Monday Morning Halfback: The PWHL’s missing trophy; could Félix Auger-Aliassime win the U.S. Open?

Monday Morning Halfback: The PWHL’s missing trophy; could Félix Auger-Aliassime win the U.S. Open? CATHAL KELLY AND JAMIE ROSS PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO Open this photo in gallery: Marie-Philip Poulin celebrated the Montreal Victoire's Walter Cup win in May. On Friday, the PWHL said the replica of the trophy that teams are issued to keep after winning was lost while en route to Lethbridge, Alta. JUSTIN TANG/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Jamie Ross is the Sports editor at the Globe; Cathal Kelly is the national sports columnist J.R.: Cathal, with all the recent fuss around Mark Walter’s disappearing sports empire, his ownership of the PWHL got nary a mention until Friday, when the league’s championship trophy (named after Walter himself) went missing. What’s sterling silver going for these days? C.K.: In a nice metaphor about our shaky confederation, the trophy went missing somewhere between here and Lethbridge. The reason this trifle of a story has made international news is it’s subtext: cash-strapped sports league. That’s a real unicorn these days. As the AP noted, “unlike the NHL,” the PWHL doesn’t have a dedicated trophy caddy. Because what respectable sports organization doesn’t employ someone full-time to bodyguard a piece of tin like it’s the Rosetta Stone? Good for the PWHL for not treating its baubles like holy relics. As long as they didn’t ship it Canada Post. For that, there would be no excuse. Cathal Kelly: Suspended tennis star Nick Kyrgios takes another shot at redemption Re: Walter’s sports empire, this is one of those, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ scenarios. Apparently, you don’t need to have any money to buy the Los Angeles Lakers, and the L.A. Dodgers, and Chelsea Football Club and a chunk of the PWHL. All you actually need is a bunch of insurance companies willing to give you the money to buy those things, and – presto! – you’re Jack Kent Cooke. Watching Walter’s empire fall apart – he’s just sold the Lakers, and is trying to shed enough of the rest to get himself right with U.S. regulators – is more proof that people in sports aren’t smart. They’ve just figured out new ways to run old cons. One thing in this mess jumps out of at me – a “key man” clause in Shohei Ohtani’s contract. If Walter leaves the Dodgers (and it seems he must), Ohtani can opt out of the biggest deal in baseball history. And right…