Young harness racing driver records 500th win
SCARBOROUGH — Dan Deslandes, a 23-year-old harness racing driver from Saco, recorded the 500th win of his career Sunday when he guided rookie pacer Golden Tree to a first-place finish at Scarborough Downs.
Deslandes and Golden Tree took the early lead in the seventh race and held on for the victory with a time of 1:59.3 for the mile, edging Kevin Switzer Jr. with Cruzin Maverick and David Ingraham with Windemere Shadow.
Golden Tree was the same pacer with which Deslandes gained his 499th career victory just six days earlier at Bangor Raceway, and had 20 winless drives sandwiched around the pair.
Deslandes currently resides in fourth place in the standings of Scarborough Downs drivers with 31 seasonal wins, trailing Eddie Davis Jr., Drew Campbell and Switzer.
Reds retire Rose’s No. 14 in pregame ceremony
Pete Rose’s No. 14 was officially retired by the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
The pregame ceremony wrapped up a weekend in which Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader was inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame on Saturday and honored as part of the 1976 World Series winning team on Friday.
The Reds had been unable to honor Rose in the past due to his lifetime ban for betting on baseball. But Major League Baseball approved the club’s request to pay tribute to a player long recognized as one of the best in team history.
“It is our salute to that person whose impact transcends their lifetime and spares any future player the impossible task of living up to a legacy too large to fill,” Reds CEO Bob Castellini said during the ceremony.
Rose’s number is the 10th retired by Cincinnati.
Pete Rose Jr., who briefly played for the Reds in 1997, threw out the first pitch with Rose behind home plate to catch the ceremonial toss.
Nationals place pitcher Strasburg on disabled list
Washington Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to an upper-back strain, the team announced Sunday.
The move is retroactive to June 16 and comes after the right-handed Strasburg missed his second consecutive start.
Strasburg told reporters on Friday that he was injured during a weight room workout.
Strasburg said two ribs were out of alignment and later adjusted back into place.
He attempted to throw Saturday and felt discomfort and was scratched from Sunday’s scheduled start.
Strasburg is 10-0 with a 2.90 ERA in 14 starts for the Nationals.
Bills’ Watkins doubtful for start of camp
Buffalo Bills receiver Sammy Watkins will likely miss the start of training camp but expects to be ready for the start of the regular season after undergoing offseason foot surgery.
Watkins underwent the surgery in April to repair a broken bone in his left foot. Watkins told ESPN that the team might not let him participate when camp opens.
“You never know. Right now I feel good, but I got to go back and train and rehab,” Watkins said during a charity bowling event in Charlotte, N.C. “Hopefully it feels good when I run and everything like that. I haven’t ran in three or four weeks. Hopefully I’ll feel good about it and I’ll be on the field in training camp.”
Texans, Fuller agree to deal
The Houston Texans agreed to terms with first-round wide receiver Will Fuller to a four-year rookie contract, according to multiple reports Sunday.
Fuller, 22, is projected to sign a $10.164 million contract that includes a $5.592 million signing bonus and a first-year salary-cap figure of $1.848 million under the slotting system for rookies, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The deal includes the standard fifth-year team option for first-round draft picks.
Fuller, drafted 21st overall out of Notre Dame.