Morning Sports Update

Charlie Jacobs was asked why the Bruins kept Cam Neely and Don Sweeney over Bruce Cassidy

"Until further notice, that’s the way this works."

By Hayden Bird

July 12, 2022

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The Red Sox lost to the Rays 10-5 on Monday. Brayan Bello allowed five runs in four innings while striking out five.

On Tuesday, the Red Sox face the Rays again at 7:10 p.m.

Also from Monday, the Celtics ended up winning a wild Summer League game against the Bucks 111-109 thanks to Matt Ryan’s improbable buzzer-beater.

Bruins ownership weighs in: In the Monday introduction of new Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, reporters got a chance to ask questions to both Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and Delaware North CEO Charlie Jacobs for the first time since 2019.

Among the questions raised was why the team made the decision to make a coaching change (having recently fired Bruce Cassidy) but didn’t make a change at either team president or general manager. Both Cam Neely (the Bruin’s president) and Don Sweeney (Boston’s general manager) remain in their roles.

“I want to say the Boston Bruins have been to the Stanley Cup Finals three times in the past eleven years under Cam Neely’s tenure. I want to say we have somewhere around a .600-plus win percentage under our general manager’s tenure,” Charlie Jacobs said in response. “The head coach frankly is the responsibility of the general manager, in our opinion. He has to be accountable for that.

“Likewise, the president is accountable to the general manager,” Jacobs continued. “So, if they come to us and say, ‘Hey listen, we think this might be in the best interest,’ we’re of course going to follow their lead. They’re empowered to make those decisions and it’s not our job to interfere with them but rather to empower them to make those types of decisions and support them.”

Adding to his support of Neely and Sweeney, Jacobs noted that the league custom is for ownership to defer to management in its team-level decisions.

“I think by in large, if you were to speak to a majority of management in the National Hockey League, there’s a time where they have to make a decision that might not necessarily be collaborative or consultative,” he explained. “But something that they have to make is in the best interest of the club. It’s our job to support them in that process.”

“This is Don’s decision and it’s Cam’s responsibility to support Don,” Jacobs concluded. “I would say it works that way in arguably the other 31 markets in the National Hockey League. If they want to make a change, we’re here to support them and do so. Until further notice, that’s the way this works.”

Trivia: What team did the Bruins acquire Cam Neely from in a 1986 trade?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: It was the same team Boston defeated to win the Stanley Cup in 2011.

More from Boston.com:

• 9 takeaways as Matt Ryan, Celtics win wild Summer League game over Bucks
• Tampa Bay Rays outslug Red Sox 10-5 at Tropicana
• ‘His smile was priceless’: Rafael Devers was thrilled for good friend Xander Bogaerts’ All-Star selection
• 5 key things we heard during Bruins coach Jim Montgomery’s introduction
• ‘I want to win a championship’: Malcolm Brogdon on why he’s a ‘perfect fit’ for the Celtics
• David Ortiz admits to being a little nervous for induction speech
• Jamie Erdahl named new ‘Good Morning Football’ host, Jenny Dell CBS’s lead college football reporter
• Boston Renegades win fourth straight title, backup quarterback named MVP

Massachusetts native Kristie Mewis to the rescue: Mewis scored for the U.S. in the 89th minute in a 1-0 win over Mexico on Monday. It wasn’t the most dazzling of finishes, but Mewis’s goal proved to be the difference as the U.S. finished group play unbeaten in the CONCACAF W Championship.

The U.S. — which has already achieved World Cup qualification in the tournament — will face Costa Rica in the semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Matthew Berry leaving ESPN: After 15 years, fantasy football expert Matthew Berry announced that he’s leaving ESPN this week.

In a follow-up tweet, he said he’s “really excited about the future but there will plenty of time to talk about that before the season.”

The Premier Hockey Federation announces a Montreal franchise:

On this day: In 2018, Mookie Betts worked his way through 12 pitches of an at-bat before decisively ending things on pitch 13.

Betts walloped a grand slam in a 4-2 Red Sox win.

Daily highlight: The Xander Bogaerts-to-Trevor Story double-play combination worked perfectly on Monday.

Trivia answer: Vancouver Canucks