Cope meet coming up

SALEM — The 33rd annual F.E. Cope Invitational will be held Thursday at Sebo Stadium.

Action starts at 4:30 p.m. with the field events. The running events get under way at 5:15 p.m.

Sixteen schools are entered, including host Salem, Akron Coventry, Alliance, Austintown Fitch, Beaver Local, Boardman, Canfield, Girard, Howland, Lakeview, Lowellville, McDonald, South Range, United, Wadsworth and Western Reserve.

The Salem girls have won five of the last six team titles, while Howland will try to defend its boys title.

The meet is held in honor of the late F.E. Cope, a longtime Salem athletic director and track official.

Big ratings for NCAA tournament

NEW YORK (AP) — The men’s NCAA tournament is averaging 10.3 million viewers through the Elite Eight, according to Nielsen. That is the tournament’s best audience since 1993 and a 9% increase over last year.

UConn’s last-second 73-72 victory over Duke in the East Region final averaged 13.4 million on CBS. The audience peaked at 18.9 million when Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left.

Friday’s early window with Duke-St.John’s on CBS and Michigan-Alabama on TBS/truTV averaged 14.2 million, the most-watched Friday regional early window since 1992.

The Final Four and title game will be on TBS, TNT and truTV.

The women’s NCAA tournament on ESPN’s networks and ABC is averaging 789,000 viewers through Saturday’s Sweet 16 games. That is a 1% decrease from last year.

Ratings for Sunday and Monday’s regional finals are expected to be available on Wednesday.

Cavs’ home listed on Redfin

CLEVELAND (AP) — The home of the Cleveland Cavaliers is part of what could be the largest-ever listing on a real estate site.

Rocket Arena was put up Tuesday on Redfin as a home listing. The 823,000-square-foot facility in downtown Cleveland has a capacity for 19,432 spectators, includes 118 bathrooms and “an open-concept design built to bring people together.”

The arena opened in 1994 and is also the home of an American Hockey League franchise and a WNBA team beginning in 2028.

Redfin and the Cavaliers are using the listing to promote an open house and garage sale scheduled at the arena on Thursday, but the arena is not for sale. A 46-foot-tall yard sign announcing the open house stands outside the arena.

Redfin became part of Rocket Companies last July. Cavaliers owner and chairman Dan Gilbert is the founder and chairman of the board of Rocket.

Cruz homers for Bucs

CINCINNATI (AP) — Oneil Cruz homered twice and Ryan O’Hearn hit a three-run shot as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 on Tuesday night.

O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds went back-to-back in the second inning. Cruz finished with three hits and three RBIs. He also scored three times.

The Reds were held hitless until Jose Trevino singled off reliever Hunter Barco with one out in the seventh. Pirates rookie starter Bubba Chandler tossed 4 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, but also walked six.

Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz hit consecutive homers off Barco to trim the Pirates’ lead to 6-3 in the eighth.

Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly was ejected in the eighth for arguing with plate umpire Jordan Baker.

Cruz hit a solo homer in the fourth off left-hander Brandon Williamson, then provided insurance for Pittsburgh with a two-run homer off Pierce Johnson in the ninth.

Williamson made his first major league appearance since Sept. 1, 2024. He missed last season following left elbow surgery.

Williamson (0-1) allowed consecutive homers in the second to O’Hearn and Reynolds that made it 5-0.

It was the 139th career homer for Reynolds, tying Jason Bay for ninth on the franchise list.

Chandler issued three walks in the third but allowed only one run, helped when TJ Friedl popped into a double play attempting to bunt.

The Reds’ first run scored when Reynolds and Cruz allowed Ke’Bryan Hayes’ flyball to drop between them in left-center. It was initially ruled a single but later changed to an error on Reynolds in left, keeping the no-hit bid intact for a while.

Cincinnati had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth but Yohan Ramírez (1-0) struck out Matt McLain and De La Cruz to end the inning.

Up next

Pirates: RHP Paul Skenes (0-1) looks to rebound from a rough opener Wednesday.

Reds: LHP Andrew Abbott (0-0) tossed six shutout innings last Thursday.

Volleyball at Wrigley

CHICAGO (AP) — Wrigley Field will host a women’s college volleyball doubleheader to highlight the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week in September.

The conferences announced Monday that Nebraska will play Missouri and Penn State will meet Kentucky at the home of the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 6. Matchups between Big Ten and SEC programs will be played at home sites beginning Sept. 1.

“Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week culminating at Wrigley Field brings together the highest level of women’s volleyball competition, at one of the most iconic venues in the country,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said. “As women’s volleyball participation, sponsorship, attendance and viewership continue to grow, we look forward to providing this unique opportunity to showcase the exceptional competition.”

The matches will mark the first time volleyball has been played at Wrigley Field. Both outdoor matches will be broadcast live on Fox.

“Bringing the SEC and Big Ten together for a championship-caliber volleyball showcase, culminating at an iconic venue like Wrigley Field, reflects the extraordinary momentum of the sport,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “This initiative not only elevates volleyball on a national stage but also underscores a continued growth and investment in women’s athletics.”

Penn State has won eight national championships, most recently in 2024. Nebraska has won five titles, with the most recent in 2017. Kentucky won the 2020 championship and was runner-up to Texas A&M last season.

Nebraska hosted a women’s volleyball doubleheader at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln on Aug. 30, 2023, and attendance of 92,003 was the largest ever documented for a women’s sporting event in the world.

Sun will move to Houston

The Connecticut Sun say they will move to Houston in 2027 after reaching an agreement to sell the team to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in a deal worth a record $300 million, according to a person familiar with the sale.

The WNBA Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the sale. The team will play in Connecticut for the upcoming season before moving to Houston and becoming the Comets again.

The Connecticut Sun say they will move to Houston in 2027 after reaching an agreement to sell the team to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta in a deal worth a record $300 million, according to a person familiar with the sale.

The WNBA Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and the move.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the sale.

The team will play in Connecticut for the upcoming season before moving to Houston and becoming the Comets again.

“I would have loved to remain in the region for our fan base and for the fact that I think this region deserves a women’s basketball team,” Connecticut Sun president Jen Rizzotti told the AP. “At the same time, it wasn’t my decision and I’m at a point now where my focus turns to making this the best season we can have and a memorable one for our fans. It’s an opportunity to say thank you to them.”

This will end a 23-year run by the team in New England after the team moved to Connecticut from Orlando in 2003.

Houston was one of the groups that expressed interest in buying the team last year, eventually raising its bid to $250 million — the amount Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia paid for expansion fees. Now with the $300 million sale price, that’s the highest for which a team has been sold in WNBA history.

The Sun had an offer for $325 million from a group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca that would have moved the franchise to Boston. The WNBA basically blocked that deal from happening by saying that “relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams.”

The league also went on to say that other teams had gone through the expansion process and had priority over Boston.

Connecticut lawmakers were unhappy to be losing the team, let alone for $25 million less than other offers.

“I am aware of concerning reports regarding a sale that would move the Sun out of Connecticut at a price far less than what was on the table to keep them here at home,” Connecticut attorney general William Tong said in a statement. “The Office of the Attorney General previously requested relevant documents and we have reviewed portions of certain documents requested of the WNBA. We are consulting with our partners in state government and local leaders regarding this disappointing news.”

The Sun will play two games in Hartford, Connecticut, and one in Boston this upcoming season.

“This decision has always sat at the ownership level and we worked hard as a front office to make us New England’s WNBA team,” Rizzotti said. “Playing and selling out two games in Boston shows this is a market that can support a team at a significant level.”

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during a news conference to announce the three new expansion teams that Houston was up next.

Since Mark Davis bought the Las Vegas Aces in 2021, the league has added new owners that have some sort of NBA tie. Golden State, which came into the league last season, is owned by the Warriors. Portland and Toronto are coming into the WNBA this season and the ownership groups are connected to NBA teams.

The next three expansion teams — Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia — are all owned by NBA groups in those cities.

The WNBA just agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement last week where teams need to have top-notch facilities similar to those of NBA franchises.

Announcing the deal now allows the franchise to have clarity for potential free agents who could sign with the Sun next month.

“Morgan (Tuck) started last off season with the rebuild after our old roster turned over,” Rizzotti said of the Sun general manager. “She will now have clarity and strategic decisions regardless where it is if we remained in Connecticut or moving. With this new CBA in place, she can really evaluate the salary cap situation and build around the young core we established.”

The Houston Comets were one of the original franchises in the league that won the first four WNBA championships from 1997-2000. The franchise disbanded after the 2008 season.

“My family and I are thrilled for the opportunity to bring the Houston Comets back to this incredible city,” Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta said. “Houston has a proud championship history in the WNBA, with banners from the Comets’ four historic championship seasons still hanging in the rafters of Toyota Center. We believe the time is right to begin the next great era of Comets basketball, and we look forward to working with the WNBA as we move through this process.”

The previous WNBA team to move cities was the Las Vegas Aces, who relocated from San Antonio in 2017.

“What I don’t want people to forget is the Mohegan Tribe stepped up when nobody wanted a WNBA team and there were NBA owners folding franchises left and right,” Rizzotti said. “I hope that regardless of people’s feelings around this, they’ll remember that we had a really supportive ownership group that poured into the franchise for over two decades.

“The decision they made now doesn’t erase the fact they were there for the WNBA in a time of need and kept them going when it wasn’t as popular as it is now to have a franchise.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball