By JOSH HELLER
Staff Writer
1. Former NFLer McKnight Killed in Louisiana
Last weekend, sad news came out of Terrytown, Louisiana, as former USC Trojan and New York Jet Joe McKnight was shot and killed.
The tragedy stemmed from a road rage incident that McKnight was involved in; the assailant shot his weapon from his vehicle.
The assailant, Ronald Gasser, stayed on scene and turned his gun over to the police.
The police took Gasser into custody, but later released him with no files charged. Police also say McKnight did not have a weapon in his vehicle.
From 2007 to 2009 at USC, McKnight rushed for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns, and was an electric running back for the Trojans.
A fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft, McKnight ended up with the Jets, where he was mainly a change-of-pace running back, but an impactful kick returner, as he returned two kicks for touchdowns in his 39 games as a Jet, and finished 1est amongst qualified kick returners in yards-per-return in 2011.
McKnight has been out of the league since 2014, and saw some action in the Canadian Football League after that, but according to a statement by his stepfather, McKnight was trying to work his way back to the NFL. McKnight was just 28 years old.
2. Gronkowski Placed on Season-Ending IR
With just four weeks left in the regular season, the Patriots have lost arguably their best weapon, as tight end Rob Gronkowski was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Gronkowski, 27, first injured his back in the Patriots’ Week 10 matchup against the Jets, but he re-injured his back in Week 12 against the Seahawks.
This past offseason, the Patriots signed Martellus Bennett, and Bennett now will get a chance to show he is more than just a complementary tight end in these final four games and the playoffs.
In his eight games this season, Gronkowski caught 25 passes for 540 yards and three touchdowns, with his best week coming in Week 6 against the Bengals, where he posted seven catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Since 2011, Gronkowski’s biggest problem has been his health, as he has not played in a full season since. When he is on the field, however, Gronkowski’s value is limitless, and the Patriots and Tom Brady will now look to Bennett, Julian Edelman, and newly-healthy Dion Lewis to replace the hole left by Gronkowski.
3. Hot Stove Heats Up as MLB Winter Meetings Commence
As the Winter Meetings kicked off Sunday in Maryland, moves have begun to flow in, and some involve huge names.
Andrew McCutchen, face of the Pirates’ franchise for the past several years, is reportedly being shopped by the club. McCutchen, 30, has two years remaining on his contract, and then he would hit free agency.
McCutchen is the perfect example of the big-name superstar in the small-town market who put the team in division-title-conversation.
Last season, McCutchen posted the lowest batting average (.256), on-base percentage (.336), and slugging percentage (.430) of his career, but still has plenty of trade value, which could be why Pittsburgh is looking to deal him.
After spending last season with the Yankees and Rangers, Carlos Beltran has returned to Houston, signing a one-year, $16 million deal with the Astros. Beltran, 40, hit for a .295 average last year, as well as 29 homers.
Beltran played 90 games with the Astros in 2004 after being traded there from Kansas City.
The Astros and Yankees were considered the frontrunners for Beltran, and the Yankees reportedly may now push stronger for a designated hitter like Edwin Encarnacion or Mike Napoli.
Last Friday was the non-tender deadline in the MLB, and the Padres announced that they non-tendered pitcher Tyson Ross, making him a free agent.
Ross, 29, was the subject of many trade rumors last offseason, but San Diego held on to him. Now, any team has a chance at snagging him.
Ross played in just one game last season, as he injured his shoulder after one start, and missed the rest of the season. In 2015, Ross went 10-12 with a 3.26 ERA, and Ross could be one of the top free agent pitchers, as this offseason’s pitching market is quite barren.
4. NHL, NHLPA Can’t Come to Olympic Compromise
The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association continue to play hardball, as a compromise could not be met, and their stalemate continues.
The NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement may expire in September of 2019, due to an opt-out clause, and the signs are pointing toward yet another lockout.
The NHL has looked for ways to extend their current CBA, and their most recent tactic was extending a compromise to the NHLPA.
The NHL has stood firm on the Olympics, stating that they do not want their players participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The NHL extended a compromise to the NHLPA, saying they would allow the players to play in those Olympics, if the NHLPA agreed to extend the current CBA.
With both sides not budging much, a lockout seems all but inevitable at this point, which is not a good thing for the league.
It wasn’t long ago that the NHL lost half its season to a lockout (2012), and a whole season did not occur in 2004-05 due to a labor strike.
NHLers missing out on the Olympics would be a really bad thing for Olympic hockey, and could lead to plenty of headaches for the next several years.
5. Next NBA Season to Start Earlier
The NBA is looking to alleviate scheduling headaches, and are trying to start the NBA 2017-18 season earlier than usual.
When it comes to the NBA (and NHL, for that matter) and an 82-game season, it is hard to avoid scheduling back-to-back games, or four games in five nights in order to end the regular season in April, and declare a champion in June.
This stems from the league’s new CBA, which provides language to schedule NBA opening games more than a week earlier than this season.
The NBA already has primary competition with the NFL, as well as smaller competition from the NHL.
Starting earlier could put a brighter spotlight on the league early on, as well as give the players more rest.
NBA teams are (on average) scheduled to play about 16 back-to-backs this season, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein.
This much more rest could mean more entertaining games, instead of teams being blown out on the second half of a back-to-back.
The NBA has been very progressive under new commissioner Adam Silver, and this scheduling mission is another example of the great work he has helped contribute to the NBA.
