Hot Button: Fitzgerald has 'no urge to play' ... Giannis buys stake in Brewers

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Hot Button is a 'round-the-clock feature that covers anything across the scope of sports. We're here to bring you everything hot: News items, highlights, takes — everything but hot meals — whether local, national or international. Better yet, it’s interactive. Share your thoughts in comments, and even post your own links to interesting, safe-for-work sports stories.

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SALE HAS 'MINI ME'
IN LITTLE LEAGUE

Saturday, August 21: Leave it to "Pitching Ninja" Rob Friedman to spot a pro player in a Little League pitcher, but we're all better for him having found the near identical comparison between South Dakota's Gavin Weir and Red Sox starter Chris Sale.

My take: That's wild. But if you're a lefty, there are few better to model yourself after than Sale. Best fo luck to the kid in the LLWS. — Bob

FITZGERALD HAS NO DESIRE
TO PLAY RIGHT NOW

Friday, August 20: Wide receiver and former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald told Jim Grey that he has "... no urge to play right now. I don't know how I'll feel in September, October, November moving forward, but I just, today, I just don't have the urge," leaving open the possibility of a potential return. He has not formally retired from the National Football League.

Fitzgerald, 37, is an unresticted free agent, having played out a one-year deal last season with the Cardinals. He is scheduled to be an analyst on Cardinals radio broadcasts this season.

My take: He's going to get the itch if the Cardinals do well. I can also see him latching on with a contender late in the season as he chases his first Super Bowl title, having lost to the Steelers in his only appearance  in Super Bowl XLIII. See Larry Fitz chasing a ring, or do you think he's done? — Bob

BUCKS STAR BUYS INTO
BREWERS FRANCHISE

Friday, August 20: Two-time National Basketball Association MVP Giannis Antetokounmbo of the reigning world champion Bucks has decided to invest some of his new five-year, $228 million contract locally, buying a minority ownership stake in Milawukee's other major sports franchise, the Brewers.

Giannis, who was MVP of the playoffs in 2021, is the Brewers' first new investor since 2005. At the press conference to announce the deal, Giannis said, "Milwaukee made me who I am today. It made me a better person. This is basically my home. ... I know Milwaukee invested a lot in me, and I want to invest a lot of me back into the city of Milwaukee.''

The amount of his investment and percentage of ownership were not disclosed. — Bob

My take: Nice to see a superstar invest in his pro city, particularly one as small as Milwaukee. Maybe TJ Watt will someday buy the Pirates. — Bob

LUNDQVIST RETIRES DUE
TO HEART HEALTH 

Friday, August 20: Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. He posted a tweet thanking many people for his 30-year hockey journey:

Lundqvist, 39, also announced that he needs another heart procedure after undergoing aortic valve replacement and repair in 2020. He had hoped to return this season, but the medical setback influenced his decision leave the game. 

The Swedish netminder signed with the Capitals as a free agent in 2020, but never played for them, diagnosed with is heart condition before training camp. He played his entire NHL career with the Rangers, posting a career 459-310-96 record, a 2.43 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 887 games.

My take: Such a shame that he wasn't able to finish on his own terms, but happy he can get the necessary medical care he needs to live a full, happy life. All the best to him. We'll see him again at his Hall of Fame induction in five years. — Bob

JUDGE DENIES RESTRAINING 
ORDER AGAINST BAUER

Friday, August 20: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Diana Gould-Saltman denied a request for a five-year order of protection against Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, brought by a San Diego woman who claims Bauer sexually assaulted her during two incidences this year which began with consensual rough sex. During four days of testimony, the woman claimed Bauer sexually assaulted her after he punched her and strangled her unconscious. Bauer invoked his fifth-amendment privilege on the stand. However, Gould-Saltman determined that the woman had attempted to deceive the court with her complaint, leaving out crucial texts that seemingly contradicted her alleged feelings she formally documented to the court following her encounters with Bauer, texts that were revealed on cross examination. Gould-Saltman also determined no evidence was presented that Bauer had exhibited any threatening behavior and that Bauer had observed and respected all the conditions of a temporary restraining order issued on June 4, when the criminal complaint was filed. The temporary order is now vacated.

Bauer is still under criminal investigation and continues to be on administrative leave by Major League Baseball through at least August 27, while it conducts its own investigation into the accusations. 

My take: I followed the news reports on these hearings and it looked bad for Bauer after two days of his accuser's testimony, which was very descriptive — Bauer is undoubtedly a sexual sadist. However, the cross examination revealed the texts which were contrary to the accuser's claims and cast doubt on her veracity, and the judge agreed. How this impacts the ongoing criminal investigation will be interesting. — Bob

GLENDALE CANCELING STADIUM
LEASE WITH COYOTES

Thursday, August 19: The City of Glendale announced Thursday they are terminating their Gila River Arena lease agreement with the Coyotes following the upcoming season. The Coyotes have been a tenant since the arena opened in 2003. A year-by-year agreement has been in place for several years, with each party having the ability to cancel with notice by December 31 each year. A representative for the city stated the Coyotes owe the City of Glendale over $1.7 million and that the two sides could not come to an agreement on an extended lease that included arena improvements.

Coyotes president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said the team is committed to staying in Arizona and hopes to reopen negotiations with the city. There is no plan for a new arena in the area and there is no NHL-level facility in the state which could house the team. Sportsnet in Canada is reporting that Quebec City is an option if relocation is a requirement. The city has the Videotron Centre, built as part of the provincial capital's NHL expansion bid in 2015. The city has not hosted an NHL team since the Nordiques left for Colorado following the 1994-95 season.

My take: Maybe a blessing in disguise? Selling pro hockey in the desert has always been a challenge and with no place to play and mounting debt, the team is ripe for relocation. Can't think of a better place than Quebec City, but anywhere would be an improvement over Glendale. — Bob

AB PUNCHES TITANS CORNER
IN JOINT PRACTICE

Thursday, August 19: Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown was briefly kicked out of practice after ripping the helmet off of Titans cornerback Chris Jackson and punching him in the face. Brown was upset at Jackson and yelled at him for holding on a completion attempt in the end zone. Jackson yelled back at Brown to stop using hands to the facemask, according to The Tennesseean newspaper.

Brown was ordered off the field and the teams took a scheduled break soon after. Brown eventually rejoined practice to participate in 7-on-7 drills. No mention was made of supplemental team discipline and the National Football League has yet to comment on the incident.

My take: There's a certain moving truck driver who knows just how Jackson feels. AB's gonna AB. Expect a fine and no more. — Bob

MLB, UNION GIVE PLAYING
CARD RIGHTS TO FANATICS

Thursday, August 19: Major League baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have given Fanatics exclusive license to MLB trading cards, ending 75 years with Topps when the new deal begins in 2026, and jeopardizing Topps' very existence.

Topps began printing baseball trading cards in 1951 and has every year since. They also at times have printed cards for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and various entertainment enterprises, like "Star Wars." However, Topps' current trading card portfolio is limited to MLB and international soccer.

My take: Seemed inevitable, but a sad day for anyone who ever collected baseball cards as a kid. Fanatics has all the licensing for everything else MLB, and this is a joint venture where MLB will part-own the new trading card business. Fanatics is also capitalized to produce NFTs with card sets, making for more exclusive offerings. 

WASHINGTON PARES POTENTIAL 
NICKNAMES DOWN TO THREE

Thursday, August 19: Washington released a list of eight potential nicknames for their football team Wednesday night, from which three are finalists (finalists not identified). The team is expected to announce the new nickname in 2022. The final eight, trimmed from an original 30 are: Armada; Brigade; Commanders; Defenders; Football Team; Presidents; Redhogs; Redwolves.

My take: Ugh. I don't really care for any of them. It's sad when "Football Team" is in my top 3 of this group. Which do you think are the three best and which would you pick from this list as the new nickname? — Bob

DODGERS AIM AT HISPANIC HERITAGE
WITH 'CITY CONNECT' UNIS

Thursday, August 19: The Dodgers unveiled their Nike "City Connect" uniforms which they will wear for select games the rest of the season, beginning tomorrow. Six other teams participated in 2021 — White Sox, Red Sox, Giants, Marlins, Diamondbacks, Cubs — but the Dodgers may have taken the safest route of them all, understandable for a team that's never even had a third uniform, going with Dodger blue shirts and pants with with red uniform numbers and "Los Dodgers" in script across the chest, an homage to the area's hispanic heritage:

My take: The hat is ugly, but an otherwise harmless departure from their traditional uni. The Dodgers claim to be honoring Hispanic heritage, but there's a bit murkier history than that portrays. I can't recommend the book "Stealing Home" by Eric Nusbaum highly enough—a detailed account of how three Mexican-American communities were permanently displaced in the building of Dodgers Stadium. — Bob

In other uniform news, the Packers released a "50's Classic" uniform Thursday, which will be worn in Week 7. Fans are comparing it to an Oregon Ducks uni, but you can decide for yourself here. — Bob

MLB OFFERS SALARY FLOOR,
AMENDED LUXURY TAX FOR CBA

Thursday, August 19: Major League Baseball presented to the players' union a salary floor of $100 million and lowered the threshold for luxury tax to $180 million as part of its first proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement, with the current one set to expire on December 1. The players' proposal offered earlier this summer was the exact opposite, calling for reduced years of control and an elimination or higher threshold for the luxury tax.

MLB also decided to add an additional tier to the current luxury tax thresholds and increase the penalty. the current low threshold is $210 million with a 20% tax. The new proposal would have a 25% tax at $180 million. Currently, the Dodgers are the only team luxury tax limit in 2021, while seven teams, including the Pirates, began the season under $100 million in payroll. The current in-season number is 12 teams.

My take: Rob Manfred is a moron. Floor equals cap. Period. Any "floor" without a cap is irrelevant, particularly with that large of a gap between it and the tax threshold. The NFL, I believe, is at roughly 90 percent of the cap for a floor, averaged over four years. The NHL is something like 75 percent. 55 percent does not make for anything approximating a competitive environment. Just do it already. propose a salary cap, lock the players out and they'll eventually acquiesce. — Bob

LYNN TOSSED DURING
SUBSTANCE-CHECK SPAT

Wednesday, August 18: White Sox ace Lance Lynn was ejected after the fourth inning against the Athletics Wednesday, when he tossed his belt near third base umpire Nic Lentz while Lentz was conducting a routine inspection for sticky substances. Lynn bypassed Lentz on the field and went directly to the dugout after the bottom of the inning, leaving his hat and glove on the railing for inspection. Words were exchanged and Lynn's belt then is seen tossed from the dugout onto the field. Lentz ejectd him immediately:

My take: Lynn was at odds with the home plate ump in this game over balls and strikes, but there was no need for that immature behavior. He needs to be inspected on the field like everyone else, regardless of how dumb the rule is. His mates had his back, though, winning 3-2. — Bob

COHEN UNHAPPY WITH
METS PLATE PRODUCTION

Wednesday, August 18: Mets owner Steven Cohen took to social media Wednesday to express displeasure in his team's offensive production:

Cohen is clearly calling out hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum, who was hired on May 6 to replace the hitting coach tandem of Chili Davis and Tom Slater, and perhaps is sending a message to manager Luis Rojas and general manager Zack Scott.

The Mets led the National League East for a good portion of the season but have lost five in a row to drop under .500 (59-60) and are now 4.5 games behind the Braves for first place and 2.0 games behind the Phillies for second. They are 6.5 games back of the second Wild Card position, so they likely have to win the NL East to advance to the playoffs.

My take: When the owner utters "approach," look out. However, if he was so worried about plate discipline, it's strange he greenlit a trade for Javy Baez. Still, the lineup is underproducing with the likes of Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil well below career OPS averages. If Cohen's patient, Rick Eckstein should be available in about six weeks or so.— Bob 

NHL APPROVES JERSEY
ADS BEGINNING IN 2022

Tuesday, August 17: The National Hockey League's Board of Governors unanimously approved Tuesday a measure allowing teams to place ads on their jerseys, beginning in the 2022-23 season. A susequent memo released to all teams gave permission to immediately begin negotiations with potential advertisers. The ad uniform patch is limited in size to 3 x 3.5 inches. Though not reported, it is believed each team is limited to one jersey ad.

My take: This was inevitable. Teams need revenue coming out of the pandemic and this is the easiest way. At least, at present, they won't look like NASCAR, like many of their European league counterparts, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more patches added in the future. It's coming, so what ad would you want to see on a Penguins or other favorite team's jersey? — Bob

A'S PITCHER TAKEN TO 
HOSPITAL WITH HEAD INJURY

Tuesday, August 17: Athletics pitcher Chris Bassitt was taken to a Chicago-area hospital after he was hit in the side of the head with a line drive off the bat of White Sox center fielder Brian Goodwin in the second inning of Tuesday night's game. WARNING: Video is distrubing.

Bassitt collapsed immediately and remained prone on the field for several minutes, bleeding, until he was helped into a golf cart and taken off the field to a waiting ambulance. Bassitt is under observation and is "conscious and aware," according to an A's team tweet.

Entering Tuesday, Bassitt was having another standout season for the A's, who currently hold the top Wild Card spot in the American League and are just 2.5 games behind the AL West-leading Astros. The 2021 All-Star is 12-3 this season with a 3.06 earned-run average (3.36 FIP) with 153 strikeouts and just 35 walks in 150 innings pitched.

My take: There's few things in sports scarier to see than the line drive to the head. All the best to him on a quick recovery. — Bob

TEBOW AMONG FIRST
WAVE OF JAGUARS CUTS

Tuesday, August 17: The Tim Tebow experiment is over in Jacksonville. The Jaguars cut the former first-round quarterback Tuesday as he tried to return to the National Football League as a tight end after a failed attempt at a professional baseball career. Tebow last appeared in the NFL in 2012. He was one of five players cut by Jacksonville, as all NFL teams today have to be at the roster limit of 85, down from 90.

The Jaguars signed Tebow in the offseason, supported by head coach Urban Meyer, who coached Tebow when they won two national championships together at the University of Florida in 2006 and 2008.

The signing was roundly mocked by experts and fans alike — some calling it a marketing gimmick — citing Tebow's age (34) and length of time away from the game, combined with having to learn a new skill position — one he never played before.

Tebow struggled in his first preseason game Saturday against the Browns, receiving only one target, which went incomplete, and getting mocked on social media for missed blocks, like this one (Tebow is No. 85 on the right of the screen):

Asked how he felt about being released, Tebow said, "I'm thankful for the opportunity."

My take: Solid human, bad pro football player, bad pro baseball player. The Steelers will forever have lost a playoff game to that guy. Most embarrassing moment in team history? Maybe, considering the talent on that Steelers team. — Bob

Other Cuts of Local Note: Former Steelers offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins was cut by the Patriots and former Pitt receiver Jester Weah was released by the Bears. — Bob

RANGERS PODCASTER BUYS
BILLBOARD IN BUFFALO

Monday, August 16: Ryan Mead, host of the Rangers podcast "Blueshirt Breakaway" announced on Twitter Monday that the podcast had purchased a billboard on Interstate 190, in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., promoting a trade of disgruntled Sabres forward Jack Eichel. Eichel has long been atop the trade rumor mill, and the Rangers are one of the primary targets of a trade.

The billboard reads in all caps, "Aren't trade requests a pain in neck?", followed underneath with #FreeJack, all next to an image of a buffalo with a tuft of curly blond hair to mimic an Eichel haircut. Mead said he got the billboard to be as close as possible to Key Bank Center, the Sabres' Arena, and was purchased for two weeks, leading into the podcast's 300th episode.

My take: Hilarious. A waste of money, but hilarious. Then again, when it comes to the Pegula's disastrous ownership of the Sabres, it just might work. Your turn: You get one Pittsburgh sports-related billboard. Wher do you put it and what does it say? (In Jacksonville, a jaguar in a Schobert Steelers jersey next to an all-caps "Suckers!" is taken) — Bob

WAGNER CARD ONCE
AGAIN MOST VALUABLE

Monday, August 16: A Honus Wagner T-206 baseball card is once again the most valuable among card collectors, selling at auction Monday morning fro $6.606 million, eclipsing the record set in January for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which went for  $5.2 million. 

The Wagner card, of which only 60 are believed to remain in existence, was originally issued in 1909 in packs of Sweet Caporal cigarettes, manufactured by the American Tobacco Co. The T-206 card series included several other players of the era, but the Pirates shortstop pulled his likeness over an unknown disagreement, so fewer of his card were ever produced. The one sold at auction Monday is the highest quality of Wagner's card ever up for sale, explaining its increased value over others previously holding the record for most expensive. 

My take: Smoking Sweet Caporals could have a had an actual benefit in 1909, before trading cards were a thing. Wonder how many of these old cards were just chucked because the purchaser had no interest in baseball or were just tossed aside because they didn't like or know of Wagner. — Bob

JOSEPH'S FULL 
CUP O' POUTINE

Monday, August 16: Lightning forward Mathieu Joseph, brother of penguins defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, had his day with the Stanley Cup Sunday and did the most Canadian thing one can do with it: He filled it with poutine.

The top bowl was filled with the national delicacy of french fries, cheese curds and gravy, and Joseph straddled the Cup with a fork and started eating:

Joseph is a true connoisseur. Did you see how he waved off the gravy at just the right time?

My take: It's always fun seeing the stories players create with their Cup day, but I have to admit, I'm really sorry I wasn't there to share this one in person. Can never have enough poutine ... which is good because it's so healthy. — Bob