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Whoa hey, is it time for the draft already?
IT IS! NICE! You know, I used to count down the days until the draft arrived, and the reason why I loved the draft was because it stood as an oasis of pure NFL-related bullshit in the center of a long, grueling offseason. The NFL draft used to be your one chance to watch an entire network (ESPN) devote itself to the NFL for one weekend in the spring. You get bukkake'd with the NFL every weekend in the fall, but back in the day the draft used to be the only real time during the offseason when the sports media universe would turn its sights back to the NFL and away from all the other pointless, boring sports that are actually being played in April. The draft used to BE the offseason. All of it.
But now, of course, everything is different. Now that the NFL has asserted itself as the biggest sports entity in the universe, it dominates the news cycle at all times, regardless of season. The little oasis of NFL talk that ESPN used to provide with the draft has now expanded indefinitely. ESPN talks about the NFL all the time (much to the chagrin of other leagues), and the NFL has a whole network set up now to satisfy your need for roundtable bullshitting at any time during the offseason. I hope you like your Jamie Dukes! (NOTE: Jamie Dukes is fucking awful.)
And this offseason has been the tipping point. Between Fetushead going to Denver and Tebow doing a two-year mission in New York and the Saints stuff and RGIII being ruined by Mike Shanahan ... well now, the NFL pretty much has owned the world's shit. The NFL was gone for much of last offseason due to the lockout and I missed it terribly, but now we have a full offseason and the NFL is stomping around like a giant 500-ton lizard shitting all over the place and there's no way you can possibly miss it because it hasn't come close to going away. It's parked itself right on your face.
This isn't to say that the NFL has overstayed its welcome on the scene. I'm more than happy to have it omnipresent in my life and using its robot spiders to collect tissue from my liver while I'm asleep. But it has softened the anticipation for this draft. We've been talking about Andrew Luck going to the Colts for eight months now. No lie. That discussion topic has been squeezed dry like a Capri Sun bag. And the biggest trade in this draft (Skins leaping to No. 2) happened two months ago. All the drama and speculative bullshit that the draft used to serve up in a single weekend has now been stretched and rolled out and stretched again. They could switch the actual drafting process from three days to three months and it wouldn't feel much different.
I used to count down the days until the draft arrived. There's no need for that anymore. The draft is always here. Always going on. The NFL has made a concerted effort this offseason to see if the nation has a limitless appetite for its product, and so far the answer is FUCK AND YES. You may get fartsniffers like Wilbon complaining about this, but they're a shrill minority. Roger Goodell will suspend them from America for six weeks. The NFL draft and NFL offseason have coalesced and taken over the universe, and we're powerless to stop it. Time for your annual NFL draft Jamboroo. BOOSH.
All drafts in the Jamboroo are evaluated for sheer watchability on a scale of 1 to 5 Throwgasms. And during the playoffs, I pick the games, because why not.
The draft: Well well well, look who went crying to USA Today, denying that he used to tip draft picks.
I talked to producers for years about how they were ruining the draft. I'm not saying we should suppress the news. I don't mean fake things, but there should be some suspense... Contrary to what's been written, the NFL doesn't tell ESPN — and I don't get it in my ear — about picks beforehand
BULL. FUCKING. SHIT. Chris Berman, you're so full of shit, I'm surprised you don't sweat brown fluid. For DECADES, this man has tipped picks, and now he's trying to flip the script? No way. I guarantee you, when the NFL handed down the request to stop tipping picks, that Berman stomped around his office like a fat sniveling shit over this. No tipping picks? BUT THAT'S MY THING! PEOPLE LOVE IT WHEN I DO THAT!
I bet his producers at ESPN are just wild about him throwing them under the bus. I hope they give him laxatives instead of the Canadian drugs he usually requests.
• If you're looking for a proper mock draft, the people at Walter Football decided to aggregate every single mock draft into one chart. I fault them for including mock drafts from the Trolling Hivemind of Bleacher Report (one of them has the Colts taking Trent Richardson), but it's fun to scroll through really fast and get a general sense of what the Top 5 will look like. The names come to life!
• If you were curious as to why the NFL draft is always a gamble, please note this roundup of scouting reports from MJD at Yahoo that featured actual quotes from scouts like this one:
I just don't know if football is that important to him. He was raised by women, which bothers me. I mean, how tough can he be? It's not his fault, but it's still reality.
Trying to figure out if a college player will make a good pro is enough of an inexact science, but then you add to that a layer of scouts who project their own prejudices onto a player and it becomes even more ludicrous. As much as I like the NFL, it's a business that attracts an awful lot of self-important assholes. And self-important assholes tend to do things like discount a player because women raised him, or because he's never gotten a girl to agree to anal, or because he wore a purple shirt and might be gay. Imagine every college prospect being evaluated by an army of A.J. Smiths. That's why the NFL draft is so fucked up.
• I had to take out the garbage the other day. I took the bag out of the can, put the bag outside, came back in, forgot to put a new bag in the can, went to throw away a banana peel, and the fucker landed right at the bottom of a bagless can. This happens EVERY FUCKING TIME I take the garbage out, and it's the worst thing ever. I wish garbage cans re-bagged themselves. That's the only thing a Diaper Genie has going for it. The Diaper Genie has an endless bag on a roll that you cut off and knot at the bottom, so you never have to re-bag it. Granted, the roll refill costs roughly $700, but still. It's pretty sweet.
• I bought minivan in December and all modern minivans come equipped with a rear camera to make sure you don't back over your own child on the way to the sex toy parlor. This thing makes parallel parking a breeze, because I always know if I'm too close to the car behind me. I can really push that shit to within a centimeter or so. But I worry that using the rear camera to parallel park is a performance enhancer. I need a professional driver to let me know if I'm a pussy for using it. Like playing poker with sunglasses on.
• Also, lots of new cars come with a computerized fuel gauge that tells you how many miles you have left to drive until your gas tank is empty. This is the greatest thing ever, because I no longer have to start freaking out the second the gas tank drops below a quarter tank. Now I can get that fucker down close to single digits before fueling up. I get to the pump and I keep trying to see if I can break my previous personal best for gallons pumped. LOOK AT THAT PRICE CLIMB! I'M GONNA GO BROKE AND I LOVE IT.
• I was reading a book about dogs to my kid the other day and the book included a fact about dogs that I did not know. Dogs possess an extra organ called a Jacobson's organ that allows them to "taste" anything they smell. They means when a dog smells shit, it can taste it. That's awful. Ah, but when a dog smells steak, it can taste that as well. Oh, what I'd give to be able to walk into a restaurant and taste-smell everything everyone else is eating. God, that would feel so naughty. It wouldn't be worth tasting farts and shits, but still.
• I read the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and it's basically 500 pages of glaring proof that Steve Jobs was a miserable sack of shit. One of the many, many examples is the fact that Jobs always parked in handicapped spots and never had a license plate on his car. And what I want to know is: How the fuck did police let Jobs get away with this? Why wasn't his car towed 50 times a week? I don't park in handicapped spots, and the reason why I don't is mostly because I don't want to get towed. Sure, I also like being a good person, but mostly I'm acting in my self-interest. I don't want my car ticketed or towed, so I have a license plate and I park in normal spots. If you or I parked in a handicapped spot, we'd get towed in ten minutes flat. But Jobs was able to do it regularly and get away with it? THAT'S BULLSHIT. Let's dig up his grave so we can give him cancer again. Steve Jobs is a dick.
• I also read The Monster Of Florence by Doug Preston and Mario Spezi, which is a great book. Never get arrested in Italy. Ever. Their criminal justice system makes ours look like a paragon of human efficiency. Also, I find the idea of an Italian serial killer utterly charming. I'm not nearly as frightened by a serial killer who cuts out ladyparts when he's got a bit of Italian flair. AND NOW I SLICE-A YOU!
• Every time I read my wife's US Weekly on the shitter, I go right to any page featuring Kate Middleton. Oh, Kate Middleton. You are an island of classy fappiness in a sea of dogshit.
• KSK reader David sent in this article about Goodell flying to Minnesota to save the Vikes' stadium deal. It included this nauseating quote:
As Goodell made his way into the governor's office, he was greeted by Larry Spooner, a Vikings fan who wore a team jersey and held a sign that read: "Vikings Stadium — Yes."
"It was kind of like seeing God walk by — not really — but God's assistant," a smiling Spooner said afterward.
Jesus Christ, Larry Spooner. You're deifying a fucking bureaucrat. I bet the Ginger Hammer printed that quote out and hung it up in his push-up room. Roger Goodell blows.
• I was out the other day and some lady was letting her cell phone ring forever and ever before realizing that it was HER phone ringing and she finally got around to picking it up. If you don't know your own phone's ringtone, you should be fucking SHOT. "Oh, is that MY phone?" Yes! Yes, it is! You fucking moron. PICK THAT SHIT UP. Learn your own ringtone, and try not to set your master ringer volume to somewhere just north of GODZILLA BEING STABBED TO DEATH.
• The worst issue of any magazine in any year is the annual Time 100. It's useless. They gather up 100 celebrities to kiss the ass of 100 OTHER celebrities, and somehow you're supposed to find this revealing. Did you know that P!nk thinks Adele is amazing? NO FUCKING WAY. And that Kathy Griffin says that Chelsea Handler is just a "trash-talking gal from Jersey"? EXPLOSIVE NEWS. They even roped poor Howard Stern into writing an ode to fucking Matt Lauer. It's like a bible of starfucking. Every copy should be burned and the ashes should be used to poison Joe Klein's coffee.
Predraft Song That Makes Me Want To Run Through A Goddamn Brick Wall
"Fertile Green," by High on Fire. This is, surely, the least relaxed song ever written about smoking weed. Head to the 1:40 mark for the insane solo. Matt Pike isn't fucking around, people.
I went to go get lyrics for this song off a simple Google search and searching for song lyrics is always a rough experience. Every song lyric site is like a clearing house for shitty pop-up ads, malware, and banner ads asking you if you'd like to download a ringtone (how will I know it's mine?). I need Wikipedia to start archiving lyrics so that I never have to go to azlyrics.com ever again.
Embarrassing Song I Kinda Like That Will Not Fire You Up
"Brighter Than the Sun," by Colbie Caillat. FUN FACT: I'm pretty sure this video could double for one of those new Miracle Whip ads.
My kid liked this song whenever it came on the radio, and I was like, "Hey, this isn't so bad." So I downloaded it and now she listens to it all the time and I want to die. The worst is when it comes on and then my two older kids start fighting with one another, so Colbie Caillat is playing her little summer ditty as these two are trying to stomp each other's eyes out. WHY CAN'T YOU BE AS SUNNY AS THE MUSIC, CHILDREN?!
Gregg Easterbrook Is A Haughty Dipshit
It's that magical time of year, when Gregggggggg Easterbrook takes time out from bitching about cop shows to display a touch of mirthfulness with his annual mock draft, in which he literally mocks the draft is by incorporating recent people in the news. What a treat. Gregg had the Vikings take Michele Bachmann at No. 3, because they're from Minnesota and so is she! HILARIOUS! Perhaps the nuances of that joke are lost on you non-Ivy types. And the Bills take Jeremy Lin because ... Jeremy Lin! That's a person of renown, yes? He was in the Time 100! And the Broncos take Uggie! Wait till the Patriots take Mitt Romney! COME ON PEOPLE, THIS IS GOLD.
But in all seriousness, TMQ must again point out the national scourge that is WEASEL COACHES:
The Bucs dangled money, so Greg Schiano walked out on his promises at Rutgers.
OMG! You mean he left one job for another job that paid more money? What a fucking scumbag. That never happens in America.
Buccaneers, TMQ's Law of Weasel Coaches holds: when you hire a coach who's only in it for himself, you get a coach who's only in it for himself.
So true. The Bucs should have hired one of those coaches who isn't in it for himself. Here's a handy list of candidates:
1. No one
2. FUCKING NO ONE
I wish the Bucs had had the gumption to hire a truly selfless football coach, like the corpse of Gandhi. Gregg then pats himself on the back for warning Arkansas about hiring Bobby Petrino a few years back. Yes, because no one else on Earth thought that Bobby Petrino was the scum of the fucking Earth.
Anyway, back to the draft mocking. Gregg has the Jags taking a cricket player. WHOA HEY THAT'S WACKY!
Now that Shahid Khan, born in Pakistan, owns the Jaguars, look for him to import Pakistani talent.
It's funny because he's Pakistani!
8. Miami: Wang Shu, architect.
(Jeremy) Lin was born in California and attended Palo Alto High, which is visible from the Stanford campus. He led Palo Alto to the state title. Yet Stanford did not recruit the star from its own town, though an "official visit" would have entailed crossing the street. Had he been thousands of miles away, surely Stanford would have said, "We've got to get that Jeremy Lin."
That makes no sense at all.
When (Jerry) Jones bought the 'Boys, his first super-brilliant move was to fire Tom Landry.
And replace him with Jimmy Johnson, who won two Super Bowls.
More than two decades later, all Dallas head coaches combined under Jones have fewer victories than Landry.
I'm never one to enthusiastically defend Jerry Jones, but his team won three Super Bowls after firing Tom Landry. Landry was 17-30 in his final three seasons as Dallas head coach. Was Jones supposed to keep Landry as his coach this whole time, even after Landry died in 2000?
On the day Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni resigned, the team was 10-24 with (Carmelo) Anthony and 7-2 without him. Me-first and constantly complaining, Anthony would be a perfect fit for Rex Ryan's system.
Please note that, since D'Antoni resigned, the Knicks have a record of 15-6. That's with ME-FIRST GLOREE BOY Anthony leading the team. Woe to any team that dare keep a WEASEL PLAYER on its roster. If the Knicks had nothing but undrafted free agents, they could rule the NBA.
One reason not all NFL teams go strong for quarterbacks is that coaches and general managers are concerned with avoiding criticism. Drafting a quarterback high exposes the coach and general manager to jeering if the player fails, whereas if a highly drafted lineman or linebacker becomes a bust, few remember.
So true. I think we all remember Matt Millen getting NO criticism for drafting Mike Williams or Charles Rogers. Draft a shitty non-QB, and you're certain to never get fired. You think Jags fans will be upset with that cricket player they just took? No chance.
By the way, drafting a QB all but ensures a coach and GM will get at least two extra years on the job before getting shitcanned. It's actually an easy way to deflect criticism.
Being wrong about JaMarcus Russell, a quarterback drafted first overall, led to Oakland head coach Lane Kiffin being fired after a single season.
Lane Kiffin had NOTHING to do with the drafting of JaMarcus Russell. And Al Davis fired Kiffin because he hated his guts.
One of the ironies of life is that low ethics may not even work.
So ironic. Turns out that having high ethics results in having good things happen to you, which is WAY ironic.
It is an encouraging sign for the NFL public image — and for constructive reform of football — that commissioner Roger Goodell was tough on the Patriots in Spygate, and now has been tough on the Sinners in Sinnersgate.
Larry Spooner concurs. Now if only Saint Goodell could help restore Newsweek to its former glory.
This offseason, Goodell also zapped the Cowboys and Redskins over salary cap misuse.
Yes, and that was one of the most blatant cases of bullshit collusion in the history of everything ever. Thank God that Roger Goodell had the ETHICS to exact petty revenge on two teams that went over the owners' secret salary cap in a year that didn't have a fucking salary cap.
That Goodell has held powerful people accountable for misdeeds is a positive indicator of his leadership.
Yes, yes! Football is nothing without STRONG MORAL FIBER. Roger Goodell should be chosen first in every mock mock draft! Gregg Easterbrook is fucking horrible.
Great Moments In Poop History
Reader Rob sends in this poop story I call BRINGING UP POOPY:
My wife had pre-eclampsia which is essentially insanely-high blood pressure, and if it becomes eclampsia it could be fatal to mom and/or baby. We were told that if she had intense headaches which caused her to see spots, we needed to get to the hospital. It was Christmas night, and the baby wasn't due for a month. We just finished up Christmas activities at my parents house, and as we got in the car, she told me that we needed to call the doctor. As I drove, she called and the doctor told us pack for a few days and head to the hospital. Once there, they said they were going to induce her which consisted of giving her an assload of medicine that made her throw-up a lot. After being on the medicine 18 hours and the cervix not budging, the doctors came in and said that it could take up to a few days for labor to kick in. When they left the room my wife told me to go home and get some stuff to entertain myself. As it was the day after Christmas, I had a slew of new video games and movies that I could use so I agreed.
Upon leaving, there was a gurgling in my stomach. The hospital gave dads-to-be one complimentary food coupon and I cashed it in first thing that morning for some cold eggs and bacon. We only lived five miles from the hospital so I thought I could make it. About halfway there, it became difficult to contain. The horrible clenching feeling was unbearable. I was pushing off the floor of the car with my left foot to where I was almost standing in an effort to relieve any pressure I could off my stomach. I had to make it because I didn't want my baby's first impression of me to be that my car smelled like shit.
Miraculously, I made it to my apartment. Unbuckling my belt as I ran up the stairs, I unlocked the door and high-tailed it to the bathroom. As I turned around to sit, an initial blast came flying out - all over the toilet and onto the wall. I sat down and finished my business, mess-be-damned. Afterwards, I assessed the damage. Shit was on the floor, on the wall, on the back of the toilet. It even got stuck in the hinges of the toilet seat. My in-laws were coming over that night to put together the crib and dresser so I couldn't just leave it and come back in a day or two. My wife, being anal-retentive, would notice any stray pieces of shit if I did a half-assed job so I grabbed our cleaning supplies and got to work. After 20 minutes I declared the job good enough to pass inspection so I washed up, grabbed my new games, grabbed my PS2 and some movies, and leisurely made my way back to the hospital. I arrived as they were wheeling her out of the room for an emergency C-section. A nurse stayed behind momentarily to point out where my scrubs were but told me, I wouldn't be allowed in if things were going bad. I waited for about 30 minutes before they got me. As each minute passed, I assumed the worst. By the time they got me I was so nervous and my breathing was so heavy, that my wife (with doctor's up to their elbows in her sliced open stomach) was laughing at me. When it was all said and done, I had a healthy baby girl a month earlier than expected. Afterwards, my wife asked where I was as they wheeled her off. I told her I was speeding and got pulled over, but talked my way out of a ticket when I said my wife was going into labor.
Fire This Asshole!
I don't think I can add Sean Payton to the 2011 chopping block because he wasn't technically fired, but still, what a nice little bonus. He lost his job for a full year, and I'm always happy whenever a coach loses a portion of his livelihood. Now, here is the prospective 2012 firing list:
• Andy Reid
• Norv Turner
• Leslie Frazier
• Jason Garrett
• Mike Shanahan
• Chan Gailey
• Rex Ryan
• Gary Kubiak
• Romeo Crennel
• Lovie Smith
• Mike Smith
• Ken Whisenhunt
• Marvin Lewis
• Pete Carroll
• Pat Shurmur
Browns fans demanded Shurmur be added to the list. I'm not one to argue.
Drafttime Snack Of The Week
Milkshakes! Just to sum up all of my milkshake learning from the past year, you probably need to consume these three milkshakes at some point in your life:
1. Portillo's Cake Shake
2. Chick-Fil-A Banana Pudding Shake
3. Any shake from Cook Out
As of now, that's the list. There will be more.
Drafttime Cheap Beer Of The Week
Old German! Reader Frail Blazers sends in this terrible looking shit from the attic of the Iron City brewing facility:
Look at that lederhosen-clad little German man, and that classy all-white can. It's a design miracle. My buddy just picked up a sixer for $4.29 at the Market of Choice (Whole Foods type store) in Corvallis, Oregon—not as cheap as some beers, but still damn wallet friendly considering six packs of beer often run $9 or more at the store (expensive for out here).
My buddy describes the taste as, "It reminded me of when I drank my first beer: not bad, but there's got to be something better out there."
"The World Knows No Finer." I am skeptical. Still, I MUST HAVE IT.
Robert Evans' Steal of the Draft Watch!
Time for legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans to give us his Steal of the Draft. Take it away, Mr. Evans.
"Baby, my steal of the 2012 NFL Draft is quarterback Brandon Weeden! I love a late bloomer. Did you know that Diane Keaton was a virgin until age 38? True story. I was in bed with her one night and she said to me, 'Evans, you won't believe me, but I've never actually done this before.'
"'What? Make mouth love on the roof of Count Burginon's chateau? EVANS UNDERSTANDS, BABY. THE FRENCH AIR ADDS TO THE DANGER.'
"'No,' she said. 'This. I've never been with a man at all. It just never interested me until now.'
"Well, that stopped me dead in my tracks. But not for long. I slipped a finger inside her and told her to take off her glasses and that ridiculous blazer she was wearing. She did as instructed. Then I began singing her Spanish lullabies. Within five minutes, one finger became two. Then two became three. Then three became ME!
"'Oh, EVANS!' she cried. 'Is it always this good?'
"'Baby, it is if you've got an Evans attached.'
"After that, the ol' gal was on her way. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DIANE!"
Sunday Afternoon Movie Of The Week For Raiders Fans (no good picks)
Hugo. Oh, hey! We found your dead dad's robot! And we found the heart-shaped key needed to make it work! Let's turn it and see what happens.
Oh look, the robot is actually a MacGuffin that leads us to a solemn lecture about the era of silent films! WHAT A THRILL.
In a better movie, that robot would have come to life and went on a stabbing rampage.
Gratuitous Simpsons Quote
Smithers: Excuse me, ma'am: don't you think you've gambled enough?
Smithers: OK. We're required by law to ask every 75 hours. Get her another free drink.
Enjoy the draft, everyone. | http://deadspin.com/5905074/the-nfl-draft-has-eaten-the-world?rel=author | 5,878 |
The UFC has implemented the Interim Title on several occasions in the past. The first time the UFC used the Interim Title was back in June of 2003 when Randy Couture fought Chuck Liddell for the title since Tito was in limbo with the UFC brass and had not had a fight in about a year. Randy went on to win the fight and 3 months later Randy defeated Tito to become the undisputed UFC LHW Champion.
The next time the title was used was when Frank Mir, who just defeated Tim Silvia, was not able to defend the title due to the injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident. On February 2005, Andrei Arlovski fought Justin Eilers at UFC 53 for the Interim HW title. Arlovski won the fight and in August 2005, the title was changed to the undisputed champion due to Frank’s uncertain future in the division. The title was only promoted to undisputed after it became clear that Frank may never come back and needed to move the division along without him.
In UFC 81, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira would face off against Tim Sylvia for another Interim Title while the UFC and Randy Couture worked out their differences. Once those differences were worked out and Randy signed a new contract with the UFC, he made his title defense against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, where he lost the title in the second round by TKO.
Once again, the HW division needed to crown an Interim champ when Brock Lesnar became seriously ill as a result of his coming down with Diverticulitis. The UFC set up a fight between Frank Mir with Shane Carwin only to lose by KO in under 4 minutes. Then about three months later. Finally, when Lesnar was healed and ready to unify the titles, Carwin and Lesnar met at UFC 116 in the MGM Grand Garden Arena where Brock Lesnar was once again the undisputed UFC HW Champion.
The WW division also had to use the Interim belt back in 2007 when Matt Serra had a herniated disc in his lower back. With Serra being out of the fight, the UFC put the Interim Title up for a fight between two former champions, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Georges St. Pierre would end up submitting Hughes late in the second round to secure his chance to regain the title from Matt Serra when he became healthy and he did just that in UFC 83.
This brings us to the current situation with the UFC WW title picture. Georges St. Pierre has been the champion of the division since April 19th 2008. He is also a 2 time champion in the division with only 2 blemishes on his record. The first being, his title fight loss to Matt Hughes via arm bar at UFC 50 and then his TKO loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69. This is the first time, since Randy defeated Chuck at UFC 43, the Interim Title been used for a long time Champ. Most of the time, the title has been used for fighters that haven’t been the champion for a long time; however, this is not the case for the current UFC Interim WW Champion. | http://defenditorsurrenderit.com/defend-the-belt/history-of-ufc-interim-titles/ | 650 |
Mets Win Final Home Series; Dickey Gets 20 Wins
Added by Gary Marchese Jr. on September 28, 2012.
R.A. Dickey became the sixth player in Mets history to record 20 wins in a season.
The New York Mets won their final home series of the season. They took three out of the four games against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The series started on Monday and ended on Thursday afternoon. The Mets won the first game, lost the second and then won the final two games of the series. It culminated with R.A. Dickey winning his 20thgame of the season.
The first game the Mets won by the score of 6-2. Jenrry Mejia won his first major league game and Ike Davis hit a couple of homeruns. Mejia pitched five innings giving up four hits and no runs with two walks and four strikeouts. The bullpen pitched pretty well. Davis had two hits and five RBI to lead the offense. Neil Walker had two hits to lead the Pirates. Kyle McPherson started for the Pirates and pitched 4 1/3 innings giving up four hits and four runs with three walks and three strikeouts. Their bullpen pitched pretty well other then Jeff Karstens.
In the second game the Pirates won by the score of 10-6. Collin McHugh started for the Mets and didn’t pitch well. He only lasted 1 1/3 innings giving up five hits and seven runs with three walks. The Mets bullpen did a pretty good job. The Mets offense was led by David Wright. Garret Jones led the offense and Pedro Alvarez led them in RBI. Wandy Rodriguez pitched pretty well.
The third game the Mets bounced back and won by the score of 6-0. Jeremy Hefner pitched very well for the Mets. Familia pitched well out of the bullpen. Ruben Tejada led the Mets offense. Pedro Alvarez led the Pirates offense and they only managed three hits. Locke started for the Pirates and didn’t pitch too well. , their bullpen was good though.
The final game of the series on Thursday afternoon was a very special day for the Mets. The Mets have had a tough year but in their final home game they had a good day. R.A. Dickey won his 20th game becoming the first knuckle ball pitcher since Phil Niekro over 20 years ago to do that. Dickey pitched 7 2/3 innings giving up eight hits and three runs with two walks and 13 strikeouts. He is now 20-6 on the season and will have one last start to make his case to win the Cy Young. If he does win it he will be the first knuckle ball pitcher to do so. David Wright led the offense with two hits and three RBI. Kevin Correia started for the Pirates and didn’t pitch very well. Rod Barajas led their offense with two hits and two RBI | http://doublegsports.com/2012/09/28/mets-win-final-home-series-dickey-gets-20-wins/ | 602 |
YHC granted candidacy for NCAA Division II membership
With information from wire reports
According to a press release from Young Harris College, YHC President Cathy Cox has announced today that the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA has formally accepted YHC as a candidate for Division II membership.
After three prior applications, YHC will begin the NCAA membership process.
In the press release Cox said, “Our athletic department has worked diligently in leading this endeavor, and this achievement is a significant milestone in our on-going transformation to a four-year college. We know that NCAA membership will attract many talented student-athletes to Young Harris College.”
Randy Dunn, director of YHC Athletics, said in the release that he is also looking forward to the College’s acceptance.
“I am very pleased that the NCAA membership committee considered YHC a worthy institution for provisional membership. Obtaining full membership will be a three-year process, and if everything goes well, YHC should receive full NCAA membership in 2014-2015.”
During YHC’s first year under provisional membership, the College will comply with NCAA’s rules and policies as well as create Division II athletic schedules.
Following the first provisional year, the NCAA membership committee will send representatives to review YHC’s transition; the membership committee will then decide if YHC is ready for the next level in the membership process.
Along with working to gain NCAA membership, Dunn is working to complete membership into the Peach Belt Conference.
“The next step for Young Harris College is to immediately begin work to complete the process for membership in the Peach Belt Conference, which is one of the strongest and most prestigious Division II conferences in the country.”
If accepted in the Peach Belt Conference, YHC would join other institutions such as Columbus State University, Georgia College & State University and the University of North Carolina—Pembroke. | http://enotahechoes.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/yhc-granted-candidacy-for-ncaa-division-ii/ | 396 |
Romario: I was better than Messi
SAO PAULO -- Former star Romario says Brazil wouldn't get past the group stage of the World Cup if the competition were played today. What's more, he insists he's one of the three best players in soccer history.
Now a congressman, Romario used an expletive to describe what he thinks about Brazil's national team and said coach Mano Menezes needs more time to form his squad.
"If the World Cup was today, we would be eliminated in the first stage," Romario said in Tuesday's Rio de Janeiro daily O Dia. "I would pick the same players as Mano, but it's not working. One of the motives is lack of time. To prepare a national team you need time to practice."
Romario said it's a mistake to have Menezes coach Brazil during the Olympics, and he will run the risk of losing his job if Brazil fails to do well in London.
Romario said it would be better if the team were coached by Ney Franco, who is in charge of Brazil's youth squads. Brazil is under pressure to win the under-23 tournament because it's the only significant soccer competition it is yet to win.
Romario, who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title in the United States, said he would like to see former South Africa coach Joel Santana in charge if Menezes is fired.
"He is the best coach I've ever played for," the 46-year-old Romario said, referring to the Brazilian.
Romario said he was "by far" better than Argentina's Lionel Messi and said he can be compared to the best players of all time, along with Pele and Diego Maradona.
"Messi is a good player, but I'm in the top three: It's me, Pele and Maradona. I would include (Zinedine) Zidane in that list, too," he said.
Romario has been heavily criticizing Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup and said delays in improving urban mobility is the biggest concern.
"The rich fan who will come to the World Cup will be fine. He will arrive on a private jet, use private cars and will stay at the best hotels," Romario said. "But the poorer football fans will be left out."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
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- Kompany: Van Persie would boost any team | http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7824845/romario-says-brazil-team-not-ready-2014-world-cup-lauds-self | 550 |
Jonathan Schmid's late goal gave Freiburg an away draw at Nurnberg as they remain in contention for a Champions League place.
Timmy Simons converted from the spot to give Nurnberg the lead in the 33rd minute but Schmid equalised seven minutes from time as the teams shared the spoils.
Freiburg have suffered just one loss in the last 10 matches as they push for the top four, but Nurnburg remain firmly in mid-table despite beating unbeaten in eight.
Nurnberg were close to taking the lead after 18 minutes but Hanno Balitsch headed Hiroshi Kiyotake's free kick from the left wing just over the crossbar.
The hosts put the ball in the net a minute later through Tomas Pekhart but the Czech international had committed a foul in the build-up.
Nurnberg took the lead after Freiburg midfielder Cedrick Makiadi handled inside the area and Simons stepped up to fire the penalty into the lower right corner.
Freiburg were close to an equaliser in the 54th minute but Max Kruse could not connect cleanly when well placed.
The visitors threatened the Nurnberg goal again 12 minutes later but Matthias Ginter volleyed Fallou Diagne's cross over the crossbar. Jan Rosenthal then fired wide left in the 78th minute as another Freiburg chance went begging
They finally got their equaliser in the 83rd minute when Nurnberg keeper Raphael Schafter could only parry Julian Schuster's shot and Schmid raced onto the loose ball to hit home from a tight angle. | http://espnfc.com/en/report/346194/report.html?soccernet=true&cc=null | 332 |
Arsene Wenger says Arsenal were jaded
Arsene Wenger has hit back at his critics after Arsenal fans chanted 'you don't know what you're doing' towards the end of the goalless draw at Aston Villa.
Supporters launched their attack on the Gunners boss after he replaced Olivier Giroud with Francis Coquelin with two minutes remaining. Wenger refused to comment on that outburst or why he made the change but he was in a fighting mood when asked about the chants in his post-match press conference.
He said: "I don't want to comment on that. I do my job and do my best for the club. I leave it to you to judge. I try to be as good as I can be. Is it hurtful? Look, I have managed for 30 years at the top level and I have to convince you I can manage the team?
"How many games have you managed? I promise you if you manage one I will sit in the stands and chant 'you know what you are doing!'''
When questioned about the substitution, Wenger said: "You can discuss every substitution. You think what you want. I do my job and I let people judge it. I do that every day and I do my best every day. I know why I do it.
"What is the thinking behind the substitution? I will not explain every decision I make, you judge the game for the papers and I sit here and explain to you our game. You are all great managers! I read the newspapers every day and I can tell you that you are always great managers!''
Wenger denies his reluctance to explain his substitution will cause a rift with Gunners supporters. He said: "Why should I create a rift? I have given you the answer.''
On the playing side, Wenger felt a hectic week in which Arsenal defeated Tottenham and then overcame Montpellier in the Champions League took its toll on Arsenal.
He said: "We were a little bit frustrated. We expected a difficult game because we played an intense game last Saturday against Tottenham. We had a Champions League game on Wednesday night so we knew it would be hard.
"Always, when you play away from home after the Champions League it can be difficult. We lacked a bit of sharpness today in the final third. Physically we were jaded.''
Wenger defended his decision not to play Jack Wilshere after the midfielder's long injury lay-off, given the wet and windy conditions.
He said: "I decided that Jack was to be rested today and to not bring him on. It's more dangerous to bring him on in weather like that when he's tired. It made sense for him not to play today.''
Villa boss Paul Lambert, who watched the game from the stands because of a one-match ban, was full of praise for his side's performance - which moved them out of the bottom three.
He said: "We've played the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal in back-to-back games and it's a tough thing mentally. But I thought we played really well today. We were excellent and might have nicked it.
"We defended really strongly. We are playing really well. We are a young side which is growing together and the way we are playing, we are a threat.''
Lambert defended his decision not to include fit-again striker Darren Bent amongst the 18 players selected to face Arsenal.
He said: "It is my choice. I thought the squad I went with could win us the game. I've got 25-26 players to think about. The most important thing is this football club and I pick a team and squad I think will do well."
Information from the Press Association was used in this report | http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1239510/arsene-wenger-hits-back-over-fan-criticism?cc=3888 | 777 |
|Volleyball » News » Schedule » Roster » Coaches » Statistics|
Buccaneer volleyball drops match to FGCU, 3-1
Saturday, September 27, 2008
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 27, 2008) - The ETSU volleyball team dropped a hard fought match to Florida Gulf Coast Saturday afternoon at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., 3-1 (9-25, 25-23, 24-26, 22-25).
The Eagles jumped to an early lead taking the first set, but the Bucs looked to have taken control of the match after taking the second set and jumping out in front in the third set. With the serve for set point in the third set, the Bucs made a couple unforced errors and let the set and match slip away as FGCU took advantage of the ETSU errors.
The Bucs (5-9, 2-5 A-Sun) were led by McKayla Barber (
Whitney Cogburn (
The Bucs are back in action on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. as they will face
TEAM INFO CENTER | http://etsubucs.com/volleyball/news/2008-09/4474/buccaneer-volleyball-drops-match-to-fgcu-3-1/ | 238 |
Round 2-Buenos Aires, Argentina
1. Norberto Fontana (Williams BMW)
2. Eddie Irvine (Jaguar Ford)
3. Gil De Ferran (Fittipaldi Renault)
4. Rubens Barrichello (Scuderia Ferrari)
5. David Brabham (Brabham Ford)
6. Johnny Herbert (Jaguar Ford)
7. Adrian Fernandez (Jordan Honda)
8. Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari)
9. Jacques Villeneuve (Tyrrell-Reynard Honda)
10. Ricardo Zonta (Tyrrell-Reynard Honda)
11. Esteban Tuero (Pacific-Simtek Cosworth)
12. Shinji Nakano (Pacific-Simtek Cosworth)
13. Ralf Schumacher (Brabham Ford)
14. David Coulthard (Mclaren Mercedes)
15. Mika Salo (Sauber Ferrari)
16. Jenson Button (Williams BMW)
17. Jean Alesi (Ligierprost Peugeot)
18. Alexander Wurz (Benetton Renault)
19. Giancarlo Fisichella (Benetton Renault)
20. Nick Heidfeld (Ligierprost Peugeot)
21. Toranosuke Takagi (Minardi Fondmetal)
22. Jarno Trulli (Sauber Ferrari)
23. Jos Verstappen (Arrows Cosworth)
24. Pedro De La Rosa (Arrows Cosworth)
25. Mika Hakkinen (Mclaren Mercedes)
26. Jimmy Vasser (Fittipaldi Renault)
27. Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Jordan Honda)
28. Gaston Mazzacane (Minardi Fondmetal)
Report: Heavy cloud and a damp track greeted the drivers at the start of the qualifying session at the Autodromo Juan y Oscar Galvez, thanks to rain all through the morning. Only a few drivers decided to take to the track at the start due to the conditions, namely Fontana, Irvine, De Ferran, Tuero, Nakano, Brabham, Herbert and Villeneuve. Despite the cloud there was no rain forecast and so most stayed in expecting it to dry, except the aforementioned who all set just a few laps each, except Villeneuve who struggled around to 1 full lap before returning to the pits.
After half an hour, Fontana was fastest followed by Irvine, De Ferran, Brabham, Herbert, Villeneuve, Tuero and Nakano. By this time there was light rain, and people had begun to realise a relent in the rain was not going to come any time soon, and hence almost everybody decided to take to the track within a minute. Trouble was, as soon as they had done this, the rain started to get harder and soon enough it was a full blown downpour.
The result was no one being able to set a competitive lap, whilst Mazzacane, Frentzen, Vasser and Hakkinen all found themselves in the gravel on their out laps. The rules prevented them from being put back on the track again, and so they would sit out the rest of the session. Removing these cars to the edges of the run off areas as well as the rain caused the session to be red flagged. Only 8 drivers had set a proper lap time, and this was the way it stayed until the rain died down.
By the end of the session, the track was still quite wet but there was no rain, and so everyone was on track trying to get some good laps in. The track was slightly wetter than at the session start, but most just wanted to get themselves a good grid position. The stars of the last five minutes were the Ferraris, Barrichello and Schumacher claiming 4th and 8th respectively. Fernandez did well to grab seventh and the only other driver to beat a time set by the first 8 was Zonta, qualifying 10th. Coulthard struggled as did the Benetton’s, and so Fontana had claimed only his third career pole, in none other than his home country. The massive crowd went wild with the news, as they got set for a fabulous but likely wet again Argentine Grand Prix.
1. Michael Schumacher (Scuderia Ferrari) 72 Laps
2. Gil De Ferran (Fittipaldi Renault) +22.435
3. Adrian Fernandez (Jordan Honda) +29.768
4. Jenson Button (Williams BMW) +32.127
5. Norberto Fontana (Williams BMW) +41.542
6. Rubens Barrichello (Scuderia Ferrari) +42.213
7. Jean Alesi (Ligierprost Peugeot) +49.130
8. Jimmy Vasser (Fittipaldi Renault) +51.269
9. Alexander Wurz (Benetton Renault) +56.004
10. Jarno Trulli (Sauber Ferrari) +58.379
11. Nick Heidfeld (Ligierprost Peugeot) +60.924
12. Johnny Herbert (Jaguar Ford) +1 Lap
DNF Esteban Tuero (Pacific-Simtek Cosworth) (Spun Off) (65 Laps)
DNF Eddie Irvine (Jaguar Ford) (Spun Off) (53 Laps)
DNF Jacques Villeneuve (Tyrrell-Reynard Honda) (Spun Off) (42 Laps)
DNF Shinji Nakano (Pacific-Simtek Cosworth) (Spun Off) (40 Laps)
DNF Ralf Schumacher (Brabham Ford) (Engine) (34 Laps)
DNF David Brabham (Brabham Ford) (Spun Off) (27 Laps)
DNF Mika Hakkinen (Mclaren Mercedes) (Clutch) (25 Laps)
DNF Mika Salo (Sauber Ferrari) (Spun Off) (21 Laps)
DNF Ricardo Zonta (Tyrrell-Reynard Honda) (Spun Off) (20 Laps)
DNF Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Jordan Honda) (Spun Off) (8 Laps)
DNF Gaston Mazzacane (Minardi Fondmetal) (Spun Off) (7 Laps)
DNF David Coulthard (Mclaren Mercedes) (Spun Off) (7 Laps)
DNF Giancarlo Fisichella (Benetton Renault) (Collision) (0 Laps)
DNF Jos Verstappen (Arrows Cosworth) (Collision) (0 Laps)
DNF Pedro De La Rosa (Arrows Cosworth) (Collision) (0 Laps)
DNF Toranosuke Takagi (Minardi Fondmetal) (Collision) (0 Laps)
Report: Somehow, it had remained dry until the start of the 2000 Argentine Grand Prix. The massive and loud crowd eagerly awaited the start, for their new hero Norberto Fontana had taken pole. He indeed got a great start to easily lead into turn one, But this was academic as Irvine got a poor start dropping to sixth. Meanwhile Barrichello forced his way into second as the front of the pack were clean at turn 1. However, towards the back all hell broke loose when Takagi missed his braking point after a slow getaway and collected the back of Verstappen, who in turn was spun left into his own team mate, who himself spun and left no where for Fisichella to go who mounted the back of the Arrows. Hakkinen, Vasser and Mazzacane all went into the gravel after trying to avoid the incident but were able to continue.
The safety car duly came out as the top 10 order was Fontana, Barrichello, De Ferran, Herbert, Brabham, Schumacher, Fernandez, Irvine, Zonta, and Tuero. Villeneuve had found himself at the back of the pack after a spin at turn 7. Everyone remained on dries as this appeared like the correct thing to do, but just a lap after the restart the rain started to come down hard. The first major casualty of the race came within the next lap, as David Coulthard slid off and out of the race at turn 11. Just seconds later, Mazzacane slid sideways into retirement at the same point, as countless others aquaplaned on from the same corner through the gravel.
The drivers were sliding and spinning left right and centre, and Frentzen found himself wide at turn 10, sliding into the barrier and out. To remove the stricken Mclaren, Minardi and Jordan the safety car came out yet again. During the chaos Schumacher had fought his way past Brabham and Herbert and found himself in 4th. Mika Hakkinen meanwhile was already 14th from 25th on the grid. After the restart, Schumacher the ‘rain master’ did his work, Taking De Ferran and his own team mate in quick succession as the rain relinquished.
Just a few laps later, he was in the lead much to the disappointment of the Argentine fans, after diving down the inside at turn 14. He would not let the lead slip for the rest of the race as he brilliantly drove away in the wet conditions. As this had been happening the Pacific-Simteks had fallen down the order, while Button had fought his way into the top 10. Zonta, who had already had a spin at the restart after the second safety car, Spun off at turn 1. Salo then ended his race after spinning into the gravel at turn 9. Clearly, the conditions were challenging for everyone except the Ferrari drivers, as Barrichello soon followed his team mate through past Fontana. Hakkinen, who was storming through the field soon found himself in anger after a clutch failure on his Mclaren. Brabham, who had taken Hakkinen’s 9th place after the Finn’s clutch failure following a spin 3 laps earlier dropping him down the order, spun again and out of the race on lap 27. His team mate Ralf Schumacher would be out 7 laps later with Engine failure.
At the half way point it was Michael Schumacher leading from Barrichello, Fontana, De Ferran, Herbert, Fernandez, Irvine, Button, Vasser, and Alesi in the top 10. The second round of pit stops, (the first being as it started to rain) came about as people started to change from wets to intermediates, and much to the disappointment of the home crowd, Fontana had a major delay in the pit stop thanks to a problem with the air gun on his front right wheel. It left him in 6th position, and a full 360 degree spin on his out lap did not help his cause, as his chances for a second successive podium finish looked slim.
Both Jaguars’ then found themselves half spinning at the same point, but both were able to continue after a large delay. Barrichello was now starting to close on Schumacher, but found himself in major problems when Villeneuve, who was being lapped, spun right in front of the Brazilian’s eyes at turn 1. Barrichello swerved left to avoid him, but Villeneuve continued backwards into the gravel, forcing the Ferrari driver to take a long, cross country trip to successfully avoid hitting the Tyrrell-Reynard and then return to the track. This lost him time and a place to the brilliantly composed Gil De Ferran, and soon after he came into the pits for the third time with damage to the bottom of his car. This lost him more time and his chances of second position.
And so remarkably Jenson Button found himself in third position in his second ever F1 race, with Fernandez, who the young Brit had leap frogged in the pit stops, in close company. Not bad considering he’d started 16th. Eddie Irvine became yet another casualty of the conditions on lap 53, and this left Trulli in the top ten. Barrichello fought his way back past Vasser and Alesi and was now following Fontana in 5th, who himself had done a similar thing on the aforementioned two.
Soon after Fernandez grabbed 3rd from Button, who was stunned to see himself overtaken by the Mexican and ran wide, letting any chance of himself being able to fight back slip away. Tuero was the last retirement of the race on lap 65, spinning off in front of his home fans at turn 3. Schumacher cruised to the end, followed by De Ferran, Fernandez, Button, Fontana and Barrichello. Alesi, Vasser, Trulli and Wurz rounded out the top 10, with the only other runners being Heidfeld and Herbert. The Austrian got past Trulli with two laps to go, by which time the track was nearly dry after having not rained since a brief light shower on lap 55. This was the way an enthralling, chaotic, incident filled race finished, with Schumacher taking another 10 points and the Mclarens again failing to score. The silver cars are going to have to fight back in Brazil.
Championship Standings after Round 2:
1. Michael Schumacher 20 points
2. Norberto Fontana 8 points
3. Gil De Ferran 6 points
4. Adrian Fernandez 4 points
5. Heinz-Harald Frentzen 4 points
6. Jenson Button 3 points
7. Jacques Villeneuve 3 points
8. Giancarlo Fisichella 2 points
9. Ricardo Zonta 1 point
10. Rubens Barrichello 1 point
1. Scuderia Ferrari 21 points
2. Williams BMW 11 points
3. Jordan Honda 8 points
4. Fittipaldi Renault 6 points
5. Tyrrell-Reynard Honda 4 points
6. Benetton Renault 2 points
Some say GPWS is a bit mad...It is, but blame that godawful Jean Marie-Biasti... | http://f1rejects.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=92571 | 3,016 |
Pipe Bomb Intercepted, Pot Dispensary Opens, Patient's Privates Exposed Top State News
Other top stories this week include popular Red Bank basketball player who collapsed during a game and died and a youth soccer coach contrite over allegedly embezzling nearly $60K in league funds.
A North Caldwell man was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with transporting a PVC pipe stuffed with explosives without a permit, according to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
According to the complaint, Anthony Nicholas Gallo, 20, traveled into Pennsylvania on Jan. 8, 2012 with a pipe containing potassium chlorate and magnesium with the plan of causing an explosion.
A nursing home worker and her friend accused of posting a Facebook photo of an elderly patient's genitalia were indicted Monday, the Attorney General's office announced.
Greenleaf Compassion Center in Montclair, the first medical marijuana dispensary in New Jersey, opened on Dec. 6.
A Red Bank Regional basketball player collapsed and died after being rushed to the hospital Monday afternoon.
Albert Martin, 17, of Red Bank collapsed while playing basketball on Dec. 3, according to Red Bank Regional spokesperson Marianne Kligman.
The Ocean City Police Department announced Monday morning that 16-year-old Natalie Woollerton had been found safe and healthy in Mesquite, Texas.
Woollerton, who has autism, left her mother's Ocean City residence in the early morning hours of last Wednesday in her mother's light-blue Lexus. She had no driving experience.
Contrite and hoping to move on, the former treasurer of a Glen Rock youth soccer club accused of embezzling nearly $60,000 into his personal bank account has entered a pre-trial intervention program and will likely avoid jail time.
Four men were arrested and charged with third-degree criminal mischief following an incident last week in which a 25 foot tall, eight-inch diameter tree was cut down and logs were thrown through the window of a car, according to Wyckoff police.
A 71-year-old man was thrown 60 feet in the air after being struck by a garbage truck on Knoll Road in Sparta. He died instantly after hitting the ground, police said.
A Flemington man was arrested after state police and SWAT team members pursued him when he allegedly left the scene of a crash on I-78 Wednesday. | http://fairlawn-saddlebrook.patch.com/articles/pipe-bomb-intercepted-pot-dispensary-opens-patients-privates-exposed-on-facebook-top-state-news | 487 |
Greg Duca is missing in action, but Andrew Gavitt returns. We are beginning to think they are the same person, kind of like Clark Kent and Superman. Regardless, Matt Buesing and Andrew covers the following topics on todays show.
- The Super Bowl
- 2003 Oakland Raiders lose their minds
- The music of Shannon Haley
- Hockey is Back. Does anyone care?
- Hey Phil Mickelson, we all pay high taxes!
- NBA News and Notes
- And More! | http://fansidedradio.com/2013/01/24/fire-and-ice-sports-super-bowl-matchups-are-set/ | 106 |
BCS Opponents Highlight Portion Of Men's Basketball Schedule
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men’s basketball team unveiled five games off its 2010-11 non-conference schedule on Friday, including a showdown against ACC member Miami at Alico Arena, and road trips to Big Ten opponents Indiana and Ohio State.
Home dates against N.C. Central on Dec. 21 and IUPUI on Dec. 27 round out the five games that were released. The remainder of the men’s basketball schedule is expected to be released by September 1. The three BCS opponents in one season are the most since FGCU took on four in 2007-08 (Iowa, Arizona State, DePaul and Marquette).
The Eagles will get another chance at defeating a BCS Conference opponent at home when they square-off against the Hurricane for the second straight season on Saturday, November 27 at 7:05 p.m. FCGU defeated BIG EAST foe DePaul, 64-61, last season at Alico Arena in front of a crowd of 3,125 fans to cap a season-long four-game win streak in December. The Blue Devils were the first Bowl Championship Series (BCS) school to face off against FGCU at Alico Arena.
Miami returns nine players from last year’s club that won 20 games for the second time in three years under head coach Frank Haith. The Hurricane began the year with a 15-1 record and advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament for the first time in program history, defeating Wake Forest and Virginia Tech before falling to eventual ACC Tournament and NCAA champion Duke. Highlighting the group of returners is the backcourt duo of junior Malcolm Grant and sophomore Durand Scott, who became the first set of Miami players since 1992-93 to pass out 100 assists in the same season. Scott also became the first player in program history to be named to the ACC All-Rookie team.
“We’re excited to have Miami coming into Alico Arena this year,” said head coach Dave Balza. “We have always tried to play high profile teams that our fans will enjoy seeing. The ACC is one of the best, if not the best, conferences in the country. We look forward to a great event over Thanksgiving weekend.”
FGCU will begin by the season by heading to Bloomington, Ind. to take on the Hoosiers in the opener for both clubs on Friday, Nov. 12. Led by third year head coach Tom Crean, the youthful Indiana lineup includes just one senior, but returns all three of its top returning scorers. Sophomores Maurice Creek (16.4 ppg) and Christian Wotford (12.0 ppg), and junior Verdel Jones III (14.9 ppg) all averaged double figure points in 2009-10. The Eagles will play in front of a boisterous crowd at Assembly Hall. The five-time national champs ranked 11th in attendance last season, averaging 15,617 fans per contest.
“Other than opening the season at home in Alico Arena, there are few better places to open the season than Assembly Hall,” Balza said. “It’s a place that’s rich with tradition and has a tremendous fan base. It will be a great challenge for our team to play an opponent that’s well coached and on the rise.”
The Nov. 12th date against the Hoosiers will mark the second straight year the Eagles have opened against a Big Ten team. FGCU began the 2009-10 campaign on the road at No. 2 Michigan State.
FGCU will trade the Florida heat for the coldness of Ohio on Dec. 15 when they enter Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio to take on the Buckeyes. Led by All-American and NBA Lottery pick Evan Turner, Ohio State produced a 29-8 record in 2009-10, winning the Big Ten regular season and tournament title, and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16. OSU finished the year No. 11 in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll. The Buckeyes return seven players, including four that started more than 34 games from last year’s club that produced the second-most wins in school history. Led by head coach Thad Matta, who enters his seventh season at OSU, the Buckeyes will also usher in freshman forward Jared Sullinger, the nation’s top recruit according to several scouting services.
The Eagles will take on N.C. Central before the holiday break on Tuesday, Dec. 21, as the front end of a doubleheader with the women’s basketball team. The game is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m. before the women take on Indiana.
FGCU will return from the holiday break by taking on an IUPUI club that finished 2009-10 with a 25-11 record on Monday, Dec. 27. Led by head coach Ron Hunter, the Jags finished second in the Summit League after producing the second-most wins in program history. IUPUI earned a berth into the College Basketball Insider (CBI) Tournament and won at Hofstra in the opening round. Hunter made national headlines beginning in January of 2008 when he went barefoot during IUPUI’s game against Oakland in support of Samaritan’s Feet in an effort to raise 10 million pairs of shoes to put on children’s feet all over the world in a 10-year span. Hunter then went shoeless for one game in January of 2009 and all 36 of IUPUI’s games in 2009-10. The men’s basketball program received more national attention this summer as San Antonio Spurs guard and former IUPUI star George Hill had a breakout sophomore NBA campaign in which he averaged 12.4 points per game.
The 2010-11 version of the Eagles welcome back nine players, including their top two leading scorers from last season in redshirt sophomore Anthony Banks (12.9 ppg) and senior Reed Baker (11.4 ppg). Banks led the team in scoring and rebounding (6.6) in 2009-10 en route to being named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshmen team. Just the fourth player to ever lead the A-Sun in free throw percentage in back-to-back seasons, Baker reached double figures 17 times in 2009-10.
Single-game and season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased through the FGCU Ticket Office in Alico Arena either in person or by phone at (239) 590-7145. Tickets are also available on www.FGCUathletics.com/tickets.
|Copyright ©2013 Florida Gulf Coast Athletics. All Rights Reserved.||www.FGCUAthletics.com| | http://fgcuathletics.com/mbasketball/news-print/2010-11/3455/bcs-opponents-highlight-portion-of-mens-basketball-schedule/ | 1,425 |
CALGARY, AB -- The Townsend Tigers defeated the Calgary Flames this afternoon in the 32nd annual wheelchair hockey game at the Gordon Townsend School in the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
The Flames squad, led by head coach Bob Hartley, lost by a score of 20-5 to the undefeated Tigers. It was the 32nd consecutive victory for the Tigers over the Flames in this annual fun event. Hartley was joined by members of his coaching staff including Martin Gelinas, Jacques Cloutier, Clint Malarchuk and Jamie Pringle along with Flames alumni, Craig Conroy, Joel Otto, Perry Berezan, Rene Corbet, Tyler Moss and Jamie Macoun.
At the conclusion of the game and following the championship trophy presentation to the Tigers, the Flames and the Flames Foundation for Life made a $200,000 donation to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation for programs at the Rotary/Flames House. The donation will be directed to palliative and respite services that are in need of funds for families and youth with life-limiting illnesses.
For families caring for a child with a progressive or terminal illness, the Rotary Flames House is an alternative to home. The hospice, which provides respite and end-of-life care, was designed with families in mind; there are 11 children’s bedrooms with pull out sofa’s for parents to sleep by the bedside, 2 family suites, a special room flooded with sunlight for children with immune systems too weak to go outside and a team of health care specialists to provide support. Opened in 2010 next to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the family-centered sanctuary is the first of its kind in Alberta and helps an estimated 400 families a year.
Working together, the Rotary Clubs of Calgary and the Flames Foundation for Life donated $2.5 million towards the construction of the family-centered facility and surrounding park.
|Back to top ↑| | http://flames.nhl.com/club/m_news.htm?id=646142 | 402 |
Inter boss Andrea Stramaccioni has admitted that he has a few worries ahead of this weekend’s game against Genoa.
“It will be an important match,” the tactician noted on Wednesday when talking to Mediaset. “Unfortunately, we’re not in great shape.
“We lost Yuto Nagatomo and Luca Castellazzi last night in the Italian Cup game against Verona, and there are a few other injuries.
“Should Fredy Guarin’s suspension be upheld then we’d be a bit short in midfield too seeing that Esteban Cambiasso isn’t fit either.”
The Nerazzurri are currently second in Serie A, seven points behind leaders Juventus after picking up just seven points from the last 18 available.
Stramaccioni added: “I want to see a great Inter against Genoa because we could start the second half of the season, or get to Christmas, in second place.”
Think you know your Italian football? Share your knowledge, tips and comments to win cash prizes in OLBG's tipster competition - £5,000 monthly. | http://football-italia.net/28629/stramaccioni-has-inter-concerns | 250 |
January 18, 2010
McAdoo shines in MLK rout
GREENSBORO, N.C. --- Future Tar Heel James McAdoo stole the show in the first half as his Norfolk (Va.) Christian team got a 27-point victory Monday over Concord (N.C.) Cannon School.
...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial | http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?ReturnTo=&script=content.asp&cid=1041440&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid= | 86 |
October 9, 2012
Williams selects Spartans
Michigan State received its 14th verbal commitment for the 2013 recruiting class on Tuesday when safety prospect Delton Williams of Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep selected the Spartans.
Williams chose Michigan State over offers from West Virginia, Nebraska, Boston College, Pitt, Penn State and others.
His commitment marks the third time this recruiting year that the Spartans have gained a verbal from Pennsylvania.
Williams joins high school teammate Damion Terry on the 2012 verbal commitment list. Terry committed to Michigan State in April.
Williams serves as a standout defensive player for Erie Cathedral Prep, as well as Terry's favorite receiving target on offense.
"Delton would love to be able to go to school with Damion, but I think more so he is real comfortable with the staff and Coach Dantonio and the people he has met there," said Erie Cathedral Prep head coach Mike Mischler."He (Williams) is a talented kid, a big kid, an athletic kid who will hit you. He has a big future ahead of him. He just wants to be at a good school with good people there."
Williams helped Cathedral Prep defeat crosstown rival Erie McDowell last Friday night, with a typical big game. Williams had TD receptions of 21 and 35 yards, and an 85-yard TD run for Erie Cathedral Prep, which improved to 6-0 and is the No. 1-ranked team in Pennsylvania in AAA.
"He is playing lights-out," Mischler said. "Delton is not only a physical leader on the team, he is a verbal leader. As he goes, our practices kind of go and our games go. He is charismatic, a very good kid that everybody follows. Everybody wants to be around him.
"He is responsible for about one quarter of Damion's pass completions. He's one of the top scorers around the area and has had two punt returns for touchdowns, one for 90 yards and a 55-yarder.
"He is our leader on defense, a physical kid. We are using him in a lot of different capacities, whether he's coming off the edge as a pass rusher, or being a run stopper."
...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial | http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?ReturnTo=&script=content.asp&cid=1419865&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid= | 473 |
Kent State opens the 2009 Mid-American Conference part of their schedule on Saturday when the Golden Flashes host Miami at Dix Stadium. KSU is 1-2 after dropping its last two contests while the RedHawks have struggled to find the scoreboard in starting 0-3.
A win for the Golden Flashes keeps the team on track to achieve its goal of winning the MAC East. A loss could trigger a collapse of the team's morale, especially after losing starting running back and offensive captain Eugene Jarvis to a season-ending injury just over a week ago.
That puts a lot of pressure on true freshman Spencer Keith, who is expected to make his second consecutive start in place of injured starting quarterback Giorgio Morgan. But don't expect the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Little Rock, Ark., to be rattled.
Keith has played with pressure before, lots of it.
"In the 5A state championship game last year we were without one of our starting wide receivers in the second half, he's at Arkansas now, and our other starter, who led the United States with 130 receptions, was out of the game," said Kevin Kelley, Keith's high school coach at Pulaski Academy. "Spencer carried us. On the last drive, we had three or four fourth downs and he converted them all with his feet. That's not his strength, but that shows you what kind of kid he is. He found a way to get it done. That's what he does; he finds a way to win."
It wasn't just in Pulaski Academy's 35-32 over Helena-West Helena in the 5A championship game that Keith overcame adversity; there was pressure in every game he played.
Kelley doesn't believe in wasting an offensive down by punting away the football. Last season, Keith and the Pulaski Academy offense didn't punt, not once. Instead, Keith and company converted on 44-of-75 fourth down attempts.
"Some of those are on your own nine-yard line and stuff like that, so you've got pressure as a quarterback," Kelley said. "(Keith) embraced it. It was never, 'coach I don't think we can get this done.' I had all the faith in the world in the kid and he came through more often than not."
And so far, Keith has come through for the Golden Flashes. With backup quarterback Anthony Magazu slow to come back from an elbow injury, and Morgan sidelined with a sprained ankle, head coach Doug Martin turned to Keith during Boston College's 34-7 victory. The freshman completed 9-of-14 passes for 71 yards and led the team on its only scoring drive.
Last weekend, Keith made his first start in a 34-14 loss to Iowa State. But, again he was efficient in completing 21-of-32 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
Keith's early success can be attributed to his work ethic. He arrived on campus a few weeks prior to the start of camp to begin working out with the team and to familiarize himself with the playbook. That was an encouraging sign, and according to his new head coach, that carried over into two-a-days.
"I was able to talk with him a little bit and talk some football. You could tell he was really bright then. That was encouraging," Martin said. "Of course I can't work with him in the summer though, it's against NCAA rules, but once we got into two-a-days it was really evident that he could pick things up quickly. He didn't need to see something on the board then go out and rep it and then he might learn it. He can take something from the chalkboard right to the field and be able to do it."
That's not news to Kelley, who coached Keith from seventh grade all the way through to his senior season.
"When he was in the seventh grade program, as the head high school coach I'd go down and help with the seventh grade too," Kelley said. "Then when he played junior high, he started as an eighth grader and a ninth grader, I'd go to all those games and sit in the press box and help him out with plays and stuff like that."
It was during those middle school years that Kelley realized he had a special talent in his program.
"When he was in seventh grade I knew he was pretty good. He took the time to learn our offense as a seventh grader," Kelley said. "It was important to him to be successful and to win. He took it upon himself to learn as much as he could so that they could run as much of the offense in seventh grade as they possibly could."
From there, Keith kept getting better and better. He also earned the respect of his teammates.
"He's always been an extremely intelligent kid and an extremely good athlete. Both those things you like in a quarterback," Kelley said. "And he's a leader by example. He really commands the respect of other players without saying anything because everybody saw how hard he works and how much he puts into it; how much he wants to succeed.
"People like that are generally going to be winners. Spencer is one of those kids that has to win; he's extremely competitive. As a coach, he's just what you'd want him to be. If you lose a game, he blames it on himself. He doesn't point the finger at somebody else. He always looks at, 'what could I have done better to win a game?'"
So, when it comes to handling the pressure of getting Kent State off to a good start in MAC play, and essentially saving the Golden Flashes' season, Spencer Keith just might be the right guy for the job.
"I don't think anything phases him, really," Kelley said. "He'll get mad at himself and frustrated, but pressure from starting a football game, I don't think that's going to be a problem at all." | http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=992237 | 1,242 |
Roberto Di Matteo has impressed at the Blues, but who will be next to take the hotseat?
When Andre Villas-Boas was sacked by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in early March, questions were instantly asked about whether a Stamford Bridge manager would ever be allowed the time to build a squad without fear of being relieved of their duties. The 34 year old from Portugal was, remarkably, their seventh different manager since Abramovich bought the club in 2003, and his notorious impatience has raised the issue of how attractive the post is for any individual with designs on creating a legacy at the club. Chelsea are, nonetheless, highly ambitous and well-resourced, and it is thus an appealing position for many individuals within football. There are a variety of plausible contenders for the job, each with their own unique strengths, and some of these candidates will be assessed below.
The current manager of Spanish giants Real Madrid and former manager of the Blues, Mourinho has the clear advantage of already having an established relationship with a number of Chelsea's players. His return would therfore be popular among the squad, while he and Abramovich appear to have reconciled after the falling-out which led to the Portuguese departing Chelsea in 2007. An exhaustive attention to detail and incredibly detailed approach to tactics are his hallmarks, as is his ability to create a closely-knit squad with an 'us against the world', while his preference for an effective, rather than aesthetic, manner of playing will be accepted if it can deliver trophies. The 49 year old's record at Porto and Inter Milan was similarly impressive, with the Champions League, mcuh desired by Abramovich, won at both clubs, and his Real Madrid side currently lead Barcelona in La Liga. Moreover, Mourinho is keen to return to England in the near future, although parhaps only if he can secure the La Liga title first, which would realise his career goal of winning the league championship in England, Italy and Spain.
The Catalan boss has rose to prominence following astonishing success at his beloved Barcelona, where their achievements and style of play have resulted in the feasible claim that they are the best side in the history of the game. A former Barca legend as a player, starring for the club in the 1990s, Guardiola returned to the club as coach of the Barcelona B team, obtaining promotion in his single year with them, before taking the reigns with the senior side and, sensationally, going on to win 13 out of 16 possible trophies at the time of writing. Similarly to Mourinho, he is renowned for his incessent preparations but, unlike 'The Special One', the 41 year old Guardiola is also recognised for his devotion to attacking, passing football in the manner of the manager he played under for Barca, Johan Cruyff. Furthermore, of encouragement to Chelsea supporters is his openess to managing in the Premier League, citing the demands of Camp Nou management as a reason why he is unlikely to remain there for more than another couple of seasons. However, it is also believed by some that Abramovich's impatience would deter Guardiola from taking the job, especially if other options, such as that of Manchester United, were to become available.
While not as distinguished as the two managers discussed above, the Everton boss for over ten years has proven himself to possess a special ability to maximise the resources at his disposal and maintain their position as a competitive club in the Premier League. Following a largely successful spell at Preston North End, the Scot took over at Goodison Park and has led them to the Champions League qualifying rounds and an FA Cup final, achievements made even more admirable by the limited finances available to him and the fact that he has been forced to sell many of the Toffees' best players, including Wayne Rooney, Joleon Lescott and Mikel Arteta. The 48 year old's evident ability has been recognised by the League Managers Association awarding him their Manager of the Year award on three occasions, in 2003, 2005 and 2009. In addition, if Chelsea do approach Moyes then he may feel that this is the time for a fresh challenge in the game, as the Stamford Bridge post would allow him the opportunity to spend with significantly more freedom than at Everton, and would give him the chance to test himself regularly in Europe. But like Mourinho and Guardiola, the instability surrounding this position may enocurage Moyes to cast his eye towards other offers that may materialise.
Roberto Di Matteo
The incumbent at Chelsea, albeit on a temporary basis, can also be included as a contender as a result of his relatively successful opening period as the Blues boss. He has appeared to have created positive relationships with his players, and does not seem to be hindered by his invlovement in the Villas-Boas era, where he was the assistant manager. Prior to re-joining Chelsea, where he experienced success as a player, he managed Milton Keynes Dons to the League One play-offs in 2009, and West Bromwich Albion to promotion to the Premier League the following year. Appointing the Italian as manager would be advantageous in ensuring continuity and avoiding an uncertain summer, and the 41 year old would almost certainly accept the job. His credentials, however, do not match those of the majority of the other contenders, meaning he wolud probably have to win trophy to come into Abramovich's thinking.
The Spaniard was mentioned as a possible short-term option when Villas-Boas was removed, before Di Matteo was chosen, and the former Liverpool manager is consequently likely to be on their shortlist. This suggestion was, though, met with disapproval by Chelsea fans and Abramovich may take this into account, although an individual that has accomplished what he has should not be discounted. The 51 year old famously won the Champions League, which Chelsea so crave, with Liverpool in 2005, the FA Cup in 2006 and led them to the runners-up spot in the Premier League in 2009. With Valenica before that, he twice was victorious in La Liga and also secured the UEFA Cup, proving himself with these two clubs to possess tactical intelligence of the highest level. His period at Anfield though, will be partly remebered for a number of disappointing signings, a tendency at times to set his team up perhaps overly defensively, and an unsatifactory final season, while his short spell with Inter Milan was far removed from what José Mourinho achieved at the Italian club. | http://footballspeak.com/post/2012/03/31/Chelseas-summer-dilemma.aspx | 1,308 |
I'd love to see him on the Northside of Chicago, bring him home TheoJed.
"Baby, it wasn't the Cubs fault when that douche bag grabbed the foul ball either, but they don't get a World Series ring. There are no asterisks in this life, only scoreboards."- Ari Gold
Some people are just supposed to suffer. That's why the Cubs will never win the damn series.
Victorino just got a 3 year 39 million dollar deal at 32 years old. Prime example - inflation of current market values.
If he got that, Granderson would get what on this market?
5/90 - easy
If he puts the same power numbers up and raises his batting average to 250 hes getting 5/100
I don't want to hear "The Yankees have too many holes as it is already" those arguments are invalid.
He's not going to be a Yankee, he will be traded in the coming days, count on it.
They didn't trade what they traded for him to let him have a great year and slip off. They are keeping Cano, Granderson and Hughes will be gone.
People keep saying "look what Pagan got"..
Well Pagan may not be a 40 HR hitter, but he isn't a bad player. Steals bases, something Grandy doesn't do anymore. Is a legit hitter, had a much better average, and had a better WAR than Granderson. Looking at his splits, I'd bet his power numbers would jump quite a bit playing half his games in Yankee Stadium.
I honestly doubt anyone would be offering Granderson 5 for 100
"Well, that kind of puts a damper on even a Yankee win."
-- Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto after reading a bulletin that Pope Paul VI had died
I can't remember when the Yankees were the ones selling on a power hitter in his prime.... lets not even mention getting good value.
Latest rumor Grandy to Phillie for Cliff Lee.
Arizona is about to deal Pitching prospect,Brauer to Clev. For Cabrera( that solves their need for a SS).
Which brings me to this, Ariz. needs starting pitching and Phillies want an OF'er but feel that Lee is better the Upton, Ariz. feels Upton is equal value-- hence the deal hasn't been made.
But if the Yanks give Phil. Grandy, then Ariz. gets Lee and we get Upton who will be making 9.5 mil this year freeing up 5.5 mil. For us to use on someone else.
How many more *******s will we have to listen to talking about Upton's upside potential? Look at his brother. Lots of potential and crappy results. Justin is the same. He's just not that good. He has hit his peak and won't get much better and see his skills slide faster than his big brother. He's a whiner and overrated to say the least. He's just not that good.
Package CG with some others for a decent catcher and pitching. We can fill OF holes from within and we always need pitching. We don't need another overrated OF with upside.
Sign AJ and jettison Grandy and Cano in a mega deal for pitching. Enough of this half assed patchwork
Swisher is rumored to be going to the Orioles, (nice out field with Jones and Markakis), and if we trade Granderson, then Justin Upton or Hamilton is really all that is left with Ichiro waiting in the wings...any thoughts?
olt and leoynis martin for granderson. both are under contract for a good 4+ years. olt can cover for arod at 3b while l.martin can start at cf rite away.
by acquiring granderson, rangers get a cheaper option then hamilton(5yr 90mill should keep grandy).
^ I'm sure 90mill will keep Josh also. | http://forums.prosportsdaily.com/showthread.php?785236-Yankees-Willing-To-Listen-To-Offers-For-Granderson/page3 | 816 |
LONDON - England's Manchester United,
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will find out their paths to a
possible Champions League final on home soil at Wembley when the
draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals is made on Friday.
The trio are joined in the draw scheduled for 11:00 GMT by
Barcelona, favourites to claim a second European crown in three
seasons, La Liga rivals Real Madrid, champions Inter Milan,
Schalke 04 of Germany and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk.
Barca ensured there would not be a quartet of Premier League
teams in the last eight be beating Arsenal in the last 16.
Pep Guardiola's men are the team to fear though many believe
this could be record nine-times winners Real Madrid's year after
they finally broke a six-year jinx to reach this stage.
With coach Jose Mourinho appearing to have the magic touch
in the competition after previous triumphs with Porto and Inter,
no side will relish locking horns with the Portuguese coach.
The draw is open so teams from the same country can play one
another leaving the possibility of a Barca-Real clash or
Manchester United facing Chelsea in a repeat of the 2008 final.
Bayern overcome heartbreak of losing two finals in three seasons by beating Dortmund 2-1
Decision not to send off Bayern Munich defender Dante rankles with upbeat Dortmund boss
Heynckes becomes only the fourth manager to win the European Cup with two different teams
Dortmund striker could soon join German rivals and newly-crowned Champions League winners
Ten years on, the legends speak to FFT
Your questions answered by an A to Z of legends
75% of all TV is Bale
On the road to ruin
Nike CR7 IX for you
FourFourTwo is brought to you by Haymarket Consumer Media & FourFourTwo is part of Haymarket Sport
| International Licensing | © Haymarket Media Group 2010 | http://fourfourtwo.com/news/championsleague/75676/default.aspx | 409 |
Absegami High School Boys' Soccer Team Advances to South Jersey Final
The Braves defeated Cherry Hill East, 2-1, in overtime.
Sean Milligan had both the game-tying and game-winning scores to lead the Absegami High School boys' soccer team into the South Jersey Group IV final.
The top-seeded Braves advanced to the championship game with a 2-1 overtime win over No. 13 Cherry Hill East in the semifinals of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV playoffs on Thursday, Nov. 15 in Galloway Township.
Zach Steinbeck put the Cougars up, 1-0, with a goal in the first half, but Milligan tied things up with a score on a penalty kick in the second half to force overtime.
Milligan scored the overtime goal for the Braves to help them advance to the final.
The Braves will face No. 2 Washington Township in the final on Monday afternoon, Nov. 19. Washington Township needed overtime to defeat Toms River North, 3-2, on Thursday.
The Braves improved to 19-2-1 on the season.
Absegami advanced to the semifinal round with back-to-back shutout wins in the playoffs. On Nov. 6, the Braves defeated Southern Regional, 2-0. On Nov. 12, Absegami shut out Cherokee, 1-0.
Cherry Hill East pulled off two upsets to advance to the semifinals. On Nov. 6, the Cougars knocked off fourth-seeded Lenape, 2-0. On Nov. 9, Cherry Hill East scored a 2-1 win over No. 5 Eastern Regional. | http://galloway.patch.com/articles/absegami-vs-cherry-hill-east-soccer-playoff | 348 |
Pick the winner of 35 college football bowl games and rank them in order of how confident you are in each.
You only need to make your picks once and you can compete against friends, family, and other football fans.
Compete for your chance to win a $2,000 Best Buy gift card by making the most correct picks.
Let the Bowl Mania Begin
By Will Harris
Alabama and Notre Dame are playing for the national title, but there are plenty of other games to predict as well.
ESPN.com's free College Bowl Mania game will be familiar to those who have played College Pick 'em. The principle is the same: Pick the winner of each game, then rank the games in the order of your confidence in those picks. The twist, of course, is that Bowl Mania requires you to rank 35 games in order of confidence rather than the usual 10.
You'll always be able to access your entry from the drop-down menu under the fantasy tab on the ESPN.com front page. Play against others from around the country or create your own private group to compete against your friends. The first bowl games are Dec. 15.
Handicapping bowl games can be both easier and trickier than regular-season games. Each team is a known commodity with a full season's body of work to dissect. However, the true stakes of each contest are not always readily apparent.
College football is unique among major sports in that teams compete for something other than the sport's overall championship during the postseason. That "something" is different from bowl to bowl, and each game's prize is not always valued equally by the combatants.
The college football postseason is the only situation in the major sports where one team that views the game as a meaningless exhibition might be pitted against another team that views it as a championship-type opportunity.
If you understand what the game means to each team and which teams are highly motivated to prepare and play their best, you'll be well on your way to Bowl Mania success. You'll then know which teams will likely play better or worse than their usual performance baseline, and that's the hard part. ... MORE
Will Harris reveals his Bowl Mania picks
Fantasy college football analyst Will Harris states the case for the participants in all 35 bowls, picks a winner and ranks his choices by confidence. Bowl Predictions
If you need more help making your picks, check out the following:
• Insider Audio: Phil Steele and Will Harris discuss their picks
• College Football PickCenter
• Overview of all 35 bowls
• Schlabach: Ranking all 35 bowl games
• Complete 2012-13 bowl coverage
Join Our Bowl Mania Message Boards
Have a group you'd like others to join? Do you think the right teams were selected for the right games? Let yourself be heard or just see what others have to say on the Bowl Mania message board.
Invite Your Friends
Import contacts from your favorite email providers and invite them to join your group and play College Bowl Mania with you! | http://games.espn.go.com/college-bowl-mania/en/frontpage | 616 |
|High School:||Deerfield Academy|
Goals: 4, vs. Yale (4/27/13)
Assists: 1, three times
Points: 4, vs. Yale (4/27/13)
Ground balls: 4, at Quinnipiac (4/9/13)
Scored one goal and registered one caused turnover in a matchup with Duke (March 30) ... Recorded one goal, one assist and one caused turnover versus Cornell (April 6) ... Scored two goals and posted one assist while also picking up a career-high four ground balls in a win over Quinnipiac (April 9) ... Credited with one goal in a victory against Penn (April 13) ... Dished out one assist in a matchup with Princeton (April 20) ... Named to the Ivy League Honor Roll after compiling a career-high four goals in a matchup with Yale (April 27).
Ranked as the No. 22 recruit in the class of 2016 by Inside Lacrosse … Played varsity lacrosse all four years at Deerfield Academy … Captain of the lacrosse team in 2012 … Helped the lacrosse team win three NE West 1 Championships from 2010-12 … Named Under Armour All-American and NILCA All-America third team in 2012 … Also named All-New England in 2012 … Leading scorer at Deerfield in 2012 … Also played three years of varsity football and one year of varsity hockey … Served as team captain of the football team as a senior ... An Honor Roll Student all four years of high school ... Volunteered as a peer counselor from 2011-12 … Acted as a proctor in 2012 … Mother, Wendy Ardrey, played tennis at Stanford … Father, Jamie Ardrey, played soccer at Dartmouth. | http://gocrimson.com/sports/mlax/2012-13/bios/ardrey_ian_7kcp | 362 |
Linden's Goal in Double OT Lifts Men's Soccer to 2-1 Victory at No. 18 Penn
Junior Tim Linden had three points on the day and won the game for Harvard at 108:10 of the second overtime (Gil Talbot).
PHILADELPHIA – Tim Linden netted a golden goal at 108:10 of the second overtime to propel the Harvard men's soccer team to a 2-1 win at No. 18 Penn Saturday evening. Brian Rogers also tallied a goal for the Crimson, while Brett Conrad recorded four saves in net. Linden, who scored his first career goal on the game-winner, led Harvard with a career-high three points.
With the win, the Crimson concludes its season 5-7-5 overall and 2-3-2 in the Ivy League, while Penn moves to 12-5-0 and 5-2-0 in the Ancient Eight.
Penn's Christian Barreiro broke a scoreless tie at 39:01 when he finished off a play with a shot from 25 yards out to give the Quakers a 1-0 lead. Travis Cantrall and Loukas Tasigianis earned assists on the score. Harvard wasted little time to tie the game, as Rogers accepted a pass from Linden and moved from left to right at the top of the box. Rogers then buried a shot into the top right corner at 41:16. Baba Omosegbon picked up the secondary assist for sending the ball to Linden.
In the second, Harvard forced two shots on net early, but Zack Wolfenzon and Baba Omosegbon saw their chances blocked away by Penn goalkeeper Ben Berg. Conrad made a stop on a kick by Stephen Baker at 96:32 of the first overtime, keeping the Crimson in contention.
Late in the second extra session, Connor McCarthy helped create a two-on-one with Linden down the left side. McCarthy sent a clean pass to Linden, who struck the ball with one touch into the back of the net for the game-winner. Ben Tsuda was credited with the secondary assist.
Shots were even, 15-15, for the game, while the Quakers owned the edge in corner kicks, 7-4. | http://gocrimson.com/sports/msoc/2010-11/releases/20101113_Penn_Recap | 464 |
Krohn Leads F&M over Bears
COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Caroline Krohn scored five goals to lead No. 7 F&M to a 15-4 victory over Ursinus in Centennial Conference (CC) women's lacrosse action Wednesday afternoon. The Diplomats have won five straight and improved to 11-2, 6-0 CC while Ursinus fell to 7-6, 3-3 CC.
Cat Serpe and Lauren Ehrhardt joined Erin Dunne in the 100 goal club. Serpe tallied twice and Ehrhardt finished with a goal and three assists for the Diplomats.
Ehrhardt' s goal came 1:37 into the game when she scored off a feed from Mary Mitchell to give F&M an early 1-0 edge. Ursinus answered with two straight to go up 2-1, but their lead was short lived as F&M scored eight unanswered goals in a 15 minute span to go up 9-2 at 9:30 in the first. Krohn had four goals in the run while Mitchell, Dunne and Serpe each tallied a point. Alyssa Thren struck twice for Ursinus to make it 9-4 at 3:15, before Lauren Selawski found Maggie Mae Shields at 2:31 to give the Diplomats a 10-4 halftime lead.
It was all F&M in the second half as the Diplomats accounted for all five points scored in the stanza. Ehrhardt assisted Dunne and Serpe for the first two scores with Shields scoring at 15:58. Casey Madden found twine after a pass from Shields to put F&M up 14-4 at 8:26 and Krohn finished off the scoring with a tally at 5:44.
Mitchell and Shields both came away with three draws and Serpe collected a game-high four groundballs.
Kelsey Hoffman picked up seven saves in the victory and improved to 11-2.
F&M returns to action on Saturday when the Diplomats travel to Haverford for a 12:00 noon contest.
SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 Tot
Franklin & Marshall. 10 5 - 15
Ursinus............. 4 0 - 4
Franklin & Marshall SCORING: GOALS: Caroline Krohn 5; Erin Dunne 3;
Maggie Mae Shields 2; Cat Serpe 2; Lauren Ehrhardt 1; Mary Mitchell 1;
Casey Madden 1. ASSISTS: Lauren Ehrhardt 3; Lauren Selawski 2; Mary Mitchell 1; Maggie Mae Shields 1.
Ursinus SCORING: GOALS: Alyssa Thren 2; Emily Diehl 1; Kitty Dawson 1. ASSISTS: Lauren Garganio 1; Kim Peifer 1.
SHOTS - Franklin & Marshall 31; Ursinus 16.
SHOTS ON GOAL - Franklin & Marshall 23; Ursinus 11.
GOALIES - F&M: Kelsey Hoffman (60:00 minutes, 11 shots-7 saves, 4 GA); UC: Riley Pembroke (60:00, 23-8, 15). | http://godiplomats.com/sports/w-lacros/2011-12/releases/20120411nxqjd3 | 651 |
Tiger falls out of top 50 in world ranking
LONDON — Tiger Woods is out of the top 50 in the world ranking for the first time in nearly 15 years.
Woods, who hasn't won in nearly two years, was assured of dropping from the top 50 when Louis Oosthuizen finished in a three-way tie for fifth in the Dunhill Links Championship.
That ends a streak of 778 consecutive weeks inside the top 50, dating to when Woods was No. 61 on Oct. 13, 1996.
Woods, who has not played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship, returns to competition this week at the Frys.com Open at CordeValle in northern California. | http://golfweek.com/news/2011/oct/02/tiger-falls-out-top-50-world-ranking/ | 147 |
Cal Poly Comes Back From Two Sets Down to Defeat Northridge
Oct. 9, 2009
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Cal State Northridge won the first two sets and looked to snap its four-match skid but visiting Cal Poly stormed back to take the final three sets to defeat the Matadors 16-25, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-11 Friday at The Matadome.
The loss is the fifth straight for Northridge (4-13, 0-4) who remain winless in the Big West after four conference matches. Freshman Brittany Graff had a team-high 15 kills (.205) to go with 15 digs and a pair of aces for the Matador in the loss. Junior Brittany Williams added 13 kills (.200) and nine digs while senior Angela Hupp contributed 10 kills (.132) and 31 assists. Sam Orlandini also dished out 22 assists and had two aces and Monica McFarland had a team-best 16 digs.
Northridge won set one handily 25-16 as the Matadors hit .300 as a team and limited Cal Poly to an .094 clip. Williams had five kills while hitting a blistering .625 in the opening frame.
The two teams traded the lead for much of set two before the Mustangs matched their largest lead of the set at 21-18 following a Catie Smith-Jennifer Keddy block on Northridge's Lynda Morales. But a pair of kills from Graff along with a co-block from Hupp and Chelsea Johnson propelled the Matadors on a 5-0 run giving Northridge the 23-21 advantage. After Hupp hit long pulling the Mustangs within 24-23, the Matadors went back to Hupp for a kill on set point.
After hitting .300 in set one and .308 in set two, the Matadors slipped to an .083 hitting clip in set three's 25-17 loss and then hit .121 in set four.
In set five, Northridge was able to muster just four kills in 18 swings while Cal Poly hit .261 on its was to the 15-11 win. The Matadors were still in it after Graff's kill gave Northridge a 9-8 lead but four consective Mustang points ended all suspense and Hupp's hitting error on match point sealed Cal Poly's comeback win.
For the Mustangs (6-12, 2-3), Megan McConnell led the way with 22 kills (.260) while Keddy added 12 kills (.400). Cal Poly libero Alison Mort posted a match-high 24 digs in the win.
Cal State Northridge wraps up its three-match homestand on Saturday as the Matadors host UC Riverside at 7 p.m.
- GO MATADORS - | http://gomatadors.com/sports/w-volley/recaps/101009aaa.html | 587 |
GridironGrit.com’s Fantasy Football Analyst Ryan Lester presents a wrap-up from Day 2 in the 2012 NFL Free Agency frenzy with a fantasy slant.
Calvin Johnson, also known as Megatron, signed the riches contract in NFL history on Wednesday. The 6-5, 236-pound receiver’s deal is worth a whopping $132 million with $60 million guaranteed for eight years. Look for Johnson, hands down one of the NFL’s top targets, to provide Matthew Stafford with an out-of-this-world weapon for years to come as he’s now expected to be a Lion for life.
The Philadelphia Eagles landed a long-term contract (five years) with one of its premier play-makers, DeSean Jackson. He comes with his fair share of headaches, but his talent and game-changing ability is unparalleled.
Kansas City solidified its backfield by acquiring former Cleveland Browns RB Peyton Hillis to a one-year deal. While his fantasy value descends, I’m not certain his style is suited for lead back carries, anyway. Jamaal Charles takes a hit as well, but the same probably holds true for the speedster.
Laurent Robinson turned his breakout 11-touchdown season into a long-term deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’m not saying he’ll never be heard from again, in fact, he’ll most likely be featured more often with his new club, but Blaine Gabbert will take a tole on Robinson’s role in fantasy value. Chad Henne was brought on board, but he isn’t much better.
The Tampa Buccaneers had millions of dollars stuffed under their mattresses for show as they surprisingly held on to their cash for a rainy day last offseason. But the Bucs opened up their treasure chests, signing the likes of cornerback Eric Wright and guard Carl Nicks, following Tuesday’s addition in Vincent Jackson.
Dallas dished out $100,000 more for Brandon Carr than St. Louis spent on Cortland Finnegan. Carr looks to significantly help the secondary-starved Dallas Cowboys. The team also signed Kyle Orton to a three-year agreement. Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten owners have to be feeling pretty warm and fuzzy.
The Minnesota Vikings signed tight end John Carlson to a five-year, $25 million deal. The team used a second-round selection on Kyle Rudolph, so either this team loves tight ends too much or has been watching tape of the New England Patriots. | http://gridirongrit.com/2012/03/2012-nfl-fantasy-football-free-agency-frenzy-perspective/ | 528 |
Ladies and gentlemen, we are not alone.
NBA players like Jamal Crawford, whose Portland Trail Blazers missed out on the postseason this season, are locked in on the action every night as well. So when there’s a wild ending to a game or series, or both, as we had in Philadelphia and Boston Thursday night, Crawford is watching each and every second just like we are.
The only difference is, he knows what it’s like to be in that huddle when there are 3.5 seconds left and the play that either saves or ends a season is being drawn up. He knows what it’s like when those game-winning free throws drop through the bottom of the nets. He knows that euphoric feeling of seeing the plan come together as well as he knows that empty feeling when you come up short.
And that’s why we couldn’t think of a better guest to share his insights than our main man and Hang Time favorite @JCrossover (on Twitter) to give us the lowdown on what he’s seen so far.
Check it out on Episode 78 of the Hang Time Podcast featuring Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford:
As always, we welcome your feedback. You can follow the entire crew, including the Hang Time Podcast, co-hosts Lang Whitaker of SLAM Magazine and Sekou Smith of NBA.com, as well as our superproducer Micah Hart of NBA.com’s All Ball Blog and the best engineer in the business, Jarrell “I Heart Peyton Manning” Wall. | http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/05/11/hang-time-podcast-episode-78-with-trail-blazers-guard-jamal-crawford/ | 326 |
No one can say for certain when the Miami Heat’s 21-and-counting streak of consecutive victories is going to end. But everyone knows when and where and against whom it started: a 100-85 cruise over the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre on Feb. 3 that the Heat broke open in the second half to bump their record to 30-14.
Miami is back there Sunday, clearing a much gaudier 50-14 through customs this time. Unless the Raptors, who haven’t beaten a playoff-bound team in nearly a month, pull off something thoroughly unexpected, the Heat will tie the 2007-08 Houston Rockets for the NBA’s second-longest winning streak. From No. 22, it’s a clear path – 11 games (seven on the road) and 10 opponents (Charlotte twice) – to the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. For perspective on its durability, that 33-game streak of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West & Co. has lasted longer than the span between Babe Ruth‘s 714th home run and Henry Aaron‘s 715th.
|Heat upcoming schedule|
After the matinee in Toronto this time, win or lose, Miami will promptly wing its way to Boston for Monday’s game against the Celtics. Last time, though, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the rest of them stuck around Ontario several hours longer, an unusual deviation from the standard NBA itinerary that led to an unscripted moment and, ever since, these extraordinary results.
What was so special? Shane Battier gave his “famous” speech.
That’s how Wade refers to it, anyway. And it’s moving up the charts fast to rank with the best of Knute Rockne, Vince Lombardi and Norman Dale in terms of sports impact.
Remember, Feb. 3 wasn’t any ol’ Sunday afternoon. It was Super Bowl Sunday, pitting the Baltimore Ravens against the San Francisco 49ers, the No. 1 must-see sports event of the calendar for most red-blooded U.S. sports fans. Yet here the Heat sat up in Toronto, scheduled to fly home when they should have been sprawled and nacho-ed out on multiple couches like so many of their fellow citizens. Feeling a little cranky about it, too.
“We talked about how not being able to watch the Super Bowl,” veteran guard Ray Allen recalled Friday night in Milwaukee. “it wasn’t ‘the American Way.’ We were all disappointed because there was so much hype going into it. We wanted to see the game. The organization made it happen.”
Miami management arranged for the team to watch the game (Ravens 34, 49ers 31) at a sports bar in downtown Toronto. Good times flowed, even with the Heat facing a back-to-back wrap-up against Charlotte the next night. It was on the bus to the airport that Battier was moved to get to speechifying.
“It was in the spirit of the Super Bowl – a great game,” Battier said. “In the spirit of teamwork and camaraderie. … We have a saying around this club, ‘Touching the people.’ I was giving the people a soulful touch. It’s metaphorical. It’s very Zen-like.”
The more Battier was pressed for details, though, the cagier he became. As if revealing the content of his verbiage might sap it of the success it has generated, however coincidental it might be.
“You have to ask my teammates about the speech,” the veteran role player said, smiling and laughing. “I can’t give the same speech twice. It’s like a rainbow. Once it’s gone it’s gone. Let it be. That’s the beauty of it.”
Fair enough. So what was the speech about?
“Just touch the people,” forward Udonis Haslem said. “People want to be touched. Sometimes it’s going to be uncomfortable. Sometimes they might get carried away. But touch the people. The fans. And enjoy these moments, because they’re going to come to an end some day.”
Oh, that speech…
It might seem a little disconnected, that a topic like “touching the people” would translate into the third-longest winning streak in league history. That a Kumbaya, I-love-you-man hoot on a charter bus might play a role in propelling the Heat to nothing but victories for the next 41 days and counting.
But it could be one of those “if the Miami players believe it made some difference, then it did” sort of things.
“That just brought us closer,” Haslem said. “We were never separated. We’ve always been connected as a group. But I think, definitely, doing things off the court only helps the relationships on the court.”
Said Allen: “Whether you want to say it’s coincidental or not, anytime you have an opportunity to have some team-bonding and building off the floor, it always bodes well in your favor. Especially throughout the long season. You take every little break and opportunity you can.”
It doesn’t hurt that, in Battier, the Heat have one of the NBA’s most coveted “glue” players, a wily vet who does whatever is needed in the moment, no matter how grimy or thankless the task. During the streak, apart from his defense, the 6-foot-8 forward from Duke has averaged 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists, while shooting 52.8 percent from 3-point range. All his numbers are up compared to the season overall.
“He’s a big part of everything we do here,” Allen said of Battier. “Without guys like that, it’s hard to put together streaks like this, where you have consistency and habits and selflessness out there on the floor. He’s one of those guys who does the intangible things, so yeah, he does have a big part in it.”
It’s also more than a curiosity that Battier was a starter on the 2007-08 Rockets team that strung together those 22 victories. That makes him the only player in NBA annals to have played for two of the three teams with the longest winning streaks.
As Miami bears down on Houston in the No. 2 slot, Battier isn’t conflicted at all. “You live in the moment,” he said. “I look at what I’ve done in the past with a smile and a reminiscent kind of time, but I’m enjoying living right here, right now.”
Clearly he’s more than a good-luck charm in terms of winning streaks. Battier is a valuable piece of the Heat’s puzzle, same now as when he helped them win a championship last June.
And never forget, he’s a speech-giver. No, really: Battier is registered with the Washington Speakers Bureau, an agency that lines up pricey gigs for athletes, celebrities, business leaders, politicians, Nobel Prize winners and anyone else sought to entertain and inform a group.
In the WSB fee structure, Battier is a 4, which means he’ll typically be paid $15,000 to $25,000 per speaking engagement. He still makes more than that as an NBA player – his $3.135 million salary works out to about $38,231 per game – so it make sense that he threw the Heat a freebie that night in Toronto.
With results like this, though, it won’t be long before Battier’s podium price gets up there in Tom Brokaw-Frank Caliendo-Tony Blair territory. None of whom, it should be noted, ever won 21 in a row. | http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/03/16/battiers-speechifying-gets-credit-in-sparking-the-streak/?ls=iref:nbahpt3a | 1,726 |
HOUSTON – The man from the radio station has him running through a list of the familiar questions: favorite restaurants and foods and things to like about Christmas, when suddenly here comes a curveball.
“Do you know the words to Rudolph?”
Chandler Parsons grins while looking around for a way out.“I guess the smart answer for me at this point would be to say no,” he replies.
Then a few seconds later, his head is bouncing up and down as he’s singing: “… and if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.”
Why not? Parsons is having the time of his life.
In a season when the first verse of every song about the Rockets centers on the high-profile backcourt pairing of James Harden and Jeremy Lin, Parsons has been in the background providing the chorus. The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 15.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. The fact is he scores significantly more than the heralded Lin (11.3) and ranks 12th in the league in average minutes played (37.6).
“Where would we be without Chandler?” asked Rockets’ assistant Kelvin Sampson, who served as interim coach for nearly a month when Kevin McHale took a sabbatical. “Not as much in the mix of a lot of games.”
Parsons has been the stirrer, whether by making 3-point shots, driving to the hoop or hitting the boards. He’s one of those players who finds a way to get a rebound, a tip-in, a loose ball, anything to make something happen. The kind of role-filler that every good team seems to have.
So how does that kind of player have workouts for 17 different teams prior to the 2011 draft and have all but one pass on him? How does a live wire not make a spark to be selected until the 38th pick of the second round?
“Because he’s not great at any one specific thing,” Sampson said. “He doesn’t seem to have a discernible talent. I don’t know if enough people in the NBA value intangibles when it comes time to draft or acquire players.”
Parsons first opened Sampson’s eyes early last season during a practice when after a defensive switch he was suddenly matched up against 6-foot point guard Jonny Flynn.
“I’m thinking, ‘Oh, this will be interesting,’ ” Sampson said. “But I’m telling you Jonny Flynn did everything he could to get by Chandler and he couldn’t. He moved his feet and he kept in front of him. Left, right. Time after time. Jonny Flynn couldn’t find a way around.
“Then I noticed that in our 2-on-2, drills, 3-on-3, 4-on-4, 5-on-5, Chandler’s team always won. There’s a value to that. That’s a big deal to me. After all, winning is what we’re supposed to be all about.”
General manager Daryl Morey says the non-traditional analytics used by the Rockets actually rated Parsons high.
“I think often teams believe that guys that play roles in college can’t translate that over to the NBA,” he said. “But the truth is we’ve got him doing the same things here that he did at Florida.
“It’s hard to know for sure what happened. It’s not an exact science. Obviously, he shouldn’t have made it to 38.”
When the lockout hit a year ago, Parsons signed to play in France to stay active and upon his return was forced to miss just about all of the abbreviated training camp while bureaucratic details with his contract were being worked out. Yet Parsons quickly found his way into the lineup, starting 57 of the 66 games and watched over the summer as the Rockets did a purge of almost their entire roster, trying to land Dwight Howard, and eventually bringing in free agents Lin and Omer Asik. But there were several weeks when he was one of the few holdovers and the Rockets sent him out into the community as a face of the franchise.
“I was watching all of the things that were going on, seeing what Daryl was doing and it got me excited,” Parsons said. “I kept thinking that I was glad that I was staying. Or at least I hoped to be staying.”
He spent the offseason in the gym working religiously on his outside shooting. He knew the only way he would ever get to do the things he liked in the NBA — attacking the basket to make plays for himself and his teammates — was to make defenses honor him on the perimeter.
“I was always shooting the ball differently last season,” Parsons said. “I had no arc on my shot. It was flat. Everything was a fadeaway. I wouldn’t hold on my release. It took thousands and thousands of shots in the summer, but now I feel comfortable.”
His 3-point shooting has improved from 33.7 percent to 37.5 and his free throws from 55.1 to 72.6. He’s scored in double figures 17 times in the 23 games he’s played and had his biggest games against high profile teams — 25 vs. the Heat, 24 vs. the Lakers and 31 vs. the Knicks, 20 vs. the Spurs.
“I think the best thing I do on the court is my playmaking,” Parsons said. “And I think now that teams are respecting me more for my shot, it opens up the floor for me. Now I’m shot-faking, making plays for other guys and having the time of my life playing ball for a living and doing anything they want. I’ll sing. I’ll dance.”
For now, the Rockets will be content to keep Parsons humming. | http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/tag/jonny-flynn/ | 1,303 |
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05-12-2012, 06:25 PM
The No Kool-aid Zone
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Hockey Purgatory
Originally Posted by
You keep spewing the same thing over and over so I am not going to respond to most of it. But two things:
No one knows going forward what his production will be. But your expectations are at the low end of the spectrum - you may turn out to be right, but nonetheless, most people expect more from him. As a GM, you would be an idiot to demand a return based on the low end of expectaions. You try to find a trading partner who is at the optimistic end of the spectrum but at the very least, you work with middle to top half. The majority of GMs in the league would see Iggy as a good bet to pot 35 or so for each of the next two years on a good roster. And then start to regress from there.
Low end? Keep dreaming fanboy. Look at the list of 500+ goal scorers and then look at their production in the tail ends of their careers. That will tell you what to expect from Iginla. I feel I was being really generous saying Iginla will score 100 more goals in his career. You are aware that 100 more goals would put Iginla in the top 15 goal scorers in NHL history? That would be an impressive accomplishment, and extremely unlikely. Like I say, look at the list and the production of those players down the stretch of their careers.
Any GM that thinks Iginla can score 35 goals for each of the net two seasons should be immediately fired from his job. History says otherwise. Iginla's personal play says otherwise. Iginla was a great player, still remains a very good player, but time and the style of play in the league are going to take their toll.
As for Bourque - terrible comparison and shows how badly you are missing the mark with Iggy. Bourque was 38 when traded and had been considering retiring for at least a couple years (it was an annual watch). The Avs fully understood that they were getting a 39 year old who was long past being great and was coming over for either one or two years as a veteran leader and dressing room guy.
Find a comparable then. Bourque is the best from I can find, since people hate the comparison between Guerin and Iginla. I think you sell Bourque short, who really only lost his desire to play once he hoisted the Stanley Cup. Bourque was a great player right up until the end. I guess you forget that Bourque scored 59 points in his final season, only 8 less than Iginla this past season.
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XII | "C-C-C-COLUMBO BREAKER" | Oilers @ BJs | 2.10.13 | 4:00PM MT | SNET-W
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02-10-2013, 12:52 PM
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Omicron Persei 8
Originally Posted by
This is the free bingo spot on the calendar for the Oilers and always has been. Omark even owned this club.
If you can't beat Columbus its going to be a longer year than anybody thought.
Yeah, the Oilers should win today.
And then the post game thread will be filled with "See? Told you to relax" and "Told you guys to step back from the ledge"
All will be well in Oiler land if we manage to thump the mighty Blue Jackets.
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Find More Posts by Puritania | http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showpost.php?p=59428665&postcount=49 | 191 |
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Fleetwood-- There are tough losses, and then there is what Lower Dauphin endured on Thursday afternoon.
Despite a stirring rally in the bottom of the eighth, the LD Falcons fell to Pennsbury in nine innings in the PIAA CLASS AAAA quarterfinals.
“That team battles, Lower Dauphin really battles. They weren’t done, so there was no reason to expect that it would be an easy ninth,” Pennsbury coach Frank McSherry said.
As the game waged into extra innings; McSherry’s Pennsbury Falcons struck with two outs in the top of the eighth. After the first two batters of the inning reached on back to back singles, LD pitcher Katie Moosic retired the next two hitters.
With runners on first and second, Lauren Cregan smoked a two run triple to deep left center field. Taylor Boltersdorf picked up Cregan from third to increase the bulge to 6-3 heading into the bottom of the inning.
“I’ve been struggling for a while now and my teammates been have stayed behind me for a long time. They’ve been helping me at practice and not letting me get down on myself. I just wanted to put the ball in play and fortunately it was a good hit,” Cregan said.
LD shook off the blast by Cregan and quickly loaded the bases. The quick pressure put a wave of optimism into the Lower Dauphin contingency.
Casey Alcorn, who had tied the game in the sixth with an RBI single, knocked in two runs with a bloop single to right. Three batters later, Madison Kotchey stepped in with two outs and runners on first and second. Kotchey was plunked for a second time on the afternoon to load the bases.
With Megan Donlan at the dish, Buehler threw a wild pitch to the right of the plate, scoring Megan Saich from third and tying the game. Two pitches later Donlan hit a dying quail behind first base, which would have scored Alcorn and ended the game. Pennsbury first baseman Suz Swanicke made a nice over the shoulder snare to end the threat.
With the game knotted at six, Farryl Groder put the final nail in the Lower Dauphin coffin with a two out RBI single in the top of the ninth. LD went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame for a heartbreaking end to their season.
“It was definitely a shocker when they tied it, but props to them. They could have hung their heads but they came out and got the hits when they needed it to tie it up,” Cregan said.
Big Spring 2, FortLeBoeuf 1: The Bulldogs scored both of their runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, to reach the semifinals. Two batters after Brooke Sullivan doubled, Morgan Paynter cranked a double of her own for the game’s first run. Paynter scored two batters later on an error. Calli Pastor gave up five hits and struck out six before being relieved by Taylor Mansfield in the sixth. Mansfield picked up the last five outs, earning the save and sending the Bulldogs to the final four.
Greenwood 3, Northeast Bradford 1: After giving up the game’s first run in the top of the inning, the Wildcats plated three in the bottom of the third for the game’s only scoring. Big swinging Amy Heggenstaller went 2-for-2 and drove in one of the runs in the inning. Jess Heichel held Northeast in check the rest of the way, striking out five batters on the evening | http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/news/article/-7283816697635867882/hs-softball-lower-dauphin-falls-in-hearbreaker/ | 793 |
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Notre Dame Academy brought its sophomore-laden squad into the St. John Villa gym in Arrochar Thursday night for the CHSAA Island opener for both teams, and the young visitors played like seasoned veterans in a 49-40 victory.
“We’re not tall, and we’re young, but these girls are like sponges when it comes to learning the game,” said NDA coach Tom Cavanagh, whose troops improved to 2-0 overall. “It’s a pleasure to get them in the gym every day. They work hard and want to improve with each and every practice. And it’s not just a few players, it’s everyone of them. That’s why there is balance.”
And the balance was not just in the scorebook where the top three scorers tallied 11 points (Christina Pasaturo), 10 (Elana
Sanchez) and nine (Vanessa Hannafin), but everywhere else on the floor.
It didn’t matter which of the nine Gators were on the floor at any given time, they all handled the ball well, hit the boards, ran the back-door cuts, and consistently spotted the open man while running the floor.
The Bears did play the visitors even for three quarters, due mostly to a 21-point performance from Dorothy O’Neill, but when the Gators displayed another of their talents -- team defense -- in the second quarter, it was the difference in the contest.
Sanchez scored the first eight points of the deciding stanza, the NDA defense held the Bears to just four free throws, and the visitors took a 23-14 advantage into halftime.
O’Neill did try to get her squad back in the game in the third stanza when she notched seven points, but Hannafin drilled three consecutive treys from the right corner to keep the hosts at bay.
“Vanessa and Christina bring that leadership we need,” Cavanagh added. “And the young players have bought into the system. I think we have the makings of a very special group here. It’s going to be interesting.” | http://highschoolsports.silive.com/news/article/8182520700191020766/nda-takes-balanced-49-40-girls-hoop-victory-over-villa/ | 474 |
|Philadelphia lands Kris Versteeg||Tweet|
|Written by Dobber|
|Monday, 14 February 2011 18:47|
Fantasy Impact: The Toronto Maples Leafs have traded forward Kris Versteeg to the Philadelphia Flyers for a first and a third-round draft pick, both in 2011.
The Leafs get: that prescious first rounder that they have been dying to recapture ever since the Phil Kessel trade. Over the past week, they have added a first and a third round pick this summer, plus a conditional fourth for a future year.
The Flyers get: an energetic, hard-working second liner who really steps it up in the playoffs. In Versteeg, we haven't seen his best yet. This is a player who could put the team over the top in the playoffs, judging by what he did in several games for the Blackhawks last spring.
Fantasy Players Impacted: Versteeg gets to play with either Claude Giroux, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, or Daniel Briere. All of whom are upgrades on Tyler Bozak or Tim Brent. As noted in my Deadline Day breakdown for this division (his picture was even the headline!), Nazem Kadri stands to possibly see another promotion. The Flyers almost have to trade Nik Zherdev now. Not only is his contract up this summer, and not only have they said that they won't be re-signing him, but he was getting scratched even before they brought in this extra body. This will also eat into Andreas Nodl's ice time and, like it or not, it will probably hurt Ville Leino and James van Riemsdyk as well.
Fantasy Players this helps, in order:
2. Joffrey Lupul
4. Fabian Brunnstrom (perhaps a recall is on the way?)
Fantasy Players this hurts, in order:
3. van Riemsdyk
|Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 February 2011 07:37| | http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3462:philadelphia-lands-kris-versteeg&catid=19:nhl-deals | 416 |
Panic over whether of not Peter Mueller and Chris Stewart would be re-signed, can be alleviated knowing that the two dynamic players will be in Denver for a few more years. Mueller, a trade from the Phoenix Coyotes, agreed to a 2-year deal, as did breakout candidate Chris Stewart. The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, but eventually the figures will be updated on the team’s roster. Both players have tremendous value for the organization.
Mueller was drafted as a rookie by Phoenix, but wasn’t able to achieve the level of play he hoped. Perhaps the Rocky Mountains and lack of air helped his focus and influence on the plays at hand. Chris Stewart as a superstar, crept up throughout the season to become a quiet hero in the world of hockey.
The Colorado Avalanche are expected to only turn in a 9th rank in the Western Conference just behind Calgary. The Flames will always be ranked within reach with Jarome Iginla as captain. Though the young Avs fought their way into the playoffs, exiting in the first round at the teeth of the Sharks, they exceeded expectations. Joe Sacco has created a comfortable learning environment for a lively new generation of Avalanche loyals. Gone are veterans Darcy Tucker and Marek Svatos, but Adam Foote remains as the throwback captain from Stanley Cup days.
It’s the first day of Avs Training Camp and I stroll in as usual to face a handful of fans watching the newest additons to the Mile High city. Entry Draftee Joey Hishon and top prospect Kevin Shattenkirk displayed their skills. Ah, the sweet sounds of skates and slapshots hypnotized my thoughts as I followed these two up and down the ice. The kids looked alert and ready to play, but nothing earth shattering on the first day.
Facing difficult cuts, it’s too early to tell how these two newbies will fare warming up for their big stint, most likely ending in Lake Erie. Last year, Ryan Stoa debuted well, but has been up and down taking time to develop. So was the case for Brandon Yip and T.J. Galiardi who broke on through to excellence, particularly Galiardi who was named one of the top rookies last season. Galiardi was poised to be a stand up player, so we’ll see how Hishon and Shattenkirk dazzle over the next week.
Meanwhile, the Avs No. 3 draft pick, Matt Duchene, has performed above expectations just as the Avalanche rose above the naysayers and nudged into the playoffs. Matt took time out to fish and volunteer his time to help others in his first NHL summer, and that’s why the Avs have the reputation of being the nice guys.
But the bad boys of the defense really aren’t that turbulent. Bringing in David Koci last year was uneventful. His performance is average, and he kicks up a few fights here and there, but the Kyles will have to gain some might. On the horizon, Shattenkirk, Cameron Gaunce and Stefan Elliott will head the blueline. Gaunce was a standout last year, as was Elliott, but Elliott isn’t eligible to play in the NHL yet.
Day two of rookie camp reiterated puck skills and scrimmages. Cameron Gaunce stood out today, holding a majority of the ice time. His stance near the crease made him a formidable wall for the offense. Shattenkirk loosened up a bit and took more shots. Overall, the rookies played hard and goofed around on the ice after the early dismissal for the day.
Formal scrimmages took place today in front of a packed house of Avs fans, and will continue through the weekend. It’s nice to see hockey alive and well in the Mile High city. The rink attracting the most attention included Craig Anderson and John Grahame in net. But all I saw was the hustle and energetic body contact Chris Stewart put out on the ice. Stewart was excited and well-rested to get the Avs back
in business. T.J. Galiardi displayed his talents as he did last year in camp,
but this year he stepped up his game and demeanor as an NHL player.
The overall play was swift and paced well. Rookie Shattenkirk hasn’t been
able to get his NHL legs in motion quite yet, playing cautiously and being
shy on the get go. Cameron Gaunce continues to fight for a spot on the Avs,
or the next call-up potential. He stood his ground and scored on assists. The
combination of Galiardi-Stewart-Gaunce ignited some good chemistry.
To end the day, a handful of fans watched as Ryan O’Reilly took shots on the
empty net after the other players had left the ice. Expect Duchene and
O’Reilly to prepare for their skills to be noticed as the Avs start their
On the last day, the Avalanche moved players in and out of scrimmages,and puck drills. The fans marveled at Chris stewart, who looks solid and strong. The fighting unit, Cody McLeod, Kyle Quincey and former Phoenix Coyote, Dave Winnik, who particpated in a few scraps. Hobey Baker winner, Kevin Porter, continues to develop his NHL skills and had more ice time during the scrimmages. Peter Mueller and Matt Duchene ended training camp practicing passing drills as fans left the arena.
If you play fantasy hockey, make sure you check out my fantasy section for weekly picks. | http://hockeyheidi.wordpress.com/tag/stewart/ | 1,180 |
Sophomore year is when you’re supposed to make the leap in college hockey. You’re forgiven for mistakes as a freshman, but in your second year, it’s time to show what you’re made of, and for a lot of players, it’s the sophomore season that proves whether they’re ready to play at a high level.
But what if you’re already playing at a high level when you’re a rookie? What comes next?
The answer to that is what we’re seeing in Johnny Gaudreau this year.
Gaudreau was a revelation as a freshman last season, coming one point short of leading the Eagles in scoring with 21 goals and 23 assists. But he was playing on a team with Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass.), Barry Almeida (Springfield, Mass.), Paul Carey (Weymouth, Mass.) and defenseman Tommy Cross (Simsbury, Conn.) – seniors whose high level of play allowed Gaudreau to fly under the radar and get his feet under him as a rookie.
Now those local boys are gone, and for all intents and purposes, the Eagles are Gaudreau’s team. Nobody would have blamed the Calgary Flames prospect from Carneys Point, N.J., if he took a step back, bent under the pressure of being the big man on campus and had a good old fashioned sophomore slump.
Apparently, nobody told Gaudreau that was allowed. Instead of struggling, Gaudreau has excelled even more in his second year at Chestnut Hill. Entering this weekend’s games, he leads the Eagles with 9-10—19 totals, which also has him locked in a battle for the Hockey East scoring lead with New Hampshire’s Kevin Goumas. At the rate he’s going, Gaudreau would finish 2012-13 with 28 goals and 31 assists, and those 59 points would make him the most prolific sophomore in Hockey East since Maine’s Gustav Nyquist topped the scoring charts with a 19-42-61 line in 2009-10.
That point total would also almost certainly make him the Eagles’ scoring king, which would put him in elite company. The list of sophomores who have led the Eagles in scoring through the years includes such luminaries as Cam Atkinson, Brian Gionta, Marty Reasoner, Craig Janney, and in 1966-67, a young man from Watertown named Jerry York.
Gaudreau’s already solid 2012-13 season got a big boost Nov. 24 against Dartmouth, when he scored two goals and three assists to lead a 6-3 romp. He’s scored a point in every game this season, and is averaging 1.73 points per game. If the Dartmouth game is the start of a surge, Gaudreau could be well ahead of Goumas by the time 2012 becomes 2013.
It’s pretty clear Gaudreau’s freshman season wasn’t a fluke. It’s also pretty clear that now that he’s a year older, a year wiser, perhaps a little stronger and in charge of the BC attack, he’s ready to lead.
Player of the Week
Kevin Goumas, jr., UNH
The Wildcats had a great trip to Colorado, and Goumas was the keystone. He took over the league’s scoring lead with a seven-point weekend, including a hat trick with two assists against then-No. 2 Denver on Nov. 24.
Game of the Week
Boston College vs. Boston University, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (NBC Sports)
It’s always a big deal when these two teams meet, but this time there’s history on the line. BC coach Jerry York enters the home-and-home set one win away from tying Ron Mason’s all-time coaching victory record of 924. If the Eagles win Friday night at Agganis Arena, it sets the stage for York to go for the record-breaker against his greatest rival, Jack Parker and BU, at Conte Forum on Saturday night.
Boston College (10-1-0, 8-1-0 HEA) – A lot went right for the Eagles against Dartmouth on Nov. 24, chiefly the top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Pat Mullane and Steven Whitney, who combined for 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) to key the BC victory. That trio (22-25—47) has supplied nearly half of BC’s 104 points in 11 games this year.
New Hampshire (9-1-2, 6-1-1 HEA) – Saturday’s upset of Denver didn’t look good early on, as sophomore goalie Casey DeSmith (Rochester, N.H.) was pulled after giving up three goals on five shots in nine minutes. But junior Jeff Wyer, who had played in just three games in his career and none yet this season, stepped in and made 18 saves as hat tricks by Grayson Downing (his first) and Kevin Goumas led UNH to a most unlikely comeback win over the then-No. 2 Pioneers.
Boston University (7-4-0, 5-3-0 HEA) – The No. 9 Terriers rebounded from a loss to UNH on Nov. 18 with a win over St. Lawrence Saturday, giving freshman Sean Maguire his first collegiate shutout on 21 saves as BU continues to feel its way through a two-freshman goalie rotation. Freshman Sam Kurker (Reading, Mass.) also scored the first goal of his career.
Providence (6-5-1, 4-3-0 HEA) – After getting shut out by Quinnipiac on Nov. 20, the Friars bounced back big with a 7-0 pounding in their Mayor’s Cup game at Brown, led by freshman Jon Gillies’ (Portland, Maine) 35-save shutout effort and goals from seven different players, including the first of Tom Parisi’s career.
UMass-Lowell (4-5-1, 2-4-1 HEA) – The River Hawks have scored 11 goals in their last two games, and against Princeton on Nov. 24, they did all their scoring in a 1:22 window late in the second period, with Terrence Wallin, Michael Colantone and Joe Pendenza pushing UML to its second straight win.
Merrimack (4-6-2, 3-3-1 HEA) – A non-conference game came at the right time for the Warriors, who tied Colgate on Nov. 13 to stop their three-game losing streak. Still, with no wins in four contests, things have looked brighter in North Andover, Mass., than they do right now.
Northeastern (4-7-1, 2-6-1 HEA) – The Huskies are on a three-game losing streak after falling to St. Lawrence on Nov. 23, and they scored two goals in each of those defeats.
UMass (4-5-2, 3-5-1 HEA) – By the numbers, there’s almost no argument against making sophomore Kevin Boyle the No. 1 in Amherst. He’s 2-0-2 in his last four games, and the Minutemen are 0-3-0 when he doesn’t play. His 1.59 goals against average and .939 save percentage are both sixth best in the country.
Vermont (2-7-2, 2-5-2 HEA) – The Catamounts dropped a pair to Minnesota at home in the Gophers’ first-ever visit to Gutterson Fieldhouse, but the UVM penalty kill continued to shine, nixing eight of nine Minnesota power plays in the two-game set, improving to 36 kills on its last 40 opportunities.
Maine (2-9-1, 1-5-1 HEA) – The Black Bears were idle over the post-Thanksgiving weekend, and get back at it with two home games against Vermont this weekend. | http://hockeyjournal.com/news/colleges/hockey_east/Hockey_East_Journal-_Gaudreau_takes_charge_of_Eagles-_attack?dec=/printer-decorator | 1,722 |
Hurricanes Bury Penguins
Tracking the Storm: Analysis
- The Carolina Hurricanes wanted to establish themselves as a tough team to play against at home, and they did so tonight, downing the Atlantic Division-leading Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1. Jiri Tlusty potted two goals, his fourth two-goal effort in his last nine games, and Cam Ward, who was “celebrating” a leap-year birthday, made 26 saves. Head coach Kirk Muller said it was the most complete effort the team had put forth at home this season. “The guys were focused and ready to go,” he said. “You could see it this morning, the energy of knowing we had some guys back.”
- The Canes had a glut of injured players reinsert themselves into the lineup, as Jeff Skinner, Tim Gleason, Tim Brent and Jamie McBain dressed, and all contributed in some way. Skinner scored a goal (his eighth of the season), Gleason recorded an assist (his third of the season), Brent logged 3:35 of power play time as the quarterback on the first unit and Jamie McBain played 18:32, evening out the ice time among the six defensemen. “They all wanted to play, and they all did a great job jumping in and contributing,” Muller said. “That’s how you build a team with that kind of character.”
- This was the first time Jordan Staal faced the team he played 431 games with over six seasons, and it was clear the Hurricanes – after dropping Alexander Semin’s homecoming on Tuesday – wanted to win this one for Staal. Though he didn’t record a point, Staal was a plus-one and logged 21:27 of ice time.
- In what he called his best game at home this season, Ward stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced in the Canes’ win. Five-for-five on the penalty kill tonight, the Hurricanes have killed off 22 of their last 23 penalties. Ward was quick to credit the group in front of him. “For the most part, we contained their high-skilled players,” he said. “Blocking a lot of shots and not giving them anything.”
- Despite falling 3-0 in Washington on Tuesday, Ward was a bright spot, making 37 saves. He carried that play seamlessly into tonight. “We got him some goals tonight,” Muller said. “He’s focused right now. When he plays like that, he’s up there with the elite goalies. He was competing tonight. I liked how he was mentally prepared.”
- The Hurricanes continue to thrive in the second period at home. With three goals in the middle frame tonight, the Canes have outscored opponents 13-4 at home and 23-13 overall in the second period.
- Muller is not one to shy away from a symbolic opening lineup; he started Ryan Murphy in his first NHL game, he started Kevin Westgarth in his 100th career game and he started Semin in Washington on Tuesday. So, Muller threw Jordan Staal’s line out to start, which set the stage for Staal and Brandon Sutter to take the opening faceoff. Staal won the draw. “It was his game tonight,” Muller said. “He was definitely going to start no matter who it was”
- The Hurricanes have two straight divisional match-ups ahead, as they face Florida in a home-and-home, back-to-back over the weekend. “This is a big week for us,” Eric Staal said. “The division is tightening up. We want to stay ahead and get ahead of the group.”
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Jiri Tlusty had two goals and an assist, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Pittsburgh 4-1 on Thursday night in ex-Penguin Jordan Staal's first game against his former team.
Eric Staal had a goal and two assists, Alexander Semin added two assists and Jeff Skinner scored a goal in his first game back from a concussion.
The Southeast Division co-leaders erased an early 1-0 deficit by scoring three goals in a span of 6 minutes, 14 seconds and won for just the second time in six games.
Chris Kunitz scored for the Penguins, who entered leading the Atlantic Division but were held without a power-play goal for the first time since Feb. 2.
Cam Ward made 26 saves for Carolina.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 25 shots for the Penguins, who have lost the first two games of a three-game road swing.
All the pregame attention was on Jordan Staal's first meeting with his former teammates since the blockbuster trade on draft night that sent him to his brother's team for Brandon Sutter and others.
But while Jordan Staal didn't show up on the score sheet, big brother Eric sure did: The line he centered for Tlusty and Semin produced three goals.
The Hurricanes started their scoring binge in the final minute of the first period, tying it at 1 with 24.1 seconds left when Eric Staal redirected Semin's spinning shot.
Tlusty then made it 2-1 by stuffing in the rebound of Eric Staal's close-range shot 4:03 into the second.
Skinner pushed the lead to 3-1 just 1:46 later when he scored off a pretty backhand pass from Patrick Dwyer.
Tlusty capped Carolina's three-goal second period and made it a three-goal game with 10.1 seconds left.
That had the Hurricanes on their way to yet another victory over a non-Southeast Division team. They are 0-5 against the other four teams in their division - and 10-3-1 against everybody else.
This one started just as the stat sheet suggested it would - with the Penguins scoring first.
Sidney Crosby delivered a pretty cross-ice pass to Kunitz, who fired a one-timer past Ward to make it 1-0 with 6:46 left. The Penguins entered outscoring their opponents 23-9 in the first period, while Carolina had been outscored 21-7 in the opening 20 minutes.
And for more than 19 minutes of the period, it looked as though those stats would hold - until Staal's redirection started the Hurricanes' flurry against Fleury.
NOTES: Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said C Evgeni Malkin, who missed his third straight game with a concussion, skated for the second consecutive day at the team's practice facility south of Pittsburgh - and uncorked a nifty trick shot, sending a puck into a bag from center ice. Bylsma said there is no timetable for Malkin's return. ... Skinner was one of four Hurricanes who returned from injuries, joining D Tim Gleason, D Jamie McBain and C Tim Brent. ... Carolina was 1-4 without Skinner.
|Three star selections | http://hurricanes.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2012020291 | 1,477 |
09/08/2011 12:47 PM
- From the Minneapolis Star Tribune
By Brian Stensaas-
Former Gophers (and Rockford IceHogs) men's hockey player Nick Angell gets only two English-speaking television channels at his apartment in Berlin. But what he saw on the screen upon arriving home from practice Wednesday came through poignantly in any language.
"I saw something right away about a plane crash in Yaroslavl and like 38 people or whatever were killed and I thought, 'Oh [no], I hope it wasn't that hockey team,' " Angell said via phone. "I did a quick thing in my head like, 'Who do I know in Yaroslavl?'"
Angell soon found out it was the team, and hoped for the best thinking maybe there would be more survivors.
But through text messages with players around the globe, Angell's fears were confirmed.
Two of the players killed in Wednesday's crash -- goaltenders Stefan Liv and Alexander Vyukhim -- were former overseas teammates.
He declined to elaborate on his friendship with either player, saying only he knew Liv, an Olympian from Sweden, better.
"I'm sick to my stomach," Angell said." I am at a loss for words. It's a huge blow for fans, players and hockey in general."
The crash killed 43 people in all, including former Wild standout Pavol Demitra.
Angell, 31, played at Duluth East before helping the Gophers win the 2002 NCAA championship as a senior defenseman. He is in his ninth season playing overseas. He played on teams in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Germany before spending last season in the Kontinental Hockey League -- the same league as the ill-fated Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team.
Angell spent most of the last season with the KHL team Metallurg Novokuznetsk in southwestern Siberia. The team flew a chartered Tu-134 aircraft when on the road. Angell compared its appearance to "a World War II bomber."
The Yak-42 plane that crashed Wednesday was an improvement -- a newer model -- from those planes, Angell said.
"Where I was, we were 5 1/2 hours from Moscow, so that was a lot of flying," Angell said. The airplanes, he said, "looked [poor] from the outside. Inside, they're actually kind of nice. But, you know, I never got a look on the inside at the engine."
Angell was asked if he always felt safe flying in Russia.
"Absolutely not," he said. "There's no safety check or anything. Just get on, take off.
"I've never had an experience where we dropped 400 meters or anything; it was actually pretty good. But that plane we had, even though it was smooth sailing, it had a glass-nose front."
Angell said the plane his team used could not be used to fly into Latvia. Instead, the team had to land in Moscow and switch planes.
"From what I understand, our plane was not allowed," he said.
Angell had the chance to play in the KHL again this season, but opted to go back to Germany -- where he's playing for the Berlin Polar Bears and is reunited with former Gophers teammate Barry Tallackson -- for a welcomed change of pace.
"You can imagine the difference between Siberia and Berlin," he said. "I had the KHL experience one year, and it was enough for me there." | http://icehogs.com/news/links/index.html?article_id=3047 | 744 |
The supporters Man of the Match from the game against
Lincoln City Supporters Trust is giving Imps fans an opportunity to say who their Man of the Match was, all you have to do is e-mail us with the name of the City player you feel deserves this accolade.
We will accept nominations up to 48 hours after the game has finished and will then publish the name of the Supporters Man of the Match on our website, www.impstrust.co.uk
We are keeping a record of votes and use these to decide on the Supporters Trust Player of the Season award. There will also be a prize for the supporter making the most contributions and, in the event of a tie, we will draw a lucky winners name. So remember, when you vote for your Man of the Match tell us your name as well.
To vote, simply e-mail the name of your Imps Man of the Match, and your own name, to [email protected] | http://impstrust.org.uk/news.aspx?id=296 | 203 |
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Eldridge Massington commits to UCLA
By Damon Sayles
ESPN 300 wide receiver Eldridge Massington (Mesquite, Texas/West Mesquite) will get the Los Angeles college lifestyle after all. It’ll just be on the other side of town.
Massington verbally committed to UCLA on Tuesday night, becoming the 19th commitment of the Bruins’ 2013 recruiting class. The commitment comes exactly two weeks after the 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiver parted ways with USC.
Massington, who is still rehabbing a torn ACL in his left knee, originally was set to make a decision on Saturday between UCLA and Alabama. Massington, however, said his decision was made after he finally received a gut feeling -- something he said was missing for the last few days as he weighed his options among UCLA, Alabama, Arizona State and Tennessee.
“I just looked at all the pros and cons of everything, and I felt like UCLA was what I needed to do,” Massington said. “It got stressful at times. At first, I really didn’t know where I wanted to go, and my gut feeling wasn’t speaking to me. I did a lot of praying, and something told me to go to UCLA.”
Massington was recruited to UCLA by offensive line coach Adrian Klemm and receivers coach Eric Yarber, but almost every coach was in on conversing with him. He had a chance to get to know coach Jim Mora and his staff on a recent official visit.
The overall sincerity of the staff was something that won Massington over. Being a part of a program looking to turn things around played for a close second in reasoning.
“The coaching staff, I can feel what they were saying,” Massington said. “When [Mora] came to see me and talked to my folks, the way he talked to me, you can tell they wanted and needed me. With them being a growing program, I feel it can be a growing success.”
What Massington wanted everyone to know, however, was his decision was not out of spite. Massington said his decommitment stemmed from recent conversations with the USC coaching staff and his inability to arrive on the campus in January. Massington is a December graduate, and he was looking to be in college for classes and rehabilitation next month.
“I want everybody to know that I have no hard feelings toward USC,” Massington said. “I didn’t choose UCLA to get back at them. I still have love for USC.”
Massington did say that he has plans to run track for UCLA upon arrival. His knee is close to being fully healthy, and he’s hoping to be a major contributor as a sprinter. Massington was a district champion as a junior for West Mesquite.
“I’m at a stage right now where I don’t even feel anything anymore,” he said. “I can explode, but I’m still rehabbing strong to get it to a full 100 percent.”
Ranked No. 167 in the ESPN 300, Massington participated in The Opening over the summer. He caught 41 passes for 667 yards and six touchdowns during his junior season. He is ranked No. 17 among receivers nationally and No. 23 among players in Texas for the Class of 2013. | http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecruiting/southeast/print?id=12907 | 717 |
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Landeskog's status (update)
By Tom Carpenter
UPDATE: According to the Denver Post, Gabriel Landeskog (concussion) is due to return for Saturday's matinee between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings.
"Finally back. Excited. Feels good out there," Landeskog said after his first full practice since the injury. "Finally, I get out of that pumpkin (orange no-contact) jersey. I'm extremely excited and eager to get back in the lineup and help the guys."
Since coach Joe Sacco doesn't want to break up the Jamie McGinn--Matt Duchene--P.A. Parenteau line, Landeskog is expected to skate with center Paul Stastny and winger David Jones. In which case, Aaron Palushaj will be demoted to the fourth line.
UPDATE: The Colorado Avalanche could get a much-needed boost in the next few days. The Denver Post reports forward Gabriel Landeskog "might rejoin the team this week". The Avs captain has been skating recently.
UPDATE: The Colorado Avalanche could have its young captain back earlier than anticipated.
The Denver Post reports Gabriel Landeskog has been upgraded from "out indefinitely" to "day-to-day". The squad is "hopeful that Landeskog will skate soon."
Gabriel Landeskog got on the ice for a little stick-handling Sunday, but he isn't quite ready for game action, according to Terry Frei of the Denver Post. He will remain on injured reserve and unavailable for Monday's game.
"No timetable," said Avalanche coach Joe Sacco.
"He was seen by the medical staff and went through the proper protocol, the proper process, and he passed everything," Sacco added.
About all we know about Landeskog's situation at this point is that he has a head injury. The Avs don't let injured players who are not practicing speak with the media, so the young captain has been mute on the subject of his health and status. At this point, we are simply in a wait-and-see mode. | http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nhl/rumors/print?id=790 | 455 |
MIAMI — Florida State’s biggest weakness heading into its Orange Bowl game against Northern Illinois might be Midwestern geography.
The Seminoles concede they’d be hard-pressed to locate their opponent in an atlas.
“I could probably find Illinois,” receiver Rashad Greene said. “I don’t really know where the town is. Actually I don’t even know the town.”
“DeKalb?” Seminoles kicker Dustin Hopkins said. “Hey, next time I’ll know.”
“I thought it was in Chicago,” quarterback EJ Manuel said.
Cue the cliche: A victory Tuesday night would put Northern Illinois on the map. The No. 16-ranked Huskies have been widely derided as unworthy of a BCS bowl berth, which makes them eager for validation when they face No. 13 Florida State.
“We’re playing a team that is going to be willing to bloody their noses and get after you,” Seminoles offensive coordinator James Coley warned.
Northern Illinois (12-1) is the first Mid-American Conference team to play in the Bowl Championship Series.
The BCS busters arrived in South Florida without apology.
“There are a lot of angry people out there,” NIU offensive coordinator Bob Cole said. “But there are probably 120 of us in the hotel that are really happy about the whole deal.”
The Huskies have won 12 games in a row, matching Ohio State and Notre Dame for the longest active winning streak. Quarterback Jordan Lynch leads the nation in rushing and total offense, and he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. | http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/florida-state-seminoles/2012-12-31/story/seminoles-set-take-underdog-northern?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JacksonvillecomSports+%28Jacksonville+sports+news+-+Jacksonville.com+and+The+Florida+Times-Union%29 | 362 |
Infante rests a sore left groin
MIAMI — A sore left groin is keeping Omar Infante out of the starting lineup on Saturday night, but the Marlins are hopeful the veteran second baseman is ready on Sunday.
Infante felt some discomfort during his final two swings in Friday’s 5-4 win in 11 innings against the Astros at Marlins Park.
Infante is available to pinch-hit on Saturday. Donnie Murphy got the start at second base.
“He’s available, but we don’t want to take any chances,” said Marlins bench coach Joey Cora, filling in as Ozzie Guillen serves his five-game suspension. “If we need him today, he will be there. And hopefully tomorrow he will start.”
The day of rest is more of a precaution.
“It’s not worth it. It’s too early in the season,” Cora said. “He came up at the end of the game, and he was sore. He came out today, saying he’s ok. We decided it ain’t worth it. Probably, if it was September, and we were in the middle of the pennant race, he’d be out there. It doesn’t make any sense.”
– Joe Frisaro | http://joefrisaro.mlblogs.com/2012/04/14/infante-rests-a-sore-left-groin/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=f35e2c39af | 285 |
Oct. 24, 2012 — Last Friday night in Olive Hill, the winless West Carter Comets had a chance to grab its first football victory, but Lewis County saw things differently.
Behind a big and powerful offensive line, playoff-bound Lewis County handed the Comets its ninth loss of the season, ending the game with a 48-20 final.
Even with the loss, the Comets continued its trek towards improving its football team.
In the first half, it was all Lewis County, as quarterback Levi Clark picked up the first score of the night with a five-yard scramble, six minutes into the game.
Cory Chrisite lit up the scoreboards twice more for the visitors, resulting in long arduous drives which saw Lewis County eat up the clock.
The Lions led the Comets 21-0 at the half.
An opening 24 minutes full of mistakes, changed face in the second half for the Comets. West Carter wasted no time in scratching the scoring column with a freshman-to-freshman connection by way of a Braden Brown 56-yard touchdown pass to a streaking Zach Walker.
A two-point conversion by Dallon Dean cut the Lewis County lead to 22-8.
This was as close as the Comets would come; as the Lions went on to score three-straight touchdowns the remainder of the period.
In the fourth, Austin Travis picked up a 16-yard touchdown, while Ralph Wages added a 20-yard scamper to the endzone just before time expired.
West ended the game with 254 yards total offense, while Brown went 5/12 passing on the night for 81 yards and a touchdown.
With the loss, West Carter falls to 0-9 on the season, with its final chance for a win set for this Friday against Boyd County on the road.
Journal-Times sports will have more on the Comets’ season finale in next Wednesday’s edition.
Grant Stevens can be reached at [email protected] or by telephone at 1-800-247-6142. | http://journal-times.com/localsports/x699461891/Comets-mauled-by-Lions | 431 |
AMCC Championship Weekend at Hilbert College
- Release Date:
- February 20, 2013
- The Office of Sports Information
- (716) 649-7900 ext. 333
HAMBURG, NY – The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference’s Final Four pairings for the men’s basketball tournament are set now that last night’s first round games became official. The top four seeds advance and will square off February 22 (6/8pm) with the Championship game set for February 23 (3pm) at Hilbert College. Hilbert earned the right to host the AMCC tournament as the #1 seed after the Hawks (14-4) defeated La Roche (14-4) twice during the season.
Hilbert (20-5) will face Medaille College (17-9), who coasted to a 97-68 first round win over Mount Aloysius (16-10) last night. The cross-town rivals will tip at 6:00 pm Friday while La Roche (16-9) will square off against Penn State Behrend (18-8) at 8:00 pm. Behrend moved on after they defeated Pitt-Bradford (13-13) 63-42 in Erie, PA.
The AMCC Championship game between the Friday night winners will begin at 3:00 pm February 23.
Admission is $5 per adult and $2 for students under the age of 21 years. Any Hilbert faculty, staff or student with ID will be admitted free.
The AMCC champion secures the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. WebStream Sports along with the NCAA will produce a Division III Men’s Basketball Selection Show scheduled to air on www.NCAA.com Monday, February 25 at 12:30 pm.
Hilbert dropped two close games to Medaille this season but are currently riding a six-game win streak and playing with a ton of confidence.
The Hawks are led offensively by seniors Anthony Hodge (16.6 points and 2.5 steals) and Dan McFarland (14.0 points and 3.28 assists). Freshman Jerame Owens (11.3 points, 52% FG, 8.8 rebounds and 1.64 blocks) clogs up the middle and has grown into a strong presence in the paint.
The Mavericks, known for their impressive shooting percentages, boast sophomore Jammal Coleman’s 16.4 points a game with 53.6 field goal percentage and senior Tyler Steven’s 46.1 three-point field goal percentage, averaging 2.36 long distance scores a game. Senior Josh Laureano quarterbacks the offense distributing 5.24 assists a game and holds a 2.02 assist to turnover ratio.
La Roche claimed an exhausting 71-69 triple over-time road victory at Behrend in early January before they grabbed a 51-47 win late in February.
The RedHawks, an emotionally-driven team, challenge opponents defensively and have a very balanced offensive attack. Senior Joel McIntosh is 6 away from breaking 1,000 points in his career after averaging 12.1 points per game this year. Lionel Perkins chips in 11.6 points per game and David Jackson pulls down 9.0 rebounds a game and averages 9.9 points.
Penn State Behrend comes into post-season with a #4 national ranking in 3-point field goal percentage defensive (27.8%) as well as the #5 national ranking for scoring defense, holding their opponents to 56.4 points per game. All the while, they average only 13.3 personal fouls per game (#6). Senior Russ Conley carries the Lions with his 19.6 points per game, 60.6% field goal shooting and 8.2 rebounds per game. Nick DeLisio chips in 11.5 points and 3.2 assists per game.
BY THE NUMBERS:
In the head-to-head-to head numbers, each team is 3-3 overall.
Hilbert’s victories were over La Roche (73-71, 79-75 OT) and Penn State Behrend (63-50)
La Roche captured wins against Penn State Behrend (71-69, 3OT; 51-47) and Medaille (68-59)
Penn State Behrend took home wins over Medaille (72-69, 64-55) and Hilbert (68-61)
Medaille secured victories against Hilbert (80-70, 92-83) and La Roche (82-62)
YEARS OF PARTICIPATION:
Penn State Behrend is the senior team in the conference, marking their 15th year participating in the Championship weekend series. La Roche follows with 10 appearances while Medaille and Hilbert make 6 and 5 shows respectively.
Hilbert College, located in suburban Hamburg, N.Y., south of Buffalo, is a private four-year college founded in 1957 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition. With nearly 1,100 students, Hilbert is a dynamic Western New York college that offers career-focused majors, including one of the top criminal justice programs in the region, and more than 50 minors and concentrations. The college’s engaging, student-centered campus community offers numerous leadership, internship and service learning opportunities from which students launch successful careers while making positive changes in their communities. Hilbert has expanded its academic offerings with the college’s first graduate programs, one a master’s in criminal justice administration and the other a master’s in public administration, and new Accelerated Degree Programs geared to adult learners. | http://[email protected]/app.aspx?st=3002&e=newsdetail&nav=counseling&newsid=7550 | 1,162 |
NFL 2011 Season – Week Seven Preview
As the 2011 NFL season creeps closer to its halfway point, at least four teams will make starting quarterback changes in time for the games of week seven. Meanwhile, other teams may soon consider coaching changes, since eight teams have one victory or less.
NFL schedule for Sun. Oct. 23:
San Diego Chargers at N.Y. Jets – 1:00 PM
New York seeks to build on its win over Miami on Monday night, while San Diego comes off a bye week in hopes of extending its three-game winning streak. Quarterback Mark Sanchez has been inconsistent for the Jets (3-3), but a leaky offensive line has not helped. The Jets hope to get help from the running game, as the Chargers (4-1) have the second-best pass defense in the league, allowing just 179.6 passing yards per game. On offense, San Diego will use running back Ryan Mathews frequently, so quarterback Philip Rivers won’t have to throw often against excellent Jets cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Rivers will benefit if tight end Antonio Gates can return after missing three games due to injury. The Jets need to put pressure on Rivers, just like they did to Miami’s Matt Moore, whom they sacked four times on Monday.
Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1:00 PM
The game is at Wembley Stadium in London, England. It’s the second time Tampa Bay (4-2) has played a regular season game in London, with the last taking place in 2009. Last week, Chicago (3-3) used Devin Hester’s speed to score twice and dominate Minnesota, but they may have been more satisfied that quarterback Jay Cutler was protected well. He’s still been sacked 19 times, the second-most in the league. Tampa Bay seeks to add to that total and contain Hester and running back Matt Forte, who is fifth in the NFC in rushing yards per game (87.8). If the Buccaneers can create four turnovers, like they did against the Saints last week, they can make it a long trip for the Bears. Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount is doubtful with a knee injury. Earnest Graham will carry the load in his place.
Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers – 1:00 PM
John Beck steps in at quarterback to take over for Rex Grossman, whose four interceptions sabotaged Washington’s offense last week. The Redskins (3-2) must take advantage of a Carolina run defense that allows 140.3 yards per game, second-worst in the entire NFL. Expect Ryan Torain to get many carries against the Panthers (1-5), as Beck gets comfortable with the offense. Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton must steer clear of dynamic Redskins rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who will look to keep Newton from making plays. Tight ends Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen could be key for the Panthers. If they can keep the linebackers and safeties busy in coverage, Newton can exploit any defense.
Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions – 1:00 PM
Detroit (5-1) has another tough matchup just a week after suffering its first loss in 2011. The Lions must protect quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Atlanta pass rush and find a way to generate enough of a running game to keep the defense from playing pass-only sets. If running back Jahvid Best, who left the loss to San Francisco with concussion-like symptoms, doesn’t play, the Falcons (3-3) may blitz Stafford even more often. If Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan has time to throw, he can take advantage of the Lions secondary with receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones. Falcons running back Michael Turner is primed for a big day, too, after seeing Frank Gore run for 141 yards against the Lions last week.
Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns– 1:00 PM
Seattle (2-3) hopes quarterback Tarvaris Jackson can return from a pectoral strain. If Jackson can’t go, Charlie Whitehurst will start. Regardless of the starting quarterback, the Seahawks will need running back Marshawn Lynch to produce yards and points against a Cleveland rushing defense that is 27th in the NFL. The Browns (2-3) may not get many yards out of running backs Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty because the Seattle run defense gives up just 97.8 yards per game. Browns quarterback Colt McCoy will have time to throw, since the Seahawks have just eight sacks. If McCoy can improve his accuracy, he can use the pass to set up the Cleveland running game.
Denver Broncos at Miami Dolphins– 1:00 PM
Miami (0-5) is still winless, while Denver (1-4) is switching quarterbacks — Tim Tebow for Kyle Orton — coming off a loss and a bye week. Tebow’s mobility and playmaking skills may expose a Dolphins pass defense that allows 284 yards per game, 29th in the league. Miami quarterback Matt Moore will start just his second game of the season. After suffering four sacks, several dropped passes and two interceptions against the Jets on Monday, Moore will face a fast and potentially devastating Broncos pass rush, led by rookie linebacker Von Miller and defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Worse, the Denver secondary is filled with veteran players who feast on inexperience. Dolphins running backs Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas are ailing, but they must help Moore for Miami to have a chance to win.
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – 1:00 PM
Houston (3-3) must do a better job of protecting quarterback Matt Schaub. He’s been sacked seven times in the past two weeks, both Texans losses. Without injured wide receiver Andre Johnson, who will also miss this week’s game with a hamstring injury, Houston hopes that running back Arian Foster can help roll up yardage. Tennessee (3-2) gives up only 18.8 points per game, so scoring could be a struggle. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the NFL’s sixth-rated passer, has been solid for the Titans. He’ll see a lot of pressure from a Texans defense that has 17 sacks, tied for third-most in the NFL. Houston must add to that total without star linebacker Mario WIlliams, who is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Titans running back Chris Johnson is always a threat to take over a game. He has 327 yards in his past two games against Houston.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders– 4:05 PM
New acquisition Carson Palmer, who will have only practiced three times this season, may start at quarterback for Oakland (4-2), which lost Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone last week. The Palmer trade speaks volumes about how little faith the Raiders have in backup Kyle Boller, who will start if Palmer doesn’t. It also suggests that Oakland will run the football with NFL rushing leader Darren McFadden, regardless of its quarterback choice. Kansas City (2-3) knows all about injuries. The Chiefs lost running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Tony Moeaki for the season weeks ago. They have yet to score a rushing touchdown. Kansas City running backs Thomas Jones and Jackie Battle must have some impact on the game, otherwise the Raiders’ defense, which has 16 sacks, will chase Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel all day long.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals– 4:05 PM
Pittsburgh (4-2) is led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who should compile great numbers against Arizona’s vulnerable secondary. If the Steelers can get another big day from running back Rashard Mendenhall, who had 146 yards rushing against Jacksonville last week, they should score a lot of points. The Cardinals (1-4) come off a bye week hoping that running back Beanie Wells, tied for third in the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game, can help quarterback Kevin Kolb control the ball, and the clock, by converting third downs. Arizona faces a Pittsburgh defense that gives up the least yards per game in the NFL (270.5).
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings – 4:15 PM
Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder gets quite the challenge in his first career start for Minnesota (1-5) when he faces the unbeaten, defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers (6-0). Ponder, who takes over for the ineffective and recently immobile Donovan McNabb, will have running back Adrian Peterson on his side. He’ll also throw against a Packers secondary that gives up nearly 300 passing yards per game, second-worst in the NFL. However, the Green Bay defense will show many different looks to Ponder and force him to beat them. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose 122.5 quarterback rating leads the NFL, is having an MVP-like year. He has 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Rodgers should continue to shine, unless Minnesota can pressure him, force turnovers and keep the ball out of his hands.
St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys – 4:15 PM
Dallas looks to become the latest team to victimize the St. Louis secondary, with receivers Dez Bryant and Miles Austin looking to have big games. However, quarterback Tony Romo must stay away from the game-changing turnovers that have too often marred his play for the Cowboys (2-3). Dallas is much more talented than the Rams (0-5), so they should not allow St. Louis to stay in the game too long. Running back Steven Jackson can be a force for the Rams. However, with the Cowboys rushing defense allowing just 69.6 yards per game, the best in the NFL, Jackson may not have much impact this week. St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford has been sacked an NFL-leading 21 times. Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware looks to add to that total.
Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints – 8:20 PM
New Orleans (4-2) averages 29.5 points per game, and Indianapolis (0-6) allows 27.2 points per game, 29th in the league. The Saints need only to limit turnovers and allow quarterback Drew Brees to find his receivers to dominate the winless Colts. A sustained running game from backs Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram would help New Orleans take pressure off Brees and tight end Jimmy Graham, who last week tied an NFL record for tight ends with four consecutive 100-yard receiving games. The Colts will rely on quarterback Curtis Painter, since running back Joseph Addai is questionable with a hamstring injury. If Painter can sustain drives and throw more touchdowns to Pierre Garcon, Indianapolis may be able to keep pace with the Saints.
Mon. Oct. 24
Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars – 8:30 PM
Baltimore (4-1) figures to attack Jacksonville rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert with everyone they have on defense. The Jaguars (1-5) allowed the Steelers to sack Gabbert five times and register many other hits during last week’s loss. The Ravens possess even more speed than the Steelers on defense. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, tied for third in the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game, is the only threat in Jacksonville’s offense. To compete, the Jaguars defense must create problems for Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, who wins games but is rarely spectacular when doing so. Flacco has turnovers, which Jacksonville will need to win.
On Bye: Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, San Francisco | http://keyj.com/nfl-2011-season-week-seven-preview/ | 2,373 |
The Central College men’s indoor track and field squad rode two more exceptional performances on Saturday to a stunning second-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday – and nearly a national title. The Dutch finished just one point behind defending champion North Central.
Leading the way for the Central men was Kurtis Brondyke, who captured the team’s second individual title in two days, as he and Ethan Miller finished one-two in the pentathlon. Miller had an outstanding two-day performance at the meet, as the second place finish on Saturday added to an individual title in the high jump and another silver medal in the long jump.
The Dutch also got a shocking second place finish from Matt Graber in the shot put, as he unleashed a throw of 55 feet, 7 inches – breaking his own school record by nearly a foot. The second place finish in the team standings was the first trophy for the Central men since 2000, when the Dutch finished third at the outdoor championships.
The Central women also had an exciting day, as the 4×400 meter relay team earned All-America honors with a fourth place finish. Both the men’s and women’s squad are now on a short break before beginning the outdoor track and field season on March 25th and 26th at the Viking Olympics in Rock Island, Illinois. | http://kniakrls.com/2011/03/central-college-1-point-shy-of-national-championship/ | 277 |
Washington happy for Clint Hurdle’s new gig
Texas Rangers Skipper Ron Washington chatted on MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” on Monday. He had this to say on Clint Hurdle being hired by Pittsburgh as new manager:
“I’m very happy that he got an opportunity to manage again. I know that is it something that he has in his heart, that he really wanted to do. We certainly will miss him.”
“In Hurdle we trust.” Thanks to @chrissytinaaa for making the photo! | http://kristylovesherbuccos.mlblogs.com/2010/12/06/washington-happy-for-clint-hurdles-new-gig/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=193d2e3278 | 127 |
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KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page
Sat February 2, 2013
Inside The Training Room: Uncovering Football's Scars
Originally published on Sat February 2, 2013 4:41 pm
On the eve of Super Bowl Sunday, host Laura Sullivan speaks with former NFL lineman Tre Johnson and writer Tom Junod, whose piece in this month's Esquire takes readers into the training room, where players recover from their many injuries. And in many ways, those injuries last a lifetime. | http://krwg.org/post/inside-training-room-uncovering-footballs-scars | 107 |
Kukla's Korner Hockey
by Paul on 06/12/07 at 05:43 PM ET
from the CP via the Globe and Mail,
A teenage hockey goalie has won $7,500 in a lawsuit that was filed after he was cut from his his midget AAA team.
Henri Richard — a Quebec court judge and not the former Montreal Canadiens star — says the Montreal Predateurs’ decision to cut Alexandre Di Ruocco was a serious blow to the teenager’s hopes of making it to the big leagues.
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About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at [email protected] | http://kuklaskorner.com/hockey/comments/judge_henri_richard_rules_in_favor_of_cut_goalie | 246 |
Is Austin Becoming a Soccer Town?
You might have noticed strange behavior in Austin lately. Bars packed at odd hours, people dressed in unusual athletic attire. World cup fever is raging, and some people are saying it’s a turning point for Central Texas, people like Paul Nash.
Around 10:00 AM Friday Nash is at the Crown and Anchor Pub with friends, cheering on the Dutch soccer team and partaking in a newly discovered tradition: the World Cup morning beer.
He said he never really followed the game until this year’s World Cup.
“Several times a week we’d get together and watch soccer games. It became a lot more entertaining a lot more fun,” Nash Said. “I’m finding myself getting into it more. I didn’t even realize that I would just be getting up and shouting and yelling at the TV screen, which I never did before for a sport other than football.”
Nash said a lot of his friends in Central Texas have caught the soccer bug, and thinks this year is the beginning of big changes for fans of the sport. But not everyone agrees.
Down the street Todd Conshafter and his Brazilian wife Valeria were at Sao Paulo restaurant routing for Brazil.
The Conshafters don’t think Americans are ready to fully embrace the game.
“I mean if the US team did better they would probably get more and more people behind them,” said Todd seconds before Brazil gave up a goal to the Dutch.
So, who’s right?
I asked someone in Austin whose job it is to know.
Phil Rawlins is the president and owner of the Austin Aztex, Austin’s only professional level soccer club. He says lately more people have been coming to watch them play.
“We’re seeing about a ten to fifteen percent increase just prior to the World Cup,” said Rawlins, “and then post the World Cup we’re definitely seeing a spike in interest.”
And next door at Soccer USA, the manager Bill Tripplet said business is booming. The store sold out of USA jerseys and has been doing a brisk business in Dutch jersey’s since that team’s victory against Brazil.
But is that enthusiasm sustainable? Rawlins said national trends point to yes.
“We’ve got a really strong bedrock of support and interest in the county,” said Rawlins. “That get’s piqued by things like the World Cup. So our job is to get people out to the games and carry on that enthusiasm that people are seeing in South Africa into the local community here in Austin.”
Back at Sao Paulo restaurant Valeria Conshafter was dubious.
“[Brazilians] are born cheering for Brazilian soccer and the local teams. It’s always a big deal,” she said.
According to Conshafter, the US has a long way to run before it can catch Brazil. | http://kut.org/2010/07/is-austin-becoming-a-soccer-town/ | 636 |
Raise your hand if you’ve ever ground up the antlers of a deer and ingested the velvet for its performance-enhancing effect. Good, looks like we’re not alone here. Apparently ingesting deer antler spray is the latest rage among baseball players. So much so that MLB actually has issued a warning against players, according to Tom Verducci at SI.com.
Verducci writes that “chemists have figured out that the velvet from immature deer antlers includes insulin-like growth factor, or IGF-1, which mediates the level of human growth hormone in the body, and is also banned by MLB and the World Anti-Doping Agency, among others, for its muscle-building and fat-cutting effects.”
The best part about antler spray, if you’re so inclined, is that it cannot be detected by urine tests. So if you thought that baseball players weren’t juicing just because MLB is now testing, you were wrong. Players are just coming up with more creative ways to get around the tests. Next thing you know they’ll be doing this to get an edge.Google+
Tagged with: deer antler | http://larrybrownsports.com/baseball/mlb-warns-players-against-using-deer-antler-spray-as-performance-enhancer/80824 | 250 |
Michael Vick energized the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia when he took over as the starting quarterback during the 2010 season. In fact, he played so well that many analysts and experts were thinking Super Bowl for the rejuvenated Eagles last season. Instead, Vick put together a disappointing season that was marred by injuries and the team failed to qualify for the postseason.
After an 8-8 campaign in 2011, one might think the Eagles have their sights set on simply making the playoffs this year. For Vick, that would hardly be enough.
“Man, I ain’t got no ring on my finger,” Vick said according to CSNPhilly.com. “I ain’t got one. That’s it. I don’t know what else. I’ve been there. Playoffs is playoffs, you know? But that’s the road you’ve got to take to where you want to go. Like every quarterback, I want a championship. That’s it.”
At 32 years old and with a style of play that subjects him to a serious beating, Vick doesn’t exactly have time on his side. The NFC East is set up to be the toughest division in football this season, and the Eagles will need a lot better than 18 touchdowns and 17 turnovers from Vick if they want to contend.
Vick needs to do a better job of protecting the ball and protecting himself. Rather than diving head first to move the chains and standing in the pocket and taking a brutal hit just to get rid of the ball, he needs to learn to slide and take a sack if he wants to prove what he said about a week ago is true. Eagles fans will not be content with simply improving upon their 8-8 record, and Andy Reid may lose his job if that’s all that happens. Every team has to take their schedule one game at a time to have success, but there’s nothing wrong with Vick knowing what’s expected of him at this stage in his career.
Helmet knock to Pro Football Talk
Photo credit: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE
Tagged with: Michael Vick • Philadelphia Eagles | http://larrybrownsports.com/football/michael-vick-says-it-is-super-bowl-or-bust-for-the-eagles-this-season/152904 | 456 |
NASCAR found that the No 1, driven by Martin Truex Jr., was “in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-3.8A (roof of the car does not conform to the specifications) of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rule book.”
Truex has been docked 150 championship driver points, while Teresa Earnhardt has been penalized 150 championship owner points. The penatly dropped Truex from 14th in the standings, 88 points out of 12th, to 18th in the standings, 238 points out of 12th.
Crew chief Kevin Manion and car chief Gary Putnam have both been suspended for six races and will be on probation for the rest of the year. Manion was also fined $100,000.
The No. 1 Chevy was found to be 1/16th of an inch too narrow during inspection. The team was allowed to correct the problem and go through inspection again. But, again, it failed. | http://lead-lap.mikejsmith.net/2008/07/08/nascar-issues-penalizes-for-no-1-team/ | 235 |
Lady Eagles host showcase: Look to parlay momentum built during opening weekend
Competing in the top varsity girls soccer tournament in the country is not an easy task for any team, let alone one that graduated 19 seniors from the season prior and brought seven freshmen up to the roster.
Yet that is precisely what Allen endeavored to do over the weekend at the 2013 National Elite Prep Showcase in Fort Worth.
Early results were promising with the Lady Eagles starting the season at 3-1.
"We had sort of struggled in our scrimmages (going 0-2-1), but we knew it was going to take a while to build chemistry and this tournament was definitely encouraging," said Kevin Albury, Allen head coach. "We still had girls asking, 'what's her name again' when they went onto the field and for a lot of these girls it is their first time on varsity, so it can take a while to get your varsity legs and get your confidence going."
Allen's lone loss came in last Thursday's opener against Hebron.
The score was tied at the half, 1-1, as Allen got a goal from junior Chloe Fowler, but the Lady Hawks scored three times in the first seven minutes of the second half to break the match open and record an eventual 5-1 victory.
"We had a really bad 10 minutes and that can mean game over against a team as good as Hebron," Albury said. "But outside of those 10 minutes, I think we held up well against a veteran team."
A new day brought a new outcome.
Two of them actually as Allen defeated Amarillo, 2-0, and Austin St. Stephens, 3-0, on Friday.
The Lady Eagles varied formations, running a 4-4-2 in the first half against Amarillo and a 3-5-2 in the second half as well as for the entirety of the St. Stephen's match.
"I know the girls are used to playing one formation in club," Albury said, "but we'll be using three or four depending on who we have in and who we're playing because we have to prepare for a district where all five of our opponents play different styles."
Youngsters provided the offense against Amarillo with goals from freshmen Kaylee Davis and Michaela Rouse. Those names popped up again in the second game of the day as Davis scored 15 minutes in off a through ball from sophomore Emily Niece and Rouse sealed the 3-0 win with a rocket from 30 yards out. Wedged in between was a goal from sophomore Morgan Cherry early in the second half.
Allen won its third straight game Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Ursuline, which has ruled the TAPPS girls soccer scene the past two decades.
"Ursuline is a very good team and I know they might have been missing a few girls, but I think that was the best we had played," Albury said. "Our depth really helped there because we were able to sub in groups every 20 minutes or so. That's big in a tournament because you really can't just play the same 11 girls."
The Lady Eagles continued to bring the variety with senior Allie Johnson adding her name to the scoring ledger alongside another goal from Fowler. The defense was once again up to the test, posting their third straight shutout as Allen improved to 3-1.
However, it isn't necessarily the record, but the progress that has the team excited.
"We are playing in a lot of tournaments and have a lot of games lined up because we're gradually trying to build to the start of district in February," Albury said.
That quest continues Thursday when hosting the Allen Girls Soccer Showcase.
Albury is familiar with showcases as he established one during his last season as the head coach at Flower Mound Marcus. The Lady Marauders and Plano West, ranked No. 3 and No. 1, respectively, in the latest national poll by Elite Soccer Report will be part of the 10-team, three-day event.
Allen plays Garland Lakeview Centennial at 10 a.m. Thursday from Curtis Middle School, Coppell at 2 p.m. Friday from Eagle Stadium and Lake Highlands at 9 a.m. Saturday from Ford Middle School.
"We'll have five quality games each day and will play at three different sites," Albury said. "It's a good chance for teams to play opponents they might not normally see." | http://lewisvilleleader.com/articles/2013/01/16/sports_update/5534.prt | 926 |
Lightning (1-0-0) at Canadiens (1-1-0)
Season Series: The Bolts and Habs meet for the first of four meetings this season, as tonight also marks the first of two matchups that will take place at the Bell Centre. Tonight’s game also signals the first time in franchise history that Tampa Bay will play a road opener in Montreal.
|Mar 9, 2010||TBL@MTL||MTL, 5 - 3|
|Jan 27, 2010||MTL@TBL||TBL, 3 - 0|
|Dec 30, 2009||MTL@TBL||MTL, 2 - 1|
|Nov 7, 2009||TBL@MTL||TBL, 3 - 1|
The Big Story: Tampa Bay comes into tonight as winners in its last four straight games, dating back to last season, and has not lost since Apr. 6 vs. Carolina. Tampa Bay has gained points in eight of its last nine contests against the Canadiens and has also gained points in three of its last four games played in Montreal, posting a 2-1-1 record. Though the teams have split their last eight meetings, Tampa Bay has lost once in regulation during that span with a 5-3 defeat at Montreal on Mar. 9, 2010. Dominic Moore will face his former team tonight and head coach Guy Boucher will face the Habs for the first time after coaching Montreal's top AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, and leading them to 52 wins last season.
LIGHTNING – Tampa Bay plays opens the first road trip of the season tonight in Montreal. Tonight’s game is also the first of three contests on the trip as well as the front half of the team’s first back-to-back set this season. The Lightning held practice at the St. Pete Times Forum earlier this week after getting a day off on Sunday following the club’s season-opening 5-3 victory at home against the Thrashers on Saturday night. Following tonight’s game at the Bell Centre, the team will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers tomorrow night.
CANADIENS – Montreal will play its third game of the season tonight and the first in its home arena. In two games so far this season, each on the road, the Habs have split wins with a season-opening loss at Toronto followed by a victory against Pittsburgh at the new Consol Energy Center. This is the Habs’ first game since Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Penguins, a game in which they received two goals from Mike Cammalleri as well as one from Scott Gomez. Carey Price also made 36 saves on 38 shots for Montreal.
Who’s Hot: Steven Stamkos had three points, including two goals, in Saturday’s 5-3 win over Atlanta and Vincent Lecavalier comes into tonight’s game with four goals and eight assists in his last 10 contests versus Montreal. The Canadiens’ Jeff Halpern and Benoit Pouliot each come in with two points in as many games.
Injury Report: LIGHTNING – Mattias Ohlund (knee, out 2 weeks); CANADIENS – Roman Hamrlik (knee) and Andrei Markov (knee).
Quotable: “I strongly believe that if you're full-out out there for 30, 35 seconds, you're dead (tired). So, if you're having one-minute shifts and 45-second shifts, it's because you are not (playing) full out. We want guys to have energy to be relentless. If you're relentless, rarely is a forward going to play more than 20 minutes.” – Head Coach Guy Boucher, explaining his philosophy and preference for players to take shorter shifts
tampabaylightning.com is the official Web site of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay Lightning and tampabaylightning.com are trademarks of Lightning Hockey L.P. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2013 Lightning Hockey, L.P. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved. | http://lightning.nhl.com/club/preview.htm?id=2010020038 | 934 |
|Men's Soccer » Schedule » Roster » News » Coaches » Honors » Archives|
Saturday, October 30, 2010The Bisons’ soccer team continued what was a successful day for Lipscomb athletics by beating Campbell 2-1 on the road Saturday night in Atlantic Sun Conference play.
The win guaranteed the Bisons the No. 4 seed in the tournament. They will host either a rematch with Campbell or face Jacksonville at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6.
“We were in the tournament regardless before we played the game,” Bisons’ coach Charles Morrow said. “We had to win to make sure we were going to host the first round.”
Morrow still thinks his team has yet to play its best this season.
“I don’t know if we are peaking right now,” Morrow said. “I think the guys feel good about where they are. They are finding ways to win. They are working together. They feel like everybody is on the same page and committed to what we are doing.
“Have we played better this season? Sure. But the power of a team that has bought into what is being done and works together is pretty tremendous.”
The Bisons opened the scoring in the first half when Nick Bibb scored at 27:13. Bibb has made steady improvement this season as he has adjusted to the college game.
“Nick has gotten better, and he has also gotten more opportunities,” Morrow said. “He is so quick and so fast. He is also very technical.
“In front of the goal he knows what to do. A lot of it for him has been adjusting to the physical nature of the game. There have been some times where that has presented a challenge for him. But he is getting the hang of it.”
In the second half the Bisons extended their lead to 2-0 on an unassisted goal by Garret Pettis that went in just under the cross bar from the edge of the box. Pettis leads the Bisons with seven goals.
“Garret is very fit,” Morrow said. “He has come up big for us.”
Campbell cut the lead to one at 79:26 when Keegan Terry scored on a header.
The Bisons are 9-8-0 overall, 5-4-0 in the conference. Campbell is 6-7-4 overall, 4-5-0 in the A-Sun.
“We didn’t play well against Mercer Thursday night,” Morrow said of the 2-0 loss in Macon, Ga. “We fought and battled against ETSU (a 2-1 overtime loss Oct. 24). But in both of those games we played a different system.
“After thinking about it we decided we had been playing a certain way all year and we didn’t need to change that. Other guys stepped up like Drew Longinotti and Matt Shanklin. It was a good team win.”
Admission to the tournament is $5 for adults and $2 for students and adults 65 or older. Children 12 and under are admitted free.
All Lipscomb students will receive free admission with their student I.D.
Written by Mark McGee, Senior Publisher/Director of Media Relations.
2010-11 Men's Soccer | http://lipscombsports.com/msoccer/news/2010-11/5879/bisons-earn-no-4-seed-in-a-sun-tourney/ | 716 |
ANAHEIM -- The Angels have five All-Stars in their rotation, but only one is pitching like one lately.
And unfortunately for them, Jered Weaver's turn isn't until Sunday.
On Saturday, Dan Haren took the bump and added to the staff's recent shortcomings, allowing seven runs (five earned) and lasting only 3 1/3 innings against a Mariners offense that is statistically the worst in the American League. That led to a 7-4 defeat, which gave the Angels their seventh loss in the past 10 games and dropped them once again in the AL West standings -- 1 1/2 back of the Athletics and seven behind the Rangers.
Together, Haren, Zack Greinke, C.J. Wilson and Ervin Santana have appeared in seven All-Star Games and are making $47.45 million this season.
Together, that quartet has provided two quality starts this month.
"Jered's been the one consistent one," Haren said of the 15-1 Cy Young favorite. "I don't know where we'd be without him. But he can't pitch every game. We have to hold up our end."
But the rest of this star-studded rotation hasn't, especially lately. They haven't been pitching deep into games, they haven't provided much relief for a reeling bullpen and, a lot of the time, they haven't left games in manageable terms.
The Angels are now 3-7 in August. In the nine games not started by Weaver this month, the starters sport a collective 6.88 ERA and have pitched through the seventh just once. Since the start of July, the Angels' rotation has gone from an AL-leading 3.66 ERA to a 4.09 mark, which is nowhere near the top.
"The ingredients are still there for us to reach our goal, but we're at a point now where you need production," manager Mike Scioscia said.
Haren believes the starters are trying to "put the burden on their shoulders" to step up and ultimately are placing too much pressure on themselves. He includes himself in that group.
"I take it hard," Haren said. "I try not to worry about what other guys are doing. I just go out there and root for everybody, especially starting pitchers, but I have to hold up my end of the deal. This year I really haven't. Some is related to not being 100-percent healthy."
A stiff lower back in early July forced Haren to go on the disabled list for the first time in his career, but he said Saturday that he "felt as good today as I had all year" and reiterated that the back isn't a problem.
Asked about possible lingering back issues for Haren, Scioscia replied: "He says none."
Haren had pitched a lot better in his first three starts since coming off the DL, posting a 2.00 ERA while pitching six innings each time. But he could never get right against a Mariners team that came in losing five straight while ranking 14th out of 14 in the AL in runs and OPS.
Against the same team he shutout on May 24, Haren hardly got into counts when he could throw his cutter. He couldn't locate his fastball, he couldn't change speeds effectively, he didn't strike anybody out and ultimately he couldn't finish the fourth inning, ending up with his shortest start since Sept 9, 2003 -- his rookie year.
"My first inning went well; I felt great in the bullpen," Haren said. "I don't really know what happened."
The Mariners got three runs on three hits and two walks in a second inning that saw Haren utilize 31 pitches. In the third, they made it a four-run game on a homer by John Jaso, making it nine straight starts in which Haren has allowed a homer. In the fourth, they ended Haren's day, putting the first two runners on, scoring on a sacrifice fly and an Albert Pujols error -- one of three by the Angels -- and then making it a 7-0 game on Jaso's RBI single off Jerome Williams.
That was enough for Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma to coast -- and for the Angels to keep scratching their collective heads about this underachieving rotation.
"I really didn't see it coming," said Haren, now 8-9 with a 4.68 ERA. "I had a couple of good games, I had a good week of work coming into the game, and it just didn't work out. I just have to do my best to put it behind me and not let it linger."
Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com Read his columns and his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_08_11_seamlb_anamlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=ana | 1,015 |
MLB Network Press Release
Six postseason contenders featured in MLB Network's live game schedule from September 5-8
Schedule includes Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
Pennant chase games continue lead up to MLB Network's first-ever exclusive telecasts of two Division Series games on October 7 & 10
Secaucus, N.J. – Intra-divisional battles between the AL East’s and NL West’s first and second-place teams are featured in MLB Network’s live game schedule from September 5-8. Derek Jeter, who leads MLB with 176 hits this season, and the AL East-leading New York Yankees visit Adam Jones and the second-place Baltimore Orioles, who sit only 3.5 games back, on September 6 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Viewers in select markets will see the Kansas City Royals take on the AL West first-place Texas Rangers at 8:00 p.m. ET. Adrian Gonzalez and the revamped Los Angeles Dodgers face Buster Posey and the rival San Francisco Giants on Friday, September 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET as the Giants maintain a 3.5-game lead in the NL West over the second-place Dodgers.
The remainder of the schedule includes Evan Longoria and the AL Wild Card-contending Tampa Bay Rays hosting the Yankees on Wednesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET. Josh Hamilton, MLB’s leader with 112 RBI’s, and the Rangers take on the Rays on Saturday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET to conclude the week’s schedule. Viewers in select markets will see the Orioles face the Yankees.
As previously announced, MLB Network will feature a Labor Day doubleheader on Monday, September 3 beginning with the Yankees at Rays at 1:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Dodgers hosting the San Diego Padres in the second game of the day at 8:00 p.m. ET.
MLB Network’s game schedule through September 8 is available here. Games will be blacked out in each team’s home television territory unless otherwise announced. Viewers in areas subject to blackouts will be provided with an alternate game telecast or other programming.
MLB Network is the ultimate television destination for baseball fans, featuring the Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight, live games, original programming, highlights, and insights and analysis from the best in the business, including Bob Costas, Peter Gammons, Jim Kaat, Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds. MLB Network debuted on January 1, 2009 as the largest launch in cable television history and is currently distributed in 70 million homes throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information and to find MLB Network in your area, go to www.mlbnetwork.com. | http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120830&content_id=37594638&vkey=pr_mlb_network&c_id=mlb_network | 591 |
Sons following in the footsteps of their fathers has generally been the theme when it comes to familial ties in the First-Year Player Draft. This year, however, it was all about brotherly love.
There were brothers galore drafted over the two-day event, including two sets of twins selected. The Papelbon brothers, Jeremy and Josh, were chosen out of the University of North Florida. Jeremy Papelbon went first on Wednesday, in the 19th round to the Cubs while Josh went later in the afternoon, to the Red Sox in the 48th round. He'll have a chance to someday play with his brother, Jon, who is the current closer in Boston.
The Figueroa twins, Stephen and Justin, were grabbed by the Blue Jays in the ninth and 42nd round, respectively. They are the sons of Bien Figueroa, the manager at Frederick, Baltimore's Class A affiliate in the Carolina League.
And finally, Clint Stubbs, an outfielder from Atlanta High School, went in the 49th round to Texas. He's the brother of Cincinnati's first-round pick Drew Stubbs, the University of Texas star.
Here's our annual rundown of those with Major League bloodlines who were selected in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, listed by the order in which they were selected and with a nugget or two about what those that came before them accomplished.
Jeremy Barfield, OF, Klein High School, Texas, ninth round by the New York Mets. Son of Jesse, outfielder 1981-92. Top achievement: Hit 241 career homers, including an American League-leading 40 in 1986. Brother of Josh, infielder San Diego Padres, 2006. Top achievement: Had a hit in his first Major League game.
Kurt Bradley, 2B, University of Northern Iowa, 33rd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Son of Phil, outfielder, 1983-90. Top achievement: He set a career high with 26 homers for Seattle in 1985.
David Cash, 2B, University of Florida, 40th round by Baltimore. Son of Dave, infielder, 1969-80. Top achievement: Led the NL in at-bats 1974-76 and led the league in hits in 1975. Served as Baltimore's first base coach before being reassigned by the club on Wednesday.
Jason Chapman, CF, Truckee High School, Calif., 44th round by Cincinnati. Son of Kelvin, infielder, 1979-85. Top achievement: Had a career-high 57 hits for the Mets in 1984.
Steven Cochrane, C, Mission Viejo High School, Calif., 34th round by Oakland. Son of Dave, utility man, 1986-92. Top achievement: Drove in 22 runs for the Mariners in 1991.
Cirilo Cruz, 1B, Cumberland University, 27th round by Houston. Son of Tommy, outfielder, 1973, '77. Nephew of Jose, outfielder, 1970-1988. Top achievement: Led the National League in hits in 1983, was third in the NL MVP voting in 1980 and had 2,251 career hits. Current Astros first base coach.
Kyle Drabek, P, The Woodlands High School, Texas, first round by Philadelphia. Son of Doug, pitcher, 1986-98. Top achievement: Won the NL Cy Young Award in 1990 after winning a career-best 22 games for Pittsburgh.
Mike Dubee, P, Okaloosa-Walton Community College, 18th round by Philadelphia. Son of Rich, Major League pitching coach. Top achievement: Currently the pitching coach for the Phillies.
Lance Durham, LF, Roger Bacon High School, Ohio, 45th round by Detroit. Son of Leon, outfielder, 1980-89. Top achievement: Topped the 20-home run mark five times in his career. Currently the hitting coach for Detroit's Triple-A affiliate in Toledo.
Bryan Earley, RHP, Elder High School, Ohio, 44th round by Seattle. Son of Bill, pitcher 1986. Top achievement: Appeared in three games with St. Louis in 1986.
Riley Etchebarren, CF, Paradise Valley High School, Ariz., 39th round by Arizona. Nephew of Andy, catcher, 1962-78. Top achievement: Appeared in four World Series with Baltimore, winning twice.
Jonathan Fernandez, SS, American Heritage High School, Fla., 48th round by Toronto. Son of Tony, infielder, 1983-2001. Top achievement: Was a five-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and a member of Toronto's 1993 World Series championship team.
Stephen Figueroa, SS, Lincoln High School, Fla., ninth round by Toronto. Son of Bien, the manager at Baltimore's Carolina League affiliate in Frederick. Top achievement: Briefly played in the Majors with St. Louis in 1992.
Justin Figueroa, 2B, Lincoln High School, Fla., 42nd round by Toronto. Son of Bien, the manager at Baltimore's Carolina League affiliate in Frederick. Twin brother of Stephen, selected in the ninth round by the Jays.
Clayton Fuller, OF, Smithson Valley High School, Texas, fourth round by Los Angeles Angels. Brother of Cody, a 48th round pick of the Angels in 2005. Top achievement: Hit .270 in 32 games last season at Class A Rancho Cucamonga of the California League.
Chad Gross, 1B, Claremont High School, Calif., 26th round by Boston. Son of Kevin, pitcher, 1983-97. Won 142 games, including a career-best 15 with the Phils in 1985.
Kevin Gunderson, LHP, Oregon State University, fifth round by Atlanta. Nephew of Eric Gunderson, pitcher, 1990-2000. Top achievement: Won eight career games, three of which came in 1995 with the Mets and Red Sox.
Tyree Hayes, RHP, Tomball High School, Texas, eighth round by Tampa Bay. Son of Charlie, infielder, 1988-2001. Top achievement: A member of the 1996 World Series champion Yankees team. Led the National League in doubles in 1993.
Zach Helton, 2B, Central High School, Tenn., 37th round by Colorado. Cousin of Todd Helton, first baseman, 1997-present. Top achievement: Led the National League in batting average and hits in 2000. Is a five-time All-Star with three Gold Gloves.
Trent Henderson, SS, Newport High School, Wash., 37th round by Houston. Son of Dave, outfielder/designated hitter, 1981-94. Top achievement: Hit 197 career homers and appeared in the postseason four times.
Leon Johnson, CF, no school, 29th round by Tampa Bay. Brother of Elliot, a free-agent signee by the Devil Rays in 2002. Top achievement: Hit a career high 11 homers in 2005 while splitting time between Class A Visalia and Double-A Montgomery.
Joshua Lansford, 3B, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, sixth round by Chicago Cubs. Son of Carney, infielder, 1978-92. Top achievement: Led the American League in hitting in 1981.
Bryce Lefebvre, 3B, Saddleback Community College, Ariz., 45th round by San Diego. Son of Jim, infielder, 1965-72. Top achievement: 1965 NL Rookie of the Year, managed the Mariners, White Sox and Brewers between 1989-99.
Marcus Lemon, SS, Eustis High School, Fla., fourth round by Texas. Son of Chet, outfielder, 1975-90. Top achievement: Was a first-round pick by Oakland and was a three-time All-Star.
Candy Maldonado, RF, Porterville College, 46th round by Tampa Bay. Son of Candy, outfielder, 1981-95. Top achievement: Had 146 career homers including 22 in 1990.
Preston Mattingly, SS, Evansville Central High, Ind., first-round supplemental by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Son of Don, first baseman, 1982-95. Top achievement: A former captain of the Yankees and the 1985 AL MVP. A six-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glover.
Jonathan Moore, Arlington Lamar High School, Texas, 36th round by Houston. Son of Jackie, catcher, 1965. Top achievement: Served as the manager of the Oakland A's from 1984-86. Is in his seventh season as the manager at Round Rock, Houston's Triple-A affiliate.
Kyle Mura, RHP, Loyola Marymount, 42nd round by St. Louis. Son of Steve, pitcher, 1978-85. Top achievement: Won 12 games with the Cardinals in 1982.
Kyle Page, OF, Brevard Community College, Ariz., 48th round by Washington. Son of Mitchell, outfielder/designated hitter, 1977-84. Top achievement: Hit 21 homers as a rookie with Oakland in 1977. Current hitting coach for the Nationals.
Jeremy Papelbon, P, LHP, University of North Florida, 19th-round by the Chicago Cubs. Brother of Jon Papelbon, pitcher, 2005-present. Top achievement: The current closer for the Red Sox.
Josh Papelbon, RHP, University of North Florida, 48th round by Boston. Brother of Jon Papelbon, pitcher, 2005-present.
Benjamin Petralli, C, Sacramento Community College, 17th round by Detroit. Son of Geno, utility man 1982-93. Top achievement: He connected for a career-high seven homers in both 1987 and '88 with Texas.
Stephen Puhl, C, St. Edwards University, 17th round by the New York Mets. Son of Terry, outfielder, 1977-91. Top achievement: Was an All-Star in 1978 and appeared in the postseason three times with Houston.
Cory Rasmus, RHP, Russell County High School, Ala., first-round supplemental by Atlanta. Brother of Cody, a first-round pick by the Cardinals in 2005. Top achievement: Hit .296 with Johnson City of the Appalachian League last year.
Joshua Rodriguez, C, Red Mountain High School, Ariz., 47th round by Washington. Son of Eddie, current bench coach for the Nationals.
John Shelby, 2B, University of Kentucky, fifth round by the Chicago White Sox. Son of John, outfielder, 1981-91. Top achievement: A first-round pick by the Orioles in 1977. Hit a career high 22 homers in 1987.
Goldy Simmons, RHP, Monte Vista High School, Calif., 40th round by the Athletics. Son of Nelson, outfielder 1984-87. Top achievement: Hit 10 home runs for the 1985 Tigers.
Benjamin Snyder, LHP, Ball State, fourth round by San Francisco. Brother of Brad, also a Ball State product and former first-round pick by Cleveland. Top achievement: Hit 22 homers and drove in 82 runs last season while helping Akron to the Double-A Eastern League title.
Clint Stubbs, OF, Atlanta High School, 49th round by Texas. Brother of Drew, Cincinnati's first-round pick, eighth overall.
Kanekoa Texeira, RHP, Saddleback Community College, 22nd round by the Chicago White Sox. Cousin of Shane Victorino, outfielder, 2003-present. Top achievement: He has a career-high three homers this season with Philadelphia.
Scott Thomas, C, Missouri Baptist College, 38th round by St. Louis. Son of Lee, first baseman/OF, 1961-68. Top achievement: 1962 All-Star, formerly the general manager of the Phillies.
Chad Tracy, C, Pepperdine University, third round by Texas. Son of Jim, Major League manager. Top achievement: He won 810 games in five seasons as the Dodgers skipper, including a first-place finish in 2004. Currently managing the Pirates. Jim Tracy also played parts of two seasons with the Cubs in the early '80s.
Jon Weidenbauer, LHP, Seabreeze High School, Fla., 24th round by Houston. Son of Tom, utility man, 1979. Top achievement: Current Minor League field coordinator for the Astros.
Kyle Williams, 2B, Chaparral High School, Ariz., 47th round by the Chicago White Sox. Son of Ken, the general manager of the White Sox.
Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060607&content_id=1493943&vkey=draft2006&fext=.jsp | 2,615 |
PHOENIX -- In his first outing since returning from more than a monthlong stint on the disabled list, Dodgers reliever Javy Guerra tossed a clean seventh inning Friday against the D-backs and left feeling strong.
"He was good," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "He got out there, which is what we wanted, and pitched a nice inning. He made it look pretty easy."
Guerra had been sidelined since June 3 with right knee inflammation and eventually underwent arthroscopic surgery on June 5. Because the injury wasn't related to his throwing arm, Guerra was able to keep himself sharp on the mound while he rehabbed his knee.
"He had a fairly quick recovery," Mattingly said. "I think it made it easy because he really only missed throwing for six or seven days. He was throwing right away, so I thought that helped."
Once the Dodgers' closer earlier in the season, Guerra entered Saturday with a 3.24 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 25 innings.
Dodgers prepare to face Bauer for first time
PHOENIX -- Dodgers manager Don Mattingly doesn't know much about D-backs rookie Trevor Bauer, whom the club will face Sunday. But he does know the pitcher has an unusual way of preparing and working in games.
Earlier this week, Bauer caused a stir when he said he doesn't pitch to hitters' weaknesses, rather to his own strengths.
D-backs manager Kirk Gibson responded succinctly by saying, "You live and you learn." Before Saturday's game, Mattingly seemed to agree with his managerial counterpart about young players adapting to the big leagues.
"The game will teach you usually, it's a tough league," Mattingly said. "Guys will figure you out, you'll have to make adjustments. This is an adjustment league. If you can't do that, you can't play here. Have to make adjustments or else guys will figure you out."
Bauer also sparked conversations by telling reporters he doesn't like to throw fastballs down in the zone and instead he wants to elevate them, something most pitchers would hate to do consistently.
"If guys swing at it," Mattingly said, when asked if that sort of approach can work in the Majors. "He's got a good arm, a lot of it has to do with the style of pitcher you are. With power guys, you want them to pitch up in the zone, but obviously you can't just throw balls out of the strike zone and expect guys to swing at this level. You're not going to get guys to consistently swing at that. They'll wear you out and get your pitch count up. You have to throw in the strike zone."
In his first two starts with the D-backs, Bauer has allowed eight earned runs on 11 hits in just 7 1/3 innings.
Cruz making most of chances with Dodgers
PHOENIX -- When the Dodgers promoted infielder Luis Cruz from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday, the club wasn't getting a typical Minor Leaguer who might be intimidated by the Majors.
Cruz boasted 56 games of experience between 2008-10 prior to the callup but was biding his time until he was given another chance.
Through his first five games with the Dodgers, Cruz has taken advantage of the opportunity, batting 6-for-16 (.375) with three doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored.
"It's impressive, he's looked pretty good," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "He had a great spring and was killing it at Triple-A. This guy was as confident as you're going to see coming up here."
In 74 games at Triple-A, Cruz batted .318 with eight homers and 46 RBIs. Although the 28-year-old utility infielder doesn't have the same range as some of his counterparts, his arm has more than made up for the difference.
"He's not going to give us a ton of range, but whatever he catches, he's got a cannon," Mattingly said. "I think he's going to be solid. He was a late bloomer where he's kind of just figuring it out now."
In his first rehab game for Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, Matt Kemp went 1-for-5 with a run as the designated hitter.
Kemp, recovering from a left hamstring strain, is scheduled to play again Sunday before moving on to Kansas City for the State Farm Home Run Derby, on Monday at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.
He was 6-for-14 in four games for Class A Rancho Cucamonga before heading to Albuquerque.
Infielder Justin Sellers, on the 60-day disabled list with a back injury, is beginning to participate in baseball activities at the club's Spring Training site in Glendale, Ariz.
"He's doing some work, not really on a schedule," manager Don Mattingly said. "He'll be there a while. He might be until he's ready to go on rehab or whatever."
Infielder Mark Ellis, who was reinstated from the disabled list Wednesday, was not in the lineup Saturday because Mattingly didn't want to play him four consecutive days.
Ellis is 3-for-8 since returning to the team after not playing since May 18 with a leg injury.
Tyler Emerick is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120707&content_id=34670020¬ebook_id=34674768&vkey=notebook_la&c_id=la | 1,146 |
Kendrick: Upton's return next year 'highly likely'
Managing partner also addresses Bauer's future on radio show
PHOENIX -- D-backs managing general partner Ken Kendrick said it was highly likely that outfielder Justin Upton will be back with the team next year.
Appearing on the Burns and Gambo Show on KTAR (620 AM) on Wednesday, Kendrick was asked if Upton would be traded during the offseason.
"Here's a guy that even in a down year, he scored more runs than anybody in the National League," Kendrick said on the show. "He makes our team go, and so I would think it's highly likely we'll see Justin Upton in a Diamondback uniform next year."
Since being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Upton was looked at as a franchise player. But when Kevin Towers took over as general manager in September 2010, he created a stir when he said during the GM Meetings that year that he was open to trading Upton.
No deal materialized and Upton finished fourth in the National League MVP voting in 2011, so it seemed the trade talk was a thing of the past.
However, before this year's July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, Towers acknowledged that he was once again listening to offers for Upton. Towers said it has long been his policy to listen to offers on any of his players and that it did not mean he was looking to deal Upton.
"It's Kevin's nature, and I support this very much, that you just flat don't say no, ever, to any opportunity," Kendrick said on KTAR. "Are we going to go out and 'shop' Justin Upton? I think not."
As part of the interview, Kendrick was asked about pitching prospect Trevor Bauer.
Bauer was the team's first pick (third overall) in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He has a unique pregame routine, throwing program and philosophy of pitching.
At various points this year when Bauer was in the Minor Leagues the D-backs talked about wanting him to manage a game better, and that intensified when he struggled in four big league starts and seemed to be at odds with veteran catcher Miguel Montero.
Kendrick seemed to indicate that Bauer, who was named the organization's Pitcher of the Year for his work in the Minors, will need to make changes if he hopes to be back in the Majors with the D-backs.
"I will say this: he is the employee, and in an employer/employee situation it's incumbent on the employee to make adjustments to satisfy the needs of his employer," Kendrick said on KTAR. "And I hope and trust that that will occur. I think we all need to grow up and mature and learn from our elders and hopefully Trevor will recognize the need to do that to become an outstanding Major League player. The talent is there, I think there's no doubt of that." | http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121003&content_id=39439366&vkey=news_ari&c_id=ari | 610 |
JUPITER, Fla. -- A couple of days rest has Donovan Solano feeling much better.
But to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong, the Marlins second baseman was scheduled to have an MRI exam on Friday to determine the severity of his back ailment.
Solano tweaked his back while working out in the weight room on Wednesday. He was scratched from the lineup that day, and the team was off on Thursday. On Friday, Nick Green made the start at second base for the Marlins against the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium.
"I feel better, but I'm going to the hospital for an MRI," Solano said. "I am feeling better every day. I want to make sure I'm OK."
Solano has been one of the Marlins' top players in Spring Training, batting .417 in 44 at-bats. The 25-year-old continues to show signs that he can become a quality everyday player. Formerly in the Cardinals' organization, Solano joined the Marlins last year, and he became the regular second baseman in the second half.
The Marlins are hopeful Solano will be playing in a couple of days.
Solano is a native of Colombia, and he participated for his country in the World Baseball Classic qualifying round last November. On the national team, he was the second baseman while Edgar Renteria was at shortstop. Renteria, a World Series hero for the Marlins in 1997, announced his retirement on Thursday.
Growing up, Renteria was Solano's favorite player.
"He is my idol," Solano said. "I try to follow him, and what he did, and play the game the same way. He had a tremendous career. He did everything."
Marlins likely to boast two lefty-hitting catchers
JUPITER, Fla. -- For the most part, having a left-handed-hitting backup catcher is a nice luxury. But it can be less than ideal when your regular catcher also bats from the left side.
The Marlins find themselves with the strong possibility of carrying two lefty-hitting catchers when the season opens.
Kyle Skipworth, the 23-year-old former first-round pick, is the most likely in-house choice to be Rob Brantly's backup.
"Obviously, it's not an ideal situation to have your backup catcher be a left-handed hitter as well," manager Mike Redmond said. "We have two young guys, but that's the situation we're in. Will it change? I'm not sure. Right now, that's just where we're at."
The Marlins are in a bind with backup catching depth because veteran Jeff Mathis is out with a broken right collarbone, sustained in the team's first Spring Training game on Feb. 23.
Mathis, a right-handed batter, is striving for an early May return. Until then, the team appears ready to go with Skipworth. A major reason is he's already on the 40-man roster.
Miami may carry as many as five non-roster invitees, and the team currently is at 38 on its 40-man roster.
Skipworth has spent the past two years at Double-A Jacksonville. He's getting extensive work in Spring Training, appearing in 15 games, with 24 at-bats. A year ago in Spring Training, he had nine at-bats.
A more ideal situation for Skipworth is to play every day at Triple-A, rather than play sparingly the first month of the season. But with the team looking to address a number of needs, Skipworth's role may wind up being a big league reserve.
Marlins' Double-A outfield to feature touted prospects
JUPITER, Fla. -- Double-A Jacksonville promises to feature one of the best outfields in Minor League Baseball.
The Marlins' decision to reassign Christian Yelich to Minor League camp on Friday makes an already impressive Suns' outfield even better.
The only issue facing Miami's Double-A affiliate's outfield is health. Center fielder Jake Marisnick and right fielder Marcell Ozuna are each nursing broken left hands.
Marisnick fractured a bone in his hand when he was hit by a pitch on March 6 in a Grapefruit League game against St. Louis. The initial diagnosis is the 21-year-old would be out about a month, making it questionable if he will be ready for Opening Day. On Wednesday, the Suns' outfield took another hit when Ozuna suffered a fracture in his hand after colliding with the outfield wall.
Ozuna is expected to miss about a month, meaning he may be ready closer to late April or early May.
Yelich will play left field and center field at Jacksonville.
"I knew this was going to happen," Yelich said of being sent out. "It was a matter of when. It will be good to go down and be with the team I'm going to be with."
Redmond reacts to retirement of ex-teammate Renteria
JUPITER, Fla. -- News of Edgar Renteria's retirement brought back old times for Marlins manager Mike Redmond.
Redmond and Renteria were prospects together, dating back to their Class A days at Kane County.
Renteria, of course, came up with the Marlins, and he was a World Series hero in 1997. On Thursday, Renteria announced his retirement.
Redmond recalls the days when he and a group of players would drive Renteria, a Colombia native, all over the place.
"He couldn't speak any English, and I used to have to order for him all the time," Redmond said. "We'd go to McDonalds, and he'd always order the No. 4, the chicken sandwich. He would get two chicken sandwiches. He'd be, 'No. 4. Two.' Same thing, every time.
"When we were in A ball, we'd take him around all the time. We'd take him to lunch, dinner. He was with a bunch of us. He was just at the mercy of wherever we took him."
Renteria broke into the big leagues at age 19.
Redmond remembers being in the Arizona Fall League, watching Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, when Renteria delivered his famous single to beat the Indians.
"To see what he did over his career is amazing," the Miami manager said. "What a great player. Awesome teammate, great teammate." | http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130322&content_id=43154148¬ebook_id=43154154&vkey=notebook_mia&c_id=mia | 1,338 |
Apr 12, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) dunks the ball in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Clippers won 95-82. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE
The Los Angeles Clippers are ready for the second season, hoping to make a deep run in this year's playoffs.
It's been a long, long time since fans of the Los Angeles Clippers can claim a playoff bound team, but they certainly can now as Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Co. are looking to make a deep playoff run, starting this weekend against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Even though their matchup has been decided, home court advantage is stil up in the air between these two. Memphis has to close out the season with a win over the Magic, but if they don't than the Clippers will have home court advantage for the first time in franchise history.
Los Angeles took the season series with the Griz 2-1 with the home team taking each contest. Game one, wherever it may be played, will begin this Sunday. | http://losangeles.sbnation.com/los-angeles-clippers/2012/4/26/2977282/2012-nba-playoff-schedule-clippers-grizzlies-first-round | 225 |
Apple Cup: 2-minute drill
November 22, 2012 7:52 p.m. - Updated: 7:54 p.m.
Christian Caple’s keys to a possible Washington State victory over Washington in Friday’s Apple Cup:
(1)Force Price to pass. It’s not as if Washington quarterback Keith Price can’t throw the ball. He did it quite well last season and he’s become more efficient as this season has progressed. But if the Huskies can’t run the ball effectively with Bishop Sankey, they’ll have to rely on their at-times weak offensive line to protect Price and fuel the passing game. That’s where WSU must start defensively.
(2)Protect, protect, protect. With quarterback Connor Halliday likely sidelined – he didn’t practice this week – WSU’s backup this week will be third-stringer David Gilbertson, who hasn’t played this season. That makes it even more imperative for the Cougars to keep Jeff Tuel from getting hit. They’ll have to improve to do so: The Cougars have allowed 53 sacks this season, more than any team in the country, and have allowed six or more sacks in each of their last four games.
(3)Score early. The Huskies have been prone to slow starts this season, evidenced by their mere 7-0 halftime lead over lowly Colorado last week. The Cougars need to make that happen again, and take advantage by scoring in the first quarter. Applying some kind of early pressure, especially with a homefield advantage, could allow WSU to believe in its chances of winning.
(4) Find ASJ. Washington’s 6-foot-6 tight end, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, is the Huskies’ leading receiver and a finalist for the Mackey Award. And as WSU defensive coordinator Mike Breske said earlier this week, Seferian-Jenkins tends to make his biggest plays when the Huskies are at their most stagnant. If the Cougars cover him well enough, they can limit Price’s options in the passing game. | http://m.spokesman.com/stories/2012/nov/22/apple-cup-2-minute-drill/ | 460 |
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by Ed Temperley on Tuesday 5th February, 2013 62530 Views
3 of 10
Big Wave World Tour Champion 2010/2011, Jamie Sterling, took top honours at the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic in Lincoln City, Oregon on Saturday, February 2nd 2013.
"Stoked to win the Nelscott Reef. It feels good." Said Jamie I caught the first wave of the final which turned out to be the best wave of the event." Jamie, a previous title holder in 2010/11 is right back in the hunt for another title (2011/12's championship was a truncated season due to a shortage of swell).
Competitors awoke on Saturday morning to clear skies and glassy conditions. Ian Wallace, Haley Fiske and Drew Brophy gave an SUP Exhibition and were the test pilots to decide when to start the Big Wave World Tour event and by 11:15am the first heat hit the water.
After a slow start, the event saw waves in the 25-30ft faces range with the best big wave surfers in the world displaying their modern approach to big wave surfing. The display of big wave surfing at Nelscott Reef was incredible and the judges were handing out excellent scores throughout the day.
"After missing last year for the first time in seven years due to lack of swell/conditions, Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic came through in a big way to make #8 the lucky number." John Forse, Contest Director. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
The semis saw an increase in the surf and many of the usual suspects were charging toward the final while other BWWT newcomers battled for the remaining slots. The standouts of the round were Gabriel Villaran, Jamie Sterling, Greg Long, Ben Wilkinson, Joao De Macedo, and Aaron Ungerleider.
The final started at 4:15 pm with only 1 and 1/2 hours sunlight remaining. The final saw the largest and most critical waves of the day. Jamie Sterling stepped it up and collected two excellent scores, a 9 (best wave doubled) and 8.5 to receive a total of 26.5 out of 30.
"I'm stoked to have won. I love the wave… That's why I'm here. To surf against world-class surfers at a world-class wave is just icing on the cake." Said Jamie Sterling. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
Aaron Ungerleider also heralding from the North Shore of Hawaii on what could easily be a peaky Mavericks number. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
The A-framing reef allowed competitors to split the peak and maximize scoring potential with big drops and long walls. Round 1 standouts included Gabriel Villaran, Grant Washburn, Ben Wilkinson and Ben Andrews (pictured). © 2013 Brian Overfelt
Greg Long relaxed as ever. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
Jamie Sterling bottom turning his big wave sled like a standard thruster. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
The South Reef Bomb exhibition was a close battle between Nic Lamb and Rusty Long. Both exchanged many great waves in the 30ft face range but at the awards ceremony the surfers and fans gave the nod to Rusty Long (pictured). © 2013 Brian Overfelt
Rusty Long and Ben Andrews splitting the peak. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
Jeff Denholme probably doesn't want to be lauded for paddling a big wave event with only one traditional arm, but we're impressed Jeff. © 2013 Brian Overfelt
Gary Linden the head honcho overseeing the event.
Full list of competitors: Gabriel Villaran, Peter Mel, Colin Brown, Cliff Skudin, Felipe Cesarano, Paul Wetterau, Grant Washburn, Greg Long, Jamie Sterling, Adur Letamendia, Brian Gorrell, Andres Flores, Ben Wilkinson, Aaron Gold, Chad Jackson, Will Skudin, Rusty Long, Mark Yazbek, Ben Andrews, Aaron Ungerleider, Joao De Macedo, Marcos Monteiro, Jeff Rowley and Jeff Denholme
For more Big Wave World Tour click here © 2013 Brian Overfelt
62530 Visits -
KNOXY does Europe - but the only thing he's slaying are the waves.
Our ride of the week - the Lost Beach Buggy by Taj Burrow and
Back to the cold.... Nixon Surf Challenge headed to Iceland
His raw and aggressive aerial skills are matched by his ability to utilise the entire rail of the board to shift liquid mountains
100% around the surf spot Windansea, La Jolla California - everything and nothing.
Life after winning a MSW photo comp can be tough... Adam's trip to the Maldives was his reward
Get the ultimate Magicseaweed.com experience with MSW Pro
Are you already a member? Login | http://magicseaweed.com/news/jamie-sterling-takes-top-honours-at-nelscott-reef-big-wave-classic/3031/?page=7189 | 1,001 |
Mariners Spring Training Update – Day 22
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 / 26 Days ‘til Opening Night (April 1 at Oakland) / 33 Days ‘til Opening Night in Seattle (April 8 vs. Houston)
I Recognize Those Guys
Ken Griffey Jr. and Jay Buhner were both in camp today. The first item on their agenda was a meeting with all of the players in minor league camp (see Tweet of the Day, below).
Must See TV
The Team Italy exhibition game vs. the Angels was playing in the Mariners clubhouse, giving the team a chance to see Alex Liddi go 2-for-3 with a double, a homer and 3 RBI.
It Is, After All, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated staff photographer Robert Beck was in camp today doing a photo shoot with Jeremy Bonderman for an upcoming issue. Jeremy spent about 20 minutes doing the photo shoot, and was kind enough to do it between the workout and game time, taking a lot of pressure off of everyone’s schedule.
“Hello” Says Kameron Loe, In A Couple of Languages
Right-handed pitcher Kameron Loe pitched for the Softbank Hawks in Japan in 2009 and apparently, picked up some Japanese while he was there. He was exchanging pleasantries with Masa Takahura, one of the Mariners assistant athletic trainers, in Japanese this morning.
Garland Goes Pretty Low:
Starting pitcher Jon Garland spent his off day Tuesday playing golf at Blackstone Country Club with Major League performance coach James Clifford. We’ve been told Jon is a pretty good golfer, but we didn’t know he was REALLY good as he shot a 3-under-par 69. Jon said he couldn’t really count it though, as he played from the blue tees as opposed to the black tee boxes. The black tees are the “tips” of the course, the longest way to play it.
Not Many Baseballs Needed:
Robby Thompson may have had the quote of the morning when infield drills concluded this morning. He reached into his back pockets and said, “hey, I’ve got a lot of baseballs left here.” That was indicative of the crisp infield drill that just concluded where hardly an error was made, and drew praise from manager Eric Wedge.
Bay Popular in Canada:
Jason Bay conducted a few interviews following today’s game with the Canadian media. TSN is in town for the World Baseball Classic and caught up with Jason for a bit. He then hopped on the phone to talk with Vancouver sports radio station (and Mariners radio affiliate) Team 1040 AM. Jason is a native of Trail, British Columbia.
All Good Things Must End
The Mariners dropped a 7-6 decision to the Milwaukee Brewers, ending their 10-game winning streak. Seattle fell behind 3-0 early as starter Blake Beavan allowed 3 earned runs in 3.0 innings pitched. Seattle stormed back with six unanswered runs, keyed by a solo HR from Michael Morse (#2) and a two-run blast to center by Kendrys Morales (#2). Josh Kinney was touched up for three runs in 2/3 of an inning pitched in the seventh, allowing Milwaukee to tie the score, and Charlie Furbush (0-1) allowed a solo home run in 1.1 innings for the loss.
You Never Know Who’ll You See in Camp
Keith Olberman stopped by camp today. He watched some of the workout, chatted with Dave Sims, whom he knows from New York and watched the game from the press box. Olberman also sat in with the Mariners broadcast crew for an inning during the game.
The tape delayed broadcast of today’s game will play on ESPN 710 at 9 pm (PT), instead of at 7 due to Washington State basketball…tomorrow, Rick Rizzs, Aaron Goldsmith and producer/engineer Kevin Cremin will travel up Bell Road to Surprise to broadcast the Mariners at Royals game on 710 ESPN Seattle and the Mariners radio network. The game, which will be delayed to 7 pm on 710 ESPN but can be heard live for free on Mariners.com (login credentials required), will be Felix Hernandez’s first start of the spring. Seattle was originally scheduled to carry the game from Phoenix vs. the A’s, but has switched to the Royals game.
Just A Bit Outside
Brewers announcer Bob Uecker was in Peoria today calling the game for Milwaukee. He made sure to spend a few minutes visiting with Mariners Special Assistant to the GM Pete Vuckovich. Vuck pitched in Milwaukee from 1981-86, including winning the Cy Young Award in 1982. After his pitching career concluded, he worked as an analyst on Brewers TV from 1989-91. Uecker did an inning on the Mariners broadcast, including this comment on Michael Morse’s homer: “I couldn’t take a ball that far if I was in my car.”
73 degrees at first pitch. Just a perfect Arizona spring day. Weather reports look very dicey for the weekend, however.
Tweet of the Day:
On Tap Tomorrow (Thursday, March 7):
The Mariners will split up tomorrow, playing a pair of games. One half of the squad will travel West to Surprise to take on the Kansas City Royals with Felix Hernandez scheduled to make the start (1:05 MT/12:05 PT on 710 ESPN Seattle). The other half of the split squad will head East to Phoenix Municipal Stadium to take on the Oakland A’s, with right-hander Brandon Maurer scheduled to get the start. | http://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/2013/03/06/mariners-spring-training-update-day-22-2/ | 1,175 |
Results tagged ‘ Josh Outman ’
Last year was not a good one for the health of the Rockies:
Michale Cuddyer, Casey Blake, Tyler Chatwood, Tyler Colvin, Jeremy Guthrie, D.J. Le Mahieu, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman, Zach Putnam, and Marco Scutaro.
Kevin Slowey, Mark Ellis, Jason Hammel, Chris Ianetta, Matt Lindstrom, Kevin Millwood, Clayton Mortensen, J.C. Romero, Seth Smith, Ian Stewart, Huston Street, and Ty Wigginton.
Why?: The Rockies were one of those teams that quitely made a lot of additions that really benefitted the team. None of the trades were dealbreakers in themselves, but together they added a lot to the team of last year. So why did I give them a “C”? Well, even though they added a whole lot, they lost just as much.
Actually, they added and lost a lot just by looking at the lists. I’m probably mistaken, but I think this entry may contain the first “three liners” in both categories. As in, both the notable additions and subtractions take up three lines of the page.
As for the 2012 season, it’s tough to say how it will go for them. First of all, they were bad last season, only winning 73 games. However, that is understandable with the teams they were fielding on a nightly basis. I alluded to this in the opening paragraph, but let me give you some numbers to allow you to get a better idea of how much they were missed. Their huge re-signing in Jorge De La Rosa only started 10 games, their MVP candidate of a year prior, Carlos Gonzalez, played only 127 games. Since Ubaldo Jimenez was never really the Ace of the rotation last season, it was Jorge De La Rosa that probably would have taken that role had he not been injured. So the Rockies were without their biggest contributors on both sides of the ball injured for a big chunk of the year.
Predicted Record Range: 73-78 wins
Next Up: San Francisco Giants (Last Team!!!!!!)
Trevor Cahill, Andrew Bailey, Gio Gonzalez, Craig Breslow, David DeJesus, Andy LaRoche, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman, Ryan Sweeney, and Josh Willigham.
Why?: Let’s clear up a few things right away as most of the people reading this haven’t read one of these entries before, 1) I know nothing about prospects unless they are highly touted 2) my lists of “Notable” additions and subtractions are simply done by my name recognition. Feel free to correct me on any of them if you know more about the given team than I do. 3) Most of what comprises the “grade” in these entries is in the impact it has on the team’s 2012 season. The GM could have done a masterful job in getting back a bunch of talent for an aging star, but unless the young players he traded for project to help the team’s record in 2012, the grade will suffer. Generally, a C grade is the team treading water and keeping their team at the same level, a C+ would be a slight improvement, and a C- would be a slight regression.
Now, the reason I gave the A’s a D- is because Billy Beane essentially crippled them for the 2012 season. Their offense was anemic enough without losing Josh Willigham and David De Jesus among other, and he traded away arguably the two best starting pitchers on a very good rotation in Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez. If that wasn’t enough, he also traded away a very talented closer in Andrew Bailey, who was a big part of this team, because when they did win, it was usually in a save situation due to their lack of offense.
I’m not saying the A’s can’t win in a few years, but the situation looks dim for 2012. Also, as I write this, Hideki Matsui is still unsigned. If he comes back, they will still be in an interesting situation, but if he doesn’t, you can add him to the list of Notable Subtractions.
Predicted Record Range: 62-67 wins
Next team: I don’t know, you tell me. The poll shuts off automatically at 2:37 am, but I might close it off at midnight if their is a team with a majority already selected by then. | http://mateofischer.mlblogs.com/tag/josh-outman/ | 965 |
Before a recent practice, I dispatched a photographer out to Chaminade. We needed a picture of linebackers Jordan Futch (Miami commitment) and Tarik Rollins together.
As they were about to pose, a member of the school's staff came up to both and told them they were not allowed to participate in the shoot. No, they were not being disciplined for behavior or anything like that. Instead, they were barred from the shoot because of facial hair. What???
Since neither player had a razor to shave, the shoot had to be compromised. Now, they both posed with their helmets under their chin. Members of the football staff apologized for the school's stance but said it was what it was.
So, when you see a picture in the coming weeks of Futch and Rollins with helmets under their chin and think it is a strange pose, now you know the reason. | http://miamiherald.typepad.com/hssports/2007/08/strict-times-at.html | 179 |
Cabrera still in the hunt for All-Star start
Late push needed to receive starting nod over Mets' Wright
All-Star voting is winding down, and Miguel Cabrera remains steady in second place in the online fan balloting.
On pace to once again play in the Midsummer Classic, Cabrera is the only Marlin to rank among the National League leaders in the latest online balloting results.
The 24-year-old Venezuelan native, who ranks among the league leaders in several offensive categories, is holding strong in second place among NL third basemen. David Wright of the Mets continues to pace the voting, with Cabrera second and Atlanta's Chipper Jones third.
The online vote is the primary way for fans to offer their support for Cabrera and the rest of the Marlins on the ballot. Voting at Dolphin Stadium came to a close on June 14.
The 2007 All-Star Game will be played on July 10 at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the Monster 2007 All-Star Online Ballot at MLB.com and all 30 club sites until June 28 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Fans will again be given the opportunity to cast an All-Star vote immediately following the 2007 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show Presented by Chevrolet, which will be televised by Turner Sports on Sunday, July 1. Baseball fans around the world will be able to select the final player on each All-Star team via the Monster.com 2007 All-Star Final Vote.
Selecting the rosters isn't the end of the fun in 2007, either. Concluding the All-Star balloting process, fans will have the opportunity to participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet at the All-Star Game via the Monster.com 2007 All-Star Game MVP Vote at MLB.com.
The All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will offer extensive online coverage and MLB Radio will have exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet.
Should Cabrera be selected again this season, it would be his fourth straight season being picked to the All-Star Game. Cabrera, Mike Lowell and Luis Castillo are the only Marlins picked to the Midsummer Classic three times.
While several other Marlins are having All-Star-caliber seasons, they are not among the leaders at their respective positions.
Second baseman Dan Uggla, an All-Star in 2006, has thus far posted better power numbers than in his rookie season.
Eight Marlins position players are on the ballot. The others are catcher Miguel Olivo, first baseman Mike Jacobs, right fielder Jeremy Hermida and center fielder Alejandro De Aza.
Jacobs and De Aza currently are on the disabled list.
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070618&content_id=2034600&vkey=allstar2007&fext=.jsp | 630 |
No. 5 Ohio State Outlasts No. 12 Loyola, 3-1
Columbus, Ohio- Despite a late comeback effort, the No. 12 Loyola men’s volleyball was unable to stop a steady Buckeye offensive attack on Saturday evening, falling 3-1 to No. 5 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
Loyola is now 3-1 in the MIVA, and moves to 12-4 overall this season. The Ramblers fall for the first time since Feb. 5, ending a seven match winning-streak. Ohio State now stands alone atop the conference at 4-0 and 14-2 overall.
Loyola jumped out to an early 4-3 lead in the first set with a quartet of kills, led by Steve Thompson with two. The lead wouldn’t last, however, as the Buckeyes rebounded a few points later to take an 11-7 advantage. Ohio State extended its lead to 17-11 after a string of Rambler errors and kills from Buckeye John Klanac. Loyola answered back and cut the lead to five at 15-20. The comeback attempt was too late, though, as the Buckeyes finished the set with three kills from its outside attack to take the set 25-18.
Ohio State continued to step up its game in the second frame, moving ahead 7-4 in the early going. The Ramblers responded when Dainis Berzins fired a kill and the Buckeyes forced an error to make the score 7-6 in favor of the home team. From here, Ohio State once again took control by going on two separate runs (5-2 and 4-1) to finish the set with a 25-17 win.
In the third set, Loyola turned to its frontline for production and found it throughout the frame from Joseph Smalzer and Mike Bunting. With the Ramblers taking the lead late at 16-13, Smalzer fired back-to-back kills to increase the lead to five. Moments later, Bunting went on a two kill spree of his own, putting the score at 23-18. At set point, Eric Daliege mustered a point to give Loyola the 25-21 frame win.
With momentum heading into the fourth set, the Ramblers moved out to a 7-3 lead thanks to a slew of kills from Bunting, Smalzer and Daliege. Instead of increasing its lead, though, Loyola regressed, and Ohio State took advantage. The Buckeyes jumped ahead at 10-9 and never looked back, as Buckeyes Klanac and Jason Tobkin started to find their rhythm at the right time. Although Loyola picked up late kills from Smalzer and Thompson, Ohio State held its ground and sealed the win with a kill from Kevin Heine to take the frame 25-21.
Bunting and Smalzer led the Rambler offense with 15 and 16 kills, respectively. Dailege paced the middle hitters with six. Mike Hutz added 34 assists and eight digs on Saturday.
The Ramblers will stay on the road for their next match, when they head to the Golden State on March 9 to play Cal State Northridge. First serve is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. CST. | http://mivavolleyball.com/seasons/2010-11/releases/305-LUC-OSU | 686 |
04/05/2003 12:36 AM ET
Fan catches ball, then some sleep
By Jim Molony / MLB.com
CINCINNATI -- The young man who came up with Sammy Sosa's 500th home run ball wants to sleep on his good fortune for one night before deciding what to do with the ball.
An unidentified 22-year-old came up with the ball that was authenticated by Major League Baseball.
"The young man is going to sleep on it tonight," said Rob Butcher, Reds Director of Media Relations. "He feels it's too big a decision to make in such a short span."
Butcher said the man was not from the Cincinnati area or Chicago.
Major League Baseball officials also sought other items for authentication, such as the visiting clubhouse scorecard. Some of the items will be sent to the Hall of Fame.
Sosa is not concerned with the fate of the ball.
"What matters to me is I got 500," Sosa said. "Really you know he's got the ball, whatever he wants to do with the ball, God bless."
Jim Molony is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20030405&content_id=258983&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=null | 256 |
Yanks, especially Teixeira, set for Halos
Sunday sweeps create matchup between AL heavyweights
MINNEAPOLIS -- You wouldn't call it a guarantee, but Mark Teixeira had something of an inkling that the Yankees might be meeting up with the Angels around this time of year. He hoped so, at least.
The Yankees and the Angels both finalized their date in the American League Championship Series on Sunday by sweeping the Twins and Red Sox, respectively, setting up a battle for the World Series that Teixeira predicted could be on the way.
"I think it's going to be a great series," Teixeira said, his eyes covered in blue protective goggles that dripped with celebratory champagne. "I told Torii Hunter in December, 'I hope to play you guys in the ALCS.' And I meant it. I'm going to get that opportunity, and it's going to be a really fun series."
The Yankees were watching the Angels' comeback against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon in the visitors' clubhouse at the Metrodome on Sunday, finally learning just whom they'll have to go through to reach their ultimate destination.
Since they wear pinstriped uniforms and cash their checks from a Steinbrenner account, the Yankees need no refresher on the demands. It has been their goal to win the World Series since Day 1 of Spring Training, and as they sprayed champagne and beer around the Metrodome, the Bombers knew that path will include the Angels.
"We are going to celebrate this one and enjoy it, and I am just really happy for our club," Andy Pettitte, the winning pitcher in New York's 4-1 Game 3 victory, said. "We got a lot of young guys that hadn't had an opportunity to see this and to do this, and they have had a lot of growing experience this season. You can see the confidence building in them as we continue to move on."
While the Angels have perennially been a tough matchup for the Yankees to figure, the Bombers should be boosted somewhat by having conquered their Angel Stadium demons, having won a three-game series in Anaheim last month.
The Yankees won two out of three in a set against the Halos from Sept. 21-23, something they hadn't done at Angel Stadium since May 2004, when manager Joe Girardi was still broadcasting for the YES Network and the winning pitchers were Jon Lieber and Mike Mussina.
"They've got a great balance," ace CC Sabathia said. "They've got speed, they've got power, they've got [Chone] Figgins up on top. He gets on base and he's running around, and you're worried about him. We've just got to go out and try to keep those guys off the bases."
A potential playoff meeting was on the Yankees' minds last month, as they finished the season 5-5 in 10 matchups against the Angels in 2009, including a victory that secured New York's 14th postseason appearance in 15 years.
"Last year was a terrible feeling going home so quickly," Alex Rodriguez said. "It's something we're not used to. It feels good to not only make the playoffs but take care of the first round the way we needed to."
But if the playoffs prove anything, it's to expect the unexpected.
"I think the story before Anaheim played Boston was that Boston dominates Anaheim in the playoffs," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "You play the games, man. Whatever happened in the past, throw it out the window, because it doesn't mean a thing."
Push for the pennant
Prompted Sunday in a pregame meeting with the Yankees' beat reporters, Girardi sat in an empty, darkened locker room formerly used by the Minnesota Gophers and briefly allowed himself to look ahead.
Girardi said that the key to defeating the Angels would be not letting their speedsters rattle Yankees pitching, accepting the fact that Mike Scioscia's club is going to run. The onus would be on catchers Jorge Posada, Jose Molina and possibly Francisco Cervelli to call good games and throw well.
"Their lineup is very good," Girardi said. "Up and down their lineup, the guys have become more patient in their lineup. They have power, they have speed and they can score runs in so many different ways.
"Their starting rotation is balanced -- a couple of lefties, a couple of righties. Their bullpen has done a good job. I just think they're a complete team, and they create problems for teams with their team speed."
With the Yankees cleared to book flights and hotel rooms in Orange County, Calif., Girardi said that a major benefit of his club's win on Sunday is that it can align its rotation for the Angels.
Sabathia would have had the ball for a potential Game 4 on Monday in Minneapolis, but Pettitte ensured the ace will be well rested and ready when the lightbulbs come on Friday night in the Bronx.
"Everybody said that we've struggled with them, but this is my first year here, so I don't really know anything about that," Sabathia said. "Hopefully, we can keep it going. ... It's the first celebration of a couple, hopefully, for us, and we're going to try to go out and have a couple more of these."
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091011&content_id=7427520&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy | 1,151 |
Thanksgiving week is upon us, but there’s still plenty of time for the Hot Stove before the turkey hits the table. There’s also tomorrow’s deadline for team’s to decide if they want to offer arbitration to their eligible free agents. A lot of factors go in to team’s decisions this time of year, but keep in mind that teams can make offers of arbitration to free agents, even if they plan to decline and depart, in order to reap the draft benefits. What impact will this have on the free agent market? Only time will tell but with these decisions on the horizon, let’s take a brief look at what’s going on around the league:
-Speaking of the arbitration deadline, one of the Orioles biggest decisions leading up to it will be whether or not to offer arbitration to reliever Koji Uehara
. According to MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli
, the O’s have shown significant interest in retaining Uehara, and have remained in contact with his representatives. Uehara, who served as the O’s closer down the stretch, registered a 2.86 ERA out of the ‘pen in 2010. His strong season could put him in line for a significant raise, perhaps netting upwards of $8 million, Ghiroli speculated.
- Justin Upton talks have continued after the general manager meetings. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported last Friday that 15-16 teams had approached the D-backs about acquiring the young slugger. Upton has four teams on his no-trade list, including the Athletics, Mariners, Tigers and Royals. On Monday, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.com clarified on Twitter that the Mariners were one of the teams Upton had chosen to block from acquiring him, not the Indians as he had previously reported. The Blue Jays, Marlins, Orioles, Red Sox, Royals and Yankees have been said to have interest in Upton.
- Free agent Eric Hinske
is being courted in the early stages of the offseason by the Braves and the Brewers, according to a Twitter report from Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. The 33-year-old hit .256 with 11 home runs in a bench/platoon role with Atlanta last year. Hinske has said he’d like to return to the Braves, who according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman
offered the outfielder/first baseman a one-year deal in the range of $1.5 million last week. Hinske is said to be looking for a two-year deal.
- There are six or seven teams interested in free agent right-hander Brandon McCarthy, according to a report from Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com. Teams interested in McCarthy include the Athletics, Astros, D-backs, Brewers, Padres, Mariners, and Tigers. McCarthy, who has endured his share of shoulder injuries, has been looking good in the Dominican Winter League, Morosi noted.
- The A’s pitching situation for 2011 is apparently still evolving amidst the news that talks with Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma have stalled
. The two sides will still have until Dec. 7 to hammer out a deal, but it’s not looking good. According to Iwakuma’s agent Don Nomura, the A’s offered Iwakuma a four-year deal worth $15.25 million. Iwakuma and his agent, though, were looking for something more similar to the contracts of Hiroki Kuroda (three years, $35.3 million) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (six years, $52 million).
Stay tuned to the MLB.com Hot Stove blog for updates on all the action.
– Bailey Stephens | http://mlb.mlblogs.com/2010/11/22/roundup-arbitration-decisions-looming/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=a4d6f3de1a | 780 |
The Blue Fire…Don Mattingly Must Win With The Dodgers In 2013
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By Aaron Roberts (Dodgers Correspondent): Follow @Bertsball
The Blue Fire…
Everyone knows that the blue part of a flame is the hottest part, right? Well someone should tell that to Don Mattingly because he’s just gone from the frying pan into the fireplace, but this isn’t just any fire. This is the hottest kind of fire. This fire is hotter than regular blue fire. Don Mattingly has just jumped into the Dodger Blue Fire.
Entering his third year of managerial duties for the Los Angeles Dodgers, pressure couldn’t be higher for the former Yankee slugger to lead his team into the promised lands of the post-season. Since taking over for Joe Torre, Mattingly has perpetually been on the hot seat. He’s avoided unemployment by squeaking out just enough wins to maintain the front office’s interest. Mattingly’s first two seasons with the Dodgers weren’t failures by any means, but “success” might be too strong a word. Both years the Dodgers had an above .500 winning percentage but neither yielded the fruits of October.
Don Mattingly’s thoughts on the 2013 Version of the Dodgers:
He did do some amazing things though and did them under extraordinary circumstances. The Dodgers woes over the past half-decade have been well documented. Mattingly kept his players out of all the drama and made sure it didn’t seep onto the field. He’s well liked in the clubhouse and has a reputation for being a player’s manager, having been an all-star player himself. He gets it. He understands the rigors of playing every day with a big market club. Players relate to him and marketing loves the name recognition.
In 2012, the Dodgers went down with a serious string of injuries early in the season and were fielding one of the worst line-ups in recent memory. What did Mattingly do? He coached them to the best record in Baseball well into June. That’s no small feat when you have the likes of Juan Uribe hitting cleanup. Not throwing in the towel when things looked bleakest is a testament to Mattingly’s mettle. Some come to Mattingly’s defense claiming that he’s never had a chance at the playoffs because Frank McCourt never gave him the proper tools to work with. He took over leadership duties right when all of the McCourt madness was blossoming. Even after all of that disappeared last year, his supporters claim that he still has never had a full season with the right players to prove himself. Well, all of that changed in the off-season.
With all of the past years trades, signings, star names and numbers with 9 zeroes after them, the expectations for the Dodgers have transcended the realm of “winning record” and gone straight into the uncharted territories of “championship season.” Since the Captain of the ship is responsible for whether the ship reaches its destination, he becomes the fall guy if his ship doesn’t make it. Well Don Mattingly is the Captain of this blue ship and if the Dodgers tree doesn’t bear fruit, then someone is getting the axe. That someone is Don Mattingly. He’s the head honcho whose head is going to roll if he doesn’t produce.
It’s do or die time for Donnie. Sink or swim. It’s a classic make it or break it situation. Whether or not he needs to lead the Dodgers to a World Series title to keep is job is a little unclear but post season Baseball is a must. The stakes couldn’t be higher and the front office has made that apparent with their actions. Mr. Mattingly has an option on the 2014 season that the Dodgers refused to prematurely pick up even though Mattingly requested they do so before the start of the 2013 season. Was this a message to him? Absolutely it was.
Win and you’re in.
Lose? It’s a balloon to the moon for Donnie Baseball.
*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners***
A big thank-you goes out to our ‘Dodgers Correspondent’ Aaron Roberts for preparing today’s featured article. “Berts” as his friends call him, has been a True Blue believer since before he can remember. It hasn’t always been easy, but he’s stuck with the Dodgers through thick and thin and things are finally starting to look up! Cut him open and you’ll see that he bleeds blue. Growing up in the outskirts of Los Angeles, he now resides in Orange County. He attends as many Dodger Home games as he can and scoffs every time his girlfriend drags him to an Angel game (but secretly he enjoys it because any Baseball is better than no Baseball!) A passionate student of the game, he cherishes the legacies and traditions that are intrinsic to Baseball. his life goal is to visit all 30 ballparks and purchase a hat from each one. So far he’s checked 9 off his list with plans to conquer 6 more this upcoming season. Every Spring, he travels to the Arizona desert to catch a glimpse of the upcoming season and the stars that light up the diamond covered in dirt. You can find his rants and musings here and come be his twitter friend. Follow @bertsball
Please e-mail me at: [email protected] with any questions and feedback. You can follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook. To subscribe to our website and have the Daily Reports sent directly to your inbox, click here and follow the link at the top of our homepage.Follow @mlbreports
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Posted on January 24, 2013, in The Rest: Everything Baseball and tagged @bertsbaseball on twitter, aaron roberts, dodger stadium, don mattingly, frank mccourt, Joe Torre, juan uribe, los angeles dodgers, new york yankees. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments. | http://mlbreports.com/2013/01/24/bluefire/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=c8d80d4293 | 1,346 |
Knicks 103, Wizards 65
NEW YORK (AP)
It won't be this easy on Sunday. Not when the Miami Heat come to town for what suddenly shapes up as a possible playoff preview.
The New York Knicks sure look ready.
Baron Davis scored a season-high 18 points on his 33rd birthday, JR Smith had 23, and the Knicks surged into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference by routing the Washington Wizards 103-65 on Friday night for their ninth straight home victory.
Carmelo Anthony and Steve Novak also had 18 for the Knicks, who could now be looking at a preview of a potential first-round series when they host second-place Miami on Sunday. The Knicks tied Philadelphia after the 76ers lost earlier Friday to New Jersey, and New York holds the tiebreaker for the No. 7 seed.
New York held Washington without a field goal for more than 12 minutes - essentially the length of an entire quarter - in the second half
''We want to protect our home court,'' Anthony said. ''We want to make this one of the toughest places to come in and play and come in and win, and as of late we've been doing that and we want to keep that going.''
Playing only 29 minutes, Anthony was well off his NBA-leading average of 32.4 points through his first five games in April. That included 43 in an overtime victory over Chicago here on Sunday. A week later, it's the same Sunday national TV spot for the Heat's first trip to New York of the season.
''It's another big game for us, another exciting game,'' Anthony said. ''It'll be fun, the Garden will be rocking. Everybody will be watching. What better game to play in then Sunday evening against Miami?''
Davis shot 7 of 9 in just 23 minutes for the Knicks, who won for the fifth time in six games and improved to 14-4 under Woodson, narrowly missing their second 40-point victory since he took over on March 14. They beat Portland by 42 that night.
The point guard has battled injuries during most of his first season in New York, but said perhaps being in better spirits on his birthday carried into more relaxed play on the court.
''I have the ultimate confidence in myself and in this team, and my teammates have ultimate confidence in me as well,'' Davis said. ''It's just a matter of me just continuing to feel better and play as hard as I possibly can. But I know I can get better and I continue to get better as the season progresses and as we get into the playoffs.''
Jordan Crawford scored 17 points for the Wizards, who were trying to win three straight for the first time in their miserable season. But they shot 28 percent and never led in their ninth consecutive loss to the Knicks.
''It's embarrassing is what it was,'' coach Randy Wittman said. ''Our effort tonight was uncharacteristic of what we have been doing. I don't know. It looked like we were overwhelmed from the jump ball when we walked in the arena. Maybe that happens to young guys.''
Washington had only 47 points after three quarters and was stuck there for a while in the fourth as fans chanted ''forty-seven!'' John Wall shot 2 of 12 and finished with eight points.
His last basket was an impressive alley-oop dunk on the break that cut it to 62-45 with 7:03 remaining in the third quarter. But the Wizards managed just two free throws from then until the end of the period, then didn't make a basket in the fourth until Shelvin Mack's layup with 6:43 to play.
''The thing in this league is you've got to bring it every night,'' Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. said. ''That team we played against today, they're fighting for playoff position and we're fighting for our pride. They came out and just completely humiliated us. Thank God we have a game tomorrow and try to make up for it.''
New York solidified its hold on eighth place with a victory in Milwaukee on Wednesday, but quickly showed it isn't looking to settle for the lowest seed.
The Knicks led 26-13 after one quarter. They closed the first half with an 18-5 burst to take a 54-33 lead after Washington had closed within eight, and gave everyone plenty of rest before the early start Sunday.
The only bad news in the Knicks' ninth straight home victory was Iman Shumpert leaving with a sprained right ankle after 23 minutes.
NOTES: The Knicks have won the last eight meetings at Madison Square Garden. Their winning streak against the Wizards is their longest current streak against an opponent. ... Woodson said Amare Stoudemire, out with a bulging disk in his back, took contact while playing in a pickup game during Thursday's off day. He isn't expected to return until mid to late next week. ... Knicks PG Jeremy Lin had the stitches from his left knee surgery removed. | http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Knicks-103-Wizards-65-02586958 | 1,026 |
Tidbits from Wednesday workout
Hitters will face live pitchers, as opposed to coaches throwing batting practice, on Friday at Fitch Park. The Cubs begin Cactus League play on Feb. 25, so there are plenty of games, but not as much time to get ready for them.
Lou Piniella said he’s not worried about Kosuke Fukudome missing time in Cubs camp. Fukudome is training with the Japan team for the World Baseball Classic, and Piniella reported that he played in an intrasquad game Tuesday and apparently played all three outfield positions. Fukudome will be moving from right to center with the Cubs.
– Carrie Muskat | http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2009/02/18/tidbits-from-wednesday-workout/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=b0679ce6ea | 140 |
3/21 Catching on
Welington Castillo is 12-for-17 this spring, and granted, that’s not very many at-bats, but he has opened some eyes.
“He’s played well, he’s a talented kid — he’s got a shot,” Mike Quade said of the young catcher. “But that’s where these kind of conversations [Tuesday] get in-depth as far as what’s best. [Geovany] Soto’s our starting catcher, period. I’m expecting big things and we’d love to see him even better.”
On Tuesday, Quade will meet with the Cubs front office to discuss some of the roster spots.
“This guy’s got a bright future,” Quade said of Castillo. “The decision on him will be based on that. [Should he be] sitting on the bench at Wrigley or getting at-bats every day. To me, I have a good feel for what I think can happen.”
The Cubs’ backup catching options include Castillo, Koyie Hill, and Max Ramirez.
– Carrie Muskat | http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2011/03/21/321-catching-on/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=ba53fcffb3 | 263 |
Davis sang the praises of Oxlade-Chamberlain after Gunners winger marked his competitive England debut with a polished performance that was reminiscent of Manchester United ace Rooney when he starred for England at Euro 2004.
"I thought that Alex did really well against France and that’s all because he is so similar to Wayne Rooney," Davis told Goal.com. "He has a Wayne Rooney-esque fearlessness about his game that means that he just goes out and does his stuff.
"He is so fearless and it’s because he plays without fear is so reminiscent of what Wayne Rooney was like when he came on to the scene with Everton and England at Euro 2004.
"Alex is playing like Rooney did. I don’t think anything will ever faze him. He just goes out and gets on with it. There are no inhibitions that seem to be weighing him down."
The 18-year-old former Southampton player earned his third England cap against France and Davis believes he will prosper under Three Lions manager Roy Hodgson.
"He is a tremendously talented player but he showed that he will not be fazed by anything by the way he performed against France and he has done the same when he has been playing for Arsenal as well," Davis added.
"Nothing seems to daunt him at all and that is great for England. He is never afraid of being in possession, he never hides, he is always willing to run at opponents and he is never scared of having a shot.
"His body language and his overall play show that he is a very confident lad and he never let anyone down when he had the ball at his feet or when he had to work hard off the ball.
"They have got a really special talent out there and Roy Hodgson will get the best out of him because he is an educationalist who feels strongly about the merits of coaching and that shows Alex is in good hands."
Oxlade-Chamberlain was preferred to Liverpool winger Stewart Downing and Davis welcomed the surprise move by Hodgson.
"It was a bold move and Roy has to be applauded for picking him rather than Stewart Downing because Alex gives his England team an element of surprise with his pace and his vibrancy," Davis continued.
"I know it was Alex's competitive debut for England but he looked ever so composed and so comfortable out there and he showed to prove that he will be able to stay in the side. That was a really promising performance from Alex and I'm sure there is more to come not just now but in the long-term as well."
Davis was pleased with the 1-1 Group D draw that saw Samir Nasri cancel out Joleon Lescott's header but is concerned about the lack of a goal-scoring threat.
"All in all I was really pleased for Roy and I was pleased for the team that they did so well and that draw is a good platform for the rest of the tournament," said Davis, who is now a coach for the Professional Footballers' Association.
"It was encouraging but my only fear is about where the goals are going to come from. If you take the set-plays out of the equation when Rooney is not playing then it is difficult to see this England team scoring from open play. But it’s a case of so far so good." | http://my.news.yahoo.com/arsenal-legend-davis-hails-oxlade-chamberlain-playing-rooney-104200405--spt.html | 687 |
A two-year-old gym operator out of Birmingham is close to signing franchise agreements with two Nashville-area entrepreneurs. The Birmingham News says the two locations will go north and south of the city's core.
Iron Tribe began with a single gym in a garage in Homewood in 2010 and today has four Birmingham-area locations. The gyms specialize in a system of training that combines a variety of types of exercise in short, intense sessions. Membership in Iron Tribe facilities is capped at 250 people per gym, and fees average about $250 per month.
- ALEX B FRUIN INHERITANCE TRUST; CANDACE F STEFANSIC INHERITANCE TRUST; CANDANCE F STEFANSIC INHERITANCE TRUST; FRUIN, ALEX B TRUSTEE; FRUIN ALEX B INHERITANCE TRUST; STEFANSIC, CANDACE F TRUSTEE; STEFANSIC CANDACE F INHERITANCE TRUST; STEFANSIC CANDANCE F INHERITANCE TRUST
- ROSS, BRIDGETT D
- COOKE, ETHEN LANYARD TRUSTEE; COOKE, ETHEN LEWIS ESTATE
- JACOBS, JESSICA ALEXANDRA; JACOBS, ERIKA BESS | http://nashvillepost.com/blogs/postbusiness/2012/5/4/birmingham_gym_close_to_two_area_locations | 285 |
1) For those concerned about a Joe Gibbs Racing slump, I say fear not. No, things haven’t been so good for the last month or so. After winning 5 of 10 races starting with Martinsville and ending at Michigan, Denny Hamlin has averaged a 20th place finish for the last four events. Kyle Busch had a streak of 8 straight top 10s, including two wins, heading to Michigan, but he’s been around a 25th place finisher in the five races since then.
You could put it down to “peaking too early,” but I think it’s more likely that JGR is trying stuff to get ready for the Chase—heck, Denny said as much at New Hampshire.
I’ve long thought that one of the advantages Jimmie Johnson enjoyed was a willingness to go a little farther out of the box during the regular season in order to have maximum preparation for the Chase. His team knew if they ever started to slip into the danger zone, they could go back to the tried and true to make sure they got into the playoffs. I think that’s what Denny and Kyle are doing right now.
Bonus points are nice, but they don’t beat speed in the final 10. Maybe teams are starting to figure out you’ve got to rest your starters a little bit for the playoffs instead of trying to go all out for a regular-season title.
2) Fans see Mark Martin as a nice guy—and they should—but they often miss his tenacious side. That was on full-display when he raced Juan Montoya so hard at the end of the Chicagoland race Montoya said Martin needed “driving lessons.” Montoya also said “I don’t understand” why Martin ran him so hard.
My buddy former Cup driver Rick Mast, who started racing against Mark in the late '80s, wasn’t surprised. He told me for Wednesday’s Rowdy.com podcast that when it came time to pay the money and the points at the end of the race “there was never anybody any tougher. I’m talking Earnhardt, Darrell, or anybody. He won’t cheap shot you. He won’t wreck you. But he’s not the Mark Martin you deal with for 99 percent of that race. That last percent of that race, that’s a whole different animal sitting in that race car.”
You also have to look at Martin’s precarious position in the points. Right now he’s 37 points outside of the Chase, and it looks as though he’ll be fighting for his playoff life all the way to Richmond. Every position matters a lot to Martin, and he’s going to keep racing that way in the final laps—just like he always has.
That break-up was met with Loomis’s “wait!” when he said “Elliott is among three or four drivers who is on the table we're looking at” for 2011—especially if reuniting with crew chief Todd Parrott pays any appreciable dividends.
I sympathize with Sadler because, honestly, who needs all the uncertainty in his life? But rationally he shouldn’t close the door on a return to RPM. The situation reminds me a little bit of the position Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress found themselves in last season. Harvick all but said he was on his way out, but Childress stayed calm and kept the door open. It’s less likely that Sadler will stay with RPM, but I really hope he’s not on his way out of Cup.
4) NASCAR needs to be very very careful if and when they tinker with the Chase. There’s a balance between setting up a system to deliver excitement and making sure that a legitimate Champion is crowned. The Chase, as currently formatted, requires that a driver outrun a strong field of contenders for 10 races. That is certainly a legitimate benchmark of a champion. But if we start cutting the Chase up into “mini-Chases” of 2 or 3 races we may be getting into candyland.
The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.
Bass Masters and Buzz Cutler are co-hosts of Rowdy.com. For the best NASCAR community on the internet go to Rowdy.com.
Big goals for Hamlin
July 8, 2010: Denny Hamlin tells Harry Cicma that his goals and expectations are constantly getting bigger as he keeps raising the bar with his racing.
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Junior College Football
New Mexico State Home
Murray Talks Commitment
This story originally published on
Posted Jan 17, 2013
Marshall lost two starting safeties this past season. Doc Holliday and staff have been on the hunt for the replacements for Okechukwu Okoroha and Dominick LeGrande. The Herd was in need of immediate help, and Holliday has been looking through the JUCO ranks for talent.
Recently the Herd received a commitment from
, a 6’0”, 183 pound defensive back from Ventura Community College in California.
New Mexico State
also offered the two star defensive back.
I caught up with Murray last week for a quick interview.
I asked Murray how long
had been interested and what made him choose Marshall. He said, “Marshall came into the picture about a month and a half ago. They have been recruiting me hard. Me an mom did our research and it ended up being a perfect fit. I am excited, I am going to major in business. I like the direction the program is going and feel like we could do something special. It reminds me a lot of my juco team when I first came out here.”
Murray was asked if he knew any current Marshall players. He said he did not really know any personally, but was familiar with a lot of the Florida players. “I played 7 on 7 back in high school with Cato (quarterback
) and I watched him play in the state championship game . Me and
have became friends real quick ”
Murray’s lead recruiter at Marshall was Todd Hartley. He also said that after Letman realized he was interested in Marshall, he started recruiting him as well.
Murray will make his official visit the week of January 25th. He will enroll in May and says he expects to play Free Safety.
Stay tuned to Herdhaven.com for further updates.
Murray loves visit to BYU
Mar 28, 2013
JCFootball.com - Top DB Performances
Nov 8, 2012
Murray still on Cougars' minds
Apr 17, 2013
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Looks like Michael Bay isn’t sorry after all.
After telling a reporter that he wanted to “apologize for ‘Armageddon’” and that he “would redo the entire third act if [he] could,” Bay backtracked on those comments, claiming they were taken out of context. In a post on his personal online forum titled “I’m Proud Of Armageddon,” Bay put to rest the media’s apparent misperception of his words.
“One press writer has gone… Continue reading Michael Bay Isn't Sorry for 'Armageddon': Director Backtracks on Apology
Wonders never cease! Judge Len Goodman delivered a shocker on Dancing with the Stars Monday by admitting that he ”under-marked” NFL Donald Driver for his premiere night Cha Cha. And then he apologized for it!
Goodman explained that after watching the episode, he realized he was wrong to give Driver a 7 for his crowd-pleasing Cha Cha. (Driver’s overall score of 21 left him close to the… Continue reading ‘DWTS’: Judge sorry for ‘under-marking’ Donald Driver
By radio detection and ranging Staff
Just to clarify, Kim Kardashian isn’t really seeing a marriage counselor again – it’s just for the cameras!
The newly single star returned to the Atlanta set of Tyler Perry’s The Marriage Counselor on Friday, looking more somber than usual – and radio detection and rangingOnline.com has the photos.PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian Looks Somber On The… Continue reading Kim Kardashian Continues Marriage Counseling; But Sorry Kris, It’s Just For The Cameras! | http://newmoviereleasesdvd.loginby.com/tag/sorry/ | 359 |
High school wrestling: Madison has six champs, wins sectional at South (with video)
Steady improvement has been a theme throughout the season for Madison. Every team talks about peaking in the postseason, but few actually come through.
At the Division I South Sectional over the weekend, Madison advanced 10 wrestlers to the next round, including six champions. The Blue Streaks finished comfortably ahead of South in the team standings, 242.5 to 200.5
Nick Montgomery (138) has been more of an instant than gradual catalyst, however, coming back from an injury about a week before the conference tournament to dominate the competition. Montgomery pinned Euclid's Darsheed Mustafa in 52 seconds to win the fourth sectional title of his career.
"For my last year, it's great to be able to be here with the team and come out on top," said Montgomery, who placed seventh and fourth at state as a freshman and sophomore. "I'm pretty much back on my toes and ready to tear it up at districts."
Madison lost early duals to Perry, Mentor and Lake Catholic but was able to quickly leave the slow start behind.
"The best time to wrestle Madison is at the beginning of the year," Madison coach Ryan Wirtzberger said. "As the season goes along, we slowly get better. When the season starts, we train for the postseason, so they've been preparing for this since November."
The Blue Streaks were represented in 10 championship bouts, winning six. They went 10-for-10 in semifinal matches, putting plenty of space between them and the rest of the field in the team standings.
Jacob Steigner (120), Jarrad Lasko (126), Bo Ransom (145) and Tim Striesel (170) all took first place for the Blue Streaks. Drew Schiemann (182) avenged an overtime loss to South's Cory Noble in the Premier Athletic Conference tournament, winning, 3-1, this time around.
Corbin Post (113), Ryan Montgomery (132), Aaron Sweeney (152) and Joe Bashore (220) all took second for Madison. Continued...
"We set the tone in the semis by going undefeated," Wirtzberger said. "That's what helped us in the team race. We're always happy to bring home a sectional title. It means you're doing something right."
Nobody, however, had more district qualifiers than Mentor, which will host the next round starting on Friday night.
Colin Kramer (113) beat Post, 12-2, in the finals to become the Cardinals' only champion. Mark Molder (120) and Wade Phillips (195) both took second.
The Cardinals finished in third place (173.5 points).
"We had some guys miss out that we thought should make it, but it was a good day overall," Mentor coach Jim Capel said. "You obviously want to be able to take first so you can go against a No. 4 seed (at districts) and face a 2 or 3 to get to the semifinals, and Kramer is the only one with that luxury."
Riverside had four champions in Nick Boggs (132), Connor Rigsby (152), Jake Denman (160) and Evan Rosborough (220). Six Beavers advanced to districts.
Also with six qualifiers was Euclid. Mustafa, Jeremy Adkins (120), Dwayne Walker (170) and heavyweight Linje Ross all lost their title matches to take second.
South began the day in first place, but combined with Madison's 10-0 performance in semifinals, the Rebels went 3-8. Dom Giunta took first place at 285 pounds and is one of 10 from South to make it out of the tournament.
North's Kenny Hoberney (106) took first place and will be joined by teammates Shane McLaughlin (113) and Sean Kergan (195) next week.
Mayfield's Harry Feuer (106) and Nicholas Bishop (132) took third. Brush's T.J. Smith (160) took second.
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Date: January 13 2013
Roger Federer has lauded Lleyton Hewitt's record-breaking longevity and condemned critics of the baseline warrior who is set for an unprecedented 17th consecutive Australian Open tilt.
Heartened by his Kooyong Classic success on Saturday, the revitalised Hewitt will take on Serbian eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic in a centre-court cracker at Melbourne Park on Monday night.
Win or lose, Hewitt's place in the history books is secure and Federer says the 31-year-old's tenacity and service to the game should be celebrated.
No man in 45 years of open-era tennis has contested more Australian Opens and it's doubtful any have lined up for a grand slam championship in so many different guises either.
Hewitt remains the youngest player to qualify for the men's main draw after debuting as a pony-tailed 15-year-old back in 1997.
He was the Open's top seed and world No.1 in 2002 and 2003, last year arrived as a wildcard ranked 181st and, this time around, the father-of-three looms as an unseeded force to be reckoned with.
Like Hewitt, Federer is making his 56th grand slam appearance and the Swiss master's 14th successive Open campaign ranks second only behind his career-long friend and rival.
"Obviously I've missed a lot more slams than Rog, too," Hewitt said on Sunday.
"I started before him. I've had a few more injuries than Rog and had to come back from a few surgeries, which is pretty tough."
Federer hailed Hewitt's resilience and said he had nothing but respect for the South Australian.
"No doubt about it, I am one of the guys who has always believed in Lleyton, even though people were writing him off and being negative and all that stuff," Federer told AAP on the tournament eve.
"I can't stand it when they did that to Lleyton. The guy has given everything and more to Australia, to tennis. He's done a lot.
"So I admire that he's still playing, that he loves it.
"We're in a similar situation now with both of us having a family. Rankings are not important for him, but he knows he can hang with the best and he can cause upsets and still win tournaments.
"And as long as he feels that way, I hope he keeps on playing and I hope he stays injury-free for once for an entire year because that then would give him great opportunities more often than not during the year."
Hewitt's longevity ranks alongside all-time greats John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, who each contested their home slam, the US Open, for 16 consecutive years.
Only Andre Agassi, who made 21 straight appearances at Flushing Meadows from 1986-2006, Jimmy Connors, who played the US Open non-stop from 1970-89, and fellow American Stan Smith, also with 20 successive US Opens, have played more home majors on the spin.
"To play 17 Australian Opens in a row, main draw in singles, is something not easy to do," Hewitt said.
"To be fit - I haven't been a hundred per cent for all of them - but in terms of the staying power, being able to play through generations, is something I'll look back on and be pretty proud of."
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[ SMH | Text-only index] | http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/federer-hails-hewitt-condemns-critics-20130113-2cn9o.html?skin=text-only | 746 |
Day's Match Play golf showdown with Watson
Jason Day is hoping his mental game will help catapult him towards the World Golf Championship Match Play finals.
The Australian is thriving on the competitive nature of match play golf while his next opponent, Masters champ Bubba Watson, claims he's not a fan, but keeps winning regardless.
Day needed 19 holes to dispatch of American rookie Russell Henley in the second round on Friday, a talented 23-year-old who won in Hawaii in January, while Watson required 22 holes to beat Jim Furyk to set up a mouth-watering round-of-16 match.
Here for the third time, Day is 5-2 in his career after making the round of 16 for a second time while Watson, also on his third appearance, is 7-3 after a semi-final run in 2011.
The Queenslander used every bit of his mental toughness against Henley, who hit 18 of 19 greens and 13 of 15 fairways.
He also was forced to draw from the reserves when he squandered a 2-up lead with four to play. After a wayward drive on 15 cut the lead in half, Day made a brilliant up and down from a waste area on 17 to stay 1-up but a clutch last hole birdie putt from the American looked set to send Day packing.
But drawing on his competitive spirit, Day stuck his approach to the first extra hole to eight feet and made the winning putt.
"Russell only missed one green, which was very, very frustrating on my side, because he hit it great, so that means you have to make birdies," Day said.
"I just did enough today to win. He was clutch on 18 to actually hole the putt. Fortunately, I hit a nice tight one into the 19th hole and he missed his birdie putt and I holed one, which was nice.
"My mental toughness continues to be something I work on, particularly through the pre-shot routine just to make sure I am thinking about the right things."
Watson is the only top-10 seed left, after Luke Donald, Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose joined first-round losers Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel and Jason Dufner on the scrapheap. But he continues to claim he's not a fan of the format.
"It's not my favourite form of competition. It's a toss up. You can't really judge who's going to win," Watson said.
"Here in a match, 18 holes, some guy can hit four balls in the desert and you're only one-up but, in a golf tournament, he shoots 80, you shoot 70 - you're 10-up.
"I'd rather have the chance to make up my bad mistakes in a 72-hole event."
But Day has warmed to the format.
"I like match play. I am a little different - I am very competitive and it gets me charged up to be in this environment," he said.
The other Australian left in the field Marcus Fraser was bundled out 4 and 3 by Swede Fredrik Jacobson but will move to as high as 51st in the world rankings come Monday, ever so close to a chance at a Masters invite.
Brought to you by | http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/days-match-play-golf-showdown-with-watson-20130223-2extk.html | 691 |
Happy Birthday wish from Jamelle Holieway, former OU quarterback:
"(Happy Birthday to) one of the best people that I've ever met in my life, whether it's a coach or a friend or a father. I appreciate you always being straight up and coming forward to tell me what I need to do and what I need to do make it better."
1986: Switzer and Holieway
In this December 1986 photo, Switzer and quarterback Jamelle Holieway joke before preparations for the Orange Bowl vs. Arkansas. Holieway and the Sooners demolished Arkansas 42-8 to cap an 11-1 season for OU. OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVE PHOTO | http://newsok.com/gallery/articleid/3715828/pictures/1843855 | 141 |
Goalkeeper hurt as Palmeiras fans confront players
SAO PAULO (AP) — Palmeiras goalkeeper Fernando Prass was injured when team fans frustrated by a defeat in the Copa Libertadores confronted players at an airport in Argentina on Thursday.
Prass had to be treated for cuts to his head and ear, but no one was seriously hurt in the altercation before the team's return to Brazil. Palmeiras said three fans were detained in Argentina but were later released.
The supporters, wearing jerseys from the team's biggest fan group, faced the players while they were waiting to board their flight back to Sao Paulo after a 1-0 loss to Tigre.
The small group of fans tried to attack the players and security guards had to intervene, according to Brazilian media with the team. Chile playmaker Jorge Valdivia had to hide near the airport's bathroom, surrounded by security guards.
Brazilian media reported that Valdivia had been criticized by fans during the team's warm-up at the stadium and allegedly retaliated with obscene gestures. Midfielder Wesley also was targeted by the supporters at the airport.
"They threw a cup at Valdivia and it hit me," Prass said through his Twitter account. "I got three stitches in the head and a cut in my ear."
Prass had to stay in Argentina because of the injuries and didn't immediately return with the rest of the squad. A team doctor stayed with him.
The sports daily Lance showed a video in which captain Henrique and reserve goalkeeper Bruno tried to talk with some of the fans to calm them down.
The confrontation caused a brief disruption at Jorge Newbery Airport. After arriving in Sao Paulo, the team left the local airport through a special exit which kept players from having contact with fans and journalists.
Palmeiras president Paulo Nobre called those involved in the confrontation "irrational bandits."
"What happened today is unacceptable and Palmeiras will not tolerate this type of attitude," he said at a news conference.
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Replacement officials taking heat
One official was pulled from duty because he's a fan. Another negated a touchdown without ever throwing a penalty flag. Several others had difficulty with basic rules.
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Upon further review, the NFL's replacement officials came up short in Week 2.
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Filed underGiants, Heard On 1010 WINS, WCBS, WFAN, Joe & Evan, Sports, Syndicated Sports, Watch + Listen
NEW YORK (WFAN) – Let’s just say Giants safety Antrel Rolle got wrapped up in the moment.
Rolle made headlines last week when he boasted: “I have handled (Eagles wide receiver) DeSean Jackson one-on-one before, and I don’t see why I can’t handle him again.”
On Sunday, Rolle had his chance to face Philadelphia — and he ended up getting into a shoving match with Jackson toward the end of the first half.
“You know, it’s a heated moment,” Rolle told WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday. “It’s always a heated moment when the Giants are playing the Eagles, and I told him, ‘You know, it wasn’t intentional. It’s tough love.’”
Listen: Antrel Rolle with Joe & Evan
After the very next play, an 11-yard run by LeSean McCoy, Rolle was flagged for unnecessary roughness. Eagles tight end Brent Celek appeared to shove Rolle to the ground during a scuffle. In retaliation, the Giants safety ripped Celek’s helmet off.
Rolle said the call could have easily gone either way.
“I think that’s the way I see it,” he said. “I never complain about a physical matchup. That’s something I look forward to, that’s something I like. It kept me in the game.”
The 15-yard penalty gave Philadelphia a fresh set of downs at the Giants’ 11. The Eagles scored to pull within four points of the Giants two plays later.
New York went on to win, 29-16.
“I went up to coach Coughlin at halftime and I was like, ‘Coach, I’m good,’” said Rolle. “‘Let’s go play ball. You know I’m not gonna get myself kicked out of the game. I’m not gonna retaliate anymore. I’m good.’ And I think coach Coughlin, he already knew that.” | http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/27/antrel-rolle-on-wfan-its-always-heated-when-giants-face-eagles/ | 518 |
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — And you thought the Mets’ epic collapse of 2007 was bad?
Move over, Tom Glavine. Make room, incredibly, for Jonathan Papelbon.
This breakdown lasted a month and finally ended when there were no more games left to lose.
“This is just maybe the worst situation that I ever have been involved in my whole career,” designated hitter David Ortiz said. “It’s going to stay in a lot of people’s minds for a while.”
No team has blown a bigger lead in September — a nine-game margin through Sept. 3 — and missed the playoffs. Boston went 6-18 after that and did not win consecutive games at any point in the month.
“This is one for the ages, isn’t it?” general manager Theo Epstein said, a blank stare on his face.
Four years ago, New York had a seven-game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies with 18 days left but was tied with one game remaining — just as the Red Sox and Rays were tied Wednesday.
The pregame mood in the clubhouse was “quiet, not too much energy. When you lose that big a lead, it’s tough,” Mets shortstop Jose Reyes recalled on Wednesday.
In that finale, Glavine had one of the worst games of his 21-year career and the Mets lost 8-1 to Florida. A few minutes later, their season was over when the Phillies beat Washington 6-1.
“Things started snowballing. We got cold in every aspect of the game — pitching, hitting and defense,” Mets third baseman David Wright said Wednesday. “We had such good players, everybody wanted to be the guy that stepped up and got us out of that. Sometimes when you try too hard, that could have that negative result.”
Boston began play Wednesday tied with Tampa Bay in the AL wild card race. But the Red Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 when Papelbon, who had blown just one save before this month, blew his second in September, allowing two runs in the ninth.
A few minutes later in St. Petersburg, Fla., Evan Longoria’s solo homer in the 12th inning gave the Rays a hard-to-believe 8-7 win over the Yankees after they trailed 7-0 through seven.
Meanwhile, in Atlanta, it’s going to take a long time to get over this one.
With a September swoon that ranked right up there with all those playoff flops in the 1990s and 2000s, the Braves frittered away a wild card that seemed a certainly just a few weeks ago. Instead, it’s St. Louis heading to the playoffs, while Atlanta has all winter to figure out what went wrong.
Was it that blown lead in St. Louis, which opened the door for a Cardinals sweep that seemed to turn the tide in early September? Was it that potentially game-ending grounder Chipper Jones somehow lost in the lights at Florida, quickly followed by a homer that handed the Braves another excruciating loss?
Was it the injury-plagued starters? The young bullpen that seemed to wear down? The punchless offense that totally disappeared in the final days?
Whatever the reasons, it officially ended Wednesday night with closer Craig Kimbrel blowing a lead in the ninth inning and Hunter Pence coming through with a two-out, broken-bat single in the 13th that gave the Phillies a 4-3 victory.
But the collapse began long before the regular season finale. The Braves were a dismal 9-18 in September and ended with a five-game losing streak to finish a game behind the Cardinals.
“We had our chances,” center fielder Michael Bourn said. “Not just this game. You can go weeks before.”
The Braves were 10½ games ahead of St. Louis before play on Aug. 26. They were still up by 8½ games on the morning of Sept. 6. Instead of popping champagne for a second straight trip to the playoffs, they became the first team in major league history to squander a lead of at least eight games for a playoff spot in September.
They had company a short time later when Boston did the same in the AL. Add that to the long list of collapses witnessed by generations of devastated Boston fans.
In 1974, the Red Sox led the AL East by seven games on Aug. 23, but went 7-19 after that and finished third, seven games behind.
In 1978, they squandered all of a nine-game lead they had on Aug. 13, then rebounded to win their last eight games and force a one-game playoff against the Yankees. Boston led that game, 2-0, but the light-hitting Dent hit a three-run homer in a four-run seventh and New York won 5-4.
In 1986, the Red Sox were one strike away from a World Series championship after taking a 5-3 lead in the 10th inning of Game 6 against the Mets. But New York won 6-5 when Mookie Wilson’s grounder went through first baseman Buckner’s legs, allowing the winning run to score. Then, the Mets won Game 7.
Another crushing blow came in 2003 in Game 7 of the AL championship series when another Yankee infielder not known for his power, Aaron Boone, hit Tim Wakefield’s first pitch in the 11th inning for a series-winning homer.
“I was terrified,” Wakefield said later, “that I would be remembered like Buckner.”
Papelbon coughed up another lead in the third and final game of the 2009 AL division series, giving up three runs that handed the Los Angeles Angels a 7-6 win.
“Who knows,” he said after that game, “I may be replaying this on the TV in my weight room in the offseason and give me a little bit motivation for next season.”
Now, he’s in a similar spot — the brilliant closer who allowed the runs that ended his team’s season.
“I don’t think this is going to define me as a player, I don’t think this is going to define this ballclub,” said Papelbon, who can become a free agent this offseason. “I’ve always been one to bounce back. I’m not worried about myself, I’m not worried about anybody else in this clubhouse about bouncing back next year and going after it again.”
There have been plenty of other teams remembered for their late-season swoons — the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 and 1962, the Chicago Cubs in 1969, the Angels in 1995. And, or course, the ’07 Mets.
The Red Sox, desperate to make up for missing the playoffs in 2010, had a roster filled with very good players when this season began — Papelbon, Ortiz, Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Carl Crawford, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz.
But they opened 2-10, and immediately questions started to surface.
Manager Terry Francona was able to calm the troops, though, and the Red Sox rebounded with an 82-44 mark over the next 4½ months.
And September started like a stroll to the postseason. On the first day of the month, they led the Yankees by 1½ games in the AL East, and the Rays by nine. They started Sept. 4 still nine games ahead of the Rays and one-half game behind the Yankees.
Now the season is over. Francona’s eight-year run as manager may be finished as well after their 7-20 record in September.
To be fair, Francona and some of his current players are responsible for bringing the franchise two World Series titles. It’s not like this is an organization without championships, an outfit known to be cursed. That label was shredded years ago.
But that doesn’t take the sting out of the September Slide.
“What we did this month, it was horrible,” Ortiz said. “I have been in bad situations before, and believe me, when these things happen and you drop down like we did, it stays in your head for a long time.”
Just like Boston’s other collapses.
Which collapse was worse, the ’11 Braves, ’11 Red Sox or ’07 Mets? Sound off in the comments below…
(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) | http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/29/07-mets-who-braves-red-sox-collapses-actually-worse/ | 1,874 |
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Royals starter Ervin Santana struck out seven in four innings in a 4-2 victory over the Mariners on Wednesday at Surprise Stadium.
The Royals improved their record to 14-2-1; the Mariners, losing for the sixth time in seven games, are 11-7.
Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma was perfect through the first three innings, getting eight infield groundouts and one strikeout while holding a 1-0 lead. That came when Carlos Triunfel lined a home run down the left-field line off Santana.
"He's been good the entire spring," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "He threw the ball well all four innings. He missed a couple spots, but other than that he was really good. He's been strong all spring, he's been using all his pitches with good action on all of them, so we're very pleased with what we've seen from Kuma."
The Royals broke out for two runs in the fourth inning in their second look at Iwakuma.
"That's kind of how this game works," the Royals' Mike Moustakas said. "The more innings you see guys, the more pitches you see, the more comfortable you feel and the results wind up being there."
Alex Gordon led off the fourth with a sharp ground ball off second baseman Triunfel's glove for a single. He stole second, took third on the catcher's overthrow and scored on Billy Butler's single. Moustakas and Salvador Perez each singled, getting Butler across the plate for a 2-1 lead.
Iwakuma got a double play to end the inning on his 47th and last pitch of the game. In four Cactus League appearances, the 31-year-old has allowed three runs (2.70 ERA) and seven hits in 10 innings. After joining the starting staff in the second half last year, the former Japanese standout figures to open this season as the No. 2 or 3 starter in the Mariners' rotation.
Against Santana, the only balls out of the infield in his four innings were the homer and Raul Ibanez's single.
"Fastball, slider, changeup. Everything was very good," Santana said.
His seven strikeouts were accompanied by five infield outs with no walks.
"He was really good," Moustakas said. "He makes defense really fun when he does something like that."
The Royals snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth on Elliot Johnson's triple to right field and Xavier Nady's RBI single against Mariners closer Tom Wilhelmsen.
David Lough, trying to win a Royals outfield reserve job, raised his average to .519 (14-for-27) with a run-scoring single that followed Willy Taveras' double in the seventh against left-hander Charlie Furbush.
Up next: Left-hander Joe Saunders makes his second Cactus League start when the Mariners host the Reds at 1:05 p.m. PT at Peoria Stadium on Thursday. Saunders, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent just before camp opened, is scheduled for four innings. Young right-hander Brandon Maurer, making a strong showing as a 22-year-old prospect, is scheduled for four innings as well. The Mariners also have a "B" game at 10 a.m. against the Reds in Goodyear, with James Paxton and Taijuan Walker slated for three innings each.
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130313&content_id=42703482&vkey=news_sea&c_id=sea | 754 |
I'll Have Another will be bidding to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner since 1978 in the Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park. NBC Sports, which holds the broadcast rights for the event, will try to take full advantage. The network says that both NBC and NBC Sports Network will combine for "extensive additional coverage" beyond the 61/2 hours initially planned.
USA Today says that since 2000 Belmont Stakes broadcasts not involving a potential Triple Crown have drawn a 4 percent share of U.S. households, while races with a potential Triple Crown winner garnered a 10.1 percent share.
Post time for the Belmont Stakes is 6:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage on NBC is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Exact details of the additional coverage have not yet been released. We will pass them along when they are made available. | http://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/5/30/3051362/2012-belmont-stakes-tv-coverage-being-expanded-by-nbc | 183 |
If they can run the ball the way they’re built to, the Raiders could have an outside chance at competing for the division.
If they do, jaws may drop. But if they don’t, and the past repeats itself, jaws could be struck.
Take a look at five things that will have to be decided in order for that to happen.
He showed glimpses of his past potential in his first season with Denver, but was slowed by nagging knee issues in his second year.
After signing a huge contract with the Raiders, Walker has yet to put forth any type of production worthy of even being called mediocre.
Still, Walker is as healthy as he’s been in years, and still has a shot at one of the starting positions.
He will be in heated competition with rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey and veteran Chaz Schilens, as well as return specialist, Johnnie Lee Higgins.
If Walker is fully healthy, the rest rides on the arm of JaMarcus Russell.
Things didn’t work out between Al Davis and Lane Kiffin, and while Cable is almost certainly not Davis’ first choice to run his team, at least Cable takes direction and does as he’s told.
However, to be successful and get Oakland back to a competitive level, Cable will have to go against the grain and surprise some people with some truly exceptional coaching.
While that is still a possibility, something tells me Davis is simply biding his time until he finds the right guy to coach his team past 2010.
Write it down. Cable’s days are numbered.
Yeah, it goes the other way, too.
After dropping from Super Bowl contenders back in the days of Rich Gannon, the Raiders have finally gotten to a point where the talent on the defensive side of the ball is good enough for playoff contention.
They’re young, fast, and physical, and praying for an offense.
The Raiders have grown into a running team that is ineffective in the passing game, leaving the defense to fend for itself with countless “three and outs” to kill momentum.
With another year under Tom Cable, and a potentially improved pass attack, this could be the year that the Raiders defense is able to wreak havoc with a decent supporting offense.
Then again, it is the Raiders.
His speed and acceleration were destined to take the league by storm.
But that didn’t happen.
No, McFadden and former college teammate Felix Jones were actually outdone by their former fullback at Arkansas, Peyton Hillis.
However, with McFadden getting most of the snaps and Hillis back at fullback in Denver, McFadden could finally be poised to break out.
That is, if Michael Bush doesn’t get in the way.
The early word has McFadden as the favorite to start, with Bush entering as the short yardage and goal-line runner.
This also means a complete demotion for last year’s starter, Justin Fargas.
After starting his first offseason with nagging injuries and a case of the dropsies, Heyward-Bey has reportedly come around a bit, and had a practice recently where he caught “everything in sight”.
While there are certainly growing pains to be expected, Heyward-Bey still has the talent and athleticism to succeed, and he’ll have every opportunity to do just that.
Posted by Kevin Roberts Date: Sunday, September 6, 2009
Tags: Al Davis, Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, jamarcus russell, Javon Walker, jeff garcia, Louis Murphy, Michael Bush, NFL Team Preview, oakland raiders, Raiders Defense, Raiders Offense, Tom Cable
It’s the first day of June, which means all of those premature NFL power rankings and fantasy football rankings are no longer, well, quite as premature.
While everyone (including myself) is discussing LeBron James and his handshake phobia, the Magic and the Lakers, or Bruno’s fall into Eminem’s lap, I’ve decided to take that free fall dive into the loving arms of fantasy football.
And yes, the fantasy realm loves me back.
However, let’s pace ourselves. After all, it is in fact the first month of summer (first day, no less), and we don’t want to generate pre-football heart attacks.
I mean, Brett Favre hasn’t even made up his mind yet, so why should the rest of us be getting antsy?
Regardless, here is a team-by-team look at all 32 starting quarterbacks, their weapons, offenses, and how they may destroy or enhance your team.
Still worried about Favre’s final decision, camp battles, or injuries? I’ll do my best to fill you in, allowing you an early look at which quarterbacks may be the best bets, which could be potential sleepers, and which ones you should stay away from.
Tom Brady—New England Patriots
Matt Cassel is in Kansas City, and Brady is back in camp, meaning two things.
You have nothing to worry about, and you have nothing to worry about.
Brady has looked sharp in limited practice, and still has the same awesome weapons he had in 2007 during his 50-touchdown season. This list isn’t a ranking, but if it were, I’d have Brady at the top.
Verdict: If you can get him in the second round, you’re already winning.
Proj: 4,090 yards, 35 TD, 13 INT
Mark Sanchez—New York Jets
Don’t buy the Kellen Clemens hype (not that there actually is any).
For better or worse, Sanchez will begin the new Joe Namath era.
It won’t be as sexy or productive as either of Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco’s seasons last year, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the Jets reached the playoffs.
Verdict: Not yet an option for FF
Proj: 2,400 yards, 16 TD, 17 INT
Trent Edwards—Buffalo Bills
I like the addition of Owens, but not the loss of Marshawn Lynch to start the season.
Edwards isn’t as bad as people think, and now he has a sound offense around him. He’s a borderline top-15 quarterback, and depending on how he looks in pre-season, could crack that barrier quite easily.
Proj: 3,555 yards, 26 TD, 14 INT
Chad Pennington—Miami Dolphins
This is probably Pennington’s last hurrah with Miami, and something tells me the exciting juice that this offense had last season has all but dried up.
Pennington still doesn’t have enticing options, and he’s got two quarterbacks breathing down his neck.
He’ll be serviceable to start the season, but you won’t claim your league’s championship if he’s your starter.
Verdict: He’s a stop-gap
Proj: 3,100 yards, 17 TD, 14 INT
Ben Roethlisberger—Pittsburgh Steelers
If he endures a Super Bowl hang-over, we could see some bad numbers.
Because, as we’ve learned, the less Big Ben throws, the better he is.
He’s still a fantasy quarterback with solid weapons around him, so don’t be afraid to snatch him up.
Proj: 3,470 yards, 23 TD, 18 INT
Brady Quinn—Cleveland Browns
Personally, I think Derek Anderson has the better arm and size, but Braylon Edwards favors Quinn, and the organization is more likely to run with the young, more familiar face.
Quinn is actually a good, young quarterback, and I’m not sure why Eric Mangini isn’t higher on him.
Regardless, aside from Braylon “Mr. Drop” Edwards, Quinn has no weapons.
Verdict: Things could get ugly
Proj: 2,899 yards, 20 TD, 20 INT
Carson Palmer—Cincinnati Bengals
He was awful last season, going 0-4 before bowing out with an arm injury.
However, his weapons are still potentially elite, and if he can return to form, could easily put up numbers that will have you kicking yourself for passing him up in the fourth round.
Verdict: Possibly ends the season as a top-5 passer
Proj: 3,884 yards, 27 TD, 17 INT
Joe Flacco—Baltimore Ravens
Flacco proved to be a capable game-manager, and has reportedly looked good over the offseason.
However, the Ravens are likely to base their offense around the run, and Flacco doesn’t have superstar options surrounding him.
Verdict: See Chad Pennington
Proj: 3,335 yards, 18 TD, 16 INT
Vince Young—Tennessee Titans
Call me crazy, but I don’t see Kerry Collins finishing the first half of the season as the starter.
He’s up there in age, which makes a regression or an injury extremely likely, and if things aren’t going well, he’ll be benched rather quickly.
Young may not have a cloudless head on his shoulders, but he still can make things happen with his feet.
Verdict: Young might surprise some people
Proj: 2,467 yards, 15 TD, 13 INT, 430 r yards, 4 TD
Peyton Manning—Indianapolis Colts
Manning loses Marvin Harrison, Tony Dungy, and two other important assistant coaches.
That doesn’t mean he’ll suddenly lose his touch, but there’s only so much Anthony Gonzales and Austin Collie can make up for.
Verdict: Draft him below Tom Brady, for sure this time
Proj: 4,300 yards, 33 TD, 19 INT
David Garrard—Jacksonville Jaguars
He lost Matt Jones, but gained Torry Holt.
Something tells me Garrard won’t really notice.
Jacksonville’s offense is all about grinding it out, but they were forced to put the ball in the air more last year because of an atrocious offensive line.
Verdict: A better line means Garrard is good again
Proj: 3,090 yards, 20 TD, 12 INT, 260 r yards, 3 TD
Matt Schaub—Houston Texans
Schaub has too many weapons to fail. The only problem is, he needs to stay on the field.
If he can play even 13 games, he’ll put up huge numbers, while leaving everyone guessing, yet again, what he’d do if he played a full season.
Still, with Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Steve Slaton, and Owen Daniels, the future looks good for Schaub.
Verdict: He can lead your team to a title
Proj: 3,800 yards, 25 TD, 16 INT
Philip Rivers—San Diego Chargers
If Rivers’ defense can back him up, unlike in 2008, he could easily approach last year’s numbers, and possibly even surpass them.
With a healthy Antonio Gates and LT, Rivers is more confident than ever.
Verdict: Draft him like he’s Tom Brady
Proj: 4,270 yards, 30 TD, 16 INT
Jeff Garcia—Oakland Raiders
I just don’t see the JaMarcus Russell experiment lasting more than three or four losses in 2009, and wouldn’t be shocked to see him benched in the pre-season.
As long as Garcia wins a few games, Al Davis will let him start. After all, he brought him in for a reason.
Verdict: Nobody in Oakland is worth your while
Proj: 2,300 yards, 15 TD, 9 INT
Matt Cassel—Kansas City Chiefs
Cassel is in a new place with a huge drop-off as far as offensive weapons. He still has good experience from last season, combined with his solid arm and good athleticism.
However, we’ll all be left wondering what could have been, had Tony Gonzalez not been traded to Atlanta.
Verdict: Stay away in year one
Proj: 3,700 yards, 22 TD, 23 INT
Kyle Orton—Denver Broncos
Orton was putting together a solid season in Chicago before hurting his ankle. Once he came back, he played admirably through injury, and didn’t have the best options out there.
In Denver, he’ll have a friendlier offensive line and system, as well as excellent receiving options.
Verdict: Orton could make the leap to elite
Proj: 3,600 yards, 24 TD, 16 INT
The NFC Edition will be made available, depending on the reads/comments for this article. Thanks for reading, and for those basketball enthusiasts, check out my NBA blog: www.robertsroundballreport.com
Posted by Kevin Roberts Date: Monday, June 1, 2009
Categories: Fantasy Football
Tags: andre johnson, anthony gonzalez, antonio gates, austin collie, ben roethlisberger, brady quinn, braylon edwards, brett favre, bruno, buffalo bills, carson palmer, chad pennington, cincinnati bengals, cleveland browns, david garrard, denver broncos, derek anderson, eminem, eric mangini, houston texans, indianapolis colts, jacksonville jaguars, jamarcus russell, jeff garcia, joe flacco, kansas city chiefs, kellen clemens, kerry collins, kevin walter, kyle orton, l.a. lakers, lebron james, mark sanchez, marshawn lynch, marvin harrison, matt cassel, matt jones, matt ryan, matt schaub, miami dolphins, new england patriots, new york jets, oakland raiders, orlando magic, owen daniels, peyton manning, philip rivers, pittsburgh steelers, san diego chargers, steve slaton, tennessee titans, terrell owens, tom brady, tony dungy, tony gonzalez, torry holt, trent edwards, vince young | http://nflgalore.com/tag/jeff-garcia/ | 3,075 |
Youth Team Regular
Apr 30, 2012, 2:02 PM
Location: Slade Green
Team(s): Slade Green, Orpington, Dartford, Phoenix Sports, Ebbsfleet, Charlton
Post #288 of 321
Not sure how to apply this, or possibly I can't and site administrators can ...
Teesside Football League Division One
Match scheduled for 18th February, Dormans v Cargo Fleet has been declared a home win (i.e. for Dormans) with a 0-0 scoreline. I've input the match for this but not put in the result.
(This is a different issue to the earlier deduction of 3 points from Dormans) | http://nonleaguematters.co.uk/forum/gforum.cgi?post=398601 | 148 |
Westfields Sports High continued its impressive start to the GIO Schoolboy Cup, overpowering a depleted Erindale side 42-6 in their second round pool match at Kippax Oval on Thursday.
With a star-studded forward pack featuring NSW U/18’s prop Kelepi Tanginoa, as well as a host of SG Ball representatives, Westfields proved far too strong for the hosts, who lost both their starting props within the first ten minutes.
Westfields opened the scoring early in the third minute, with winger Nathan Rumsby scooting across untouched off the back of a barnstorming 30-metre break by Souths SG Ball prop Solomona Laulu.
Both Laulu and Tanginoa repeatedly punched holes in the Erindale defence, with five-eighth Guston Jasmin benefitting from his forwards dominance when he stepped his way over from short range in the 14th minute. Fullback Jordie Hedges converted to stretch the lead to ten, and from the next set of six the pair combined in an impressive kick chase move that had shades of Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater about it, as Hedges pounced on Jasmin’s pin point grubber to take the score to 16-0.
Erindale had fallen into the trap of trying to match the much bigger Westfields pack early, but began to work their way back into the contest with repeat sets approaching half time, and found reward for their efforts through a barge over try from dummy half by hooker Tommy Katene, which was then converted by centre Luke Heyman to reduce the deficit to 16-6.
Following the break Erindale remained competitive, with young Kiwi Jared McIlwrick in particular troubling Westfields, and should have added more points but for a few inopportune errors in attack. Eventually though, the loss of two starting forwards combined with the extra defensive workload caught up with the Canberrans, and a fine juggling touchdown by Westfields centre Tui Oloapu, followed by a simple try to fellow three-quarter and man of the match Siope Aukafolau blew the score out to 26-6 in the 39th minute.
With the match beyond doubt the western Sydney side unleashed, as the Westfields backline gladly capitalised on some impressive offloads and second phase play from their forwards with some brilliant razzle-dazzle footy to run in three tries in the final four minutes, the highlight of which was a length of the field team effort that involved seven pairs of hands before big man Matthew Waterhouse crashed over as the siren sounded.
Westfields will next face the red-hot Holy Cross side in what looms as a showdown for progression through to the semi finals, while Erindale travel to Wollongong in search of their first win of the season against Illawarra Sports High.
Westfields Sports High 42 (N Rumsby 2, G Jasmin, J Hedges, T Oloapu, S Aukaloau, B Cox, M Waterhouse tries; J Hedges 4, T Oloapu golas) def. Erindale 6 (T Katene try; L Heyman goal) at Kippax Oval, Canberra | http://nrl.com/gio-schoolboys-cup-westfields-sports-high-v-erindale-college/tabid/10874/newsid/69284/default.aspx | 677 |
Posted by Daniel Kahaner on February 21st, 2012
In 2006, the future of the New York Mets seemed to be bright. But after 2 consecutive seasons of relinquishing the division lead at the end of the season, followed by a year plagued by injury in 2009, the Mets hopes of winning have dimmed dramatically.
The Wilpons finally cut GM Omar Minaya loose after the 2010 season, and brought in Sandy Alderson, whose resume is quite impressive from his time in Oakland. But the Mets only made small moves in 2011, and the team finished below .500 yet again.
This past offseason, Mets fans’ worst nightmare came true. Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins as a free agent, bringing to an end the idea of he and David Wright leading the Mets to a World Series. Although this was a devastating loss, one can’t help but understand Alderson’s reasons for not resigning the star shortstop. The team is in massive debt, and even with Reyes on the roster, the Mets still could not find a way into the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.
Now that the dust has settled, it is time for the Mets to look to the future. 2012 could be a surprising season in Flushing, as the starting rotation appears to be pretty solid heading into spring training. Coupled with some big bats in the lineup and some new arms in the bullpen, the Mets could have the potential to make some noise this season.
The acquisition of Frank Francisco as the new closer was a huge move, and the rest of the bullpen is relatively set, with arms like Jon Rauch, Tim Byrdak, Ramon Ramirez, Bobby Parnell, and Jason Isringhausen. This group could provide the Mets with some much needed help late in games, a problem that has plagued the team over the past 4 years.
The starting rotation is shaping up to look like one that could contend. With Johan Santana returning from an injury that kept him out for all of 2011, the rotation immediately gets an injection of talent. Behind Santana, the Mets will start Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, R.A. Dickey, and Dillon Gee, all of whom now have significant tenures in the major leagues, and could certainly pitch the Mets to a solid number of victories this year.
But they won’t be able to do so without run support. This is the biggest question for the Mets entering 2012. Will they be able to score? Moving the fences in at Citi Field will help, but it will also help the opposition, so what should we expect to see? The answer is unclear, but the offense currently on the roster certainly has potential to score.
Andres Torres most likely will lead off, replacing Jose Reyes in the order and Angel Pagan in center field. Torres is a fast runner who can get on base consistently. David Wright should be back to his old self once again, and we can expect him to hit at least 30 home runs with 100 RBIs. The question marks lie behind him in the batting order, however. Young first baseman Ike Davis is coming off an injury, but his power certainly should not be overlooked. The man has put several balls onto Shea Bridge in right center field, and will only get better with experience. If he can hit well in the cleanup spot, it should give Wright some pitches to hit.
Behind Davis, the struggling Jason Bay will need to find his offense again in order for the team to be successful. If he can regain even close to the production that we saw during his time in Boston, the Mets could have the opportunity to sport quite a dangerous hitting attack.
At the end of the day though, they are still the Mets. They still have many pieces to add in order to fill out the lineup, but the farm system looks promising and the future may not be as dim as many fans once thought. | http://ny-sportsfans.com/2012/02/21/what-should-we-expect-from-the-mets-in-2012/ | 801 |
The NHL lockout has been in effect for nearly three months now, and so, with no actual games to report on, we're going to link to a different hockey video every day until a new CBA is reached. Today: John Amirante's national anthem before Game 7 of the '94 Finals.
A few years back, we chatted with John Amirante, the Rangers' longtime national anthem singer. It was one of the more fun interviews we've done on this blog: Amirante talked about singing at George Steinbrenner's birthday party, warming up his vocal chords in the Knicks' locker-room bathroom, and the time the Devils tried to hire him away to sing at the Meadowlands. And, of course, we asked him about his rendition of the national anthem prior to Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.
These days, the Garden crowd will generally start to cheer right after the "gallantly streaming" part of the anthem, beginning with mid-song shouts of "Let's go Rangers." But in the video below, Rangers fans made noise throughout the entire U.S. anthem, and announcer Sam Rosen said at the time was unlike anything he'd ever heard Madison Square Garden. Here's what Amirante remembered about that night:
I couldn't hear myself, the Garden was so loud. It was absolutely fantastic. I felt like I was ten feet off the ice. And I had chills going through my body, and the fans were just screaming and chanting. I loved every minute of it. And to this day, I can remember specifically how it was. It's a memory I'll never forget. And then the parade that followed, I was on a float, and the fans were singing the anthem to me as I went up Broadway. It was great.
And so on Day 87 of the NHL lockout, here are the Canadian and American national anthems from June 14, 1994. It's during the "Star-Spangled Banner" when things get really loud. | http://nymag.com/daily/sports/2012/12/video-john-amirantes-game-7-national-anthem.html | 409 |
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