Prosecutors to drop charges in catfish toss

PITTSBURGH — Prosecutors are dropping charges filed against a Tennessee man for throwing a catfish onto the rink in Pittsburgh during the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final. Jacob Waddell, 36, was charged in Allegheny County with disorderly conduct, possessing instruments of crime and disrupting meetings or processions after tossing the dead fish over the glass surrounding the rink Monday night during the Nashville Predators-Pittsburgh Penguins game. District Attorney Stephen Zappala said in a Facebook post Wednesday that Waddell’s actions “do not rise to the level of criminal charges” so the charges “will be withdrawn in a timely manner.” Nashville Mayor Megan Barry had called for the charges to be “quickly dismissed.” Waddell called himself “a dumb redneck with a bad idea” in a conversation with Nashville radio station WGFX-FM . He said he bought an “entirely too big” catfish in Tennessee, fileted it and cut half the spine out, and then ran over it with his pickup truck several times to make it easier to pack.

FOOTBALL

› NASHVILLE — Tennessee backup quarterback Matt Cassel will have surgery to put a pin in his right thumb after being hurt during the Titans’ offseason program. Cassel was hurt Tuesday during a closed organized team activity session. Coach

Mike Mularkey announced the injury to Cassel’s throwing hand after Wednesday’s session. The coach said Cassel will probably be out about six weeks but “should be ready to go for training camp.” The Titans re-signed Cassel earlier this offseason to a two-year deal, and the veteran was expected to run the firstteam offense while starter Marcus Mariota continues recovering from a broken right leg. Mularkey said the Titans will not immediately be looking to add a quarterback. Instead, they will rely on third-string quarterback Alex Tanney, who has been in camp and on the practice squad much of the past two seasons, and undrafted rookie

Tyler Ferguson from Western Kentucky for the time being.

› NEW YORK — Mike Tirico is replacing Al Michaels as the play-by-play announcer for Thursday night games this season. The NFL needed to approve the switch because its contract with the network calls for the top broadcast team to do Thursday games. NBC has those games from Nov. 9 through the end of the year after CBS handles the first portion of the schedule. “Although there have been a number of changes in the network’s broadcast booths over the past couple of seasons, our priority, and the priority of our network partners remains the same: produce a high quality, engaging broadcast that our fans love whether its Thursday, Sunday or Monday,” the league said in a statement.”

› ESPN has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with Lee Corso, the 81-year-old star of “College GameDay.” Corso joined ESPN in 1987 and has been part of the popular college football Saturday pregame show ever since. His head-gear game predictions, off-the-cuff analysis and signature line — “Not so fast, my friend” — have endeared him to generations of college football fans. The headgear picks started in 1996 when Corso donned the head of Ohio State’s Brutus Buckeye before a game in Columbus with Penn State. He is on target to make his 300th head-gear pick during the upcoming season.

BASEBALL

› NEW YORK — Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper has agreed to drop his appeal of a four-game suspension and will have one game shaved from the punishment. Harper reached the agreement Wednesday with Major League Baseball and began serving the suspension immediately. He did not issue a statement and was not in the Nationals clubhouse before Wednesday night’s game against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Nationals manager Dusty Baker had mixed feelings about the decision. “Very happy,” Baker said when asked his reaction to Harper’s suspension being reduced. “I’m not happy that it was three, but three’s better than four. He’ll miss this game tonight, and then he’ll miss the first two days of the Oakland series and hopefully he’ll be ready to play on Sunday.” The punishment stemmed from a bench-clearing brawl on Monday after Harper was hit by a 98 mph fastball from Giants reliever Hunter Strickland. There’s no word on Strickland, who received a six-game suspension and also had planned to appeal.

› CHICAGO — White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, a colorful character known for his folksy sayings and unbridled enthusiasm for his longtime team, will retire after working 20 games next year in his 34th season in the booth. The 75-year-old Harrelson, who also played in the majors for nine seasons with four teams and served as Chicago’s general manager for a short time, will work primarily Sunday home dates in 2018. After he finishes his TV duties, he will serve as a team ambassador for the 2019 season. Harrelson began his broadcasting career with the Boston Red Sox in 1975. He moved to Chicago in 1982, partnering with Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale. After stints as the White Sox GM and broadcast work with the Yankees and NBC, he returned to the White Sox booth in 1990.