Sep 25, 2020 5 min read

Frontier League adds Ottawa as member

The Frontier League, which includes the Washington Wild Things as a member, announced Friday that it has granted an expansion franchise to Ottawa, Ontario, to begin play in the 2021 season. Ottawa becomes the 15th Frontier League team and the third in Canada, joining the Quebec Capitales and Trois-Rivieres Aigles.

The new Ottawa team is operated by Sam Katz and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). Katz has a long tenure in baseball, serving as President & CEO of the American Association’s Winnipeg Goldeyes since their inception in 1994.

“Our ownership team is thrilled to be joining the Frontier League,” said Sam Katz. “For nearly 30 years, the Frontier League has helped set the bar for independent baseball, and we are proud to become a part of its rich history. We very much look forward to serving the City of Ottawa, and providing our fans affordable, family-friendly entertainment for years to come.”

The Ottawa team will play at 10,332-seat Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Park. Located in the heart of Ottawa, RCGT Park opened for the 1993 season and served as the home of the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx from 1993-2007.

In golf

Rachel Rohanna of Waynesburg was tied for 31st place Friday after the first round of the Symetra Tour’s IOA Classic at Alaqua Country Club in Longwood, Fla.

Rohanna shot a 1-under-par 70 and trails leader Samantha Wagner by six strokes. Rohanna’s round included four birdies and three bogeys. She had three birdies during a five-hole stretch on the back 9.

Neighbor calls 911 when fans yell ‘shoot!’A neighbor called sheriff’s deputies on some rabid Tampa Bay Lightning fans who were screaming “shoot! shoot!” as they watched Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final on television Wednesday night.

The call prompted several Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies to show up at Devon Garnett’s apartment door. He and two friends had gathered to watch the game at Garnett’s Radius Palms apartment.

In the first period, the trio began screaming for a goal, prompting the 911 call.

The caller told dispatchers someone was yelling loudly in the apartment above just before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s spokesperson Natalia Verdina.

“So they came to the door and thought there were guns in the house,” Garnett, 26, told the Tampa Bay Times. “We’re like, ‘Nope, we’re just screaming for Steven Stamkos.'”

According to a sheriff’s office dispatch report released Thursday, the complainant told police he heard a couple screaming at each other, with one yelling, “I dare you to shoot!”

Deputies went on their way after talking to everyone involved.

“(The police) completely understood and just laughed it off,” Garnett said. “But they thought it was serious because I was screaming ‘Shoot!’ as in ‘Shoot the puck.'”

Hinchcliffe to run 3 races for Andretti

James Hinchcliffe will return to Andretti Autosport for the final three races of the season to fill the seat left vacant this week by Zach Veach.

Andretti Autosport on Friday said Hinchcliffe will drive the No. 26 at next week’s doubleheader at Indianapolis and the October season finale at St. Petersburg. Hinchcliffe ran three races earlier this year for Andretti, where he drove three seasons from 2012 through 2014.

“It’s always unfortunate to have to change drivers this far into a season, but we have to look at finishing the year the best we can for the 26 team and start evaluating and looking at options for 2021,” said team owner Michael Andretti. “James has an existing relationship with our team that we’d love to build on and it makes the most sense for him to step in for these last three races.”

Veach gave up his seat when Andretti told him he was not being renewed for next season. He agreed to step out of the car to give the organization the chance to prepare for 2021. Veach has spent three seasons with Andretti.

Reds broadcaster resigns

The Cincinnati Reds say team broadcaster Thom Brennaman has resigned following his use of an anti-gay slur on air last month.

Brennaman used the slur moments after the feed from the Fox Sports Ohio telecast returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Kansas City on Aug. 19.

Brennaman did not seem to realize he was already on air. He later apologized.

The 57-year-old was taken off the air before the fifth inning of the second game.

“The Reds respect Thom Brennaman’s decision to step away from the broadcast booth and applaud his heartfelt efforts of reconciliation with the LGBTQ+ community,” Reds CEO Bob Castellini said in a statement. “The Brennaman family has been an intrinsic part of the Reds history for nearly fifty years. We sincerely thank Thom for bringing the excitement of Reds baseball to millions of fans during his years in the booth.”

The son of Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Thom has called major league games for 33 years and has been with Fox Sports for the past 27, covering primarily baseball and football.

Fox Sports had already said that Brennaman wouldn’t call NFL games because of the slur.