Sport Scores

It euphemistically was known as “Black Ball,” a style of baseball that was loose and athletic and fun, and that attracted enthusiastic crowds everywhere it was played during the first half of the 20th century. It was, in large part, a product of big cities, baseball centers such as Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, but it was a phenomenon shared across the nation. Cedar Rapids, though nowhere near…

As the 2016 football season was winding down Sunday, I did what I annually do. I turned a page on my sports calendar to the 2017 baseball season. It’s not a precise transition. The Mariners’ opener April 3, for instance, poses a scheduling conflict with the Final Four showdown for the NCAA men’s basketball championship. Between now and then, we’ll have a chance to watch 648,000 college basketball games on…

Improved pace of play has been a priority for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who is entering his third full season running the game. That the average contest lasted about four minutes longer in 2016 than 2015 undoubtedly irked Manfred. Unsurprisingly, some rule changes could be coming down the pipe that should shorten games. The most commonly suggested tweak — installing a pitch clock, similar to the one implemented throughout the…

It euphemistically was known as “Black Ball,” a style of baseball that was loose and athletic and fun, and that attracted enthusiastic crowds everywhere it was played during the first half of the 20th century. It was, in large part, a product of big cities, baseball centers such as Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, but it was a phenomenon shared across the nation. Cedar Rapids, though nowhere near…

As the 2016 football season was winding down Sunday, I did what I annually do. I turned a page on my sports calendar to the 2017 baseball season. It’s not a precise transition. The Mariners’ opener April 3, for instance, poses a scheduling conflict with the Final Four showdown for the NCAA men’s basketball championship. Between now and then, we’ll have a chance to watch 648,000 college basketball games on…

MIDFIELD, AL (WBRC) - Shermaine Hollis is a seventh grader at Rutledge Middle School, but this year he’ll play third base for Midfield High School. He tried out for the team in December and has been practicing with varsity players since January. “We’re a good school.” said Hollis. “Some folks try to downplay us, but if you really see us, we’re pretty good.” Hollis has been playing park ball since…

Improved pace of play has been a priority for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who is entering his third full season running the game. That the average contest lasted about four minutes longer in 2016 than 2015 undoubtedly irked Manfred. Unsurprisingly, some rule changes could be coming down the pipe that should shorten games. The most commonly suggested tweak — installing a pitch clock, similar to the one implemented throughout the…

A little less than 22 years ago, Tom Brady made a decision that is still reverberating as we approach the kickoff for Super Bowl LI. It could be argued this decision changed the landscape of two sports, not just the one he’s famous for dominating, and the future of two franchises, one of which became the most successful in its sport, and the other which no longer exists in its…

Improved pace of play has been a priority for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who is entering his third full season running the game. That the average contest lasted about four minutes longer in 2016 than 2015 undoubtedly irked Manfred. Unsurprisingly, some rule changes could be coming down the pipe that should shorten games. The most commonly suggested tweak — installing a pitch clock, similar to the one implemented throughout the…

For anybody who has ever played the game of baseball, whether it be in the sandlot with neighborhood friends, or in the Bronx in front of 54,000 screaming fans, the most vital component to success is eyesight. Every coach has uttered the age old direction, “keep your eye on the ball.” We have heard it time and time again, but often don’t realize how fortunate that we are to even…

Caption Close DERBY — Boston’s Fenway Park has its Green Monster. And soon Derby’s Leo F. Ryan sports complex may have a “Red Monster” to fit the school’s color and its Red Raider mascot. At least that’s the hope of Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway, who explained how a retaining wall for the relocation of the high school baseball field can be split in two with seating in between. “It…

Brian Butterfield was jogging from his third-base coaching box back to the Red Sox dugout when he heard someone calling his name. “There’s this guy yelling at me,” Butterfield recalled from a game last season. Normally he would pay little attention – just another loud fan at Fenway. But Butterfield took a quick glance. “It looked like Steve Belichick,” Butterfield said. Indeed, the son of Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, a…

Caption Close DERBY — Boston’s Fenway Park has its Green Monster. And soon Derby’s Leo F. Ryan sports complex may have a “Red Monster” to fit the school’s color and its Red Raider mascot. At least that’s the hope of Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway, who explained how a retaining wall for the relocation of the high school baseball field can be split in two with seating in between. “It…

Through social media, Bill Bottenfield, declared to me he’d like to have a go at the long par six hole at the Turquoise Valley Golf Course. In a subsequent phone conversation, we arranged for a tee time. Bill had been a pitcher on the baseball teams I had coached at Cochise College, circa 1969 and 1970. He is presently a resident of Harrison, Arkansas. My memories…

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File photo. With the 2017 season approaching, the Texas State men’s baseball team is preparing for the new year by combining both returning players with new ones. At the end of every season, there are players who leave the team to graduate, get drafted and/or leave their collegiate athlete days behind. However, the beginning of each season also brings along new faces for the team. The 2017…

There can be randomness in whether a player is better or worse than their prior year or career norm. We don’t like that, but it’s true. Pitchers have limited control over where batted balls go after they’re hit (so do hitters for that matter). Players who have been healthy get hurt and vice versa. Latest mocks, tiers, rankings and more We cannot predict everything, obviously. That does not mean we…

Taking the pulse of the industry, Rich Hill checks in 33rd among starting pitchers on FantasyPros.com, behind the likes of Michael Fulmer and Felix Hernandez. It’s not altogether surprising and perhaps even generous considering he threw 110 1/3 innings last year, making him only the 57th-ranked pitcher in Head-to-Head point leagues. But then, in Rotisserie, the format that rewards ratio stats like ERA and WHIP, he ranked 23rd. Why? Well,…

Gabe Kapler would have loved to play for Israel in the World Baseball Classic. He has not played in the major leagues for seven years, but that would not have been a problem. Eric Gagne is playing for Canada, and he hasn’t played in the majors for nine years. But Kapler has a full-time job, as the Dodgers’ director of player development. The Dodgers had minor league staffers to hire, spring…