College Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – The College World Series championship game between Coastal Carolina and Arizona was postponed until Thursday because of inclement weather Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska.
NCAA officials waited 2 hours, 23 minutes after the scheduled start time to postpone the game. More rain and lightning were forecast for the area in the early morning hours, meaning a delay would have been likely.
The best-of-three series is tied at a game apiece. Coaches Gary Gilmore of Coastal Carolina (54-18) and Jay Johnson of Arizona (49-23) agreed with the decision to play Thursday.
Neither announced whether their pitching plans would change with the extra time off. Coastal Carolina was to start Alex Cunningham (10-4) against Arizona’s Bobby Dalbec (11-5). Both pitched Saturday.
NBA
MIAMI – Dwyane Wade still has every hope of finishing his NBA career in the same manner that it began, wearing a Miami Heat uniform.
That’s good news for Heat fans.
Now comes the tough part – Wade and the team figuring out how to make that a reality. It took a $20 million contract this past season to keep the relationship going for a 13th year; it won’t come cheap this time either. While it’s obvious that being a free agent means Wade will have opportunities with other clubs, and he is more than prepared to listen – as was the case last year – his ideal scenario remains staying put.
He has had talks with the Heat already, since they didn’t have to wait for July 1 to engage with their own players. Miami will also be busy trying to retain Hassan Whiteside and lure Kevin Durant, but keeping Wade is also very high on Heat President Pat Riley’s list of offseason priorities.
NHL
Lightning captain Steven Stamkos is staying put in Tampa Bay.The agreement was reached two days before the 26-year-old Stamkos had the opportunity to test free agency, where he was expected to command lucrative offers from numerous bidders, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings.
Instead, the two-time NHL scoring champ chose to stay with the franchise that selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft.
The Nashville Predators pulled off a blockbuster before the start of free agency Wednesday by acquiring P.K. Subban from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Shea Weber, a swap of All-Star defensemen.Subban won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2013 and had six goals and 45 assists last season before suffering an injury. The offensive-minded, dynamic 27-year-old has 63 goals and 215 assists in 434 career games, all with the Canadiens.
Weber, who will turn 31 on Aug. 14, had been with Nashville since the start of his NHL career in 2005. He signed a $110 million, 14-year offer sheet with Philadelphia as a restricted free agent in 2012, but Nashville matched it to keep him. The three-time Norris Trophy finalist was a team captain and had 20 goals and 31 assists last season.
NEWARK, N.J. – The Devils finally have a legitimate goal scorer, and this one is coming to New Jersey with a chip on his shoulder after a surprising trade.The Devils on Wednesday acquired a ‘slighted’ Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers in a straight-up deal for defenseman Adam Larsson.
The surprising move two days before the start of free agency gives the goal-starved Devils an exciting young left wing who was the No. 1 pick overall in 2010, while the Oilers get a solid defenseman who was the No. 4 overall selection in 2011.
Associated Press
