Friday’s Report: Bacon, Mercer legend returns, Henley holding own, Houston County’s Burress; the new NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL, collectibles, U.S. Open, CWS, soccer
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⚾⚾⚾Baseball ⚾⚾⚾
⚾⚾⚾Coastal Plain ⚾⚾⚾
Macon 7, Peninsula 5
The Bacon took the lead with two in the fourth and put it away with three in the fifth. Then the bullpen staved off a late Peninsula rally.
Brad Ham led the Bacon with two hits, a homer and 2 RBI. FPD grad Hayes Bryant got his second save, with two shutout innings.
Macon visits Forest City on Friday and hosts Florence on Saturday.
Pro
⚽⚽⚽MLS ⚽⚽⚽
New York 4, Atlanta 0
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Around/About Central Georgia
Mercer hoops legend back at Hawkins, joins men’s staff
He retired from a long and successful European career earlier this month
Henley holds his own at Oakmont
The word “carnage” has been fairly common this week in stories and chatter about the U.S. Open at Oakmont near Pittsburgh.
So far, Russell Henley has avoided it.
Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Andrew Novak, and Justin Thomas? Not so much.
All of them are at least 3 over or worse after one round of the Open, while Henley is in a nine-player group tied for 11th at even.
Henley started on No. 10, and reeled off 11 straight pars before a bogey on par-4, 470-yard No. 3, and then nailed a birdie on the 621-yard par 5 No. 4.
Henley didn’t leave many real birdie tries on the course, but avoided trouble, or compounding a problem with another one. He’s tied for 93rd in number of putts, but is tied for 11th in greens in regulation and in the top 20 in the 156-player field in strokes gained short game and putting.
Only one bogey is an impressive figure, too, considering the six from Ludvig Aberg aand Scheffler, and two doubles by Phil Mickelson, four bogeys and a double by McIroy.
Henley is back at it at 7:18 a.m. on Friday.
Alumni Update/Honor Roll
Houston County’s Burress adds another All-America honor
Around/About Georgia
Atlanta NHL expansion bid clears major arena hurdle
Forsyth County approves plan for $3B mixed-use development with arena
New era of Georgia Tech baseball begins under James Ramsey
New York City FC scores 3 goals in 5 minutes to rout Atlanta United
Cousins 'here to support' Penix Jr, Falcons moving forward
Ex-Dog and draft prospect Newell on what he wants teams to know about his work ethic
A Worthy Read
Road to Omaha: How the MCWS became a town's pride and joy
Gambling
NCAA says online abuse related to sports betting declined during this year’s March Madness
College Sports, the changing landscape
Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes
Tennessee's attempt to undermine settlement is a red flag in new world of college sports
Basketball
The Pacers are in the NBA Finals. The Fever have Caitlin Clark. In Indy, basketball is booming
NBA/Basketball
Pacers aren’t celebrating, Thunder aren’t panicking as sides reset
McConnell, Mathurin lead Pacers’ bench charge in Game 3
What Carlisle learned in Dallas to help him coach Haliburton
Dream job': Thibodeau takes out New York Times ad to thank the city, Knicks fans
Knicks denied permission to interview Kidd, Udoka and Finch in coaching search
Thunder find themselves in familiar territory
Baseball/MLB
Marlins join efforts to restore defaced Jackie Robinson and Minnie Miñoso mural
Reds pitcher Miley accused in court documents of being drug supplier for the late Tyler Skaggs
Brewers rookie allows no hits, then forced to exit
Senga leaves with hamstring strain as Mets hang on for 4-3 win to sweep Nats
Struggling Rockies snap five-game skid, avoid setting new record for worst start in modern era
Collectibles
Fanatics' museum to showcase MJ, Ohtani, LeBron collectibles totaling more than $200M
U.S. Open
Spaun leads U.S. Open at Oakmont on a wild day of great shots and shockers
After 2 straight missed cuts in majors, Koepka is in early contention at Oakmont
Full-time dentist, part-time amateur Vogt’s US Open homecoming ends with a kick in the teeth
Open players get that sinking feeling, straight down into the rough at brutal Oakmont
McIlroy fails to take advantage of a bright start at Oakmont, shoots 74 in first round
Who is Mason Howell? What to know about US Open high school amateur
College World Series
Friday: 2 p.m.: Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina; 7 p.m., Louisville vs. Oregon State
Saturday: 2 p.m., Murray State vs. UCLA; 7 p.m., LSU vs. Arkansas
Sunday: 2 p.m., 7 p.m.
Column-Diversity in College World Series field reminds us what college sports is all about
Who could blow up the bracket?
Who is Dan Skirka? What to know about Murray State coach ahead of CWS
Everything you need to know about this year’s College World Series
1 reason why each College World Series team could win the whole thing
Talk of power conferences taking over the College World Series was premature judging by 2025 field
Golf
Lee shoots an 8-under 64 to take a 1-shot lead in the Meijer LPGA Classic
NHL/Hockey
Draisaitl scores in OT again, Oilers beat Panthers to tie Stanley Cup Final
Winnipeg’s Hellebuyck is 6th goalie in NHL history to win Hart and Vezina in the same year
Auto Racing
Hamlin to miss NASCAR’s first international race after birth of son
Soccer
Will ICE be at Club World Cup games? FIFA president addresses enforcement concerns
Fans don’t appear to be snatching up tickets to the Club World Cup
Days before the Club World Cup kicks off, fears over player welfare are being raised
Border Patrol will be at the Club World Cup, says it’s routine to provide security for such events
College Football
Who benefits from College Football Playoff expansion to 16 teams?
Sanders says he’s OK after not attending football camps in Boulder
Wisconsin receives a year of probation and $25,000 fine over impermissible calls to recruits
NFL/USFL/UFL/Football
Cops looking to arrest ex-NFL WR Brown
Saints receiver Chris Olave brushes off concussion concerns and laughs off trade talk
Flacco is pleased with his offseason work despite a lack of snaps at Browns minicamp
Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team
It didn’t take DK Metcalf long to show the Steelers what they’re getting in their new wide receiver
Krasovic: Steelers think signing Rodgers can keep playoff streak intact
Mack ‘couldn’t give up on that dream’ of winning with the Chargers
Carroll’s ability to turn around Raiders one of many questions facing the franchise
Flores still finds joy running the Vikings defense after being passed over for head coach jobs
Titans rookie QB Cam Ward talks nonstop, but never misses anything his coach says
College Sports
Judge denies Zeigler’s request for preliminary injunction trying to play 5th season
College Basketball
This mid-major women’s powerhouse will host UConn, South Carolina, Duke this season
NCAA to introduce coach's challenges in men's game starting in 2025-26
Scoreboards