.

The Miners and Grizzlies will decide the series in a rubber match on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. Zach Cooper will take the hill for the Miners and Will Anderson will counter for Gateway.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2016 Frontier League West Division Champions, the 2014 and 2015 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at (618) 998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.

 

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/07/27/wwe-raw-smackdown-to-become-online-only/

(WBBM, Chicago.  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

WWE is a television giant. Complete with its flashy presentation and larger-than-life characters, it has conquered not only all competitors in professional wrestling, but nearly everyone else on paid television. This past Monday, its flagship show Raw accounted for three of the five highest-rated hours on cable, with each segment averaging near or above 3,000,000 viewers. The following night, SmackDown Live! was the second-highest-rated show, trailing only Discovery Network’s Shark Week programming.

It’s a position that remains familiar to WWE, despite a steady year-over-year ratings decline. By and large, television viewership is down across the board. That holds true for sports, network and cable programming. The number of households “cutting the cord” and turning exclusively to streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu is accelerating. Traditional broadcast networks such as CBS, which owns this website, have launched their own over-the-top networks in an effort to keep up with the rapidly evolving way media is consumed.

 

by Steve Dunford

The only roster move the Cardinals made at this trade deadline is optioning CF Harrison Bader to Memphis and RF Stephen Piscotty, will be activated from the disabled list.

Lance Lynn, who will be a free agent at years end, was on the radar as the most likely Cardinal to be traded.  Deals sending Oakland pitcher Sonny Gray to the Yankees and sending Yu Darvish to the Dodgers were the two biggest deals of the day.  Both teams were targeting Lynn.

It was rumored that outfielders Tommy Pham and Randall Grichuk were likely to be dealt.  Other players mentioned in possible trade talks were one of three left-handed relief pitchers Kevin Siegrist, Tyler Lyons, and Zack Duke.

It was also mentioned by sources that 3B Jedd Gyroko, and 2B Kolten Wong could be packaged with Lynn in the right deal.

The strongest rumors the Cardinals would be in on one of the Miami Marlins outfielders, Gincarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, or Christian Yelich.

Any statements from the ball club will be linked to this post.

Send INF Jeimer Candelario, INF Isaac Paredes, player to be named or cash consideration to the Tigers

Press release from the Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs today acquired left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila from the Detroit Tigers for infielders Jeimer Candelario, Isaac Paredes and a player to be named or cash consideration. To open up a spot on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Dylan Floro has been designated for assignment.

Wilson, who turns 30 next month, is 3-4 with 13 saves and a 2.68 ERA (12 ER/40.1 IP) in 42 relief appearances for the Tigers this season.   He has struck out 55 batters in 40.1 innings and held opponents to a 0.94 WHIP while limiting foes to a .157 batting average, including a .220 mark by lefties and a .131 mark by righties. He has also held opponents to just a .242 on-base percentage and a .321 slugging percentage, good for a .563 opponents OPS. Wilson is under club control through the 2018 campaign.