Morning sports update: Kyrie Irving dreams of ‘having No. 11 in the rafters hopefully one day’
Also: The Red Sox clinch a team record 106th win, a Team USA captain retires, and a Mookie Monster mash.
The Red Sox downed the Orioles on Monday night, 6-2. It’s Boston’s 106th win of 2018, the most in team history.
Here’s a look at a few other stories.
Kyrie Irving shared some of his thoughts on his future: At Celtics media day, Kyrie Irving was asked about the not-so-distant possibility of becoming a free agent. The 26-year-old can opt out of his current deal after the upcoming season, yet he offered several quotes envisioning a future as a Celtic great.
“There are times when I think about having No. 11 in the rafters hopefully one day,” said Irving.
And addressing the free agent speculation specifically, Irving had this response, according to NBC Sports Boston:
“It’s like, man, if you only knew how special this organization was, and how special these guys are in this locker room… even if I had the inclination to test free agency, Boston’s gonna be like, ‘No, you’re coming back’. And I’m fine with that.”
The latest from Boston.com:
- Patriots are a dysfunctional mess that won’t be easy to rectify this time
- Evan Turner was the first to report some Boston sports media news
- The Patriots’ dismal performance drew big ratings
- What Kawhi Leonard had to say about joining the Toronto Raptors
- 49ers lose Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending knee injury
Red Sox should ‘enjoy this one’
: Having clinched the franchise record for wins in a single season, Alex Cora had a message for his team.
“We should call time out and enjoy this one,” said Cora. “We know what we have to do in October, but to do this at this level, in this division. The Yankees are pretty good. Tampa is probably going to win 90 games. So for us to do it is amazing.” [Boston Globe]
Brian Gionta retires from hockey after 16 seasons: After 1,026 career games and 595 points in an accomplished NHL career, Brian Gionta is calling time. The former Boston College star also captained Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics. [Boston Globe]
‘I need to get better,’ says McDaniels: In the wake of the Patriots’ loss to the Lions, it was clear to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels that he needs to step it up.
“I haven’t done a good enough job the last two weeks of putting us in the right positions to be successful,” said McDaniels, “and I need to get better at that.” [NBC Sports Boston]
An update for Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game:
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Rich Gannon (analysis) and Steve Tasker (sideline) are on the CBS call for Sunday’s Dolphins-at-Patriots game (1 p.m. ET).
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 25, 2018
Daily highlight: Mookie Betts launched a picturesque home run into the Green Monster seats during the bottom of the second inning on Monday night. It was Betts’s 32nd home run of the season.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1044376702627930112
