Nov 1, 2021 3 min read

Padres give Melvin 3-year contract

The San Diego Padres announced the hiring of Bob Melvin as manager on Monday, bringing a veteran presence to an exciting team that imploded down the stretch.

Melvin takes his 18 years of big league managerial experience to a team where his two predecessors had no experience as a major league skipper before they were hired. Melvin, 60, signed a three-year contract.

He inherits a team that had five All-Stars – including Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth – but underperformed after the trade deadline and finished with a losing record for the 10th time in 11 seasons.

Melvin replaces Jayce Tingler, who was fired after the worst collapse in team history dropped the Padres from a one-game lead for the NL’s second wild-card spot on Sept. 9 to elimination with more than a week left in the season.

Melvin was hired away from the Oakland Athletics, where he was 853-764 in 11 seasons. He also managed the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks and is 1,346-1,272 overall.

He won the AL Manager of the Year twice with the A’s and once with the Diamondbacks.

Melvin has led his teams to seven postseason appearances and four division titles. By comparison, the Padres have been to the postseason only six times since their inaugural season of 1969.

In the NHL

Commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday defended the NHL’s decisions and discipline meted out following an investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks’ handling of sexual assault allegations in 2010.

Bettman called the organization’s $2 million fine significant and stood by decisions to let Joel Quenneville coach one more game and not discipline Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff based on his limited role in Chicago’s front office at the time. Quenneville resigned as Florida Panthers coach after meeting with Bettman last week.

In his first public comments since the report detailing the Blackhawks investigation was released, Bettman said he did not want anyone to think he was prejudging Quenneville, who was Chicago’s coach when allegations surfaced that video coach Brad Aldrich sexually assaulted prospect Kyle Beach 11 years ago.

In the NBA

Domantas Sabonis had 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Myles Turner added 19 points to lead the Indiana Pacers past struggling San Antonio 131-118 Monday night.

It was a welcome change for the Pacers, who snapped a four-game losing streak and won for just the second time in eight games under new coach Rick Carlisle.

• Seth Curry stepped up in Joel Embiid’s absence, scoring 23 points – including several key buckets late – to lead the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers to a 113-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Embiid, the team’s leading scorer and four-time All-Star, was out due to rest – his first missed game of the season. The 76ers also were without Tobias Harris (health and safety protocols), who was a late scratch, and lost starter Danny Green in the third quarter due to hamstring tightness but not before he scored 11 points.

It was the first of three games in four nights for Philadelphia, which has won three straight. Georges Niang added 21 points for the 76ers.