Protest denied Champion Chiefs earn low grade from union
Refs admit blown call, but it won’t change Knicks’ loss to Rockets
The Knicks’ protest of a last-second loss to the Rockets was rejected Wednesday, the NBA announced, despite that game’s lead official admitting a decisive foul call against Jalen Brunson was incorrect.
To overturn the Feb. 12 defeat, the Knicks needed to prove a “misapplication of the official playing rules” rather than a judgment error by the referees.
“Because the foul call at issue reflected an error in judgment, New York did not demonstrate a misapplication of the playing rules, and the extraordinary remedy of upholding a game protest was not warranted,” the NBA said.
The Knicks filed a protest after a leaping Brunson was called for a foul as the Rockets’ Aaron Holiday unleashed a deep, one-handed desperation heave late in regulation in a 103-103 game in Houston.
With 0.3 on the clock, Holiday hit two free throws to clinch a 105-103 victory in a game that otherwise would have gone to overtime.
“In live action it was felt that the lower-body contact was illegal contact,” crew chief Ed Malloy said in the subsequent postgame pool report. “After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor. The contact which occurred after the release of the ball therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”
With Wednesday’s denial, the outcome remains a hard-luck loss for a banged-up Knicks team that’s dropped six of its last eight games, all of which came without the injured Julius Randle or OG Anunoby in the lineup.
The NBA has only upheld six protests, most recently in 2007.
The Knicks can take some solace in knowing they got away with a 113-111 victory Monday over the NBA-worst Pistons in which the refs said they missed a late loose-ball foul on Donte DiVincenzo.
The officials admitted they should have called a foul with Detroit up, 111110, seconds before the Knicks’ Josh Hart made a game-winning layup.
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt admitted Wednesday the Super Bowl champions are overdue for renovations to their practice facilities after the NFL Players Association’s annual report card graded Kansas City the second-worst team in the league overall.
The Giants finished eighth in overall rankings, while the Jets came in 21st.
Hunt had just unveiled plans for an $800 million renovation to Arrowhead Stadium that would include plenty of amenities for fans — but little for players — when he was asked about the report card. The NFLPA has produced it the past two years based on surveys of players in an attempt to improve overall working conditions around the league.
The report card gave the Chiefs, who will go for a third straight Super Bowl title and fourth in six years next season, failing grades for their nutritionist/dietician, locker room and training staff. Hunt was given an F-minus as the owner of the franchise, and “a rating of 4.9⁄10 from Chiefs players when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities.”
Kansas City also received a D for its training room and team travel, a D-plus for treatment of families and C-minus for food and cafeteria. Its weighted score put it 31st, ahead of only the Commanders, who received failing grades for team travel and training staff and an F-minus grade for its locker room and training room..
“The one bright spot for the team is head coach Andy Reid, who was the highest-rated head coach in the NFL,” the survey said of the Chiefs. “Other than that, the players are frustrated by their workplace offerings, especially after the team’s sustained success in recent years.”
At the top of the rankings were the Dolphins, who had no grade lower than an A-minus in any category and received the highest weighted score of any team. The Vikings had no grade lower than a B and had the second-best score.
Rounding out the top five in weighted score were the Packers, Eagles and Jaguars.
At the bottom of the ranking were the Commanders. When their players were asked what issues were most important to fix, the report said, “most players couldn’t come up with just one.”
More than half of head coaches received an A-minus or better, including A-plus grades for Reid, the Lions’ Matt Campbell and the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell. The lowest grade was a D for the Raiders’ Josh McDaniels, who has since been fired.
WAKEFIELD WIDOW DIES AT 53
Stacy Wakefield, the widow of former Red Sox pitcher and twotime World Series champion Tim Wakefield, has died.
Her family said in a statement released through the Red Sox that she died Wednesday at her Massachusetts home, less than five months after her husband died at the age of 57. Stacy was 53, according to online records.
“She was surrounded by her family and dear friends, as well as her wonderful caretakers and nurses,” the statement said. “The loss is unimaginable, especially in the wake of losing Tim just under five months ago. Our hearts are beyond broken.”
The family mentioned a diagnosis but did not provide a cause of death. In September, Tim’s former Red Sox teammate Curt Schilling said on a podcast both of the Wakefields had been diagnosed with cancer. Schilling said Tim had brain cancer and Stacy had pancreatic cancer. The news came with an outpouring of support for the Wakefields and criticism for Schilling disclosing the matter without their permission.
STRONG YAMAMOTO DEBUT
Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out three batters over two scoreless innings in his exhibition debut on Wednesday, giving a glimpse into why the Dodgers believe the Japanese right-hander can become a big-league ace.
Yamamoto opened by striking out Rangers All-Star Marcus Semien on six pitches, then gave up Evan Carter’s single before Wyatt Langford grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Yamamoto started the second against the defending World Series champions by striking out Nathaniel Lowe on three pitches and retiring Jonah Heim on a flyout to left. Working with a long, deliberate windup and a fastball that hovered in the mid-90s, Yamamoto ended his outing by striking out Leody Taveras on four pitches.
WNBA DRAFT IN BROOKLYN
For the first time in eight years, the WNBA draft will be open to fans looking to get a glimpse of the league’s newest crop of superstars.
The league’s 28th annual draft is set to take place on April 15 with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the draft picks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a famed performing arts theater that is just minutes from Barclays Center.
About 1,000 tickets will be sold for this year’s draft, the league announced Wednesday. It’s the first time the draft will have fans in attendance since the 2014-16 drafts were held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
“We are focused on creating elevated events that WNBA fans won’t want to miss, at a time when the energy for the WNBA has never been higher,” Engelbert said in a statement. “Last season resulted in our most-watched regular season in over two decades, our highest total attendance in 13 years and set record figures across WNBA digital and social platforms.”