Red Sox Hall to induct four
Catcher Jason Varitek and pitcher Tim Wakefield, who helped lead the Boston Red Sox to the 2004 World Series title, are two of the four members elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame, the team announced Monday.
Former club president/CEO Larry Lucchino and outfielder Ira Flagstead, a defensive star from the 1920s, will also be inducted.
The new induction class will be honored on May 19 during an awards banquet hosted by the Red Sox foundation and will then be recognized the next day in a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park before Boston’s game against the Cleveland Indians.
Bengals’ Burfict seeks meeting with Goodell
Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict wants to meet face to face with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to make a case to have his three-game suspension reduced, ESPN reported Tuesday.
Burfict was suspended three games by the NFL on Monday for his hit on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown during Cincinnati’s AFC wild-card game on Saturday.
It is the first career suspension for Burfict, who is no stranger to league discipline.
Burfict was fined nearly $70,000 for three separate incidents when the Steelers and Bengals met in December, accounting for about half of the nearly $140,000 in fines levied to players on both teams. He also was fined $50,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Baltimore tight end Maxx Williams on Jan. 3.
In 2014, he was fined $25,000 for twisting the ankles of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
According to the NFL’s statement, Burfict was suspended for being a repeat offender of “violations of safety-related playing rules.”
Four games added to Sea Dogs schedule
PORTLAND — Due to uncertainty regarding the availability of Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford, Connecticut, the home of the Hartford Yard Goats, the Eastern League has announced changes to Hartford’s schedule. As a result, the Portland Sea Dogs road trip to Hartford scheduled for April 21-23 will shift to Hadlock Field in Portland.
“We are excited for the opportunity to host additional games at Hadlock this season, giving our fans even more chances to catch the Sea Dogs in action,” Sea Dogs General Manager Geoff Iacuessa said in a news release. “We are thrilled that these games are on a weekend at the end of school vacation week, allowing many families to be able to attend.”
The Sea Dogs have altered the schedule, choosing to take an off day on Thursday and playing a single admission doubleheader on Saturday, April 23, avoiding an 11-game season opening homestand.
Two rookies join Patriots
The New England Patriots signed rookie safety Cedric Thompson and wide receiver J.J. Worton to the practice squad and released wide receiver DeAndre Carter from the practice squad on Tuesday.
Thompson, drafted in the fifth round by the Miami Dolphins in 2015, was released by the team on Sept. 5 and signed to its practice squad.
Worton was on the St. Louis Rams’ practice squad last month after the rookie free agent signed with the team.
Carter landed with the New England practice squad on Dec. 15. He originally signed with the Baltimore Ravens in May and was released Aug. 31 before a stint on the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad from Sept. 16 to Dec. 1.
Wizards’ Wall to undergo MRI
Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will undergo tests on his sore left knee.
Wall led the Wizards to a win at Chicago at scored 17 points with 10 assists and five rebounds on Monday but continues to be bothered by soreness above his left knee, he said.
“I can’t even bend my knee without it being sore,” he said Monday.
Wall is averaging a career-best 19.6 points and 9.6 assists — the second-best average in the NBA — and has not missed a game this season despite dealing with multiple nagging injuries, including ankle and rib ailments.