Oct 19, 2023 3 min read

Leyland on Hall committee ballot

Jim Leyland, Lou Piniella, Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson are among eight men on the ballot for the Hall of Fame’s contemporary era committee for managers, executives and umpires that meets on Dec. 3 at the winter meetings in Nashville.

In addition to the four managers, the ballot includes umpires Joe West and Ed Montague, former National League President Bill White and former general manager Hank Peters, the Hall said Thursday.

The identities of the 16 voters will be announced closer to the meeting, and 75% of the vote is needed for election. Anyone chosen will be inducted into the Hall next July 21 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on Jan. 23.

Leyland, 78, won 1,769 games over 22 seasons with Pittsburgh, Florida, Colorado and Detroit, leading the Marlins to the 1997 World Series title. He was voted Manager of the Year in 1990, 1992 and 2006, and he managed the U.S. to the 2017 World Baseball Classic championship.

Piniella, 80, won 1,835 games with the New York Yankees, Cincinnati, Seattle, Tampa Bay and the Chicago Cubs.

In the NFL

Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will not play Sunday because of a back injury when Las Vegas visits the Chicago Bears.

Either 15-year veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell will start for Las Vegas. Hoyer played the second half of Sunday’s 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots when Garoppolo was injured.

• Deshaun Watson was limited in practice Thursday. In this case, that was a positive development for the Cleveland Browns.

Watson tested his injured right shoulder by throwing passes in his first practice in nearly three weeks, moving him closer to possibly starting this week against Indianapolis after missing two games.

In college football

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh denied any knowledge or involvement in plotting to steal opponents’ play-calling signals by sending representatives to their games and said he would fully cooperate with an NCAA investigation into the allegations against his program.

The NCAA does not have rules specifically against stealing signs, but it does prohibit in-person advanced scouting of opponents and using electronic equipment to record an opponents’ signals. There are also bylaws prohibiting unsportsmanlike or unethical activities.

In golf

Collin Morikawa’s last PGA Tour victory was the British Open in 2021, but his 6-under 64 Thursday to lead the Zozo Championship after the first round suggests the end of the American’s mini slump might be in sight.

Japanese player Mikumu Horikawa and Americans Robby Shelton and Eric Cole were among five players just a shot back at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo, the only PGA Tour event in Japan.

In baseball

Baseball’s League Championship Series are producing solid ratings after seeing declines during the first two rounds.

According to Nielsen, the LCS English and Spanish broadcasts for the first two games are averaging 5.2 million, which is even with last year.

The LCS ratings are holding steady despite not having a team from New York, Chicago or Los Angeles in the round for the first time since 2014. The teams with the five best regular-season records are also watching from home.