Last Week around the Leagues
by Fran Stuchbury
July 16, 2019 - BIG3 (BIG3)
Last week the Sioux Falls Storm won the Indoor Football League's United Bowl by knocking off the previously-undefeated Arizona Rattlers 56-53, the Duke City Gladiators won their second straight Champions Indoor Football title defeating the Salinas Liberty 35-29, and the in the Atlantic League, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs outfielder Tony Thomas became the first player in history to steal first base in a game. Highlights from this week are from the Canadian Football League, XFL, Indoor Football League, Atlantic League, Eastern League, Major League Soccer, National Women's Soccer League, Canadian Premier League and Big3.
FOOTBALL
Canadian Football League
Great Britain is joining the growing alliance of gridiron football nations pledging to work with the Canadian Football League (CFL) to grow the game. The British American Football Association (BAFA), the national governing body for the sport in Great Britain, is entering into a partnership with the CFL.
The Montreal Alouettes announced that the organization has relieved General Manager Kavis Reed of his functions. Assistant General Manager of Player Personnel Joe Mack, in a collaborative effort with Head Coach Khari Jones as well as Director of Football Operations Patrick Donovan, will share the day-to-day management duties.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers Lucky Whitehead returned a kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown against the Toronto Argonauts.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Brandon Banks with a 115-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown against the Calgary Stampeders:
XFL
Bob Stoops knows Landry Jones well. That's why he invited his former Oklahoma QB to the XFL Dallas Summer Showcase. One thing is clear: Jones can still spin it and still has a love for the game.
Indoor Football League
The Sioux Falls Storm claimed its 11th National Championship after defeating the Arizona Rattlers in the 2019 United Bowl. The Storm won 56-53.
Here are the highlights:
Champions Indoor Football
The Duke City Gladiators won their second in a row Champions Indoor Football title, defeating the Salina Liberty 35-29.
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League announced that Rob Keefe, Head Coach of the Albany Empire, was fined $3,500 for his conduct during, and after, the Philadelphia-Albany game on June 29th. It was reported to the League that both during and following the game, Coach Keefe engaged in verbal altercations with Philadelphia Soul players. Following these reports, the League conducted a thorough review of the matter and subsequently determined that Coach Keefe's conduct and interactions with the Soul's athletes were not consistent with League standards.
American Arena League
American Arena League CEO Tony Zefiretto released the 2019 American Arena League All Star Team. The 2019 Coaches of the Year were Ervin Bryson (Carolina Energy) and Mook Zimmerman (West Virginia Roughriders.
BASEBALL
International League
Former infielder Rich Dauer will become the 100th member of the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame when he is inducted on Saturday, August 31 before the Wings host Syracuse. Dauer made his one season in Rochester count, earning International League Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in 1976. He hit .336/.391/.460 with 26 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 78 RBI, and 84 runs scored in 132 games for the Red Wings that season while leading the league with 176 hits.
American Association
For the second consecutive year, fans voted Chicago Dogs Impact Field as the Best Independent Ballpark in Ballpark Digest's annual Best of the Ballparks vote, the publication announced.
Atlantic League
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs outfielder Tony Thomas became the first player in history to steal first base in a game.
Eastern League
Portland Sea Dogs mascot Slugger put on another 80's routine with a great ending.
SOCCER
Major League Soccer
Ridiculous goal from Seattle Sounders FC Raúl RuidÃaz
Two stellar saves from Portland Timbers goalie Steve Clark.
National Women's Soccer League
Joy for Jen Hoy. She scored a clutch goal in stoppage time to lift Sky Blue FC to a second straight win 1-0 over Utah Royals FC.
Canadian Premier League
Ryan Telfer has a thing for scoring big goals for York9 FC.
United Soccer League One
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and other elected officials joined Chattanooga Red Wolves Soccer Club owner Bob Martino in East Ridge to break ground on the professional team's future stadium and the surrounding mixed-use development. It signals the beginning of a $125 million investment in East Ridge and Chattanooga with a significant economic impact on the county, region and state.
HOCKEY
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League released the complete schedule of games for the 2019-20 regular season, the league's 84th year of operation. The season, with 31 teams playing a total of 1,150 games, begins on Friday, October 4 and concludes on Saturday, April 11.
The Charlotte Checkers didn't have to look far for their new bench boss as Ryan Warsofsky has been named the fifth head coach in franchise history. Warsofsky, 31, is the youngest head coach hired in the AHL since 2000. He served as Charlotte's assistant coach last season under Mike Vellucci, who departed earlier this offseason to become head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Dallas Stars Assistant General Manager and Texas Stars General Manager Scott White announced that the club has appointed Idaho Steelheads Head Coach & Director of Hockey Operations Neil Graham as Assistant Coach of the Texas Stars, Dallas' top development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
The Halifax Mooseheads have hired J.J. Daigneault as the 12th Head Coach in franchise history. The long-time NHL defenceman and former Montreal Canadiens Assistant Coach takes over behind the Mooseheads bench following the departure of Eric Veilleux who left in June to join the Syracuse Crunch after one season in Halifax.
National Women's Hockey League
Connecticut Whale general manager, Bray Ketchum announced that the team's home for the upcoming NWHL season will be Danbury Arena, the state-of-the-art venue in Fairfield County. The arena has the capacity for more than 2,000 fans for NWHL games.
BASKETBALL
BIG3
Triplets' Joe Johnson sinks another game winner from the 4-point-circle against Tri State to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Women's National Basketball Association
The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Washington Mystics 98-81 and became the first team in the WNBA to collect 450 regular season wins.
Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles had her 158th career double-double, which broke Lisa Leslie's all-time WNBA record of 157.
NBA G League
The Texas Legends have announced a familiar face moving into the role of Head Coach for the upcoming 2019-20 season, former assistant George Galanopoulos. Galanopoulos was a member of the Legends coaching staff for the 2016-17 season serving as an assistant before earning a call-up to the Dallas Mavericks. The 2016-17 season saw the Legends earn the most wins to that point in franchise history and earn a record five NBA Call-Ups.
LACROSSE
Major League Lacrosse
The 2019 MLL All-Star Fan Voting concluded. In total, 10s of thousands of votes were cast and web traffic records were smashed. The Chesapeake Bayhawks have the most players represented with 10 MLL All-Stars. Boston and Atlanta are next with eight apiece, followed by Denver with seven, New York with six and Dallas with three All-Stars.
National Lacrosse League
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) Board of Governors, announce the contract extension of Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz. Sakiewicz took over the role in 2016, and the league, its players and its partners have experienced unprecedented growth under his tenure. The contract extends through the 2022 season.
The National Lacrosse League has released results for the 2019 Expansion Draft. The New York Riptide and Rochester Knighthawks made their selections during the NLL Expansion Draft Selection Show. With the 1st overall pick, the Rochester Knighthawks selected Shawn Evans from the Buffalo Bandits. The New York Riptide followed by picking Jordan Durston from the Bandits as their first selection in the 2019 Expansion Draft.
Did we miss anything newsworthy or downright fun? Have a nomination for next week's column? Contact us today and let us know.
BIG3 Stories from July 16, 2019
- Last Week around the Leagues - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
