Deion calls late start times ‘stupidest thing ever’
BOULDER, Colo. — Deion Sanders doesn’t want anyone sleeping on what’s happening with his reconstructed Colorado Buffaloes.
It’s just sometimes hard to stay awake until the end. A few late-night kickoffs have the Buffaloes chasing wins when many around the nation are catching z’s.
Coach Prime isn’t the biggest fan of those late prime-time kickoffs, either. The Buffaloes will play well into the night once again Friday when they host Stanford at sold-out Folsom Field. The game won’t start until at least 8 p.m. MT and doesn’t figure to finish until after 11:30 p.m., maybe even carrying into early Saturday.
“Who makes these 8 o’clock games? Dumbest thing ever. Stupidest thing ever invented in life. Who wants to stay up until 8 o’clock for a darn game?” Sanders said Wednesday on “Buffs PrimeTime.” “What about the East Coast — do they even care about ratings? Is anyone watching it? What are we supposed to do with the kids all day until 8 o’clock? What are we supposed to do in the hotel?”
Asked by the host of his show, Mark Johnson, about maybe watching some football in the downtime, Sanders quipped: “Who’s playing on Friday?”
It will be just the second time the Buffaloes play on a Friday the 13th. The only other occasion was November 2015, when they lost 27-24 to Southern California.
Sanders wishes these late-night games were as rare.
When the Buffaloes (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) played Colorado State on Sept. 16 — kickoff was at 8:21 p.m. Mountain — the game didn’t finish until 12:25 a.m. It did go two overtimes, though, and lasted a little over four hours as the Buffaloes rallied for a 43-35 win. It was the longest game in Buffaloes history, the school reported.
Up ahead is another late one for Colorado on Nov. 17 at Washington State, which is set for an 8:30 p.m. MT kickoff. It’s a far cry from the early part of the season, which saw three kickoffs at 10 a.m. MT (the Buffs won the first two).
Sanders has already had enough with games carrying into the wee hours of the evening. It’s not uncommon in the Pac-12, where conference teams have a history of playing long after dark.
“Thank God we’re not going to be in this conference,” Sanders said on his radio show as the school prepares to move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 next season.
One thing Sanders is a fan of: Stanford (1-4, 0-3) and first-year Cardinal coach Troy Taylor. Both coaches were tasked with turning around programs.
“They have fight in them. They won’t give up,” Sanders said. “I love what they’re putting on the field.”
Sanders has made the Buffaloes the talk of college football and their sideline at Folsom Field the place to be. Their field is almost like the most popular nightclub in town, with entertainers (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Lil Wayne, DaBaby) and famous athletes (Terrell Owens, Kevin Garnett) making appearances.
Given the red-carpet vibe, maybe it’s only fitting for a late start Friday as Colorado creeps closer to bowl eligibility a season after going 1-11.
Even with an after-hours finish, the Buffaloes are sure to get more than their fair share of viewers. The prime-time game against the Rams on ESPN was one of the most-watched in team history. Colorado boasts five of the eight top-watched college football games this season in terms of viewership, according to research provided from the school.
“It’s pretty clear,” Taylor said of the Buffs, “that they’re a better team than they’ve been in the past. I think they’ll continue to get better.”
WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola‘s first start after returning from the injured list didn’t last long.
The right-hander allowed six runs in 2⅓ innings Sunday against the Washington Nationals, a start that ended when seven consecutive batters reached safely.
Nola struck out four in his first major league outing since May 14.
The former All-Star was one of the majors’ most durable pitchers entering the season, making at least 32 starts and throwing at least 180⅔ innings in each of the last six full seasons. But a sprained right ankle and fractured rib cost him three months this season.
His return became even more significant Saturday when Philadelphia placed ace Zack Wheeler on the injured list with a blood clot in his right arm. Nola already was scheduled to start after making three minor league rehabilitation appearances, though the Phillies scrapped their plans to use a six-man rotation.
Nola gave up Luis Garcia Jr.’s leadoff single in the first inning, then appeared to settle in. He retired the next seven batters as Philadelphia built a 6-0 lead.
The Nationals stitched together three consecutive singles in the third, the last by CJ Abrams to score a run. That led to a mound visit from pitching coach Caleb Cotham, but Nola then walked Paul DeJong before giving up Daylen Lile‘s two-run single and Dylan Crews‘ two-run double. Jose Tena followed with a tying double to end Nola’s day.
Nola allowed seven hits while throwing 53 pitches. His ERA rose to 6.92.
In addition to Nola taking Wheeler’s roster spot, the Phillies activated third baseman Alec Bohm from the injured list and optioned infielder Otto Kemp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room on the 40-man roster for Nola, Philadelphia released outfielder Cal Stevenson.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was designated for assignment on Sunday, with catcher Tyler Stephenson‘s thumb injury and a short bench contributing to the decision.
The Reds also recalled right-hander Connor Phillips and outfielder Will Benson from Triple-A Louisville and optioned left-hander Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A.
“We came to the idea of kind of giving Jake a chance to play where maybe he thinks he deserves to play, which I understand, is maybe better than him sitting the bench here,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “Stephenson is banged up. We were a little concerned about playing short, maybe a two-man bench.”
Fraley, 30, is in his fifth major-league season, his fourth with Cincinnati. He is batting .232 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 67 games.
He hyperextended his knee after making an error in left field to allow a run to score in the 10th inning of a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the first-place Brewers on Saturday. Francona said neither the miscue nor the injury factored into the DFA move.
Stephenson reaggravated an injury to his left thumb during the Pittsburgh series and is day to day. Jose Trevino, who was behind the plate Saturday night, got the start for Sunday’s day game.
Francona said the decision on Fraley, a popular player among fans and in the clubhouse, wasn’t easy.
“Not that I needed an excuse to lose sleep last night, but you do, because you’re thinking about it,” Francona said. “You’re making decisions that alter their life. The day when I stop thinking about it, I will re-retire.”
Cincinnati, the only team this season that hasn’t been swept in a series, has dropped the first two games of the three-game set against the Brewers, who have won 14 straight games.
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