A’s, Nevada officials reach agreement on stadium bill
The Athletics moved one step closer to moving to Las Vegas with the agreement of a stadium finding bill that is expected to pass.
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1. A’s, Nevada officials reach agreement on stadium bill
The Athletics moved one step closer to moving to Las Vegas with the agreement of a stadium finding bill that is expected to pass.
The Oakland Athletics and public officials in Nevada have reached a tentative agreement on a funding bill that, if approved, will give the team a big push in its quest to relocate to Las Vegas.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo announced the agreement Wednesday for a taxpayer contribution to the proposed ballpark.
“This agreement follows months of negotiations between the state, the county and the A’s, and I believe it gives us a tremendous opportunity to continue building on the professional sports infrastructure of southern Nevada,” Lombardo said in a statement. “Las Vegas is clearly a sports town, and Major League Baseball should be a part of it.”
The stadium funding bill calls for the creation of a sports and entertainment district at the stadium area, with taxes in the district helping toward repayment of the public share of the project.
Financial figures regarding public financing have yet to be revealed but will be made public when the bill goes to the Nevada legislature, which is expected soon. The legislature would need to approve the bill, and Lombardo sign it, for the ballpark to move ahead.
2. Sparks face the defending champion Aces
The Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces will face each other twice in three days.
The Los Angeles Sparks came together to win in their home opener against the Phoenix Mercury. It was also an emotional night as Brittney Griner returned to the court for the first time since her detainment in Russia. Griner was able to come back on top and be the highest scorer for the Mercury with 18 points and 6 rebounds but that wasn’t enough to defeat the Sparks, a team that was determined to work well together under the direction of new head coach Curt Miller.
The Sparks may not have started off well in the first quarter as they were scoreless in the first few minutes but they focused on working together to pull past the Mercury defense and successfully execute their offensive plays. Los Angeles only had 6 turnovers. Five players for the Sparks scored in double digits: Chiney Ogwumike, Lexie Brown, Karlie Samuelson, Zia Cooke, and Nneka Ogwumike, who led the team with 17 points.
All eyes were also on 10th overall pick Zia Cooke. The rookie shined as she was able to get 14 points and help set the tone for her team, making both 3-point attempts in her debut. Before the game, coach Curt Miller commented on Cooke saying, “Right now what I’m asking her to do is try find ways to be efficient that’s what she did her senior year at South Carolina that was the big growth in her game her, efficiency. Can she find that efficiency early in her career in the WNBA?” She was definitely efficient as she made her first five shots. Cooke’s shooting helped her team lead 54-41 by halftime and eventually, the Sparks blew out the Mercury.
3. Spence vs. Crawford announced for Las Vegas
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. scheduled to fight on July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. have reached an agreement to fight on July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, N.V., for the welterweight championship title, sources announced today. This fight is rumored to be the biggest boxing match since Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in May 2015.
Both fighters are unbeaten; Spence has a record of 28-0 with 22 victories coming by way of knockout, while Crawford has a record of 39-0 with 30 victories also coming by way of knockout.
Talk began to arise for a prospective fight with Spence following Crawford’s late TKO victory against Shawn Porter in November 2021. Even though a contract was never signed, the boxers went on to win more matches, making them both highly respected pound-for-pound boxers.
4. Golden Knights shoot for sweep of buckling Stars
The Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from playing the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Vegas Golden Knights will aim for a four-game sweep when they visit the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday night.
The Golden Knights won the first two games of the series in overtime in Las Vegas before Adin Hill made 34 saves in a 4-0 win in Game 3 on Tuesday in Dallas.
"We are just playing as a team," Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev said after tallying a goal and two assists in Game 3. "When you do things right, you get rewarded. I think that's what we've been doing the whole playoffs.
Vegas has won five straight games for the second time in the 2023 playoffs and 11 of 13 since losing their postseason opener, 5-1 to the Winnipeg Jets.
Defense has been the key, as the Golden Knights have limited their opponents to two goals or fewer in seven of those wins.
"We're frustrating the top players, skilled players," Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "Collectively, as a group, we're clogging up the middle of the ice and we're frustrating teams."
5. Lakers remain hopeful LeBron will come back
As LeBron James contemplates his future, the Lakers are hopeful he will return to a core group that advanced to the West Finals, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Mark Medina.
The news understandably could have hit the Lakers harder than even the Denver Nuggets sweeping them in the Western Conference Finals following a 113-111 Game 4 loss on Monday. Afterwards, Lakers star LeBron James hinted in a press conference that he may retire before telling ESPN outright that he may consider it following a 20th NBA season that showcased both his dominance and struggle with Father Time.
“Coming off a tough loss like that and the work we put in this season, I think I was ready to retire after last night, too,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham quipped on Tuesday morning at the Lakers’ practice facility.
Ham clearly isn’t retiring following his first season as head coach. After the Lakers advanced to the Western Conference Finals a year after missing the playoffs, Ham sounded eager to build off that next season toward overseeing the franchise’s possible 18th NBA championship. So did Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, who opened his exit interview praising Ham for empowering and motivating the team both through a 2-10 start and a post trade-deadline resurgence.
But what about James? Will he really forego the final two years of his contract that will pay him $97.1 million? Will he really pass up the chance to collect more than four NBA championships? Will he really forfeit his publicly stated dream to play in the NBA with his son, Bronny, who just committed to play at USC next season? Will he really walk away after posting 40 points on 15-for-25 shooting overall and 4-for-7 from 3-point range along with 10 rebounds and nine assists in the Lakers’ Game 4 loss to Denver?
6. Padres set for midweek clash in nation’s capital
Having now lost five consecutive series, the San Diego Padres (21-26) will head to the District of Columbia to face the Washington Nationals (20-27) in a three-game midweek set, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Gabriel Santiago.
The San Diego Padres – now only 1.5 games above last place in the NL West – are desperately looking to put their losing ways behind them as they prepare for a cross-country trip to the nation’s capital.
Fresh off losing two of three games to the Boston Red Sox, the Friars have now dropped their past five series dating back to May 3. Over that span, San Diego has lost seven of eleven contests while sporting a team batting average of .201–they’ll hope their offense can heat up on the East Coast against a mediocre Washington Nationals rotation.
On the other hand, the pitching for the Padres has been solid since that aforementioned May 3 date, showcasing a team ERA of 2.92 in that timeframe. For the opener against the Nationals, San Diego will hand the ball to Yu Darvish, who is a 10-year MLB veteran. Darvish is 2-3 with a 3.56 ERA this season, coming off a loss against the Kansas City Royals. After Tuesday, we should also see starts from lefties Ryan Weathers and Blake Snell in this series.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today.
7:00 p.m. – Las Vegas Aces at Los Angeles Sparks – $7
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today.
5:30 p.m. – Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars – ESPN
7:00 p.m. – Las Vegas Aces at Los Angeles Sparks – Spectrum SportsNet
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Brandon Deutsch to discuss what the Lakers have to do to win a championship with their current core group. Can they make any big moves in the offseason or is their best chance to essentially run it back and does that include LeBron James, who's contemplating retirement?
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.
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