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ADAC Formula Masters 2009
Volkswagen Power for motorsport youngsters: The successful partnership between Volkswagen and the ADAC Formula Masters will start to its second season with the opening event at Oschersleben on Easter weekend (11 to 13 April).
American Liam Kenney, who raced in the American Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup in 2008 and finished the inaugural season as the runner-up, has now set out to establish himself in European formula racing. In 2008, the young US driver contested the ADAC Formula season finale at Hockenheim, with a complete season in the feeder series now following in 2009.
Among the young drivers from five nations are a few new faces and a number of well-known names aspiring to inherit the title from the debut year’s champion of the formula school, Armando Parente (P). The Formula ADAC powered by Volkswagen cars, which are exclusively fitted with 145-hp FSI engines with a cubic capacity of 1.6 litres from Wolfsburg, will start from the grid at eight events.
“The Formula Masters offers young talents a perfect way to enter automobile racing and is thus an important element of Volkswagen Motorsport’s development programme for young drivers,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “The combination of the Dallara chassis and a modern 1.6-litre FSI engine from Volkswagen offers reliable, safe and professional material at low costs, particularly to drivers moving up from kart racing. Champion Armando Parente, who immediately managed ascending to higher Formula classes, showed how well suited this material is to make a strong showing.”
Kevin Friesacher and Daniel Abt enter second season as title candidates
As candidates for winning the 2009 ADAC Formula Masters powered by Volkswagen, Kevin Friesacher, the 18-year-old brother of former Austrian Formula 1 driver Patrick Friesacher, as well as 16-year-old Daniel Abt, son of DTM team director Hans-Jürgen Abt, enter the new season. The two teenagers were already successful in 2008: Friesacher celebrated two victories; Abt three podium places and one pole position. In addition, Friesacher and Abt shone with impressive test times prior to the season.
Two other talents are set to attract attention as well: The Briton Adrian Campfield and Klaus Bachler from Austria, who finished the 2008 championship in third place and has as many as two race victories under his belt. Freddie Hunt is another driver bringing a fine-sounding name with motorsport tradition to the series: The son of 1976 Formula 1 World Champion James Hunt will contest his first full season in the Formula Masters. | http://oneighturbo.com/racing/formula-masters/volkswagen-power-for-formula-adac-youngsters/ | 548 |
|Hometown:||El Dorado Hills, Calif.|
|High School:||Oak Ridge HS|
Finishing her first year at Pacific, Gabby spent most of her inaugural campaign as the Tigers' primary pinch-runner and reserve outfielder. Appearing in 26 games for Pacific, Goyette scored six runs on the year while also going 1-for-6 with a walk at the plate as a pinch-hitter. She picked up her first collegiate hit against Cal State Northridge on April 16 when she singled down the right-field line in the top of the seventh inning in the Tigers' 9-7 win over the Matadors. In the field, Gabby recorded just three defensive chances on the year, but made the most of her time in left as she posted one of Pacific's seven outfield assists for the season.
A 2010 graduate of Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado, Calif., Gabby was an outstanding outfielder for the ORHS Trojans. In her senior year, Goyette led her team in batting average and on-base percentage, finishing the year with a .454 batting average, .466 OBP and went a perfect 17-for-17 in base stealing en route to leading her team to a 27-5 season. As a junior, Goyette led her team to both the Sierra Valley League championship and the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship in 2009. During the season, Goyette posted a .324 batting average in 27 games while adding 14 runs and nine RBI. The championship in 2009 was a repeat performance for the Trojans after they picked up the CIF championship for the first time in 2008. As a sophomore, Goyette led her team in hitting with an impressive .482 batting average while also adding 16 runs and six RBI at the top of the lineup. For her play, Goyette earned All-Metro First Team honors while also earning All-State Underclassman honors.
Gabby Goyette was born in Placerville, Calif., and is the daughter of Paul Goyette and Janet Cross. She has three siblings, Maxine, Gretchen and Blair. In her second year at Pacific, Gabby is majoring in business with ambitions to work in sports. | http://pacifictigers.com/sports/w-softbl/2011-12/bios/goyette%20gabby00.html | 465 |
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-- A Spring Training lengthened by the World Baseball Classic could work in the favor of left-hander Christian Friedrich in his bid to win a spot in the Rockies' starting rotation.
For now, Friedrich is not on the Cactus League pitching schedule. The Rockies' first-round Draft pick in 2008, Friedrich made the majors last season, but didn't pitch after July 28 because of a stress fracture in his lower back. Friedrich had back soreness just before this Spring Training began, and recent neck stiffness further delayed him. But Friedrich reported Friday morning that he is much better, and is pushing to get back on the mound.
Before the neck stiffness, Friedrich was completing a long-toss regimen and nearing the point where he was throwing off the slope of the mound. With no further setbacks, he hopes to reach the point where he is a serious candidate for the Opening Day roster.
"I don't know how far behind the other guys they're willing to let me get and still be taken into consideration," Friedrich said. "Once I start throwing off the bump, I'll start asking those questions and see how far I am behind the other guys."
Friedrich went 5-8 with a 6.17 ERA in 16 starts with the Rockies.
Hernandez again caught up in trade rumors
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Throughout the offseason, reports had the Rockies willing to trade veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez in an effort to improve pitching, and the subject returned to the front burner this week when FoxSports.com became the latest to mention the deal.
But Hernandez, earning $3.2 million this year to complete a two-year contract he signed with the Rockies, has learned not to let his mood spike whenever a new set of rumors appears. His name came up in reports last year at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, with the Mets being his supposed destination. Two years ago, he was with the Reds and it seemed he was headed to the Giants in a deadline deal.
"I try to come in, play the game," Hernandez said. "I remember when I was with the Reds, it was the same thing. Am I getting traded? The last few days before the deadline, the Giants' manager told me, 'You're leaving with us. You're going back to San Francisco.' Then later on I was told I wasn't going anywhere until the end, right at the deadline. Then the Reds put me on waivers, somebody claimed me, they pulled me back out, and I didn't go anywhere.
"Thinking about it is too much of a distraction. If it happens, it's business. But I want to stay here. Rumors get you kind of crazy."
The Rockies have depth at catcher. Second-year man Wilin Rosario is the starter, the club signed Yorvit Torrealba to a Minor League contract just before Spring Training began and multi-position player Jordan Pacheco was a catcher in the Minors and has impressed the staff with his work behind the plate this spring.
Batista looks to join forces with Weiss
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies manager Walt Weiss went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and a double play against Miguel Batista during his playing career.
Now Batista, 42, is in Rockies camp as a non-roster invitee attempting to make Weiss's roster.
"You're talking about a durable arm," Weiss said. "That's funny because of his age, but that's his strength, his durability. He's still running it up there at 94 [mph] at times.
"I got a very personal scouting report against him. The guy's been in the World Series. He's pitched in a lot of different games in a lot of different roles. There's certainly a niche for a guy like him. There's a lot of competition in that niche, but that's why we brought him in."
Weiss preaching toughness to Rockies
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Manager Walt Weiss played for the Rockies when they were known as the Blake Street Bombers. With Dante Bichette in camp as hitting coach, Vinny Castilla helping out as a special front-office assistant and Eric Young working as a special instructor, there are plenty of reminders of the old days.
But Weiss is offering his new squad a new identity.
"Just in the meetings that we've had, I like the terminology that he's using, and the attitude that he's bringing, him, Dante and the staff, will be extremely beneficial to us," veteran right fielder-first baseman Michael Cuddyer said. "We've got to have that mindset that we're going to go out and dominate.
"'Blake Street Bullies' is the terminology that he's using, going out and bullying people -- aggressive baserunning, that type of stuff. A lot of terminology they're using is geared toward being aggressive, not passive."
Weiss figures getting a team to think tough is a step toward playing that way. Coors Field can be a tough place for opponents, and Weiss wants a team that offers reminders of how difficult it is.
"Regardless of what sport you're playing, I don't care if it's golf or tennis, if you don't have an aggressive mindset it's very difficult to be successful at the elite level or professional level," Weiss said. "Take advantage of the home-field advantage that we have.
"For us to win a division, you've got to be around 50 wins at home. You look at our lineup and there are some pieces there. There's power up and down the lineup. It's tough for an opposing pitcher. There are no breaks in the lineup. Regardless who wins a job here or there, it's going to be a lineup that's tough to pitch to."
• Third baseman Nolan Arenado, ranked the No. 2 prospect in the Rockies' system by MLB.com, had an RBI double and Matt McBride added an RBI single in the sixth inning of Friday's intrasquad game won by Triple-A Colorado Springs manager Glenallen Hill's team, 2-0, over a team run by Tulsa manager Kevin Riggs.
• Pitching carried the day Friday in an intrasquad game that included big league backups and prospects at the positions and mostly young pitchers. Righty Manuel Corpas, who threw two perfect innings with one strikeout, was the only pitcher with significant Major League experience.
Pitchers finished with 10 strikeouts and six walks. Lefty Nick Schmidt, a former Padres No. 1 Draft pick who pitched at Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Colorado Springs last year, struck out three, and righty Parker Frazier, at Double-A last year, struck out two. Most of the pitchers worked for ground balls, with more success than not. Weiss said pitchers were not restricted from throwing any of their pitches.
"We're turning them loose to throw their pitches and they've been doing it in bullpens right from the beginning," Weiss said. "They're ready to execute all their pitches."
• Weiss didn't think of saving any souvenirs from Saturday's first Spring Training game under his watch until asked about it Friday afternoon.
"No question the first time going out there will be a special feeling even though it's only Spring Training," Weiss said. "I'll keep the lineup card."
Speaking of the lineup card, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki will be on it for the first time since last May 30. Tulowitzki missed the remainder of the season with a left groin injury that eventually required surgery. Veteran first baseman Todd Helton, who underwent right hip surgery to repair a torn labrum last August, will not play and will be eased into action this spring.
The batting order is center fielder Dexter Fowler, second baseman Josh Rutledge, left fielder Carlos Gonzalez, Tulowitzki, first baseman Michael Cuddyer, catcher Wilin Rosario, right fielder Tyler Colvin, designated hitter Jordan Pacheco and third baseman Chris Nelson. Lefty Drew Pomeranz is the starting pitcher.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130222&content_id=41889920¬ebook_id=41890146&vkey=notebook_col&c_id=col | 1,731 |
Results tagged ‘ Pennsylvania Railroad ’
Although best known as the betrayed manager of the infamous 1919 Black Sox, Kid Gleason began and ended his baseball career in Philadelphia, first as a pitcher for the Phillies and later as a coach for Connie Mack’s A’s.
William J. Gleason, Jr. was born on October 26, 1866 in Camden, N.J., although at least one biographer claims that he was born in south Philadelphia and that his family would move across the Delaware River to Camden while a toddler. Gleason’s father, William, Sr. worked as a foreman for the Pennsylvania Railroad, working out of the Market Street Ferry Terminal. Growing up, Gleason would play baseball, being nicknamed the ‘Kid’ because of both his short stature and his energetic, youthful play, while also working as a brakeman for the railroad, continuing to perform that duty during the off-season for a short time after becoming a professional ballplayer. After playing for local Camden ballclubs, including the Camden Merrit club in 1885, he would play for a team in Williamsport, PA., in 1887 and then play for a team in Scranton, PA., later that same year. The following year, he would play his first professional ballgame as a member of Harry Wright’s Philadelphia Phillies, making his major league debut on April 20, debuting as the team’s opening day pitcher. Pitching against the Boston Beaneaters (now the Atlanta Braves), the team would lose 4-3.
Playing in twenty-five games during that first season with the Phillies, all but one of which would be as a pitcher, Gleason would start in twenty-three games and finished the other one. His record for the year would be 7-16 with a 2.84 ERA, as he would pitch in 199.7 innings, giving up 199 hits, 11 of which would be home runs, leading the team in that category that year, allow 112 runs to score, 63 of which would be earned, as he would also walk 53 batters, strike out 89, hit 12 batters, leading the team in that category, and throw 11 wild pitches. The following year, 1889, Gleason would play in thirty games, pitching in twenty-nine of them. He would start in twenty-one games, completing fifteen, and finishing seven other games, being the team’s leader in that category. His record for the season would be 9-15 with an ERA of 5.58, as he would pitch in 205 innings, giving up 242 hits, including 8 home runs, while allowing 177 runners to score, with 127 of them being earned. He would also walk 97 batters while striking out 64, hit 9 batters, once again leading the team’s pitching staff and throw 14 wild pitches. Gleason would also save one game, putting him in a tie for the team’s lead with Ben Sanders.
1890 would be the Kid’s breakout year as a pitcher as he would become the team’s ace thanks to that year’s Players’ League revolt. He would start the year off as the team’s opening day pitcher, facing future Hall of Famer Amos Rusie of the New York (now San Francisco) Giants on April 19, leading the Phils to a 4-0 victory over the previous season’s National League champ. Appearing in sixty-three games that season, he would play sixty games as a pitcher and two as a second baseman. Gleason would start in fifty-five games, completing all but one, while finishing the other five, placing him third in the NL in all three categories. His record for the season would be 38-17 for a .691 winning percentage, leading the team in wins (while setting the team’s record for wins in a season, which still stands) and winning percentage and placing him second behind Bill Hutchinson of the Chicago Colts in wins and second behind Tom Lovett of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in winning percenatge, with an ERA of 2.63, leading the team and placing him fifth in the league. He would perform six shut outs, placing him second behind Kid Nichols of the Beaneaters. Gleason would also have two saves, tying him for first place in the NL with Dave Foutz of the Bridegrooms and Hutchinson of the Colts. He would pitch in 506 innings (3), giving up 479 hits (3), of which 8 would be for home runs. Gleason would also give up 253 runs, of which 148 were earned (4), walk 167 batters (5), strike out 222 (3T), perform one balk and throw 11 wild pitches. The following season, 1891, he would once again be the Phils’ opening day pitcher, pitching against the Bridegrooms on April 22, as the Phils would lose the game, 1-0. The Kid would have another winning season, but just barely, as his record drops to 24-22 with an ERA of 3.51, although leading the team in wins and ERA, and, sadly, also losses. In sixty-five games, fifty-three of which would be as a pitcher, Gleason would start in forty-four, completing forty games and finishing nine others, leading the team in all four categories, as well as leading the NL in games finished. He would have one shutout, tying him for the team’s lead with Duke Esper and John Thornton and one save. Gleason would pitch in 418 innings, giving up 431 hits, 10 of which would be for home runs, while also giving up 237 runs, 148 of which would be earned, leading the team in innings pitched, hits allowed, home runs allowed and earned runs allowed. He would also walk 165 batters while striking out only 100, and throw 17 wild pitches, leading the team in both walks and wild pitches. This would be his last season as a Phillie as at some point between the 1891 and the 1892 seasons the Phils would either let him go or trade him to the St. Louis Browns (now the Cardinals) one of the four teams picked up by the National League following the folding of the then second Major League, the American Association.
Among Phillies’ leader, Gleason is presently still 16th in wins (78), 21st in losses (70), 22nd in ERA (3.29), 58th in games pitched (166), tied for 27th in games started (143), 11th in complete games (132), tied for 37th in shut outs (7), tied for 89th in saves (4), 17th in innings pitched (1328.2), 18th in hits allowed (1351), 12th in runs allowed (779), 23rd in earned runs allowed (501), tied for 89th in home runs allowed (37), 9th in walks (482), 34th in strike outs (475), tied for 12th in hit batters (49), 9th in wild pitches (53) and 176th in winning percentage (.527). But, this would not be the last time that Phillies fans would see Gleason as a Phil, but we are presently getting ahead of ourselves.
Gleason would spend two plus seasons with the St. Louis Browns. He would begin the 1892 season as their opening day pitcher, going against the Chicago Colts on April 12, that would end up as a 14-10 lost for the Browns. Gleason would play in sixty-six games, forty-seven of them as a pitcher, of which forty-five would be starts, completing all but two. The rest he would play as either a shortstop or in the outfield. Gleason’s record that season would be 20-24, including two shut outs, with an ERA of 3.33. He would pitch 300 innings that year, giving up 389 hits, 11 of which would be for home runs (7), allow 244 runs to score, of which 148 would be earned (9). Gleason would also walk 151 batters, while striking out 133 and throw 9 wild pitches. He would lead the Browns in all pitching categories mentioned, except for ERA and runs allowed. The following year, 1893, would see him play in fifty-nine games, of which he would pitch in forty-eight games (6T), starting forty-five games (4), completing thirty-seven of them (8), while finishing three, pitching one shut out and saving one game (6T). In 380 and a third innings (7), he would give up 436 hits (5), of which 18 would be for home runs (2), while allowing 276 runs to score, of which 195 were earned, the lead leader in that category. He would also walk 187 batters (3), while striking out 86 and throwing 16 wild pitches (5). He would lead the Browns in wins, games started, home runs allowed, walks, hits allowed, earned runs allowed and wild pitches, while being tied for the lead in games pitched, saves and shut outs.
The 1894 season would see him play for two teams. He would begin the year playing for the Browns, with a record of 2-6 and an ERA of 6.05 in eight games pitched, all starts, with six complete games. Overall, he would play just 9 games with the Browns, playing his other game as a first baseman. He would pitch in only 58 innings, giving up just 75 hits, only two of which would be for home runs, as he would give up 50 runs, only 39 of which would be earned, while walking just 21 batters, striking out 9 and throwing just one wild pitch. On June 23, 1894, the Browns would sell him to the Baltimore Orioles for $2400. Kid would become sort of rejuvenated upon joining the Orioles, as he would end the season with a 15-5 record with a 4.45 ERA, as he would pitch in twenty-one games, playing twenty-six games overall, as he would start twenty games, completing all but one, and finishing one other game. Pitching in 172 innings, he would give up 224 hits, only three of which would be for home runs, allow 111 runs to cross the plate, of which only 85 would be earned. He would also walk 44 batters, while striking out 35 and throwing only three wild pitches, as he would help lead the Orioles to the first of two straight pennants (1894-1895) as a member of their ball club. This would turn out to be his last major year as a pitcher, as the National League, now the only major league in existance, would move the pitcher’s mound to its modern distance of 60′ 6″ from home plate, ending his effectiveness as a pitcher. He would appear in just nine more games as a pitcher in 1895, starting in five, completing three games, and finishing the other four, recording one save, as he would record a 2-4 record with an ERA of 6.97. Gleason would pitch in 50 and a third innings, giving up 77 hits, four of which would be home runs, as he would allow 51 runs to score, of which 39 would be earned. He would also walk 21 batters while striking out 6 and throw one wild pitch.
In nine season as a pitcher, Gleason would compile a record of 138-131 for the Phillies, the Browns and the Orioles for a winning percentage of .513, with a 3.79 ERA. He would pitch in 299 games, starting 266 games and finishing 30 others. Gleason would complete 240 games, while throwing 10 shut outs and saving six. The Kid would pitch in 2389.3 innings, giving up 2552 hits, of which 75 would be home runs, while allowing 1511 runs to score, of which 1007 would be earned. He would also walk 906 batters, strike out 744, hit 21 batters, throw 83 wild pitches and commit one balk.
During the 1895 season, Orioles’ manager, future Hall of Famer Ned Hanlon, would turn Gleason into an everyday player, mainly playing at second base. During that first season as a regular, Gleason would blossom as a player, hitting .309, with a slugging percentage of .399 and an on-base percentage of .366, as he would go 130 for 421 in 112 games. He would knock in 74 runs while scoring 90, as he would collect 14 doubles and 12 triples, while walking 33 times as he would strike out only 18 times. He would also steal 19 bases, as he would help lead the Orioles to their second straight NL pennant. On November 15, the Orioles would send Gleason and $3500 to the Giants, in exchange for catcher Jack Doyle.
I will continue the story on Kid Gleason next week, starting with his years playing for the New York Giants.
Sources: Wikipedia, Baseball-reference.com, Retrosheet.org, Delaware Valley Rhythm and Blues Society, Inc.com-Camden Sports Hall of Fame, The Baseball Page.com, Phillies.com | http://philliesredpinstripes.mlblogs.com/tag/pennsylvania-railroad/ | 2,710 |
Zimmerman leaves game with hip injury
Nationals third baseman will be re-evaluated on Wednesday
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman came out of Tuesday night's game against the Braves with tightness in his right hip flexor.Zimmerman didn't consider the situation serious. In fact, he was smirking about it even before the extra-inning exhibition game ended in a 2-2 tie after 11 innings. "I could have played if I needed to. In fact, I wish I was still in there," he said, mustering a veteran's sarcasm for a night overtime exhibition game. Zimmerman thought he triggered the tightness sliding home to score on Jesus Flores' single in the sixth. "It's a little tight," said Zimmerman, who will be re-evaluated on Wednesday. "Why keep playing, and risk injuring it more?" Prior to leaving, Zimmerman had gone 1-for-4. He is batting .333 in the Grapefruit League and leads Washington with seven RBIs.
Tom Singer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080311&content_id=2420837&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb | 242 |
Channel 5’s go-to evening news anchor Meredith Land won’t be back on the air until February and with good reason. She’s home reveling in the first male born in her family since the 1920s.
“He’s the first boy on my side of the family in over 85 years,” she says.
Her son, Alexander, was born on Nov. 15 weighing in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces.
His 3-year-old sister, McCall, is reportedly thrilled.
“I will be back in time for sweeps,” Land says. “But I have to be in fighting shape by Jan. 11. That’s when we start shooting team promos.” | http://popcultureblog.dallasnews.com/tag/meredith-land/ | 158 |
COLCHESTER, Vt. — The Peru wrestling team crowned five individual champions on Saturday and took first place in the Bob Benoure Invitational, hosted by Colchester High School.
Saranac also competed in the event and finished in third place while capturing two weight classes.
High School Sports Magazine
The Indians ended up with 245 points in the 18-team field. Massena placed second with 182, followed by Saranac with 169, Champlain Valley Union with 101.5 and Essex with 94.5 to round out the top five.
Nick Forget (126), Noah Phillips (145), Caleb Feazelle (152), Troy Seymour (170) and Dustin Neyer (182) won their weight classes for Peru.
Forget recorded a 6-4 victory over Saranac’s Rafael Rivera in the finals, Phillips a 6-2 decision over Franklin Academy’s Jamiel Stapleton and Feazelle a 16-10 win over Massena’s Hunter Perrine. Seymour won by pin in 1:29 over Harwood’s Kaegen Pearsall, and Neyer earned a 7-4 decision over Mount Mansfield Union’s Sean O’Connor.
“Caleb and Dustin won their first varsity tournaments,” Peru co-coach Mike Hogan said. “I was especially happy for them.
“Troy won his 199th varsity match and he will be going for No. 200 on Wednesday when we wrestle Saranac. He was also chosen at the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler and for the Least Time on the Mat Award.”
Finishing first for the Chiefs were John Devins (99) and Austin LaTulip (132). Devins recorded a 12-6 win over Peru’s Brandon Goddeau in the finals, and LaTulip was a 6-0 winner over Milton’s Dylan Homsted.
“Devins was 3-0 on the day and wrestled great,” Saranac coach Heath Smith said. “He had lost to Goddeau the first two times they wrestled this year.
“And LaTulip did a great job while going 4-0. We wrestled well as a team.”
Four Peru matmen lost in the finals.
In addition to Goddeau’s setback to Devins, Kyler Agoney dropped a close 4-3 decision to Spaulding’s Brandon Tyson, Jordan Bushey a tough 9-8 decision to Massena’s Isaiah Perry at 138, and Luke McKee an 8-0 loss to Harwood’s Kyle Streeter at 220.
Also placing for Peru were Colin Hogan third at 106, Ethan Feazelle third at 120, Tanner Phillips fourth at 132 and Shane Varin third at 145.
“We had nine in the finals and wrestled pretty well,” Hogan said. “We lost some close matches and won some close ones.
“This was our first tournament in Vermont this year, and we weren’t used to the officiating. We learned a couple of lessons the hard way.”
In addition to Rivera’s runner-up finish, other Saranac place-winners included Codie Gillette with a third at 138, James Black third at 152, Shawn LaGrave fourth at 106 and Paul Herrera fourth at 220. | http://pressrepublican.com/0300_sports/x1746082838/Peru-wins-tourney-with-5-individual-champs/print | 726 |
May 18, 2011, 11:37 AM EDT
The comparison is a natural one.
The last time Cleveland had the No. 1 overall pick it had a no-brainer of a choice and picked LeBron James. Seven years later he left in a messy way. Then the Cavaliers won the top pick in the NBA Draft and they are going to select Kyrie Irving out of Duke.
But don’t start comparing the two, Irving told the Bergen Record at the NBA Draft Lottery.
“I don’t think you can make comparisons to me and LeBron,” said Irving, who attended the lottery. “One, I’m not 6-8. Two, I’m not a high flyer and three, my name isn’t LeBron James. Honestly, you can’t make those comparisons yet. I think I would bring a different feel to the Cleveland organization if they do decide to take me.”
It will be a different feel for sure, Irving is good but he is not the physical force of nature that LeBron is. Irving is more pure point guard who is crazy good if you let him get to his left hand on the drive.
Irving is a good fit with what Byron Scott likes to do on offense. But he is not LeBron or Derrick Rose or even John Wall in terms of impact. As we said before, scouts say more like the impact of Stephen Curry — good, borderline All-Star good, but not top 10 in the game good.
Maybe those scouts are wrong, maybe Irving will be that good and be a franchise cornerstone for a decade. Maybe he can fill LeBron’s shoes in Cleveland. But Irving himself doesn’t want the comparison.
- Preview: Did Grizzlies figure out Spurs or will Game 3 be more of the same? 0
- George Hill says only God is scarier to face than LeBron James 20
- LeBron James commits two costly turnovers in final minute of Game 2 loss to Pacers 21
- Pacers find their offense, find balance, find Heat’s respect 17
- Pacers get big games from Roy Hibbert and Paul George, take Game 2 from Heat to even the series 27
- Report: Dwight Howard will consider multiple teams in free agency, is said to be most intrigued by the Rockets (124)
- Alonzo Mourning says Scottie Pippen says LeBron would “kick Jordan’s ass” (83)
- LeBron’s triple-double, game-winner in overtime lead Heat to Game 1 win over Pacers (70)
- Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with Game 6 win over Knicks (61)
- If Phil Jackson could have any player to start a team it would be… Bill Russell (61)
- LIVE: Bruins-Rangers, Game 5
- PST: Bayern Munich beats Dortmund, wins Champions League
- PBT: Pacers' Hill: Only God scarier than LeBron
- Hundreds run Boston Marathon's final mile
- MST Monaco GP predictions: Mercedes' time?
- PHT: Brassard says Marchand shows no respect
- PST: Neymar reportedly set to join Barcelona | http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/18/kyrie-irving-to-cleveland-don%E2%80%99t-compare-me-to-lebron/ | 658 |
Jun 28, 2012, 8:22 PM EDT
After some soul searching, the Washington Capitals decided to go with a first-time head coach (and one would think, offense-first guy) in Adam Oates. Darren Dreger provides an fascinating wrinkle to that decision-making process, though: the Caps also interviewed “Iron” Mike Keenan before choosing Oates.
Mike Keenan interviewed for head coaching job in Wash. McPhee called to tell him he was out, just before news broke Oates had been hired.
There are so many different things to take from that scenario. The most obvious one is the mind-blowing concept of Keenan working with Alex Ovechkin. Yup, that would have been … interesting.
Regardless of how serious the Capitals really were when interviewing Keenan, it reveals how much of a fork in the road Washington GM George McPhee was at after Dale Hunter left. He could have gone in a similar – possibly more restrictive – direction with Keenan, but instead he opted for a (seemingly) more player-friendly guy in Oates.
That shouldn’t stop you from picturing the hockey “Odd Couple” that would have been Keenan & Ovechkin. How well do you think they could have worked?
May 25, 2013, 10:42 PM EDT
He’s clearly embracing the role of underdog.
May 25, 2013, 10:29 PM EDT
He’s been the head coach of AHL Toronto since 2009.
May 25, 2013, 10:20 PM EDT
Detroit’s goalie made some especially challenging ones.
May 25, 2013, 10:06 PM EDT
May 25, 2013, 9:36 PM EDT
At least he’s still rich and handsome.
May 25, 2013, 9:07 PM EDT
He also thinks the Rangers faced an identity crisis.
May 25, 2013, 8:54 PM EDT
No other defenseman has four goals in first five playoff games.
May 25, 2013, 8:34 PM EDT
Jarome Iginla’s name might come up.
May 25, 2013, 8:14 PM EDT
Torey Krug might eat for free in Boston.
May 25, 2013, 7:07 PM EDT
He took a puck and maybe a stick to the kisser.
May 25, 2013, 6:37 PM EDT
Impressive flash of the glove by Hank.
May 25, 2013, 6:21 PM EDT
New York Rangers forward was stirring the pot for a while.
May 25, 2013, 5:31 PM EDT
Looks like Dougie Hamilton is the odd man out.
May 25, 2013, 5:09 PM EDT
He’s been out with a broken hand.
May 25, 2013, 4:17 PM EDT
He avoided a fight in Game 4.
May 25, 2013, 3:07 PM EDT
Desperation calls for tinkering.
May 25, 2013, 1:41 PM EDT
This saga isn’t quite over yet.
May 25, 2013, 1:12 PM EDT
Kids will learn how to hit later.
May 25, 2013, 11:42 AM EDT
This sounds a bit familiar.
May 25, 2013, 10:51 AM EDT
He was Philly’s coach for four years.
- Report: Canucks ask Leafs permission to interview Eakins for head coaching gig 0
- Tortorella takes blame for top players’ struggles 7
- Discuss: Bruins finish off Rangers in Game 5 37
- Brassard says Marchand ‘doesn’t show any respect for his opponents’ 68
- Playoffs tonight: Bruins and Red Wings look to finish things in Game 5 7
- Video: Senators’ captain Alfredsson discusses his future 11
- Penguins put on a ‘clinic’ in semifinal series win over Senators 36
- Report: NHL to present Glendale with Coyotes ownership plan next week 16
- Discuss: Penguins knock off the Senators in Game 5, headed to conference final 74
- Video: Morrow’s goal off the foot stands after review 6
- Report: NHLPA director Fehr wants to address issue of fighting (114)
- Question for commenters: What, if anything, needs to be done about the officiating? (101)
- Discuss: Bruins rally in third, take 3-0 series lead (99)
- Discuss: Detroit takes 2-1 series lead vs. Chicago (95)
- Discuss: Rangers stay alive with OT win (87)
- LIVE: Bruins-Rangers, Game 5
- PST: Bayern Munich beats Dortmund, wins Champions League
- PBT: Pacers' Hill: Only God scarier than LeBron
- Hundreds run Boston Marathon's final mile
- MST Monaco GP predictions: Mercedes' time?
- PHT: Brassard says Marchand shows no respect
- PST: Neymar reportedly set to join Barcelona
- Play Video: Howard with a couple of tremendous saves in Game 5
- Play Video: Highlights: Bruins move onto Eastern Conference finals
- Play Video: Lundqvist takes one away from Lucic
- Play Video: Stepan's face takes a beating
- Play Video: Dorsett vs. Thornton
- Play Video: Highlights: Penguins crush Senators to move on | http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2012/06/28/caps-interviewed-mike-keenan-regarding-head-coaching-gig/related/ | 1,130 |
Since being taken with the #7 overall pick by the 49ers in 2011 NFL draft, DE Aldon Smith has racked up an absurd 33.5 sacks over his first 2 years in the league. By some, he was seen as the "next DeMarcus Ware" when he came out due to his scheme versatility as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.
So now teams are looking for the "next Aldon Smith" and according to Mike Mayock, that could be Oregon DE/LB Dion Jordan.
"When I see (Jordan) play, I see a raw Aldon Smith," Mayock said. "He needs to gain 20 pounds (to fill out his 6-foot-7 frame)."
Is Dion Jordan the next Aldon Smith?
Bleeding Green Nation | Feb 25 | http://prosportsdaily.com/articles/is-dion-jordan-the-next-aldon-smith-234156.html | 166 |
UCI trying to block USADA's doping case against Lance Armstrong
NEW YORK (AP) -- Cycling's international governing body is trying to block the case American anti-doping officials filed against Lance Armstrong, saying there may be a lack of due process and that witnesses were promised "advantages" in exchange for incriminating statements against the seven-time Tour de France winner.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency brought charges of performance-enhancing drug use against Armstrong in June, threatening to strip him of his victories. A federal grand jury investigation of the cyclist ended four months earlier without any indictments.
Armstrong repeatedly has proclaimed his innocence and sued in federal court in Austin, Texas, claiming USADA rules violate athletes' constitutional right to a fair trial.
In a testy exchange of letters made public Friday as part of the court case, the International Cycling Union (UCI) proposed that it appoint an independent panel to determine whether the charges against Armstrong have merit. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency responded there should instead be a "Truth And Reconciliation Commission to clean up the sport of cycling once and for all."
"UCI and the participants in the conspiracy who cheated sport with dangerous performance enhancing drugs to win have a strong incentive to cover up what transpired," USADA CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement. "The participants in the conspiracy have lashed out in the press, gone to Congress and filed a lawsuit to avoid a public display of the evidence before neutral judges. Efforts to intimidate, scare or pressure us to conceal the truth will not stop us from doing the job we are mandated to do."
USADA claims it has jurisdiction, citing UCI rules, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. USADA said having the UCI in charge of the case would be "the fox guarding the hen house" and that UCI has "conflicting interests" because it doesn't want to jeopardize corporate support and it has filed a defamation suit against former Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis, who has publicly accused Armstrong of drug use.
Robert Luskin, a lawyer for Armstrong, countered in a statement Friday that "UCI has confirmed that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the allegations against Lance Armstrong and has instructed USADA to stop its proceedings."
"All of the charges in USADA's complaint concern UCI international competitions or UCI-administered tests," Luskin said. "It is time for USADA to take its own advice, follow the rules applicable to all elite international cyclists and allow UCI to proceed."
UCI President Patrick McQuaid wrote July 13 to USADA, claiming the Switzerland-based cycling group has jurisdiction and USADA does not.
"The UCI is the only test results management authority, as these are UCI tests," McQuaid said in his letter.
McQuaid said that because Armstrong has not been provided the evidence, "UCI does not feel comfortable" with the USADA case, "especially if such things which it finds problematic in terms of due process and even in terms of ethics are pushed through by pleading the rules of the UCI.
"This is particularly worrisome in this case because it is said to be based on witness statements only," McQuaid said. "UCI has no other information than that potential witnesses were approached by USADA and that advantages were promised in return for incriminating statements. This is problematic as well."
That letter prompted an angry response by USADA.
"This is a complete `about face' from the UCI's prior public statements regarding this case within the past month," USADA general counsel William Bock III wrote in a 14-page letter to McQuaid on July 26. "You were correct in the first media statements that you made in which you opined that USADA is the correct results management authority and can impose sanctions in these cases."
Bock said UCI's initial public statements "reflect a waiver of any right by the UCI to conduct results management in this case" and that USADA has authority conferred upon it by the U.S. Olympic Committee and by UCI's anti-doping rules.
Citing the 2007 report on drug use in baseball by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, which claimed the sport was ineffective at policing itself, Bock wrote "the evidence is even stronger that cycling under the management of the UCI has been enmeshed in its own EPO and blood doping era.
"By our count, of the 21 podium finishers at the Tour de France during the period from 1999-2005, only a single rider other than Mr. Armstrong was not implicated in doping by a subsequent investigation. Yet, only a single one of these riders had a positive test with the UCI."
U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks gave Armstrong's lawyers until the end of Friday to file their response to USADA's motion to dismiss the lawsuit after an argument over whether the cyclist's legal team had missed a deadline.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Bruins eliminate Rangers with win in Game 5
Penguins beat Senators 6-2, clinch spot in next round | http://quicktime.cnnsi.com/more/news/20120803/lance-armstrong-uci-usada/ | 1,083 |
Chalupa played his entire 14-game NHL career in a Red Wings uniform in 1984-85, scoring five assists. He also appeared in one game with the Red Wings' farm team in Adirondack.
From 1985 through 1991, Chalupa played with EHC Freiburg in the German Elite League before going into a two-year retirement. However, Chalupa missed playing hockey at the elite level and decided to return for one final season with Dukla Jihlava. In 12 games, he picked up four assists before retiring from pro hockey at the age of 40.
Courtesy of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Ticket Info: 313.471.7575
General Info: 313.471.6606 | http://redwings.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8446037&view=bio | 153 |
By Ed Daigneault
STORRS — Toil. That's what Niels Giffey has done for the bulk of his UConn career. The results were pedestrian career averages of 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds.
At some point, the junior from Germany was due to stumble upon some more tangible results. That is the point of hard work, isn't it?
It paid off Sunday for the 21st-ranked Huskies when it was needed. Giffey came off the bench to spark his team, putting up career bests of 15 points and eight rebounds in helping UConn struggle its way past Stony Brook, 73-62, before an announced crowd of 8,474 at Gampel Pavilion.
"Niels Giffey was my MVP and he's been my MVP this whole year," said UConn coach Kevin Ollie, who knows a few things about what it means to toil. "Not just playing time, but doing all the things that epitomize UConn basketball: doing his thing academically, coming in and playing great basketball in practice. He got rewarded.
"Niels was our glue guy. With R.J. (Evans) being out, that's something we were going to miss. Niels just filled that void perfectly. I thought he did a beautiful job."
That is an adjective best used to describe games other than this one. For the better part of 30 minutes, it was a grinding, defensive, mistake-filled affair. In the midst of UConn's issues, Giffey was able to hold the Huskies together.
He had two free throws early in the game to help stem the Huskies' shooting woes. He had a 3-pointer late in the first half that gave the Huskies a brief lead and kept the 31-26 halftime deficit from being worse. Later, he knocked down the second of UConn's eight consecutive 3-pointers that capped a 10-0 UConn run. The spurt eventually grew to 26-8, the Huskies (5-1) pushed out to their largest lead (61-47) and won yet another game in which they were outrebounded.
It was not an excellent performance from Giffey if you're going on the strict definition of "excellent." But it surely was important. Giffey has had parts of games that were important, but Sunday was the first time he played an important part throughout a game.
"There really wasn't much of a difference from what I normally do," Giffey said. "I can't tell you what it was. R.J. was out and coach talked to me about stepping up to help get the guys motivated. R.J. is a big part of our team. He's one of our key guys off the court. I had to take that spot."
Shabazz Napier wound up with team-high scoring honors with 19 points. He has led UConn in scoring in every game this year, and has done that mostly on the strength of late-game spurts. Napier did that again Sunday. Fifteen of his points came in the final 11 minutes of the game.
Giffey provided a bucket here and there while Napier found his bearings. Giffey also drew the defensive assignment on Stony Brook's Tommy Brenton, a rebounding machine who had 14 boards in a Saturday victory against Canisius. Brenton had three rebounds Sunday.
Giffey's work doesn't usually show up on a stat sheet. It did against Stony Brook (4-2).
"He was great," said Stony Brook coach Steven Pikiell, a former UConn player and assistant coach. "He gave them a little lift. If you're going to be a good team, you need some of those guys to come and play."
The game was won when UConn knocked down eight 3-pointers in a 13-possession span. It went the last 11:39 of the game without a two-point field goal. Napier had three of the 3-pointers, including a four-point play, Giffey had two and Omar Calhoun had three.
Giffey had a hand in that, of course, but his larger hand was played when he did the little things to keep the Huskies in contact with the Seawolves, a good team that had all of 20 minutes to prepare for UConn because it played Saturday.
"Giff has a tremendous talent for scoring the ball," Napier said. "Normally you don't see it. It isn't usually on the stat sheet. It was a great day for him to get it going. I hope he keeps it going." | http://rep-am.com/articles/2012/11/25/sports/uconn/doc50b2a6fd7c741029333457.prt | 978 |
|Gordon is 12-to-1 to win Sunday at Las Vegas (Getty)|
Along with his lone win in 2001, Gordon has six top-fives and seven top-10′s in 15 starts at the 1.5-mile track. He knows his way around Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), pacing the field 457 times.
“There are some bumps down in turns 1 and 2 that you really need your car to get through,” said Gordon, who is eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings. “They’re in the low line – the preferred line.
“In turns 3 and 4, you’ll usually run low.”
While there are preferred lines at each end of the track, there are also multiple racing grooves that give drivers the option to search for lines that may work better for the setup underneath the car.
“If your car is not working through the bumps in turns 1 and 2, you can run above them,” said Gordon. “And I really like (turns) 3 and 4 because you have a lot of different options through there, as well.
“You can definitely change your entry into turn 3 and your line through the corner to get the most out of the car.”
With the introduction of the new generation of cars (Gen-6) this season, LVMS will host an extra day of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing Thursday. The driver of the No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet SS knows information gathered during the test could prove invaluable.
“Testing is very important,” said Gordon. “When you have telemetry on the car, it gives us the opportunity to learn more about the loads and the bumps and what the car is going through, like ride heights of the front splitter. It gives us the opportunity to gather so much valuable information that we can use for the race on Sunday.
“And every lap we log helps us understand and learn more about our new No. 24 Chevy SS.”
- Performance PR Plus | http://robertsnascarnotes.blogspot.com/2013/03/jeff-gordon-looking-for-second-las.html | 432 |
Three KC prospects to participate in Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game, which will air on MLB Network
The Arizona Fall League has announced that Royals’ minor league left-handed pitcher Mike Montgomery (left), first baseman Eric Hosmer (center) and second baseman Johnny Giavotella (right) will participate for the West Division in the league’s Rising Stars game on Saturday, November 6.
The 21-year-old Montgomery joined the Arizona Fall League after pitching for Team USA at the Pan Am Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. Montgomery is 2-1 with a 6.10 ERA in three starts for the Surprise Rafters, allowing 13 hits and seven runs in 10.1 innings, while walking two and striking out 11.
Giavotella, 23, is batting .385 (15-for-39) with seven doubles, one home run, six RBI and eight runs scored in nine games. The second baseman currently ranks eighth in the league in batting after finishing second in the regular season to teammate Clint Robinson in the Texas League with a .322 mark.
The Rising Stars game, scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium, the spring home of the Royals and Texas Rangers, will be nationally televised by the MLB Network and online via MLB.com (MLB.TV). | http://royals.mlblogs.com/2010/11/02/three-kc-prospects-to-participate-in-arizona-fall-league-rising-stars-game-which-will-air-on-mlb-network/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=97257dee4e | 269 |
No. 15 Georgetown tops No. 18 Marquette 63-55
The Associated Press | February 12,2013
Marquette guard Trent Lockett, left, is fouled by Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. during the first half of Monday’s game in Washington.
WASHINGTON — Otto Porter scored 11 of his 21 points after a momentum-shifting technical foul on Marquette coach Buzz Williams, and No. 15 Georgetown won a stop-and-start game of turnovers and whistles Monday night, beating the 18th-ranked Golden Eagles 63-55 to move into a tie for second in the Big East.
Porter scored Georgetown’s next six points after Williams was whistled while arguing an out-of-bounds call along the baseline with 12:13 to play. The Golden Eagles had cut a 10-point halftime deficit to three, but the Hoyas went on an 8-1 run immediately after the technical, and Marquette didn’t get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Georgetown scored 24 points off Marquette’s 19 turnovers, and Markel Starks added 16 points for the Hoyas (18-4, 8-3 Big East), who won their sixth straight and avenged a 49-48 loss at Marquette on Jan. 5.
Jamil Wilson scored 13 points to lead the Golden Eagles (17-6, 8-3), who fell into a tie with Georgetown behind conference-leader Syracuse (8-2). Chris Otule scored eight of Marquette’s first 11 points, but had only three the rest of the game.
Georgetown won despite going nearly 7 minutes without a field goal to start the second half. The Hoyas went 9 for 24 from the field in the second half, but they compensated by making 11 of 17 free throws in a half that had 24 combined fouls.
With both teams playing aggressive defense and the officials calling a tight game, the flow was practically non-existent. Instead of trading baskets, the Hoyas and Golden Eagles were swapping some combination of turnovers, steals and offensive fouls.
Georgetown didn’t score a field goal in the second half until Jabril Trawick’s baseline layup with 13:04 to play, but the pace was so laborious that the Golden Eagles were only able to outscore the Hoyas 8-2 during that span.
Meanwhile, Williams, known for his inability to stay in front of his bench, was again pushing the envelope — twice venturing close to the midcourt circle with play under way in the first half. Officials spoke to Williams at length after he ran far onto the court to call a timeout, but no technical foul was assessed, and Georgetown fans began serenading him with chants of “Off the court!” in the second half.
Williams finally got his technical — but it came when he was disputing a questionable call with 12:13 to play. Porter, whose assertiveness has helped fuel Georgetown’s recent surge, made both free throws and then hit a floater on ensuing possession to complete a four-point series for Georgetown that pushed the lead to 41-34.
After that, Marquette was never able to regain momentum. Porter’s three-point play with 3:42 remaining made the score 60-46, essentially putting the game away.
Porter was also busy in the first half, grabbing a defensive rebound that was volleyballing about near the free throw line then going coast-to-coast for a layup that gave his team a 24-18 lead. Georgetown closed the first half with a 7-0 run, capped by nice dish from Porter to Mikael Hopkins for a layup and 33-23 halftime lead.
Oklahoma 75, TCU 48
NORMAN, Okla. — Romero Osby scored 12 points, Amath M’Baye added 11 and Oklahoma led from start to finish in a 75-48 victory against last-place TCU on Monday night.
The Sooners (16-7, 7-4 Big 12) held TCU scoreless for the first eight minutes and extended their lead to 25 by halftime.
Oklahoma led by as much as 36 after Andrew Fitzgerald’s three-point play to finish a 13-0 run with 13:17 left in the game.
TCU (10-14, 1-10) responded with its only extended stretch of strong play, scoring nine points in a row. But by then it was far too little, too late. Oklahoma led by at least 20 throughout the second half on its way to surpassing last season’s win total.
Devonta Abron led TCU with 12 points and Kyan Anderson scored 11 on 4-for-19 shooting. | http://rutlandherald.com/article/20130212/SPORTS01/702129833/1250/sports01 | 985 |
CHICAGO -- Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira returned to the club's starting lineup on Monday after missing three games with a sore left wrist.
Teixeira convinced manager Joe Girardi that his wrist felt playable after going through workouts at U.S. Cellular Field.
Slotted in the cleanup spot and playing first base, Teixeira said that he probably could have returned on Sunday against the Red Sox but thought another day could only help.
"I just needed him to tell me he felt good, his wrist," Girardi said. "I don't think he forgot how to hit in the last few days, so I'm not real worried about that. I just needed him to tell me his wrist felt good."
Teixeira had a cortisone shot administered in the wrist as he missed three games from July 31-Aug. 2, but he's hoping to avoid a second shot. He experienced a flare-up of the inflammation after playing in 14 straight games and said that it seems to bother him most when he swings and misses or attempts to check his swing.
For Jeter, four hits and a brush with iconic trio
CHICAGO -- Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter spent Monday night's 9-6 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field continuously revisiting the history books, associating himself with a pair of Hall of Famers and a third iconic player who may find himself in Cooperstown next July.
With a seventh-inning double off Brett Myers, his fourth hit of the night and the 3,255th of his career, Jeter tied Eddie Murray for 11th place on the all-time list.
Jeter had tied Nap Lajoie for 12th place with a first-inning single off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. The captain moved into 12th alone with a fourth-inning rocket off left-hander Hector Santiago that was deflected by Chicago third baseman Kevin Youkilis, scored as Jeter's second hit of the game.
Jeter homered off Santiago in the sixth for his third hit of the game, pulling within one hit of Murray.
Jeter's homer -- the 251st of his career -- marked his 1,845th run scored, moving him past Craig Biggio (1,844) for sole possession of 13th place on the all-time list. Biggio is eligible for Hall of Fame induction with the Class of 2013.
Due to discrepancies in historical stats, some numbers may differ according to the source. Elias is the official statistician of Major League Baseball and recognizes Lajoie as having 3,252 hits, while other historical sources believe Lajoie's hit total to be slightly lower at 3,242.
A Hall of Fame infielder who was inducted into Cooperstown in 1937, Lajoie played from 1896-1916, including 13 seasons with Cleveland. He also played five years with the Phillies and four years with the Athletics in Philadelphia.
Brief skid over, Cano poised to break out
CHICAGO -- Robinson Cano wasn't exactly turning his bat handles into sawdust during a recent offensive skid, but the Yankees' second baseman is pleased to have snapped his hitless string.
Cano singled in Sunday's 4-1 victory over the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, breaking an 0-for-16 slump. Cano still has just two hits in his last 26 at-bats but believes his luck is about to change.
"It's always good when you do something good," Cano said. "It's something that you don't want to go through, but the good thing is that we're winning right now. You don't have to worry about losing while you're not doing your job. Hopefully, we started something last night."
Cano said that he feels healthy after a stiff neck cost him some playing time, and he added that he has been hitting the ball hard at people. Yankees manager Joe Girardi agreed.
"Sometimes, people get caught up in the numbers and not necessarily the at-bats," Girardi said. "I don't worry a whole lot about Robbie. The only thing you need to worry about is his health, and physically, he's really, really good. I don't worry too much."
Cano entered play on Monday batting .305 with 25 home runs and 68 RBIs in 120 games and said, for the most part, he has been pleased with his season.
"The biggest thing for me is that I'm healthy, just to be able to help the team the whole year," Cano said. "Even if you have a great year, here it's about winning and the playoffs. I can't complain about my year."
Girardi admires Clemens' competitive drive
CHICAGO -- Roger Clemens' last appearance on a big league mound came in Yankees pinstripes, and one of his former catchers isn't surprised that the Rocket is attempting to lift off once more.
Clemens, 50, has signed with the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League and is slated to start on Saturday against the Bridgeport Bluefish.
"Guys love to play; it's in our blood," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "If he still feels he can play and pitch and enjoys it -- I know it's not at the big league level, but God bless him."
Girardi and Clemens were teammates on the World Series-winning 1999 Yankees. Clemens finished his big league career with the 2007 Bombers and was acquitted in June of charges that he lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
CC Sabathia is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday at U.S. Cellular Field, tuning up for a potential start against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday, the first day he is eligible to be activated from the 15-day disabled list.
Girardi said that he wants to see how Sabathia comes out of the session before locking into a date and added, "If everything is good, we'll decide where we're going to slot him [in the rotation]."
Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki entered play on Monday having hit safely in 21 of his 23 starts with the club. He batted .526 (10-for-19) in seven games on New York's homestand.
On this date in 1938, Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd -- and final -- career grand slam off Buck Ross in the first inning of an 11-3 win at Philadelphia's Shibe Park. The 23 career slams have since been equaled by Alex Rodriguez, who accomplished the feat on June 13. | http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120820&content_id=37033260¬ebook_id=37033262&vkey=notebook_nyy&c_id=nyy | 1,383 |
BALTIMORE -- Heading into Spring Training, things are a little different for Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman. But the 24-year-old -- who is coming off a career year despite spending the first half in Triple-A -- said he will try to approach next month's camp with the same mindset.
"It's going to be different, but I know what I've got to do this spring," said Tillman, who set career highs in nearly every statistical category, including wins (nine), ERA (2.93), games started (15) and quality starts (nine). "Last year, I was kind of trying to find myself still. I know exactly what I need to do now. I know what I need to do to get myself to where I need to be for April 1. That's my goal, April 1, and not the beginning of spring."
Tillman is well aware of the Orioles' surplus of starting-pitching candidates, and the competition should be one of the most closely contested competitions this spring. Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen figure to have spots, and Miguel Gonzalez -- like Tillman -- is coming off an impressive half-season's worth of starts. Right-hander Steve Johnson will also get a chance after a successful 2012, with last year's Opening Day starter Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton, Brian Matusz and Tommy Hunter also all in the mix.
Tsuyoshi Wada will be slowed and rehabbing from last year's Tommy John surgery, but he could be a factor later in the season, as could top pitching prospects Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has also said the club will look at Rule 5 Draft pick T.J. McFarland as a starter this spring.
"It's going to be a battle any way you look at it," Tillman said. "We've got a bunch of guys coming in, and that's what makes it fun, to tell you the truth, is being able to compete. You lose that edge [and] then it takes the fun out of it. So, I'm excited about it."
Tillman's improved velocity last spring -- his fastball touched 97 mph -- was impressive and he was one of the last waves of spring cuts after a solid Grapefruit League campaign. He was promoted to the Orioles after going 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA in 16 games for Triple-A Norfolk and Tillman -- with a new and improved delivery -- became one of the team's best starters down the stretch, winning eight of his final 14 games.
"It does help," Tillman said of his success last season. "It's more of a confidence thing. You get those games under your belt, you get that experience under your belt, and it gives you the feeling that you can go out there and get the job done, no matter who you're facing or who you're pitching against. It's big going into the offseason and you get to relax a little bit, but at the same time, you know what you've got to do to get ready for Spring Training."
Tillman has been working out with special assistant Brady Anderson for about two months and said at Saturday's FanFest that the end of the season -- which culminated with a loss to the Yankees in the American League Division Series -- was bittersweet.
"That last game left not a very good taste in your mouth, and I feel like we really want to get back after it just for that reason," Tillman said of an Orioles club returning everyone from last season. "You can't let it weigh you down, but at the same time, it's in the back of your head, knowing that you want to be that much better so it doesn't happen again."
Brittany Ghiroli is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Britt's Bird Watch, and follow her on Twitter @britt_ghiroli. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130123&content_id=41121682&vkey=news_bal&c_id=bal | 838 |
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Episode 165: Mark Schlereth discusses which team will be contenders to the Patriots. Schlereth and Wiley break down who will win the NFC East. The NFL32 crew predicts who will come out on top in the AFC SouthJuly 04, 2012 | http://search.espn.go.com/nfc-east/videos/2-to-4-minutes/****/new-england-patriots/6-86-88-4294876873 | 65 |
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LANDOVER, Md. -- With a playoff stake on the line, Robert Griffin III wasn't even close to being the biggest problem for the Cowboys' defense. They couldn't stop the Redskins' other rookie star, as running back Alfred Morris rushed for 200 yards and ...Blog | December 31, 2012 | http://search.espn.go.com/rg-iii/nfl/tim-macmahon/47-4294593125 | 74 |
JUPITER, Fla. -- David Freese sat out Wednesday's Cardinals' game against the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium, still a bit sore from a tumble he took in a game on Monday. Freese and manager Mike Matheny both downplayed the issue, though, with Matheny saying that Freese would be playing if it were the regular season.
Freese hit his tailbone when he fell trying to catch a ball in Monday's game against the Twins. He left the game, and the Cardinals were off on Tuesday.
"I'm all right," he said. "Just a day or two. I got the tailbone on the step, but it's all right. I've got full motion. It's just a contusion."
Daniel Descalso started at third base in Freese's place.
Cards could use Adams in reserve role
JUPITER, Fla. -- Matt Adams may not make the Cardinals' Opening Day roster. But if he doesn't, it won't be because he needs more seasoning or everyday playing time.
Manager Mike Matheny said Wednesday that if Adams is the best fit for a bench spot for the 2013 Cards, the slugging first baseman will be on the roster. Adams could provide a potent bench bat for the Redbirds.
"He has nothing else to prove [in the Minor Leagues]," Matheny said. "The guy can hit. It's just a matter of whether he fits in right. It's not a question of whether he can perform at this level. He can hit here or anywhere else. He doesn't really need to show us more."
That contrasts somewhat with the situation of top prospect Oscar Taveras, who likely won't be on the roster if there's not some assurance of at least semi-regular playing time. Taveras has yet to play above Double-A, while Adams has a half-season at Triple-A, as well as 86 regular-season Major League at-bats under his belt.
"He's hit at every level," Matheny said of Taveras. "We know that he can hit. It's just a matter of what will help our team, and also what would keep a player like that ready if we did need him on an everyday basis. We have to balance all those together."
Rzepczynski slated to return Thursday
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Cardinals' cadre of walking wounded seems, for the most part, to be progressing.
Reliever Marc Rzepczynski, who has battled left biceps discomfort, is slated to return to the mound on Thursday against the Yankees. Rzepczynski hasn't pitched since Friday. Meanwhile, outfielder Carlos Beltran returned from a bruised right toe to play for Team Puerto Rico in an exhibition game on Wednesday.
Rafael Furcal met with Dr. James Andrews to discuss his injured right elbow on Wednesday, but as of late Wednesday afternoon the club had not heard any word as to the results of that visit. Otherwise, though, the news was mostly good.
And manager Mike Matheny expressed optimism regarding lefty reliever Sam Freeman, who has experienced discomfort in his throwing shoulder.
"Everything structurally came out just fine, which is great news," Matheny said of Freeman. "The way it was explained to me is just some inflammation, so we're going to try and stay on top of it and get him cleared up. They didn't know what they were going to find, but everything came back good."
• Shelby Miller will start the Cardinals' game on Friday against the Nationals in Viera, manager Mike Matheny said on Wednesday.
• Jake Westbrook said he was pleased with his three-inning start on Wednesday, his first game since being hit on the knee by a batted ball on February 28.
• Catcher Rob Johnson earned a $100 gift certificate from the local Burger Bar restaurant when he hit the establishment's sign with his home run in Wednesday's game.
Matthew Leach is a writer for MLB.com. Read his blog, Obviously, You're Not a Golfer and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewHLeach. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130306&content_id=42370144¬ebook_id=42370170&vkey=notebook_stl&c_id=stl | 874 |
Breeders' Cup Classic may decide the horse of year
When Game on Dude runs in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, he can probably lock up the horse-of-the-year title with a victory. Yet the nation's richest...
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, 1 p.m., NBCSN; Saturday, 12:30 p.m., NBCSN
When Game on Dude runs in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, he can probably lock up the horse-of-the-year title with a victory. Yet the nation's richest and most significant race won't necessarily be the dramatic high point in two days of racing at Santa Anita in California.
An exceptional field of females, including two undefeated stars plus last year's filly champion, will contest the Ladies' Classic on Friday. And on Saturday the remarkable 5-year-old Wise Dan will face a formidable European challenge in the Mile on grass. The results could present Eclipse Award voters with difficult choices as they try to determine the top racehorse of 2012 — particularly if Game on Dude loses.
Trainer Bob Baffert's gelding possesses legitimate championship credentials, with four wins in high-level competition this season, most recently a romp in a Grade I stakes at Santa Anita. Game on Dude accomplished that victory with the aid of an easy trip; most of his other top efforts have come over synthetic tracks, not dirt. Moreover, the 1 ¼-mile distance of the Classic has sometimes proved too far for him; he tired to finish second in last year's event against a relatively weak field.
There is a bona fide 1 ¼-mile specialist in the $5 million Classic, the veteran Flat Out, who earlier this year moved into the barn of Bill Mott. In typical Mott fashion, Flat Out has run three steadily improving races, winning the 1 ¼-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont in his last start. I bet he runs down the favorite in the stretch Saturday.
If he does, he could open the door for the extraordinarily versatile Wise Dan to become horse of the year. The gelding has won stakes from 6 furlongs to 1-1/8 miles. He has won in Grade I company on dirt, turf and synthetic surfaces. Lately he demonstrated his true forte by winning three straight 1-mile turf stakes with overpowering efforts.
In the Mile, he will face two outstanding Europeans, Moonlight Cloud and Excelebration, as well as the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. The latter will be the most overbet horse in the Breeders' Cup; he's never displayed the talent or turf ability to win at this level.
But running a mile on grass is typically a European specialty, and European oddsmakers make Excelebration a solid favorite Saturday. I question whether he is necessarily better than either Wise Dan or the filly Moonlight Cloud. In his most recent start, Excelebration scored a three-length victory over Cityscape, whom Wise Dan whipped by a greater margin in Canada. When Excelebration beat Moonlight Cloud in France, the filly was compromised by bad racing luck. I will be cheering for Wise Dan and betting an exacta box of Wise Dan and Moonlight Cloud.
As competitive as the Mile is, the depth of competition doesn't match the field for the Ladies' Classic on Friday. Awesome Feather comes into the race with a 10-for-10 record. My Miss Aurelia is 6 for 6. Questing delivered a stunning performance — maybe the best by any U.S. Thoroughbred this year — when she led all the way to win Saratoga's Alabama Stakes by nine lengths. Yet all of these filly stars may be vulnerable. Awesome Feather and My Miss Aurelia had their 2012 campaigns truncated by injuries, and they may not have enough seasoning.
The pace should help set up the race for Royal Delta, winner of last year's Ladies' Classic, whom Mott is bringing into the race in peak form after a 9 ½-length runaway at Belmont Park. | http://seattletimes.com/html/othersports/2019583213_horse02.html | 843 |
email at [email protected] - 630-668-5800
Head Coach Nelson just completed his 20th season as the boys and girls cross country and boys and girls track and field coach. The Spartans have achieved tremendous success on both the individual and team levels. Coach Nelson coached 11 state champions with 4 state records, numerous all-state athletes, several state finalists and many more all-conference athletes. The Spartans have earned 37 conference titles, 15 regional titles and 13 sectional titles with 24 teams earning a spot in the state finals. The 2000 and 2001 Girls St. Francis Cross Country teams finished 2nd in the state meet. The 2004 St. Francis Boys Cross Country team finished 3rd in the State meet. Coach Nelson has been named "Coach of the Year" by the Daily Herald, Press Publications, Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association and Illinois Girls’ Coaches Association.
Assistant Coach - BJ Blake
Assistant Coach - Scott Buresh
Assistant Coach - Dave McDowell
Assistant Coach - Rob Seimetz
Assistant Coach -Chris Trenn | http://sfhsnet.org/top/athletics/athl-girlstrack.htm | 221 |
|The Leafs will honour Gilmour's No. 93 prior to playing the Penguins on Saturday night. (CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)
In looking back at the period of my career when I had the privilege of calling Doug Gilmour a teammate with the Maple Leafs, one thing will always stand out.
During the back-to-back seasons of 1992-93 and '93-94, when we made it to the conference final on each of those occasions, Dougie was more than just the best player on our team. He was arguably the best player in the entire National Hockey League.
That might be construed as a bit of a bold statement. But for me, looking back, I didn't see anyone better during those two seasons.
Offensively, he put up some really big numbers, collecting 238 points over those two seasons, including a franchise record 127 in '92-93. Defensively, he was as good as there was. And, mixed in with that, he was not afraid to get his nose dirty and stir up the pot when need be.
And don't forget. Dougie was not a very big guy, either.
During our 1993 playoff run, when we played three consecutive seven-game series, Dougie could not have been more than 175 pounds soaking wet. He would actually be hooked up to an intravenous line after games. We would laugh when we saw him hooked up to those tubes because, for the rest of us, pizza and beer served the same function.
But there was nothing laughable about the toughness of Gilmour. Don't let his diminutive size fool you.
During the 1994 playoffs, we had a first-round matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. Dougie had a fractured foot at the time, but you would never hear this guy complain.
Before every game, they would freeze his foot to the point that he could not feel anything from his ankle on down.
To watch him take those needles and then go out there and play like he was 100%, well, that was inspirational. He didn't blink an eye. He didn't whine. He was right in there, getting in people's faces, chewing up ice time and being the offensive force he had been during the regular season. You would never have known he was playing hurt.
That, in essence, is what Doug Gilmour was all about.
As good as he was on the ice, he was just as much a quality guy off it. For all his talent and skill, he was just one of the guys. There was no aloofness whatsoever. Dougie treated everyone with the same respect, whether it be one of his teammates or the security guy at the Gardens.
When a player of his stature does that, it really is noticed and respected inside the dressing room.
That was the magical thing about our team during those years. We were a very close tight-knit group. No one was put ahead of any one else. There were no egos. And Dougie was the poster-child for that team-first attitude.
Along with playing against him a number of times, I had briefly met Dougie during a Team Canada tryout camp. So when he was traded to us as part of a 10-player deal with the Calgary Flames, he became the type of skilled player, in my opinion, that the Leafs had not had since Darryl Sittler.
At the time, Dougie was coming from a very good Calgary team to a rebuilding Leafs team.
No matter. He got along with everyone and fit right in from Day 1.
That's Dougie for you.
Two months ago, I had the honour of having a banner with my No. 17 go into the rafters. Tonight, Dougie's No. 93 will go up there too.
It is very well-deserved, Dougie. Congratulations. | http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Toronto/2009/01/31/8218011-sun.html | 804 |
Your daily feed of football news. Aggregating the best soccer blogs.
The 89 transfers that Arsenal will make in January (as predicted by the media)
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The 89 transfers that Arsenal will make in the January transfer window
Greetings, Untold Media readers, and may I first wish all of you a very happy holiday season. UM
will be back in full swing following the holidays. However, in the interim, I thought we might have
a little bit of fun [. | http://soccerblogs.net/blog/post/608012/the-89-transfers-that-arsenal-will-make-in-january-as-predicted-by-the-media | 104 |
As Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish seek cycling immortality on the roads of France next month, Geraint Thomas will be riding around in circles in Manchester.
But the 26-year-old from Cardiff would have it no other way.
Thomas has proven himself to be a versatile and leading talent on the bike, including this season as team-mate Wiggins has won three stage races, with the Welshman providing support at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie as the Londoner proved his credentials as a potential Tour de France champion.
Rather than support Wiggins in the mountains and Cavendish in the sprints when the Tour begins in Liege on June 30, Thomas will instead focus on fine-tuning preparations for success in the four-kilometre team pursuit at a second successive Olympics.
Beijing gold medal winner Thomas said: "There's no doubt at all, but I'd love to have been going to France to help them both out.
"It's just unfortunate where the Olympics and Tour falls in the year.
"I was always going to come back and ride the team pursuit. A home Olympics is massive and it's my best chance of winning a gold medal. It's always been like that.
"The team pursuit really excites me and it's something I love doing. I just can't wait to get on those boards in London now and rip it up."
Thomas completed the Giro d'Italia alongside Team Sky colleague Pete Kennaugh and the duo were both named in the Great Britain Olympic team earlier this month, with Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant completing the team pursuit squad.
All five have been riding on the road in the last few weeks but recently returned to the track for the first time since winning the World Championships in Melbourne in April.
The British team set a world record of three minutes 53.295 seconds there, going faster than the Beijing-winning mark.
Thomas believes the miles on the road will help the British team hold off the challenge of Australia to retain Olympic gold.
He added: "Physically from all the work we've all been doing in the last six, eight weeks, that's where we'll make a slight step forward."
Thomas anticipates the world record will fall again, and could also go twice in quick succession with the schedule dictating the first round and final take place within an hour of each other.
Thomas, who will forgo the opportunity to reclaim the national champion's jersey at the British Championships road race on Sunday to train on the track, added: "We're confident we can do that. I'm confident the Aussies can do it as well, to be honest.
"The competition now is so tight, that's going to push both teams to the limit.
"The second round will be a massive fight because you've got to win that ride to go through to the final. It (the world record) will probably go there and it will probably go again in the final.
"A big advantage for us is having five guys that could ride. If we can use five again that will be a big advantage, bringing a fresh guy in for the final." | http://sportinglife.aol.co.uk/olympics/news/article/22891/7829547/thomas-focus-on-olympic-gold | 651 |
I had written on resisting evils earlier. Rio Ferdinand has asked UEFA to stop the lip service and act. Racism was shown to Eto’o months ago and the South African team during their tour to Australia recently. There have been so so many incidents even if we chalk out only incidents from post January 2005. Wasn’t it only a year ago when Ashley Cole and Shuan Wright-Phillips were abused by Spanish supporters in a friendly in Madrid? It is time sport starts acting. Football excites as few sports can and it is in this excitement that inherent biases surface from the deep core.
Zidane is seen here with a T-shirt which calls to stamp out racism:
Racism is a crime. There is no place for it.
Update: FIFA has decided to take real actions to stamp out racism. Definitely a positive move. | http://sportolysis.blogsome.com/2006/03/15/rio-get-rid-of-racism/ | 178 |
Displeased commissioner assails Knicks as season opens
This story has been corrected. Read below
NEW YORK -- Even with the NBA season under way, commissioner David Stern hasn't forgotten the New York Knicks' embarrassing offseason.
In an ESPN interview broadcast Tuesday, Stern questioned the conduct of Knicks management, which lost a sexual-harassment case in early October.
Asked about the state of the Knicks, Stern said: "It demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management. There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue."
It wasn't clear if the "checkpoints" Stern was referring to were the franchise's decision not to settle the lawsuit brought by former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders, or its internal handling of Browne Sanders' allegations when they first surfaced, a question the New York Times first asked earlier this week.
... They're not a model of intelligent management.
-- David Stern, on Knicks management
Madison Square Garden chairman James L. Dolan, who hasn't spoken publicly since a jury ordered his team to pay $11.6 million to Browne Sanders, said in a statement Tuesday that "we have high regard for the commissioner.
"Right now, what we can all agree on is that the best thing for the Knicks is to get on the court and win some basketball games."
Right now, what we can all agree on is that the best thing for the Knicks is to get on the court and win some basketball games.
-- James L. Dolan, chairman of MSG
The Knicks open their season Friday at Cleveland.
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas was the primary defendant in the Browne Sanders lawsuit. He said he didn't hear Stern's comments but said Dolan spoke for the Knicks.
"Jim made a statement for the organization, and the statement speaks for itself," said Thomas, who has maintained his innocence since the lawsuit was filed last year.
In the past, Stern has not punished teams over civil judgments but he has not ruled out sanctions against the Knicks and Thomas. The Knicks have appealed the decision.
Stern said the case was "very much under review.
"I'm not considering any range of disciplinary action,'' Stern said, "but my powers are very broad if I choose to exercise them."
Stern's shot at Knicks management was as stinging as the fallout from the sexual-harassment case.
A portion of Thomas' deposition was shown in court during the trial and the tape showed Thomas saying he made a distinction between a black man calling a black woman "bitch" and a white man doing the same thing. The coach was criticized for that by Al Sharpton, who threatened to lead protests at Knicks games unless Thomas explained his remarks.
Thomas' remarks also drew the ire of C. Vivian Stringer. The Rutgers women's basketball coach was previously forced into the issue of men using derogatory language toward women when radio host Don Imus made a racist and sexist remark about her team after it lost to Tennessee in last season's national championship game.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Stringer said Thomas' comments were "disgusting."
"What does he think? This was a woman first," Stringer said. "He has no right to put her down, and then think it's OK for me to put her down but it's not all right for a white man to put her down. What are you talking about? She is a human being and as a female, and in particular as a black female, I took tremendous offense to that."
Thomas has said that his remarks were mischaracterized and he urged Stringer to "get the facts" about what he said during the sexual-harassment trial.
Later, Stringer apologized in a statement.
"The whole situation is most regrettable," she said. "It was not my position to insult Mr. Thomas in any way. I responded to a question of which I had partial information and was not aware of the full text of Mr. Thomas' statement. I am not in a place to make judgment on Isiah Thomas, [former team employee] Anucha Browne [Sanders] or the New York Knicks organization. I spoke to Isiah this morning and have apologized. I am hoping we can now get back to basketball."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
In this Oct. 31 ESPN.com news services story about David Stern and the New York Knicks, wording questioning what Stern was referencing in a quote about the team was similar to a question raised in a New York Times story on the same subject. Attribution has been added to the paragraph to make it clear the Times was first with the inquiry.
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- Cuban has two-year plan for Mavs to contend | http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3088050 | 1,016 |
Cougars-Utes spice things up -- off the field
It started with a brawl 112 years ago.Since then, players have climbed into the stands, fans have attacked cheerleaders, threats have been made, households have been divided, Mountain West Conference titles have been won and -- twice -- a BCS bowl berth has been on the line. Saturday's "Holy War" between BYU and Utah will mark the first time since 1994 (when No. 21 Utah beat No. 20 BYU 34-31) that both teams come into the game ranked. These teams are 9-9 in the past two decades, and 10 of the past 11 games have been decided by a touchdown or less.
In 1993, Utah players and fans attempted to tear down BYU's goalposts after Utah won in Provo for the first time in 22 years. BYU players put their helmets back on and defended the goalposts. The incident prompted BYU defensive lineman Lenny Gomes to utter these infamous words:"All those [Utes] think that's all there is to life, but when I'm making $50,000 to $60,000 a year, they'll be pumping my gas. They're low-class losers." In 1998, BYU linebacker Derik Stevenson attacked a fan in the crowd who was harassing his father. A year later in Provo, a Cougars fan jumped out of the stands and attacked a male Utah cheerleader who was running around the field with a Utah flag after a Utes touchdown. The cheerleader proceeded to beat the fan until police separated the two. Even the coaches don't like each other. BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said he and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham have a working relationship. "There aren't times when his wife and he and we go out to dinner, or things like that," Mendenhall said. "I would say [our relationship is] cordial and professional and really doesn't go much beyond that."
Graham Watson is an ESPN.com football blogger. She can be reached at [email protected].
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Sometimes conference crowns are up for grabs. Bowl bids often hang in the balance. But rivalry week is about more than that. Pride, bragging rights and some unique trophies are on the line when rivals meet. What could be better -- or more important -- than that?
Rivalry Week: A Closer Look
• Miller: Civil War features rare great matchup
• Bennett: Backyard Brawl heats up Big East
• ACC: Plenty on the line in Commonwealth Cup
• Big 12: Bedlam Series has BCS implications
• SEC: Bama looks to stop recent skid vs. Auburn
• Blue state or red state? UNC-NCSU divided
• The "Big Game" isn't just any game
• Holy War: BYU-Utah spice things up
• SEC: Tennessee has dominated Vandy
• Big Ten: All about the trophy hunting
• Washington: Apple Cup always matters
• Big Ten: OSU-Michigan still The Game
• SportsNation: Do you know your rivalries?
• Vote: Who will be the rivalry week winners? | http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=rivalryweek/holywar | 713 |
Batang Pinoy Mindanao leg under wayBy June Navarro
Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE MINDANAO qualifying leg of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission Batang Pinoy Games will fire off tomorrow in Dapitan City with 13 local government units fielding their best young talents in the four-day competition.
About 1,000 participants will compete in 10 sports with the top athletes qualifying for the national championship set in Iloilo City on Dec. 5 to 8.
Dapitan Mayor Patri Bajamunde-Chan will lead today’s opening ceremony at Jose Rizal Memorial State University Sports Complex.
Iligan City, Misamis Oriental, Saranggani Province, Misamis Oriental and host Zamboanga Del Norte spearhead the list of LGUs vying for medals in the talent search program for athletes 15 years and younger.
The athletes will compete in athletics, swimming, arnis, badminton, boxing, chess, lawn tennis, karate, taekwondo and table tennis.
Pencak silat will be featured as a national final event with Zamboanga City, Aklan, Capiz, Antique, Iloilo and Iloilo City aces competing.
“Our region is ready to host big events and let the country know that Mindanao, particularly Dapitan City, is an athletic force to reckon with,” said Bajamunde-Chan.
PSC officials led by chair Richie Garcia and commissioners Jolly Gomez, Akiko Thomson-Guevarra and Buddy Andrada will also grace the opening rites starting at 2 p.m. | http://sports.inquirer.net/69880/batang-pinoy-mindanao-leg-under-way | 348 |
For Sanders, the great Detroit Lions running back who retired after the 1998 NFL season with 15,269 yards on the ground and a lot left in the tank, the journey after the journey included a trip to England, experience in other business endeavors, and the current Gridiron Glory traveling exhibit. When I talked to Sanders recently, he seemed equally in and out of the game.
"We're starting things off in Pittsburgh," Sanders said of the exhibit. "We're just bringing the Hall of Fame to those fans in the respective cities, because a lot of people haven't been able to make it out to Canton. So, there are a lot of great features -- they'll have replay booths, old NFL uniforms so you can look at the equipment these guys used to wear, and things like that. We think it's going to be a lot of fun, and it's going to be tailored to each city it comes to."
One wonders, though, why a man who brought so much to football didn't want to take the draw many ex-stars so, by going into broadcasting or analysis. "Oh, yeah -- that's just kind of the way things have evolved," he said. "It's not something I have sought out, so that's pretty much why. There are actually a couple of things -- I never really saw myself as someone who would do that, as a commentator or what have you. It's just not something I have pursued."
Which lines up with the question he's most asked -- why did he retire when he still had so much left to offer? Any regrets there? "No, not really -- I don't regret it. It was the right time for me, and I knew that it was time to move on. I had lost some of that drive to compete and play."
The exploits of his son brought Sanders back to the game from the perspective of pure love. Currently a redshirt freshman at Stanford, Barry Sanders, Jr. ended his high school career in 2011 as one of the most highly-sought running back prospects in recent years. The Heritage Hall High alum tore up the Oklahoma fields and chose the Cardinal after a whirlwind recruiting trip around the country, and a game-changing lunch with Andrew Luck.
The elder Sanders told me that he took a step back and helped his son more as a father than as a football player when he made his choice -- "It's one of the first really big decisions he'll make in his life," Sanders said -- but the effect on Barry Sanders, Sr. has been obvious.
"For me, it's just very rewarding and very fulfilling -- something that a lot of parents can relate to -- seeing your child do something like that. All the things you wished and hoped for them come together, and it makes a lot of things worthwhile."
Most specifically, watching his son has helped Sanders love the game of football in a new way. "I think so. I've always been a fan of the game, and it probably forces me to pay more attention to it, and have more involvement in it."
Growing up, though, the younger Sanders only got advice if he asked for it -- the Hall-of-Famer wasn't going to be a Little-League dad. "I pretty much stayed away from that," Sanders told me "He was in a great program, and they had a lot of success. I wasn't going to second-guess any of that. He's done very well; he's a natural runner, so I was there more for support and to cheer him on."
In fact, Sanders was as stealth at his son's high-school games as he ever was on the field. "No, not really," he said when I asked if he ever got bombarded with autograph requests when he showed up for those games. "You'll have some people who want to talk to you, but it wasn't that bad at his games. A lot of the time, I'd sneak in, and I did a pretty good job of staying under the radar.
"I never got bugged too much."
Sanders' name always involved in the debate over who might be the NFL's all-time greatest running back, but when it comes to receivers, there's no doubt who's at the top of the list. Like Sanders, Jerry Rice looked to find a life outside the game after he retired after the 2004 season with every possible record under his control.
Recently in Seattle to tout XBox's Kinect (I actually talked to him at Seattle's CenturyLink Field just before the crazy Seahawks-Packers game kicked off), Rice wanted to make a statement about fitness. This is what you would expect from a man who will turn 50 on October 13, and still runs three-mile hills all the time.
"XBox Kinect 360 and NFL PLAY 60 have teamed up for the 60 Million Minute Challenge," he said. "What this is all about is a nationwide tour, and we want to recruit a million kids from across the United States, and we want those kids to pledge that they will be active for 60 minutes a day. I'm trying to bring awareness to those kids who are obese and overweight."
But after the NFL, Rice went in different directions. He tried "Dancing With the Stars," has appeared in several commercials, does some football breakdowns in the Bay Area, and appeared with his dog, Nitus, in the Wii video game "Jerry Rice & Nitus' Dog Football." All impressive feats (especially the last one), but as with Sanders, I wondered why Rice hadn't parlayed his name into more marquee post-football exposure.
"I think it's just that I devoted myself to football for over 20 years, and the thing about me is ... if I do something, I'm all in," he said. "And I have to be good at it. And I really have to expend a lot of energy, and get the coaching and all that. I do some commentary with ESPN, but it's just kind of a side thing -- I go there maybe once a month, and they put me on every show they can put me on. And you just learn. Not saying that I want to be like Cris Carter or Keyshawn Johnson or Jon Gruden and all those guys, but that's the connection that keeps me with football."
The real connection that keeps him with football is a walk-on receiver at UCLA by the name of Jerry Rice, Jr. it's also got him jet-setting as much as he did during his NFL career.
"Well, listen to this," Rice recalled. "Last week, I go from Bristol, Ct. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and few home Friday. Jumped right back on the plane Saturday to watch my son play, and now, I'm here in Seattle.
Rice's son, who committed to UCLA for the 2009 season, has seen his role increase over time, but he's still catching up and catching on. Perhaps his biggest struggle was convincing his dad that football was the right path for him, as well.
"I really didn't want my son to play football, to be honest with you," Rice told me of his son. "Because I knew the pressure that would be put on him. But it was something that he wanted to do, so I'm supporting him 100 percent. And I'm just going to the games to be a parent. If he asks me something -- 'Dad, what should I have done against this defensive back?' -- I'll lend my opinion. But I'm more just a parent."
Rice hasn't been as successful as Sanders when it comes to evading awareness when watching his son, and that's certainly been the case at UCLA.
"I tried the stands, and it didn't work," Rice said. "But I was fortunate to find someone to let me in his box. So, whenever I go, I give him the heads-up, and I support my son."
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Northwestern and Illinois were both looking to bounce back from bad blowouts Thursday night, games where neither team could shoot or play defense.
Only the Wildcats improved, extending No. 23 Illinois' losing streak to three games while handing the Illini a 68-54 home loss that could cost them their Top 25 ranking.
After starting slow against Iowa and never catching up in the 70-50 whipping, Northwestern coach Bill Carmody was looking for a faster start.
The Wildcats (11-7, 2-3 Big Ten) delivered with a barrage of 3-pointers early and 10 points in the first 10 minutes from Reggie Hearn.
''I thought they really came out tonight and played well,'' Carmody said. ''Hearn was very good early. ... If they make shots you're a good coach.''
Illinois (14-5, 1-4) has lost five of seven after its 12-0 start and fallen near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Coach John Groce, frustrated on a night that he was called for e technical foul for arguing with the officials, said his team's defense was absent early Thursday. And Northwestern took advantage of it.
''I thought the first 10 minutes they were a juggernaut,'' Groce said. ''I didn't think we did anything whatsoever to be disruptive and take them out of that.''
Hearn's hot start included two 3-pointers.
The second of them, buried with just over 10 minutes left in the first half, put the Wildcats up 21-12.
The were 8 of 15 from 3-point range for the game but hit five of them in the first half to build a 36-21 lead.
And Northwestern made 26 of 31 free throws, many of them late with Illinois forced to foul.
The cold-shooting Illini closed within 48-39 on a free throw by Brandon Paul with 4:36 to play. Illinois would get no closer, watching the Wildcats make free throws that Carmody said were the difference down the stretch.
''I think that we were making some foul shots helped and it kept that distance for us,'' Carmody said.
Jared Swopshire had 12 points and six rebounds for Northwestern, while Alex Marcotullio scored 12 points and Dave Sobolewski added 10 before fouling out late.
Paul had 21 points for Illinois, which shot 38 percent from the field, including going 3 of 20 from 3-point range.
Illinois opened the second half with two things that had been missing in the first, intensity and defensive pressure. Where first-half points sometimes came in easy waves for the Wildcats, early in the second Illinois made them work.
But with the cold shooting - they opened the second half hitting 4 of 11 from the field and were just 1 of 6 from 3-point range - the Illini didn't make up any ground.
Marcotullio's 3-pointer with 12:53 left pushed Northwestern's lead to 45-30, the same 15-point margin they had at halftime.
Paul finally ended a scoreless run of just over 5 minutes for Illinois with a layup with 9:35 left to play, trimming the Wildcats' lead to 45-32.
Groce's frustration was apparent.
He drew a technical foul for shouting at the officials with just under 11 minutes left in the game.
''That's enough - you've got to calm down!'' referee Jim Burr shouted at Groce along the sideline.
Swopshire missed both free throws - rare Northwestern misses - but the Wildcats didn't need the points.
Moments later a member of the Orange Krush student section was escorted out of the Assembly Hall after being tossed by Burr.
Groce and the fans were on the officials much of the night for what they saw as missed calls, but Groce declined to discuss the officiating.
''I don't want to talk about it or get into it,'' he said. ''If I did I'd have less money for shopping.''
From the opening moments, it was not the Illini's night, and there were any number of examples.
There was Nnanna Egwu's big block on Alex Olah's short jumper with 4:25 to play in the first half. With their team already down 30-17, the Illinois crowd seized on the moment, releasing a roar of collective relief. Before the noise had even faded, Olah grabbed the rebound and tucked it into the basket.
And there was the Illini's final first-half possession. Trailing 36-21, they had three chances to cut that lead and pocket something to build on in the final 20 minutes. But three chances yielded three misses, and the team trotted quietly off the court.
The problem is, it hasn't been Illinois' night in a couple of weeks.
Since they upset then-No. 8 Ohio State on Jan. 5, the Illini are 0-3. And there hasn't been a close game in the bunch, losing by 17 to Minnesota, a stunning 23 at Wisconsin and by 14 at home to Northwestern.
The Wildcats finished 15 of 51 (29.4 percent) from the field and 5 of 26 from 3-point range in the loss to Iowa.
On Thursday, they made up for it, shooting 47.2 percent from the field. Hearn was 4 of 7 - including 3 of 5 on 3-pointers - and 9 of 10 from the free throw line.
''It's a very good win for us, especially on the road,'' Carmody said. ''I thought our defense was pretty solid and we made shots.''
Follow David Mercer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidmercerap | http://sports.yahoo.com/news/northwestern-extends-illinois-slump-68-034526706--ncaab.html | 1,191 |
What we learned from Celtics-Cavs
The Celts needed to win more than the Cavs, but it wasn't an impressive display
Boston can't afford to let opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the field
Things flow much easier for the Celtic offense when Ray Allen is at his best
BOSTON -- One by one members of the Celtics came to the podium after Sunday's game and exhaled a long sigh of relief.
"We needed this game," said Kevin Garnett.
"We had to get this win," said coach Doc Rivers.
The Celtics weren't ready to celebrate their 117-113 win over Cleveland, and for good reason. Because while Boston will chalk this one up in the win column, it was hardly an impressive performance against a Cavaliers team that easily erased a 22-point deficit to nearly steal a victory.
Here are five things we learned on Sunday:
1. If Boston is going to make one more run in the playoffs, it needs to shore up its defense.
Cleveland's coaching staff -- which was without Mike Brown after he was ejected in the third quarter -- wasn't drawing up complicated sets during the team's second-half comeback. The Cavaliers entire playbook for the final 24 minutes was essentially 'LeBron, go to the rim and make something happen.' Boston though, had no answer as Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Tony Allen took turns getting bullied by James. James is the reigning and soon-to-be MVP, so that's not a criticism. But the Celtics needed to find a way to get the ball out of his hands in the second half and couldn't do it, allowing James to dump 32 points on them over the final two quarters. For the game, the Cavs shot 51.3 percent, the third straight opponent to shoot 50-plus percent against Boston.
2. This was the Ray Allen Boston needs to see.
Two days after putting up one of his worst games of the season (a six-foul, five-points-in-16-minute clunker against Houston), Allen submitted one of his finest, scoring 33 points in 42 brilliant minutes. No one needed a breakout game more than Allen, who had only seven points (on 2-for-9 shooting) in Wednesday's loss to San Antonio. Allen's ability to make shots is, obviously, a key component to Boston's success. When Allen is stretching the floor like he did Sunday, it opens up the low post for Kevin Garnett (19 points) and creates wider lanes for Paul Pierce (16).
"We had a long talk yesterday about not dancing with the ball but attacking with the ball," said Rivers. "He was terrific. I like what he's doing. Catch, shoot. Catch, attack."
3. Boston won a championship two years ago. Sometimes, they don't act like it.
"Boston talks more [expletive] than any team in the league," was the text message from an NBA scout that came in shortly after the final buzzer. Hard to argue that today. It seemed everywhere you looked Sunday, a Celtic was talking. Rasheed Wallace picked up a technical foul in the third and Rajon Rondo was hit with one during the fourth. With the Celtics clinging to a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Tony Allen started yapping at James and charged toward him during a break (note to Allen: when a guy has 42 points, many on you, shut up). The referees quickly broke it up but they would have been justified hitting Allen with a costly tech. Rivers has been begging his team for years to play with composure in the fourth quarter and the Celtics looked devoid of it.
"It's something we have to learn from," said Pierce. "There are going to be a lot of tight games in the playoffs. I mean, [if] we are going to get technicals and riled up, let's do it early in the game than late. But, even then, if it comes down to one- or two-point games, that could be the difference.
4. The Celtics can't keep losing the battle of the boards.
Boston is the second-worst rebounding team in the league this season and were once again beaten on the glass (42-38, including 22-17 in the second half) by a Cavaliers team playing without Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O'Neal. The über-active Antawn Jamison (ten rebounds) and J.J. Hickson (11) led the charge as they outworked Boston's stationary bigs. Saying Boston has rebounding problems isn't a revelation but, with a host of hyperactive big men looming in the playoffs (Al Horford, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard, among others), the Celtics have to find a way to be more competitive on the glass.
5. LeBron James has started a war of words ... with Jerry Colangelo.
Before the game, James reacted to comments Colangelo, the chairman of USA Basketball, made to Yahoo! Sports, telling the Web site there would be "no free passes" for players who skipped the 2010 world championships without a legitimate reason. Colangelo went on to say that any player who didn't travel to Turkey jeopardize their spot in the 2012 Olympics.
"There's a lot that goes on with being a professional athlete other than just basketball," James said. "I think everyone in the USA knows what type of commitment these guys have made, including myself, since 2003. I'm not trying to bash Jerry or anything like that because he's a good guy and I respect him. I don't respect [what he said] because of the commitment we've all given to the USA."
James isn't the first player to express reservations about competing in Turkey this summer, but he has the highest profile. Both sides have valid arguments: Colangelo wants to make sure the U.S. doesn't slip back to mediocrity on the world stage and James wants some semblance of a life after playing ten months of basketball. It will be interesting to see how Colangelo responds if James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all bow out this summer and, as expected, announce their desire to play in the '12 Olympics.
NBA Truth & Rumors | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/04/04/five.things/index.html | 1,290 |
With Manning Denver-bound, a look at trade market for Tebow
Once Peyton Manning is signed, the Broncos will work hard to trade Tim Tebow
Tebow doesn't fit Miami's system, but the Dolphins are desperate for star power
With Pats, Tebow would be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who drafted him in 2009
You have to love the NFL's bottomless well of intrigue. No sooner does one suspense thriller end than another one begins.
On Monday morning news broke that Peyton Manning has chosen the Broncos as his next team and is negotiating with the club on a contract. Instead of ending with an exclamation point, however, the announcement was followed by a comma, as in: Manning will sign with the Broncos, and the team will trade Tim Tebow.
Now that's advancing the story at Chris Johnson speed.
It says something about the popularity/polarity of Tebow that his situation could generate as much interest as Manning's did. Manning is a four-time league MVP who has thrown for 399 touchdowns and nearly 55,000 yards. Tebow is entering his third season and only became a full-time starter early last year.
Still, you knew there was little chance of a long-term relationship between Tebow and the Broncos. Executive VP John Elway, a Hall of Fame quarterback himself, was never comfortable with Tebow's struggles to throw from the pocket. Yes, Tebow's late-game heroics were great. And so was the organization's first playoff appearance and win in six years. But Tebow's repeated struggles through three-plus quarters in games put an inordinate amount of pressure on the defense, which had to keep the score close for Denver to have any shot at a victory.
In Manning, Elway has a quarterback built in his mold from an ideological standpoint. He is the quintessential pocket passer. He is more likely to run for office than he is for a first down, and that's critical in an age where the rules are so heavily tilted toward the passing game.
So now a new guessing game begins: Where will Tebow land? The short answer is that none of us knows at this point. But since that's neither sexy nor interesting to a news cycle that must be fed by the hour, if not the minute, let's explore some of the options:
This is a popular pick because the Dolphins have made no secret of their desire to upgrade at the position, even though incumbent Matt Moore was 6-6 as a starter and threw for 16 scores with nine interceptions last season. They went after Manning, wooed Matt Flynn before he signed with Seattle and, according to the Denver Post, were in contract talks with 49ers free agent Alex Smith over the weekend.
I don't see Tebow as a good fit in Miami. New coach Joe Philbin's offense is built around an accurate pocket passer. Tebow had a 46.7 completion percentage as a starter last year, with much of his success coming when he was on the move. Can he get better in the pocket? Absolutely. But it's doubtful that Philbin will gamble on that in his first year as a head coach. Then again, perhaps the Dolphins are getting desperate after being left at the altar so often. And Tebow, a Florida native who won two national titles and a Heisman Trophy with the Gators, definitely would add star power to a storied franchise that has become painfully non-descript.
This one will get a lot of run, being that Tebow is a native of the area and definitely would provide a boost in attendance. Currently, the Jaguars have two quarterbacks: free agent signee Chad Henne and 2011 first-round pick Blaine Gabbert. I've never been high on Gabbert, who spends too much time looking at the rush, and Henne is never going to be confused for Manning, so perhaps Tebow could make a positive impression on new coach Mike Mularkey. But will he get the chance? Reports are that general manager Gene Smith is not high on him, so the only chance of a Tebow homecoming is if new owner Shahid Khan steps in, and I don't see that happening.
This one makes so much sense to me that there's no way it happens. One, Eagles coach Andy Reid is prone to do the unpredictable (see, Michael Vick, 2009; or Vince Young, 2010). Two, Tebow has many of the same qualities as Vick (mobile, left-handed, strong-armed). Three, switching to Tebow from Vick if Vick were to sustain an injury -- he has missed at least three games because of injury in each of his three seasons in Philadelphia -- would not require a major adjustment to play-calling or blocking schemes. Again, it makes so much sense that it will never happen.
This one makes little sense, in that the Patriots have a Hall of Fame-caliber starter in Tom Brady and a promising backup in Ryan Mallett. Then again, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels did trade up to draft Tebow in the first round when McDaniels was coach of the Broncos. And Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known to be a fan of Tebow's intangibles. It's not inconceivable that New England could put together a package for Tebow while working to improve his production from the pocket.
Again, none of us knows what will happen at this point. But if there is one thing we can all agree on, it's that the story will be closely watched and widely debated.
Bruins eliminate Rangers with win in Game 5
Penguins beat Senators 6-2, clinch spot in next round | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/jim_trotter/03/19/tim.tebow.peyton.manning/index.html | 1,156 |
Hamilton, Greinke top offseason storylines as Hot Stove begins
Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke are the two best bets for $100 million deals
Teams might be willing to trade established young players like Justin Upton
There should be plenty of options for teams that seek proven outfielders
The Giants haven't even had their World Series parade, but it's already time to turn our attention to the Hot Stove, just as two-thirds of baseball's teams have already done for the past month. Here are five thoughts on the big storylines to watch this offseason:
1. The mercurial superstars
Free-agent markets are typically defined by their superstars, and this winter features two: Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, a former MVP, and Angels starter Zack Greinke, a former Cy Young winner. The talents of each are unquestioned, but both also come with well-documented off-field concerns. Still, these are the market's two safest bets for nine-figure contracts
At his best, Hamilton may be baseball's most potent hitter, as we saw when he hit 21 homers with a 1.184 OPS in April and May, but he's also prone to long slumps, such as his .607 OPS in July. There's also a durability question. Hamilton played 148 games in 2012 at age 31 but averaged only 125 games his four previous seasons in Texas. How his market will take shape is among the offseason's great unknowns. Will clubs be sticklers on length, given his injury past, his well-known fight against addiction and that this contract will take him into his mid-to-late 30s? Will teams in certain markets be dissuaded from pursuing him?
That last question is also pertinent about Greinke, after he managed a social-anxiety issue several years ago in Kansas City, but that hasn't publicly resurfaced. After a July trade from Milwaukee, Greinke thrived down the stretch while pitching for the Angels, a big-market club under a lot of pressure to make the postseason. Greinke's Cy-winning season in 2009 -- which included a big league-best 2.16 ERA -- remains an aberration, but he's still been a very good pitcher while working in both leagues, averaging a 3.42 ERA in the last six seasons while pitching for three teams.
2. Trading players with years of team control?
Last December the Reds packaged four prospects to the Padres for starter Mat Latos, an unexpected deal involving a young ace-in-training with multiple years under contract ahead of him. Latos, though, is off to a strong start at proving worth his price, after helping pitch Cincinnati to the NL Central title.
Will Justin Upton, Elvis Andrus or Alex Gordon follow suit this winter? All three have been rumored to be trade candidates at various times of the year.
According to some reports, the Diamondbacks began listening to offers on Upton last year. Upton, a two-time All-Star who finished fourth in the NL MVP voting in 2011, had a disappointing season in 2012, but he finished with a flourish (.884 OPS in Sept./Oct.), is still young (turned 25 in August) and has a team-friendly deal ($38 million due through 2015). Even after trading Chris Young, Arizona has a surplus outfielder, given its quartet of Upton, Jason Kubel, Gerardo Parra and rookie Adam Eaton. Upton is the best, but also the most expensive, and one who'd carry plenty of trade value.
The Rangers, meanwhile, have one of the game's top two prospects in shortstop Jurickson Profar, who debuted this season at age 19. He may not be ready as an everyday player on Opening Day, but he's not far off. Of course, Texas already has one of the game's best young shortstops in Andrus, a 24-year-old two-time All-Star who batted .286 last year and is owed $11.3 million over the next two years. Might Texas be willing to move Andrus, who'd surely fetch a bounty, to fill other needs? GM Jon Daniels recently told Boston's WEEI that he doesn't expect to make the trade, but the paucity of available shortstops other than Oakland's Stephen Drew means Daniels will still receive several phone calls.
The least likely to be traded is the Royals' Alex Gordon, who at 28 is also the oldest of the trio, though he was a bit of a late bloomer. Including a player option, he's likely owed $44 million over the next four years, but his production (.850 OPS the last two seasons) and age make him a safe bet for several years. But moving him would stunt Kansas City's growth and signal more years of waiting -- unless the deal was for another proven player rather than prospects, of course -- so he'd probably only be moved if the Royals are blown away by a proposal.
3. New faces at the free-agent table?
Each year and with each notable free agent, the list of likely suitors is seemingly copied and pasted. The big buyers are almost always the same, but the emergence -- or prospect of emergence -- of several small- or medium-market teams could alter the landscape somewhat this winter.
The Royals have signaled an interest in spending on at least one free-agent starter to help fill a glaring need: Kansas City's rotation ERA over the last three years is 5.02, the worst in baseball. The AL Central was the only division whose champion didn't reach 90 wins, and if a few of the Royals' young hitters (Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, et al.) start producing more consistently, their leap to contention may happen quickly, as long as the pitching doesn't hold them back.
Toronto also plans to step forward this winter. Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos admitted as much to The Star in Toronto recently, and the Jays are likely to shop hard for a starting pitcher this offseason to slot in alongside Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero.
One of its division rivals may also be in the mix, though Baltimore hasn't been as forthright about its plans. The Orioles accelerated their development schedule by making the playoffs and winning the AL wild-card game. Having already extended centerfielder Adam Jones, they will probably approach catcher Matt Wieters about doing the same, but the timing would also seem to be right to add a big chip from outside the organization to continue that growth and maybe help Baltimore snag its first AL East title since 1997.
4. Second-tier starters
Greinke may be the only ace available this winter, but clubs looking to bolster the middle of their rotation will have other names to choose from. The Rangers' Ryan Dempster, the Cardinals' Kyle Lohse, the Angels' Dan Haren (whose contract options will reportedly be declined), the Yankees' Hiroki Kuorda, the White Sox' Jake Peavy, the Tigers' Anibal Sanchez, the Athletics' Brandon McCarthy and the Nationals' Edwin Jackson are all strong candidates to fill Nos. 2 and 3 starting staff vacancies.
Those are just the free agents. Few expected the Latos deal last year or the Mariners' trade of Michael Pineda to the Yankees for Jesus Montero. The Rays will always be mentioned as a possible match, given their seeming abundance of starters. Veteran James Shields has a $9 million option this year and a $12 million option next year, while David Price is about to get a huge raise in arbitration on his $4.35 million salary, so those two -- especially Price -- would return huge bounties should Tampa Bay make them available, while some of their younger arms could also be attractive.
5. Outfield options
Hamilton isn't the only difference-maker available in the outfield, the deepest position group this winter. Two true in-their-prime centerfielders -- the Rays' B.J. Upton and the Braves' Michael Bourn -- are set to cash in, while the Angels' Torii Hunter and the Yankees' Nick Swisher are steady run producers. Several others, such as the Dodgers' Shane Victorino, the Yankees' Ichiro Suzuki, the Red Sox' Cody Ross and the Tigers' Delmon Young, all ought to be contributors on short-term contracts. The Giants' Melky Cabrera, meanwhile, might be worthwhile one a low-risk, one-year contract as he tries to rebuild his value following a PED suspension.
Bruins eliminate Rangers with win in Game 5
Penguins beat Senators 6-2, clinch spot in next round | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/joe_lemire/10/29/offseason-storylines-hamilton-greinke/index.html?xid=si_mlb | 1,771 |
When big slow rural kids were pitted against swift lithe urban kids, even Bierman couldn't win. In 1950, his 16th and last year at Minnesota, his record was 1-7-1. He quit and never coached again. The best seasons since Bierman's tenure occurred in '60 and '61 under Warmath, and they were sort of strange. Those winning engines were driven mostly by black power, none of it from Minnesota. With the help of Carl Rowan, a highly respected reporter on the Minneapolis Tribune who's now a nationally syndicated columnist, several superb black athletes came to Minnesota, including Sandy Stephens and Bill Munsey of Pennsylvania, Aaron Brown ( Texas) and Carl Eller and Bobby Bell ( North Carolina). For once, the Gophers were ahead of the crowd: The major Southern schools still hadn't welcomed blacks, and most other Big Ten teams hadn't recruited as well among blacks as Minnesota had. But once the others got in the act, the Gophers returned to mediocrity.
Says Sid Hartman, a Minneapolis Star and Tribune columnist for 30 years and the most knowledgeable authority on Gopher football, "The sports picture in Minnesota turned around because of black athletes. In all his years, Bernie Bierman had maybe two blacks. Now in the Big Ten, 50, 60 percent of the starting teams are black. We have a two-percent black population in Minnesota. We are farther from Chicago than any other Big Ten school, and that's the closest city with lots of good black high school players. Michigan and Ohio State have big black populations in nearby cities."
Somehow, the more people talk about it, the more it seems that Minnesota's football problems are endemic to Minnesota. Speed? You want speed? Minnesota runners are slower than others. The state high school record for the 100-yard dash is 9.6, compared with 9.5 in Michigan, 9.4 in California and 9.0 in Florida. You want rifle-armed quarterbacks and sure-fingered ends? Says Stoll, "You cannot find a player born and bred in Minnesota who ever played regularly in the NFL as a passer or catcher. Lineman, yes, and linebackers, but not guys at the skill positions."
Even players merely good enough to play any position on a major college team are scarce in Minnesota. In 1981 the NCAA made a study to determine which states were turning out the most Division I players. California had 1,348, Texas 1,326, Ohio 945, Pennsylvania 711. Minnesota had produced a grand total of 85—and more than half of them were playing for the Gophers. The whole five-state region of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas had only 364 players. The Philadelphia area alone had 300.
All right, Holtz has already prescribed the cure for those problems: "For the arms and legs we will have to go elsewhere." Despite their late start, Holtz and his staff recruited far and wide and very well. They found an arm in quarterback Rickey Foggie of South Carolina and the legs of a blue-ribbon sprinter from Florida. Five freshmen have started on occasion. Nevertheless, the season has been resolutely so-so. A 20-13 loss to Michigan State last week dropped the Gophers' record to 3-5, and their final three games are against Big Ten powers Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.
But hope springs eternal in cold lands like Minnesota. A lot of people in the state believe Holtz can make their Gophers winners again. Stranger things have happened. This is, after all, only the fourth presidential campaign since 1948 in which Harold Stassen has not run. One less uffda around Minnesota can only be a good omen. | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122791/4/index.htm | 772 |
Kansas City is known far and wide for its dealings in wheat and cattle. Andr� Maurois, the distinguished biographer, has called it one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But, deep down in its heart, the old cowtown (as even its most patriotic citizens like to call it) is most proud of its reputation for friendliness, and it is in the name of friendship that it has made warmly welcome a band of embarrassed young athletes in the uniforms of the Kansas City Athletics, most of whom are maintaining major league status by the skin of their teeth.
As the ballplayers and their principal proprietor, the rich stranger from Chicago, Arnold Johnson, quickly discovered, Kansas City gives its friendship as freely as the time of day and cuts it as generously as its celebrated sirloin steaks. Friendship is pressed upon the visitor from the moment he hits town. The Fred Harvey waitress at Union Station does not say, "What'll you have?" She fairly bubbles over with, "Well, my, don't you just look neglected here! I do believe you'll find the Kansas City Athletics salad there very tasty!" The cab driver does not growl, "Where to, Mac?" He exclaims, "Now where can I take you this fine beautiful spring evenin' and, oh man, don't you hope and pray it holds out for opening day?" The bellboy at the town's leading hotel, the Muehlebach, is not content to pocket a tip and depart in anonymity. He thrusts out his hand and declares, "My name is Newton and I'm just wonderin' if you plan to stay for the ball game?" The hotel management is heard from promptly with a bowl of fruit, which is old stuff, but in Kansas City there is that little extra friendly touch: nestled down in the grapes and tangerines is a pint of bourbon whiskey.
That's the everyday way of doing things, but to welcome these new baseball-playing friends, the old cowtown poured out its greatest display of friendly feelings since Harry and Bess came back from the White House to settle down again in suburban Independence. And in the spirit of true mid-western neighborliness, baseball fans swarmed in on the city like settlers bound for a house-raising in pioneer days. They came by car, by bus and plane and by excursion trains on the Wabash, the Katy, the Mopac, the Burlington, the Rock Island, the Union Pacific and the Santa Fe. They came from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska and from deep into what used to be St. Louis Cardinals' Missouri territory.
For the young athletes, the festivities began as their chartered plane settled down at the airport the day before the season's opening. As each man stepped from the plane, he was introduced over the loudspeakers by Manager Lou Boudreau, and then he was hurried to his own private convertible for the parade through the downtown section where nearly 200,000 applauding, cheering, beaming friends lined the streets or threw confetti from the office windows overhead. Everywhere a fellow turned, there were friendly signs of welcome, bunting and signboards, and kids and old folks—even hotel doormen—wearing baseball caps with big letter A's on them. There were 20 flowered floats and 10 marching bands, dancing drum majorettes and pretty girls in short pants. There were mayors from miles around, Governor Fred Hall of Kansas and Lieutenant Governor James T. Blair Jr. of Missouri. There was Ford Frick, the high commissioner of baseball, Will Harridge, president of the American League, Walter Briggs, president of the opening day enemy, the Detroit Tigers, Del Webb, co-owner of the New York Yankees and late co-owner of the departed Kansas City Blues of the American Association. There was 92-year-old Connie Mack, riding along with a brave half-smile and a faraway look in his tired old eyes.
Transplanted from Philadelphia, where brotherly love had long since turned to ashes, the ballplayers were plainly torn by conflicting emotions. At one moment, they looked as sheepish as the fellow who was mistaken for the returning war hero down at the railroad depot. But in the next moment, some of them appeared to be as recklessly abandoned to the pleasures of the occasion as the farmer's daughter out on a date with a traveling salesman she knows will never be true. Now and again, it seemed that one of the players would surely rise up and blurt to the crowd: "Folks, you're making a mighty big mistake! We ain't nuthin' but the old Philadelphia A's!"
It would not have made any difference to the Kansas City friends. For this day, anyhow, they had nothing but love and affection in their hearts. By the time the parade broke up, the ballplayers seemed to relax a little, but another pleasurable shock was in store for them. They were immediately whisked away to the rebuilt Municipal Stadium, a dazzling spectacle to the young men who had beat their way north through primitive bush-league ball parks and had, many of them, vivid memories of the Spartan accommodations at Connie Mack Stadium back in Philadelphia. They wandered wide-eyed through the grandstand and down onto the field and into the clubhouse with its shiny new showers and lockers. Then, when they had had time to absorb it all, Manager Lou Boudreau spoke to them of baseball matters in gentle and kindly tones as if he feared that, being overwrought, they might suddenly burst into tears.
NO ASPERSIONS, PLEASE
Meanwhile, in his penthouse suite atop Hotel Muehlebach, Arnold Johnson, tall, handsome, 48-year-old club owner, paced the floor and spoke feelingly of the cowtown's friendly ways.
"I've never seen anything quite like it," Johnson said, shaking his head in wonder. "They wouldn't believe it back in New York. Here there's none of the suspicion and cynicism you find in the big eastern cities. People stop to speak to me in the streets, not as somebody whose picture they've seen in the papers, but just as a newcomer they want to welcome to town."
Johnson, only a few days before, had discovered that Kansas City not only gives its friendship freely, but deals swiftly with anyone who dares to cast aspersions on even the newest of its friends. | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129568/index.htm | 1,324 |
- AMERICAN LEAGUE FRENZYSeptember 11, 1967
- Sports IllustratedNOW ON SI.COMJune 11, 2012
- IT'S A BUCKEYE'S LIFEFor OSU fans, it's impossible to separate personal highlights from those of the teamJoe Oestreich | August 19, 2008
March 14, 1955 | Denis Fodor
After an embarrassing wait of a year, Canada's bruising, undiplomatic hockey team takes the world crown from Moscow to British Columbia
November 19, 1956
There is no professional boxing in Russia or Poland, which means there are no astrakhan-collared Carbos manipulating in Leningrad hotel rooms or lingering over glasses of tea with Muscovite Norrises. It also means,...
June 24, 1957 | Harry Phillips
This year the trade fair in Poznan, Poland, which began June 9, has the U.S. Government as one of its exhibitors, participating for the first time in Poland in an International Trade Fair.
November 25, 1957
•Match No Match for MedalThe Professional Golf Association, disturbed by dwindling gate receipts and a lack of name pros at its national tournament—Ben Hogan, Cary Middlecoff and Jimmy Demaret passed it up this year...
December 02, 1957 | John Mulliken
The Russians are directed by a series of sacred Communist plans: Five-Year Plans, and plans for teams which are supposed to lead them quickly and efficiently to Olympic and world championships. Nothing is more... | http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/topic/article/Poland/1900-01-01/2100-12-31/mda/1/48/index.htm | 311 |
|Video: Uehara Tries to Speed Up Victorino’s Trip to the DL||Rain Delay Doesn’t Stop Sox in 8-1 Win Over Cleveland||Francona Wins Big in Return to Fenway||Connelly’s Top Ten: Rask Falls on Face|
The Celtics improved to 22-3 and needed no tricks in defeating the Orlando Magic 103-91 (NBA.com Box Score) Sunday night at the Garden. The C’s had four players score more than 20 points for the first time the season. With the win, Boston is now just 2 wins away from tying their win total from all of last season.
The Celtics certainly proved their worth in the Eastern Conference, beating one of the teams near the top of the conference while holding a comfortable lead for most of the second half. The C’s definitely got a measure of revenge against a team that had beaten them earlier this season. The difference this game was that it was played in Boston instead of Orlando, and the Celtics are pretty tough to beat at home (C’s are 14-1 in the TD BankNorth Garden this season).
It helps when the team can get 90 points from just four players, which equates to pretty efficient scoring. Paul Pierce finished with a game-high 24 points. Ray Allen scored 22 points, and Kevin Garnett added 21 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. PG Rajon Rondo contributed 23 points of his own to go along with 6 assists and 4 steals. Rondo has significantly stepped up his game as of late.
As for the Magic, they have stumbled a bit heading towards the middle portion of the NBA season. The loss against the C’s drops their record to 18-11 on the season, which is still good enough for first in the Southeast Division. The problem is that they’ve lost 7 of 10 games overall, and Atlanta has creeped up to just four games back in the division.
Dwight Howard is still a beast for Orlando, as he scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. A big difference this game was the effectiveness of Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. The starting 5 stayed in for most of the game, and Perk was no exception, logging an impressive 38 minutes. While in, Perk came up pretty big defensively by grabbing 12 rebounds (11 defensively). In the first matchup between the teams earlier this season, Perk played only 21 minutes, scoring 5 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. He definitely seems to be getting stronger as the season moves on.
Next up for the C’s is a date with the Kings in Sacramento as the team begins a four-game west coast road trip. This will be important for the Celtics in proving themselves against the NBA’s elite conference. | http://sportsofboston.com/2007/12/24/celtics-continue-magical-season/ | 575 |
It wasn’t one bad inning that did in Jon Lester Wednesday night in Minnesota: it was three mediocre innings, and a Red Sox bullpen that didn’t help. The Twins scored in three separate innings off Lester, and Alfredo Aceves struggled in eighth-inning relief to give the Twins a 5-2 victory.
Can someone please give this man eight more years in office? Big Papi that is. Seriously, if David Ortiz doesn’t run the city of Boston then who will? Tom Menino? No! Menino doesn’t even want to, he wants Papi to do it himself. “I’d like to see an eight-year deal myself,” Menino said when asked [...]
In the fantasy baseball world, the All-Star week can be a blessing or a total nightmare. With the week being cut in half, your team needs to prove that it can perform in a limited amount of time. I myself was fortunate in one league, but failed tremendously in three others. Over at Yahoo! Fantasy, [...] | http://sportsofboston.com/tag/jim-thome/ | 220 |
CHICAGO -- Anthony Rizzo has looked good at first base in three games with the Cubs. Maybe that's not strong enough.
"He's really good," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said Saturday. "He's the prototypical left-handed first baseman. He's good and it looks a lot better when left-handers are fielding at first base. It's funny how that works."
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer also was happy with some changes Rizzo has made at the plate since one year ago when the first baseman was in the Padres organization with Hoyer.
"The challenge for him is he's going to go through some adjustment periods and how he gets through those [will be the difference]," Hoyer said. "I think we have to let him play. He's very talented.
"He clearly has nothing left to prove in the Minor Leagues," Hoyer said. "The daily watch of how he's doing is not a great thing for anybody -- just let him play, and look up and hopefully the numbers will be there at the end of the year."
Volstad to get start in place of injured Dempster
CHICAGO -- Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, on the disabled list with a sore right lat, will throw off the mound Monday in Atlanta, and Chris Volstad will take his spot in the rotation Tuesday against the Braves.
Volstad was sent to Triple-A Iowa after opening the season 0-6 with a 7.46 ERA in eight starts with the Cubs. In eight starts at Iowa, Volstad was 2-3 with a 4.44 ERA, giving up 25 earned runs on 59 hits and 12 walks while striking out 41 over 50 2/3 innings.
"His last outing and even the outing before were pretty positive," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Volstad. "It's logical -- it's his day [to pitch] and he's done a good job his last couple outings. It's a logical thing to do."
Dempster, on the DL since June 16, threw on flat ground Saturday.
Stewart may require surgery on injured left wrist
CHICAGO -- Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart may need to have surgery on his left wrist, which is not responding to cortisone shots or treatment.
Stewart has been on the disabled list since June 13, and sought a second opinion from a specialist June 18 at the Cleveland Clinic.
Asked if the third baseman would need surgery, Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said Saturday: "It's a strong likelihood."
Stewart was batting .201 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 55 games with the Cubs.
"They haven't made a complete decision," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said about the possibility of surgery. "There's some calcification on the bone that's causing some of the problem."
A decision was expected around the All-Star break.
"We're probably going to have to make that decision pretty soon," Sveum said. "There's no progress going on, so we'll have to make that decision."
Said Hoyer: "It's been frustrating for Ian and frustrating for us."
• Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said the team was in discussions with representatives for first-round pick Albert Almora but added there was "nothing to report."
Almora, 18, selected sixth overall in the First-Year Player Draft, starred at Mater Academy Charter in Hialeah Gardens, Fla.
The deadline to sign is July 13, which has been moved up one month from previous years.
"At least now, no matter what, if you sign at that deadline, you'll get a fair amount of games in before the end of the year," Hoyer said. "We're optimistic and we've had dialogue but beyond that, we're not going to characterize the discussions."
• With the July 31 Trade Deadine approaching, Hoyer said not much has changed as far as interest.
"It's been the same for the last week or two," Hoyer said. "It's our job to be in touch with every team and talking to everyone and making sure we know what's going on, and a lot of teams are checking in with us as well. I think it'll maintain this until a week out and then it heats up before the deadline."
The extra Wild Card team will certainly change things.
"It doesn't take much of a hot streak to get in the race now," Hoyer said. "In the past, if you had two really good teams in the division, the Wild Card wasn't an option. Now, one hot streak and a couple injuries to a team that's leading and everyone feels they're back in the race. It's hard to characterize how it will play out this year. In theory, there should be fewer sellers and more teams looking to add."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter@CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. | http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120630&content_id=34216036¬ebook_id=34216042&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc | 1,068 |
This was the leagues first trip outside of Watson Trail. We played the new course in Bridgeton, Carrollton Park DGC (aka Suburbia
Overall, it was a good idea and a good experience. I think the course may have been a bit brutal on some of the players and an oversight on my part actually led to a couple of players getting left hanging and a few DNF's. David Meyr (and the new player you brought with you), I am sorry that I forgot to post that we would be meeting by holes 18 and 15 and you guys waited patiently over by 1 for a long time. I did try calling the phone number I have for you (which was apparently wrong) and I sent the info on parking by email, but forgot to put it in the forums. I made the assumption that more people read their email than come to the forums. My fault - we'll catch you next time I hope.
Regardless, it was encouraging that we had 8 players brave the heatwave to try something new. We ran all the way up to 8:45pm and still had light left to spare.
We were going to originally put the CTP on hole 17, but changed it to hole 12 after we started playing.
Here's the breakdown:
6 players (because of the two that got overlooked)
The league balance was $108.22
Fees paid of $30
$18 towards payouts
$6 towards prizes and expenses
$6 towards the party
New league balance: Prizes and Expenses = $31.22 / Party = $89 Total = $120.22
After the scores were totaled, we ended in 4 actual divisions: Advanced, Moderate, New and DNF(did not finish). I'm dividing the payout money from the DNF's into the other 3 divisions.AdvanceName, Score, Place, Payout
Matt Grogan, 69, 1st, $6ModerateName, Score, Place, Payout
Daniel Doss, 80, 1st, $6NewName, Score, Place, Payout
Stephen Schulte, 69, 1st, $6DNF
No Aces were hit... but it was close on hole 6, really close.
Stephen snagged the CTP on hole 12 with a nice clean Buzzz shot that could have been an ace run - if it weren't for that last little tree in front of the basket. He walked off with a custom supercolor Buzzz from the 2012 St. Louis Open.
Thanks again everyone, we'll be back at Watson Trail to recover next week for Game 15. If we get at least 8 players, we'll make it a random-draw doubles night. | http://stlouisdiscgolfclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14329 | 560 |
Paul Pierce (nicknamed "The Truth") plays for the Boston Celtics wearing number 34. With the large selection of Pierce no. 34 basketball jerseys, the official store of NBA will satisfy any Paul Pierce or Celtics die-hard fan. Shop for replica, swingman or authentic Paul Pierce jerseys (available in home, road or alternate colors). Get the latest Pierce t-shirts, framed photos and other merchandise. | http://store.nba.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3005049&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2FYouth&f=Brand%2F86%2F&fbc=1&fbc=1&lmdn=Price&fr=StorePrice%2FNBA%2F00000000%2F00002000&fbc=1&fbn=StorePrice%7Cunder+%2420.00&fbx=0 | 82 |
adidas Brooklyn Nets Women's Ligature Long Sleeve Hooded T-Shirt
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Combine your fandom and love of fashion with this adidas® women's Ligature long-sleeve hooded t-shirt. Sweet NBA graphics are featured on the front along with the iconic adidas® brandmark. A hood is provided for when you're out and about on chilly days.
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“We are here today to honor eight young men and women who have reached spectacular heights on the track, in the water, on the open seas and on horseback," Gov. John deJongh Jr. said. "These eight Virgin Islands Olympians earned the privilege of competing against the best-of-the-best at the most prestigious and widely viewed sporting event in the world. It is a truly great accomplishment to qualify for the Olympics, one that can only come from years of hard-work and an unwaivering, almost super-human dedication. And because they were willing to push themselves to the limits of their endurance, because they persevered, because they gave of themselves more than anyone could have asked them to give, because they went to great lengths for the opportunity to challenge themselves in international competitions, for the rest of their lives, they will carry with them the rare distinction of being Olympians, and the pride of knowing they represented our territory at the highest levels of their sport.”
The reception recognized Olympians Muhammad Halim, Tabarie Henry, Laverne Jones-Ferrette, Allison Peter, Mimi Roller, Cy Thompson, Branden Whitehurst and Lee Frawley. Also present and recognized at the reception were Virgin Islands boxers John and Julius Jackson and their father, boxing champion Julian Jackson.
Speaking of the Olympians, de Jongh noted that their paths to London couldn’t have been more different.
“Some were veterans of the world’s largest stage before, like Laverne Jones-Ferrette, who had competed in the 100- and 200-meter races at Athens and Beijing. Others took leaps of faith, like Mimi Roller, who took a year away from her college studies to travel the world competing in sailing competitions, and qualified for her first Olympics at the last possible opportunity to do so. Some are already ready to start training for 2016, like 20-year-old sprinter Allison Peter. Others are retiring from competition to set their sights on new goals, like 22-year-old freestyle swimmer Branden Whitehurst, whose next goal is to become a Navy SEAL.”
The governor expressed the appreciation of the Virgin Islands community to this group of athletes and to those who preceded them in Olympic competition.
“Despite their varied sports, diverse backgrounds, and unique paths to London, this group of talented athletes, all inextricably linked to this territory and extremely proud to represent it, truly came together as a team this summer, and that is what inspired all of us back home the most. They supported each other, the veterans encouraged the younger athletes, and they formed bonds of friendship and camarderie that will last a lifetime.”
DeJongh also noted another story that he said brought pride to this territory.
“Lee Frawley is a little older than the rest of our Olympians, but she is truly a member of our team. Lee’s perseverence, her courage and the skills she developed as a child in the Virgin Islands led to an improbable, and ultimately pioneering journey to become the first-ever Virgin Islands Paralympian. While Lee lives in Surrey, England, not too far from the site of the games, her journey to the Olympics was the longest and most-challenging of any of our athletes. We thank her for representing our territory so well in her three para dressage events. We are proud of her ability to ride at such a high level after she sustained such a serious injury, and we welcome her back to the island where she discovered her love of horseback riding.”
The governor said that when the territory sends athletes to international athletic competitions, they are expected to serve as our unofficial ambassadors.
"Most of the people our Olympians encountered in London – whether they were fans who travelled to cheer on their own teams, rival athletes from other countries, or just everyday Londoners – most of them had never met a Virgin Islander. Their impressions of our territory were formed through their interactions with those who represent it most visibly. And every one of our athletes and Olympic representatives made sure that they propagated a positive reputation for all their fellow Virgin Islanders.”
The athletes have also served as a model for the next generation of athletes, the governor said.
“Back home they have inspired the next generation of young Virgin Islanders ready to commit to their dreams and give all they can to reach such incredible heights. Everyone of them is a role model to the children that are now attending the same schools, members of the same clubs, coming up through the same teams and organizations, playing on the same fields," he said. "Now I realize that most of you are not yet ready to relinquish your spots on our Olympic team, that the majority of you have already set your sights on 2016 and Rio de Janeiro. But I suspect that thanks to your achievement and the fine examples you have set, there are many younger boys and girls who are already wondering if they can break your records and blaze their own path to Olympic glory.”
The leadership of the V.I. Olympic Committee was also praised, especially retiring VIOC President Hans Lawaetz and Treasurer Leonard Bonelli, Sr.
“They have worked hard to provide our athletes an invaluable opportunity of representing our territory at international sporting events. For 46 years, the VIOC has been a major force in the promotion and development of the territory’s athletes, and a grateful community acknowledges these tremendous efforts,” de Jongh said. “There is no doubt that the retirement of Mssrs. Lawaetz and Bonelli, as stalwarts and champions of our athletes, is the historic passing of the torch but I am comfortable knowing that the flame will continue to provide light to the next generation, he added. | http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2012/09/22/vi-olympians-honored | 1,197 |
Big Wave Legends And Gridiron Greats Mingle At The NFL Pro Bowl Welcoming Party
Last night on the West Side of Oahu, selected invitees from the Quiksilver In Memory Of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational hobnobbed with NFL Pro Bowl players at the Ihilani Hotel as the players and their families were welcomed to Hawaii for the annual gathering of the best NFL players. Quiksilver’s Reef McIntosh was cool enough to have me as his plus one (although he did refer to me as his date one too many times) and it’s safe to say that Reef and I fanned out on a few of our favorite players.
Scouring the crowd for guys from the San Diego Chargers, we rapped with their Pro Bowl safety Eric Weddle about growing up as a surfer and invited him to the North Shore for the Volcom Pipe Pro. We also chatted up Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers who also did a bit of surfing while growing up in California.
Thanks to Kristen Gooding from Quiksilver for the sick pair of San Diego Charger trunks and best wishes to all the players as they enjoy the island of Oahu! | http://surf.transworld.net/1000142722/photos/big-wave-legends-and-gridiron-greats-mingle-at-the-nfl-pro-bowl-welcoming-party/?show=gallery&pid=60235 | 251 |
Rachel Rodemann • Times Record
Chris Hacker, a professional competitive archer, aims his customized PSE Domination 3D bow at a deer-shaped 3-D target on Tuesday, while demonstrating his skill at a course set up by the River Valley Bow Hunters at Fort Chaffee.
As a teenager, Chris Hacker had done a little bow hunting and tried his hand at some competitive archery as a way to improve his shooting skills.
“I just loved it from the first time I tried it,” Hacker said. “I still bow hunt a lot, but I really have a passion for archery competition.”
Originally from Van Buren, Hacker first shot in competitions at the age of 14 and turned pro at 23. Now at 30, Hacker has turned his love of archery into not one, but two careers. Hacker has been the Archery and Hunting Manager at Gellco Outdoors Outfitters since 2003. He spends many weekends in his second career as a professional archer at competitions across the country.
“The season starts in January and it runs through the end of August,” Hacker said. “And there are tournaments just about every weekend.”
Hacker is a former Archery Shooters Association Shooter of the Year and a National Field Archery Association world champion. This year, Hacker Hacker has finished in the top 10 in eight tournaments in a row. He finished in eighth place at the World Archery Festival in Las Vegas, which is one of the biggest in the world.
“That was pretty nerve-wracking, a really intense competition,” Hacker said. “When I got to the shoot-off in the finals, there were maybe 1,500 people in there watching and it is streaming live on the web. If you miss one shot by just a fraction of an inch you are out.”
At the top tournaments, first prize can pay as much as $50,000. Even an average tournaments can pay $15,000. Hacker also has a lot of his expenses covered by sponsors including P.S.E. Archery.
“It is kind of like golf,” Hacker said. “You can make some good money, but you have to finish up at the top and there is some pretty good competition. I see a lot of the same guys from week to week at the different tournaments. There are probably about 1,000 archers in the world that are at the top level.”
Hacker said one of the keys to being successful as a pro or a weekend bowhunter is getting equipment that fits the individual shooter.
“Everyone is different,” Hacker said. “I see guys come out here with their wives or something and try to start them off with their bow. Well, that’s not going to work. Some people made need a 70-pound pull and someone else may need a 40-pound pull. There are a lot of other little things you tinker with to set it up and get it just right where you are comfortable with it.”
Hacker said he has been to Florida twice, Nevada, Texas, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Georgia and this weekend was headed to a tournament in Illinois.
“Archery is a great family sport, and it is growing all the time,” Hacker said. “I probably spend about two or three hours every evening working on it. I like to get out to the range, just clear my head and shoot.
“And it is really nice to have a hobby that you can turn into a second career. Not many people can say that, so I feel fortunate.”
To suggest a local adult athlete for the Weekend Warrior series, email: [email protected] | http://swtimes.com/sections/sports/hacker%e2%80%99s-archery-career-target.html | 789 |
FAYETTEVILLE — Tyler Wilson looked every bit a Heisman Trophy contender, and Arkansas’ offense didn’t miss a beat in its first game of the post-Bobby Petrino era, rolling up 564 yards in an easy victory against Jacksonville State.
The No. 10 Razorbacks’ defense, however, looked far from a national championship-caliber squad in the first half — particularly with a visit from defending national champion Alabama looming in two weeks.
Wilson set a school record for yards passing in a season opener, finishing 19 of 27 passing for 327 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-24 win. The senior’s effort helped overcome a pair of first-half fumbles as well as the loss of receiver Cobi Hamilton in the first quarter to a head injury.
What Arkansas’ offense didn’t overshadow were the early struggles of the defense, which allowed 193 first-half yards by the Gamecocks — who led 14-7 early before falling behind 35-21 at halftime. Of particular concern for the Razorbacks (1-0), who were ninth in the Southeastern Conference in total defense last season, was the 163 yards passing allowed in the half.
“Our expectations are to do better than we did,” Arkansas coach John L. Smith said. “I know as a football team, our guys walk off the field … pleased that it was a win, but they’re not pleased with how well we played because we can do a lot better. And we know that.”
The game was Smith’s first as the Razorbacks’ coach, his first as a head coach since the 2006 season at Michigan State.
It was also the second for defensive coordinator Paul Haynes, who took over for Willy Robinson following the regular season last year. Haynes coached in Arkansas’ Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State last season, but Saturday was the Razorbacks first game fully using his system and terminology.
The results were mixed in the first half, with Jacksonville State (0-1) quarterback Marques Ivory completing 12 of 19 passes for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Gamecocks gained 158 yards on two scoring drives, a 13-play, 83-yard march and a 10-play, 75-yard drive just before halftime.
Arkansas improved in the second half, allowing only 129 yards behind 11 tackles from safety Ross Rasner and what appeared to be a change at cornerback — with senior Kaelon Kelleybrew taking over for senior Darius Winston.
“It’s the first game, so a lot of new faces, a lot of new guys,” Haynes said. “It’s kind of expected, but our kids know that that’s not our expectations; that’s not the type of defense we want to have.”
The Razorbacks return to action next week against Louisiana-Monroe, though their big-picture focus is squarely on a home matchup with the No. 2 Crimson Tide in two weeks. That includes the defense and the health of Hamilton, who was knocked out of the game after a crushing hit by Jacksonville State’s Caleb Lawrence on Arkansas’ second possession.
Smith wouldn’t say for sure that Hamilton suffered a concussion, but he did say he expects the senior to return to action next week.
In the meantime, the Razorbacks unveiled a host of new playmakers Saturday in place of Hamilton and the three receivers (Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright) the team lost to the NFL after last season.
Tight end Chris Gragg had seven catches for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and former backup quarterback Brandon Mitchell made the most of first collegiate start — hauling in four catches for 122 yards. Mitchell, who battled Wilson for the starting quarterback job prior to last season, split his time between quarterback and receiver during the summer and preseason camp.
The junior, who has also played in parts of two seasons for the Arkansas basketball team, looked every bit the natural fit at receiver Saturday. Mitchell set up Ronnie Wingo’s second-quarter touchdown run with a 34-yard catch, and he did so despite a minor case of nerves the night before his first start.
“I was anxious, barely got any sleep (Friday) night,” Mitchell said. “I was ready to get out there and play.”
Wilson also connected with junior receiver Javontee Herndon four times for 96 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put Arkansas up 42-24. Overall, it was a nearly flawless beginning for the senior quarterback, who bypassed the NFL draft after last season with hopes of winning an SEC and national championship.
“Tyler is a first-round draft pick, and he has everything it takes,” Jacksonville State coach Jack Crowe said. “I think he’s the best quarterback in the SEC, and I’ll take him over that guy at Southern Cal (Matt Barkley), personally.
“He changed the rhythm and picked out the strengths and weaknesses and knew right where to go. | http://swtimes.com/sections/sports/wilson-helps-arkansas-overcome-shaky-defense.html | 1,069 |
Fresh off a homestand they finished by losing five of the last six games, the Mariners have recorded a season-high 15 hits in both of their first two contests of a 10-day, nine-game road trip. They look for the series sweep Thursday at Detroit.
No one would appreciate a continued offensive outburst by the Mariners offense more than Hector Noesi. The Seattle right-hander has been roughed up in two of his three starts this season, including an abysmal 1 1/3 innings of work his last time out, in which he gave up six runs on six hits and walked two. Whether he gets the run support, Noesi is approaching his start with a fresh mindset.
"Everything is in your mind," he said. "When you say something, that's going to happen. So I have to take everything from the good start and take it to the new start."
Noesi's counterpart, Rick Porcello, knows a thing or two about forgettable starts. Porcello was only able to record three outs in his last start -- at Texas -- giving up nine runs on 10 hits. It will be important for the righty to regain command of his sinker to find success against the Mariners.
"The only adjustment we talked about [last Saturday] was to slow down," Porcello said. "There was maybe a couple pitches or a couple batters where I got a little quick and the ball stayed up, but for the most part I was just trying to go out there and establish our game plan, and it just wasn't working.
"That was pretty much it. I've got to be [able] to recognize what's going on in the game if I want to be able to pitch deep into the game."
Mariners: Liddi proving himself
Alex Liddi played third base and hit sixth on Wednesday, making it the first time this season he has started back-to-back nights. On Tuesday, Liddi became just the third Italian-born player to collect three hits in a game, joining Reno Bertoia and Marino Pieretti. He also hit home runs in both games.
Tigers: Hoping to find rare success against Mariners
The Tigers are looking to find rare success against the Mariners, as of late. Detroit is just 2-7 in its past nine games against Seattle, and has given up a combined 16 runs on 30 hits in the first two games of the series.
Porcello is 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA in five career starts against the Mariners.
Ichiro Suzuki is 6-for-16 (.375) lifetime against Porcello, and is fourth among active players with a .353 batting average at Comerica Park. | http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_04_26_seamlb_detmlb_1&mode=preview&vkey=preview_web_away&c_id=sea | 569 |
Lincecum will attempt to improve his 1-2 record and 8.20 ERA on Saturday as the Giants host the Padres in the second contest of a three-game set.
The righty will be matched by San Diego's Anthony Bass. The righty is coming from quite the different corner than Lincecum. While it will be Bass' fourth start of the year, the 24-year-old has seen action in six games, as he started the season in the bullpen. But injuries to Tim Stauffer (elbow strain) and Dustin Moseley (season-ending labrum tear) forced the Padres to move Bass to the rotation.
"Overall, we've been happy with his work," Padres manager Bud Black said. "With him, it's just the efficiency and making the most of his pitches. He needs to throw every pitch with a purpose and make it a quality pitch. That's his challenge moving forward."
Bass picked up his first win of the season in his last outing, pitching six innings of three-hit ball, striking out seven and allowing just one unearned run.
Giants: Hacker recalled from Triple-A, gets start
The Giants purchased the contract of right-hander Eric Hacker from Triple-A Fresno on Friday. Hacker made his first Major League start later that day and was tagged with the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits while striking out seven in six innings of work. To make room on the 25-man roster, the Giants sent righty Dan Otero to Fresno and moved reliever Brian Wilson to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Hacker.
Pablo Sandoval extended his Major League-leading hitting streak to 20 games with a single in the third inning of Friday's 5-3 loss to the Padres. Sandoval's career-high hitting streak is 22 games.
Padres: Hits keep coming for Headley
After a 1-for-4 performance Friday, Chase Headley has now hit safely in 16 of the last 18 games. He is hitting .323 (20-for-62) during that stretch.
Orlando Hudson extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a fourth-inning single in Friday's win over the Giants. It is the longest hitting streak by a Padres player this season.
The Giants have won 11 of the last 15 meetings against the Padres, a streak that dates back to last season.
The Padres improved to 2-5 in series openers after their win over the Giants. San Francisco dropped to 3-4 in series openers. | http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_04_28_sdnmlb_sfnmlb_1&mode=preview&vkey=preview_web_away&c_id=sd | 532 |
Only eight teams remain in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and Saturday's action in the West and East regions will determine the first two clubs headed to the Final Four in New Orleans. The Midwest and South regional finals will be played on Sunday.
The early game on Saturday in the West region will see No. 4 seed Louisville, the Big East Tournament champ, take on Billy Donovan's No. 7 seed Florida Gators. Rick Pitino is 6-0 against his former assistant, and the Cardinals coach will be looking to make his sixth trip to the Final Four and second while at Louisville. Donovan is seeking his fourth Final Four appearance at the helm for the Gators, and a repeat performance of Thursday night from freshman Bradley Beal just might get Florida to New Orleans. Beal scored 21 points in the win over Marquette on eight of 10 shooting from the floor, also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
In the late game from the East region, No. 1 seed Syracuse takes on No. 2 seed Ohio State. Playing without Fab Melo, many thought the Orange would have been bounced from the Dance by this point, but Jim Boeheim's team has survived a few scares and now stand just one victory from the Final Four. Buckeyes big man Jared Sullinger will look to carry his team to New Orleans before likely bolting for the NBA.
Here is the full regional finals schedule:
For up-to-the-minute scores on all NCAA Tournament games, please check out SI.com's complete scoreboard.
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, stay with SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for a complete printable NCAA Tournament bracket and tons of analysis on the Elite 8, and who will make it all the way to New Orleans and the Final Four. | http://tampabay.sbnation.com/2012/3/24/2899444/ncaa-tournament-2012-schedule-florida-gators/in/2663479 | 361 |
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The way they have played the last couple of weeks, I'm not sure they'll will outright.
Yeah, but the Colts have been worse!
I hope we crush the Colts and help them on their journey to suck for Luck.
Go Blue and Go Titans!
247Sports In partnership with CBS Sports | http://ten.247sports.com/Board/28/Titans-are-9-point-favorites-over-the-Colts-5088202/1 | 115 |
Richard Gasquet beat Grigor DiMitrov in four sets to advance to the third round at the French Open.
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Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator. | http://tennisopolis.com/video/gasquet-throws-up-dimitrov-cramps-after-epic-point | 88 |
Beattie shoots 76 to lead N.S. at mid-am
Garry Beattie of Bedford shot a 4-over 76 on Tuesday to top Nova Scotia’s entries in the opening round of the Canadian mid-amateur golf championship in Vancouver.
At Point Grey Golf and Country Club, Beattie was tied for 22nd place, one stroke ahead of Glenn Robinson of Lower Sackville, the Nova Scotia mid-am runner-up who shot a 77.
Steven Spicer of Dartmouth carded a 10-over 82 and Chris Topshee of Truro and provincial champ Aaron Nickerson of Clark’s Harbour both shot a first-round 84.
Kevin Carrigan of Victoria, B.C., fired a sizzling 5-under 67 for a five-stroke lead going into today’s action.
In the two-day inter-provincial team competition, the Nova Scotia squad of Robinson, Topshee and Nickerson was eighth after the first day, 21 strokes behind front-running B.C.
The field will be cut to the low 70 and ties after the completion of today’s second round.
Way’s 360-yard drive wins national title
Beaver Bank’s Carson Way is the ILDC national long drive champion.
Way won the contest on the weekend in Port Rowan, Ont., after two days of competition and 13 rounds of hitting.
His winning drive came 360 yards into a headwind.
Patriots sign Hilliard, release Tennant
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots have signed running back Lex Hilliard and released offensive lineman Matt Tennant.
The 235-pound Hilliard was released last Friday by the Minnesota Vikings after signing as a free agent in March. He played all 48 games the past three seasons for Miami, rushing 39 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns and catching 26 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns after being drafted in the sixth round by the Dolphins out of Montana.
The Patriots claimed the 300-pound Tennant off waivers last Saturday from the New Orleans Saints, where he played 28 games the past two seasons. They drafted him in the fifth round in 2010 out of Boston College.
Franklin Broncos’ honorary captain
DENVER — Olympic gold medal swimmer Missy Franklin will serve as an honorary captain and will be at midfield for the coin toss before the Denver Broncos play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.
Franklin, who is from Centennial, is among a dozen Olympic athletes from Colorado who will be honoured during the opener.
Franklin won four gold medals and a bronze during the London Games last month.
Nationals pitcher Wang returns from DL
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Nationals have reinstated right-hander Chien-Ming Wang from the 15-day disabled list.
Wang, who’s been on the DL since July 1 with a strained right hip, is 2-3 with a 7.61 ERA in seven games with the Nationals. He was 4-6 with a 5.51 ERA in 15 minor league rehab outings this season.
Giants sign Collins for practice squad
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants have signed receiver Brandon Collins to the practice squad and terminated the contract of offensive lineman Stephen Goodin.
The Super Bowl champions announced the moves on Tuesday, one day before their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
Canada to field strong team for Davis Cup
TORONTO (CP) — Everything seems to be falling into place for Canada’s Davis Cup team as it attempts to return to the biggest stage in world tennis.
Canada will field a healthy, dangerous team when it hosts South Africa in a World Group playoff later this month, and the good news doesn’t stop there.
Not only will the tie be in the friendly confines of Montreal’s Uniprix Stadium after South Africa forfeited its right to host, world No. 34 Kevin Anderson has said he will not make the trip to Canada.
Canada announced its team for the five-game series that goes Sept. 14-16 on Tuesday, and it’s one of the most talented the nation has fielded. World No. 16 Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., and doubles ace Daniel Nestor of Toronto will be joined by Davis Cup veteran Frank Dancevic of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil, who teamed up with Nestor at the London Olympics.
English striker Owen signs with Stoke
STOKE, England (AP) — Former England striker Michael Owen has signed for Stoke, ending a four-month search for a new club since being released by Manchester United.
The 32-year-old Owen has agreed to a one-year deal with Stoke after failing to re-ignite his career at Old Trafford during three injury-blighted seasons.
Stoke announced details of the signing on Twitter. Owen was a free agent and able to sign after the August transfer window closed on Friday.
The former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Newcastle forward made just four appearances last season for United. He hasn’t played competitively since November because of a thigh injury.
Avs make Landeskog youngest NHL captain
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche have made Gabriel Landeskog the youngest captain in NHL history.
At 19 years 286 days, Landeskog is 11 days younger than Sidney Crosby was when he was given the “C” by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007.
Landeskog was the second overall pick in the 2011 draft and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year last season.
He had 18 goals and 52 points for the Avs while playing all 82 games. The teenager finished with a plus-20 rating.
Landeskog takes over the captaincy from Milan Hejduk.
Luongo says trade to Florida ‘makes sense’
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Roberto Luongo says it just “makes sense” for him to return to the Florida Panthers.
The Vancouver Canucks goaltender, who is awaiting a trade after losing his No. 1 job to Cory Schneider, skated near his off-season home on Tuesday and made it clear during an interview with the South Florida Sun Sentinel that his preference was to return to the Panthers.
“(Florida) makes sense for myself, for my career and my family,” Luongo told the paper. “That being said, there’s obvious other options as well. This is a preferred location for obvious reasons but I’m not shutting the door on other possibilities if it comes up.”
Luongo spent five seasons in Florida between 2001 and 2006, when he was dealt to Vancouver. He and his wife return to the area every summer with their children.
The 33-year-old has 10 years remaining on his contract at a cap hit of US$5.33 million and holds a no-trade clause.
Luongo posted a 31-14-8 record last season with a .919 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average. He’s dealt with speculation about his future in Vancouver for two seasons and it reached a new pitch when Schneider took over the No. 1 job during a first-round playoff loss to Los Angeles in the spring.
Marijke Nel defeated Melika LeBlanc 0-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the 2011 women’s open final of the Bell and Grant Nova Scotia Open tennis tournament. Incorrect information appeared in Saturday’s edition. | http://thechronicleherald.ca/sports/132865-sports-in-brief | 1,594 |
Detroit Red Wings welcome a few healthy bodies back
DETROIT – Here’s a quick update from the Detroit Red Wings’ morning skate prior to their game tonight against the Minnesota Wild.
Forwards Darren Helm (back) and Todd Bertuzzi (flu) and defenseman Jakub Kindl (groin) will all make their season debut tonight.
Helm will center the third line with Danny Cleary and Justin Abdelkader.
“I’m just looking for everyone to be good,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “I don’t know what level Helmer’s game is going to be at, he hasn’t played in eight months. I just thought it gave us the best skating opportunity.
Helm has been on the wrong end of a rash of injuries of late.
He missed the Red Wings’ week-long training camp and the first three games of the season with a back injury, which was the first of his playing career.
He was hit by a puck on Nov. 2 during an informal skate in Troy, breaking an orbital bone.
On March 17, he missed the final 10 regular season games with a sprained MCL. Then, in his first game back, the playoff opener against Nashville, he had tendons in his forearm sliced by a skate to end his season.
“Every time I turned the corner and got on the ice, there was a puck in my face, or I was falling some awkward way or doing something wrong,” Helm said. “I went through kind of an unlucky stretch there. Hopefully it’s done for me.”
The Red Wings are looking for Helm to provide energy like he has in the past on that third line. Continued...
“As I went through it yesterday I had Abby on the fourth unit, but we talked about him being a real good third line right or left wing and that’s we’re going to start with here today and we’re available to go either way,” Babcock said.
Bertuzzi is slated to start on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Valtteri Filppula.
The first line will be Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Damien Brunner.
Cory Emmerton will be on the fourth line with Drew Miller and Jordin Tootoo.
Patrick Eaves is a healthy scratch.
Jonathan Ericsson (hip), Mikael Samuelsson (groin) and Jonas Gustavsson (groin) also won’t skate.
Kindl will be paired on the second power play unit with Brendan Smith.
For Kindl it may be his last chance to make this team has a regular.
“That’s another good thing about injures, other people get opportunities,” Babcock said. “If you grab hold of it you get to play a long, long time. Everybody comes in has nobody and then does something.
“You have to grab hold of it,” Babcock continued. “Kuba is getting to the point in his career, this is eight years now when you drafted him, you have to grab hold of it. If not you’re not part of it.”
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We love them. We hate them. We love to suffer over them, but they are our Detroit Lions. Paula Pasche discusses the team fans want so desperately to return to its glory years as they rebuild.
Pat Caputo is a sports columnist for The Oakland Press who covered the Tigers from 1986-98, and the Lions from 1998-2002.
A sometimes-irreverent look at Detroit's Boys of Summer, the Tigers, as they try to win their first American League Central title.
Matt Myftiu is news editor at The Oakland Press and has a background in sports writing and has had an unhealthy addiction to anything NASCAR for more than a decade.
Scott M. Burnstein, covered high school sports for both the Detroit Free Press and the Oakland Press, and is the author of the 2006 regional best-selling book, The Motor City Mafia - A Century of Organized Crime in Detroit.
Chuck Pleiness posts news about injuries, line combinations, transactions, who's starting and who's scratched. Follow the Red Wings along with Chuck Pleiness.
Kosmo is the all-knowing Oakland Press seer, of course.
Paul Kampe, a copy editor and page designer for The Oakland Press, is responsible for laying out the paper, hunting down spelling and grammatical errors and occasionally covering high school sports in Oakland County. | http://theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/01/25/sports/doc5102bfdad4b0d631507546.txt?viewmode=4 | 1,136 |
This is a Special Edition of Rat Trick Radio. The audio component of the Rat Trick. Download it, put it on your MP3 player of choice…and enjoy. It is available on iTunes as well.
This episode we take 15 minutes to talk to Justin Goldman about the Goalie Matches tonight and how to beat Broduer!
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Please visit our NHL main page: Too Many Men On The Site.
Want The Rat Trick or another FanSided network blog on your Iphone, Android or Blackberry? Download the application now on your smartphone and get the best in Florida Panthers coverage | http://therattrick.com/2012/04/13/rat-trick-radio-special-report-with-justin-goldman-from-the-goalie-guild/ | 152 |
Anderson Hernandez traded to Mets
The Nationals have traded second baseman Anderson Hernandez to the Mets on Thursday. It’s not known who the Nationals would get in return.
The switch-hitting Hernandez started the season as the everyday second baseman, but he slumped badly and hit .255 during the first half. He was then told before the All-Star break by then-manager Manny Acta and current manager Jim Riggleman that he would lose playing time to Alberto Gonzalez, who was a hot hitter at the time.
More details to come on Nationals.com. | http://therocket.mlblogs.com/2009/08/06/anderson-hernandez-traded-to-mets/ | 115 |
By Charles Curcio, Sports Editor
Friday, November 30, 2012 —
The high school varsity basketball season opened for the South Stanly varsity squads on Wednesday night with two home games against the Central Academy Cougars from Monroe.
South Stanly 56
Central Academy 48
The South Stanly girls’ squad overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter and earned the first win for Larry Honeycutt as the head coach for the Bulls since his return to the coaches’ box, winning 56-48 over the Cougars.
South (1-0) placed three in double figures in scoring, led by Bailyn Allen’s 19 points. Gabby Benjamin and Chelsey Culp added 14 points each.
Two players reached double figures for Central Academy (1-2), with Alyssa Carbone leading with 12 points and Amber Isley adding 11.
During a hard-fought first half, Central Academy built a four-point halftime lead with several makes behind the three-point arc while South struggled from the floor.
The Bulls trailed by 11 after three quarters, but South exploded for 24 fourth-quarter points and held the Cougars to just six. Culp and Allen made several key baskets and free throws in the final period to seal the win.
“I am very proud of how hard we played the whole game. Even when we were down we didn't quit and when we began making some shots we gained confidence in the fourth quarter,” Honeycutt said.
The Bulls travel to Cox Mill Friday.
CA 15 12 16 6 48
SS 15 8 9 24 56
Central Academy 74
South Stanly 62
The South boys’ squad kept the game close late, but the young visiting Central squad held off the Bulls late for a 74-62 win.
Junior Ryan Grigston led the Cougars (2-1) and all scorers with 26 points, while Hazoud Courtlandt and Deshawn Morrison each added 11 points.
Dylan Starnes scored 13 points, all in a fourth-quarter rally attempt, to lead South Stanly (0-1).
Luke Burris had a double-double for the Bulls as well Wednesday with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
New head coach Mike Crump said that two positives the team can take away from the game would be balanced scoring attack and getting contributions. off the bench.
“We have got to learn to cut down on our turnovers and relax on the court,” Crump said.
“I feel that we can learn from this [game] and become a better team.”
Crump also said that his goal as the head coach is to build a winning mentality at South Stanly, adding that playing against his team “is not taking a night off. If teams beat us, they will have to work for it.”
CA 17 19 22 16 74
SS 7 17 16 22 62
CA – Ryan Grigston 26, Hazoud Courtlandt 11, Deshawn Morrison 11, Threatt 9, Hamilton 5, Daughety 4, Donaldson 4, Fisher 4, Daniel 2,
SS – Richardson 8, Juwan Johnson 10, Smith 9, Luke Burris 10, Harris 2, T. Smith 4, Granados 4, Dylan Starnes 13, Brewer 2. | http://thesnaponline.com/sports/x1752039710/S-Stanly-teams-open-season-with-win-loss/print | 700 |
BAYAMON, Puerto Rico — Zeke Marshall had 17 points and six blocks, and Akron beat Penn State 85-60 in the fifth-place game at the Puerto Rico Tipoff on Sunday.
If there is a better at-the-rim defender in the country, I haven't seen him yet, Akron coach Keith Dambrot said.
Carmelo Betancourt and Demetrius Treadwell had 10 points each for the Zips.
Marshall scored six points during a 13-3 run to open the second half that put Akron up for good.
We came out with more energy. It felt like practice, honestly, Marshall said. I'm pumped for the regular season.
Eleven of his 17 points came from the foul line. Marshall set a tournament record with 13 total blocks.
It isn't the first time I've broke records and it won't be the last, Marshall said. I don't understand why other people can't do it. It's that easy.
D.J. Newbill had 20 points for the Nittany Lions. Ross Travis had 11 points and 10 rebounds, but shot just 1 of 10 from the floor. | http://timesleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?avis=TL&date=20121118&category=news&lopenr=311189580&Ref=AR&category_id=521&town_id=1&sub_type=stories | 243 |
by Alexandria Echo Press
March 29, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Alexandria Echo Press
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Topics is proudly provided by the Forum Communications Company | http://topics.areavoices.com/2012/03/29/girls-basketball-area-players-on-all-state-team/ | 104 |
November 8, 2012
The Olympic torch returned to China in preparation for its first relay on Chinese soil after a stormy global tour.May 1, 2008worldNews
Pro-Tibetan demonstrators and others protesting Chinese human rights abuses turned the running of the Olympic torch through the streets of London into a tumult of scuffles.April 7, 2008worldNews
President Hu Jintao of China waved the Olympic torch at a ceremony on Monday, then sent it on a journey around the globe where protests and controversy likely await.April 1, 2008worldNews
Despite violent protests in Tibet, China remains steadfast in its plan to take the Olympic torch to Tibet and Mount Everest.March 20, 2008worldNews
San Francisco officials say they still have no final plans on what route through the city the Olympic torch will take. The delay has upset some groups that want to use the procession to protest China’s human rights record.March 27, 2008usNews
Both routes to the world’s highest peak are scheduled to be off limits this spring, as Beijing strives to inaugurate the summer Olympic Games free of pro-Tibetan protests.March 15, 2008worldNews
SEARCH ARTICLES ABOUT THE OLYMPIC TORCH:
Protesters have used the Olympic symbol to make vivid their grievances with China as the Olympic torch travels toward Beijing.
The event was so comprehensively overshadowed by fears of anti-Chinese protests that no members of the public were allowed close enough to witness it. | http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/o/olympic_games_2008/olympic_torch/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier | 308 |
MONTPELLIER, France (AP) — Benoit Paire took just 45 minutes to beat Adrian Menendez-Maceiras of Spain 6-0, 6-2 in the Open Sud de France first round on Tuesday.
The Frenchman had nine aces and did not face a break point. He used his powerful forehand to often force Menendez-Maceiras to the back of the court and broke the Spaniard's serve five times.
Paire amused himself in the last game with a half-volley played through his legs, which he followed up with a drop shot. He sealed victory on his third match point when Menendez-Maceiras hit a forehand wide.
Paire next plays Steve Darcis of Belgium, who beat Adrian Mannarino of France 6-4, 7-6 (0). | http://townhall.com/news/sports/2013/02/05/paire-tops-menendezmaceiras-in-france-n1505613 | 176 |
|Host City: Kayseri|
|Host City: Istanbul|
|Host City: Ankara|
|5. Puerto Rico||1/4||6|
|6. Cote d'Ivoire||1/4||6|
|Host City: Izmir|
|3. New Zealand||3/2||8|
|#||Name||P||Height||DOB||Place Of Birth||Club|
|21/03/1990||Sèvres, France||Paris-Levallois Basket, Pro A (FRA)|
Nicolas M. V. André
|-/-||14/12/1988||Lisieux, France||Portland Trail Blazers, NBA (USA)|
|16/06/1987||Brest , France||Le Havre, Pro A (FRA)|
|23/11/1983||Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire||DKV Joventut, ACB (ESP)|
|05/11/1986||Rouen, France||Dallas Mavericks, NBA (USA)|
|18/09/1989||Pau, France||Asvel, Pro A (FRA)|
|19/06/1985||Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dem.Rep. of Congo||Gravelines Dunkerque, Pro A (FRA)|
|19/01/1981||Les Abymes , France||Valencia, ACB (ESP)|
|23/06/1987||Sainte-Catherine-lès-Arras, France||Valencia, ACB (ESP)|
|16/04/1982||Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France||Bobcats, NBA (USA)|
|22/05/1983||Pointe Noire, France||(FRA)|
|28/02/1985||Ivory Coast, Cote d'Ivoire||Virtus Roma, Seria A (ITA)|
|N. De Colo||6||135||18/37||48.6||9/16||56.2||9/21||42.9||8/8||100||1||10||11||13||16||11||5||0||53|
|Min||Minutes played||Tot||Total rebounds||BS||Block Shots|
|%||Shooting percentage||PF||Personal fouls||G||Played Games|
Will the “eternal potential” of France ever be seen?
With Tony Parker, Joakim Noah, Mike Piétrus and Ronny Turiaf, France would have had a good chance to play for the podium. However, by mid-July, three of those four had bailed out and Noah was very likely to do the same. Now some youngsters are coming along. So how good will France actually be?
Since EuroBasket 1999 – played at home and ended on two “no shows” both during the semi-final and during the Bronze medal game – France has made a habit of missing great opportunities, blossoming for good and helping basketball develop in a country where competition between sports is as tough as anywhere else. Why is this? Well simply because French hoops has to compete with rugby (a sport unknown almost anywhere else), handball, and some huge events such as the Tour de France or Roland Garros in tennis, before even mentioning football.
Popular enthusiasm and following of the Franch National Team has on occasion been held back by sheer bad luck, as was the case during the 2000 Olympic Games, when Antoine Rigaudeau and his team-mates won silver, receiving the biggest TV viewing figures of the event. The only problem was that those Olympics were in Sydney, Australia, so the final game versus the Dream Team, at 3am was seen by 800,000 sports fans, while there could have been up to 15 million had the game been played in the daytime or evening.
Now, 10 years on, France is still talking about the potential basketball powerhouse they could become, with its 20 players drafted by NBA franchises and dozen or so guys under contract in the world’s top flight league. Using the great 1982 born ‘golden generation’ (Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Mike Piétrus etc.), France came close to matching Lithuania in the EuroBasket 2003 semis before losing. Leading Greece by seven points with 40 seconds to go in the same Championship two years later, again in the semis, les ‘Bleus’ were beaten by a last second Dimitris Diamantidis shot. Their bad fortune can also be summed up by EuroBasket 2009 during which they lost only once, albeit to eventual champions Spain. Since 2003, France has always fallen to the eventual champion - Lithuania in 2003, Greece in 2005, Russia in 2007 and Spain last summer.
Ahead of this summer’s FIBA World Championship, France is facing the prospect of playing without a number of key players missing – as are the tournament’s main contenders. Indeed France, who could have come for the first time with a very performing point guard-center tandem of All-Star Parker and Noah, will have to do without both of them in Turkey. Although this is somewhat understandable, following the soccer National Team’s farcical football World Cup, basketball in France could have gained much had charismatic players like Parker and Noah competed in Turkey. It’s just too bad for French basketball that it will probably not happen.
Focusing on those who will be present, there was some good news. Dallas’ combo guard, Rodrigue Beaubois, proved this season, via his sublime 40-point performance against Minnesota that he has every chance of becoming the “new TP”. But the bad news came quickly, since Beaubois broke his foot early in preparation and is now out for the whole summer. Coach Collet called Andrew Albicy, the 20-year-old MVP of the U20 European Championship this summer, to replace Rodrigue.
Nicolas Batum, in Portland, was injured for part of the season but he was so good that when he came back, that he pushed Rudy Fernandez, a European basketball superstar, further down the bench than expected. At the guard, Nando De Colo has had an impressive first year in Liga ACB and Yannick Bokolo, a combo guard from Gravelines, can help.
Waiting in the wings is former Sonic, Mike Gelabale, who is enjoying a good comeback. Boris Diaw, from Charlotte, is also always there for the National Team but he is increasingly becoming a power forward rather than a “3”. Who are we missing? Mike Piétrus, who has gained a reputation for providing very good excuses for not coming.
France’s force could therefore for once be in the paint where they have three NBA players to use - Ajinça, Mahinmi or Petro. The only problem is that those three have not played hoops these past years and Vincent Collet would certainly love to be able to use inside players who actually play some basketball, such as Ali Traoré, who just transferred from ASVEL to Virtus Roma.
So what can we expect from France? Its difficult to say. Once more, the potential is there – but how high can this potential bring them? The first games of preparation, with two large losses versus Canada in Toronto, made all observers quite worried…
|5||Nicolas M. V. André Batum|
|12||Nando De Colo|
Head coach: Vincent COLLET | http://turkey2010.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/10/fwcm/team/p/eid/4728/orderby/ot/rid/7731/tid/282/tid2/profile.html | 1,603 |
Oct. 2, 2006
Curry's first collegiate goal was a big one as it led the No. 19 Gauchos to a 1-0 overtime win against the Big Ten's Michigan Saturday night at Harder Stadium. Curry collected a free kick from teammate Eric Avila and buried a low shot past the Wolverine's keeper in the 104th minute of play to give UCSB the victory in front of a season-high crowd of 3,577. Curry, a freshman midfielder from Sacramento, has played in seven of UCSB's 10 matches. | http://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/100206aaa.html?dec=/printer-decorator | 112 |
UCSB Survives Late Run to Beat Brigham Young
Cathedral City, California – UC Santa Barbara improved to 9-3 as they outlasted Brigham Young University in eight innings to win 12-10 in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
Freshman starting pitcher Alex Pingree helped the Gauchos maintain control through 4.2 strong innings in the circle. She surrendered three unearned runs, issuing only one hit and two walks.
The Gauchos doubled its lead in the second inning when senior Jessica Soria stole home to record her seventh swipe of the season. She led the team in stolen bases last year with 25, and is well on track to reach the mark again in 2013.
Seven Gauchos contributed at least one hit by the seventh inning, amounting to a 10-3 lead.
Among the key contributors was freshman Jessica Tetzlaff, who brought in three runs by going 3-for-5 on the day. Soria and freshman standout Arianna Palomares also had multi-hit games for UCSB, who looked exceptionally patient at the plate as every batter reached base at least once in the matchup.
A strong offensive effort coupled with sloppy play from the Cougars on defense amounted to a seven-run lead for the Gauchos heading into what looked to be the final three outs of the game in the seventh.
However, the BYU bats started to get it going vs. junior pitcher Andriana Collins, and capped off a huge seven-run rally with a grand slam by junior Katie Manuma by to tie it up and force extra innings.
UCSB proved to be too much for BYU in the eighth though, as the team scored two more runs and quieted the Cougar bats with lights out pitching from Wisdom.
The sophomore sensation pitched two shutout innings of relief for the Gauchos with no hits and four strikeouts en route to her seventh win of the season. | http://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-softbl/2012-13/releases/20130224n8falb | 405 |
EVANSTON, ILL.- Ronnie Dennis (Abbeville, Ala.) scored a career-high 18 points on four of seven shooting from three point range, but it wasn't enough as the University of New Hampshire men's basketball team dropped an 81-55 decision to Northwestern University on Monday night. The loss left UNH at 0-2 on the young season. Meanwhile, the host Wildcats moved to 2-0 on the year.
Dennis began his tear early in the first half, as he nailed the game's first points with a three-ball 22 seconds into the stanza to give UNH a 3-0 lead. Freshman guard Ioannis Karalis (Athens, Greece) then drained a jumper to extend the Wildcat lead to 5-0 with 18:51 remaining in the half. However, Northwestern then came alive as they scored the game's next 10 points, and by halftime would lead by a score of 37-27.
Following two layups by Jitim Young, Northwestern opened the second half with a 7-0 run to open up a 44-27 advantage. UNH then went on a 7-3 run of their own to creep to within 13 points, but that was as close as the 'Cats would get, as Northwestern responded with an 24-9 run over the next 7:44 to insure the win.
Young, who shot 11 of 14 from the field en route to a game high 29-points, led four Northwestern double-digit scorers. He also grabbed a game-high eight boards.
Dennis' 18 points led UNH. Sophomore center Ben Sturgill (Hamiltion, Ohio) also played well for UNH, as he scored nine points and caught five rebounds to assist in the Wildcat effort. Freshman Jeremy Friel (Durham, N.H.) followed up his impressive nine-point effort at Miami last Saturday with another solid contribution, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
UNH looks for their first win of the season when they entertain Liberty on Saturday afternoon in their home-opener at Lundholm Gymnasium. The game is slated for a 12 p.m. start. | http://unhwildcats.com/sports/mbkb/2002-03/releases/archivepage.cfm-pid=5F94926C-BDB7-0F43-A99EEDDC15B98CE1.htm | 454 |
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Kara Lawson scored 21 points and had two key baskets in the fourth quarter to help the Sacramento Monarchs beat the New York Liberty 82-78 on Saturday night.
The fifth-year guard had partially dislocated her left shoulder on Thursday in a 80-76 lost to Minnesota.
"I can't say I didn't feel it (the pain)," Lawson said following the game.
Nicole Powell had 17 points and five rebounds, and Rebekkah Brunson added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Monarchs (7-8), who stopped a two-game losing streak.
Shameka Christon had 17 points and Janel McCarville chipped in 13 for New York (7-7). The Liberty were just 11-for-24 from the free throw line.
"I thought we got the shots we wanted to get (from the floor)," New York coach Pat Coyle said. "We just didn't knock down the free throws."
The Monarchs jumped out to a 10-3 advantage until the Liberty came back to take a 16-14 lead to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, there were six lead changes and two ties before the Liberty finished the last 2:55 with an 8-0 run that put them up 38-30 at the half.
The Monarchs opened the third quarter with a 16-5 run to take a 46-43 lead on a basket by Lawson with 5:15 left. New York missed a series of open jump shots and free throws, but hung on to trail 57-56 at the end of the period. The Monarchs outscored New York 27-18 in the third period.
The Monarchs expanded their lead in the final period when Ticha Penicheiro made two free throws to make the score 67-58 with 7:23 left to play.
New York battled back to cut it to 76-73 on a three-point play by McCarville with 2:14 to go, but Lawson countered with a 3-point basket on the next play, and the guard from Tennessee hit another key shot with 50 seconds left to seal the victory.
New York played the first of a five-game road trip.
"We still have four games to go," Christon said. "This is definitely one we could've had, but now we have to focus on getting the next one."
The Associated Press | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/wnba/2008-06-29-396454372_x.htm | 506 |
By Paul Kuharsky, The Tennessean
For the NFL teams that struggled the most in the fall, spring is supposed to be filled with promise.
A top three pick in the draft can cure a lot of ills, reset a team's course, have an impact for a dozen years or more.
But drafting is an inexact science, as NFL personnel executives constantly remind the media and fans.
Looking back 20 years — and not yet passing subjective judgment on players who've been in the league less than four seasons — the top three picks have included at least one certifiable bust in 15 out of 17 drafts since 1986.
Some players had hard luck with injuries (like Cincinnati Bengals running back Ki-Jana Carter) while others appeared to have been products of their college systems (like Miami running back Alonzo Highsmith with the Houston Oilers) or managed to get themselves into trouble (like Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Darrell Russell).
Others had work ethic questions.
Former Dallas Cowboys personnel executive Gil Brandt said he will always remember that Rick Mirer, the Notre Dame quarterback who proved to be a bust as the second pick in 1993, didn't want to serve as a holder at a college all-star game for fear of hurting his hand.
Then there have been more straightforwardly bad picks:
The Atlanta Falcons took Auburn linebacker Aundray Bruce first overall in 1988 and Nebraska defensive back Bruce Pickens third in 1991. The Washington Redskins tabbed Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler third in 1994. The San Diego Chargers grabbed Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf second in 1998.
"I probably surprise you with how much I know about those guys just off the top of my head," said Brandt, now an analyst with NFL.com. "And I think teams know a hell of a lot more, yet we make mistakes. I don't know what the answer is.
"One of the things that comes into the equation is, after they get money, how hard are they going to work to continue to get better? That's one of the key questions."
It's fair to expect a top-three pick to be a permanent fixture in the lineup and the league, anchoring a position and garnering Pro Bowl invitations.
Tennessee Titans General Manager Floyd Reese said while he and his scouts look to avoid landmines, sometimes there is simply no way to predict how a player will pan out.
"When Tony Mandarich was drafted, I don't care what personnel people tell you, 99.9% of the GMs in the league would have drafted him at exactly the same spot," Reese said. "He was that impressive coming out. History will tell you what happened. But for people to say they saw it coming, that's a lie. He was an awesome football player."
Reese also said he believes the bust label gets passed out too often and too easily.
"If he doesn't come in and be rookie of the year and if he's not a 10-time Pro Bowler on the way to the Hall of Fame, it's a bust. Because you're drafting in a position where that guy is supposed to be that good. Now, does that happen? Not very often. It's very, very difficult to live up to the expectations," Reese said.
"If you draft a guard at the third spot and there is a guard drafted at the 23rd spot that is rookie of the year, all the sudden your guard is a bust even though he may be a pretty good player and you're thrilled with him." | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-04-16-draft-science_x.htm | 729 |
By Vicki Michaelis, USA TODAY
ORANGE, Calif. The Orange County Badminton Center sprawls, warehouse-like, within walking distance of the Honda Center, where the Anaheim Ducks play.
The OCBC is 73,000 square feet, big enough to hold a Thai restaurant, an expansive printing business, the USA's premier badminton facility and an against-all-odds dream.
Here, Howard Bach is training with partner Bob Malaythong for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Here, over a Thai dinner, owner of the OCBC conglomerate and U.S. badminton benefactor Don Chew calls Bach and Malaythong's ambition to win an Olympic medal "an impossible goal."
AMERICANS IN ACTION: Bach finds gold, silver in Canada
Bach differs. "Nothing's impossible now," he says. "That's the wrong word to use."
In 2005, Bach did the unimaginable. He won a world title in doubles badminton partnering with Tony Gunawan, a 2000 Olympic champion from Indonesia. Before Bach, no American had ever made it to the quarterfinals of the world championships or the Olympics.
To repeat the feat in Beijing without Gunawan, who won't obtain U.S. citizenship in time, will be more unimaginable. Home team China has won 19 badminton medals since the sport gained Olympic status in 1992. Only two non-Asian countries have won an Olympic badminton medal; Denmark has three, the Netherlands one.
Asked about the USA's medal chances in Beijing, U.S. coach and former Chinese national team player Cai Zi Min says: "I think, frankly, it's very hard."
Bach and Malaythong's mission improbable begins today, at the Pan American Badminton Championships in Calgary, their first opportunity to earn Olympic qualifying points. They're ranked 32nd in the world.
Bach, 28, will return from Canada in time for his graduation from Cal State Fullerton on Sunday. Bach took seven classes this semester in order to finish his bachelor's degree in business.
"I will devote my heart to badminton once again," he says, "because I know what it takes to get to the top."
Bach also knows hope can be found even in the slimmest of chances. A month before the Athens Olympics, where Bach partnered with Kevin Han and made it through one round, his uncle called to tell Bach he needed to take an unexpected trip to Vietnam.
Bach's father, Cam, was in a diabetes-related coma. Doctors gave him a 20% chance to live. The coma lasted three weeks. As he came out of it, he was giving his son badminton pointers.
A year later Cam, a Vietnamese national badminton team player who immigrated to San Francisco during the Vietnam War, was in the stands at the Honda Center, watching his son win a world title.
OCBC owner Chew also was there, beaming.
Both Chew and his wife, Kim, were elite-level badminton players in Thailand before immigrating to Southern California in 1972 in search of economic opportunity. They learned the print business and, in 1981, began operating a print shop out of their garage on a used press.
K&D Graphics is so successful today that Chew has a love-or-money dilemma: He needs to add more printing machinery, but to do so he would have to take over more of the badminton courts that he installed in 1996 purely because of his passion for the game. He already has taken over six; 12 are left.
The majority of U.S. team members train at the OCBC. Chew, a former USA Badminton president, estimates he spends at least $250,000 per year in sponsorships, coaching salaries and upkeep.
Gunawan immigrated to Southern California in January 2002 to study computer science. Chew gave him a job as a coach and Gunawan began competing with Malaythong. Two years later, when Han retired after Athens, Gunawan and Bach became partners.
"Before we met Tony," says Malaythong, a 26-year-old native of Laos who grew up in Rockville, Md., "we had no confidence in ourselves or ability to play against international teams. I feel this has helped us a lot. Whether we win or we lose, I feel we're going in with the best chance of winning."
Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map. | http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/2007-05-16-bach-badminton_N.htm | 969 |
Security beefed up for hockey game
Unlike past Games, here in Vancouver reporters and photographers do not have to pass through screening every time we enter and exit a venue. Instead, your credential is scanned and the computer randomly selects people for screening.
The exception was Opening Ceremonies, which had very tight security, much like an airport's -- no beverages, for instance.
And now, the men's gold medal hockey game. Barry Svrluga and I arrived about two and a half hours earlier and had a good 20- to 25-minute wait. I just got a message from a friend who arrived later -- she's been in line since 10:20 a.m. and there are about 300 people in line for one screening machiine.
One man with flowing white hair sailed past all of us and went to the head of the line. I recently re-watched "Ordinary People" on cable and Donald Sutherland can get cuts any time.
The comments to this entry are closed. | http://voices.washingtonpost.com/olympics/2010/02/security_beefed_up_for_hockey.html?wprss=olympics | 207 |
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox will hold their first full-squad workout on Friday morning, and it will be preceded by a team meeting that includes ownership, front office and all uniformed personnel.
But team president/CEO Larry Lucchino made it clear that this will be Farrell's meeting.
"Well, I think the message to be sent tomorrow will be done by our new manager, John Farrell," Lucchino said. "It's the first meeting of all 59 players who are here in camp. It's his meeting. We basically just introduce ourselves and say a sentence or two about our role and our commitment to winning, and I think the meeting will be John's, and I suspect it will continue to reflect the kind of good vibrations that seem to be emanating out of this place."
What will Farrell be looking to get across?
"Just setting out my expectations -- our expectations as a staff," Farrell said. "Obviously some basic rules will be discussed and expectations of Spring Training. The more they can understand what we're looking for, it takes away some of that initial wondering. As I've mentioned many times over, we as a team need to recognize that we have one heck of an opportunity in front of us.
"When you communicate what you expect, we can all be held accountable in our own way. That's not to be authoritative or be a dictator. It's to say, 'This is what we're about, and this is what we hope to get accomplished in Spring Training.' Once that's established, that's the vision we're all collectively moving toward."
Farrell isn't big on inundating his team with rules, but the ones he does put in place, he expects will be obeyed.
"Be on time and be professional," Farrell said. "Being professional encompasses a number of things. It's how you play the game. It's how you treat the people around it. It's how you treat the guy dressing next to you. This game will always be about the players, and yet we have to provide the boundaries in which we're going to operate."
Drew feels healthy, ready to help Red Sox
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If another season is drawing near, the Red Sox must be breaking in a new shortstop. The revolving door that hasn't stopped since Nomar Garciaparra was traded on July 31, 2004, continues into another year, as veteran Stephen Drew is the latest to join the carousel.
With the same No. 7 his older brother J.D. wore and an eerily similar voice, Drew is eager to get started in the next chapter of his career.
Drew is on a one-year contract, which means the Red Sox will probably have -- yep -- another new shortstop in 2014. The good news is that the pipeline is suddenly stocked, as Jose Iglesias, Xander Bogaerts and Deven Marrero all aim to be the team's shortstop of the future.
In other words, Drew could well be a placeholder.
"Right now, I'm just going to focus on this year," Drew said. "I'm really excited to be here and hopefully I put up a good year. Every year you want to come in and talk about getting to the World Series. Hopefully we can get there."
Drew is eager to rebound from his subpar 2012 season, when he was still recovering from a broken right ankle suffered in a fierce collision in 2011.
"I feel good," Drew said. "After that injury, an unfortunate accident, it was a long process getting back. I feel really good. All the hard work I put in and the preparation coming in this year, I hope it pays off. I really did put a lot of work into it. I'm just ready to get going and see how it goes."
Ortiz, Pedroia could split three-hole
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Manager John Farrell still has a while to make out his Opening Day lineup for April 1 at Yankee Stadium, but he has come clear ideas on how the lineup could shake out.
Look for David Ortiz to open the season batting third against right-handers. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia will bat in front of him. Against lefties, Shane Victorino figures to bat second with Dustin Pedroia batting third.
"If I was to sketch something out, it would be David [hitting third] against right-handers and it might be Pedroia against left-handers," said Farrell. "That way it puts Victorino in the two-hole against some left-handed pitching to take advantage of his splits. The guy that obviously has a lot of production against lefties is [Jonny] Gomes as well. There's thought and variations to it, but that's one of them." | http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130214&content_id=41636064¬ebook_id=41651842&vkey=notebook_bos&c_id=bos | 1,004 |
Lowe takes bronze
Jemma Lowe won Britain's first medal of the World Short-Course Championships by finishing third in the 200 metres butterfly in Istanbul.
The 22-year-old swam from lane one after qualifying seventh, meaning she had no idea of how the expected leaders were faring.
However, that had little bearing on the Swansea ITC swimmer who touched in two minutes 3.19 seconds.
It was also a national record for Lowe, who lowered her own 2010 mark, the Briton leading after 150m before being overtaken by Hungarian Katinka Hosszu and 2012 Olympic champion Jiao Liuyang.
Lowe said: "I'm really pleased with that. I didn't know what to expect after this morning when I was in that slow heat by myself and I just scraped into the final.
"Because I have won a medal previously at world short course I was really determined to get up there, so I just gave it my very best tonight and I can't believe how it worked out."
There was no such satisfaction for Michael Jamieson, the Olympic 200m breaststroke silver medallist.
The Glaswegian was thoroughly frustrated, despite setting a new personal best of 58.56s in the 100m breaststroke.
He said: "It's the same old story on the 100 - I just can't keep up with the bigger guys.
"It's frustrating - it's the fastest I have ever been but I am getting to the stage with the 200m that if I am ever going to improve then my 100 needs to come down."
That was in contrast to Georgia Davies, another Swansea ITC swimmer, who set a personal best of 57.41s to qualify third for the 100m backstroke final.
Lizzie Simmonds was 10th in 58.34s, although her focus is on the 200m since her move to Bath ITC.
Hello, regular commenting on Orange News and Sport pages closes on Thursday 30 May 2013. We will continue to provide a commenting facility on major news and sport events on orangeworld.co.uk. Contact us via http://oran.ge/OWfeedback if you have any further questions. Thanks. | http://web.orange.co.uk/article/sports/lowe_takes_bronze | 459 |
Mike Watts, Kenny Ducey & Steve Simineri
Mike Watts was joined by Kenny Ducey this week as the guys talked about all the hot topics in the NFL. The guys first give their take on the two local teams' games last week, and what each game means for each team. Eric Mollo stops by to give his weekly Giants report and Joe Vitiello gives his Jets report giving all the latest news for each team.
In the general NFL segment, Mike and Kenny talk about important injuries around the league, Saints bounty appeals. the game in London, and much more. In the fantasy segment Steve Simineri gives you all the advice you need to win you game this week. Finally the guys make their picks for the week. Mike and Kenny were both coming off a 6-1 week.
Click the plug-in below to listen. | http://wfuv.org/sports/professional-sports/121026/one-ones-nfl-friday-week-8 | 177 |
When Celtic drew Benfica, Spartak Moscow and Barcelona back in August the popular opinion was that the Scottish side would be lucky to escape with a Europa League place. The reputation of the SPL was at its lowest in years – the UEFA coefficient currently ranks it 18th out of the member countries – and it had been almost ten years since Celtic were defeated by Jose Mourinho’s Porto in the UEFA Cup Final. Even the official ITV twitter feed had a dig at the reigning SPL champions, tweeting ‘Bye Bye Celtic’ when the groups were announced.
A 0-0 result against Benfica at Parkhead proved nothing but the next match sparked hope. Gary Hooper opened the scoring at the Luzhniki Stadium before two goals from Emmanuel Emenike set Spartak on the road to an important three points. At the 63 minute mark Juan Insaurralde was shown red and the game was turned on its head. Suddenly, the People’s Team were on the back foot and Celtic were in full attack mode. The pressure proved too much for the Russians – an own goal and a 90th minute header from Georgios Samaras gave the Hoops a vital three points and some much needed encouragement.
Then came the toughest tie: Barcelona. Being universally praised as one of the best football teams of all time and with three Champions League wins since 2006, the Catalans were odds on favourites for a comfortable victory. It was much closer than expected and only a 94th minute goal from Jordi Alba separated the sides. The loss was anticipated but the performance was not. The Scots had restricted Barcelona’s usual space and Fraser Forster put on one of the best goal keeping performances of the entire stage.
The return leg will go down in Celtic history as one of the best European nights at Parkhead. The Hoops played a great counter-attacking game and exploited every mistake the Spaniards made. Goals from Victor Wanyama and 18-year-old Tony Watt put the Scots ahead and Celtic in dreamland. A late goal from Messi wasn’t enough and Celtic had secured a memorable three points.
Following a 2-1 loss to Benfica both the Portuguese and Scottish sides sat on seven points heading into the final game. As Barcelona held The Eagles to a goalless draw, goals from Hooper and Kris Commons downed Spartak and put Celtic through to the last 16.
There they will face a resurgent Juventus. For Celtic fans there is no fear – they have already beaten Barcelona. The Old Lady will perhaps prove a more difficult challenge than Barcelona. Juve were demoted in 2006 following the Calciopoli scandal and only last season, after many years failing to break into the Champions League spots, did they finally win their 28th Serie A trophy. They recently went on a 49 game winning streak (only broken in November) and they will be desperate to regain their European giants status. Helping eliminate reigning champions Chelsea showed they were contenders and they have serious ambitions of taking the biggest prize in football back to Turin.
Juve usually employ a 3-5-2 formation with a back three of Leonardo Bonucci – a man so hard he beat up an armed gunman – Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini providing Gigi Buffon with a solid defensive cover. The positive news for Celtic fans is that Chiellini is expected to miss the first leg through injury. Their central midfield is exceptional and perhaps the key asset of the team. The world class trio of Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal are dangerous and Paul Pogba, who moved from Old Trafford to Turin last summer, has proven to be perhaps the best emerging midfielder in Europe.
There are weaknesses for Celtic to exploit though. The two wingers – normally Stephan Lichsteiner and Kwadwo Asamoah – are responsible for both defensive and attacking duties. They are vital in creating opportunities and they stretch the opposing midfielders, providing more space for the central trio. If Celtic can limit the wingers they have a better chance of controlling the game and forcing Juve to play through the middle.
The main weakness for The Old Lady is up front. They don’t have a striker who can score goals regularly. Fernando Llorente has agreed to move to Turin in the summer but the short term problem needs to be addressed – Nicolas Anelka has been rumoured for a loan move but fans are reportedly not so keen on the idea. The nimble and creative Sebastian Giovinco is a handful but he’s not a number 9 and their highest scorers in the league, Quagliarella and Giovinco, are only on 6 goals, 11 behind Edison Cavani.
Celtic showed determination and spirit when they emerged from a very tough group to progress to the last 16 of the Champions League. Many pundits had written them off before the competition had even begun but an inspired victory over Barcelona proved that the Hoops could threaten any team on their day. Last season Apoel Nicosia – European minnows from Cyprus – came up against Zenit, Porto and Shakhtar. They topped the group and faced Lyon in the last 16. They won the tie. Eventually the might of Real Madrid proved too much but the team from the small island to the south of Turkey had overcome the odds to reach the quarter finals. Is it not possible that Celtic could do the same?
What do you think? Share your thoughts below, and click next for more analysis of the tie…
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- 15 Worst Ever Premier League Signings | http://whatculture.com/sport/champions-league-can-celtic-beat-juventus.php | 1,258 |
Celebs, Pro Athletes Congratulate Fab Five #TeamUSA Gymnasts For Gold Medal Win
On Tuesday, the United States grabbed the gold in the women’s gymnastics team event for the first time in 16 years thanks to the dazzling, combined efforts of the Fab Five.
Jordyn Wieber, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross completed their round with a top score of 183.596, five points below Russia, whose competitors took the silver medal. The bronze medal went to Romania, with China finishing in a surprising fourth place, after taking the gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The journey wasn’t exactly a smooth one for #TeamUSA’s Fab Five after projected leader, Jordyn Wieber, failed to qualify for Thursday’s all-around competition. Still, the ladies stuck together and warmed the hearts of America with their displayed teamwork, sportsmanship, graceful performances.
Celebrities, top tweeters, and pro athletes alike took the time to congratulate the young icons via Twitter: | http://whatstrending.com/2012/08/celebs-pro-athletes-congratulate-fab-teamusa-gymnasts-gold-medal-win/ | 225 |
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Qantas Airways
Qantas has reached an agreement with the engineers' union and would present the deal to the labor umpire, the report said, adding separate disputes with baggage handlers, caterers and pilots would go to arbitration next year.
The stand-off with the unions led to Qantas management grounding the entire fleet in October in an attempt to force a resolution. The strikes and grounding cost Qantas A$194 million ($193.82 million) and forced the labor umpire to intervene.
The deal would give engineers annual pay rises of three percent and allow Qantas to bring in new work practices, including a new licence category, another report on the ninemsn web site said.
The engineers union has also backed away from its demand for a hangar to be built to allow heavy maintenance on Airbus A380 double-decker jumbos to be performed in Australia, instead of in Asia, reports said.
Neither Qantas nor the engineers' union could immediately be reached for comment.
The labor umpire, Fair Work Australia, is expected to ratify the deal by the end of December or early in the new year, the reports said.
(Reporting by Narayanan Somasundaram) | http://wifc.com/news/articles/2011/dec/18/qantas-agrees-pay-deal-with-engineers-union-report/ | 264 |
Amherst, MA (Sports Network) - Sampson Carter couldn't have picked a more
ideal time for his lone basket of the game.
The senior forward drained a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds remaining to lift the
Massachusetts Minutemen to a season-opening 67-64 victory over the Harvard
With the seconds dwindling, Chaz Williams drove to the hoop and dished to
Carter, who connected from the left corner on only his third attempt from the
Jesse Morgan had 19 points to lead the Minutemen (1-0), who scored the game's
final eight points to stun Harvard. Raphiael Putney scored 13 points and
Williams finished with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double.
Wesley Saunders made two free throws to put the Crimson up 64-59 with 1:21
remaining. After Morgan hit a jumper in the lane, Harvard turned the ball
over on a 5-second call on its next possession and Morgan tied the game by
nailing a deep three with 38.8 seconds left.
Harvard's Christian Webster then lost the ball out of bounds against the
press, giving UMass the opportunity to hold for the final shot.
Saunders supplied 18 points for the Crimson (1-1), who opened their season
with Friday's win over MIT.
UMass and Harvard met for the first time since 1991.
The Sports Network | http://www.13wmaz.com/sports/ncaabasketball/article/204068/226/NCAA-Game-Summary---Harvard-at-Massachusetts | 299 |
|Date of game: 4/27/2013
Recap: NY Rangers vs. New Jersey
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 20 shots he faced and Rick Nash scored twice as the New York Rangers silenced the New Jersey Devils, 4-0, in the season finale for both teams from Madison Square Garden.
Derek Stepan and Ryan Callahan contributed a goal and assist each for the Rangers (26-18-4), who finished the season in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers will play Washington in the first round of the playoffs.
"You're (damn) right I'm proud of 'em. I like 'em. I think it's a good team," said Rangers head coach John Tortorella, after his club finished 9-3-1 since the trade deadline to snag a postseason berth.
Lundqvist, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, notched his second shutout of the season.
Johan Hedberg made 17 saves for the Devils (19-19-10), who lost for just the second time in their last six to complete a season without playoff action.
"We were not good. It was a bad situation that we did not handle well," stated Devils head coach Peter DeBoer.
Stepan opened the scoring at 2:37 of the first period, a one-timer from the slot off a Callahan dish.
Callahan made it 2-0 shortly into a New Jersey power play, breaking up the middle and beating Hedberg through the pads as he tried for a poke check inside of a minute remaining in the first period.
New York assumed a 3-0 edge with 2:37 left in the second period, as Brad Richards stole the puck from a Devils defender and fed in front to Nash for a high wrister to the near side.
Nash struck again at the 5 1/2 minute mark of the third, the end point of a three-way pass play which began between Mats Zuccarello and Richards.Game Notes
The Rangers won three of four in the season series ... New York has beaten New
Jersey in seven of the last nine games in Manhattan ... Nash collected his
fourth multi-goal effort of the season ... The Devils were blanked for the
fourth time in the last 12 contests. | http://www.9wsyr.com/sports/nhl/l.nhl.com-2012-e.17320/game.aspx | 485 |
Irving, TX (Sports Network) - The Dallas Cowboys are expected to name Monte Kiffin as their new defensive coordinator.
The team's website reported on Friday that the 72-year-old has been tabbed to replace Rob Ryan, who was fired from the position on Tuesday following two years on the job.
The Cowboys have yet to make an official announcement.
Kiffin spent the last four years as a defensive coordinator on the college level for his son Lane's teams at Tennessee (2009) and USC (2010-12), but he has 26 years of NFL experience.
He is most known for guiding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense from 1996-2008, winning Super Bowl XXXVII with the club.
Over that span with the Bucs, Kiffin's defense finished in the top 10 in total defense and scoring defense in 11 of his 13 years.
The architect of the "Tampa-2" defense used by many teams across the NFL today, Kiffin will be tasked with turning around a Dallas defense that ranked 19th in the NFL and allowed a franchise-worst 5,687 total yards.
The Cowboys ran a 3-4 scheme under Ryan and are expected to make the switch to a 4-3, which is the defensive alignment Kiffin is known for running. | http://www.abc4.com/sports/nfl/story/Cowboys-to-name-Monte-Kiffin-defensive-coordinator/6mI3s1snDESZhISZBW4YhQ.cspx | 261 |
Ben Johnson and Marion Jones had Olympic gold medals stripped away for being massive drug cheats.
Everywhere you turn, the surreptitious specter of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) taints the sporting world's most sacred records and profound accomplishments.
Even right here in Orlando.
Look up in the rafters in the Amway Center and you will see it — a symbol of the hometown team's greatest season:
"Orlando Magic: Eastern Conference Champions, 2008-2009."
Sorry, Magic fans, but maybe it's time to lower that banner to half-staff.
Have you forgotten about Rashard Lewis, the second-best and highest-priced player on the team, being nailed for PEDs during the 2009 Finals against the Lakers? Lewis was suspended for 10 games at the outset of the following season because of the positive drug test.
Back then, I interviewed Lewis and he claimed he tested positive for a testosterone-producing PED known as DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) that he unknowingly ingested after he purchased an over-the-counter nutritional supplement at GNC.
"I take full responsibility for what happened," Lewis said then. "But I'm telling you it was an honest mistake. I would never knowingly put any sort of substance or steroid into my body that is against the rules. . . . Look at me, I'm still skinny as hell. Does it look like I take steroids?"
Most fans and many of us media members who cover the NBA were willing to give Lewis the benefit of the doubt. He was, after all, a spindly, rail-thin forward who looked more like he tested positive for birdseed. And he did play in the NBA — and there was the common misconception perpetuated by league commissioner David Stern that NBA players wouldn't really benefit from PEDs.
We now know this was all just a bunch of NBA propaganda. I believed Lewis back then, but I don't believe him anymore and neither should you. Why should we? It seems every drug cheat in history lies and denies until they are ultimately forced to come clean.
But in the NBA, it never reaches that point because the league — from Stern on down — has been in PEDenial. I went to the Magic-Pacers game the other night and tried to get coaches and players to talk about why the NBA has been immune from PED scandals, and you'd have thought I was asking them to give up their guaranteed contracts.
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn: "That's far beyond my realm of explanation."
Pacers coach Frank Vogel: "I don't really know why."
Even the effusive Glen "Big Baby" Davis, the round mound of expound, had nothing to say.
"I don't know," he said. "I have no idea."
Well, let me answer the question then. It's because the NBA, for years, has had the weakest drug-testing policy of all major sports leagues and has been given a free pass by media, fans and, yes, the federal government. Maybe politicians should start asking Stern why he — like baseball commissioner Bud Selig did for so long — ignored the growing PED epidemic.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has said the NBA's drug-testing policy is insufficient compared to the NFL and Major League Baseball. Shaun Assael, who wrote "Steroid Nation," — one of the definitive books on the rise of performance-enhancing drugs in this country — told me once that NBA drug-testing is in the "dark ages." It's only been within the last few months that the NBA finally instituted random offseason testing, which means its previous policy was virtually irrelevant.
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until somebody actually listens:
Does anybody really believe the NBA — a league where so many players look like tight ends but run like wide receivers — isn't loaded with juiced athletes?
Does anybody really believe the league — where a premium is placed on running fast and jumping high — is immune from the PED problem that has permeated every other sport?
Does anybody really believe HGH and high-tech steroids wouldn't help NBA players recover quicker from the nightly pounding their bodies take?
Does anybody really believe NBA players — athletes who make more money and are competing for fewer roster spots than any of the other big-time professional sports — wouldn't take PEDs in order to gain an edge and earn a guaranteed $100 million contract?
Let's be honest, shall we?
When it comes to the mushrooming PED plague that has infected professional sports, NBA has always stood for "Never Been Accountable."
[email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM. | http://www.aberdeennews.com/sports/os-mike-bianchi-peds-sports-0120-20130119,0,3920598.column | 1,012 |
Youngsters Stayed On Positive Track
March 11, 2008
BLACKSBURG As freshman point guard Hank Thorns sat in Virginia Tech’s locker room March 4, basking in the afterglow of Tech’s 80-58 Senior Night win against Wake Forest, he was asked how a team with so many freshman contributors had stayed focused for so long.
In Thorns’ opinion, it hadn’t taken much to keep the freshmen concentrating on earning a postseason bid….
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For unlimited access to all magazine articles online, | http://www.accsports.com/teams/virginia-tech/20080909667/youngsters-stayed-on-positive-track.php | 158 |
Maryland Tries A LB At QB Vs Georgia Tech
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Having exhausted his original depth chart at quarterback, Maryland coach Randy Edsall has turned to true freshman linebacker Shawn Petty to direct the offense Saturday against Georgia Tech.
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For unlimited access to all magazine articles online, | http://www.accsports.com/wires/2012110213860/maryland-tries-a-lb-at-qb-vs-georgia-tech.php | 110 |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A man died in an alcohol-related crash on J. Turner Butler Boulevard that snarled traffic for hours Thursday evening.
The victim has been identified as 47-year-old Darryl Early of Avondale, Louisiana.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, a 2000 Chevy Silverado was stopped behind other vehicles on JTB in the outside lane, waiting to exit at Hodges Boulevard.
A 2001 Jaguar was stopped behind the Silverado and a Toyota 4-Runner was stopped behind the Jaguar.
Dann Lute, 53, was driving a Ford F-250 that hit the back of the 4-Runner. The 4-Runner rolled over and hit the rear of the Jaguar, which then hit the Silverado.
Early was driving the 4-Runner.
FHP believes alcohol was a factor and charges are pending.
For Breaking News on the go, download the Action News Mobile App | http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Victim-identified-in-fatal-JTB-crash/QPv5tsaYrkW4CgW9NkQiyQ.cspx | 195 |
Memphis, TN (Sports Network) - The No. 21 Memphis Tigers look to keep their streak against league rivals intact as they host the Houston Cougars at FedExForum for a Conference USA affair.
The Tigers' last loss to a league rival came on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 to Texas-El Paso. Memphis defeated seven C-USA opponents before heading to the Big Dance last season and have knocked off its first 11 league foes this season on its way to a 22-3 overall record. Josh Pastner's unit picked up its third straight win by a double-digit margin on Saturday as it downed Marshall, 71-59, at the Cam Henderson Center behind a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double by Adonis Thomas.
Houston continues its three-game road trip after suffering a 101-92 loss in triple overtime to Tulsa in the first chapter of the journey. The loss to the Golden Hurricane left the Cougars with a 15-9 overall record, including their 4-7 mark against league opponents. Coach James Dickey has used a three-headed attack consisting of Joseph Young (17.3 ppg), TaShawn Thomas (16.9 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg) and Danuel House (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) to produce the C-USA's top scoring offense at 77.9 ppg.
This will be the 39th meeting in history between these schools on the hardwood. Memphis owns a sizeable 26-12 all-time series edge after its 89-55 rout of the Cougars a season ago in the Lone Star State.
Thomas, a heralded sophomore forward, submitted his career night against the Thundering Herd as Memphis hit on 45.3 percent of its field goal tries, while limiting MU to 38.2 percent field goal efficiency. Joe Jackson, who paces the group with 13.8 points, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, chipped in 12 points against the Herd. Thomas and Geron Johnson add just over 11 ppg apiece for the Tigers, who also receive steady production from its next five players down the line. The very deep and athletic Tigers are outscoring their opposition by an average of 11.2 ppg this season and their only losses came to respectable programs in Virginia Commonwealth, Minnesota and Louisville.
Houston's Thomas also posted a double-double his last time out with 31 points and 15 rebounds. Young added 25 points and Jherrod Stiggers produced 15 points, but the reserves did not do enough damage as Tulsa held a 57-22 advantage in bench points. The high-scoring Cougars shot just 36.6 percent from the field and allowed the Golden Hurricane to knock down 45.5 percent of their field goal tries. Houston's lack of discipline on the defensive end turned out to be the difference, as it committed 36 fouls which sent Tulsa to the free-throw line for 50 unguarded attempts. | http://www.actionnewsjax.com/sports/cbaskm/Houston%20Cougars/story/Tigers-continue-run-through-C-USA-against-Cougars/Oaqx3FzE302mX9Ob5zph7Q.cspx | 615 |
How social media quickly moved to censor itself for John McCarthy's family
- From: The Advertiser
- September 11, 2012
THE power of social media was unleashed yesterday when Twitter users who prematurely speculated about the death of John McCarthy were brought into line by other users.
He was named by several prolific tweeters and some media outlets as the Power player who fell to his death, hours before the club had the chance to inform his close family and friends.
Social media users strongly rebuked others who revealed McCarthy's identity before Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas made the official announcement at 4.15pm.
Women's Olympic basketballer Elizabeth Cambage felt the wrath of some of her 40,000 followers after she posted a tribute to the Power player.
"RIP John McCarthy so tragic and heartbreaking," she tweeted yesterday.
Ten minutes later, after being told she was out of line for naming the former Collingwood player, an apologetic Cambage swiftly deleted her tweet.
"Had no idea family wasn't informed, so sorry, clearly being handled very badly, apologies again," she wrote.
Former Power player turned American footballer Scott Harding and Power premiership player Toby Thurstans were two others who named McCarthy as part of their tweets honouring the popular footballer.
In a demonstration of the twittersphere's capacity for self-regulation, the majority of those tweets were deleted by mid-afternoon and McCarthy's name was respectfully left out of further tributes by prominent users.
Actor and devoted Port Adelaide fan Hugh Sheridan was among those to offer his condolences via Twitter.
"My thoughts are with everyone at our club. A tragic loss and so untimely. I hope the other boys @PAFC can get through this ok, I'm so sorry," Sheridan tweeted.
Hollywood actress Teresa Palmer was another big name to offer her support to the Alberton-based football club.
"My thought are with the club. What a tragedy," Palmer wrote. | http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/how-social-media-quickly-moved-to-censor-itself-for-john-mccarthys-family/story-e6freco3-1226471388699 | 406 |
Kids 4-7x Mexico Home Mini Kit
Your kid will step onto the pitch with the look of an elite soccer player in the adidas Mexico Home Mini Kit. This kids' soccer kit features a CLIMACOOL® jersey to keep them dry and comfortable, as well as matching shorts and socks to complete the look.
- Ventilated CLIMACOOL® keeps you dry and comfortable
- Jersey: Crewneck ribbed collar; Mesh inserts for breathability; Contrast piping details
- Shorts: Elastic waist for best fit
- Socks: Ribbed cuffs for snug fit
- Mexican Football Federation badge on left chest and right leg
- 100% polyester interlock
A combination of performance fabrics, open mesh and ventilation channels keep cool air flowing in and heat and sweat flowing out. You stay dry, comfortable and performing at your peak in even the most heated competition. | http://www.adidas.com/us/product/kids-soccer-kids-4-7x-mexico-home-mini-kit/QZ921?cid=V12645&breadcrumb=u4Z1z12qoqZ1z13071Z1z139m2Z1z13wgrZ1z13y8w | 184 |
WHO: Albany Panthers (9-1) at Columbus Lions (5-5).
WHAT: Rubber match between Georgia rivals.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday.
RADIO: 97.3 FM.
ALBANY — With the regular season about to wind down, the Albany Panthers are just two playoff wins from capturing their second straight arena football championship.
Having already clinched the regular-season title and home-field advantage by virtue of their win last week against the Knoxville Nighthawks, the Panthers (9-1) are gearing up for the playoffs, which begin June 23, by announcing Tuesday that tickets for the postseason are now on sale.
Individual playoff tickets for the first-round home game — which will take place against an opponent that has yet to be determined because the final two weeks of the regular season must still shake out to settle seeding — are now available at the Civic Center box office or at ticketmaster.com for $10.
First up, however, is Saturday’s rubber match on the road against the only team to beat the Panthers all season: the hated Columbus Lions (5-5). After that, Albany will close out its regular season June 16 on the road against the Richmond Raiders.
PIFL: Punishment for brawl between Albany Panthers, Alabama Hammers handled internally
The expected fallout from an ugly brawl between the Albany Panthers and Alabama Hammers three weeks ago was apparently much to do about nothing.
Several days after the brawl that took place following the final whistle of the Panthers’ 59-40 win May 19, Jeff Gonos, compliance director for the Professional Indoor Football League, told The Herald that what happened was unacceptable and the league was looking into what penalties — such as fines or suspensions — would be handed out to members of both teams.
But with no decision being reached before the PIFL resumed games last weekend following a league-wide bye week over the Memorial Day holiday, the PIFL finally addressed the fracas in a one-sentence statement Monday.
“The post-game incident involving the Albany Panthers and Alabama Hammers has been handled internally and both teams have been reprimanded for their actions to ensure that these type of events do not occur in the PIFL,” the statement read.
When reached Tuesday, Panthers GM Will Carter said he had “no comment” on the league’s statement, but Carter did confirm that no Panthers players were suspended or fined by the franchise for their involvement. | http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2012/jun/06/panthers-playoff-tickets-sale-pfil-finally-release/?sports | 515 |
Spain's Dani Pedrosa surged past Jorge Lorenzo in the final turn at the Czech MotoGP on Sunday, winning a dramatic finish in Brno to narrow his compatriot's lead in the riders' championship.
Pedrosa, fresh off victory last weekend at Indianapolis, overtook Lorenzo midway through the race but needed to pass the championship leader at the end after losing his lead in the middle of the last lap.
The Honda rider finished in a time of 42:51.570, just 0.178 seconds ahead of Lorenzo on his Yamaha.
Britain's Cal Crutchlow finished third to claim his first podium spot of the season, easily ahead of Yamaha teammate Andrea Dovizioso of Italy in fourth place.
The Spanish rivals led the pack from the start of the race, and Pedrosa said he knew he still had enough to get past Lorenzo even after trailing before the final two turns.
"We were head to head into the (final) corner, but I was able to get my line and win this race," Pedrosa said.
"It was amazing, and I am just so happy to win the race."
Closing the gap
It was the third victory of the season for Pedrosa, who has never finished better than second overall since moving to MotoGP in 2006. He is now on 232 points, 13 points behind Lorenzo in the standings with six races remaining.
Honda rider Casey Stoner, the 2011 champion who was ruled out this weekend because he needs surgery on his damaged left ankle, is third overall and 59 points behind.
Lorenzo had started from pole after setting a lap record on the 5.4 km Brno track in qualifying on Saturday.
The 2010 champion and last year's runner-up controlled the first half of the race, which was run on a slightly wet track after heavy overnight rain. But Lorenzo took a wider line than he wanted to in the second-to-last turn.
"We were head to head into the (final) corner, but I was able to get my line and win this race"
"My line was so wide, so I released a little space for him to overtake me," he said.
"I wanted to pass him in the last corner, which was impossible. He was in a faster line."
Italy's Valentino Rossi, a nine-times world champion across the classes but enduring a second tough season for Ducati, had held the previous lap record in Brno.
He finished seventh on Sunday behind Honda riders Stefan Bradl of Germany and Alvaro Bautista of Spain.
Ducati rider Karel Abraham had his best result on his home track, finishing ninth. Lorenzo's teammate, the American Ben Spies, crashed out with 14 laps remaining, while Spain's Ivan Silva also failed to finish.
Ducati's Nicky Hayden missed Sunday's race after suffering a hand injury last weekend.
In the other classes on Sunday, Spain's Marc Marquez won Moto2 and Germany's Jonas Folger took first in Moto3. | http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/2012/08/2012826152514267349.html | 629 |
WR Riley Cooper (Scheduled to workout with Group 4 or 5 on Sunday, February 28)
Size and Statistics: 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. 81 catches, 1496 yards, 18 touchdowns in four seasons. 2009 Second Team AP All-American.
In 140 characters or less: Fast WR who needs to work on route running but can block like an offensive tackle.
Strengths: Too tall for DBs and can smash them at the line. Cooper is one of the fastest guys to play at Florida and has vastly improved as a receiver. The best blocker on the team not named Pouncey. A great athlete, he turned down the Texas Rangers to try to play in the NFL. Great hands, too.
Weaknesses: His senior season was the only one in which he was a featured player. Cooper's route running has gotten better, but he will round off a route to get to the spot quicker. He can also lose focus.
Character: A very hard worker, but a diva like all receivers. He has never been a problem at Florida. However, in his senior year of high school, he smashed a car window (with his bare hand) of a guy he was trying to fight.
Where will he go: Very late, like 4th or 5th round. Would be fun to see him in Minnesota. | http://www.alligatorarmy.com/2010/2/25/1326435/nfl-combine-preview-riley-cooper | 279 |
BLACKFOOT — The Blackfoot High School varsity basketball coach placed on leave last month was reinstated Monday. The coach was placed on leave in December pending a criminal investigation involving former student athletes.
According to a press release issued by the Blackfoot School District Monday, "the administrative leave from coaching duties of Blackfoot High School Boys’ Basketball Head Varsity Coach Jonathan Packer has been rescinded effective immediately." The action was taken following investigations by the district and the Bingham County Prosecutor's Office.
BLACKFOOT — The Sea Dog and his bride are back home from Mexico. Again. But this time they intend to stay.
Dwain and Pauline Sweet of Blackfoot have been spending part of each year in the tiny fishing village of Kino Bay, Mexico, since 1989.
Because of advancing age and the fact their children want them home, the Sweets sold their park model trailer and their boat and are determined to stay close to the hometown they have claimed since 1964.
“When we went down last year, we had an idea this was going to be our last trip,” Dwain said as he and Pauline sat in their dining room last week. | http://www.am-news.com/archive/article/2011/1/10 | 258 |
April Clinic Set for New Charlotte, NC Team
Click image for printable flyer
USA's Hofmann Named President
of World Amputee Soccer
The national delegates attending this year's Congress of Members in Kaliningrad, Russia, named new officers to lead the World Amputee Football Federation. The WAFF is the international governing body for amputee soccer.
The 30 member Federation elected the following officers in its bi-annual meeting held concurrent with the Sport's World Cup Tournament. Chosen to lead were: left to right, Mr. Gholamhossein Ghani - I.R. Iran, 1st Vice President; Mr. Rick Hofmann - USA, President of the WAFF; Mr. Masayuki Sugino - Japan, 2nd VP.
The newly elected officers will serve for a term of four years.
Regional Team Forms on Long Island
A new amputee soccer team is forming on Long Island, New York.
The new team is the result of an introductory clinic organized by Dr. Eric Lamberg, a professor in the Physical Therapy Department at Stony Brook University.
The event was sponsored by Coastal Sports in Hauppauge, Long Island, and area prosthetists.
The clinic was also supported by Stonybrook PT students and members of the NASL New York Cosmos professional soccer team.
New amputee players came to the clinic from throughout Long Island, Metro New York and Connecticut.
US National Team Head Coach Roy Howell and National Team members Keith Mann and Henry Sunday led the team through basic ball handling skills and a scrimmage.
Some of the attendees had played soccer before, some had not. But all were enthusiastic about the game.
Recent amputee Satish Rampersad said he'd never heard of amputee soccer before but was ready to start training to become part of a competitive team.
Long Islander Todd Leighley was also ready to play. "It's great for an amputee to have a sport that will let you work up a sweat."
Two Cosmos players, Dane Murphy and Hunter Freeman, took to the pitch - on forearm crutches - to get a feel, and a respect for the way we play the game.
"It's hard," Murphy said. 'The amp soccer players make it look easy, but it's much harder than it looks. I'm going to be sore all over."
For more information on joining, supporting or sponsoring the new team contact Eric Lamberg at (631) 444 - 3058, or Contact Us
US / World Headlines
Chicago - The Board of Directors of the US Soccer Federation has unanimously approved the American Amputee Soccer Association as a provisional member.
Provisional Membership to
American Amputee Soccer
The next step, as detailed in the USSF's notification letter, is that our application and the Board's approval, will be submitted to the full National Council of US Soccer next June. Full membership is conferred by the National Council by majority vote.
The US Soccer Federation is the ruling body for the sport of soccer in the United States. | http://www.ampsoccer.org/ | 640 |
Carmelo Looks Like a Scoring Champ
The stars on hand were Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. OK, it must be said Iverson, a Memphis guard who sat out Sunday's game due to injury and was visiting his old Denver teammate, has four titles to none for Anthony.
But just wait. Anthony might be this season's scoring king.
True, the Nuggets forward has played just three games. But the race isn't close. He's averaging 37.7 points to 31.3 for runner-up Kobe Bryant of the Lakers.
"I'm just playing,'' Anthony said of the chances of joining 1982-83 titlist Alex English as a Denver player to have won a scoring crown. "At the end of the year, we'll see what happens. It's just November. It's early. This is the way I look at it. If I do what I've got to do and if my team wins, then all of them accolades will come.''
If Anthony can combine scoring and winning, a bigger accolade could come his way than the scoring crowd. That would be the MVP.
Anthony, though, is thinking about a piece of hardware even more important than that one. It's called the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
"I told you all before training camp started that I felt better than I ever felt coming into the season, coming into the training camp,'' Anthony said after scoring 42 points as the Nuggets beat the Iverson-less Grizzlies 133-123 to raise their record to 3-0. "My stamina feels great. I just feel good all around. My confidence is up. I've got one thing ahead of me, which is that gold ball.''
Denver fans need no reminding that, since entering the NBA in 1976, the Nuggets haven't even played in the NBA Finals. But they came close last season, falling in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals to the eventual champion Lakers.
That loss has stuck with Anthony. He worked out for nearly half the offseason in Los Angeles, and it sure didn't hamper his motivation hearing everybody talk about the Lakers' fourth title of the decade.
Anthony started the season with games of 30 points against Utah and 41 against Portland before Sunday's effort. With the first two being on national television, that got plenty of MVP talk started.
"In a word, wow,'' Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said Monday about Anthony's start, which earned him NBA honors for Western Conference Player of the Week.
With Anthony surging and the Nuggets out of the gates quickly, there's no hurry for any moves to be made. Warkentien told FanHouse it's "highly unlikely'' Denver will use its $7.4 million trade exception that expires Tuesday.
The Nuggets, though, have two other significant trade exceptions on the books. They have a $3.2 million one for the Chucky Atkins trade that expires Jan. 7, 2010 and a $3.7 million one for the Steven Hunter deal that is good until Aug. 7, 2010.
The way Anthony is playing, the Nuggets are doing just fine.
"Melo's awareness to how he's being covered is the best it's ever been,'' said Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team begins a six-game East Coast trip Tuesday at Indiana. "It's his ability to move around and be placed in different positions and his effective efficiency. His efficiency is pretty incredible right now. From post ups to jump shots to penetrations, good passing decisions. We need him. We have a little of bit of a hole with J.R. (Smith) not playing.''
Smith has four games left on a seven-game suspension by the NBA for pleading guilty to reckless driving in connection with a 2007 accident that killed a passenger in his car. With Smith having averaged 15.2 points last season, it's almost as if Anthony has picked up the addition load all by himself.
Anthony averaged 22.8 points last season. So he's had a 14.9 increase so far.
While Anthony obviously isn't going to put up 35-plus points for the season, don't be surprised if his average ends up somewhere around the 28.9 he had in 2006-07, which left him second in the NBA behind Bryant's 31.6. One reason is Anthony also figures to pick up some of the offensive slack lost when free agent Linas Kleiza bolted to Greece along with his 9.9 scoring average.
Another reason is Anthony has become close to unstoppable on offense. Having dropped from 240 to 228 pounds and his body fat going from 8.6 to 7 percent, he's in the best shape of his career.
"When push comes to shove, we've just got to give him the ball and get out of the way,'' Nuggets guard Anthony Carter said about Anthony, who is shooting 53.6 percent and Sunday became the first Denver player to score 40 points in consecutive games since Michael Adams in January 1991.
That especially was the case against the Trail Blazers. Anthony scored 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Nuggets overcame a seven-point deficit to claim their biggest win so far.
"This can be a special season,'' Anthony said.
It certainly has been a special start for Anthony.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at [email protected] and can be found on Twitter @christomasson. | http://www.aolnews.com/2009/11/02/carmelo-looks-like-a-scoring-champ-early/ | 1,111 |
One of the shots that found its way past Rinne turned out to be one of the craziest goals of the playoffs.
With the game tied, 1-1, after Duncan Keith and Shea Weber exchanged goals, Patrick Kane was credited with his fourth of the series when a Brent Seabrook shot from the neutral zone deflected off his skate, finding its way into the back of the net after Rinne had wandered out of his crease.
Rinne was simply going to play a puck that he had to assume was nothing more than an innocent dump-in off the boards; and that's exactly what it would have been had it not deflected off of Kane's foot. And in a game that was decided by one goal before an empty-netter in the closing seconds, it turned out to be the difference. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and John Madden also tallied goals in the win, while Jason Arnott and Dan Hamhuis provided the rest of the offense for Nashville.
Of course, it wasn't all bad luck for Nashville. Its power play was MIA for the duration of the series, capping off a dismal showing with a 1-for-5 effort on Monday, including three consecutive scoreless attempts in the three period when the Predators still trailed by just a single goal. For the series, Nashville scored on just one of its 27 attempts.
The Predators, meanwhile, have yet to find a way to escape the first round of the playoffs. This year's elimination marks the fifth time that they've gone out in the opening round in five attempts, with each series being decided in six games or less. | http://www.aolnews.com/2010/04/27/video-bad-bounce-bad-power-play-help-send-predators-packing/ | 334 |
Cesc Fabregas dedicated his second goal against Everton to Daniel Jarque, the Espanyol captain who died recently of a heart attack, aged 26.
After scoring the goal in the 70th minute, the 22-year-old ran over to the Arsenal bench where he held aloft a shirt with 'Jarque' and the number 21, which he wore for the past five seasons.
Like Fabregas, Jarque was born in Barcelona and the pair played together in the same Spain Under-21s side. The 26-year-old died suddenly of a heart attack during Espanyol's pre-season tour of Italy earlier this month.
To watch the Arsenal captain's emotional celebration, click on the black box.Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 17 Aug 2009 | http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/fabregas-dedicates-goal-to-daniel-jarque | 190 |
More than 32,000 youth athletes play on the fields, rinks and courts of the Hillsborough County (Fla.) Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. That is a lot of young lives that are influenced by the coaches and parents that volunteer in these local youth sports programs.|
Program organizers point to one key tactic the department employs to ensure accountability among the more than 72 youth sports organizations that use its facilities each year: education.
In order for youth sports organizations to hold practices and games on county property, their volunteers must be trained. “All volunteers that interact with children in any capacity must receive the mandatory coach training,” says Aileen Henderson, youth sports coordinator for Hillsborough County.
Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department’s Youth Athletics is one of five youth sports programs to be named a 2012 Excellence in Youth Sports Award winner. Developed by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Athletic Business magazine, the award recognizes programs that are doing superior jobs of conducting diverse activities with a focus on providing safe and positive experiences for all participants, including children, parents and coaches.
In conjunction with NAYS programming and the University of South Florida’s SMART Institute, Hillsborough County trains approximately 5,500 volunteers and parents each year in their roles and responsibilities in coaching.
One of two approved coach education programs is offered by the National Youth Sports Coaches Association. Over the past year, almost 2,000 coaches from youth sports organizations that use county facilities have been trained through NYSCA, which provides coaches a thorough education on topics such as the psychology of coaching youth sports, communication, child abuse, injury prevention, nutrition and hydration. Coaches also sign the NYSCA Coaches’ Code of Ethics, pledging to demonstrate sportsmanship and fair play, provide safe playing situations and use appropriate coaching techniques. “All our youth sports organizations have bylaws requiring higher standards of expectations for all the volunteers,” says Henderson. “Each league individually promotes positive coaching techniques.”
Additionally, Hillsborough County offers an in-house coach education program that focuses on positive coaching and sportsmanship, as well as awareness topics like bullying, abuse and sports-related injuries, such as concussions. Hillsborough County has worked with Dr. Barbara Morris, director of USF’s SMART Institute, to develop concussion education as part of its education requirements following the adoption of Florida’s youth athlete concussion bill, which went into effect in July 2012. Says Henderson, “Dr. Morris brings a level of professionalism and information we needed to provide that next level of service and education to those that attend our classes.”
In the near future, Hillsborough County plans to revise its current park license agreements that allow youth sports organizations to use its facilities, as well as develop a standard operating procedure manual to accompany the agreement. After these documents are approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the City of Tampa is expected to follow suit, leading to a consistent standard for youth sports organizations in both municipalities, Henderson says.
Story written by Linda Alberts, public relations coordinator for the National Alliance for Youth Sports.
The five winners of the 2012 Excellence in Youth Sports Awards, sponsored by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Athletic Business magazine, are being announced in this space over the next five days. The awards will be presented to program administrators at the Athletic Business Conference & Expo in New Orleans on Friday, Nov. 30. | http://www.athleticbusiness.com/editors/blog/default.aspx?id=1021&t=2012-Excellence-In-Youth-Sports-Award-Wi | 709 |
Kasey Kahne grabs first NASCAR Sprint Cup win of 2013
Kasey Kahne in Bristol's Victory Lane. (ASP, Inc.)
After leading the most laps last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway only to run second to Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne felt he had something to prove on Sunday. And with Bristol Motor Speedway being the next stop on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule, all the better, as Kahne had yet to win on the tough half-mile racetrack in East Tennessee.
And prove it he did. Kahne got the jump on Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin during the final restart of the Food City 500 and cruised, leading the final 40 laps to notch his first Cup victory on Bristol’s high banks.
“This is a big race (win) for me,” Kahne said. “I just feel like when you’re racing in the Sprint Cup Series, Bristol’s one of those tracks that as a driver you really feel like you need to win at, you want to win at. There's so many things that are thrown at you when you come to this place.
“We've been trying (to win at Bristol for) a long time. So to pull it off, I felt like it was a big accomplishment for our guys and myself. Just feel really good about it.”
Kahne, who led 109 laps, dueled with Hamlin at the front of the field throughout the afternoon. Keselowski joined the fray with less than 100 laps remaining and the trio swapped the point until Jimmie Johnson blew a tire to bring out the caution with 46 laps to go.
The nine cars at the front of the pack — led by Keselowski and Kahne — elected not to pit. When the green flag waved, Keselowski was bumped from behind by Hamlin, causing his No. 2 Ford to bobble. That momentary loss of traction was all Kahne’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevy needed.
Kahne held off the aggressive trio of Kyle Busch, Keselowski and Clint Bowyer for five laps, then pulled away to a 1.7-second victory. Busch, Keselowski, Kurt Busch and Bowyer rounded out the top 5.
“I just know my rear tires were off the ground before I got to the restart zone,” Keselowski said of the deciding restart. “Eventually I got hit so hard it pushed my foot in the gas pedal. That was the deal. Never had another chance.”
The win was Kahne’s first of 2013 after stumbling out of the gate to 36th- and 19th-place finishes. Keselowski’s third-place run was his fourth top 5 in four races this year. He leads in the point standings by nine over Dale Earnhardt Jr., who logged a sixth at Bristol.
As is typical in Bristol’s tight confines, it was a physical 500-mile affair. The race was slowed 10 times for cautions. The most notable came on lap 391, when Jeff Gordon blew a right front tire while leading. He collected second-place Kenseth in the process, ending each driver’s day.
Post-race fireworks erupted when Joey Logano had to be restrained from Hamlin’s parked No. 11 Toyota. Logano had been spun by his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate while the former ran second on lap 349.
“That’s a freaking genius behind the wheel of the 11 car — probably the worst teammate I ever had, so I learned that now,” Logano said. “He decided to run into the back of me … I have a scorecard and I’m not putting up with that. What goes around comes around.”
“He said he was comin’ for me,” Hamlin stated, when asked what Logano said upon confronting him. “I usually don’t see him (on the track), so it’s usually not a factor.
“It’s Bristol racing and everyone is fighting for the top. He knew he had to get to the top (groove) as soon as he could, but I was up there. I did mean to (hit him), but I didn’t mean to wreck him. That was a mistake.”
Logano wasn’t buying it.
“Oh, OK, sure,” Logano said. “If he didn’t mean to wreck me he would have said he was sorry, but he didn’t say that. It’s just frustrating.”
The two drivers engaged in a war of words on Twitter following the Daytona 500, when Hamlin tweeted to Logano's Penske Racing teammate, Keselowski, that he was “sorry I couldn’t get close to you (to draft) cuz your genius teammate was too busy messing up the inside lane 1 move at a time.”
The events at Bristol spilled over to the popular social media site once again.
Logano started the string of tweets, saying about their confrontation: “Hey @dennyhamlin great job of protecting that genius brain of yours by keeping your helmet on.”
“Why’s that … what would you do?” replied Hamlin.
“Show you some love and appreciation.”
“Last time I checked he had my cell and direct message button to choose from if he’s got a problem,” Hamlin concluded. “Otherwise, hush little child.”
Kasey Kahne in Victory Lane in New Hampshire. (ASP, Inc.)
NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship wild card hunt took a definitive turn at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team dominated the LENOX Industrial Tools 301, leading 150 laps. However, miscommunication during the final round of pit stops on lap 235 of 301 between Kahne and crew chief Darian Grubb dropped their Toyota from first to 14th.
At issue was their decision to take two tires or four under caution. Hamlin’s team put four tires on, while the majority of the leaders only took two. The time lost in the pits handed the lead to Kasey Kahne, who led the final 66 laps — the only laps he led all day — en route to his second win of the season.
Hamlin staged an epic run through the field in the closing laps, but came up shy, finishing second.
“If he (Hamlin) was to keep the track position, I never would have passed him,” Kahne said. “For him to be on four tires and us on two, he was catching us pretty fast. (It’s) just what they chose to do. Somebody said they said something about tires — they took four, he meant two — I don’t know how it happened.
“We had great luck today. For those guys to miscommunicate, that helped us a ton. I’ll take ’em any way we can.”
Denny Hamlin (ASP, Inc.)
Hamlin later explained the crux of the problem.
“When the caution flies, when pit road opens, that time is so small, your time to communicate, figure out what you're going to do, you really have about 45 seconds to get it.
“What happened was Darian asked me, he said how much of the tires he felt like I used up. I said I felt like I used them up a substantial amount. So my information to him was, ‘Yeah, I’ve used up the tires.’ He said, ‘I think two is the call.’ I said, ‘OK, just give me tires and no adjustments.’
“He took that as I meant four tires. So it’s just that small miscommunication just messed us up a little bit.”
The miscue may have very little influence on Hamlin’s playoff positioning with seven races left in the Cup Series’ regular season. He sits fifth in the standings, with a 61-point cushion over 11th place. His two wins also provide a nice insurance policy, as the final two spots in the Chase are awarded to drivers with the most wins not already qualified.
Meanwhile, Kahne’s victory may be the turning point in his quest for a Chase appearance. Ranked 16th with a single win entering the New Hampshire race, Kahne vaulted up the standings to 12th by day’s end. Further, his two victories currently find him with the No. 1 wild card slot.
Kyle Busch (13th in the standings), Ryan Newman (14th) and Joey Logano (16th) all have a single win, as well.
“I think three (wins) would put you in a real good spot,” Kahne said of making the Chase. “Two helps, but three would put you in a real good spot. We’re going to stay after it. We have some really good tracks coming up. I like my car a lot, so I think we’ll be in good shape.”
Carl Edwards sits 11th in the point standings but has yet to win this season. At 46 points behind 10th-place Brad Keselowski, it would seem at least one victory is needed for last season’s championship runner-up to transfer into the playoffs. He finished 18th in Loudon.
“I think this will be good for us,” Edwards said of the upcoming off-weekend. “We’ll go back to the shop and get a real war plan. I say war plan because I think it’s going to be tough, but we’ve got to plan for the next seven races. We can do it, though, and now we’ve just got to get it done.”
Biffle finds Victory Lane in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway
Photo by ASP, Inc.
by Matt Taliaferro
The NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings have always been more consistency-based than win-centric. This season alone, two-time race winner Tony Stewart found himself third in the standings behind winless drivers Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Biffle and Earnhardt — both saddled with winless skids of 49 or more races — had employed the tried and true “top-10 ’em to death” method in 2012, each with four in six races.
However, Biffle separated himself at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday evening, scoring his first Cup Series victory since October 2010 in the Samsung Mobile 500.
“It certainly doesn’t hurt,” Biffle said of whether a win validated his position atop the point standings. “To win like this and put a bunch of ground on the guys — all the cars behind us — that certainly makes a statement, I think, for all the people that were wondering if this was kind of a fluke that we were still leading the points this far in.”
Biffle assumed the points lead following the third race of the season, which marked his third consecutive third-place finish.
On Saturday, Biffle had to hold off a determined Jimmie Johnson, who now has only two wins in the last 50 races — a relative stat, yet one that opens eyes when it’s the five-time champion. Johnson led a race-high 156 laps, but was beat by Biffle’s slide job exiting Turn 4 with 31 laps to go. Johnson eventually skated up and into the wall while trying to catch Biffle’s No. 16 Ford, and limped to a second-place finish, 3.25-seconds behind the race winner.
“The last two or three runs the 16 and I were pretty equal, run(ning) pretty similar lap times,” Johnson said. “I just got tangled up in some lapped traffic and (Biffle) made a great move and got by me. And then I was pacing him from there and didn’t have anything left to go get him. I tried and ran out of grip going into Turn 3 and drilled the fence.”
Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 5.
The strong early-season performance of Michael Waltrip Racing’s three cars continued. Martin, who is splitting driving duties in the No. 55 Toyota with Brian Vickers, notched the team’s second top 5 and fourth top 10 this year. Martin Truex Jr. turned heads once again with a sixth-place showing, his fifth top 10 in the No. 56 NAPA machine. Truex sits fourth in the point standings.
“The teamwork I’m feeling right now at MWR is second to none I’ve ever been at,” Martin said. “Martin Truex Jr., is really, really engaged, and he’s working hard to help the whole program.
“We’re racing three cars to put two in the Chase for sure and win races and try to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Hendrick and Roush and those guys. That’s a tall order for right now. I’m very proud of the results we’re getting. It’s coming from a lot of good attitudes and hard-working people.”
The other storylines of the evening were a lack of cautions throughout the 500-mile race. Only two yellow flags — both for debris on the track — marred an otherwise spotless event that lasted just over three hours. The strength of the Texas wind also grabbed drivers’ attentions.
“The wind was a huge factor,” Biffle said. “The wind was blowing you all over the place. I was swatting flies all night long. The wind was blowing the car back and forth and over ... that could be a factor in why there was no accidents. You would think that would cause one. Well, it made it so you couldn’t really race side by side with a guy.
“I wouldn’t run up on a guy coming off the corner like I normally would. I’d leave more room because I wasn’t sure when the wind was going to blow my car one way or another. I was cautious when I was around (other) cars, and I think probably everybody else was tonight.” | http://www.athlonsports.com/category/miscellaneous/recap | 3,122 |
This morning on NBC’s TODAY show, Jeff Gordon unveiled Team DuPont’s 2009 “FireStorm” paint scheme which will debut on the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 car during Speedweeks leading up to the Daytona 500 in February. Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports and DuPont are the longest currently running driver/owner/sponsor partnership in NASCAR and after 16 years, the new design marks the third primary paint scheme for the No. 24 team designed by renowned motorsports artist Sam Bass.
“I have been most fortunate to have had the opportunity to design the graphics for the DuPont/Hendrick Motorsports/Jeff Gordon race cars since they entered the NASCAR Cup Series in 1992,” said Bass.
“Beginning with the revolutionary 'Rainbow Warrior' paint scheme and transitioning into the now iconic 'Fire and Flames' scheme, I knew the 2009 ‘FireStorm’ paint scheme needed to be special. Utilizing DuPont’s state-of-the-art paint mixtures developed specifically for this project, the idea was to present a classic, yet contemporary look to the car. “The blend of yellow to red flames from the front of the car back into the black makes the car appear to be a flaming thunderball rolling out of the dark clouds. It will be incredibly exciting to see this car on the race track.”
In addition to the new paint scheme on the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Impala, Gordon’s fire suit, pit crew uniforms and equipment will reflect the new identity starting in 2009, and Bass has created a new “DuPont Motorsports” logo. “I’m fired up about our new paint scheme,” said Gordon. “I’ve always loved cars with flames and the current ‘Fire and Flames’ paint scheme has been one of my favorites. But now I think we’ve improved upon that with the ‘FireStorm’ design and hopefully we’ll be as fast on the track as the paint scheme makes us look.”
Copyright 1999-2013 | AutoRacing1 is an
independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by IndyCar, NASCAR, FIA, Sprint, or any other series sponsor.
This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without | http://www.autoracing1.com/hotnews.asp?tid=35674 | 493 |
Brabham Dominates Round 2 as Ferreira Retains Points Lead with Second
Matthew Brabham was disappointed to finish third in yesterday’s opening round of the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires at the Circuit of The Americas, especially after setting the pace consistently during pre-season testing. Last year’s winner of the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda more than made amends in this afternoon’s Round 2, run over 12 laps on the 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course, sweeping from third to first at the drop of the green flag and never being seriously challenged.
Brabham, from Manalapan, Fla., found the perfect way to celebrate his 19th birthday earlier in the week by stretching out a huge lead once the race was finally underway after a melee at the exit of Turn One caused the first couple of laps to be run behind the Pace Car. The #83 Team Andretti Autosport driver stretched out an advantage of almost eight seconds by Lap 7, and even though that was negated by another full-course caution after Colombian Juan Piedrahita had an incident at Turn 15 in the #9 Petrosur/Sisolec/GFK Motors/Red Line Oil entry run by JDC MotorSports, Brabham kept his wits about him and eased clear again over the final three laps to take the checkered flag 4.771 seconds clear of his nearest challenger.
An unfortunate incident at the first corner on the opening lap accounted for yesterday’s second-place finisher Spencer Pigot, retiring on the spot with extensive damage to his #81 Doug Mockett & Company/Gap Guard/Parathyroid.com/California Scents/OMP-Team Pelfrey car. His teammate Petri Suvanto (#82 GapGuard.com) also was involved in the incident, but was able to continue at the back of the pack. More on him shortly.
Brabham’s teammate, Shelby Blackstock (#28 Starstruck) was in second place after the melee had been cleared up, despite having started in eighth, and the Nashville, Tenn., native maintained that place until soon after the final restart, when yesterday’s winner, Diego Ferreira, found a way past and was able to secure his runner-up placing – and the championship lead – in the closing stages.
Blackstock, whose mother, country singing star Reba McIntyre, was in attendance – having watched Shelby also run among the top five in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race earlier in the day – held on for a fine third, just ahead of Scott Anderson (#44 Neuropathy Testing Center/Laser Nail Centers/OtterCares/Sparco/Bell-Juncos Racing), from Fort Collins, Colo., and, incredibly, Suvanto, who restarted last and drove a magnificent race through the pack to displace Kyle Kaiser (#18 InterVision/NetApp/Juniper Networks/Riverbed-World Speed Motorsports) from fifth place on Lap 11.
Jeff Garibotti, from Chicago, Ill., once again claimed Expert Class honors (for drivers over 30 years of age), finishing 12th in his Garibotti Racing entry.
Ferreira leads Brabham by 58 points to 54 after two rounds in the 16-race season, while Blackstock, Anderson and Suvanto are all tied on 34 points as the series heads to Florida, for Rounds 3 and 4, held in support of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 23/24.
Contingency awards included the Staubli and PFC awards issued to the winner and winning team, and the Quartermaster Hard Charger Award for most positions gained which went to Suvanto, who advanced nine places.
Matthew Brabham, #83 Team Andretti Autosport (Andretti Autosport) – First: “It feels awesome to get the win. I can’t describe the feeling. Finishing third yesterday just made me a little bit more hungry for today. We managed to get the speed that we had all through testing back in this race and it definitely helped. The car was really, really good. I knew straight away, and that gave me a lot more confidence to get everything right. I was lucky in the first corner that all was well. I don’t know what happened on the outside, but we managed to slip through and get out in front.”
Diego Ferreira, #57 Team Vi5o Venezuela/Mindeporte (Juncos Racing) – Second: “It was a pretty difficult race. I made a mistake at the start and Matthew [Brabham] made a move and passed me. I fell back to fourth. I was fighting with the car a bit because yesterday we had new tires and today we had used tires, but it was okay. I managed to get up into second and I am happy. [On leading the points] For sure this is the plan for the whole year and I will work hard to stay there.”
Shelby Blackstock, #28 Team Starstruck (Andretti Autosport) - Third: “I had a really good start and the race was going well. Unfortunately, I made a mistake towards the end of the race and Diego [Ferreira] was able to get by. That happens in racing but I definitely learned a lot. I want to thank Mazda, Cooper Tires, the Circuit of The Americas and everyone else involved.”
Jeff Garibotti (Garibotti Racing) – First (Expert Class): “I definitely drove more aggressively today and the car was fantastic; no complaints at all. This experience has been just incredible – the facility, the people, everything. It couldn’t be more perfect. I belong to Autobahn Country Club and I used to race in the Spec Miata series there. I can’t wait to go back to that track and put some of these new skills to work and see what kind of lap times I can do” | http://www.autoracing1.com/hotnews.asp?tid=63790 | 1,273 |
Generally speaking, the firing of a pro level coach or manager in any of the major sports is a big deal. Why was he fired? Who is the replacement? Who pulled the trigger? How are the players reacting? Generally stuff that sports fans want to be clued in on.
But if you're the NHL and it's a fall Sunday, which we've talked about is jam packed with content, this is the type of coverage you may receive in regards to an early season coaching change.
Note: The volume is low on this video so adjust accordingly.
There is something that I can't put my finger on about this video that I love. Maybe it's that Levy and Cohn are both big hockey fans and have to close out the show by sneaking this tidbit in there. Cohn's playful "Bye!" doubles as a message to Payne and to viewers. It's almost as if she feels a bit guilty closing out the show on that note.
I am sure hockey fans are a bit underwhelmed by the lack of coverage. Truth be told, it's not something that really irks me at all, I just love the brevity and casualness of it. It's almost like in high school on your way out the door going to a party, trying to mention you flunked a trigonometry midterm.
In case you'd like to know more about the move, head on over to Puck Daddy who will take care of you. Bye! | http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2011-articles/november/davis-payne-gets-a-very-unceremonious-sendoff-from-sportscenter.html?_escaped_fragment_=/andrewbucholtz | 301 |
Back in September, when the Cardinals were winning games and talk of a coaching change would have been folly, the offense was doing enough.
The unit wasn’t scoring like some of the top offenses in the league, sure, but no one could say they couldn’t have given Tom Brady a run for his money because indeed, the Cards and
The way the defense played, 20 points was a magic number in 2012. If the Cardinals scored at least 20 points, the defense found a way to make it stand up. If the Cards scored less than 20, they lost.
“It’s never going to be good enough but I think we showed (offensively) we are capable with competing with the top teams in the league,” wide receiver
“At the same time, it’s a long season, you have injuries, things don’t go the way you want at times. But we can’t allow that to happen.”
“That” was an offensive meltdown, enough so that it swept half the coaching staff out of the building. The statistics were hard to digest. The Cardinals finished in the bottom of the NFL in rushing yards (75.3 a game), passing rating (63.1) and yards per game (263.1). They were 31st in points scored and offensive touchdowns (21).
Aside from the rotating quarterbacks, the face of the struggles was Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald having a not-Pro Bowl season. With just 71 catches for 798 yards and four touchdowns, it was his worst statistical season since his twisted-ankle-troubled rookie campaign and the fewest scores he had ever had.
“We have a core group of players I feel good about on offense,” team president Michael Bidwill said. “It’s not a team without talent. We just need to get some leadership on offense, accountability and performance.”
New general manager Steve Keim acknowledged the quarterback was “the million-dollar question.” Consistency there is crucial. When Kolb played, it wasn’t as if he dominated but he did connect for eight touchdown passes and only three interceptions. After he went down in the sixth game of the season, Cardinals quarterbacks combined for just three TD passes and 18 interceptions.
On the offensive line, Keim called the problems running the ball “a huge issue and that needs to be fixed.”
“I think we have some of the perimeter weapons with
Other than in-house candidate Ray Horton, the head coaching interviews have all been those with an offensive mind – Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden (and maybe, according to Steelers president Art Rooney, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley.) That wasn’t unexpected after the issues of the season, and as Gruden noted Thursday, “when you’re looking for a new head coach, there are problems, and a few. It’s not like it is one problem.”
If the Cardinals can continue to trend up on defense, however, repairing the offense at least enough to give the Cards a chance to win could be within some tweaks rather than a major overhaul – assuming they can find someone to give them the quarterback play necessary.
“As an offense,” Doucet said, “we have to find a way to get better.” | http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and-events/article-2/Planning-To-Fix-The-Offense/461b1c87-8400-49d8-b0fe-8f4155a3a5e1 | 711 |
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