Compiled by Craig Potter
Today’s SportsROC Report includes stories on the Rochester Red Wings shutout victory, the Buffalo Bills and a new stadium, the Buffalo Sabres hire an assistant coach, and a Rochester Knighthawk is a finalist for a NLL award.
The Rochester Red Wings concluded their 7-game road trip with a 5-2 record following a 2-0 whitewash over the Columbus Clippers on Thursday night in Ohio.
Eddie Rosario got the Red Wings on the scoreboard first with a solo home run in the second inning. Then with one out and the bases loaded, John Ryan Murphy drove in Buck Britton with a single for a 2-0 lead. The Wings made it stand up.
Rochester collected 8 hits as James Beresford and Adam Brett Walker had 2 apiece.
Starting pitcher Jose Berrios hurled 8 innings, scattering 3 hits, walking 2, and striking out 9 in upping his record to 6-3.
Marcus Walden pitched the 9th to earn his fourth save of the season.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Miguel Sano will join the Rochester Red Wings on a rehab assignment on Friday, June 24. Sano was placed on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain on June 1.
Sano will make his Triple-A debut in his first game with Rochester as the 23-year-old skipped the Red Wings in 2015, jumping from Double-A Chattanooga to the big leagues. He finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and was named AL Rookie of the Month for August last season. Sano missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing “Tommy John” surgery.
The Red Wings open a 9-game, 8-day homestand on Friday at Frontier Field. Rochester entered Thursday with the International League’s best record at 45-29, 2 games ahead of North Division-rival Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (43-31).
Promotion
FRIDAY, JUNE 24 vs. LOUISVILLE BATS – FIRST PITCH 7:05 PM, GATES OPEN 6 PM
BATMAN NIGHT FEATURING LEE MERIWETHER: Lee Meriwether – who played Catwoman in the 1966 movie “Batman” – will be here signing autographs from 6:00 – 6:45 pm and again from 7:15 – 8:00 pm. Meriwether will also be interviewed on the field right after the game ends and before the fireworks show.
An exact replica of the Batmobile will be staged on the Frontier Field concourse for fans to take photos of.
BATMAN JERSEY AUCTION: The Red Wings will be wearing special Batman-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off to benefit the Red Wings Community Foundation.
BATMAN CUP GIVEAWAY: The first 1,500 fans will receive a Red Wings Batman Cup courtesy of Frontier Communications.
SUNGLASS GIVEAWAY: The first 2,000 fans will receive Red Wings sunglasses presented by your Local Toyota Dealers.
POST-GAME FIREWORKS: Stick around after the game for a Batman-themed fireworks show courtesy of your Local Toyota Dealers!
FOOD SPECIAL: Fish Fry for $9.00 at Batter Up
PRE-GAME AUTOGRAPH SESSION: A select Red Wings player will be available for autographs on the stadium concourse from 6:10-6:35 pm courtesy of the Hillside Family of Agencies.
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Are the Buffalo Bills considering a replacement for Ralph Wilson Stadium? Bills Insider Chris Brown provides the details. Here is his report:
Bills owner Terry Pegula said he has no preference for a new stadium location, emphasizing that they are still very, very early in their planning for a new venue for the team.
Here is the Bills news of note for June 23rd.
1 – Terry Pegula states no preference for a new stadium location
Less than a day after his co-owner of the Bills, and wife, Kim Pegula was quoted by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle as saying that the organization is in the very early fact-finding stages concerning a new stadium for their football team, Terry Pegula was asked about the same subject on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550.
“We’re looking and we’re not going to make any hasty decisions,” said Pegula. “But we’re evaluating.”
Naturally there is much speculation as to where a new stadium for the Bills will ultimately be located, but Pegula explained that at this point such a decision is far down the road.
“It’s so early in our ownership that none of that has been heavily weighed in terms of preference here or there,” he said. “I don’t have a preference.”
Now five years into his ownership of the Sabres and going on two years with the Bills, Pegula was asked what the priorities are over the next five years.
“I think priority one is winning a championship or championships in either league or both,” said Pegula. “That would be nice. You saw what happened in Cleveland. That’s why our fans have to have faith. We’re trying to pull in the same direction and crazy stuff can happen.”
2 – Rex will still call plays
He’s got a defensive coordinator in Dennis Thurman and an Assistant head coach/Defense in his brother Rob Ryan, but when it comes to making play calls on game days, head coach Rex Ryan will still be sending them in.
Ryan was asked how all the responsibilities would be delegated between himself, his brother Rob and Thurman not only in terms of calling plays, but in handling different aspects of the defense.
“I think it’s pretty well established what we’re doing,” said Ryan. “We don’t need to broadcast everybody’s specific things, it might even be a competitive reason. Make no mistake, it’s a collaborative effort and not just with my brother and Dennis. Obviously Dennis and I will be the primary focus, but it’s all of our coaches. Everybody will have input. When it comes to making a call, I’ll make the calls.”
If there is one area where Rob Ryan’s presence should help Rex Ryan directly, it’ll be in providing an overseer of sorts on the defensive side of the ball week to week. That should allow Rex to take more of a big picture approach as head coach.
RELATED: What we learned about the Bills in offseason practices
3 – Dareus with some contract negotiation advice for Gilmore
Last year around this time Marcell Dareus was awaiting a long-term contract extension after the Bills picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. There were some tense moments, but ultimately a blockbuster deal was reached to keep the Pro Bowl defensive tackle in the fold for the foreseeable future. Now Dareus’ teammate Stephon Gilmore is in the very same situation.
Gilmore chose to attend mandatory minicamp, but did not participate saying he reached an agreement with the coaching staff. Some interpreted it as an indication from Gilmore that a long term extension needs to be reached sooner rather than later.
Dareus, who made an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio this week, has some advice for Gilmore as there is no sign of an agreement being imminently reached.
“He’s got to understand that it’s a business and you’ve got to be patient,” said Dareus of Gilmore. “You can’t just be like this or like that. You still have a job. Just do your job and be patient and let things fall as they may.
“My little differences with the team, the back and forth, I had them talk with my agent. I just wanted to be out at practice. I just want to do my thing. Keep me out of the middle of it and only come talk to me when we really have to talk about something. Other than that I was on time, I was working out and getting in shape. I didn’t want any outside distractions. I’m a pro now. I don’t need that. I have an agent. I have a lawyer. When they need to say something to me, they’ll say something to me.”
Gilmore said even absent an agreement he’ll report to training camp, but he did not definitively say he would be there for the report date on July 30th.
4 – Mario Butler gives back
Bills cornerback Mario Butler was back in his native Jacksonville giving back to his hometown community. Butler staged his third annual charity basketball game in which 30 current and former NFL players participated.
“A lot of times kids in the inner city don’t get enough credit,” Butler told News 4 Jacksonville at his event. “I was one of those kids that went against the grain but was able to come out positive. Now I want to be a positive impact on my community.”
Butler is also hosting a football and cheer camp this weekend at the Stanton College Preparatory school.
All of the proceeds from these events will provide funding for the Mario Butler Foundation, with a portion going towards their STEM Initiative program.
5 – Ryan brothers on a tandem bike?
Rex and Rob Ryan have probably done crazier things than ride a tandem bike, but the visual is one for the ages. The Bills head coach and assistant head coach rode tandem on a two-seater bicycle during a shooting for Tops Friendly Markets.
6 – LB Kevin Reddick holds 3rd annual football camp
In his native New Bern, North Carolina, Bills LB Kevin Reddick set up shop for his third annual football camp. Free to kids ages six to 18, Reddick along with a handful of former college teammates who play in the NFL (Quinton Coples, Kareem Martin, Jonathan Cooper among them) taught kids about the game.
“It’s big to have another year to do this. It’s a blessing and I am happy that God allowed me to be able to come back and do it again,” Reddick told the New Bern Sun Journal. “It’s fun and competitive and the kids can come out here and get better. You see kids out here from different cities, different schools having fun.”
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The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has hired Bob Woods to join the coaching staff as an assistant coach.
Woods joins the Sabres after spending the last two seasons as general manager and head coach of the Saskatoon Blades (WHL). During his tenure in Saskatoon, Woods guided the team to a 19-point improvement from 2013-14 to 2015-16.
Before his tenure with the Blades, Woods served as an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks from 2012 to 2014, and for the Washington Capitals from 2009 to 2012. Woods also served the Capitals organization as an assistant coach for the Hersey Bears (AHL) from the 2005-06 season to 2007-08 before being promoted to Hershey’s head coach 15 games into the season. During his tenure in Hershey, the Bears won the Calder Cup in 2006 and 2009 and finished as runners up in 2007.
As a player, Woods spent most of his 13-year career in the AHL and ECHL. He was a Calder Cup champion with Hershey in 1997 and won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup with the Mississippi Sea Wolves in 1999. The LeRoy, Saskatchewan native was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2012.
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Brad Self of the Rochester Knighthawks has been named one of three finalists for the 2016 NLL Transition Player of the Year award. He joins Jordan MacIntosh of the Georgia Swarm and Jeremy Thompson of the Saskatchewan Rush.
“It’s certainly an honor to be nominated with those two guys, especially with the amount of guys excelling in the transition game now,” said Self. “In the last 10 years, it has become a big part of the game.”
In 2016, Self finished sixth among NLL transition players in points (21), tied for fifth in assists (13), seventh in goals (8), and ninth in loose balls (113), which ranked 15th in the league overall. The 10-year pro forced 18 turnovers, tied for 10th-most among transition players and tied for 30th overall, and recorded at least one point in 12 games in 2016.
“He got better every single game and by the end of it, he was right where he needed to be,” said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. “We leaned on him a lot to make sure the ball got over half for us and created opportunities for our offense to move it and capitalize.”
The Peterborough, Ontario native also led the Knighthawks with 113 loose balls in 15 games. On March 15th, he reached two milestones as he notched his 200th career point and 100th point as a Knighthawk.
After his 21-point campaign this past season, Self has posted at least 20 points in each of his last five seasons. The 35-year-old was selected in the second round (18th overall) of the 2001 NLL Entry Draft.
“He is just so smart and realizes when he has to play that steady ‘D’ shift, but, and at the same time, he knows when to get up the floor for us and take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself,” said Hasen. “He’s naturally gifted to get up the floor and push the transition. He does a good job of it for us.”
The 2016 NLL Season Awards are determined by a vote of the league’s Board of Governors, General Managers and Head Coaches at the end of the regular season. The winners will be announced at the NLL Season Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 27th in Toronto.
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The Western New York Flash (5-4-0) are looking to get back to their winning ways as they host the Boston Breakers (1-7-1) for the second time this season.
The match is scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. at Rochester Rhinos Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at wnyflash.com
In the previous match with Boston, the Flash came out on top by a score of 4-0 on May 27th. Western New York was led by second year forward Lynn Williams as she scored two goals and was named NWSL Player of the Week. Abby Dahlkemper and Taylor Smith also found the back of the net as both players recorded their first professional goals.
A second match between these two teams brings familiarity, familiarity which Sam Mewis says will help. “It will be great, we are really excited, we have some film to watch from our last game against Boston. We just want to focus on ourselves and just compete and do what we are good at.”
Not only will there be familiarity between the two teams in terms of playing style but familiar faces as well. The Breakers trip to Rochester will mark the first time McCall Zerboni will square off with her former team. Zerboni was traded to the Flash on June 14th as she returned to where her NWSL career began.
Mewis will also see a very familiar face line up on the other side, her sister, Kristie. After matching up twice last season, this will be the first time the Mewis sisters have gone head to head this season as both sisters missed the first leg of the four game series. Sam says her parents enjoy these games. “My dad wears a Flash sweatshirt and my mom wears a Breakers shirt and then they switch at halftime, Sam Mewis said. “Which they think is the funniest and most clever thing but it’s cute, and they have a good time rooting for both teams.” The Mewis sisters are the only set of sisters currently playing in the NWSL.
After nine matches, the Flash sit in fourth place in the NWSL table with 15 points, just two points behind Washington for third. Boston currently occupy last place in the league standings but have taken four points over the last month. With a win though, they would move into a tie with the Houston Dash for ninth.
A live stream of the match will be available on youtube.com/NWSL.