Sea Dogs’ equipment drive benefits Baseball Miracles
PORTLAND, MAINE — The Portland Sea Dogs, in conjunction with Baseball Miracles, will have a baseball/softball equipment drive Sunday at Hadlock Field when the Sea Dogs host the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at 1 p.m..
Fans are encouraged to bring new or old baseball equipment to the ballpark to be donated to children who are faced with economical or environmental disadvantages.
The Sea Dogs will accept all types of baseball and softball equipment including gloves, bats, catcher’s gear, bases, baseballs, softballs, wiffle balls and bats, which will be donated to Baseball Miracles.
A non-profit organization, Baseball Miracles is a team of baseball and softball instructors, founded by Hall of Fame scout John Tumminia, who have joined together to teach boys and girls with economic and environmental disadvantages throughout the world. Sea Dogs’ pitcher Mike McCarthy is the driving force behind bringing this initiative to Hadlock Field.
Any equipment fans bring for the drive should be brought into the ballpark and dropped off at the Baseball Miracles box at Guest Services in the concourse at Hadlock Field. For more information on the drive, visit www.seadogs.com.
HBO picks up former ESPN sports commentator Bill Simmons
Premium cable network HBO said on Wednesday it has signed an exclusive, multi-year agreement with sports commentator Bill Simmons, whose contract ESPN opted not to renew in May after a 15-year run on the sports network.
Simmons will have a weekly talk show that will premiere in 2016 as well as a production deal for content across the network and its digital platforms, said HBO, a unit of Time Warner Inc .
Simmons, whose outspoken ways have garnered a big following, was suspended by Walt Disney Co’s ESPN for three weeks last year after he made critical comments about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence case.
ESPN said in May that it was not renewing its contract with Simmons, who ran ESPN’s Grantland website and frequently appeared on air and podcasts.
Harden named MVP at inaugural Players’ Awards
Houston Rockets guard James Harden was named Most Valuable Player at the first NBA Players’ Awards, beating out Stephen Curry.
Curry, the sharpshooting guard who led the Golden State Warriors past LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals in June for the franchise’ first championship in 40 years, finished 262 points and 75 first-place votes ahead of Harden to win the traditional MVP award — voted on by select media members — for the 2014-15 season.
Harden beat out Curry for the NBA players association’s Players’ Awards honors broadcast by BET on Tuesday night. James was among the notable players who didn’t attend Sunday’s taping.
Harden emerged from backstage at the Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater in Las Vegas to accept the trophy after not sitting in the audience for the other award announcements.
“To my peers, I appreciate this vote,” Harden said. “It means a lot.”
Padres demote Middlebrooks
Will Middlebrooks, who has struggled at the plate while trying to convert to shortstop at midseason, was demoted to San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate in El Paso on Wednesday and will return to third base.
Middlebrooks, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox last offseason, is hitting just .212 and has two hits in his last 20 at-bats. He also committed two errors at shortstop on Sunday and was replaced in the starting lineup Monday by Alexi Amarista, who committed an error in San Diego’s 4-2 win vs. the San Francisco Giants.
Middlebrooks is being sent down to work on his hitting, and interim manager Pat Murphy said he will go back to playing third base.
“We’d like him to come back as our third baseman,” Murphy said.
That is an about-face from the past two weeks, when the Padres tried Middlebrooks at shortstop. He had been expected to share time at the spot with Clint Barmes.
Hansbrough signs with Hornets
Hansbrough signed a contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
Hansbrough had played for the Toronto Raptors the past two seasons. He entered the league with the Indiana Pacers after an All-American career at the University of North Carolina.
Hansbrough, 29, averaged 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 2014-15 with the Raptors.