Swap shop for No. 81 open soon
Shortly after parting ways with tight end Aaron Hernandez on Wednesday, the New England Patriots stopped offering his No. 81 jersey for sale on their website as well as their team store at Gillette Stadium.
On Friday, the Patriots announced that fans who have purchased a No. 81 jersey - from either Reebok or Nike - from the team’s store or through the team’s website will have a two-day window to exchange the jersey for a new, in-stock Patriots jersey of comparable value.
“We know that children love wearing their Patriots jerseys, but may not understand why parents don’t want them wearing their Hernandez jerseys anymore,” Patriots spokesman Stacey James said. “We hope this opportunity to exchange those jerseys at the Patriots ProShop for another player’s jersey will be well received by parents.”
The free jersey exchange will be available exclusively at the Patriots ProShop from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 6 and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 7.
Lost and found
Of all the places one could possibly misplace a Super Bowl ring, “airport bathroom” has to be among the worst. And yet that’s exactly what happened to John Macaulay, a center for the 1984 San Francisco 49ers.
Macaulay apparently left his Super Bowl XIX ring in a restroom at the San Jose Airport, but thanks to the kindness of an airport worker, he got it back shortly thereafter. Per the San Jose Mercury News, Arra Daquina, a maintenance worker at the airport, came across the ring while cleaning. “I didn’t know what it was,” she said, “but it was big and heavy.”
Daquina turned over the ring to her supervisors, and soon afterward, Macaulay came looking for it.
Macaulay has a knack for this kind of luck. His career with the 49ers and in the NFL lasted exactly three games, but they came during a championship season.
Bang-up job
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas was arrested in Los Angeles for carrying a truckload of illegal fireworks.
“Well,” wrote Scott Hanson of The Seattle Times, “he always was an explosive player.”Bang-up job II
Friday was Fireworks Night at Dodger Stadium and the Philadelphia Phillies provided all the firepower.
The Phillies won 16-1. The 15-run losing margin was the largest for the Dodgers since they moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season.
“They’re no fun to be a part of,” Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said. “You feel bad for the guys coming out of the bullpen. You kind of sacrifice guys. At the end of the day it ends up being a loss.
Losing a game in the ninth hurts a lot more than this. The close ones that you think you should have won, those have a tendency to linger. Games like this, you take a beating and then you get ready to play tomorrow.”
Quote of the day
“I told them I was trying to keep this weight off of me, but I knew as soon as they brought the food down here I wasn’t going to be able to resist it.” El Dorado defensive tackle Bijhon Jackson on his grandmothers’ cooking hampering his diet plans
Sports, Pages 22 on 06/30/2013