Walsh to leave Biden Cabinet for NHL union
U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the Biden administration to run the National Hockey League Players’ Association, according to two people familiar with his plans.
The hockey players’ union has been searching for a new executive director to take over for Don Fehr, who had been in charge for more than a decade. An association spokesperson had no official update on the situation when reached Tuesday.
A serious fan of the Boston Bruins, Walsh showed an encyclopedic knowledge of the sport in videos posted online during his tenure from 2014 to 2021 as mayor of Boston.
As labor secretary, Walsh helped broker a temporary work agreement between major freight railroads and their unions, preventing the risk of a strike that could have disrupted the U.S. economy ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Congress later imposed a contract on the unions after workers failed to ratify the agreement.
NFL
PEGULA REVEALS HER MOTHER'S HEALTH CRISIS >> Pro tennis player Jessica Pegula has revealed that her mother, Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres co-owner and president Kim Pegula, went into cardiac arrest in June and is still recovering while dealing with significant language and memory issues.
In an essay that The Players’ Tribune published Tuesday, Jessica Pegula detailed for the first time the medical crisis that abruptly removed her mother from the public eye and suggested that her mother may not resume the same level of involvement in the family’s sports franchises.
Kim Pegula, she wrote, went into cardiac arrest while sleeping and received lifesaving CPR from another daughter until paramedics arrived and restored her heartbeat. The family previously said only that Kim Pegula was receiving medical care for “some unexpected health issues” that arose shortly after she celebrated her 53rd birthday. 1-IN-5
U.S. ADULTS WILL BET ON THIS YEAR'S SUPER BOWL >> A record 50.4 million American adults plan to bet on this year’s Super Bowl, wagering a total of $16 billion, the gambling industry’s national trade group predicted Tuesday.
The American Gaming Association forecasts that 1-in-5 American adults will place a bet on Sunday’s NFL championship game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The estimate includes legal bets, and those placed with illegal bookies or casually among friends or relatives.
The total amount expected to be wagered this year is more than double the amount from last year as the legal U.S. sports betting market continues to grow.
MLB
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS HIRE FEMALE MINOR LEAGUE HITTING COACH >> Amanda Kamekona, a former star softball player at UCLA, has been hired as a minor league hitting instructor for the Cleveland Guardians. She’s the first female onfield coach in team history.
Kamekona will be based at the team’s year-round complex in Goodyear, Arizona, where she’ll work with the team’s developmental players. The Guardians have an Arizona Rookie League team.
The 36-year-old’s hiring continues a trend throughout Major League Baseball of teams adding female coaches to their staffs. The Guardians have had women coach mental skills, but have never previously had a female instructor working with players on the field.
NBA
HEAT TRADE DEDMON, 2ND ROUND PICK TO SPURS >> The
San Antonio Spurs have acquired Dewayne Dedmon and a second-round draft from the Miami Heat, with the teams finalizing that deal Tuesday.
The Spurs will receive Miami’s second-round selection in 2028. The Heat got cash considerations, plus more importantly, some newly opened financial flexibility — since they’re not taking any salary back — as well as a roster spot.
Dedmon is averaging 5.7 points in 30 games this season. He played in only one game for Miami after an incident during a Jan. 10 game against Oklahoma City in which he was upset after getting subbed out in the second quarter, argued with Heat players and coaches, then swatted at one of the massage guns behind the bench.
Olympics
PARIS MAYOR: NO RUSSIAN TEAM AT 2024 GAMES IF WAR CONTINUES >> Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says there should be no Russian delegation allowed at the Paris Olympics next year if Moscow continues its war against Ukraine.
Hidalgo previously said Russian competitors could take part under a neutral flag but she backpedaled on Tuesday in an interview with French media France Info.
Acknowledging that a final decision belongs to the International Olympic Committee, Hidalgo said she wishes Russian athletes will be banned “as long as there is this war, this Russian aggression on Ukraine.”
“It is not possible to parade as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation that comes to Paris while the bombs continue to rain down on Ukraine.”