boston postpones games

Red Sox, Bruins postpone games
Updated: April 20, 2013, 1:34 AM ET
ESPN.com news services

BOSTON -- The Red Sox and Bruins postponed their Friday night games, hours before police in Boston took the second suspect in Monday's marathon bombings into custody following a long manhunt in the city.

The Red Sox were set to play the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park; the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town to play the Bruins at TD Garden.

The Red Sox's Twitter account stated that the decision was made "to support efforts of law enforcement officers." No makeup date was announced for the opener of the three-game series. Saturday's game, set to start at 1:10 p.m., is still on.

The Red Sox have swept Fenway Park for possible bombs, team COO Sam Kennedy told ESPNBoston.com in an email.

"Our security staff brought in a private firm which conducted a full sweep of Fenway Park Monday night and Tuesday morning," Kennedy wrote. "The ballpark and offices have been locked down since then, and in an abundance of caution, we will conduct yet another sweep again before we open."

Boston police initially announced the postponement of the Bruins game, which has been rescheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

The Penguins' home game against the Buffalo Sabres that was scheduled for Saturday night has been moved to Tuesday.

The Royals are staying at the Westin Copley Place hotel, about a block from the marathon finish line.

"We've been told not to go outside. We've been told the hotel has been locked down, although I've seen a handful of people moving around," Royals vice president Mike Swanson said. "The streets are just, wow. It's numbingly quiet for a noon hour in Boston."

Boston College announced later Friday afternoon that it was canceling all Saturday home athletic events, including the spring football game.

"Our first priority is ensuring the safety of our student-athletes, coaches and spectators," BC athletic director Brad Bates said in a statement. "Our local law enforcement community has done a phenomenal job this past week, and we do not want our events to serve as a distraction."

The Monday bombings killed three people and wounded more than 180. Police identified two suspects. One was killed during a shootout with police early Friday morning; the other was taken into custody Friday night.

The Bruins also announced that the sale of Stanley Cup playoff tickets, which had been scheduled to start at 11 a.m. ET Friday, has been postponed until 11 a.m. ET Monday.

The New England Patriots postponed for the second time a news conference with director of player personnel Nick Caserio about next week's NFL draft. It originally had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed after the bombings. It has been rescheduled for Monday.

The bombings already had resulted in two major pro sports games in Boston getting scratched -- the Bruins against the Ottawa Senators on Monday, and the Indiana Pacers against the Celtics on Tuesday night. The Bruins game was rescheduled for April 28. The Celtics game was canceled outright, and the NBA's regular season ended Wednesday.

The Celtics are scheduled to begin the first round of the playoffs Saturday in New York against the Knicks. Players spent Friday morning glued to the television, watching news reports of developments in Boston. Those with families in the area called home to check on their safety. Coach Doc Rivers tried to focus his team on the final off-day workout.

"This is what everyone's going through, not just basketball players," Rivers said. "It's everybody. It's everybody at work, whatever you do. But then you have to do your job, too. Honestly, for us, getting on the floor is good medicine. It gets you focused on your job."

Also postponed was the National Women's Soccer League game on Saturday between the Boston Breakers and FC Kansas City in Overland Park, Kan. No makeup date was announced. The decision was based on "increased security measures that have impacted travel from the area," NWSL executive director Cheryl Bailey said.

The league also said it would conduct a moment of silence before the national anthem at two games this weekend.

The Bruins resumed play Wednesday night at home against the Sabres. Before the game, there was a moment of silence, a slideshow of marathon scenes on the video scoreboard above center ice, and a stirring rendition of the national anthem, which was started by longtime Bruins vocalist Rene Rancourt, and finished by the fans.

After the game, players gathered at center ice and raised their sticks in a salute to the fans who had chanted "U-S-A" and "We are Boston."

The Red Sox had finished their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday -- Patriots Day -- about 45 minutes before the explosions occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, about a mile from Fenway.

Information from ESPNBoston.com's Chris Forsberg and Gordon Edes and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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