UMaine watch party set in Bangor
Seasons Grille and Sports Lounge in Bangor will be hosting a watch party for the University of Maine women’s basketball team first-round WNIT game against Villanova at 7 p.m. Friday.
official Maine Women’s Basketball WNIT Watch Party on Friday at 7 p.m. when the Black Bears Seasons is located at 427 Main St.
Crowd trouble delays start of Euroleague game
BERLIN — Police had to step in to restore order as crowd trouble delayed the start of the Euroleague Top 16 game between Alba Berlin and Galatasaray for an hour on Thursday.
The players and coaches returned to the changing rooms after dozens of Turkish fans ran down a section of the venue, pushing their way towards another area before clashing with security staff and throwing seats on to the court.
Public announcements in Turkish urged the crowd to stop and return to their seats.
The game finally started and there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Brewers pick up Roenicke’s contract option
PHOENIX — Even after the Milwaukee Brewers opted to keep him around following an epic collapse last year, manager Ron Roenicke wasn’t entirely sure about his future.
“Yeah, of course I was wondering,” Roenicke said. “It’s part of the job. Fair or unfair, it is part of the job.”
Since Roenicke took the job before the 2011 season, his teams are 335-317 (.517). Milwaukee won the National League Central and advanced to the NLCS his first year at the helm but struggled the next two seasons, finishing 83-79 in 2012 and 74-88 in 2013.
The Brewers rebounded last season and led the NL Central before an abysmal September left them on the outside looking in for the playoffs after finishing with an 82-80 record.
Yankees’ Ellsbury could miss start of season
New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury is questionable for the start of the regular season due to an oblique injury.
After an MRI exam Wednesday found a low-grade strain, the Yankees shut down Ellsbury from baseball activities for seven days. That would leave him a week and a half to get ready for Opening Day, April 6 against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
Ellsbury, 28, is hitting .222 with one RBI in nine games this spring. Last year, his first season on a seven-year, $153 million deal with the Yankees, he batted .271 with a .328 on-base percentage, a .419 slugging percentage, 16 homers, 70 RBIs and 39 stolen bases in 149 games.
If Ellsbury is sidelined, Brett Gardner likely would slide from left field to center field, with Chris Young taking over in left.
Wizards’ Gortat fined for flop again
Center Marcin Gortat of the Washington Wizards has been fined $5,000 by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules for the second time this season.
The incident occurred with 4:31 remaining in Washington’s 88-84 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at EnergySolutions Arena.