News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM

03-31-23 WSJM Afternoon News

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Great opportunity for high school kids

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BASEBALL means.. Summer is just around the corner! Customs is cracking down on eggs coming in to the country. And well, that didn’t take long! That’s what Paul Layendecker is BuZzin’ about today on The Daily BuZz!!

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MLB – Major League Baseball – Opening Day 2023
Yesterday
Tampa Bay Rays 4, Detroit Tigers 0
Chicago Cubs 4, Milwaukee Brewers 0
Chicago White Sox 3, Houston Astros 2

Rays 4, Tigers 0 – McClanahan sharp, Rays blank Tigers 4-0 on opening day
Shane McClanahan pitched six sharp innings, Jose Siri and Wander Franco homered and the Tampa Bay Rays opened their silver anniversary season with a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley also drove in runs charged to Eduardo Rodriguez. McClanahan gave up four hits in his second opening day start.  Miguel Cabrera, beginning what he has said will be his last season, had one of Detroit’s six hits — a seventh-inning double — that moved him into a tie with Ichiro Suzuki for 23rd on the all-time hit list with 3,089.

Cubs 4, Brewers 0 – Swanson, Stroman help Cubs beat Brewers 4-0 on opening day
Dansby Swanson had three hits in his Chicago Cubs debut and Marcus Stroman worked six scoreless innings, breezing past baseball’s first pitch-clock violation on his way to a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day. Swanson’s first hit with his new team was an RBI single that sparked a four-run third. He tacked on two more singles and played his usual solid defense at shortstop. Swanson signed a $177 million, seven-year contract with Chicago in free agency, leaving Atlanta after seven seasons. Milwaukee was limited to singles for rookie Brice Turang, Willy Adames, Brian Anderson and William Contreras.

White Sox 3, Astros 2 – Vaughn’s double lifts White Sox over Astros 3-2 in opener
Andrew Vaughn’s tiebreaking, two-run double in the ninth inning lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 win over the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in their season opener. The game was tied 1-all after a homer by Chicago’s Yasmani Grandal in the eighth. Ryan Pressly walked Tim Anderson with one out in the ninth before a single by Luis Robert Jr. Vaughn then belted a double to center field that put the White Sox on top. Pedro Grifol got the win in his managerial debut after spending the last 10 seasons as a coach in the Royals organization. It snapped a streak of 10 straight wins for the Astros in openers.

Tonight
Chicago White Sox (Lynn 0-0) at Houston (Javier 0-0), 8:10 p.m.
Tigers and Cubs are off

Saturday
White Sox at Houston, 2:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Tigers at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m.  WSJM 3:45

Sunday
Tigers at Tampa Bay, 1:10 p.m.  WSJM 12:45
White Sox at Houston, 2:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cubs, 2:20 p.m.

MLB – Cubs’ Marcus Stroman commits MLB’s 1st pitch-clock violation
Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman committed Major League Baseball’s first pitch-clock violation in the third inning of Thursday’s opening day game against the Milwaukee Brewers. With no outs, rookie Brice Turang on second base and Christian Yelich at the plate, plate umpire Ron Kulpa called the violation on Stroman at Wrigley Field. Kulpa pointed to his wrist in announcing the call, and the automatic ball made it a 2-2 count against Yelich. Cubs-Brewers was the fourth of 15 opening day games to begin Thursday. Several more violations followed on the first day of regular season games since MLB introduced a slate of rules changes this season.

MLB – Nico Hoerner looking forward to long-term future with Cubs
Nico Hoerner is looking forward to his future with the Chicago Cubs after finalizing a $35 million, three-year contract. The deal begins with the 2024 season, covering his last two years of arbitration and the first year that he would have been eligible for free agency. Hoerner, who turns 26 in May, was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford. Making his first public comments since the contract was completed, Hoerner says, “This is where I want to be.” He singled, scored and committed a throwing error in a 4-0 victory over Milwaukee on opening day.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball – Final Four
Saturday
NCAA Tournament – Final Four – NRG Stadium, Houston
9 Florida Atlantic vs. 5 San Diego State, 6:09 p.m.
5 Miami vs. 4 UConn, 8:49 p.m.

NCAAWBKB – Women’s College Basketball – Final Four
Tonight
NCAA Tournament – Final Four – American Airlines Center, Dallas
3 LSU vs. 1 Virginia Tech, 7:00 p.m.
2 Iowa vs. 1 South Carolina, 9:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Detroit Red Wings 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2
St. Louis Blues 5, Chicago Blackhawks 3

Red Wings 3, Hurricanes 2 – Jake Walman scores late goal, Red Wings beat Hurricanes 3-2
Defenseman Jake Walman scored with 3.2 seconds left to give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Dominik Kubalik and captain Dylan Larkin also scored for the Red Wings and Alex Nedeljkovic made 31 saves to beat his former team. Kubalik scored 59 second into the game and Larkin connected on a power play at 7:26 of the second. Larkin extended his team leads in goals with 28 and power-play goals with 15. Carolina defense partners Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin scored 3:36 apart in the second — at 42 seconds and 4:18.

Blues 5, Blackhawks 3 – Blues win 5-3 to hand Blackhawks 7th straight defeat
Logan Brown and Alexey Toropchenko scored 38 seconds apart in the second period, and the St. Louis Blues beat the skidding Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. Jakub Vrana, Jordan Kyrou and Brandon Saad also scored for St. Louis. Justin Faulk had two assists. The Blues, still clinging to faint playoff hopes, have won two straight and three of four. It was the seventh consecutive loss for the Blackhawks, who dropped into a tie with Columbus for last place in the overall NHL standings with 54 points each. Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Johnson and Boris Katchouk scored for Chicago.

Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Winnipeg Jets, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday
New Jersey at Chicago, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday
Detroit at Toronto, 7:00 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets, 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday
Memphis at Chicago, 3:30 p.m.
Detroit at Orlando, 6:00 p.m.
Indiana at Cleveland, 8:00 p.m.

Track and Field – Lawyer: Steenkamp’s parents to oppose parole for Pistorius
A lawyer representing the parents of the woman Oscar Pistorius shot dead 10 years ago says they will oppose the former Olympic runner’s application for parole. Lawyer Tania Koen said ahead of a parole hearing for Pistorius scheduled for Friday that “unless he comes clean, they don’t feel that he is rehabilitated.” Pistorius is a multiple Paralympic champion who made history by running against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 Olympics. He was convicted of murder for the Valentine’s Day 2013 shooting of Reeva Steenkamp at his home. Pistorius claims he shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was an intruder. He is eligible for parole after having served half of his sentence.

IndyCar – 500 winner Ericsson intends to stay in IndyCar title picture
In the days leading up to the IndyCar season-opening race, Chip Ganassi made clear that Marcus Ericsson was a valued member of the organization and said he wants to extend the Swedish driver’s contract beyond this year. Ericsson then went on to win the March 5 race on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, with a late pass of Pato O’Ward to pick up the fourth win of his IndyCar career. He heads into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway as the points leader and determined to be a serious championship contender this season.

NCAAFB – College Football – Spring Games
Saturday
University of Michigan Spring Game, 3:00 p.m.          TV: BTN

AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Milwaukee Admirals at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.

ECHL – ECHL Hockey League
Tonight
Fort Wayne Komets at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Yesterday
Baseball
Kellogg Community College 11, Lake Michigan College 1 – 6 Innings

Today
Softball
Lake Michigan College at Kalamazoo Valley C.C., 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. (DH)

MHSAA – East Grand Rapids’ Macy Brown wins Michigan AP D1 POY award
East Grand Rapids basketball standout Macy Brown has been named the Michigan Associated Press Division 1 Player of the Year. The future Michigan Wolverine becomes the second member of her family to win the honor, joining sister, Jillian, who achieved the feat in 2021. The 6-foot Brown led her team with 25 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game this season for a team that went 15-9.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph 4, Edwardsburg 0

• St. Joseph started the season with a 4-0 shutout win at Edwardsburg.  Jade Murdoch and Eleah Hedstrom each had a pair of goals for St. Joe.  Myla Kotarba assisted on the first two Bears markers and Keira Page-Wood assisted on the other.  Clara Berry had the clean sheet in goal in the victory.

Watervliet at Berrien Springs, Cancelled

Girls Tennis
St. Joseph 8, Sturgis 0

Singles
1. Lanie Smith (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-6 (7-5), 6-2
2. Ellie Fischer (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-1, 6-0
3. Chloe Cluff (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-0, 6-0
4. Reilie Netzley (SJ) defeated Sturgis 7-5, 6-3

Doubles
1. Ceci Ruchti & Grace Yuan (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-0, 6-0
2. Grace Rommel & Mia Wurster (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-2, 6-3
3. Kaley Schlipp & Madison Werk-Spitzer (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-10, 6-1
4. Leontine Buonto & Maddie Ugalde defeated Sturgis 6-0, 6-4

Baseball
Buchanan 16, Coloma 1 – Game 1
Buchanan 8, Coloma 1 – Game 2 Suspended, darkness
Lawrence 15, Eau Claire 0
Berrien Springs 12, River Valley 2 – Game 1
Berrien Springs 6, River Valley 2 – Game 2
Brandywine 7, New Buffalo 0
Paw Paw 7, Hartford 0 – Game 1
Paw Paw 11, Hartford 0 – Game 2

Softball
Buchanan at Coloma, Cancelled
Lawrence 14, Eau Claire 7 (5 Innings)
Paw Paw 10, Hartford 0
Bloomingdale 17, Fennville 0

Boys Golf
St. Joseph 172, Edwardsburg 205

Today
Girls Soccer
Buchanan at Our Lady of the Lake, 5:00 p.m.

Baseball
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 4:15 p.m.

Softball
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 4:15 p.m.

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MLB – Major League Baseball – Opening Day 2023
Yesterday
Tampa Bay Rays 4, Detroit Tigers 0
Chicago Cubs 4, Milwaukee Brewers 0
Chicago White Sox 3, Houston Astros 2

Rays 4, Tigers 0 – McClanahan sharp, Rays blank Tigers 4-0 on opening day
Shane McClanahan pitched six sharp innings, Jose Siri and Wander Franco homered and the Tampa Bay Rays opened their silver anniversary season with a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley also drove in runs charged to Eduardo Rodriguez. McClanahan gave up four hits in his second opening day start.  Miguel Cabrera, beginning what he has said will be his last season, had one of Detroit’s six hits — a seventh-inning double — that moved him into a tie with Ichiro Suzuki for 23rd on the all-time hit list with 3,089.

Cubs 4, Brewers 0 – Swanson, Stroman help Cubs beat Brewers 4-0 on opening day
Dansby Swanson had three hits in his Chicago Cubs debut and Marcus Stroman worked six scoreless innings, breezing past baseball’s first pitch-clock violation on his way to a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day. Swanson’s first hit with his new team was an RBI single that sparked a four-run third. He tacked on two more singles and played his usual solid defense at shortstop. Swanson signed a $177 million, seven-year contract with Chicago in free agency, leaving Atlanta after seven seasons. Milwaukee was limited to singles for rookie Brice Turang, Willy Adames, Brian Anderson and William Contreras.

White Sox 3, Astros 2 – Vaughn’s double lifts White Sox over Astros 3-2 in opener
Andrew Vaughn’s tiebreaking, two-run double in the ninth inning lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 3-2 win over the defending World Series champion Houston Astros in their season opener. The game was tied 1-all after a homer by Chicago’s Yasmani Grandal in the eighth. Ryan Pressly walked Tim Anderson with one out in the ninth before a single by Luis Robert Jr. Vaughn then belted a double to center field that put the White Sox on top. Pedro Grifol got the win in his managerial debut after spending the last 10 seasons as a coach in the Royals organization. It snapped a streak of 10 straight wins for the Astros in openers.

Tonight
Chicago White Sox (Lynn 0-0) at Houston (Javier 0-0), 8:10 p.m.
Tigers and Cubs are off

Saturday
White Sox at Houston, 2:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Tigers at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m.  WSJM 3:45

Sunday
Tigers at Tampa Bay, 1:10 p.m.  WSJM 12:45
White Sox at Houston, 2:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Cubs, 2:20 p.m.

MLB – Cubs’ Marcus Stroman commits MLB’s 1st pitch-clock violation
Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman committed Major League Baseball’s first pitch-clock violation in the third inning of Thursday’s opening day game against the Milwaukee Brewers. With no outs, rookie Brice Turang on second base and Christian Yelich at the plate, plate umpire Ron Kulpa called the violation on Stroman at Wrigley Field. Kulpa pointed to his wrist in announcing the call, and the automatic ball made it a 2-2 count against Yelich. Cubs-Brewers was the fourth of 15 opening day games to begin Thursday. Several more violations followed on the first day of regular season games since MLB introduced a slate of rules changes this season.

MLB – Nico Hoerner looking forward to long-term future with Cubs
Nico Hoerner is looking forward to his future with the Chicago Cubs after finalizing a $35 million, three-year contract. The deal begins with the 2024 season, covering his last two years of arbitration and the first year that he would have been eligible for free agency. Hoerner, who turns 26 in May, was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford. Making his first public comments since the contract was completed, Hoerner says, “This is where I want to be.” He singled, scored and committed a throwing error in a 4-0 victory over Milwaukee on opening day.

NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball – Final Four
Saturday
NCAA Tournament – Final Four – NRG Stadium, Houston
9 Florida Atlantic vs. 5 San Diego State, 6:09 p.m.
5 Miami vs. 4 UConn, 8:49 p.m.

NCAAWBKB – Women’s College Basketball – Final Four
Tonight
NCAA Tournament – Final Four – American Airlines Center, Dallas
3 LSU vs. 1 Virginia Tech, 7:00 p.m.
2 Iowa vs. 1 South Carolina, 9:00 p.m.

NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Detroit Red Wings 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2
St. Louis Blues 5, Chicago Blackhawks 3

Red Wings 3, Hurricanes 2 – Jake Walman scores late goal, Red Wings beat Hurricanes 3-2
Defenseman Jake Walman scored with 3.2 seconds left to give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Dominik Kubalik and captain Dylan Larkin also scored for the Red Wings and Alex Nedeljkovic made 31 saves to beat his former team. Kubalik scored 59 second into the game and Larkin connected on a power play at 7:26 of the second. Larkin extended his team leads in goals with 28 and power-play goals with 15. Carolina defense partners Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin scored 3:36 apart in the second — at 42 seconds and 4:18.

Blues 5, Blackhawks 3 – Blues win 5-3 to hand Blackhawks 7th straight defeat
Logan Brown and Alexey Toropchenko scored 38 seconds apart in the second period, and the St. Louis Blues beat the skidding Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. Jakub Vrana, Jordan Kyrou and Brandon Saad also scored for St. Louis. Justin Faulk had two assists. The Blues, still clinging to faint playoff hopes, have won two straight and three of four. It was the seventh consecutive loss for the Blackhawks, who dropped into a tie with Columbus for last place in the overall NHL standings with 54 points each. Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Johnson and Boris Katchouk scored for Chicago.

Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Winnipeg Jets, 8:00 p.m.

Saturday
New Jersey at Chicago, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday
Detroit at Toronto, 7:00 p.m.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Tonight
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets, 7:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers, 7:00 p.m.
Detroit Pistons at Houston Rockets, 8:00 p.m.

Sunday
Memphis at Chicago, 3:30 p.m.
Detroit at Orlando, 6:00 p.m.
Indiana at Cleveland, 8:00 p.m.

Track and Field – Lawyer: Steenkamp’s parents to oppose parole for Pistorius
A lawyer representing the parents of the woman Oscar Pistorius shot dead 10 years ago says they will oppose the former Olympic runner’s application for parole. Lawyer Tania Koen said ahead of a parole hearing for Pistorius scheduled for Friday that “unless he comes clean, they don’t feel that he is rehabilitated.” Pistorius is a multiple Paralympic champion who made history by running against able-bodied athletes at the 2012 Olympics. He was convicted of murder for the Valentine’s Day 2013 shooting of Reeva Steenkamp at his home. Pistorius claims he shot Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was an intruder. He is eligible for parole after having served half of his sentence.

IndyCar – 500 winner Ericsson intends to stay in IndyCar title picture
In the days leading up to the IndyCar season-opening race, Chip Ganassi made clear that Marcus Ericsson was a valued member of the organization and said he wants to extend the Swedish driver’s contract beyond this year. Ericsson then went on to win the March 5 race on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, with a late pass of Pato O’Ward to pick up the fourth win of his IndyCar career. He heads into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway as the points leader and determined to be a serious championship contender this season.

NCAAFB – College Football – Spring Games
Saturday
University of Michigan Spring Game, 3:00 p.m.          TV: BTN

AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Milwaukee Admirals at Grand Rapids Griffins, 7:00 p.m.

ECHL – ECHL Hockey League
Tonight
Fort Wayne Komets at Kalamazoo Wings, 7:00 p.m.

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Yesterday
Baseball
Kellogg Community College 11, Lake Michigan College 1 – 6 Innings

Today
Softball
Lake Michigan College at Kalamazoo Valley C.C., 3:00 p.m./5:00 p.m. (DH)

MHSAA – East Grand Rapids’ Macy Brown wins Michigan AP D1 POY award
East Grand Rapids basketball standout Macy Brown has been named the Michigan Associated Press Division 1 Player of the Year. The future Michigan Wolverine becomes the second member of her family to win the honor, joining sister, Jillian, who achieved the feat in 2021. The 6-foot Brown led her team with 25 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game this season for a team that went 15-9.

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph 4, Edwardsburg 0

• St. Joseph started the season with a 4-0 shutout win at Edwardsburg.  Jade Murdoch and Eleah Hedstrom each had a pair of goals for St. Joe.  Myla Kotarba assisted on the first two Bears markers and Keira Page-Wood assisted on the other.  Clara Berry had the clean sheet in goal in the victory.

Watervliet at Berrien Springs, Cancelled

Girls Tennis
St. Joseph 8, Sturgis 0

Singles
1. Lanie Smith (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-6 (7-5), 6-2
2. Ellie Fischer (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-1, 6-0
3. Chloe Cluff (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-0, 6-0
4. Reilie Netzley (SJ) defeated Sturgis 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
1. Ceci Ruchti & Grace Yuan (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-0, 6-0
2. Grace Rommel & Mia Wurster (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-2, 6-3
3. Kaley Schlipp & Madison Werk-Spitzer (SJ) defeated Sturgis 6-10, 6-1
4. Leontine Buonto & Maddie Ugalde defeated Sturgis 6-0, 6-4

Baseball
Buchanan 16, Coloma 1 – Game 1
Buchanan 8, Coloma 1 – Game 2 Suspended, darkness
Lawrence 15, Eau Claire 0
Berrien Springs 12, River Valley 2 – Game 1
Berrien Springs 6, River Valley 2 – Game 2
Brandywine 7, New Buffalo 0
Paw Paw 7, Hartford 0 – Game 1
Paw Paw 11, Hartford 0 – Game 2

Softball
Buchanan at Coloma, Cancelled
Lawrence 14, Eau Claire 7 (5 Innings)
Paw Paw 10, Hartford 0
Bloomingdale 17, Fennville 0

Boys Golf
St. Joseph 172, Edwardsburg 205

Today
Girls Soccer
Buchanan at Our Lady of the Lake, 5:00 p.m.

Baseball
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 4:15 p.m.

Softball
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 4:15 p.m.

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The boss might be spying on you.  Thing about THIS before you travel on Spring Break! And please STOP cuddling baby goats. That’s what Paul Layendecker is BuZzin’ about today on The Daily BuZz!!

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MLB – Major League Baseball – Opening Day 2023
Today
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays, 3:10 p.m.          News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 2:45
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros, 7:08 p.m.

MLB – MLB opening day offers clocks, shift bans, Ohtani and Judge
A major shift is coming to Major League Baseball, starting on opening day today. New rules are now in effect. There will be clocks at stadiums to hurry along pitchers and hitters, and there are restrictions on defensive shifts for fielders. The full slate of 15 games includes matchups at Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge will aiming at his own home run record, Shohei Ohtani will be trending with every pitch and swing and Houston manager Dusty Baker is trying to win another World Series ring.

MLB – AP source: Minor leaguers reach 5-year labor deal with MLB
Minor league baseball players reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball on Wednesday that will more than double player salaries, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details were not announced. The sides reached the five-year deal on Wednesday, two days before the start of the minor league season and hours after a federal judge gave final approval to a $185 million settlement reached with MLB last May of a lawsuit filed in 2014 alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws. Under the new deal, minimum salaries in Triple-A will rise from $17,500 to $45,800.

MLB – MLB broadcasters adapting to faster pace under new rules
Major league pitchers and batters aren’t the only ones going on the clock this season. Big league broadcasters have also been using spring training to adjust to baseball’s new rhythm amid a series of rules changes. When the season opens Thursday, Major League Baseball will usher in an age of sharper, quicker and more concise commentary. For a generation of play-by-play pros who grew up idolizing loquacious storytellers like Hall of Famer Vin Scully, it’s been an adjustment. But not necessarily an unwelcome one.

MLB – Cubs’ Happ: ‘Nothing really to report’ on negotiations
All-Star outfielder Ian Happ appears poised to enter the season with an expiring contract after he and the Chicago Cubs were unable to agree on a new deal. Happ had “nothing really to report” and “no real comment on it.” He says he is not breaking off talks, but adds: “That also doesn’t mean anything.” Happ is eligible for free agency after the upcoming season. Chicago hosts the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day on Thursday. The Cubs did lock in one key player, finalizing a $35 million, three-year contract infielder Nico Hoerner on Wednesday. That contract begins in 2024. Hoerner is moving to second base after playing shortstop last season with the arrival of All-Star Dansby Swanson on a $177 million, seven-year contract.

NFL – NFL hits highs in diverse executives, lacks in head coaches
The NFL took another step at the owners meetings to increase diversity throughout the league while continuing to face criticism and a lawsuit for lack of representation among head coaches. Each team is now required to have a person in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion. Currently, 15 clubs have a DEI head and two others have someone leading that department and another one. The league has reached milestone points in diverse hirings in the front office but critics point to the sidelines where there are only three Black head coaches in a sport that had 56.4% Black players in 2022.

NCAABB – A different March Madness: Online hate for the athletes
A toxic cauldron on social media is one of the minefields players in the NCAA Tournament must navigate. In an era of increased sensitivity to athlete mental health, never have there been more outside voices scrutinizing their every move. In the third part of a series on social media’s impact on March Madness, The Associated Press found that turning off social media is an option but not really a practical one. It’s unrealistic with the way society interacts in the 21st century. And many athletes need to use social media for endorsement deals. All of that, the AP found, comes with a toll best illustrated by spikes among athletes in anxiety and depression over the past two years.

NCAAWBKB – Women making case in tourney for own March Madness TV deal
The NCAA has gotten mostly positive reviews for its new women’s Sweet 16 format during March Madness. Hosting games it two cities instead of the traditional four set attendance records higher TV ratings. The two regionals combined to set an all-time attendance mark for the Sweet 16, following up the record mark set the first weekend. The switch in format was done for a few reasons including helping get a separate TV deal for the women’s tournament. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer.. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer. The NCAA also hopes the success leads to more cities bidding to host the regional games and eventually the Final Four. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer. The next bid cycle starts in July where regional hosting will be decided from 2027-31.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Oklahoma City Thunder 107, Detroit Pistons 106
Milwaukee Bucks 149, Indiana Pacers 136
Los Angeles Lakers 121, Chicago Bulls 110

Thunder 107, Pistons 106 – Jalen Williams’ late tip-in gives Thunder win over Pistons
Rookie Jalen Williams’ putback with less than a second remaining gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a 107-106 win over the Detroit Pistons. Oklahoma City entered the night two games under .500 and hanging onto the final Western Conference play-in spot. The Thunder were coming off a loss to the Charlotte Hornets and couldn’t afford another defeat against a team near the bottom of the league’s standings. Williams answered the call with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Lu Dort scored 20 points, Aaron Wiggins scored 19 and Josh Giddey added 18 for the Thunder. Jaden Ivey had 24 to lead the Pistons.

Bucks 149, Pacers 136 – Holiday has career-high 51 points, Bucks beat Pacers 149-136
Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night. Antetokounmpo added 17 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Bucks improve to 55-21. He returned after sitting out Monday night in a victory at Detroit because of a sore knee. Holiday had 18 points in the third quarter, when the Bucks scored a season-high 46 points to build a 12-point lead. He was 20 of 30 from the field with three 3-pointers and hit 8 of 10 free throws. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 29 points.

Lakers 121, Bulls 110 – LeBron James, Anthony Davis lead Lakers past Bulls 121-110
LeBron James scored 25 points in his return to the starting lineup, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-110. James also had seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes in his second game back after he was sidelined for a month because of a torn tendon in his right foot. The four-time MVP scored 19 points in Sunday’s 118-108 loss to Chicago in just his second appearance as a reserve in his 20-year NBA career. Lakers star Anthony Davis had 38 points and 10 rebounds in his hometown. Nikola Vucevic had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago.

NBA – Bulls C Drummond ruled out after posting about mental health
Bulls center Andre Drummond missed the team’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after he posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health. The team says Drummond is out because of personal reasons. Coach Billy Donovan says he is hopeful about the possibility of Drummond traveling with the team ahead of Friday night’s game at Charlotte. Drummond posted on Thursday that it was time to focus on his mental health.

NBA – NBA, players still talking about new deal as deadline looms
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he’s hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck. The league and the National Basketball Players Association are facing a midnight Friday deadline for either side to decide that they will opt out of the deal and end the current CBA on June 30. That opt-out deadline already has been extended twice, and Silver said the NBA’s plan is to exercise that option if there is no deal by Friday night.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

NCAA – NIL – Congressional hearing targets ‘NIL chaos’ in college sports
A congressional hearing targeting what one lawmaker called “NIL chaos” in college sports drifted into the consequences of college athletes being deemed employees. A subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held the first hearing Wednesday related to college sports in the House or Senate in more than two years. The intended focus was name, image and likeness compensation for athletes. College sports leaders have been asking for a federal law to bring uniform regulation to the way athletes can earn money through sponsorship or endorsement deals.

AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Wolves 3, Grand Rapids Griffins 2 – Shootout

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Today
Baseball
Kellogg Community College at Lake Michigan College, 2:00 p.m.

MHSAA – Divine Child’s Kennedy Blair wins Michigan AP D2 POY award
Kennedy Blair of Dearborn Divine Child has been named the Michigan Associated Press Division 2 Player of the Year. The Miss Basketball finalist had a tremendous senior season for the Falcons, wrapping up her four years of playing on varsity. She averaged 25 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots a game this season. In her four seasons, she scored 1,451 career points and pulled down 565 rebounds

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Edwardsburg, PPD to 3/30
South Haven 6, Our Lady of the Lake 1
Niles 6, Buchanan 2
Berrien Springs 2, New Buffalo 0
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian at Allegan, PPD
Hamilton 5, Fennville 1

Baseball
Bridgman at Edwardsburg, PPD

Softball
Bridgman at Niles, PPD
Brandywine at Constantine, PPD

Tonight
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Edwardsburg, 5:30 p.m.
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball
Our Lady of the Lake at Bridgman, 5:15 p.m.
Buchanan at Coloma, 4:30 p.m.
Eau Claire at Lawrence, 4:15 p.m.
New Buffalo at Brandywine, 4:30 p.m.
Berrien Springs at River Valley, 4:15 p.m.
Hartford at Paw Paw, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Bloomingdale at Fennville, 4:30 p.m.

Softball
Buchanan at Coloma, 4:15 p.m.
Eau Claire at Lawrence, 4:15 p.m.
Hartford at Paw Paw, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Bloomingdale at Fennville, 4:30 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MLB – Major League Baseball – Opening Day 2023
Today
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays, 3:10 p.m.          News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 2:45
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros, 7:08 p.m.

MLB – MLB opening day offers clocks, shift bans, Ohtani and Judge
A major shift is coming to Major League Baseball, starting on opening day today. New rules are now in effect. There will be clocks at stadiums to hurry along pitchers and hitters, and there are restrictions on defensive shifts for fielders. The full slate of 15 games includes matchups at Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge will aiming at his own home run record, Shohei Ohtani will be trending with every pitch and swing and Houston manager Dusty Baker is trying to win another World Series ring.

MLB – AP source: Minor leaguers reach 5-year labor deal with MLB
Minor league baseball players reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball on Wednesday that will more than double player salaries, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details were not announced. The sides reached the five-year deal on Wednesday, two days before the start of the minor league season and hours after a federal judge gave final approval to a $185 million settlement reached with MLB last May of a lawsuit filed in 2014 alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws. Under the new deal, minimum salaries in Triple-A will rise from $17,500 to $45,800.

MLB – MLB broadcasters adapting to faster pace under new rules
Major league pitchers and batters aren’t the only ones going on the clock this season. Big league broadcasters have also been using spring training to adjust to baseball’s new rhythm amid a series of rules changes. When the season opens Thursday, Major League Baseball will usher in an age of sharper, quicker and more concise commentary. For a generation of play-by-play pros who grew up idolizing loquacious storytellers like Hall of Famer Vin Scully, it’s been an adjustment. But not necessarily an unwelcome one.

MLB – Cubs’ Happ: ‘Nothing really to report’ on negotiations
All-Star outfielder Ian Happ appears poised to enter the season with an expiring contract after he and the Chicago Cubs were unable to agree on a new deal. Happ had “nothing really to report” and “no real comment on it.” He says he is not breaking off talks, but adds: “That also doesn’t mean anything.” Happ is eligible for free agency after the upcoming season. Chicago hosts the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day on Thursday. The Cubs did lock in one key player, finalizing a $35 million, three-year contract infielder Nico Hoerner on Wednesday. That contract begins in 2024. Hoerner is moving to second base after playing shortstop last season with the arrival of All-Star Dansby Swanson on a $177 million, seven-year contract.

NFL – NFL hits highs in diverse executives, lacks in head coaches
The NFL took another step at the owners meetings to increase diversity throughout the league while continuing to face criticism and a lawsuit for lack of representation among head coaches. Each team is now required to have a person in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion. Currently, 15 clubs have a DEI head and two others have someone leading that department and another one. The league has reached milestone points in diverse hirings in the front office but critics point to the sidelines where there are only three Black head coaches in a sport that had 56.4% Black players in 2022.

NCAABB – A different March Madness: Online hate for the athletes
A toxic cauldron on social media is one of the minefields players in the NCAA Tournament must navigate. In an era of increased sensitivity to athlete mental health, never have there been more outside voices scrutinizing their every move. In the third part of a series on social media’s impact on March Madness, The Associated Press found that turning off social media is an option but not really a practical one. It’s unrealistic with the way society interacts in the 21st century. And many athletes need to use social media for endorsement deals. All of that, the AP found, comes with a toll best illustrated by spikes among athletes in anxiety and depression over the past two years.

NCAAWBKB – Women making case in tourney for own March Madness TV deal
The NCAA has gotten mostly positive reviews for its new women’s Sweet 16 format during March Madness. Hosting games it two cities instead of the traditional four set attendance records higher TV ratings. The two regionals combined to set an all-time attendance mark for the Sweet 16, following up the record mark set the first weekend. The switch in format was done for a few reasons including helping get a separate TV deal for the women’s tournament. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer.. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer. The NCAA also hopes the success leads to more cities bidding to host the regional games and eventually the Final Four. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer. The next bid cycle starts in July where regional hosting will be decided from 2027-31.

NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Oklahoma City Thunder 107, Detroit Pistons 106
Milwaukee Bucks 149, Indiana Pacers 136
Los Angeles Lakers 121, Chicago Bulls 110

Thunder 107, Pistons 106 – Jalen Williams’ late tip-in gives Thunder win over Pistons
Rookie Jalen Williams’ putback with less than a second remaining gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a 107-106 win over the Detroit Pistons. Oklahoma City entered the night two games under .500 and hanging onto the final Western Conference play-in spot. The Thunder were coming off a loss to the Charlotte Hornets and couldn’t afford another defeat against a team near the bottom of the league’s standings. Williams answered the call with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Lu Dort scored 20 points, Aaron Wiggins scored 19 and Josh Giddey added 18 for the Thunder. Jaden Ivey had 24 to lead the Pistons.

Bucks 149, Pacers 136 – Holiday has career-high 51 points, Bucks beat Pacers 149-136
Jrue Holiday scored a career-high 51 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points in a triple-double and the NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 149-136 on Wednesday night. Antetokounmpo added 17 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Bucks improve to 55-21. He returned after sitting out Monday night in a victory at Detroit because of a sore knee. Holiday had 18 points in the third quarter, when the Bucks scored a season-high 46 points to build a 12-point lead. He was 20 of 30 from the field with three 3-pointers and hit 8 of 10 free throws. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 29 points.

Lakers 121, Bulls 110 – LeBron James, Anthony Davis lead Lakers past Bulls 121-110
LeBron James scored 25 points in his return to the starting lineup, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 121-110. James also had seven rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes in his second game back after he was sidelined for a month because of a torn tendon in his right foot. The four-time MVP scored 19 points in Sunday’s 118-108 loss to Chicago in just his second appearance as a reserve in his 20-year NBA career. Lakers star Anthony Davis had 38 points and 10 rebounds in his hometown. Nikola Vucevic had 29 points and 12 rebounds for Chicago.

NBA – Bulls C Drummond ruled out after posting about mental health
Bulls center Andre Drummond missed the team’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers after he posted on Twitter that he was deleting his social media apps to focus on his mental health. The team says Drummond is out because of personal reasons. Coach Billy Donovan says he is hopeful about the possibility of Drummond traveling with the team ahead of Friday night’s game at Charlotte. Drummond posted on Thursday that it was time to focus on his mental health.

NBA – NBA, players still talking about new deal as deadline looms
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says he’s hopeful that a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players can get done by the end of this week, though he stopped short of predicting that a deal would actually get struck. The league and the National Basketball Players Association are facing a midnight Friday deadline for either side to decide that they will opt out of the deal and end the current CBA on June 30. That opt-out deadline already has been extended twice, and Silver said the NBA’s plan is to exercise that option if there is no deal by Friday night.

NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Carolina Hurricanes at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m.

NCAA – NIL – Congressional hearing targets ‘NIL chaos’ in college sports
A congressional hearing targeting what one lawmaker called “NIL chaos” in college sports drifted into the consequences of college athletes being deemed employees. A subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held the first hearing Wednesday related to college sports in the House or Senate in more than two years. The intended focus was name, image and likeness compensation for athletes. College sports leaders have been asking for a federal law to bring uniform regulation to the way athletes can earn money through sponsorship or endorsement deals.

AHL – American Hockey League
Last Night
Chicago Wolves 3, Grand Rapids Griffins 2 – Shootout

MCCAA – Junior College Athletics
Today
Baseball
Kellogg Community College at Lake Michigan College, 2:00 p.m.

MHSAA – Divine Child’s Kennedy Blair wins Michigan AP D2 POY award
Kennedy Blair of Dearborn Divine Child has been named the Michigan Associated Press Division 2 Player of the Year. The Miss Basketball finalist had a tremendous senior season for the Falcons, wrapping up her four years of playing on varsity. She averaged 25 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots a game this season. In her four seasons, she scored 1,451 career points and pulled down 565 rebounds

MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Edwardsburg, PPD to 3/30
South Haven 6, Our Lady of the Lake 1
Niles 6, Buchanan 2
Berrien Springs 2, New Buffalo 0
Grand Rapids Covenant Christian at Allegan, PPD
Hamilton 5, Fennville 1

Baseball
Bridgman at Edwardsburg, PPD

Softball
Bridgman at Niles, PPD
Brandywine at Constantine, PPD

Tonight
Girls Soccer
St. Joseph at Edwardsburg, 5:30 p.m.
Watervliet at Berrien Springs, 5:30 p.m.

Baseball
Our Lady of the Lake at Bridgman, 5:15 p.m.
Buchanan at Coloma, 4:30 p.m.
Eau Claire at Lawrence, 4:15 p.m.
New Buffalo at Brandywine, 4:30 p.m.
Berrien Springs at River Valley, 4:15 p.m.
Hartford at Paw Paw, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Bloomingdale at Fennville, 4:30 p.m.

Softball
Buchanan at Coloma, 4:15 p.m.
Eau Claire at Lawrence, 4:15 p.m.
Hartford at Paw Paw, 4:30 p.m. (DH)
Bloomingdale at Fennville, 4:30 p.m.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.