WILD AS CAN BE: Three ejections? A clutch hit from a star? A come-from-behind win? A battle between two former Hokies? The first professional pitching victory for a guy drafted three years ago?

Saturday’s game will go in the books as a 3-2 victory for Salem over Frederick, but this one had subplots galore.

TURNING POINT: The drama climaxed in the eighth, with the Sox trailing 2-1. With one out and runners on second and third, Sean Coyle hit a fly ball to shallow center.

Frederick centerfielder Steve Bumbry – well known for his strong arm during his Tech days – uncorked a one-hop throw to the plate. Henry Ramos crossed the dish without a slide, and the ball got away from catcher Zane Chavez.

Ramos insists that he touched the plate the first time, but he didn’t see a signal from home plate umpire Brian Miller. So he returned to retag, but the throw beat him there.

Miller gave the safe sign. Tie game.

FIREWORKS: Frederick manager Ryan Minor – a 6-foot-8 ex-basketball and baseball star at Oklahoma – came out and got in Miller’s face.

“He was just complaining how the umpire didn’t call it right away,” said Sox shortstop Deven Marrero, who got a bird’s-eye view of the argument from the on-deck circle. “He wanted to make sure that he called it right away so everybody would know and they wouldn’t have to throw the ball around. He had a good argument. It was kind of funny to watch.”

Minor was tossed. In the ninth, Keys third baseman Jason Espisito and hitting coach Torre Tyson were ejected, too.

FOR THE WIN: Marrero, who recently returned from a three-week stint on the DL, followed the sac fly by lining a 2-0 pitch into the right field corner to drive home the go-ahead run.

HOKIE MILESTONE: Ex-Tech ace Matt Price, a 2010 draftee, earned his first pro victory with three shutout innings of relief. He struck out five hitters, including Bumbry – his teammate during Tech’s 2009 NCAA tournament season.

“Actually, that was kind of cool,” Price said. “I didn’t know he was on the team and then I heard ‘Steve Bumbry’ and I look up and it’s like, ‘Oh, this guy.’ It was really cool, you know? I remember a few of his tendencies as a hitter, so that was kind of nice.”

ON DECK: Salem RHP Mike Augliera (4-0, 3.12) takes the mound against Frederick LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2, 3.35). – Aaron McFarling

—-
QUOTES FROM THE CLUBHOUSE
MATT PRICE, RHP
On getting his first win as a pro:
“I didn’t even know I got the win until two seconds ago. It’s pretty cool. I just go out there and pitch, try to do what I can to help the team out. It feels good.”

On fanning former Virginia Tech teammate Steve Bumbry:
“Actually, that was kind of cool. I didn’t know he was on the team and then I heard ‘Steve Bumbry’ and I look up and it’s like, ‘Oh, this guy.’ It was really cool, you know? I remember a few of his tendencies as a hitter, so that was kind of nice.”

Not close with him?
“No, we were good friends. But, you know, pitchers hang out with pitchers, position players with position players. It was that kind of thing, but we were definitely good friends.”

On giving him the heater on 1-2 for the K:
“Yeah. I know he likes to chase the fastball. I still remember some of my outings in the spring, so I threw that change-up in there to see if he was still a heavy chaser on the change-up, but he laid off, so I went back to the original plan of attack.”

On how he’s been pitching much better lately:
“I was talking to my coach, and something really clicked when we were at Myrtle Beach. It’s tough for me being a competitor, I want to go out there and get everything right away, and it was just like, wow, you really haven’t pitched in two years. Those things are going to slowly come back to you. It was just a small little thing that kind of clicked in my mind and it’s helped me and my mentality going in. It’s been great.”

Command issues before or something else?
“In my head it was like…lightbulb. It was like, ‘I’m going to make you beat ME. I’m not going to give you any freebies and I’m not going to give you any good stuff. It’s going to be my best stuff and see if you can beat me.”

On the ejections:
“I swear, I heard there were two ejections!”

Three, actually:
“Three? Aww, man, and I missed that? I was like, ‘Really? I missed everything.’ I was in here icing and I really wanted to go out, and they have that rule that when you’re icing you can’t go out on the field. So I missed us scoring runs and I missed three ejections. I’m kinda curious to get the story as to what happened.”

DEVEN MARRERO, SHORTSTOP
On how he’s felt since returning from DL (hamstring):
“I feel good. Just my timing’s off a little bit. Just taking it pitch by pitch and working on just trying to get my timing back, trying to see the ball and let the ball travel a little bit.”

On how he spent his time during three weeks on DL:
“I spent my days just getting after it, man. Just doing my treatments and trusting my trainers and letting them decide what I should do for that day and stuff like that because they know what they’re doing and I just wanted to get back healthy 100 percent when I came back. I feel good now, and it’s thanks to them.”

On whether he thought about having opportunities like tonight again:
“Absolutely. Every day I sat out I’d go coach first base and just take mental at-bats and just wish I was out there playing these guys. They’re out there playing every day and playing the game they love, and this is the game I love. I don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines. I love to play and I hate sitting out, but injuries happen in baseball. You’ve just got to take your time and get ready so they don’t come up again.”

On the play at the plate with Ramos:
“He touched the plate. I think he definitely did.”

On if he heard Minor say anything funny during the screaming match with ump:
“He was just complaining how the umpire didn’t call it right away. He wanted to make sure that he called it right away so everybody would know and they wouldn’t have to throw the ball around. He had a good argument. It was kind of funny to watch.”

On getting a win on such a wild night:
“Oh, it’s awesome. We’ve been grinding it. We’ve been playing good lately and these games are the ones where you’ve got to step it up a little bit. You can’t be mad or frustrated or consumed with the rain or anything like that. You’ve just got to go out there and play it out.”

On his pivotal at-bat:
“I was trying to be aggressive. I know they’re going to come after me and not after the guy behind me [Garin Cecchini]. He’s probably one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen. They were going to come after me and I was looking for a pitch that I could drive. He left the pitch up and I let the ball travel a little bit and hit it where it was pitched.” [2-0 fastball]

HENRY RAMOS, CENTERFIELDER (Thanks to pitcher William Cuevas for some help with translation):

On if he touched the plate the first time:
“I touched home plate.”

On why he went back if he’d already touched it:
“I went back because I never saw the umpire call out or safe.” Just being extra careful.

On his homer in the fourth inning:
“I was looking for the change-up from the beginning of the game, and I found it on that turn.”

HELLO, OFFENSE: Salem unloaded season highs in runs, hits and extra-base hits and got strong work from three pitchers to defeat Frederick 10-2 on Friday in front of 3,774 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

WHERE’S THAT BEEN? The Red Sox recorded just 14 hits combined in their most recent homestand against Carolina. They returned home from a 2-4 road trip and took control with seven runs in the first three innings.

CARSON CONNECTS: Reserve catcher Carson Blair, playing for the first time in five days, went 2 for 3 with three runs scored. In the seventh inning, he wailed on a first-pitch fastball from Tommy Winegardner and launched a three-run homer deep into the trees beyond the wall in left.

“You don’t feel a thing,” Blair said. “Once you hit it, you hear it, and you know you got it. You just smile after that.”

Well, he did feel one thing: relief. That was the first homer and initial three RBIs of the season for Blair, who works tirelessly to keep himself sharp between infrequent starts.

“It takes a little tension off,” he said with a smile. “Every day you look up there and see that goose egg up there. Now that that’s all gone, in RBI situations you kind of relax more.”

EXTRA! EXTRA! The Sox broke things open with a five-run third inning that featured half of their eight extra-base hits. Deven Marrero, Garin Cecchini and Henry Ramos doubled and Jose Garcia delivered a two-run triple.

(UN)-BRACE YOURSELF: Kyle Stroup made his first start of the year without a brace protecting his surgically repaired knee. The right-hander went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits to earn his second win.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Stroup said of removing the brace, which restricted his range of motion. “The past few starts I felt like I didn’t really need it, but it’s more precaution. I’m over a year out of surgery. It felt good not having it on tonight.”

Chris Balcom-Miller and Nate Striz combined to work the final 3 2/3 innings, yielding just three hits.

LOOSE ENDS: Cecchini finished 3 for 4 with two RBI to raise his Carolina League-leading average to .378…Sean Coyle had three hits, indicating his recent slump might be ending…The crowd was Salem’s largest since the April 12 home opener.

ON DECK: Salem RHP Mike McCarthy (2-2, 4.73) takes the mound against Frederick RHP Zach Davies (3-2, 4.43) at 6:05 tonight. – Aaron McFarling
—————-
QUOTES FROM THE CLUBHOUSE:

CARSON BLAIR, CATCHER

First-pitch fastball on the homer?
“Yeah. He’ll tell you he missed his spot.”

On getting homer No. 1 and first RBIs of year:
“It feels good. It takes a little tension off. Every day you look up there and see that goose egg up there. Now that that’s all gone, in RBI situations you kind of relax more.”

On last time he’d played:
“Five days ago. It’d been a while. Actually got to hit off of one of our guys (lefty Robby Scott, on DL) before practice today, so I got to see a little bit of live pitching.”

On Stroup’s performance:
“He threw the ball really well. He’s got good stuff. He’s capable of getting out of anything. We got in trouble a couple times and got a big double play. He controlled the game, really.”

On the lineup showing what it can do tonight:
“There’s a lot of talent in this lineup. Tonight was just one of those nights that happens in baseball.”

On the last time he’d hit a ball that far in a game:
“Last season, probably, off Alex Meyer at the end of the year. It’s been a while.”

On what it felt like to connect on such a mammoth blast:
“You don’t feel a thing. Once you hit it, you hear it, and you know you got it. You just smile after that.”

On getting a win after a walk-off loss on Thursday:
“It just gives everybody a lot more energy. Everybody kind of comes in with a positive attitude. It’s easier to come in and get your work done and do extra things you need to to improve when you’re winning. When you’re losing everybody kind of drags a little bit.”

KYLE STROUP, RHP

Get the knee brace off?
“This the first game without a brace. It’s been a long time coming. The past few starts I felt like I didn’t really need it, but it’s more precaution. I’m over a year out of surgery. It felt good not having it on tonight.”

On what it feels like wearing the brace:
“You can notice it. I feel it. It restricts my range of motion a little bit. But it’s a positive thing because it limits me from being able to tear the ACL again. It works out.”

On whether he’s worried at all about re-injuring the knee:
“The thing with the ACL surgery is it’s more mental than physical. They put a new ligament in, so you’re good to go. You have to get over the mental part of thinking about retearing it. I don’t think about it. What I tell myself is if it tears again, it tears again. But the likelihood, the doctors told me if you tear it again it’s a blue moon. It’s not supposed to tear again.”

On his outing:
“Working off the fastball, getting first-pitch strikes, trying to make them chase my offspeed. That’s usually my plan every game. And just getting comfortable, especially with the brace coming off, getting my command down. Once they started scoring some runs, it made me feel more comfortable, just go out there and just throw the ball.”

On the offensive explosion:
“We’ve got some studs on this team. There’s no reason why we can’t win every game. Obviously we’re not going to, but on paper, man, we’re pretty good.”

On Blair getting his first homer of the year:
“Carson was in my draft in 2008, so we have a good relationship. I was actually in here icing when he hit the home run, and I got out there and I saw three runs and I said, ‘How did we get three runs?’ Carson hit a three-run homer. It was nice. Good to see that he’s hitting home runs.”

On the sixth inning:
“I wasn’t tired. I was losing my command a little bit, going too quick, rushing out of the stretch. It happens.”

THE SCOTT ROBERTSON MEMORIAL OPENS TODAY at Roanoke Country Club. Nappy explores whether this is the year a local teen wins one of the older age divisions.

-UVa’s No. 3 tailback, Clifton Richardson, has received his release and is planning to transfer.

-ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla says Erick Green is a sleeper in the NBA draft. “He not only led the country in scoring, but he’s a highly efficient player. He is a kid that makes tough shots. He’s a willing passer, 67% at the rim, 40% from three, nearly 50% from two. And the only major question mark I could see with him is his narrow frame. Defensively he must improve.”

-Here’s more on the apparent suicide of former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle. A Lincoln County dispatcher received a call — believed to have been placed by Trickle — that “there would be a dead body and it would be his,” that county’s sheriff’s office said in a news release. There was no answer when authorities tried to call the number back.

-UVa beats No. 2 North Carolina in baseball, while Virginia Tech knocks off Wake Forest.

-Yu Darvish wins his fifth straight decision while Justin Verlander struggles.

-The Rays place David Price on the DL.

-The Spurs close out Golden State in six, while the Knicks beat the Pacers to stay alive in the East.

-Bruins beat the Rangers in Game 1. Kings take a 2-0 series lead over the Sharks. Game 2 of Ottawa-Pittsburgh tonight at 7:30.

NAME THAT TUNE
If your dream house
Is a double-wide trailer sitting back in the holler
On a country road
Then baby that’s where we’ll go
If you don’t wanna settle down
We can bounce around from town to town
And that’s fine with me
If you wanna just ride the breeze

“ROANOKE DOESN’T NEED AN ART MUSEUM. WHAT ROANOKE NEEDS is a Steak ‘n Shake!” — Randy King, on a road trip several years ago. Well, Nappo, your wish is their command. It opens today.

-Doug checks in with Virginia Tech director of recruiting and high school relations Jim Cavanaugh, who is on the mend after undergoing open-heart surgery last week.

-Great account by Salem Red Sox broadcaster Evan Lepler of his inning spent with Mr. Belding.

NBA
-Half of the final four is set, after the Grizzlies eliminated the Thunder and the Heat finished off the Bulls last night. Indiana and San Antonio can advance with victories tonight.

NHL
-Blackhawks beat the Red Wings 4-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. Rangers-Bruins and Sharks-Kings tonight.

PREAKNESS
-Kentucky Derby winner Orb draws the rail and is the even-money favorite in the nine-horse field. Coverage of the race starts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on WSLS.

BASEBALL
-Zack Greinke wins his first start off the DL for the Dodgers.

NAME THAT TUNE
I like the way you comb your hair (uh!)
I like the stylish clothes you wear (uh!)
It’s just the little things you do (uh!)
That make me wanna get with you…

SO I’VE BEEN WATCHING SOME PROFESSIONAL FRISBEE LATELY. Excuse me, I mean I’ve been watching some professional FLYING DISC. The term “Frisbee” is trademarked by Wham-O, and while I wish they were a bit less touchy about the use of that term, I suppose when you’re named Wham-O you’ve earned the right to throw your weight around.

ANYWAY, I’VE BEEN WATCHING THE FLYING DISC FLY. It started two Saturdays ago, when my son and I were flipping through the channels looking for something to watch. We happened upon the broadcast of a Major League Ultimate game between the Philadelphia Spinners and New York Rumble.

OUR VIEWING, OF COURSE, BEGAN AS A LARK. My son and I made the requisite jokes about the crowd size and the broadcast quality. We mused about what the salaries of these players must be. But after a while, we realized something.

We actually liked this sport.

SO THIS PAST SATURDAY, WHEN THE SPINNERS held their home opener against the D.C. Current, there we were, watching it on TV. Over golf. Over the NBA. Even over baseball.

You laugh, you point, you ridicule. But you have your own guilty sports pleasure. I know it. Let’s hear it.

THE STEGER RETIREMENT
-Tonia Moxley has a nice story here about Charles Steger’s decision to step down as president of Virginia Tech. “I will be 66 years old in June, and I think it’s probably time to pass the baton on to the next generation,” he said. “And to do that while the university is doing well, not when it has problems.”

-Andy reflects on some of the roles Steger played in major sports stories over the years.

NBA
-Pacers take a 3-1 series lead over the Knicks with a 93-82 home win.

-Spurs grab a 3-2 series lead over the Warriors.

-Bulls-Heat and Grizzlies-Thunder tonight.

NHL
-The Penguins and Kings each hold serve in their respective Game 1s against the Senators and Sharks. Red Wings-Blackhawks tonight.

BASEBALL
-Berman has a story on VMI’s Rob Dickinson, who ranks 10th in the nation with a .404 average.

-Jim Johnson’s run of 35 straight saves conversions comes to an end, as the Padres rally with two outs in the ninth to beat the Orioles 3-2.

-How good is Clayton Kershaw? With 8 2/3 shutout innings against the Nats last night, the Dodgers lefty reached the 1,000-inning milestone and now ranks first among starters since 1920 with a career ERA of 2.70.

NAME THAT TUNE
Girl, I, must
(Warrrrrn yoooooooooou)
I sense something strange in my mind
Situation is (seriooooooooous)
Let’s cure it ’cause we’re running out of time
It’s oh, so (beautifuuuuuuuuul)
Relationships they seem from the start
It’s all so (deadllllllllly)
When love is not together from the heart
It’s drivin’ me out of my mind
That’s why it’s HARD for me to find
Can’t get it out of my head
Miss her, kiss her, love her
(Wrong move you’re dead)

FIVE-ZIP. That was the final score of the Rangers’ victory over the Capitals last night, and the game was in D.C. If we put that score in football terms, that’s like a 49-0 blowout. I was really looking forward to that game but found myself watching “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” by the middle of the second period.

OH, WELL. DUDS HAPPEN. They used to happen all the time in the Super Bowl, of course. Orioles fans will recall one of the great duds in Baltimore history — the season finale of the 1982 season. The O’s needed to sweep a four-game series with Milwaukee to win the American League East. They won the first three, and fans brought brooms to Memorial Stadium to watch Jim Palmer complete the historic comeback.

Instead, the Brewers pounded the future Hall of Famer and won it 10-2. Dud.

CURIOUS AS TO WHAT YOUR DUD HALL OF FAME WOULD BE. I’m sure you guys have some stories of high-stakes Tech or UVa games you attended expecting to see a thriller and instead you witnessed a thrashing. Or maybe you were on a team that pulled off a legendary dud performance. Let’s hear ‘em.

NOT TO GO ALL HOCKEY, ALL THE TIME ON YOU, but that Bruins-Leafs tilt from last night deserves a mention. Boston trailed 4-1 midway through the third period before rallying to tie the game with 51 seconds left and win it in overtime. That’s what Game 7s ought to be.

SO LONG, “MR. VMI.” Donny White, who’s been affiliated with the Keydets for 35 years, announces that he will retire from his job as athletic director effective Nov. 15. Nappy has more here.

-The Hokies announce that they’re adding women’s golf as a varsity sport in 2015-16.

BOK! BOK! BOK! Essentially, that’s the message Michigan football coach Brady Hoke sent to Notre Dame, whose series with the Wolverines will end following the 2014 season. “We are fortunate to have unbelievable rivalry games at Michigan,” Hoke said. “The Notre Dame game, that rivalry, which they’re chickening out of. They’re still going to play Michigan State, they’re going to play Purdue, but they don’t want to play Michigan. I don’t know how they made that decision.”

NBA: Oklahoma City is one loss away from elimination after Memphis won Game 4 last night. Miami took a 3-1 series lead by whipping Chicago. Knicks-Pacers and Warriors-Spurs tonight.

NAME THAT TUNE
Hand out the arms and ammo
We’re going to blast our way through here
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right

AND THAT, MY FRIENDS, IS WHY SO MANY OF US who play golf primarily on video-game platforms choose TPC Sawgrass so often. Man, I know those holes better than I know Augusta, and the cool thing is my 7-year-old does, too, despite never having played an actual round of golf anywhere. “Give it enough club,” he said as Tiger prepared to tee off on 17. “Check the wind!”

TIGER AVOIDED THE DREADED NINTENDO 64/PLAYSTATION 2 HOOK and closed out a victory in The Players Championship with a 2-under 70 on Sunday. He outlasted Sergio Garcia, with whom he’d verbally sparred on Saturday. Garcia twice hit it into the water on the island No. 17.

Brother, I’ve been there. Virtually, anyway.

MAYBE IT’S JUST ME, but I wish more courses had a hole like that — something that’s almost mini-golfish in its difficulty. Make these guys hit it into a pipe and endure the ricochets of fate. OK, it’s just me.

GREAT WEEK FOR MATT KENSETH, who not only got his penalties from Kansas reduced but also won at Darlington on Saturday night. Joining Joe Gibbs Racing has worked out well so far. And how about substitute crew chief Wally Brown? Pressed into service after the suspension of Jason Ratcliff, he got it done. Darian Grubb can relate.

ALWAYS COOL TO GET A PLEASANT SURPRISE IN THE MORNING PAPER. I assumed Game 7 of Capitals-Rangers would be Tuesday night, considering Game 6 was last evening. It’s not! It’s tonight. Sweet. Perhaps a return to D.C. will galvanize the Caps, who didn’t get many scoring chances in yesterday’s 1-0 loss in New York. The home team has won every game in this series.

IF YOU MISSED IT OVER THE WEEKEND, former Virginia Tech receiver Marcus Davis was released by the Giants following minicamp.

FLORIDA GULF COAST AIN’T JUST A BASKETBALL SCHOOL. Alumnus Chris Sale tosses a one-hitter against the enigmatic Angels on Sunday Night Baseball. The star-studded Angels fall to 14-23, which is one of the stories of the season so far.

THE OTHER HAS TO BE THE YANKEES, underdogs for the first time since the mid-1990s, who’ve won five straight and are 23-13. A little disappointed that the Mariano Rivera-Joba Chamberlain “Shush Gate” didn’t gain a bit more traction. Chamberlain wisely nipped the controversy in the bud; can’t imagine many people were going to side with him against the future Hall of Fame closer.

NBA: Warriors beat the Spurs in overtime to even that series at two games apiece. Heat-Bulls and Thunder-Grizzlies tonight.

MORE NHL: O.J.’s Red Wings take Game 7 in Anaheim. Toronto beats Boston to force a Game 7 tonight in Beantown.

NAME THAT TUNE
Yeah, that came out a little country
But every word was right on the money
And I got you smilin’ honey right back at me
Now hold on ’cause I ain’t done
There’s more where that came from
Well you know I’m just havin’ fun, but seriously
If you’ll be my Louisiana
I’ll be your Mississippi
You’ll be my Little Loretta
I’ll be your Conway Twitty
You’ll be my sugar, baby
I’ll be your sweet iced tea…

BURGUNDY AND GOLD: Redskins owner Dan Snyder says despite growing pressure to change the name of the team, “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.”

Not sure it’ll be his call to make, with a trademark lawsuit pending. I honestly don’t care all that much about the name — hard for me to tell Native Americans how they ought to feel about it — but Snyder’s defiance is unbecoming. So much for the idea that Washington is sensitive to those who might be offended. Florida State’s warm relationship with the Seminole tribe is a much better example of how to handle matters such as this. Snyder, as usual, just comes off looking like a jerk.

MAIZE AND BLUE: Andy has more on the two-game home-and-home football series announced between Virginia Tech and Michigan in 2020-21.

NBA: A lot of speculation out there that Derrick Rose might try to return for Game 3 of the Bulls-Heat series in Chicago tonight. Either way, must-win for the Bulls, who are 7-point underdogs. Golden State is a 2.5-point home favorite over the Spurs in the late game.

NHL: Two series are in the books, as Chicago finishes off Minnesota in five and Ottawa eliminates Montreal in five. Penguins beat the Islanders to take a 3-2 lead in that series. Looking forward to Game 5 of Rangers-Caps tonight. D.C. should be rocking with the series tied 2-2. Also tonight: Toronto-Boston, Anaheim-Detroit and St. Louis-L.A.

FORE! Randy King explains why The Lower Cascades course at The Homestead has closed in what was supposed to be its 50th anniversary season.

DON’T YA KNOW: Robinson Cano records his 1,500th career hit as the Yankees beat the Rockies 3-1.

NAME THAT TUNE
Well this place is old
It feels just like a beat-up truck
I turn the engine, but the engine doesn’t turn
Well it smells of cheap wine & cigarettes
This place is always such a mess
Sometimes I think I’d like to watch it burn
I’m so alone, and I feel just like somebody else
Man, I ain’t changed, but I know I ain’t the same
But somewhere here in between the city walls of dyin’ dreams
I think her death it must be killin’ me

SO LONG, RONDE:Former Cave Spring and UVa star Ronde Barber announces his retirement after 16 seasons in the NFL. Sounds like his next move will be broadcasting. Three All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl ring — you might say he had a pretty good run in Tampa Bay.

THIRSTY? Doubt your lawn is, but thanks to the rain, the Salem Red Sox play a doubleheader against Carolina beginning at 5:30 tonight. It’s cheap-beverage night.

YIKES: A Utah teen has been charged with homicide after he punched a soccer ref who later died.

NBA: The Heat crushes the Bulls by 37 points and Golden State wins in San Antonio. Both series are tied 1-1. No games tonight.

CRUISIN’: W&L beats Sewanee 19-6 in the first round of the Division III lacrosse tournament.

SPEAKING OF D-3: Mount Union football coach Larry Kehres steps down, handing the reins to his son, Vince. Kehres went 332-24-3 in 27 seasons at the Ohio school, winning 11 national titles.

NHL: Rangers beat the Caps 4-3 to tie that series at two games apiece. Bruins, Kings and Ducks also win. Tonight: Islanders-Penguins, Senators-Canadiens and Wild-Blackhawks.

BASEBALL: J Happ is out of the hospital after being hit in the head by a line drive on Tuesday…The Orioles and Red Sox are tied for the best record in the American League…David Ortiz’s hitting streak ends at 27 games…Rays lefty Matt Moore improves to 6-0.

NAME THAT TUNE
He just sat there silent
Staring at his favorite coffee cup
I saw a storm of mixed emotion in his eyes
When he looked up
He said Son I know at your age
Seems like this ol’ world is turning slow
And you think you’ll find the answer to it all
[Name of song]

Note: Blog will return Thursday. Reminder that today’s Salem Red Sox game begins at 11 a.m.

THE GREATEST GRADE IN THE HISTORY OF GRADES HAS TO BE THE F-MINUS. It’s not enough just to fail; you have to be BELOW failing standards to get one of those.

Anyway, CBSSports.com gave the Miami Heat an F-minus for its performance last night in a Game 1 loss to the Bulls. I didn’t see the game — I probably won’t watch any NBA until the Finals unless the Heat are on the brink of elimination, which isn’t likely to happen even after an F-minus night.

Christiansburg High School football coach Tim Cromer, who I like and respect very much, tweeted this last night: “NFL > NBA,MLB,NHL….why? One and done playoffs! #enoughsaid” It’s an interesting thought given last night’s F-minus performance by the Heat. Would we have seen an F-minus performance if the price of a loss had been elimination? Probably not.

STEADY AS SHE GOES: Zman’s Spurs gets a clutch 3-pointer from Manu Ginobili in double-overtime to give San Antonio a 129-127 win over Golden State. Game 2s of Pacers-Knicks and Grizzlies-Thunder tonight.

TIGHTENING UP: The Rangers beat the Caps 4-3 to shave Washington’s series edge to 2-1. Detroit, Boston and Los Angeles also won last night. That means only one of the eight first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs has one team ahead of another by more than one game — San Jose, which has a 2-0 edge in its series against Vancouver.

-That’s the argument against the one-and-done playoffs. Tight series build momentum as they go. Outside of Texas Rangers fans, aren’t we all glad we saw Game 6 and 7 of that incredible 2011 World Series won by the Cardinals?

FRESH PERSPECTIVE: Humbled by a drug suspension, former Hokies ace Matt Price has a new outlook for the Salem Red Sox.

-The Sox are supposed to open a three-game home series against Carolina tonight, but the weather doesn’t seem to be cooperating at the moment. When they do play, I’m looking forward to seeing Mudcats shortstop Francisco Lindor, who’s rated the No. 14 prospect in baseball by MLB.com. He’s batting .366 — and hitting isn’t even supposed to be his best asset (defense is).

-Speaking of shortstops, Braves SS Andrelton Simmons, who was at Lynchburg two years ago, enjoyed his first two-homer game in the majors last night.

“OH, HELL NO” — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, when asked if any media members should be part of the playoff selection committee.

NAME THAT TUNE
You used to raise your voice
So that it could be heard
You used to shout out your orders
And your word was the final word
Do as I say
And not as I do
They’ve taken your picture off the wall
How does it feel to be the [name of song]?
You used to chase your women
Right into your home
You used to tell them you loved them
Over the telephone
Now they all see through you
And you’re sinking like a stone
No one’s knocking at your door
No one calls
How does it feel to be the [name of song]?