NFL
ENGLEWOOD — The Denver Broncos sent star cornerback Aqib Talib to California on Thursday to seek a second opinion about his ailing lower back. Coach Gary Kubiak said he “got good vibes ... from the visit.”
Talib missed the Broncos’ 27-19 win over San Diego on Sunday after his back stiffened up during the team’s Saturday walkthrough.
Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said he feels good about the Broncos’ depth should Talib miss Denver’s game at Oakland this weekend because Bradley Roby earned the AFC’s defensive player of the week honor after starting in Talib’s place last weekend.
With Kayvon Webster (hamstring) also hurt, cornerback Lorenzo Doss would play in the slot when the Broncos (6-2) play the Raiders (6-2).
RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman ripped into the NFL on Thursday, questioning the league’s officiating and saying the decline in television ratings is due in part to the league simply not being fun anymore.
Sherman touched on a number of topics, including Commissioner Roger Goodell, but most of his ire was directed at officiating.
Sherman was critical of the calls after Seattle’s 25-20 loss to New Orleans last Sunday. The Seahawks were flagged for 11 penalties versus just two for the Saints.
As for the ratings decline, Sherman says players are allowed to show they are having fun in other leagues, but the NFL has regulated that element out of the game.
Skiing
PORTLAND, Maine — A Florida-based real estate investment trust has reached an agreement to sell more than a dozen major ski resorts and other properties from Maine to California.
Under the deal, New York hedge fund manager Och-Ziff will assume ownership of 14 properties currently held by CNL Lifestyle Properties, including Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine, Crested Butte in Colorado, Brighton in Utah and Sierra-at-Tahoe in California.
Missouri-based EPR Properties will retain the rest of CNL’s holdings, including Northstar California ski resort and 15 waterparks and amusement parks.
CNL will receive about $830 million in cash and stock under the purchase and sale agreement. When the deal closes, it will be the largest ski resort transaction in the history of the sport.
World Series
NEW YORK — The Chicago Cubs’ curse-breaking victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 reached 40 million viewers, making it the most-watched World Series game since 1991.
The Nielsen company said the World Series as a whole averaged 23.4 million viewers. That was the most popular World Series since another curse-breaking year, when the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004.
The victory early Thursday marked the team’s first World Series championship since 1908. The Cubs did it in thrilling fashion, topping the Indians 8-7 in 10 innings for their third straight victory.
The game peaked at just under 50 million viewers between 11:30 and 11:45 p.m. ET, an extraordinary number given that it was so late for viewers on the East Coast.
Viewers generally become more interested in World Series the longer it goes. But the ratings for this year’s seventh game showed an explosion in interest: no other individual game reached more than 23.6 million viewers.
Last year’s World Series between the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets, which lasted five games, averaged 14.7 million viewers per game.
Associated Press
