The Packers for office wants to get Jordan Love's contract extension worked out
before training camp starts July 22nd.
General manager Brian Gundekoon says negotiations are being held right now.
Love has one year remaining on his current contract, but reaching an agreement
would eliminate a big distraction during a season the team feels it has a chance to make it to
the Super Bowl. The price point went up a few million when Lions quarterback Jared Goff
signed a contract paying him an average of $53 million a year.
Pulver native Joe Pavelski has officially retired, but the veteran with the Dallas
Stars of the National Hockey League seems to be leaning that way. Pavelski was part of Wisconsin's
NCAA national championship team in 2006. He has appeared in 1,332 professional hockey games
during his 18-year career. He reached the Stanley Cup finals with the San Jose Sharks in 2016
and the Dallas Stars in 2020. He told reporters the plan is not to play next year.
For Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer will have to make his way without his wingman as he tries to
revive the Phoenix Suns. Reports indicate Darwin Ham was offered an assistant coaching position
and turned it down. Ham was fired by the Los Angeles Lakers. He may be holding out for another
head coaching position. Ham and coach Bud worked together for five seasons in Atlanta and between
2018 and 2022 in Milwaukee. In national news Luca Datsich didn't stay up all night to watch NBA
finals games as a kid. They usually started at something like 3am in his native Slovenia. He had
school to get a few hours later. He'd wake up and find out who won. Make no mistake though.
Datsich was paying attention. The 25-year-old makes his NBA finals debut for the Dallas Mavericks
when they take on the Boston Celtics and game one of this year's title series on Thursday night.
He could become the first player to win a scoring title and the championship in the same season
since Shaquille O'Neill in 2000. Sports and gambling are once again in the spotlight following
lifetime bands handed to San Diego Padres infielder Toccupita Marcano and Toronto Raptors Ford
John Tayaporter. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000
with a legal sports book. The 24-year-old Venezuelan with a 149 games of major league experience
became the first active player in a century band for life because of gambling. His band
game nearly two months after an NBA pro found Porter disclosed confidential information to sports
bettors and wagered on games even betting on the Raptors to lose. Those are far from the only
betting scandals involving professional sports. Top Kansas legislators have intensified efforts to
woo the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs by offering to let the professional football franchise
shape a plan for using state bonds to finance a new stadium in Kansas. State House Speaker Dan Hawkins
and Senate President Ty Masterson said Tuesday that the legislature would consider the proposal
during a special session set to convene June 18th. The two leaders invited the Chiefs to weigh in
on the plan in a May 23rd letter to the team's chairman and CEO. Meanwhile, a new non-profit group
called Scoop and Score has launched a campaign for the proposal and registered 20 lobbyists.
For WRCO Sports, I'm Michael Herding.