Vaccaro to speak at Curbstone Coaches

Sonny Vaccaro, a famous sports marketing executive and American sports businessman, will be the guest speaker at Monday’s luncheon meeting of The Curbstone Coaches at the Avion Banquet Center on Western Reserve Road in Beaver Township.

The event begins at noon and the public is welcome to attend.

For those arriving early the buffet lines will open at 11:45 a.m. For this speaker, the doors will open 11:15 a.m.

Vaccaro previously worked at Nike, Adidas and Reebok. He was one of the men responsible for signing Michael Jordon to Nike and Kobe Bryant to Adidas.

The story of his blockbuster Jordon deal is told in the 2023 movie “Air,’ which stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Viola Davis.

He attended Youngstown State University to play football, but an injury ended his career. It was during his time at YSU that Vaccaro first became involved with legendary YSU basketball coach Dom Rosselli.

Vaccaro ran the Dapper Dan Round Ball Classic from 1965-2007. During that the time, several future NBA legends would play in the game, including NBA Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, Moses Malone, Alonzo Mourning, Calvin Murphy, Adrian Dantley and Dominique Wilkins.

Primanti Bros. to open early for Browns

YOUNGSTOWN — Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar will open select restaurants at 9 a.m. on Sunday to give fans an opportunity to gather for the Browns’ game taking place in London.

Locations opening early in the area are Boardman and Niles.

“This is a really cool moment for Browns fans – and we wanted to make sure that they had a place to gather, eat, drink and cheer on the team – even with the early kickoff,” said Jim Prezioso, director of beverage at Primanti Bros, in a press release. “If you aren’t able to get to London for the game – there’s no better place to be.”

In addition to just opening early, Primanti Bros. will be featuring its Almost Famous Happy Hours – beginning at 9 a.m. – with nearly all drinks behind the bar being served for half-price.

“Listen, we might’ve been born in Pittsburgh – but we’re proud to operate in Browns territory,” Prezioso said. “And if we can all get together at 9 a.m. and crack a beer – we’re in.”

Former Raven Arthur Jones, 39, dies

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Arthur Jones, a defensive lineman who spent his first four NFL seasons in Baltimore and won a Super Bowl with the Ravens, has died. He was 39.

Syracuse, Jones’ alma mater, said he died Friday morning. The school and the Ravens didn’t give a cause of death in their announcements.

“Arthur’s presence was a gift to everyone he encountered,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “His big, bright smile, infectious energy and eternal positivity created a presence that continuously uplifted others.”

Jones was a fifth-round draft pick in 2010 and had 8 1/2 of his 10 career sacks in a two-season stretch in 2012-13. The Ravens beat San Francisco in the Super Bowl to cap the 2012 season.

Jones sacked 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick just before a power outage at the Superdome in New Orleans. He also had a fumble recovery in that Super Bowl.

Jones spent two years with Indianapolis and a final season in Washington in 2017.

Jones played for Syracuse and was the older brother of former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former Syracuse and NFL defensive end Chandler Jones, a four-time Pro Bowler who won a Super Bowl in New England.

Jones had 38 1/2 tackles for loss at Syracuse, a school record for an interior defensive lineman. He was a first-team All-Big East selection each of his final two seasons.

“Arthur Jones was a tremendous player and even better person,” Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said. “We were fortunate that Arthur continued to support our football program after his playing career. He impacted many of our student-athletes, always with a smile and uplifting message.”

Rangers named Schumaker manager

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers hired Skip Schumaker as their manager, agreeing Friday night on a four-year contract with the former NL Manager of the Year.

Schumaker’s deal was announced after Chris Young, the president of baseball operations, acknowledged earlier in the day that the Rangers were focused on an internal candidate in their search to replace Bruce Bochy. Schumaker had been in a senior advisory role with the team since last November.

The 45-year-old Schumaker was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year when Miami went 84-78 and made the fourth postseason appearance in club history. That was the same year Texas, with Bochy in his debut there, won its only World Series championship.

The Rangers and the 70-year-old Bochy, a four-time World Series champion who was baseball’s winningest active manager, agreed Monday to end his managerial stint. That was the day after Texas finished 81-81 for its second non-winning record since its championship. Bochy was at the end of his three-year contract.

The Marlins slipped to 62-100 in 2024 after changes in the front office and with a roster decimated by trades and injuries. Schumaker and the team agreed that he wouldn’t return for this season.

Texas then hired Schumaker in the advisory role last November, a move viewed by many as making him the heir apparent to Bochy.

The Rangers became the first of eight major league teams to fill a managerial vacancy. Young wouldn’t say earlier in the day if any other teams had requested permission to speak with Shumaker.

Before going to Miami, Schumaker was a bench coach for St. Louis, where he played for the Cardinals during their 2011 World Series win over Texas. He played 11 big league seasons with St. Louis (2005-12), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013) and Cincinnati (2014-15).

Fenstermaker said while Schumaker lives on the West Coast, he had been very involved with the team in his advisory role.

Bochy has been offered an advisory role in the Rangers front office. He also could be in line for such a position with the San Francisco Giants, though he isn’t a candidate for the managerial opening of the team he led to World Series titles in 2010, ’12 and ’14.

With 2,252 wins, Bochy is sixth among major league managers, with the five ahead of him all in the Baseball Hall of Fame.