Sports briefs
C-M volleyball wins
The Canon-McMillan boys volleyball team came from behind to defeat Erie McDowell, 25-18, 25-27, 22-25, 25-21, 17-15 Tuesday night in the opening round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs.
The Big Macs (19-1) advance to play WPIAL champion Shaler in the quarterfinals Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Shaler defeated the Big Macs in the WPIAL semifinals.
In college sports
The Presidents’ Athletic Conference has accepted Hiram College as an affiliate member in the sport of men’s volleyball, beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
Hiram’s affiliate membership iwill begin July 1, 2024, with their initial season of men’s volleyball competition in the conference to be in the spring of 2025. The 2025 spring will also be the first season for men’s volleyball as a varsity sport under the PAC banner.
In the NFL
What was once routine for Damar Hamlin, such as pulling on a helmet and heading out to practice, has become something the Buffalo Bills safety celebrated with a phone call to his parents.
That was the case last week, general manager Brandon Beane said Tuesday, after Hamlin participated fully in practice for the first time in the six months since having a near-death experience during a game at Cincinnati.
The Bills practice on Tuesday was the first in which reporters were allowed to see Hamlin don his helmet and take part in various team drills. Beane said, Hamlin enjoyed his first full session on May 31, in a practice that was closed to reporters, after which the player called his parents in Pittsburgh.
In the NBA
The Milwaukee Bucks went against the grain by selecting Adrian Griffin, who spent the last five seasons as an assistant with Toronto, to be their next head coach. He replaces Mike Budenholzer, who led Milwaukee to the league’s best regular-season record but got fired after a first-round playoff loss to Miami.
Six teams have made coaching changes since the end of the regular season. The Bucks are the lone team thus far to pick someone without head coaching experience.
In baseball
Texas ace Jacob deGrom will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, cutting short his first season with the AL West-leading Rangers after the oft-injured pitcher signed a $185 million, five-year contract.
“We’ve got a special group here and to not be able to be out there and help them win, that stinks,” deGrom said. “Wanting to be out there and helping the team, it’s a disappointment.”
General manager Chris Young said the decision on surgery came after an MRI on deGrom’s ailing right elbow, but the extent of what is required might not be determined until the operation is performed next week.
- The Toronto Blue Jays demoted struggling right-hander Alek Manoah to the Florida Complex League on Tuesday, one day after the 2022 All-Star and AL Cy Young finalist couldn’t get out of the first inning against the Houston Astros.
Manoah was booed by Toronto fans after allowing six runs and seven hits in 1/3 of an inning Monday, his seventh straight losing decision. He’s 1-7 with a 6.36 ERA in 13 starts after going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts last season.
Manoah has allowed 45 runs in 58 innings. He allowed 55 in 196 2/3 innings in 2022. He went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts as a rookie in 2021.