TUESDAY SPORTS: $UPER BOWL

NFL

Tickets on at least one secondary-market site are the most expensive in Super Bowl history. The prices underscore the anticipation of the game’s Las Vegas debut on February 11th between the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the most popular team in the West, the San Francisco 49ers. The average purchase price on TickPick was almost 10-thousand-dollars-US on Monday morning.

NHL

Claude Giroux’s goal at 3:36 of overtime lifted the Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 come-from-behind NHL victory over the visiting Nashville Predators on Monday. Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk also scored for the Senators, who trailed 3-0 after the first period. Michael McCarron, Philip Tomasino and Yakov Trenin scored for the Predators.

MLB

Toronto star Vladimir Guerrero Junior headlines 18 players scheduled for salary arbitration hearings that start tomorrow in Scottsdale, Arizona. Guerrero has asked for 19.9 (m) million dollars (US), nearly two million more than what the Jays have offered. If the case doesn’t settle, it would be the highest salary awarded in arbitration.

Meanwhile former Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams, who won 910 games over a dozen seasons with Toronto, Boston and Houston, has died. He was 80.

Williams joined the Blue Jays in 1980 as third-base coach and was promoted to manager in 1986 to replace Bobby Cox, who left to join the Atlanta Braves. Williams had a 281-241 record over 522 games as Toronto skipper.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams,” the Blue Jays said Monday on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. “His impact on our organization will forever be remembered.

“Our hearts go out to Jimy’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

CFL

Dave Dickenson will have two newcomers to his Calgary Stampeders coaching staff this season.

Dickenson, Calgary’s head coach and general manager, unveiled his 2024 staff Monday and it includes Andre Bolduc (running backs) an Ryan Williams (quarterbacks).

Bolduc, of Alma, Que., has previous coaching experience with the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders and also played six CFL seasons as a receiver with Ottawa, Edmonton and Montreal.

Williams spent the previous six years at the University of Georgia (NCAA champions in 2021 and ’22). He played quarterback at Memphis and Miami before signing with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

Nik Lewis, Juwan Simpson and Des Catellier all return for their second seasons as receivers coach, defensive line coach and offensive/special-teams assistant, respectively.

Mark Kilam, Calgary’s special-teams co-ordinator and assistant head coach, returns for a 20th season in Calgary. Defensive co-ordinator Brent Monson and Pat DelMonaco — the Stampeders offensive co-ordinator and offensive-line coach — are back for their 15th and 11th seasons, respectively.

Dwayne Cameron will enter his fifth season as the squad’s defensive backs coach and draft co-ordinator while linebackers coach Bob Slowick returns for a fourth campaign.

Anthony Lanier II will be returning for a fourth season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Meanwhile according to a league source, the six-foot-six, 285-pound defensive lineman signed a one-year contract extension with the CFL club Monday. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity as the Riders haven’t announced the move.

But Saskatchewan did announce Monday that Canadian defensive back Nelson Lokombo, the second player taken in the 2021 CFL draft, had signed a one-year extension with the club.

Both Lanier and Lokombo were slated to become CFL free agents next month.

CURLING

After securing a provincial title with a three-man lineup, the members of Team Glenn Howard will be Regina-bound in about a month to play in the Montana’s Brier.

What remains uncertain is whether the short-handed crew will add a player — and if so, who — for the Canadian men’s curling championship.

Howard’s status remains uncertain due to lingering pain in his surgically repaired left knee. Son Scott Howard skipped the team to victory at last week’s Ontario playdowns and will likely throw last stone again at the March 1-10 nationals at Brandt Centre.

“Over the next little while — probably a week or so — we’re going to start batting out some names and see who (might) fit that mould for our team to give us the best chance to hopefully win this thing,” Scott said.

The elder Howard served as a coach last week in the London, Ont., suburb of Dorchester. He hasn’t played a competitive game in almost two months and remains out indefinitely.

Scott ran the table in his place and made a draw to the button for an 8-7 extra-end win over Jayden King in the final.

(Canadian Press)