Press Box: NHL players union takes first step toward decertification
The NHL Players Association took the first step toward dissolving the union when the executive board of the NHLPA voted on Thursday to let members vote on whether to give the board authorization to file a disclaimer of interest, TSN.ca reported.
This initial move may or may not lead to the decertification of the players union, but if the union is dissolved, it probably means there will be no games played this season.
The NBA players union filed a disclaimer of interest in November 2011, and less than two weeks later, the two sides reached a tentative agreement to end the basketball lockout.
Whether this move by the NHL players union will have a similar effect remains to be seen.
In response to the union's action, the NHL filed a class action suit to confirm the legality of the lockout and filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board..
TENNIS
--The U.S. Open will push the women's final to Sunday afternoon and the men's championship match to Monday in 2013.The USTA announced schedule changes Friday that include moving the women's semifinals to Friday afternoon and keeping the men's semis on Saturday. The 2013 finals will be played Sept. 7 and 9.
No Saturday night matches will be played during the second week of the tournament.
The switch comes in part as a response to player complaints of having semifinals and finals on consecutive days. The U.S. Open was the only Grand Slam event to follow that format.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
--Mississippi State forward Wendell Lewis suffered a fractured right kneecap during practice on Wednesday and will have surgery that will sideline him about eight weeks.
Lewis is a starter averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.
--Miami redshirt freshman guard Bishop Daniels will be leaving the team, the school announced.
Daniels played in three games for Miami this season, but had been on a "leave of absence" to focus on academics since Nov. 28. He had been averaging five points, one rebound, and one assist per game.
