Sports briefs
Rivers Casino gets sports-betting license
Pennsylvania is approving sports betting at three more casinos as it gets closer to becoming the sixth state with sports betting.
Regulators Wednesday awarded sports betting licenses to SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino in Chester and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board earlier this month awarded licenses to Hollywood Casino near Hershey and suburban Philadelphia’s Parx Casino, which also received approval for an off-track betting parlor it owns in Philadelphia.
Sports betting could start as early as November if a casino meets other requirements, such as training personnel and passing equipment tests. Owners of Pennsylvania’s 12 casinos can pay a $10 million fee to operate sports betting.
The U.S. Supreme Court in May cleared the way for states to legalize sports betting.
Wild Things sign 2
The Washington Wild Things have signed former Normal CornBelters catcher Cody Erickson and Blake Adams, who was an All-American outfielder last spring at Tarleton State in Texas.
Erickson also saw meaningful time both in the infield and outfield last year for Normal. In 64 games, he batted .236 with 14 doubles and 20 RBI. He threw out impressive 33 percent of opposing basestealers.
Erickson played collegiately at NAIA powerhouse Tennessee Wesleyan.
“We hosted Normal late last summer, after they lost their starting catcher, I was impressed by what I saw (from Erickson). I thought he was pretty natural behind the plate and controlled the running game. ” Washington assistant general manager Tony Buccilli said. “When Cody became available I was very surprised when he told me that he only began catching recently. He may be listed as a catcher on our roster, but we look to showcase Cody’s versatility in the field.”
Adams posted video game-like numbers in college, doing his damage from the leadoff spot. Adams drove in 69 runs, scored 74 runs and hit 16 doubles and 17 home runs. The outfielder also led the Lone Star Conference in slugging percentage (.781) and hit by pitches (25).
He made his professional debut last summer with Winnipeg of the American Association and batted .245 in 15 games.
“Blake has some very special attributes. We are talking about an athlete who is 6-2, 215 pounds, who got on base more than 52 percent of the time, who hit 17 home runs and stole 14 bases ” Buccilli pointed out. “This kid has the opportunity to be an impact addition for us. … We emphasize speed and power combination players with our signings and Blake is a prototype example of that mold.”
Hull activated
The Miami Dolphins activated linebacker Mike Hull from injured reserve Wednesday. The Canonsburg native returned to practice Oct. 17 after suffering a knee injury during the preseason.
Hull, who has played in 35 career games with four starts for the Dolphins, will likely see playing time on special teams. He has 27 career special teams tackles and finished third in the NFL with 18 special teams tackles in 2016.
Hall of Famer McCovey dies at 80
Willie McCovey, the sweet-swinging Hall of Famer nicknamed “Stretch” for his 6-4 height and those long arms, died Wednesday. He was 80.
The San Francisco Giants announced McCovey’s death, saying the fearsome hitter passed “peacefully” in the afternoon “after losing his battle with ongoing health issues.”
McCovey was a career .270 hitter with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs in 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with the Giants. He also played for the Athletics and Padres.
McCovey made his major league debut at age 21 on July 30, 1959, after dominating the Pacific Coast League that year. He played alongside the other Willie – Hall of Famer Willie Mays – into the 1972 season before Mays was traded to the New York Mets that May.
In his debut, McCovey went 4 for 4 with two triples, two RBIs and three runs scored in a 7-2 win against Philadelphia – and that began a stretch of the Giants winning 10 out of 12 games.
McCovey batted .354 with 13 homers, 38 RBIs, five triples and nine doubles on the way to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
“You knew right away he wasn’t an ordinary ballplayer,” Hall of Famer Hank Aaron said, courtesy of the Hall of Fame. “He was so strong, and he had the gift of knowing the strike zone. There’s no telling how many home runs he would have hit if those knees weren’t bothering him all the time and if he played in a park other than Candlestick.”
He had attended games at AT&T Park as recently as the final game of the season.
“For more than six decades, he gave his heart and soul to the Giants,” Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said. “As one of the greatest players of all time, as a quiet leader in the clubhouse, as a mentor to the Giants who followed in his footsteps, as an inspiration to our Junior Giants, and as a fan cheering on the team from his booth.”
McCovey had been getting around in a wheelchair in recent years because he could no longer rely on his once-dependable legs, yet was still regularly seen at the ballpark in his private suite.
While the Giants captured their third World Series of the decade in 2014, McCovey returned to watch them play while still recovering from an infection that hospitalized him in September ’14 for about a month.
“It was touch and go for a while,” McCovey said at the time. “They pulled me through, and I’ve come a long way.”
Even four-plus decades later, it still stung for the left-handed slugging McCovey that he never won a World Series after coming so close. He lined out to end the Giants’ 1962 World Series loss to the Yankees.
“I still think about it all the time, I still think, ‘If I could have hit it a little more,'” he said Oct. 31, 2014.
In 2012, he said: “I think about the line drive, yes. Can’t get away from it.”
McCovey was born on Jan. 10, 1938, in Mobile, Ala. He had spent the last 18 years in a senior advisory role for the Giants.
“Every moment he will be terribly missed,” said McCovey’s wife, Estella. “He was my best friend and husband. Living life without him will never be the same.”
McCovey had a daughter, Allison, and three grandchildren, Raven, Philip, and Marissa. McCovey also is survived by sister Frances and brothers Clauzell and Cleon.
The Giants said a public celebration of McCovey’s life would be held at a later date.