Eddie O has cancer
Former NHL forward and coach Eddie Olczyk has been diagnosed with colon cancer.
Olczyk, who turns 51 on Aug. 16, had surgery last week, and Chicago Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry said Tuesday he “will be undergoing further treatment in the coming weeks, including chemotherapy.” Olczyk is a color analyst for TV broadcasts for the Blackhawks and NBC Sports.
“I have been working with outstanding health care professionals and expect to be back in the broadcast booth after I complete my treatment,” Olczyk said in a statement put out by the team. “Having the support and encouragement from my family, the Chicago Blackhawks organization, NBC Sports and all my friends and fans means the world to me and will give me continued strength to beat this.”
Olczyk was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1984 draft. He played for six teams during his 16 seasons in the NHL.
In 1992 Olczyk was traded from the Jets to the Rangers in return for Kris King and Tie Domi. He played in one playoff game for the Rangers during their Stanley Cup run in 1994.
He finished with 342 goals and 452 assists in 1,031 games.
The Chicago native also coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2003-04 season and part of the 2005-06 season.
“Eddie Olczyk is a treasured member of the Chicago Blackhawks family and we will be supportive of him as he fights this disease,” team president John McDonough said. “We encourage our fans to keep him in their thoughts as we all look forward to having him back in good health as soon as possible.”
Sam Flood, an executive producer and president of production for NBC Sports, said Olczyk will not be broadcasting for them at the start of the season, but they are looking forward to his return to their national crew. —Nicholas Parco with AP
Joe West, who has tossed countless players and managers from MLB games, has received a threegame suspension for criticizing Adrian Beltre in a recent USA Today article. The 64-year-old umpire, who recently worked his 5,000th career game — the third-most all-time — was asked to name the “biggest complainer” he’s encountered in baseball in the piece by USA Today.
“It’s got to be Adrian Beltre. Every pitch you call that’s a strike, he says, “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!’ I had a game with him recently and the pitch was right down the middle. He tells me, “that ball is outside.’
“I told him, ‘You may be a great ballplayer, but you’re the worst umpire in the league. You stink.’’
West clarified to USA Today that he and Beltre are on friendly terms but the comments clearly did not sit well with the league.
— Zachary Ripple
Chris Sale allowed two hits in eight innings and struck out 13, and the visiting Red Sox beat the Rays 2-0 for their seventh straight victory. Sale (14-4) reached double digits in strikeouts for the 15th time this season, the first time that’s been done since Randy Johnson in 2002. The win pushed Boston’s AL East lead over the Yankees to four games . ... Atlanta rookie shortstop Johan Camargo, who took over as the starter when Dansby Swanson was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on July 27, bruised a bone in his right knee when running onto the field at the start of Tuesday night’s game against the Phillies in Atlanta.
Tina Charles scored 26 points and the host Liberty (13-12) overcame Erica Wheeler’s 33 points for an 81-76 victory over the Fever. Wheeler made two of her seven 3-pointers in the final 20 seconds.