The Boston Globe - 07.09.2019

Sports

THE BOSTON GLOBE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

Tennis

US Open,

4 p.m., ESPN

Baseball

Red Sox-Yankees,

4:05 p.m., NESN, FS

College football

LSU-Texas,

7:30 p.m., ABC

Highlights

Hey, did you hear about the Steelers this
training camp?
No? That’s exactly how they wanted it.
“I like the way we’re flying under the ra-
dar,” guard Ramon Foster said this week, via
the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Things have
just rolled. This is how it’s supposed to oper-
ate.”
The Steelers dominated NFL headlines the
last two seasons, for all the wrong reasons:
Le’Veon Bell’s season-long holdout, Antonio
Brown’s me-first antics, and missing the play-
offs last year.
But the distractions are finally gone. Bell
left in free agency for the Jets, and Brown was
traded to Oakland, even though the Steelers
had to take a $21.12 million dead salary cap
hit to make it happen (and given the events of
the last week, it seems like a smart move).
Suddenly, the Steelers are an afterthought.
The Browns are the sexy pick in the AFC
North. There were no big headlines to come
out of Steelers camp. Just typical football stuff

• who is going to step up at receiver, who is
  going to be the right tackle, and so on.
  “We don’t have to worry about guys hold-
  ing out this year,” defensive lineman Cameron
  Heyward said. “Our main focus is having all
  53 players available, going up there with 46
  ready to kick some tail.”
  Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tried to act as
  though he hasn’t noticed the lack of drama
  surrounding his team this year.
  “We don’t pay attention to the story lines,”
  he said. “That’s stuff that’s fed from the exteri-
  or. It was a good camp, but shoot, it was a
  good camp a year ago. But really you measure
  camps by how you perform over the course of
  the season, and from that standpoint, stay
  tuned.”
  But having a drama-free offseason has
  been refreshing for some of the veterans.
  ON FOOTBALL, Page 2

Sevenup

The attempt at venom

erupted in the ninth in-

ning, a “Yankees suck”

chant that might have fit

the moment — the Red Sox

were two outs away from

an easy 6-1 win — but

couldn’t pack a real punch

given the 15½-game lead

the Yankees still hold over the Red Sox.

Not to blame the fans for trying. The calendar

tells us it’s September and history tells us this is

a series of enmity, one that is supposed to get

even meaner when the season is in its final

throes. But the reality of where these teams are

took the bite out of the series long ago.

No, this surely wasn’t what the schedule-

makers had in mind when they penciled this one

in, probably the easiest decision they made in

SULLIVAN, Page C

By Julian McWilliams

GLOBE STAFF

RedSox

Yankees 1

The Red Sox had done it before,

but never against the New York

Yankees.

In the absence of David Price, Alex Cora

made the decision to go with a bullpen day Fri-

day evening. They had the arms to do it, said Co-

ra in his pregame presser. The Sox sent out sev-

en pitchers from the bullpen, and beat the Yan-

kees convincingly, 6-1, in the first of a four-game

set.

Boston (76-65) has largely been reduced to

spoiler, its win reducing its wild-card deficit to

6½ games behind Oakland with 21 to play,

pending the A’s late-night result. Houston,

meanwhile, pulled even with the Yankees (92-

50) for top spot in the American League by beat-

ing Seattle.

The Red Sox started Jhoulys Chacin, Milwau-

RED SOX, Page 6

By Kevin Paul Dupont
GLOBE STAFF
BUFFALO — There was no press release
issued here at Bruins headquarters at the
edge of Lake Erie.
Back in Boston, where his Bruins are get-
ting ready to enter the 2019-20 NHL season,
Jeremy Jacobs is still considered by fans and
players to be the guy who owns the entire
Black and Gold — kit, caboodle, and cash
register.
Nope. Not anymore.
The billionaire Delaware North conces-
sion czar, who will turn 80 in January, re-
vealed to the Globe that he has signed over
his Original Six franchise to his three sons
(Jerry Jr., Lou, and Charlie) and three daugh-
ters (Lisann, Lynn, and Katie).
The consortium of Jacobs progeny, includ-
ing Boston-area residents Charlie and Lynn,
JACOBS, Page 2

SPRINGFIELD — This un-

derstated class didn’t disap-

point. There are Naismith Hall

of Fame classes that are consid-

ered star studded, others where

the inductees are finally getting

their just respect.

This 2019 class was the lat-

ter. It may have lacked the big-

name recognition of those past

classes, but the night at Sym-

phony Hall was indeed special.

Former WNBA star Teresa

Weatherspoon offered an emo-

tional and moving speech. Paul

Westphal revealed that he

wished he would have thanked

the late John Havlicek, who

passed away earlier this year,

for being a great Celtics rookie

mentor 40-plus years ago.

Bill Fitch, in a recorded vid-

eo, thanked Larry Bird and

then told stories about his NBA

life. Jack Sikma, with a large

contingent from Seattle present

in support, lobbied for the re-

turn of the NBA to the Emerald

City.

Sidney Moncrief jokingly

asked former Lakers executive

and Hall of Famer Jerry West

why he drafted Magic Johnson

No. 1 overall over him 40 years

ago.

It was a touching night in

Springfield, where the youngest

inductee was 51-year-old Vlade

Divac. It was not a night for the

youngsters, as there were no re-

cently retired players in this

class.

Next year likely will feature

Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett,

and Tim Duncan. Springfield

will be magnetic, littered with

young fans, current players and

40-something former ones.

But this was a night for

those who spent their career

and basketball lives underap-

preciated. Sikma’s fadeaway

jumper from behind his mop-

ON BASKETBALL, Page 6

Chara to miss opener?
Bruins captain, still recovering from offsea-
son surgeries, may need time to heal.Page 2

Serving notice
Nadal (above) pulls aways in semis, to face
Medvedev in US Open final Sunday.Page 7

INSIDE

STEELERS

AT PATRIOTS

Sunday,8:20p.m.,NBC

Silence

is golden

for Steelers

Ben Volin

ON FOOTBALL

Jacobs turns

Bruins over to

his children

Moving moments

for Hall inductees

ADAM HUNGER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Red Sox bullpen

silences Yankees

BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF

J.D. Martinez (left) congratulates Rafael Devers and Mookie Betts after they scored on Xander Bogaerts’s double in the fifth inning.

BOXERS DELIVER PUNCH

JOHN WILCOX FOR THE GLOBE

Ahmik Watterson ran for 136 yards and three touchdowns in

Brockton’s 27-14 season-opening win over Duxbury.Schools, Page 8

Moments to savor

for Sox have been

precious and few

Tara Sullivan

W L Pct. GB

Tampa Bay 84 59 .587 —

*Oakland 82 58 .586 —

*Cleveland 81 60 .574 1½

Boston 76 65 .539 6½

* — Not including late game

ALwild-cardrace

BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF

Mitch Moreland watches his first home run

since Aug. 9 in the fourth inning Friday.

Gary Washburn

ON BASKETBALL

º Chacin delivered a striking performance in

his Red Sox debut. On baseball, Page 5

RELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws