SMC offers free admission to home events in inaugural season – WSJM Morning Sports

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MCCAA – SMC will not charge admission for home events at Fieldhouse
Southwestern Michigan College has announced for their inaugural seasons in volleyball and basketball, they will not charge admission for games at the renovated 1st Source Bank Fieldhouse. SMC says seats in the bleachers will be first-come, first-served basis. The doors will open to the public at least 30 minutes before the game starts. Seating in the second floor suites and viewing area will not be available, as those are reserved for eligible donors, corporate sponsors, and college guests. SMC will open the Fieldhouse on Saturday, August 27 at 10:00 a.m. against Lake Michigan College. The Roadrunners Women’s and Men’s basketball teams will play their first home games on Tuesday, November 1 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

MLB – Major League Baseball
Last Night
2022 MLB All-Star Game – Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
American League 3, National League 2

American 3, National 2 – Stanton, Buxton lead AL over NL in 9th straight All-Star win
Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game. It was the AL’s ninth straight victory in the Midsummer Classic. Nine-time All-Star Clayton Kershaw got the first start of his career for the NL and pitched one inning. He gave up a leadoff single to Los Angeles two-way star Shohei Ohtani. The NL got a solo shot by Paul Goldschmidt and Dodgers star Mookie Betts had an RBI single in the first. Dodger Stadium hosted the All-Star Game for the first time since 1980.

Season Resumes
Detroit Tigers                 at Oakland A’s, Thursday 3:37 p.m.
Chicago White Sox           vs. Cleveland Guardians, Friday, 8:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs                   at Philadelphia Phillies, Friday, 7:05 p.m.

MLB – Manfred defends treatment of minor leaguers, presses Oakland
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the sport’s treatment of minor leaguers, prompting immediate criticism from the players’ advocacy group. Manfred says "“I kind of reject the premise of the question that minor league players are not paid a living wage.” He says the Oakland Athletics need to quickly reach a binding agreement for a new ballpark and that relocation could be considered if a deal isn’t struck for a facility in the Bay Area. His preferred location for a new Rays ballpark would be on the Tampa side of the bay rather than in St. Petersburg.

MLB – MLB moving ahead with uniform ads for 2023
Major League Baseball is moving ahead with plans for advertising on uniforms next season. The new labor contract agreed to in March allows teams to add uniform and helmet advertising patches. The San Diego Padres in April became the first team to announce a deal for 2023, with Motorola. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says: “I think that jersey patches advertisements on jerseys are a reality of life in professional sports.”

WNBA – Women’s National Basketball Association
Last Night
Los Angeles Sparks 86, Indiana Fever 79

Sparks 86, Fever 79 – Ogwumike scores 35, Sparks hand Fever 10th straight defeat
Nneka Ogwumike scored a season-high 35 points and the Los Angeles Sparks pulled away in the second half on Tuesday night, beating Indiana 86-79 and extending the Fever’s losing streak to 10 games. Ogwumike, whose career high is 38 points, made 12 of 20 shots with two 3-pointers for Los Angeles (11-14). She missed a jumper and two free throws in the final minute. Jordin Canada scored 11.  Ogwumike had 21 points in the first half to help the Sparks take a 42-40 lead into intermission. Tiffany Mitchell came off the bench to score 16 of her 22 points in the first half for Indiana (5-23). Nalyssa Smith had 14 points, while Kelsey Mitchell added 12 points and five assists. Victoria Vivians scored 11 points and reserve Emma Cannon finished with 10.

Today
Seattle Storm at Chicago Sky, 12:00 p.m.

WNBA – Biden order aims to punish captors of Americans held abroad
President Joe Biden has signed an executive order designed to impose sanctions on criminals, terrorists or government officials who hold Americans captive abroad. The order also aims to increase the flow of information to families of detained Americans. The order signed Tuesday comes as WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia has brought increased attention to the issue. It’s unclear if the order will result in bringing home more Americans jailed in foreign countries. Senior Biden administration officials say they regard the order as an important way to raise the cost of hostage-taking. The State Department is adding a new risk indicator to warn travelers about nations where there’s elevated risk of detention.

NBA – Hornets forward Bridges facing 3 domestic violence charges
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is facing three felony domestic violence charges in Southern California after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children last month. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said his office filed one felony count of injuring a child’s parent and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.       . Bridges was arrested on June 29 by Los Angeles police.

NASCAR – NASCAR to hit the streets of Chicago with downtown race
NASCAR has added its first street course to the Cup schedule with a planned 2023 race through downtown Chicago. The Cup Series will race against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and Grant Park next July 2 in the debut race of a three-year deal with the city of Chicago. The new venue will replace Road America in Wisconsin on next year’s schedule. The Chicago race will be paired with an IMSA sports car race the day before, as well as music and entertainment options located along the 12-turn, 2.2-mile street course.

Golf – PGA – Young, Theegala lead a strong class of PGA Tour rookies
This is turning out to be a strong group of rookies on the PGA Tour, including three players with one thing in common down the home stretch: None has won yet. Cameron Young has gone to No. 19 in the world and No. 13 in the FedEx Cup on the strength of six finishes in the top three. Two of them were in majors. As for the majors, Louis Oosthuizen was the only player who failed to make the cut in each of the four majors. Rory McIlroy was among 10 players to make the cut in all four.

Golf – LPGA, PGA Tour Champions stage majors in France and Scotland
The men’s final golf major of the year is over, and now it’s time for two more majors. The LPGA Tour plays its fourth of five majors at the Evian Championship. The purse has been boosted to $6.5 million, meaning a seven-figure check for an LPGA major champion for the third time this year. The PGA Tour Champions has its fifth and final major at the Senior British Open. The PGA Tour returns to the U.S. with the 3M Open in Minnesota. Only three tournaments remain before the top 125 qualify for the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs.

NCAA – Saban: Alabama players topped $3 million in NIL money
Nick Saban has been vocal about his issues with the status quo in name, image and likeness deals and their use in recruiting. But it’s not like Alabama’s football coach and his players haven’t benefited, too. Saban said Crimson Tide players have made more than $3 million in NIL deals. He said at the Southeastern Conference Media Days that NIL money creates a competitive balance issue between haves like Alabama and have-nots. The touchy topic boiled over in the offseason after Saban singled out Texas A&M and other schools for using the NIL deals in recruiting.