Sports briefs
Cal baseball picked 5th
The California University baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the preseason PSAC West Division standings released by the league office Friday morning.
Mercyhurst is the preseason favorite for the fourth straight year and received five first-place votes. The Lakers were 38-8 record last season and hosted the Atlantic Regional Tournament as the top seed after finishing as the runner-up in the PSAC tournament. Seton Hill received the remaining three first-place votes and was picked second in the West. The Griffins secured their first PSAC championship last season. Slippery Rock and IUP were slotted third and fourth, respectively, followed by the Vulcans in fifth.
Defending NCAA Division II national champion West Chester was selected as the preseason favorite in the PSAC East with seven first-place votes.
No Love for 2 months
Kevin Love dodged surgery. The Cavaliers were hit hard.
The All-Star forward, who was recently at the center of some team turmoil, will miss two months because of a broken left hand. Love fractured the fifth metacarpal Tuesday night during a loss at Detroit, and his injury is just the latest mishap for the Cavs, who are coming off a sub-par January.
It was expected that Love would need an operation to repair the break, but after Cleveland’s medical staff consulted with doctors at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, it was determined Love can recover without any procedure. He had surgery on his left hand in 2009 while with Minnesota and still has three screws in place.
The timetable for Love’s return means he’ll miss all but the final two weeks of the regular season. The team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder won’t have much time to get ready for the playoffs. But with the way the Cavs are playing, it’s questionable how far they can go.
Ravens GM Newsome to retire
Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome will step down after the 2018 season and be replaced by assistant GM Eric DeCosta.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said Friday that Newsome signed a five-year extension in 2014 with the understanding that he relinquish the post at the end of the contract.
Newsome has been in charge of filling out the roster since the Ravens arrived in Baltimore in 1996. The 61-year-old has assembled two Super Bowl champions and is known for his prowess at drafting quality talent.
DeCosta has received numerous job offers since becoming assistant general manager in 2012. He spurned those invitations with the assumption – and assurance – that he will inherit Newsome’s job.
In the NHL
Darren Helm had a goal and two assists, Petr Mrazek stopped 36 shots, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 Friday night.
Gustav Nyquist, Danny DeKeyser and Trevor Daley also scored for the Red Wings, who won their second straight after dropping six of eight.
- Kevin Labanc had a goal and an assist, and Martin Jones stopped 28 shots to lift the San Jose Sharks to a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Sharks’ first two goals came on power plays, with Labanc getting a wide-open look at the net with a 5-on-3 advantage in the second period. Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored for San Jose, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Sergei Bobrovsky had 25 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have lost two in a row and five of their last seven. Boone Jenner had the lone goal as Columbus continues to struggle offensively.