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NFL coach rankings NBA FINALS

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Belichick leads our list of the
league’s 32 head men L.A. Lakers 101,
Page 26 Orlando 96, OT

MONDAY SEE A DIFFERENT GAME

JUNE 8, 2009 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 321
BOB LEVERONE / SN

One-on-one with CHRIS CARLSON / AP

BASEBALL: THE WEEK AHEAD Lakers F Pau Gasol took control in

the ol’ ball coach
Steve Spurrier talks about
South Carolina’s QB
situation and his future in
Columbia, Page 14.
Scoreboard
NBA
NBA Finals
L.A. Lakers 101, Orlando 96, OT
(Lakers lead series 2-0)
Baseball
American League
Detroit 9, L.A. Angels 6
N.Y. Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 3
Toronto 4, Kansas CIty 0
Texas 6, Boston 3
Cleveland 8, Chicago White Sox 4
Oakland 3, Baltimore 0
Seattle 4, Minnesota 2
National League
Chicago Cubs 6, Cincinnati 3, 14 innings
Atlanta 8, Milwaukee 7
N.Y. Mets 7, Washington 0
Houston 6, Pittsburgh 4
Colorado 7, St. Louis 2
Arizona 9, San Diego 6, 18 innings
Florida 3, San Diego 2
Philadelphia 7, L.A. Dodgers 2
The A-Rod effect
Alex Rodriguez wants to make
headlines for what happens on the
field, not in the nightclubs. So far,
pretty good.
Since A-Rod’s return from hip
surgery, the
Yankees are a
big-league best
20-8 and have
moved from fourth
to first in the A.L.
East. While
A-Rod’s batting
Stan McNeal average is a
BASEBALL
lukewarm.255, he
has supplied eight
homers, 23 RBIs and posted a .407
OBP. Beyond the numbers, his
presence in the lineup has lifted the
entire club.
“We’re very pleased with how we
are playing,” G.M. Brian Cashman
said. “The pitchers are going deep
(into games), we’re playing good
defense, getting offensive contribu-
tions from a lot of guys.”
“Now that we’ve got most of our
guys back (from injuries), that
Yankees’ recent surge headlines
big week of baseball in Big Apple
JEFF ZELEVANSKY / AP
Though his average isn’t outstanding, the Yankees are 20-8 with Alex Rodriguez in the lineup.
camaraderie we talked about all spring today, the Yankees travel to Boston
is back as well,’’ Nick Swisher added. looking to end an 0-5 skid against
The Yankees are reason Nos. 1 and the Red Sox. Tuesday’s opener
2 that baseball’s spotlight will focus matches former Marlins mates A.J.
on New Yorkers this week. Burnett and Josh Beckett. In their
first such encounter, both were
1. Seeking revenge at Fenway dreadful. Each allowed eight runs in
After finishing with the Rays five innings in Boston’s 16-11 victory.
Key for the Yankees: Slowing
Jason Bay. He’s hitting .556 with
three homers and 10 RBIs in the five
meetings.
2. Resumption of interleague
Two reasons the Mets will be
disadvantaged when they visit new
Yankee Stadium as interleague play
begins its 17-day run on Friday:
They don’t hit homers (their total
of 34 ranks 28th), which could be a
problem when playing in the majors’
No. 1 homer haven (100 in 28 games).
They are banged up. The Mets are
without Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado
and J.J. Putz, and will be for weeks
to come.
3. World Series champs visit N.Y.
Despite all the injuries, the Mets are
in position to catch first-place Phila-
delphia at Citi Field this week. The
Phillies have their own problems,
beginning with closer Brad Lidge. He
already has six blown saves, which is
six more than all of last year.
smcneal@sportingnews.com
overtime, scoring 7 of his 24 points.
Lakers in control,
but it’s not over yet
LOS ANGELES—The Lakers took
control of the NBA Finals in Game 2,
with a 101-96 overtime win Sunday.
But they did not control this game
like Game 1—in fact, a missed
layup by Orlando’s Courtney Lee at
the end of regulation could have
tied the series.
“We did some things better
tonight,” said point guard Jameer
Nelson.
“And we’ll be better at home.”
Three numbers stand out that
give the Magic hope of getting
back into the series:
28. The Lakers’ points in the
paint, down from 56 in Game 1. The
Magic’s interior defense was much
better in Game 2.
2. The Magic’s fast-break
points, and Orlando can’t win that
way. In front of their fans, they
should have a better opportunity
to speed the tempo.
7. The number of turnovers
the team forced Kobe Bryant into
making—the defense on Bryant
was very solid for the Magic, who
gave up 40 points to Bryant in the
opener.
— Sean Deveney
Lakers impose their will, Page 8
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com See a Different Game MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 2
Are you a fan with
Tune In Today Titans coach almost becomes fish food
Titans coach Jeff Fisher had a something
to say?
A quick look at the best sports on TV close scare last week while fish-
— all times Eastern
ing with sons Brandon and Trent
about 50 miles off the shore of
Guatemala.
BASEBALL Brandon, a senior line-
backer at Montana, hooked a
Tigers at White Sox marlin and wrestled it for
2 p.m., WGN about a half hour. The fish,
Detroit hits the South Side for five games in four days against estimated at about 650
the White Sox, and in Game 1 of today’s doubleheader, they start pounds, then emerged at the
Armando Galarraga (3-6, 5.31 ERA), who has shown signs of life after a
putrid stretch in May—he’s given up three runs in six innings in each of surface and started lunging
his past two starts. That might not sound like much, but we’re talking at the boat.
about a guy who watched his ERA balloon from 1.85 to 5.74 in less than “I was videotaping the whole
a month. Clayton Richard (2-1, 3.97 ERA) starts for the White Sox. thing,” Fisher told Yahoo!
Sports, “and all of a sudden this
sucker is up out of the water, JOIN THE SPORTING NEWS
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at us. It jumped and hit the side Team up with the Sporting News Fan Network and have your
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Andy Pettite is one of who-knows-how-many pitchers affected by the of the boat, and then it made voice heard! You’ll have the opportunity to interact with other
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2.59 ERA on the road, but that figure jumps 3 ½ runs when he returns before diving straight down. from current sports subjects for publication in Sporting News Magazine
to the Bronx. That said, the Yankees are coming off a dramatic win over Two more feet, and that thing
MARK HUMPHREY / AP
to valuable feedback on marketing strategies of our partners,
Tampa Bay on Sunday, and the Rays are trotting out Andy Sonnanstine would’ve jumped into the boat
(4-5 7.07 ERA), whose accidental appearance as a DH has been the high- and win special prizes.
and killed everybody. We all Jeff Fisher and his sons nearly paid a steep price for reeling in a 650-pound marlin.
light of an otherwise-rough year. After Sunday’s loss, the Rays are back at
.500 and looking to close the gap with the division-leading Yanks. looked at each other like, ‘Wow, on Saturday night. An brand. Forbes says the Cardi-
did that just happen?’ ” announced crowd of 60,188 nals’ “brand value” has EXCLUSIVE MEMBER BENEFITS:
COLLEGE BASEBALL The fight continued for about fans were on hand for the George increased a “staggering 143 per- s!CCESSTOPRE
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TCU at Texas before the group finally landed up to $68 million. They also note s/PPORTUNITIESTOATTENDREGIONALSporting News events
7 p.m., ESPN2 the huge marlin. Cardinals WR Larry Fitzger- the $155 million, 20-year nam- s5PDATESONNEWSporting News features and product offerings
A deciding Game 3 was not in the cards at the Austin Super ald is on the cover of the new ing rights deal with the Univer-
Regional—Texas was the top national seed and had the Horned Broncos WR Brandon Mar- Madden video game, and QB sity of Phoenix at the stadium is
Frogs on the ropes after a Game 1 win, but a pair of home runs by
Matt Vern and Matt Carpenter extended TCU’s life in the tourna- shall trial for two misdemeanor
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ment. Tonight’s winner gets a spot in the College World Series. battery charges in Atlanta has The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Com- The Giants ranked as the second To join log on to
Tune in for the drama and the opportunity to get a grip on the been postponed until August, ing off their Super Bowl run, “hottest brand,” followed by the
labyrinthine elimination process of the NCAA baseball tournament. according to ESPN. The trial Forbes magazine calls the Ari- Cowboys, Jets and Colts. sportingnews.com/fannetwork
— Compiled by Sean Gentille had been scheduled to begin zona Cardinals football’s hottest — Compiled by staff with wire reports
Thursday, stemming from a
March 2008 arrest involving
Regionals, game 3, Chicago White Sox
his former girlfriend, Rasheeda YOUR TURN
GUIDE
TCU at Texas 7 p.m. Watley.
COLLEGE BASEBALL Got something you’d like to ask 49ers coach Mike
7 p.m. ESPN — Tampa Bay
Singletary or Kansas basketball center Cole Aldrich?
ESPN2 — Regional MAJOR LEAGUE at N.Y. Yankees Twenty-one people were
BASEBALL E-mail your questions, along with your name and home-
coverage, NCAA arrested—19 for public intoxica- town, to yourturn@sportingnews.com. We’ll pick out
Division I, Super 2 p.m.
WGN — Detroit at
tion, one for DWI and one for five favorites and run their responses in an upcoming
assault—during the debut of the Mike Singletary issue of Sporting News Magazine.
$1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com My Profile

Justin Durant
Jaguars linebacker
(What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved as a friend)

Born: Sept. 21, 1985, in Florence, S.C. Eyes

Status: In a relationship And least … Hair
Alma mater: Hampton Dream date: Alicia Keys
What’s on TV: Martin, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My hero: Mom
Weeds My greatest love: Life
What’s in my iPod: Young Jeezy, Notorious B.I.G., My bucket list: Whatever God has planned
Jay-Z, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, The Dream, Keyshia My motto: Do whatever it takes to achieve what
Cole, Kid Cudi you desire.
What I drive: Black Escalade with 26-inch rims — Jeff D’Alessio
Favorite flicks: Goodfellas, Friday, Heat, King of
New York, Scarface … basically anything with (Al)
Pacino or (Robert) DeNiro
What I’m reading: My playbook
Bookmarks: allhiphop.com, sohh.com, thisis50.
com, facebook.com, myspace.com
Worst habit: Procrastinating with very impor-
tant things
Love to trade places for a day with … Jay-Z. He
is one of the most successful hip-hop artists
and entrepreneurs of my time. Plus, he is
married to Beyonce.
First job: Cook at Pizza Inn. It was a buffet
pizza place in Florence, S.C., and I made $6.25
an hour. I had to make pizza and clean up the
kitchen and bathrooms. I only worked there
for 3 days.
Talent I’d most like to have: Being able to
produce music
Favorite meal: Chinese chicken wings with
chicken fried rice. No onions.
Favorite athlete to watch in another sport:
Past—Michael Jordan. Present—LeBron
James.
Favorite city to visit: Atlanta
Favorite team as a kid: Bulls
Favorite value in others: Honesty
Favorite physical attribute about myself:

SN
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Overnight Report / Next Gen MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 4
BASEBALL / NATIONAL LEAGUE RECRUITING DISH
Philadelphia 7, L.A. Dodgers 2
SN100 players making choices THE WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL
Series has Phillies, Dodgers thinking postseason It’s been a busy seven days for
DAILY SPORTS NEWSPAPER

Phillies 7, Dodgers 2 players in the Sporting News Top 100. CHAIRMAN & CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ray Shaw
Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Last week, SN100 QB Jake Heaps PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whitney Shaw
Victorino cf 5 1 2 2 0 2 .295 picked BYU, and RB Brennan Clay PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ed Baker
Utley 2b 4 0 0 0 1 1 .296
Werth rf 4 0 0 0 1 0 .256 chose Oklahoma. Then during the EDITOR-IN-CHIEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff D’Alessio
Howard 1b 5 1 1 1 0 0 .259 weekend, SN100 LB Justin Maclin com- MANAGING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul Kasko
Ibanez lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 .329
Rollins ss 4 1 2 0 0 0 .222 mitted to LSU, and DL/LB Zack McCray CREATIVE DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith Wood
Feliz 3b 2 2 1 1 1 1 .306 pledged to Virginia Tech. Justin Maclin Zack McCray VP, GENERAL MANAGER, ONLINE . . . . . Jeff Gerttula
Ruiz c 3 1 2 3 1 0 .309
Bastardo p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000 McCray (6-5, 235) is from VP, INTEGRATED MARKETING & SALES .Stuart Marvin
Park p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .091 Brookville (Lynchburg, Va.) and a scholarship. Coach Les Miles called DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA. . . . . . . . . . . . Geoff Shaw
b-Dobbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .188
Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- could play weakside defensive end Maclin into his office during a VP, MARKETING & SALES DEVELOPMENT . .Eric Karp
Totals 34 7 9 7 4 6 or linebacker in college. He soon summer camp in 2008, and that’s
Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg. will join good friend and 2008 where it all began. Maclin got a lot EDITORIAL OFFICES
Pierre lf 5 0 2 0 0 0 .360 high school teammate Logan Thomas of local pressure to go to Tennes- 120 West Morehead Street, Suite 200
Hudson 2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .315
Ethier rf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .271 with the Hokies. Thomas signed see, but in the end he said the deci- Charlotte, NC 28202
Blake 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 .292 in February. sion was a no-brainer. 704-973-1550
Loney 1b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .292
Kemp cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 .304 “I figured it would be Virginia “With LSU, everybody knows 1-800-443-1886
Furcal ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .243 Tech early on, but other schools that’s where I always wanted to
Ausmus c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .282
Wolf p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .074 kept popping up that I wanted to go,” Maclin told SN Today. “I think Letters to the editor:
Leach p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- check out,” McCray told Sporting I have a good work ethic and I’m yourturn@sportingnews.com
a-DeWitt ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .167
Schlichting p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- News Today. “But (Virginia Tech) kind of humble. General feedback:
Mota p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 still kind of stuck out the most. “... Everybody seems like they
c-Loretta ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .254 editors@sportingnews.com
Totals 35 2 9 1 1 7 And I think I’ll get a chance for like me at the outside linebacker
LORI SHEPLER / AP early playing time. position or strong safety. We’ll
Philadelphia 010 020 310 — 7 9 0
National Digital Sales Managers
Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins scores ahead of the throw to Dodgers C Brad Ausmus in the fifth inning. Los Angeles 000 101 000 — 2 9 0 “... It’s funny, though. Logan see.” Joey Glowacki, 704-973-1856
never said one word to me trying jglowacki@sportingnews.com
a-fouled out for Leach in the 7th. b-flied out for Park in
LOS ANGELES—The Philadelphia Phil- October, that would be great. But the 9th. c-struck out for Mota in the 9th. LOB: Philadel- to get me to go to Virginia Tech. Westfield (Spring, Texas) Gary Strauss, 212-500-0672
lies and Los Angeles Dodgers appear we’ll have to wait.” phia 6, Los Angeles 8. 2B: Ibanez (15), Pierre (11), Blake He said it was my decision and dual-threat QB Jacoby Walker has gstrauss@sportingnews.com
(13). HR: Ruiz (3), off Wolf; Victorino (5), off Wolf; How-
headed for another postseason show- The defending World Series cham- ard (17), off Schlichting. RBIs: Victorino 2 (29), Howard nobody else should try to talk me committed to Kansas, TheShiver.
down. That wouldn’t bother anyone pions, who beat the Dodgers in the (47), Feliz (29), Ruiz 3 (13), Kemp (31). S: Bastardo. SF: into anything.” com first reported. He also ON NEWSSTANDS NOW
Feliz. Runners left in scoring position: Philadelphia
in either clubhouse. N.L. championship series, maintained 3 (Werth, Howard 2); Los Angeles 3 (Hudson, Ausmus, McCray said Virginia Tech, reported scholarship offers from
Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and their three-game lead over the Mets in Ethier). GIDP: Kemp. DP: Philadelphia 1 (Feliz, Utley, LSU, UCLA and North Carolina Kansas State, Nebraska, Okla-
Howard).
Shane Victorino homered, and Phila- the N.L. East going into a three-game were the four leaders for his ser- homa State, Syracuse and Iowa
delphia beat the Dodgers 7-2 Sunday series at New York that begins Tues- Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA vices before he decided on the State, among others.
Bastardo W, 2-0 5 7 2 2 1 4 107 2.45
to split a four-game series between day night. Los Angeles’ cushion over Park H, 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 42 6.80 Hokies. Virginia was the first Walker (6-2, 210) threw for
teams with the top two records. second-place San Francisco in the Madson 1 1 0 0 0 2 17 2.22 team that offered him a scholar- 2,087 yards and 20 touchdowns
Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
“October’s a long way away,” How- West was cut to eight games. Wolf L, 3-2 6 1⁄3 8 6 6 1 4 101 3.62 ship, but the Cavaliers didn’t make as a junior, completing 66 percent
ard said. “The Dodgers have been “We’ll be fine. We’re going to score Leach 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 6 4.35 his top four. of his passes.
Schlichting 1 2⁄3 1 1 1 3 2 40 5.40
playing great, and obviously their runs,” manager Joe Torre said. “With Mota 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 1 5.55 Maclin (6-4, 215), an outside
record has shown that they’re on so many questions being asked about linebacker out of Ridgeway (Mem- Bellevue (Wash.) DT Julious
Bastardo pitched to 2 batters in the 6th. Inherited
their way. They’re a more experi- it, I think everyone is self-conscious runners-scored: Park 2-1, Mota 3-0. HBP: by Park phis), told SN Today that LSU, Ala- Moore (6-1, 260) has committed to
enced team now and they’re defi- about it and trying too hard. Hope- (Hudson). WP: Schlichting. Umpires: Home, Tony bama, Illinois, North Carolina UCLA, Scout.com reported. He
Randazzo; First, Chris Guccione; Second, Todd Tichenor;
nitely more mature than they were fully, we come back Tuesday after a Third, Mike Winters. T: 3:12. A: 42,288 (56,000). and Tennessee made up his group also reported scholarship offers From Hank Aaron to Ernie Banks, Frank
last year. But you can’t look too far breather tomorrow and start swing- of finalists. from Washington and Washing- Robinson to Al Kaline, all the stars have
ahead. You just focus on what’s going ing the bats a little better.” LSU, Maclin’s childhood favor- ton State. something to say about Sporting News’ rank-
on now. If we were to meet again in — The Associated Press ite, was the first school to offer him — Brian McLaughlin ings of the 50 best players in baseball today.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Next Gen: MLB Draft MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 5
Q&A with ... Jared Mitchell, OF, LSU
Draft order
Football’s loss is baseball’s gain for two-sport standout First round
1. Washington Nationals
2. Seattle Mariners
3. San Diego Padres
It’s rare to find an athlete playing two and there are no direct signs of 4. Pittsburgh Pirates
sports at top level of college sports, but anything. You never really know 5. Baltimore Orioles
Jared Mitchell is one of those athletes. Mitchell’s WR stats what can or can’t happen. So 6. San Francisco Giants
He double dipped as a receiver for Les 7. Atlanta Braves
Miles’ football team and an outfielder in YEAR REC YDS there’s really no reason to expect 8. Cincinnati Reds
baseball. It looks like baseball is going to Junior 9 106 this or expect that. Whatever 9. Detroit Tigers
win out as Mitchell, seen as a player with happens, happens. 10. Washington Nationals (9B, for
a ton of potential—he runs (33 steals) and Sophomore 13 143 unsigned 2008 No. 9 overall pick Aaron
hits (9 homers, .333 average)—and could Freshman 2 25 Crow)
land in the first round in Tuesday’s draft.
Mitchell caught up with Sporting News
Today’s Ken Bradley while preparing for
Q: What areas have you
improved the most as a
high school baseball player to
11. Colorado Rockies
12. Kansas City Royals
13. Oakland A’s
this weekend’s Super Regional matchup now? 14. Texas Rangers
against Rice.
A: Definitely, my first year
when I got here we had two A: Everywhere. I think for
the most part it’s becoming
15. Cleveland Indians
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (from
Q: You were a 4-star
receiver at Westgate
High School in Louisiana and
first-rounders in Dwayne Bowe
and Buster Davis. Those guys,
watching them and Early Doucet
a mature player and knowing
what you’re doing, knowing your
own swing, knowing your own
Dodgers—Orlando Hudson)
18. Florida Marlins
19. St. Louis Cardinals
a top-rated baseball player. my freshman year and being game. I think in life and anything 20. Toronto Blue Jays
Did you know you were going taken under their wing and as a person, whenever you get to 21. Houston Astros
22. Minnesota Twins
to play both at LSU? growing under them, it was a knowing what it is you do best as a 23. Chicago White Sox

A: Definitely. I got recruited

here in both and that was
part of the reason I came here. You
great situation to be in. Those
guys are doing well right now
where they’re at.
person, that’s when you really
start to reach your full potential.
Coming to college and really being
24. Los Angeles Angels (from Mets—
Francisco Rodriguez)
25. Los Angeles Angels (from Yankees—
come here, to a school like this in able to find yourself, it really just Mark Teixeira)
26. Milwaukee Brewers
the SEC, you’re playing the best
competition every day and a Q: A top baseball prospect,
did you ever consider
helps that much more. 27. Seattle Mariners (from Phillies—Raul
Ibanez)
school like this, you couldn’t ask
for anything better.
dropping football because of
the injury risk? Q: Who’s the best college
pitcher you’ve faced?
28. Boston Red Sox
29. New York Yankees (28B, for unsigned
2008 No. 28 overall pick Gerrit Cole)

Q: The Twins selected you

in the 10th round in the
A: No, not at all. Like I said, if
things are meant to be in
the end, they’ll happen. If you sit
A: David Price. Definitely.
First of all, coming in as a
freshman—I faced him when I
30. Tampa Bay Rays
31. Chicago Cubs
32. Colorado Rockies (from Angels—
2006 MLB draft. How close there and worry about injuries, was a freshman—that was my Brian Fuentes)
did you come to signing with you’re cheating yourself. I was first time ever seeing 96, 98 miles
them? ERIC FRANCIS / AP given the opportunity to come an hour. He’s got ability, he’s Compensation round A
33. Seattle Mariners (Raul Ibanez)
A: Yeah, I was kind of close,
but at the end of the day I
really sat down and thought about
Jared Mitchell’s well-rounded game (9 HRs, .333 average, 33 steals) could make him a top pick.

playing two sports in shape you can be and the best

here and play both and if I can
stay healthy and do it, then I was
always going to keep doing it.
polished. He made it real tough on
hitters.
34. Colorado Rockies (Brian Fuentes)
35. Arizona Diamondbacks (Orlando
Hudson)
it for a while and I was just like, if
it’s meant to happen, it will
happen. I got a great opportunity
college?

A: Time management.
Playing two sports in
situation you can be in. Eating the
right things and getting your
sleep, too. Q: What are your
expectations entering
Q: Was there a baseball
player you looked up to/
admired while you were
36. Los Angeles Dodgers (Derek Lowe)
37. Toronto Blue Jays (A.J Burnett)
38. Chicago White Sox (Orlando Cabrera)
39. Milwaukee Brewers (CC Sabathia)
to come here and play ball and get college, obviously it’s more next week’s draft? growing up? 40. Los Angeles Angels (Mark Teixeira)
an education, so I figured I’d come
here.
demanding than playing one. I
guess it’s being more responsible
and being able to manage your
Q: LSU’s had some pretty
good football talent roll
through. Who are some of the
A: To be honest with you,
being that I’ve already
gone through it, my only expecta-
A: I like watching Carl
Crawford play. I liked
watching Andruw Jones play in
41. Arizona Diamondbacks (Juan Cruz)
42. Los Angeles Angels (Francisco
Rodriguez)

Q: What’s been the

toughest part about
time and just knowing what it is to
put yourself, your body in the best
best you’ve played against
there?
tion for the draft is to have no
expectations. It’s a crazy process
his prime. Ken Griffey, Torii
Hunter, too.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Next Gen: MLB Draft MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 6
Q&A with ... Bobby Borchering, 3B, Bishop Verot H.S. (Fla.)
No. 1 overall picks
Switch hitter takes Chipper comparisons in stride MLB first-year player draft began in 1965.

YEAR PLAYER TEAM

2008 Tim Beckham, SS Tampa Bay
It doesn’t take long for people to 2007 David Price, LHP Tampa Bay
make comparisons when they see Head coach Kevin O’Sullivan him once and I walked against 2006 Luke Hochevar, RHP Kansas City
Bobby Borchering play. At 6-4, 195 you can see his enthusiasm him, but it was like a 10-pitch 2005 Justin Upton, SS Arizona
pounds, the switch-hitting third base- and he’d been at all the at-bat. His fastball kind of had 2004 Matthew Bush, SS San Diego
man out of Bishop Verot High School showcases the longest and you some late movement and kind 2003 Delmon Young, RF Tampa Bay
in Florida reminds people of another can tell he’s really working of bit there hard at the end. Big
Florida product, Chipper Jones. 2002 Bryan Bullington, RHP Pittsburgh
Borchering, one of the top high school hard with his players and lefty. 2001 Joe Mauer, c Minnesota
power hitters in the country, won’t last making some good improve- 2000 Adrian Gonzalez, 1b Florida
past the first round in Tuesday’s draft.
He spoke with Sporting News Today’s
Ken Bradley about switch-hitting,
ments. That’s what really
came in with signing with
Florida.
Q: What was a typical
game like at home—
scouts lined up?
1999
1998
Josh Hamilton, of
Pat Burrell, inf
Tampa Bay
Philadelphia
signing with Florida and what’s next 1997 Matt Anderson, p Detroit
for him.

Q: What are your

expectations entering
A: The first game, we
walked out there and
my teammates were not used to
1996
1995
1994
Kris Benson, p
Darin Erstad, of-p
Paul Wilson, p
Pittsburgh
California
New York (N)

Q: What kind of season

did you end up
having at Bishop Verot?
the draft?

A: I’m trying to not have

expectations, like a lot of
seeing it. We went over to the B
field to take ground balls and
our whole B field was sur-
1993
1992
1991
Alex Rodriguez, ss
Phil Nevin, 3b
Brien Taylor, p
Seattle
Houston
New York (A)

A: We lost in the first game

of the regionals to St.
Pete Catholic. We play some
the guys. It’s hard if you set
your sights too high and you’re
expecting something and it
rounded by scouts—like 40 or
50 guys all around. All the kids
just had the biggest eyes, like
1990
1989
1988
Chipper Jones, ss
Ben McDonald, p
Andy Benes, p
Atlanta
Baltimore
San Diego
pretty good teams. My season doesn’t happen, it’s just a big “what’s going on?” and they 1987 Ken Griffey Jr., of Seattle
went really well. I hit .494 with letdown. Right now, I’m just kept pouring in. It was a crazy 1986 Jeff King, if Pittsburgh
13 home runs, so it was a good trying to relax and see what season as far as scouts go. 1985 B.J. Surhoff, c Milwaukee
season—only 77 at-bats, I got happens. 1984 Shawn Abner, of New York (N)
walked a lot.

Q: Are you open to Q: Is there a Major

League player you
1983
1982
Tim Belcher, p
Shawon Dunston, ss
Minnesota
Chicago (N)

Q: What was your home

run breakdown
A:
college and MLB?
I really like the
admire, even model your
game after?
1981
1980
Mike Moore, p
Darryl Strawberry, of
Seattle
New York (N)
hitting right and left-
handed?
University of Florida.
That’s the one thing I have for A: Oh yeah, Chipper Jones. 1979
1978
Al Chambers, of
Bob Horner, 3b
Seattle
Atlanta

A: I hit two right-handed

and 11 left-handed. I got
sure right now, my scholar-
ship there. I’m really excited
1977
1976
1975
Harold Baines, of
Floyd Bannister, p
Danny Goodwin, c
Chicago (A)
Houston
California
more at-bats left-handed. about it—they’re playing
really good ball right now, Q: In your opinion,
what’s the part of 1974
1973
Bill Almon, if
David Clyde, p
San Diego
Texas
Q: How long have you
been switch hitting?
they’re going to the Super
Regionals. So, I’m more than
your game most appealing
to MLB teams? 1972
1971
Dave Roberts, if
Danny Goodwin, c
San Diego
Chicago (A)
A: My whole life, pretty
much.
MIKE JANES / FOUR SEAM IMAGES
Bobby Borchering has first-round potential but could wind up in Gainesville.
happy to go there if the draft
doesn’t work out. A: I’d say being a power-
hitter, switch-hitter
playing third base. You don’t
1970
1969
Mike Ivie, c
Jeff Burroughs, of
San Diego
Washington
1968 Tim Foli, if New York (N)

Q: You play in other

400 and soccer. But in high
school, I just focused on
any other school you
considered? Q: Who’s the best high
school pitcher you’ve
find too many guys like that out
there. I know it’s pretty unique 1967
1966
Ron Blomberg, 1b
Steve Chilcott, c
New York (A)
New York (N)

A:
sports in high school?
Not in high school.
baseball.
A: You could tell it’s a big
up-and-coming pro-
faced?

A: (Florida signee) Brian

and I know being a switch-
hitter is something you have to 1965 Rick Monday, c Kansas City A’s
Middle school I ran
track, did the long jump and Q: You committed to
Florida. Was there
gram and they really got
things running well right now.
Johnson out of Cocoa
Beach, he’s good. I’ve only seen
work hard at, but I’m really
lucky to do that.
Source: MLB.com
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Q&A with … PG Jonny Flynn
G.M.s ‘already know that I can run an NBA offense’
Jonny Flynn captivated college bas-
ketball with his performance in March for
Syracuse. He helped lead the Orange to a
six-overtime win over Connecticut in the
Big East Tournament, and eventually car-
ried the team to that tourney’s finals and
the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. Flynn
recently chatted with reporters, including
Sporting News Today’s Dave Curtis.
Q: How much did that
six-OT game mean to
your career?
A: That’s a question I get
everywhere I go. I think,
definitely, it helped my draft stock. It
was a game that it seemed like
everybody watched. Even on the
West Coast, people were getting
home from work and putting it on
like, “Wow, it’s still going on?” That
game did a lot of for me, and it was
really nice to come out with a victory.
Q: What do you remember
most from that night?
A: Honestly, it was probably
getting Coach (Jim) Boe-
heim to beat Coach (Jim) Calhoun
again. People don’t have any idea
how much of a personal rivalry
those guys have. Every time we
play Connecticut, it was different
for him than the other games.
Before that game, he was all fired
up. In practice, he was all over the
place, yelling at us. “Come on, it’s
UConn!” When we won, and he
threw his hands up like that at the
end, that was pretty satisfying.
Q: What’s the biggest
misconception about
your game?
A: Coming from Syracuse, I
played zone all the time in
college. So a lot of people aren’t sure I
can play defense in the NBA. I tell
the teams that before I got to Syra-
cuse, I was one of those guys who got
up into you 94 feet and dictated
tempo. When I got to Syracuse, I
was more known for that, for
playing defense like that, than for my
offense. … And at Syracuse, even
though we played zone in games,
Coach Boeheim had us working on
man-to-man principles every day
that we practiced.
Q: What about your size?
You’re right around 6 feet.
How much does that hurt you?
A: I don’t think you can look
at that anymore. You look
at a guy like Aaron Brooks of the
Rockets (listed at 6-0). He might
be 5-8, and he dominated the
Lakers and really dominated the
whole playoffs. You see a lot of
guys like that. You’ve got Chris
Paul, 6-foot. You’ve got Tony
Parker, a lot of little guys out there
getting it done.
Q: What helps you about
playing for Boeheim?
A: I think the best things
about my game show up on
the court. At Syracuse, in my two
years, we played a pick-and-roll
style on offense. That’s an NBA
style, and so a lot of the G.M.s that
I’m talking to already know that I
can run an NBA offense.
Q: When you’re talking to
those G.M.s, what’s the
weirdest thing that’s come up?
A: Man, that’s a tough one.
Probably when one team
Next Gen: NBA Draft MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 7
2009 draft order
June 25, New York
1. L.A. Clippers
2. Memphis
3. Oklahoma City
4. Sacramento
5. Washington
asked me how I would stop myself. 6. Minnesota
7. Golden State
I had to pause for about three 8. New York
9. Toronto
minutes on that one. I didn’t know
10. Milwaukee
what to say, and they were looking 11. New Jersey
at me, just waiting to see what I was 12. Charlotte
going to say. I finally said that I 13. Indiana
14. Phoenix
didn’t think I could stop myself. But 15. Detroit
16. Chicago
if I had to slow myself down, I 17. Philadelphia
would probably take away the drive 18. Minnesota (from Miami)
19. Atlanta
and let myself shoot the jumper.
20. Utah
21. New Orleans
Q: What feel have you
gotten for those
conversations as to where you
22. Dallas
23. Sacramento (from Houston)
24. Portland
25. Oklahoma City (from San Antonio)
26. Chicago
might go?
A: I don’t know. I’ve had good
conversations with Detroit
(from Denver through Oklahoma City)
27. Memphis (from Orlando)
28. Minnesota (from Boston)
29. L.A. Lakers
and Sacramento, a lot of teams. I
worked out with the Bulls. The
Knicks were my favorite team
30. Cleveland
Second round
31. Sacramento
32. Washington
growing up. But my thing is, I try 33. Portland (from L.A. Clippers)
not to look at the number of the 34. Denver (from Oklahoma City)
pick. I don’t want to be a guy that 35. Detroit (from Minnesota)
36. Memphis
got drafted and came in and didn’t
play a lot. It’s more about getting
37. San Antonio
(from Golden State through Phoenix)
38. Portland
into a positive situation. (from New York through Chicago)
39. Detroit (from Toronto)
40. Charlotte
Q: So what’s a positive
situation for you?
(from N. Jersey through Oklahoma City)
41. Milwaukee
42. L.A. Lakers (from Charlotte)
A: There are a lot of them. You
look at Sacramento, with
43. Miami (from Indiana)
44. Detroit
45. Minnesota
Jason Thompson and Donte Green,
maybe it’s there. It looks like they
might want a point guard who can
(from Philadelphia through Miami)
46. Cleveland (from Chicago)
47. Minnesota (from Miami)
48. Phoenix
push the ball and run the offense 49. Atlanta
and score and defend. People say 50. Utah
51. San Antonio
that’s a team that’s been losing, but (from New Orleans through Toronto)
I’m not afraid of all that. I’m a guy 52. Indiana (from Dallas)
53. San Antonio (from Houston)
who likes to fix something, and 54. Charlotte (from San Antonio)
take something that might be a 55. Portland (from Denver)
56. Portland
little wrong right now and make it
right. That’s appealing to me. So as
long as I get into a situation that’s
57. Phoenix
(from Orlando through Oklahoma City)
58. Boston
59. L.A. Lakers
good, it doesn’t really concern me
what the team is doing right now.
JEFF ROBERSON / AP
Syracuse PG Jonny Flynn helped his stock when he had 34 points and 11 assists in a six-OT win.
60. Miami (from Cleveland)
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
NBA FINALS GAME 2:
Lakers have Magic playing their game
LOS ANGELES—It was difficult to get a
sense, given the fact that things were
so lopsided, of what went wrong for
the Magic back in Game 1—when you
shoot 29.9 percent, as Orlando did in
the opener, it can be assumed that
everything went wrong. Some nights,
shots just don’t fall,
and there’s not
much that can be
done to change
that.
In Game 2 of the
Finals on Sunday
night, things went
Sean Deveney much better for the
PRO BASKETBALL Magic. Hedo Turko-
glu shot well, and
scored 22 points. Rashard Lewis shot
even better, and scored 34. Dwight
Howard didn’t dominate, but he was
solid, with 17 points, 16 rebounds,
four blocks and four steals. But what
decided the day in the end—a 101-96
Lakers overtime victory—and what
will decide this series, wasn’t the
Magic’s offense. It was the Lakers’
defense.
“That has got to be how we win
games,” small forward Trevor Ariza
said. “We have the capability to be a
very good defensive team. Some-
times we don’t necessarily play that
way. But for us, we need to win games
on the defensive end. We have the
capability to do that.”
Despite the big numbers from
Turkoglu, Lewis and Howard, over-
all, nothing came easy for the Mag-
ic’s offense. The shooting wasn’t
disastrous, as in Game 1, but the
L.A. LAKERS 101
Lamar Odom, left, and the Lakers continue to make life hard for Dwight Howard, who scored 16 Sunday.
Magic still struggles Sunday in large
part because of the way the Lakers
have exploited their size advantage
on the defensive end. They have the
physical length and the athleticism
to harass the Magic’s perimeter
NBA
ORLANDO 96, OT
MARK J. TERRILL / AP
shooters, and Orlando wound up
shooting just 10 for 30 on 3-pointers.
They have done a terrific job using
their size to prevent entry passes to
Howard, and when he does catch the
ball, the Lakers have swarmed him
with big, long-armed defenders.
Howard had seven turnovers in
Game 2.
“It has been a team effort with
him,” point guard Derek Fisher said.
“Defensively, it’s not just Andrew
(Bynum) or Pau (Gasol) against him.
It’s all of us.”
But the most important aspect of
the Lakers’ defense is the pressure
they’ve put on Orlando’s guards,
making it impossible for the Magic to
get into fast-break situations.
Orlando posted a measly two fast-
break points in Game 2 (which is two
more than they had in Game 1). For
much of the second half, Orlando
coach Stan Van Gundy—who seemed
to have an overabundance of point
guards when Jameer Nelson
returned—seemed to utterly lose
faith in his entire point-guard crew.
Instead of agonizing over whether to
use Nelson or Rafer Alston, Van
Gundy essentially said the heck with
both of them and put in J.J. Redick. If
you’re not going to have fast breaks,
you might as well have shooters.
“We didn’t do a very good job of
breaking down their defense,” said
Magic guard Courtney Lee (whose
missed layup at the close of regula-
tion cost Orlando the game). “We
haven’t done much as far as running
and pushing the tempo and playing
our game.”
No, this is not Orlando’s style. They
are playing the Lakers’ game at this
point. The L.A. defense has made
sure of that.
sdeveney@sportingnews.com
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 8
NOTEBOOK
Odom: It would take ‘crazy
offer’ to leave the Lakers
There are a number of reasons that there’s an added sense
of urgency around the Lakers this year—the sting of last year’s
Finals, for example, and the fact that Kobe Bryant is in his 30s
now and won’t be dominant forever. But there’s also this: for-
ward Lamar Odom’s impending free agency.
Team owner Jerry Buss has said he’d be willing to go over
the luxury tax threshold in order to keep the team together,
but with Odom and small Trevor Ariza up for new contracts,
it might be just too expensive for the team to keep both. It was
in anticipation of the bulging payroll that the Lakers made the
trade that sent away small forward Vladimir Radmanovic
this season.
Odom, who is making $11.4 million this year, said that
money won’t be the only factor in his decision, indicating he
would take a smaller contract if it meant staying in L.A. “It
would take a crazy offer for me to want to leave here,” he said.
“It would have to be an offer-I-can’t-refuse kind of thing.”
Buck stops with Van Gundy
After just about every loss the Magic have suffered this
postseason, Stan Van Gundy has sat before the postgame
press mob and taken some form of blame—after Game 1, he
pointed out that, “We’ve got to find a way as a coaching staff
to help them.” This has resonated with the players.
“Yes, you do appreciate that,” said Magic guard Courtney
Lee. “You never get the sense that he’s someone who would
throw you under the bus. He doesn’t make a lot of excuses, so
that means that us, as players, we can’t make excuses,
either.”
Van Gundy talked about that before Game 2. “The first
thing you have to do is take a critical look at yourself and take
responsibility,” he said. “If you want the players to do that,
which I do—to not make excuses, not point fingers, take
responsibility—I think you have to do the same thing
yourself.”
Phil talks hardball
Phil Jackson, manager? Yup. “I coached baseball as a young
man in college,” he revealed. But, make no mistake, Jackson
believes coaching hoops is harder. “While we go to sleep
watching baseball, of course, I know that it’s a very intense
game and there’s a lot of different challenges out there,” Jack-
son said. “But basketball is such a continuous, active sport.”
— Sean Deveney
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NBA MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 9

Glance
NBA FINALS GAME 2: L.A. LAKERS 101 ORLANDO 96, OT (Best-of-7) All times, ET
(L.A. Lakers lead series 2-0)

L.A. Lakers 101, Orlando 96, OT June 4: L.A. Lakers 100,

Orlando 75

Lee’s miss leaves L.A. relieved Sunday: L.A. Lakers 101,

Orlando 96, OT
Tuesday: L.A. Lakers at Orlando,
9 p.m., ABC
LOS ANGELES—Stopped cold by a pick near the tunnel dejected, a towel hanging from his head. Thursday: L.A. Lakers at Orlando,
free-throw line, Kobe Bryant watched as Gasol added 24 and 10 rebounds and Lamar 9 p.m., ABC
Orlando’s Courtney Lee headed toward the Odom 19 points for the Lakers, who won Game 1 Sunday, June 14: L.A. Lakers
basket and a shot at history. by 25 but needed 53 minutes to put away Game 2. at Orlando 8 p.m., if necessary, ABC
Bryant was frozen. Suddenly, the Los Ange- Rashard Lewis scored 34—18 in the second Tuesday, June 16: Orlando at L.A.
les Lakers’ march to a 15th NBA title—and his quarter alone—and Dwight Howard had 17 Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC
dream of a fourth—would be much tougher. points and 16 rebounds for Orlando. Thursday, June 18: Orlando at L.A.
Lee’s last-second shot went up, and went out. Game 3 is Tuesday night in Orlando. Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC
Lucky. With the score tied at 88-88 in regulation,
The Lakers remain in control of the NBA Lee missed the first of two late-game shots
Finals—just barely. when he drove the lane and misfired on a con- Orlando 15 20 30 23 8 — 96
L.A. Lakers 15 25 23 25 13 — 101
Lee missed a potential game-winning alley- tested layup with 10.5 seconds remaining.
oop as regulation ended, giving Los Angeles The Lakers called time with 9.1 seconds to ORLANDO Min FG FT Reb A PF PTS
Turkoglu 47:17 8-17 3-4 0-6 4 5 22
another shot it didn’t waste. Pau Gasol scored play, and after Odom caught the inbounds Lewis 45:19 12-21 4-4 5-11 7 2 34
seven points in overtime and Bryant finished pass, he quickly gave it to Bryant, who drove Howard 47:10 5-10 7-9 3-16 4 4 17
Alston 25:58 1-8 2-2 0-1 5 1 4
with 29 as the Lakers, so dominant in the series into a crowd. Bryant attempted an off-balance Lee 11:51 1-3 0-0 0-2 0 2 2
opener, survived with a 101-96 win over the 12-footer, but his shot was blocked from behind Pietrus 23:10 1-3 0-0 0-2 0 6 2
Gortat 15:29 1-4 2-4 1-3 0 1 4
Magic in Game 2 on Sunday night. by Turkoglu with 1.8 seconds left. Redick 27:06 2-9 0-0 1-2 1 3 5
“I was obviously relieved when he missed The horn sounded, the clock expired to zeros Nelson 16:40 1-3 2-4 0-0 1 0 4
that shot,” Gasol said. “It could have been a and the Staples Center crowd braced for Battie 5:00 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 2
Totals 265:00 33-79 20-27 10-44 22 24 96
heartbreaker and right now we could be in a overtime.
totally different situation.” But the officials huddled at the scorer’s table Percentages: FG .418, FT .741. 3-Point Goals: 10-30, .333 (Lewis
6-12, Turkoglu 3-6, Redick 1-6, Nelson 0-1, Pietrus 0-1, Alston 0-4).
If Orlando doesn’t come back and win this and decided to put 0.6 seconds back on the Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 20 (28 PTS). Blocked Shots:
series, Lee’s miss may go down as one of the clock because Turkoglu grabbed the ball and 6 (Howard 4, Pietrus, Turkoglu). Turnovers: 20 (Howard 7, Turkoglu
5, Gortat 2, Lewis 2, Alston, Nelson, Pietrus, Redick). Steals: 5 (How-
biggest gaffes in Finals history. He had a chance called timeout. ard 4, Lewis). Technical Fouls: None.
to give the Magic its first Finals win. Turkoglu couldn’t find anyone open on the L.A. Min FG FT Reb A PF PTS
“We missed it. I don’t know what else to say,” inbounds and was forced to call another time- Ariza 37:41 3-13 0-0 1-7 2 3 8
Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “We exe- out. On the Magic’s second attempt, Lee got Gasol 43:53 7-14 10-11 0-10 3 3 24
Bynum 16:24 2-5 1-1 0-1 2 5 5
cuted well, Hedo (Turkoglu) made a great pass. free on a perfectly executed play and caught Fisher 41:04 4-9 2-2 0-1 3 2 12
I’m not trying to be a pain ... Hedo made a great Turkoglu’s long lob pass as he neared the left Bryant 48:30 10-22 8-10 0-4 8 2 29
Odom 45:43 8-9 3-4 2-8 2 5 19
pass and he just missed it.” side of the basket. But with 7-foot Gasol closing Walton 15:16 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 3 0
Orlando may not get a better shot to beat Farmar 6:09 2-5 0-0 1-1 0 1 4
in on him, Lee’s shot caromed off the back- Vujacic 4:33 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 0 0
L.A. board and front of the rim. Brown 5:47 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
“We blew a lot of assignments tonight—a lot Totals 265:00 36-78 24-28 4-35 20 25 101
Howard dunked in the miss as Lee put his
of assignments—and we still managed to get a hands behind his head in disbelief and began a Percentages: FG .462, FT .857. 3-Point Goals: 5-15, .333
win,” Bryant said. (Fisher 2-3, Ariza 2-6, Bryant 1-4, Farmar 0-1, Vujacic 0-1). Team
long walk back to the bench as his teammates Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 12 (11 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6
When it was finally over, Bryant, Derek tried to console him. (Odom 3, Bynum 2, Gasol). Turnovers: 12 (Bryant 7, Fisher 2, Odom
2, Bynum). Steals: 12 (Ariza 3, Fisher 3, Bryant 2, Gasol 2, Farmar,
Fisher and the Lakers jogged to the locker room, “I caught it and just tried to make a play,” Lee Odom). Technical Fouls: None.
smiling and high-fiving fans along the way. said. “We didn’t lose the game just because I
MARK J. TERRILL / AP A: 18,997 (18,997). T: 3:00. Officials: Steve Javie, Monty McCutchen,
Hedo Turkoglu, who threw the perfect lob missed the layup. We could have won the game.” Tom Washington.
pass on Lee’s ill-fated shot, trudged through the — The Associated Presss Lakers F Trevor Ariza went up hard against Orlando’s Marcin Gortat in the first half.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
INSIDE DISH
Los Angeles will host record
fifth All-Star Game in 2011
The NBA All-Stars are coming
back to a city filled with stars.
The league is bringing its All-Star
Game and weekend-long festivities to
Los Angeles for a record fifth time in
2011, continuing a trend of taking its
midwinter break in a warm weather
city.
Commissioner David Stern made the
announcement Sunday before Game
2 of the NBA Finals. Stern said he
didn’t hesitate in awarding the event
just seven years after it was held in
the same city. “We’re likely to shorten
the rotation a bit because it’s getting
more difficult to find cities with the
kinds of amenities, close hotel accom-
modations, the convention center and
the like, and L.A. has been a popular
destination,” he said.
By 2011, a 54-story, 1,001-room
complex that includes two hotels and
224 luxury condos will be completed,
giving the NBA additional space
across the street from Staples Center.
This year’s event was in Phoenix
and next year it will be in Dallas.
Despite rumors to the contrary,
an NBA executive told The Boston
Globe there has been “zero” trade dis-
cussion regarding SG Ray Allen, who
will be a free agent in 2010, and that
such talk is “preposterous.” Another
NBA executive told The Globe, “I’m
not really hearing that. But I would
expect that kind of rumor. They
didn’t win without KG (Kevin Garnett),
he was hot and cold in the (playoffs),
and he’s a last-year guy. Upgrade if
you can. It would make some type of
sense.”
Coming off his first NBA All-
Star Game, Nets PG Devin Harris is lob-
bying for the team to use its 11th
overall pick in the June 25 draft on
another point guard. Harris missed
13 games with injuries last season,
and backup PG Keyon Dooling missed
five. Dooling has also had offseason
hip surgery.
“It takes a lot of pressure off us, a
guy who can spare some minutes
here and there,” Harris told the New
York Daily News. “So over the course
of the season we don’t wear down as
much.”
Hornets PG Chris Paul said he’s
spent plenty of time already this off-
season talking with coach Byron Scott
and teammate James Posey on what
direction the Hornets should go, The
Times-Picayune reported. Scott said
he didn’t foresee the scenario of a C
Tyson Chandler trade occurring again.
And of the recent trade rumors about
PF David West, Paul said, “I don’t see
that happening. That’s my man.”
Hawks backup C Zaza Pachulia
becomes an unrestricted free agent
July 1. He could re-sign with the
Hawks, but he plans on testing the
market. “I realize after July 1 I’m
going to get more busy, working out
and whatever,” Pachulia told The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If I stay
with the Hawks, that would be great.
But if I go to another team, I’d have to
move and everything. So on the one
hand I wanted this time to go slow
and the other I’m really excited. I just
want to know where I’m going to be.”
NBA
NBA FINALS GAME 2: L.A. LAKERS 101 ORLANDO 96, OT
Less-heralded Gasol makes big impact
LOS ANGELES—The big man
nobody was talking about
came up huge for the Lakers.
Pau Gasol dominated over-
time with seven of his 24
points, helping Los Angeles
defeat the Orlando Magic
101-96 Sunday night to take a
2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
Most of the focus had been on
the matchup between Gasol’s
teammate Andrew Bynum and
Orlando star Dwight Howard.
But the 7-foot Gasol muscled
his way into the picture in his
usual calm and cool way.
“Incredible,” Lamar Odom
said. “His hand-eye coordina-
tion is remarkable for some-
one that size. He never drops
the ball. He’s great at catching
and delivering really quick,
keeping the basketball high.
He’s one of the best players
I’ve ever played with.”
The Spaniard was 10 of 11
from the free throw line,
grabbed 10 rebounds—all on
the defensive boards—had two
steals and a blocked shot in
nearly 44 minutes.
Gasol had a close-up view of
the heart-pounding final play
of regulation.
Orlando’s Courtney Lee took
a crosscourt inbounds pass
from Hedo Turkoglu in midair
with a second left and tried to
lay the ball in for the winner. It
JED JACOBSOHN / AP sailed across the rim and hit the
Lakers F Pau Gasol scored seven of his 24 points in the overtime of a pivotal Game 2 win. right side before bouncing away
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 10
to set up overtime.
“I was happy he missed it,”
Gasol said. “I was surprised he
was kind of wide open. But I
tried to contest it as good as I
could, and then we gave our-
selves a chance to win the
ballgame.”
Tied at 88, Gasol stripped
the ball from Howard to begin
overtime. He then scored the
Lakers’ first two points on
free throws. The Lakers went
24 of 28 from the line.
“They’re mixing it up on
me,” Howard said about Gasol
and the Lakers’ defense. “He’s
forcing me baseline. It’s been
frustrating a little bit.”
Gasol and Kobe Bryant
teamed on a pick-and-roll that
ended with Gasol driving to the
basket and getting fouled. Bry-
ant pointed his index finger at
Gasol and they hugged before
Gasol made the free throw to
keep L.A. ahead 97-91.
Bryant often speaks to Gasol
in Spanish, saying, “It’s just
whatever rolls off the tongue.”
Gasol has heard critics label
him as soft, a tag often
attached to European players
who come to the NBA.
“A guy has a set of skills and
is more of a finesse player,
then he’s labeled as a soft
player,” he said. “I’m not both-
ered by it because I know I’m
a competitor, I’m a winner.”
— The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
STANLEY CUP FINALS
S GAME 6:
Penguins expect Fleury to bounce back
PITTSBURGH—Marc-Andre Fleury’s feel-good
week came crashing down under the weight of a
suddenly potent power play and some porous
defense in front of him.
Not that the Pittsburgh Penguins’ young goalie
was on top of his game in a 5-0 loss to the Detroit
Red Wings on Saturday night, but he couldn’t
really be faulted for the pucks that got past him.
“I know that every guy in that room wants to
see him in that net for Game 6,” Penguins coach
Dan Bylsma said Sunday. “They believe in him.
They’re confident in him, and they know he’s
going to respond.”
Fleury and the Penguins can’t afford anything
close to a similar performance Tuesday night in
Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals. Detroit leads
the series 3-2 and is just one win away from
repeating as champion and leaving Pittsburgh
on the short end for the second straight season.
“He’s going to be just fine,” forward Bill Guerin
said Sunday on the first of two straight off days.
“This is a guy who comes in literally fresh every
day. Every day is a new day. He’s always got a
smile on his face. He’s ready to go. I think he’ll be
absolutely fine.
“He’s got a great-type personality to let things
just roll off his shoulders and refocus and have
fun with it.”
There were no smiles in the visiting dressing
room at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena on Saturday
after the Penguins were routed by the Red
Wings. Fleury didn’t make it out of the second
period, when he allowed four goals.
Overall, Fleury was touched for five goals on
21 shots—including three tallies by the Red
Wings on a suddenly rejuvenated power play
that produced just once in 10 tries in the first
four games of the series.
“He’s going to bounce back. He’s a good goalie,”
defenseman Kris Letang said. “He has a lot of
competitor in him and that’s good. We know that
he’s going to be back and he’s going to be good.
He has a lot of time to forget about it. It’s going to
DETROIT AT PITTSBURGH
Mathieu Garon, above, stepped after Marc-Andre Fleury allowed five goals, but the Pens expressed confidence in their starter.
be a new game.”
Fleury gave up six goals in a pair of 3-1 losses
to open the series in Detroit. Some bounces off
the end boards and other bad breaks made him
look worse, but he was strong in stopping 64 of
68 in beating the Red Wings in Games 3 and 4.
He had started to outplay Detroit counterpart
Chris Osgood. until the lopsided loss Saturday.
Fleury got words of encouragement from captain
Sidney Crosby to keep his head up after he was
yanked with 4:20 left in the second period.
“They won, they did a good job. We got frus-
trated,” Fleury said. “A loss is a loss. We lost and
now we move on.”
The Red Wings carried a 1-0 lead into the sec-
ond period of Game 5, after Dan Cleary shot a
puck through the legs of Penguins defenseman
NHL
Tuesday, 8 p.m., ET, NBC
NOTEBOOK
Guerin: Don’t take Cup for granted
With Sidney Crosby and
Evgeni Malkin and several other
players in their early 20s under
contract for the next few seasons,
the Pittsburgh Penguins appear
to be in a position to be a peren-
nial Stanley Cup contender for a
while.
Here’s some advice from some-
one who knows: Don’t count on it.
Bill Guerin, the Penguins’
38-year-old forward, is playing in
his first finals since he was with
New Jersey at age 24. Back then,
he was certain he would reach the
NHL’s championship series many
more times, but it never happened
until now.
The Penguins, who lost the
finals to Detroit in six games last
year, are down 3-2 to the Red
Wings again going into Game 6 on
Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.
JIM MCISAAC / AP Guerin has seen injuries, con-
tract disputes, goaltending issues,
major upsets and other assorted
Brooks Orpik and past a screened Fleury. problems cause many a favorite to
Detroit doubled its lead 1:44 into the second on fall out of the playoffs long before
Valtteri Filppula’s goal and made it 3-0 at 6:11 the finals, so the Penguins
when Niklas Kronwall went through three Pen- shouldn’t assume they’ll automat-
guins in front and scored the first of the Red ically be there every spring.
Wings’ three power-play goals in the period. The last two seasons, Pitts-
Brian Rafalski added a man-advantage tally at burgh has been extended to seven
8:26, with a hard drive through traffic, and Hen- games only once during six con-
rik Zetterberg ended Fleury’s night at 15:40. ference playoff series.
Mathieu Garon stopped all eight shots he faced “I think this team’s going to be
over the final 24-plus minutes sniffing around for championships
“It wasn’t his fault, the situation we were in,” for a long time because of the way
Bylsma said of Fleury. they’ve drafted the last some odd
“Marc is the guy who is going in for Game 6. years,” Guerin said Sunday. “But,
We believe in him. I know he’s the type of guy you know, you can’t take opportu-
who is going to be ready to go for Game 6.” nities for granted. You can’t think
— The Associated Press they’re going to come around every
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 11
year because you can ask other
older guys, they just don’t.”
Captain intern
Steve Yzerman has been in the
shadows at the Stanley Cup finals,
quietly working as a Detroit Red
Wings vice president.
“My role is really just watching
at this point,” Yzerman said.
The former Red Wings captain
moved to the franchise’s front office
after retiring three years ago.
“I participate in the daily run-
ning of the organization, but
mostly I just listen and observe,”
Yzerman said. “To see the results
of different decisions over the last
three years has been educational.”
Yzerman’s job, in essence, is a
high-level internship.
In a few months, he will be run-
ning the show, and it will be one of
special importance in his native
Canada.
He is charge of Team Canada’s
quest to win a gold medal in Van-
couver after playing for his home
country during the previous two
Olympics. Yzerman took over as
executive director in place of
Wayne Gretzky, whose teams won
gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 but
struggled in Turin four years later.
“We’ve got a list of players we’re
looking at, and we’ll shorten the
list to about 40 for our camp in the
last week of August in Calgary,”
said Yzerman, who is expected to
choose Detroit’s Mike Babcock as
his coach. “And, we’ll pick the
team from there.”
— The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NHL MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 12

STANLEY CUP FINALS

S GAME 6: DETROIT AT PITTSBURGH Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Playoff stats (Through June 6)
Pittsburgh Penguins
POS NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW OTG S PCTG

Move to Motown on verge of panning out for Hossa C 71 Evgeni Malkin

C 87 Sidney Crosby
R 13 Bill Guerin
22
22
22
14 21 35
15 16 31 10
7 8 15
2

8
49
14
13
7
5
2
0
0
0
3
2
2
1
0
1
99 .141
77 .195
62 .113
D 55 Sergei Gonchar 20 3 11 14 3 12 2 0 2 0 40 .075
L 26 Ruslan Fedotenko 22 7 6 13 8 4 0 0 0 0 54 .130
PITTSBURGH—Right about now, L 14 Chris Kunitz 22 1 12 13 2 19 0 0 0 0 43 .023
what must bother the Pittsburgh Glance D 58 Kris Letang
C 25 Max Talbot
21
22
4
6
9
4
13
10
3
6
26
19
2
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
53 .075
33 .182
Penguins more than their inability (Best-of-7), All times ET C 11 Jordan Staal 22 3 5 8 6- 6 0 1 0 0 53 .057
to switch off the power of Pavel or L 24 Matt Cooke 22 1 6 7 3- 22 0 0 0 0 29 .034
the disappearance of their stars (Detroit leads series 3-2) D 7 Mark Eaton 22 4 3 7 6 8 1 0 0 0 14 .286
C 48 Tyler Kennedy 22 4 3 7 4- 4 0 0 2 0 60 .067
during a meltdown in Motown is May 30: Detroit 3,Pittsburgh 1 R 81 Miroslav Satan 16 1 5 6 2 11 0 0 0 0 21 .048
that Marian Hossa could be right. R 27 Craig Adams 22 3 2 5 0 16 0 0 0 0 24 .125
May 31: Detroit 3, Pittsburgh 1 D 43 Philippe Boucher 9 1 3 4 2- 4 1 0 1 0 10 .100
The Red Wings truly might be June 2: Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 2 D 44 Brooks Orpik 22 0 4 4 1- 22 0 0 0 0 12 ---
the NHL’s best team, and Hossa’s D 4 Rob Scuderi 22 1 2 3 1 6 0 0 0 0 8 .125
June 4: Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 2 D 2 Hal Gill 22 0 2 2 4 4 0 0 0 0 17 ---
better chance of winning the Stan- D 3 Alex Goligoski 2 0 1 1 1- 0 0 0 0 0 1 ---
ley Cup was in Detroit, not in June 6: Detroit 5, Pittsburgh 0 R 17 Petr Sykora 6 0 1 1 3- 0 0 0 0 0 7 ---
Pittsburgh. Tuesday: Detroit at L 9 Pascal Dupuis 14 0 0 0 4- 8 0 0 0 0 15 ---
TEAM TOTALS 22 75 124 199 7 273 20 1 14 3 732 .102
The Red Wings not only lead the Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., NBC OPPONENT TOTALS 22 62 106 168 7- 291 14 2 8 1 645 .096
Stanley Cup finals 3-2 heading in a Friday: Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8 NO GOALTENDER GP MINS AVG W L OT EN SO GA SA SV% G A PIM
potential Cup-clinching Game 6 on p.m., if necessary, NBC 32 Mathieu Garon 1 24 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1.000 0 0 0
Tuesday night, they’ve got a not- 29 Marc-Andre Fleury 22 1327 2.76 14 8 0 1 0 61 636 .904 0 0 2
TEAM TOTALS 22 1360 2.74 14 8 0 1 0 62 645 .904 0 0 2
healthy but a productive Pavel Dat- OPPONENT TOTALS 22 1360 3.31 8 11 3 6 2 75 732 .898 0 0 0
syuk back in their lineup. They’ve Betting line
also exposed Pittsburgh’s supposed FAVORITE .......LINE ..........UNDERDOG ........LINE Detroit Red Wings
edges in speed and star-class play- at Pittsburgh ......-145 ......................Detroit.........+125
ers as fraudulent, the evidence POS NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW OTG S PCTG
C 40 Henrik Zetterberg 21 11 13 24 14 11 4 0 0 0 75 .147
being a 5-0 rout in Detroit on Satur- R 93 Johan Franzen 21 12 11 23 9 12 4 0 3 0 67 .179
day night in which they looked to his decision,” Detroit coach Mike C 51 Valtteri Filppula 21 3 13 16 9 6 1 0 1 0 35 .086
R 11 Daniel Cleary 21 9 6 15 18 12 0 0 3 0 50 .180
be anything but weary or finished. Babcock said Sunday, a day off the R 81 Marian Hossa 21 6 9 15 6 10 2 1 1 0 96 .063
During a finals in which momen- ice for both teams during the first D 5 Nicklas Lidstrom 19 4 10 14 10 6 3 0 1 0 52 .077
D 28 Brian Rafalski 16 3 9 12 11 11 3 0 1 0 24 .125
tum means nothing and playing at two-day break of the finals. R 26 Jiri Hudler 21 4 7 11 2 6 2 0 1 0 36 .111
home means everything, the Pen- Much like Datsyuk must be R 37 Mikael Samuelsson 21 5 5 10 7 6 0 0 2 1 75 .067
guins have the home-ice advantage pleased with his decision to ignore C 13 Pavel Datsyuk 14 1 8 9 6 9 1 0 0 0 49 .020
D 55 Niklas Kronwall 21 2 7 9 6 33 2 0 0 0 31 .065
in the next game, and not much else. the excruciating pain in his appar- D 23 Brad Stuart 21 3 6 9 7 10 1 0 0 0 34 .088
And Hossa certainly isn’t having ently broken right foot to set up two R 96 Tomas Holmstrom 21 2 5 7 1- 20 0 0 0 0 25 .080
D 52 Jonathan Ericsson 20 3 3 6 9 25 0 0 1 0 28 .107
any second thoughts. goals and help take away Pitts- D 22 Brett Lebda 21 0 6 6 9 22 0 0 0 0 19 ---
Hossa doesn’t have a goal, hasn’t burgh’s Evgeni Malkin and Sidney C 43 Darren Helm 21 4 1 5 2 4 0 0 1 1 38 .105
L 8 Justin Abdelkader 10 2 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 .182
made a signature play and has been Crosby in Game 5. L 21 Ville Leino 7 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 7 ---
less effective for Detroit than he was The two leading scorers in the R 82 Tomas Kopecky 8 0 1 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 13 ---
L 18 Kirk Maltby 18 0 1 1 1- 2 0 0 0 0 11 ---
for Pittsburgh in the finals a year playoffs spent more time getting D 24 Chris Chelios 6 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 ---
ago. Still, with one more victory, the FRANK GUNN / AP into scrums and sitting in the pen- C 33 Kris Draper 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 ---
Marian Hossa turned down a multi-year deal from Pittsburgh to sign with Detroit. D 14 Derek Meech 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ---
man who has spent 11 months ratio- alty box than they did creating any TEAM TOTALS 21 74 126 200 26 218 23 1 15 2 785 .094
nalizing why he left a champion- scoring for the Penguins, who OPPONENT TOTALS 21 44 76 120 26- 380 19 1 6 2 598 .074
ship-caliber team in Pittsburgh and during times of a troubled economy: Detroit’s money offer but obviously missed an opportunity to put them-
NO GOALTENDER GP MINS AVG W L OT EN SO GA SA SV% G A PIM
the big money it offered to sign a A player giving a team the pink slip, couldn’t match their prestige or the selves one victory away from win- 29 Ty Conklin 1 20 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1.000 0 0 0
one-year deal with Detroit won’t and not the other way around. powerful lure of playing for a ning the Stanley Cup for the first 30 Chris Osgood 21 1288 2.00 15 6 0 1 2 43 588 .927 0 2 2
TEAM TOTALS 21 1312 2.01 15 6 0 1 2 44 598 .926 0 2 2
have to explain any longer. Regardless, that’s what Hossa did defending champion. time since 1992. OPPONENT TOTALS 21 1312 3.38 6 13 2 4 0 74 785 .906 0 0 0
This rarely happens, especially to the Penguins, who topped “I think he’s really pleased with — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NHL
INSIDE DISH

Decision time nears for the Sutter brothers N?8KK@D<@J@K66

>8D<;8P
For the record, Brent Sutter told
the Calgary Herald over the week-
end that he still has not made up
his mind on where—or even if—he
will coach next season.
Which only raises the specula-
tion to a higher level: Will Sutter
remain coach of New Jersey, follow
his heart and end his Devils asso-
ciation to become a gentleman
rancher at his Canadian home in
Red Deer or opt for Door No. 3—the
vacant coaching job for a Calgary
team run by brother Darryl Sutter?
So far, there has been no evi-
dence of overtures from Darryl,
the Flames’ general manger. But
there has been plenty of talk about
Brent Sutter’s future, both in New
Jersey and Calgary, which is a
short drive from Red Deer.
“I know I have to make a decision
soon, out of respect to Lou (Lamori- BILL KOSTROUN / AP
ello) and the Devils,” Brent Sutter Brent Sutter still is unsure where—or if—he’ll coach in the 2009-10 season.
told the Herald. “Teams want to
know who their coach is going to “Hey, I only know what I read in having a general conversation,”
be, if not by the draft (June 26), the papers or hear on the radio,” he Fletcher told the newspaper. “I’ll
then by July 1 (the start of the free- told the newspaper. “I’m no differ- talk more in depth with (agent) Ron
agent signing period) at the latest. ent than any other fan in that Salcer as I continue discussions with
“I can’t sit around and take regard, I guess. I know my name is him.”
months to make a call on this. I’m
leaning one way right now, but I
being mentioned there. But the sit-
uation in Calgary has nothing to do
Fletcher has said his team will
play a more uptempo style, which
:FCC<><=FFK98CC =8EK8JP=FFK98CC GIF=FFK98CC
want to make absolutely sure. with the decision I’m making. Zero. would better suit the skilled ON SALE 6/2/09 ON SALE 6/9/09 ON SALE 6/23/09
Whichever decision I make will be Believe me on that.” Gaborik. But Fletcher would not
the right one, I know, but I want to say if Gaborik told him he was
take the time I need.” New Wild G.M. Chuck Fletcher willing to discuss foregoing free
Darryl Sutter told the newspaper told The Star Tribune that he agency and re-signing in
that he expects an entire Calgary recently had a telephone conversa- Minnesota.
coaching staff to be in place by the tion with star F Marian Gaborik, the
draft in Montreal. He has hinted teamís all-time leading scorer and The Flames have re-signed
that he might move back behind soon-to-be unrestricted free agent backup G Curtis McElhinney, who was
the bench himself, but he also said
he was considering several coaches
who is in his hometown of Trencin,
Slovakia.
1-6-1 with a 3.59 goals-against
average in his limited play this sea- ($/''$*/'$.+'+
already under contract. Brent Sut- “I can tell you the conversation son. McElhinney, 26, was 0-2-5 in www.sportingnews.com or www.streetandsmiths.com
ter insists he hasn’t talked to his was not as much about the future five appearances as a rookie in SHIPPING: + $3.50 for the first magazine + 50¢ each additional magazine
brother about the Flames opening. as just introducing myself and 2007-08.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Q&A with ... South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier
‘I can’t worry about how people remember me’
After turning the stodgy SEC sideways
in the 1990s at Florida, Steve Spurrier is
entering his fifth season at South Carolina
and still trying to find the magic from those
Gainesville glory days.
Sporting News Today’s Matt Hayes
recently caught up with Spurrier and dis-
cussed his time in Columbia, S.C., and the
coming season.
Q: Do you feel now, after
four years, that it might
be a lot harder to get South
Carolina to the top of the SEC
than you first thought?
A: We’ve won 28 games the
last four seasons here.
That’s the best four-year run in our
school’s history. We’ve got some
players here now; we feel like we
can compete for championships.
We all have to do a better job—
coaches and players.
Q: What drives you right
now?
A: The challenge is to have that
big year at South Carolina
because it hasn’t happened. That’s
what intrigues and gets me excited
each day—to do it there. To win
that first one (championship)
would be something special if we
can do it. We still have hopes and
believe that we can.
Q: A couple of years ago,
you talked about staying
four or five more years at
South Carolina. Do you have a
timetable now?
A: I’m back to four or five more
(years). I think I said that
same thing at Florida toward the
end. I’m in good health, I feel great,
I’m excited about where we’re
headed.
Q: You won championships
at Duke and Florida. Is
there a time where, if it doesn’t
happen at South Carolina, it
could start impacting your
legacy?
A: I can’t worry about how
people remember me.
Whatever I did at Duke is history,
at Florida is history. We’re still
trying to make history at South
Carolina.
Q: You’ve always had smart
play from the
quarterback position: from
Dave Brown at Duke to Shane
Matthews, Danny Wuerffel and
Rex Grossman at Florida. The
position drives your offense.
Why is it you haven’t found a
quarterback that can handle
the system at South Carolina?
A: We just haven’t had consis-
tent play from that position.
We had a couple of guys who threw
it and another who ran it. We had
some success and some not so good
games. But we feel Stephen Garcia
has a chance to go play well.
Q: Is Garcia ready to handle
all that you expect from
your quarterbacks, both on and
off the field?
A: Hopefully he has learned
that he needs to learn a lot
about college football and playing
quarterback. The first thing he
needs to recognize is, ‘I’m not ready
to play.’ Hopefully, since the bowl
game (a 31-10 loss to Iowa) he
College Football
At 64 years old, Steve Spurrier, a six-time SEC champion at Florida, thinks he has four or five years left helming the Gamecocks.
understands that. If he’ll invest his
time wisely this summer, he should
be much improved and ready to
play.
Q: A couple of experienced
quarterbacks
transferred after last season,
leaving you with Garcia and
two freshmen. Considering
Garcia’s past off-field
problems, are you concerned
you’re putting everything into
a guy who still has to prove
himself?
A: He has to be smarter, no
question. He has been
pretty good on his own; you’ve got
to leave him alone. He knows one
more mistake and he’s history.
After the second incident, he was
basically booted out of school. He
had to do some things—he has done
175 hours of community service.
Everything they put on him, he has
done. Some of our coaches said he’d
never be able to do all that. He’s in
good standing. He made a 2.9
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 14
Q: What happens, worst-
case scenario, if Garcia
doesn’t make it?
A: Well, we’ve got a redshirt
freshman, Reid McCollum,
who did some nice things in the
spring. He’s got a lot to learn
though. We’ve also got a freshman,
Stephon Gilmore, who will prob-
ably start at cornerback for us but
was an all-state quarterback in
high school. Worst comes to worst,
we’ll put him back there and run
all over the place.
Q: You said you like the
makeup of this team.
How are things different this
time around?
A: Right now, everybody likes
each other. Players like
players, coaches like players.
Hopefully we’ll maintain that
attitude. The last two years, our
whole team kind of pooped out in
the end.
BOB LEVERONE / SN Q: Summers were always a
big deal for your teams
at Florida, where chemistry
was built and players worked
(GPA) this semester. on their own to get better. Has
Q: What are Garcia’s
this team grasped that
concept?
field?
biggest obstacles on the
A: What’s exciting is how our
guys have embraced our
A: He needs a lot of training.
His habits from high school
new strength and conditioning
coach, Craig Fitzgerald. He’s a
were so bad. Every play was a
scramble play. In high school, you
can get away with that. He has to
terrific motivator, and the players
love working for him. We can’t wait
to see the strides they make over
learn the game, learn how to play.
Make himself a thinker. His
decision-making has not been the
the summer. How players work
over the summer is usually a good
indicator of how they will work in
best, that’s for sure. the fall, and how the team will play.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Top 100 countdown
Sporting News Today is counting down its
Top 100 college football teams for 2009,
featuring one team each day leading into
the season opener Thursday, Sept. 3. Go
to SportingNews.com for the previous
teams in the countdown.
88
DOUGLAS C. PIZAC / AP
UNLV’s Ryan Wolfe caught 88 passes for 1,040
yards and six TDs as a junior last season.
UNLV
2008 record: 5-7 overall, 2-6
Mountain West
Coach: Mike Sanford
Outlook: If only the Rebels could
play BCS teams all season. Last
year, they went 2-0 against the
BCS and 3-7 against everyone else.
UNLV could break its seven-year
bowl drought with quarterback
Omar Clayton and wide receiver
Ryan Wolfe returning. But the
secondary looks suspect, not good
for a defense ranked No. 100
nationally with 33 points allowed
per game last year.
— Derek Samson
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Former Auburn assistant knew run was over
Tony Franklin, let go as Auburn’s offen-
sive coordinator after six games in his
first full year on the job, says he told for-
mer head coach Tommy Tuberville during
their final meeting that the school would
fire Turberville at the end of last
season.
Franklin, now the offensive coordina-
tor at Middle Tennessee, told the Mont-
gomery Advertiser he saw it coming
because of unrest within the athletic
department and a feeling in the pro-
gram that Alabama’s hiring of Nick Saban
was changing football in the state.
“There was a definite thought (at
Auburn) that things were changing,”
Franklin told the Advertiser. “If anyone
tells you that they’re not watching
what’s happening across the state and
that it doesn’t concern them, they’re
liars.
“Those guys knew that the run they
had been on—beating Alabama for six
straight years, which is just a phenome-
nal thing—that that run was probably
over and things wouldn’t ever be the
same with (Saban) there.”
Franklin, hired by Middle Tennessee
in February, said he is enjoying his pri-
vacy at his new job.
“I can go out and have a beer some-
where and not worry about winding up
on the Internet the next day,” he told the
newspaper. “I don’t have to worry about
all the crap you face in the SEC with its
ridiculous, nit-picky rules and regula-
tions on everything you do.”
Jim Owens, who played at Oklahoma
for Bud Wilkinson and later coached Wash-
ington for 18 seasons, died Saturday at
his home in Bigfork, Mont. He was 82.
Owens coached at Washington from
College Football / College Basketball
INSIDE DISH
Former Auburn OC Tony Franklin, right, told then-head coach Tommy Tuberville his days were numbered.
1957 until his retirement in 1974. He
went 99-82-6, including three Rose
Bowl trips. He also served as athletic
director at UW from 1960-69.
His accomplishments at the school
were honored in 2003 when the univer-
sity dedicated a statue of him outside
one of the entrances to Husky Stadium.
But that honor came with protests about
his treatment of black players during
his time at Washington.
Owens spent six seasons as an assis-
tant to Paul “Bear” Bryant before taking
over the Huskies program in 1957 from
Darrell Royal at age 29.
Former Kentucky DE Jeremy Jarmon
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
INSIDE DISH
Tulsa picks up UConn transfer
Tulsa added its second
transfer in three days, with
former Connecticut G Scottie
Haralson signing scholarship
papers on Sunday to join the
Golden Hurricane.
Haralson, who was a true
freshman last season at Con-
necticut, will have three years
of eligibility remaining after
sitting out the 2009-2010
season.
On Thursday, Tulsa coach
Doug Wojcik announced that for-
mer Western Kentucky PF D.J.
Magley was joining the Golden
Hurricane. Magley also must
sit out the upcoming season
and will have two years of eli-
gibility left beginning in 2010-
2011
Haralson appeared in 17
DAVE MARTIN / AP games off the bench last sea-
son and averaged 1.4 points in
4.1 minutes per game for
plans to apply for the NFL supplemental Connecticut.
draft this summer, he told the Lexington Seven of his eight field goals
Herald-Leader in a text message. made were 3-pointers. He had
Jarmon lost his eligibility to play his season-bests of six points
senior season after testing positive for a against Marquette and Dela-
banned substance. ware State.
“Scottie is a great addition to
Former UCLA QB Chris Forcier, who our team,” Wojcik said. “He
played in seven games last season but compliments D.J. Magley
attempted only 11 passes, is transferring extremely well for the future,
to I-AA Furman, where he’ll be eligible and then obviously losing Ben
this fall. Uzoh next year, he can step in
UCLA’s coaches asked him to move to there,”
receiver in spring practice. “Scottie fills a huge need.
“My heart is at the quarterback posi- He’s a big, strong and power-
tion,” Forcier said in an e-mail, accord- ful kid who can really shoot
ing to the Los Angeles Daily News. the basketball.”
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 15
New Arizona coach Sean
Miller hired Jamall Walker and
has
Ryan Reynolds to administrative
posts.
Walker, an assistant to John
Groce at Ohio last season, will
serve as director of basketball
operations. Reynolds, assis-
tant coordinator of basketball
operations at Wake Forest last
season, will be an administra-
tive assistant.
The Big 12 named Okla-
homa’s Blake Griffin and Ashley
Paris as the conference’s 2008-
09 Sportspersons of the Year.
Griffin, a 6-10 sophomore,
was the consensus national
player of the year as Oklahoma
went 30-6 and reached the
Elite Eight. Paris averaged
12.6 points and 9.6 rebounds
as the OU women’s team went
32-5.
For the 33rd straight sea-
son, the Big Ten led the nation
in average attendance for
men’s basketball, the confer-
ence announced this week.
The Big Ten ranked first
among all conferences with an
average of 12,519 fans per game
in 2008-09, which is nearly
900 more than the runner-up
SEC with 11,625.
The NCAA’s final atten-
dance numbers and rankings
include both regular-season
and conference tournament
attendance.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 16
INSIDE DISH THE LAUNCHING PAD
What to expect in the major leagues today

Braves: Glavine release was performance-related

Braves general manager Frank Wren
said Sunday he will not comment on
a report that former ace Tom Glavine
might file a grievance against the
team because of his release on
Wednesday.
Glavine has said he believes he was
released for financial reasons and to
clear a roster spot for Tommy Hanson,
who made his major league debut
Sunday against the Brewers.
But Wren, team chairman Terry
McGuirk and president John Schuerholz
all say Glavine was released because
they did not believe the 43-year-old
lefthander would make a successful
return from elbow and shoulder
surgery.
“It was purely and only on the mer-
its of what gave us the best chance to
win, no financial interest whatsoever
involved,” McGuirk said.
FOXSports.com reported Saturday
that Glavine’s agent, Gregg Clifton, is
exploring filing a grievance. Glavine
would have received a $1 million
bonus if he had been activated from
the disabled list for Sunday’s start, as
he expected.
“I don’t believe for a minute that it
was totally a performance-related
issue, which I’m totally fine with, but
I would have appreciated the hon-
esty,” Glavine said.
The Braves cleared roster space for
Hanson Sunday by placing 1B Casey
Kotchman on the 15-day disabled list
because of the strained right calf and
bruised right shin he suffered May 31
when hit by a pitch.
MLB.com reports that rookie LP
Derek Holland, coming off his best start
for the Rangers, will return to the
bullpen if rehabbing LP Matt Harrison
Tom Glavine says he believes the Braves released him last week for financial reasons.
(shoulder) is ready to return. Harri-
son struck out five batters in a
41-pitch start for Class AA Frisco
Saturday night and will meet with
Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux
and manager Ron Washington today to
discuss his next move. The only ques-
tion is whether he will need another
tuneup before being activated before
Thursday’s home game against
Toronto.
Rays 3B Evan Longoria decided to
hold off his return to the lineup at
least one more day, telling the St.
Petersburg Times that he felt better
after doing drills and taking batting
practice but wants to be sure his sore
hamstring is absolutely ready. “Obvi-
ously at this stage of the season, and
the way we’re playing, with or with-
out me, we’re winning games so it’s
not worth it for me to go out there and
PAUL ABELL / AP
try and push it and reinjure myself
and be out for two to three months as
opposed to one more day,’’ Longoria
said. “Yesterday I felt good, (Sunday)
I felt great. I was actually able to push
it almost to 100 percent.” Longoria
said he hopes to play tonight but won’t
know for sure until the afternoon.
The Associated Press reports
that veteran RP John Smoltz, rehabbing
from shoulder surgery, allowed one
hit and one run while pitching six
innings Saturday for Class AAA
Pawtucket against the Durham Bulls.
The rehab start was his fourth overall
but his first for Pawtucket and lon-
gest to date. Smoltz threw 51 of 74
pitches for strikes, walked two and
struck out three. He topped out at 91
mph and retired the last 10 batters he
faced. His next rehab start will be
Thursday, when Pawtucket plays at
Syracuse.
The Chicago Tribune reported
Sunday that Cubs RP Rich Harden was
scratched from his rehab start for
Class AAA Iowa for undisclosed rea-
sons. Harden was scheduled to pitch
for Iowa Sunday, and for the Cubs
Friday against Minnesota at Wrigley
Field. His major league return will be
pushed back. Harden went on the
disabled list May 18 with a back strain
and has missed four starts.
The (Newark, N.J.) Star -Ledger
reports that Yankees reliever Brian
Bruney took a “huge positive step”
Sunday when he threw a 30-pitch
bullpen session and pronounced
himself pain-free. Bruney, out with
an elbow problem, threw 15 pitches,
rested for four minutes, then threw 15
more, trying to simulate game condi-
tions. Bruney said he expects to
throw a similar session on an upcom-
ing trip to Boston.
The Mariners announced LP
Ryan Rowland-Smith will make at least
one more rehab start for Tacoma
before returning to the team. Row-
land-Smith had been scheduled to
start for the Mariners Thursday at
Baltimore.
Fresh off his 300th victory, San
Francisco’s Randy Johnson will start on
three days’ rest at Florida today
against the Marlins. He volunteered
to pitch today after a successful
throwing session Saturday to check
his bruised shoulder, sustained while
fielding a ball in his final inning
against Washington. Johnson last
started on three days’ rest in 2005.
BEN MARGOT / AP
Jason Marquis has been stellar against his former teams this season.
White Sox can close the gap
The White Sox won’t have a better opportunity all season to make up
ground in the A.L. Central. The first-place Tigers visit U.S. Cellular Field for
five games over the next four days beginning with a day-night double-
header today. The night game will feature the return of two veteran starters.
The White Sox’s Jose Contreras, sent to Class AAA last month because of his
0-5 record and 8.19 ERA, matches against Jeremy Bonderman, making his
first start in more than a year. The White Sox will not have to deal much with
the Tigers’ best hitter, Miguel Cabrera. He is slowed by a sore hamstring and
figures to be limited to pinch-hitting duties for another day or two.
Marquis has another shot at pay back
The Cardinals, already struggling offensively, should be especially leery
of Rockies righthander Jason Marquis in the finale of a four-game series this
afternoon in St. Louis. Marquis has not gone easy on his former teams his
season. He’s already beaten the Cubs and Braves, allowing each team only
one run in seven- and eight-inning outings, respectively. One of the N.L.’s
leading winners with a 7-4 record and 4.10 ERA, Marquis is working towards
a sixth consecutive season of double-digit wins. The Rockies, meanwhile,
are going for a four-game sweep against the Cardinals, having outscored St.
Louis 28-7 so far.
Blue Jays find their comfort zone
Say this about Toronto: It’s the best third-place team in the majors. The
Blue Jays have struggled inside the A.L. East (6-9) but they’re 11 games
over .500 against the rest of the A.L. The Jays won’t see a division rival for
another three weeks as they begin a four-game series at A.L. West-leading
Texas today before two-plus weeks of interleague games. The Rangers
return home after holding their own against East powerhouses New York
and Boston. Texas took two of three at Fenway Park over the weekend after
losing two of three against the Yankees. Rangers righthander Scott Feldman
will be going for his fourth win in his past four starts tonight.
— Stan McNeal
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 17
Fantasy Focus LEAGUE LEADERS American League Standings
Batting Average Home Runs East W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Waiver-wire pickups New York 33 23 .589 — — 7-3 W-1 17-11 16-12
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Boston 33 24 .579 ½ — 6-4 L-1 18-8 15-16
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Toronto 32 27 .542 2½ 2 5-5 W-1 21-10 11-17
Tampa Bay 29 29 .500 5 4½ 6-4 L-1 16-11 13-18
ISuzuki Seattle .356 Tejada Houston .354 NCruz Texas 17 AdGonzalez San Diego 22 Baltimore 24 33 .421 9½ 9 3-7 L-5 16-13 8-20
MiCabrera Detroit .352 DWright New York .345 CPena Tampa Bay 17 Ibanez Philadelphia 19
Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Youkilis Boston .349 Pence Houston .342 Teixeira New York 17 Pujols St. Louis 18 Detroit 30 25 .545 — — 4-6 W-2 17-11 13-14
AdJones Baltimore .346 Beltran New York .342 Bay Boston 16 Dunn Washington 17 Minnesota 28 30 .483 3½ 5½ 4-6 L-2 21-12 7-18
VMartinez Cleveland .344 Hawpe Colorado .339 Kinsler Texas 15 Howard Philadelphia 17 Chicago 26 30 .464 4½ 6½ 5-5 L-1 14-15 12-15
MYoung Texas .336 Pujols St. Louis .333 Morneau Minnesota 15 Fielder Milwaukee 15 Kansas City 24 32 .429 6½ 8½ 1-9 L-1 15-15 9-17
Cleveland 25 34 .424 7 9 4-6 W-1 12-14 13-20
Morneau Minnesota .335 HaRamirez Florida .332 Dye Chicago 14 Three tied 14
West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Texas 33 23 .589 — — 6-4 W-1 18-9 15-14
Runs Stolen Bases Los Angeles 28 27 .509 4½ 4 5-5 L-2 14-12 14-15
Seattle 28 29 .491 5½ 5 7-3 W-2 16-14 12-15
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Oakland 25 30 .455 7½ 7 7-3 W-6 14-13 11-17
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
Scutaro Toronto 46 Ibanez Philadelphia 46 Crawford Tampa Bay 34 Bourn Houston 19 National League Standings
TONY GUTIERREZ / AP Damon New York 45 Pujols St. Louis 44 Ellsbury Boston 23 DWright New York 14 East W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Oakland SP Josh Outman Pedroia Boston 45 AdGonzalez San Diego 41 Figgins Los Angeles 21 Kemp Los Angeles 13 Philadelphia 33 22 .600 — — 8-2 W-1 12-14 21-8
Crawford Tampa Bay 44 Zimmerman Washington 41 BUpton Tampa Bay 17 Pierre Los Angeles 13 New York 30 25 .545 3 — 5-5 W-1 17-9 13-16
Atlanta 27 28 .491 6 3 4-6 W-1 13-15 14-13
Morneau Minnesota 44 Four tied 39 Abreu Los Angeles 15 Morgan Pittsburgh 12 Florida 27 31 .466 7½ 4½ 5-5 L-1 13-17 14-14
Mike MacDougal, RP, Nationals. BRoberts Baltimore 43 Bartlett Tampa Bay 14 Reynolds Arizona 12 Washington 15 40 .273 18 15 2-8 L-1 9-20 6-20
Washington named MacDougal Three tied 42 Span Minnesota 12 Taveras Cincinnati 12 Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
its new closer after growing tired Milwaukee 33 24 .579 — — 6-4 L-1 16-9 17-15
of Joel Hanrahan’s act. MacDou- RBIs Pitching (6 decisions) St. Louis 31 26 .544 2 — 3-7 L-3 19-14 12-12
Chicago 28 26 .519 3½ 1½ 6-4 W-1 16-10 12-16
gal has a 98-mph heater and A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Cincinnati 29 27 .518 3½ 1½ 3-7 L-1 14-14 15-13
previous experience as a closer in Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Pittsburgh 26 30 .464 6½ 4½ 5-5 L-1 15-11 11-19
Houston 25 30 .455 7 5 7-3 W-1 14-17 11-13
Kansas City. Bay Boston 55 Fielder Milwaukee 54 Halladay Toronto 10-1 .909 Broxton Los Angeles 6-0 1.000
Josh Outman, SP, A’s. If you’re Longoria Tampa Bay 55 Ibanez Philadelphia 54 Greinke Kansas City 8-2 .800 Cain San Francisco 7-1 .875 West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Los Angeles 39 20 .661 — — 5-5 L-1 22-8 17-12
looking to gamble a bit on a Morneau Minnesota 52 Pujols St. Louis 51 Slowey Minnesota 8-2 .800 LiHernandez New York 5-1 .833 San Francisco 29 26 .527 8 1 7-3 W-1 18-9 11-17
Teixeira New York 50 Howard Philadelphia 47 Beckett Boston 6-2 .750 Martis Washington 5-1 .833 San Diego 26 30 .464 11½ 4½ 3-7 L-1 18-11 8-19
two-start pitcher this week,
Kinsler Texas 44 Dunn Washington 44 Verlander Detroit 6-2 .750 JoJohnson Florida 5-1 .833 Arizona 25 32 .439 13 6 5-5 W-1 12-19 13-13
Outman is a good choice. He is TorHunter Los Angeles 43 AdGonzalez San Diego 43 Buehrle Chicago 6-2 .750 Lincecum San Francisco 5-1 .833 Colorado 24 32 .429 13½ 6½ 6-4 W-4 9-14 15-18
3-0 in his past five starts and gets Two tied 42 Three tied 42 Bedard Seattle 5-2 .714 Gallardo Milwaukee 6-2 .750 z-first game was a win
the Twins and Giants. Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)
Ian Stewart, 2B/3B, Rockies. He’s HIts Strikeouts American League The Line
earning more playing time with a A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Detroit (Galarraga 3-6) at Chicago White Sox (Richard 2-1), 2:05 p.m., 1st at ChW -145, Det +135
recent run that included four Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine 4-5) at N.Y. Yankees (Pettitte 5-2), 7:05 p.m. at NYY 160, TB +150
home runs in four games. Plus, AHill Toronto 78 Tejada Houston 80 Verlander Detroit 97 Lincecum San Francisco 95 Toronto (Janssen 1-2) at Texas (Feldman 5-0), 8:05 p.m. at Tex -140, Tor +130
the Rockies might be auditioning VMartinez Cleveland 78 Hudson Los Angeles 73 Greinke Kansas City 91 JVazquez Atlanta 93 Detroit (Bonderman 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Contreras 0-5), 8:11 p.m., 2nd Det -115, at ChW +105
him for if they trade Garrett ISuzuki Seattle 77 Ibanez Philadelphia 72 Halladay Toronto 88 JSantana New York 89 Minnesota (Swarzak 1-2) at Oakland (Outman 3-0), 10:05 p.m. at Oak -130, Min +120
Atkins. Crawford Tampa Bay 75 Zimmerman Washington 72 Lester Boston 85 Billingsley Los Angeles 85
MYoung Texas 74 Four tied 69 FHernandez Seattle 79 Peavy San Diego 84 National League The Line
Jason Jaramillo, C, Pirates. Jaramillo Morneau Minnesota 73 Garza Tampa Bay 68 Haren Arizona 83
continues to do well in Ryan Colorado (Marquis 7-4) at St. Louis (B.Thompson 0-1), 2:15 p.m. at StL -130, Col +120
Two tied 71 Beckett Boston 68 JoJohnson Florida 72
Doumit’s absence and is an under- Pittsburgh (Duke 6-4) at Atlanta (Kawakami 3-6), 7:10 p.m. at Atl -150, Pit +140
the-radar talent at a dull fantasy Doubles Saves San Francisco (Ra.Johnson 5-4) at Florida (West 0-1), 7:10 p.m. at Fla -110, SF +100
Arizona (Garland 4-5) at San Diego (Peavy 5-6), 10:05 p.m. at SD -170 Ari +160
position. A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L.
— George Winkler TUESDAY’S GAMES National League
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team American League Cincinnati at Washington, 7:05 p.m.
Lind Toronto 21 Tejada Houston 21 Fuentes Los Angeles 15 Bell San Diego 16 Kansas City at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m. Philadelphia at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.
MYoung Texas 21 AdLaRoche Pittsburgh 19 Papelbon Boston 14 FrRodriguez New York 15 Seattle at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
MORE COVERAGE Longoria Tampa Bay 20 HaRamirez Florida 19 MaRivera New York 13 BWilson San Francisco 15 L.A. Angels at Tampa Bay, 7:08 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Boston, 7:10 p.m.
St. Louis at Florida, 7:10 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at Houston, 8:05 p.m.
Byrd Texas 19 FSanchez Pittsburgh 19 Jenks Chicago 13 Hoffman Milwaukee 15
Get everything you need to Callaspo Kansas City 18 Beltran New York 18 FFrancisco Texas 12 Cordero Cincinnati 14 Toronto at Texas, 8:05 p.m. Colorado at Milwaukee, 8:05 p.m.
dominate your fantasy league at Detroit at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 p.m. San Francisco at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.
Scutaro Toronto 18 Rowand San Francisco 18 Nathan Minnesota 11 Four tied 13 Minnesota at Oakland, 10:05 p.m. San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.
sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball Four tied 17 Hudson Los Angeles 17 Sherrill Baltimore 11
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 18
Disabled list Seattle Florida
Attendance report Streaks Through June 7
Through June 5 RHP Roy Corcoran, April 29 SS Alfredo Amezaga, May 17
Through June 7 LHP Ryan Feierabend-x, March 15 LHP Renyel Pinto, May 23
LHP Cesar Jimenez-x, March 29 RHP Scott Proctor-x March 27
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE AMERICAN LEAGUE
C Kenji Johjima, May 26
Baltimore
RHP Shawn Kelley, May 6 Houston
AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING BATTING OF Luis Montanez, May 23
RHP Dennis Sarfate, May 2 LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, April 11 3B Aaron Boone-x March 27
Longest current batting streak ... 13, Longest current batting streak ... 17, RHP Alfredo Simon, April 15 RHP Carlos Silva, May 7 RHP Doug Brocail, May 4
RHP Koji Uehara, May 24 RHP Geoff Geary, May 14
HOME GAMES ROAD GAMES Overbay, Tor, May 20 to June 7. Rowand, SF, May 20 to June 7. Tampa Bay 2B Kazuo Matsui, May 30
DATES TOTAL AVG DATES TOTAL AVG Longest batting streak, season ... 27, Longest batting streak, season ... Boston SS Jason Bartlett, May 25 RHP Jose Valverde, April 27
Suzuki, Sea, May 6 to June 3. 30, Zimmerman, Was, April 8 to May 12. RHP Miguel Gonzalez-x, March RHP Chad Bradford, March 27
Baltimore 29 650,503 22,431 28 711,443 25,409 OF Pat Burrell, May 11 Los Angeles
27
Boston 26 982,345 37,783 31 970,342 31,301 SS Jed Lowrie, April 12 INF Akinori Iwamura-x, May 25 LHP Hong-Chih Kuo, April 30
PITCHING PITCHING RHP John Smoltz, March 27 LHP Scott Kazmir, May 21 1B Doug Mienkiewicz-x, April 17
Chicago White Sox 29 735,361 25,357 27 650,339 24,087 Longest current winning streak ... 7, Longest current winning streak ... 5, RHP Troy Percival, May 22 LHP Will Ohman, May 28
Cleveland 26 584,989 22,500 33 929,487 28,166 Halladay, Tor, April 26 to June 7. Billingsley, LAD, April 8 to May 3; Cain, SF, Chicago CF Fernando Perez-x, March 27 OF Xanvier Paul, May 21
OF Carlos Quentin, May 26 C Shawn Riggans, April 10 RHP Jason Schmidt, March 30
Detroit 28 795,724 28,419 27 777,488 28,796 Longest winning streak, season ... 7, May 7 to June 4. LHP Brian Shouse, May 25 LHP Eric Stults, May 31
Kansas City 30 672,393 22,413 26 671,237 25,817 Halladay, Tor, April 26 to June 7 (current). Longest winning streak, season ... 6, Cleveland RHP Claudio Vargas-x, April 6
. Broxton, LAD, April 15 to June 5. RHP Rafael Betancourt, June 1 Texas
L.A. Angels 26 1,051,033 40,424 29 862,381 29,737 INF Asdrubal Cabrera, June 3 RHP Joaquin Benoit-x, April 5 Milwaukee
TEAM RHP William Eyre-x, April 23 RHP David Riske, April 10
Minnesota 33 856,387 25,951 25 732,863 29,315 LHP Aaron Laffey, May 23
Longest current winning streak ... 6, TEAM LHP Scott Lewis-x, April 11 OF Josh Hamilton, June 1 2B Rickie Weeks, May 18
N.Y. Yankees 28 1,253,408 44,765 28 922,362 32,942 OAK, June 2 to June 7. Longest current winning streak ... 4, RHP Anthony Reyes-x, May 23 LHP Matt Harrison, May 26
Longest current home-win streak COL, June 4 to June 7. OF Grady Sizemore, May 31 RHP Eric Hurley-x, April 5 New York
Oakland 27 478,962 17,739 28 714,048 25,502 RHP Dustin Nippert-x, March 27 OF Ryan Church, May 23
RHP Joe Smith, April 29
Seattle 30 811,354 27,045 27 723,551 26,798 ... 3, OAK, June 5 to June 7; T-B, June 2 to Longest current home-win streak ... RHP Jake Westbrook-x, March 26 INF Alex Cora, May 18
June 4. 3, MIL, May 29 to May 31; PHL, May 29 to Toronto 1B Carlos Delgado, May 11
Tampa Bay 27 628,746 23,287 31 790,885 25,512 Detroit C Michael Barrett, April 18 INF Ramon Martinez, June 3
Longest current road-win streak ... May 31; PIT, June 1 to June 4. RHP Jesse Litsch, April 14 OF Angel Pagan, June 1
Texas 27 705,366 26,125 29 819,375 28,254 4, BOS, May 31 to June 4. Longest current road-win streak ... RHP Jeremy Bonderman, March 30
SS Carlos Guillen, May 5 RHP Shaun Marcum, March 27 LHP Oliver Perez, May 3
Toronto 31 713,301 23,010 28 643,425 22,979 Longest current losing streak ... 5, 4, COL, June 4 to June 7. OF Marcus Thames, April 19 RHP Dustin McGowan, March 27 RHP J.J. Putz-x, June 5
BAL, June 2 to June 7. Longest current losing streak ... 3, C Matt Treanor-x, April 24 RHP Robert Ray, May 22 SS Jose Reyes, May 21
AL Totals 397 10,919,872 27,506 397 10,919,226 27,504 LHP Billy Wagner, March 27
Longest current home-loss streak ... STL, June 5 to June 7. NATIONAL LEAGUE
Kansas City Arizona Philadelphia
4, K-C, May 27 to May 31. Longest current home-loss streak ... SS Mike Aviles, May 24
Longest current road-loss streak ... 3, STL, June 5 to June 7. C John Buck, May 31 1B Tony Clark, May 5 RHP Brett Myers, May 28.
RHP Tom Gordon, May 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE 9, TOR, May 19 to May 27. Longest current road-loss streak ... 3B Alex Gordon, April 16
RHP Sidney Ponson, May 30 1B Conor Jackson, May 12 Pittsburgh
Longest winning streak, season ... 6, WAS, May 25 to May 31. RHP Robinson Tejeda, May 21 RHP Yusmeiro Petit, May 9 C Ryan Doumit, April 20
HOME GAMES ROAD GAMES 11, BOS, April 15 to April 27. Longest winning streak, season ... RHP Doug Waechter, April 18 1B Chad Tracy, May 30 LHP Phil Dumatrait-x, March 27
RHP Brandon Webb, April 7 RHP Craig Hansen, April 20
DATES TOTAL AVG DATES TOTAL AVG Longest home-win streak, season ... 10, S-D, May 15 to May 25. LHP Donnie Veal, May 30
9, BOS, April 17 to April 26. Longest home-win streak, season ...
Los Angeles Atlanta RHP Tyler Yates, May 16
Arizona 31 833,320 26,881 26 682,993 26,269 RHP Kelvim Escobar-x, April 4
Longest road-win streak, season ... 13, LAD, April 13 to May 6. RHP Shane Loux, May 17 RHP Jorge Campillo, June 3
Atlanta 28 701,568 25,056 27 815,578 30,207 6, SEA, April 9 to April 25. Longest road-win streak, season ... RHP Dustin Moseley, April 18 RHP Buddy Carlyle, May 26 St. Louis
C Robert Shields, May 27 RHP Tim Hudson-x, Feb. 24 LHP Jaime Garcia, March 27
Chicago Cubs 26 1,027,754 39,529 28 1,043,395 37,264 Longest losing streak, season ... 9, 6, FLA, April 14 to April 19. SS Omar Infante, May 21 3B Troy Glaus, March 27
Cincinnati 28 656,700 23,454 28 807,183 28,828 TOR, May 19 to May 27. Longest losing streak, season ... 8, Minnesota LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, May 21 SS Khalil Greene, May 28
Longest home-loss streak, season ... CHC, May 17 to May 25; PIT, May 3 to May RHP Boof Bonser, March 27
Colorado 23 634,059 27,568 33 943,944 28,604 RHP Pat Neshek-x, Feb. 21 Chicago San Diego
6, DET, May 23 to June 5. 10. RHP Chad Fox, May 10 RHP Mike Adams-x, April 1
Florida 30 499,401 16,647 28 853,298 30,475 LHP Glen Perkins, May 19
Longest road-loss streak, season ... Longest home-loss streak, season ... INF Nick Punto, May 28 INF-OF Ryan Freel, May 28 RHP Cha Seung Baek-x, March 30
Houston 31 894,089 28,842 25 596,628 23,865 9, MIN, May 5 to May 20; TOR, May 19 to 7, WAS, May 15 to May 20. RHP Rich Harden, May 18 SS Everth Cabrera-x, April 20
New York 2B Aaron Miles, May 26 OF Scott Hairston, June 3
L.A. Dodgers 30 1,283,101 42,770 29 941,998 32,483 May 27. Longest road-loss streak, season ... 3B Aramis Ramirez, May 9 RHP Shawn Hill, April 26
RHP Brian Bruney, May 20
Milwaukee 25 934,730 37,389 32 912,867 28,527 11, S-D, April 29 to May 14. LHP Damaso Marte, April 26 2B Luis Rodriguez, May 14
C Jose Molina, May 8 Cincinnati RHP Mark Worrell-x, April 1
N.Y. Mets 26 1,014,435 39,017 29 916,799 31,614 3B Edwin Encarnacion, April 28
OF Xavier Nady, April 15
Philadelphia 26 1,130,426 43,478 29 910,396 31,393 SS Bryan Ransom-x, April 25 RHP Edinson Volquez, June 2 San Francisco
1B Joey Votto, May 29 LHP Noah Lowry-x, March 26
Pittsburgh 26 431,288 16,588 30 916,419 30,547 Oakland RHP Joseph Martinez-x, April 10
San Diego 29 727,466 25,085 27 931,603 34,504 OF Travis Buck, May 30 Colorado
3B Eric Chavez-x, April 25 INF Jeff Baker-x, April 27 Washington
San Francisco 27 922,521 34,167 28 797,246 28,473 RHP Joey Devine-x, April 4 RHP Taylor Buchholz-x, March 27 CF Roger Bernadina-x, April 19
RHP Justin Duchscherer-x, RHP Matt Daley, May 18 LHP Matt Chico-x, March 27
St. Louis 33 1,324,755 40,144 24 658,518 27,438 LHP Jeffrey Francis-x, March 27 C Jesus Flores, May 10
March 27
Washington 30 601,640 20,055 26 889,034 34,194 2B Mark Ellis-x, April 29 C Chris Iannetta, May 24 LHP Scott Olsen, May 17
SS Nomar Garciaparra, May 24 LHP Franklin Morales, April 22 RHP Kip Wells, June 2
NL Totals 449 13,617,253 30,328 449 13,617,899 30,329 RHP Ryan Speier, April 19 1B Dmitri Young, April 1
RHP Dan Giese-x, May 16
MLB Totals 846 24,537,125 29,004 846 24,537,125 29,004 RHP Terrell Young, March 27
(x-60-day; all others are 15-day)
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 19
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto 4, Kansas City 0 N.Y. Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 3

‘It’s scary what he can do:’ Halladay wins No. 10 This time, Rivera gets his man
TORONTO—Lyle Overbay hears about Blue Jays 4, Royals 0 NEW YORK—A day after one of his Yankees 4, Rays 3
Kansas City AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Tampa Bay AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
how great Roy Halladay is every time an worst outings, Mariano Rivera B.Upton cf 4 0 1 1 0 0 .221
DeJesus lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .232
opposing batter happens to make it to Bloomquist ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .273 was right where he wanted to be: Crawford lf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .323
Butler 1b 4 0 1 0 0 3 .281 W.Aybar 3b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .250
first against the Toronto ace. back on the mound. C.Pena 1b 3 1 1 0 0 1 .223
Jacobs dh 4 0 2 0 0 0 .240
“Day in and day out, everybody that J.Guillen rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .255 Unlike Saturday, when his man- Zobrist 2b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .296
Teahen 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .275 Joyce rf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .207
gets on first base says he’s the best,” ager ordered him to walk Evan Gross dh 4 0 1 2 0 1 .255
Callaspo 2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .293
Overbay said. “The Yankees, the Red Olivo c 3 0 0 0 0 2 .236 Longoria, Rivera got his chance to Navarro c 3 0 1 0 0 1 .206
Maier cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .234 a-Longoria ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .320
Sox, they’re like ‘It’s not fair.’ face Tampa Bay’s slugger, this time Brignac ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 .222
Totals 33 0 7 0 0 6
“I’m glad I’m on his side, not the other with two outs in the ninth inning Totals 33 3 6 3 1 9
side.” Toronto AB R H BI BB SO Avg. and a one-run lead to protect.
Scutaro ss 3 1 1 0 1 1 .297 New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Halladay pitched a seven-hitter to A.Hill 2b 2 2 1 2 1 0 .311 And the outcome was more Jeter ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .307
Rios rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .267 Damon lf 4 1 2 0 0 1 .300
become the first 10-game winner in the familiar. Rivera got Longoria to Teixeira 1b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .286
V.Wells cf 3 0 1 1 0 0 .254
major leagues and the Toronto Blue Jays Lind dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 .309 ground meekly to second, clos- A.Rodriguez 3b 3 1 1 0 1 0 .255
Overbay 1b 3 1 2 1 1 0 .302 Cano 2b 3 0 0 1 1 1 .300
beat the Kansas City Royals 4-0 on ing out the New York Yankees’ Posada c 4 0 1 1 0 0 .306
Barajas c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .281
Sunday. Bautista 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .264 4-3, come-from-behind victory H.Matsui dh 4 0 0 1 0 0 .249
Inglett lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .125 1-Berroa pr-dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 .133
Aaron Hill and Overbay homered for over the Rays on Sunday for his Swisher rf 2 1 1 1 2 0 .250
Totals 30 4 9 4 3 3
Toronto, which won the rubber game of 495th career save. Gardner cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .265
the weekend series. Kansas City 000 000 000 — 0 7 0 “I guess Mo was right,” Yan- Me.Cabrera cf-rf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .303
Toronto 112 000 00x — 4 9 0 Totals 31 4 6 4 5 4
Halladay (10-1) needed just 97 pitches kees manager Joe Girardi said.
to record his 43rd career complete game LOB: Kansas City 6, Toronto 7. HR: Overbay (7), off Nick Swisher hit the 100th Tampa Bay 001 002 000 — 3 6 1
Davies; A.Hill (13), off Davies. RBIs: A.Hill 2 (40), V.Wells New York 001 000 03x — 4 6 1
and 12th career shutout. He was coming (28), Overbay (31). SB: Teahen (2), Scutaro (6), Rios 2 home run at the new Yankee
off a career-high 133 pitches in a com- (7). SF: V.Wells. Runners left in scoring position: Stadium, helping Girardi earn a-grounded out for Navarro in the 9th. 1-ran for
Kansas City 4 (Callaspo, Teahen, Maier 2); Toronto 4 H.Matsui in the 8th. E: W.Aybar (3), Posada (3). LOB:
plete-game victory over the Los Angeles (Lind, Barajas, Rios, Bautista). DP: Kansas City 1 (Cal- his 200th win as a manager. Tampa Bay 5, New York 8. 2B: B.Upton (11), Damon
Angels in his last start. laspo, Bloomquist, Butler); Toronto 1 (Bautista, A.Hill, Alfredo Aceves (4-1) pitched two (14). HR: Swisher (11), off Garza. RBIs: B.Upton (15),
Overbay). Gross 2 (16), Cano (34), Posada (27), H.Matsui (23),
The righthander allowed just seven scoreless innings in New York’s Swisher (33). SB: Gross (3). CS: Brignac (2). Runners
singles while winning his seventh Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA major league-leading 20th left in scoring position: Tampa Bay 5 (Gross, W.Aybar,
Davies L, 2-6 8 9 4 4 3 3 126 5.13 B.Upton, Navarro 2); New York 6 (H.Matsui, Teixeira 3,
straight decision. He struck out six and Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA comeback victory this season. Me.Cabrera 2).
walked none to win back-to-back com- Halladay W, 10-1 9 7 0 0 0 6 97 2.52 “It’s the comeback kids,” Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
plete games for the first time since May HBP: by Davies (A.Hill). Umpires: Home, Bob David- Swisher said. “In a sense it just Garza 5 4 1 1 2 2 96 3.55
son; First, Jeff Nelson; Second, Mark Carlson; Third, Tim J.Nelson H, 5 2 0 0 0 0 1 19 5.55
8 and May 13, 2006. DARREN CALABRESE / AP feels like that. When we get in Balfour L, 2-1 H, 8 1⁄3 2 3 2 1 0 19 6.31
Tschida. T: 2:09. A: 21,071 (49,539).
“There’s a reason why he’s 10-1,” Kan- Roy Halladay threw his second straight complete game win and tallies his MLB-leading 10th victory. those situations we hunker down Howell BS, 5-7 2⁄3 0 0 0 2 1 15 2.17
New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
sas City’s Billy Butler said “He does it and really, really get after the guy.” Chamberlain 6 5 3 3 1 4 100 3.79
year in and year out.” Halladay’s only trouble came in the Kansas City didn’t have another bas- Rivera was upset after being Aceves W, 4-1 2 1 0 0 0 4 33 2.70
Ma.Rivera S, 13-14 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 3.33
Halladay, the 2003 A.L. Cy Young seventh, when the Royals loaded the erunner the rest of the way. forced to intentionally walk
Award winner, has gone at least seven bases with one out on singles by Mike “After that, it was nasty, nasty,” Roy- Longoria to face B.J. Upton in the Inherited runners-scored: Howell 3-3. HBP: by
Chamberlain (C.Pena). Umpires: Home, Scott Barry;
innings in all 13 of his starts and has not lost Jacobs, Mark Teahen and Alberto Cal- als manager Trey Hillman said. Rays’ four-run ninth inning of a First, Ted Barrett; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Adrian
since April 21, when Texas beat him 5-4. laspo. Halladay got out of it quickly, Kansas City, which snapped an eight- 9-7 victory Saturday. On Sunday, Johnson. T: 3:13. A: 46,465 (52,325).
“It’s the best run support I’ve had, striking out Miguel Olivo on three game losing streak by beating Toronto on however, he said he didn’t sec-
that’s for sure, and that makes a huge pitches and getting Mitch Maier on a Saturday, lost for the 21st time in 27 games. ond-guess his manager.
difference,” Halladay said. “There were first-pitch grounder. Overbay extended his hitting streak “You can’t come to a game
games early on where I didn’t necessar- “He can dominate,” Overbay said. to 13 games with a towering solo homer angry or with too much venom.
ily pitch great and we scored enough “You see him with the bases loaded and in the second that bounced off the cen- Then you are not in control of
runs. It makes a huge difference and lets one out, he just stepped it up a whole ter-field restaurant. what you are doing,” Rivera said.
you get into the swing of things.” other notch. It’s scary what he can do.” — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 20
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Texas 6, Boston 3 Q&A with ... Texas RF Nelson Cruz

Cruz, Rangers find their bats ‘This is my season to shine’

These are the best of times for Rangers day like this would ever come?
right fielder Nelson Cruz, who before 2008
Rangers 6, Red Sox 3
Texas
Kinsler 2b
AB R
5 0
H
1
BI
0
BB
0
SO
1
Avg.
.274
had never hit above .235 in the major
leagues. He’s well above that now, hitting
.292, with a career-high 17 home runs and
A: I knew it was going to
come. Like I said, I just
knew I had to be patient. I knew I
M.Young 3b 5 2 2 1 0 1 .336
Blalock dh 4 0 0 0 0 3 .253 42 RBIs. That sort of production from a had the ability to be successful in WINSLOW TOWNSON / AP
N.Cruz rf 4 3 3 1 0 1 .292 journeyman player has made him a fantasy the major leagues. I always had
Dav.Murphy lf 4 1 3 2 0 0 .250 Rangers OF Nelson Cruz, right, has broken
favorite. It also has helped to propel the pretty good numbers in the
Byrd cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .294 out after years in the minor leagues.
C.Davis 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .202 Rangers into first place in the A.L. West and
succeed despite the loss of power-hitting minors. I guess the scouts looked
Teagarden c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .220
Vizquel ss
Totals

Boston
4 0
38 6

AB R
2
12

H
1
5

BI
0
0

BB
0
10

SO
.345

Avg.
outfielder Josh Hamilton. Sporting News
Today’s Bill Eichenberger recently talked
with Cruz about his sudden transformation
at that. Maybe that’s why I got
traded so much. I don’t know. I
just know to get there I had to take
A: It’s always fun when the team
wins. Everything’s great.

Pedroia 2b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .318 before a recent game at Yankee Stadium.

Ellsbury cf
Baldelli rf
Youkilis 1b
3
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
.302
.259
.349 Q: What are the reasons
the right approach.
Q: Have you noticed
whether the fans in
Bay lf
Lowell 3b
D.Ortiz dh
2
4
4
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
1
2
.277
.296
.197
start?
behind your incredible
Q: What’s it been like hitting
in the middle of such a
Texas have gotten on board
with this team? Have you guys
Varitek c
Kotsay rf-cf
N.Green ss
2
3
3
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
.247
.286
.271
A: I’ve been working with
(hitting coach) Rudy
(Jaromillo), paying attention to the
high-powered lineup like this one?
There are people who think it is
maybe the best in all of baseball.
knocked the Cowboys off the
front page of the sports
section these days?
Totals 28 3 4 2 5 7

Texas’ David Murphy, left, slides past Red Sox C Jason Varitek for a second-inning run.
WINSLOW TOWNSON / AP Texas
Boston
112 010 100 —
002 100 000 —
6 12 1
3 4 0
basics. I’m just trying to be
consistent at the plate and keep
the same approach.
A: It’s been great. We have
great hitters. (Josh)
Hamilton, Michael Young, Ian
A: The fans, they go out to the
ballpark and support us
every day. And that means a lot to us.
E: Kinsler (5). LOB: Texas 5, Boston 3. 2B: Kinsler (13), Kinsler, Andruw Jones. I could Almost every day the stadium is full.
N.Cruz (12), Dav.Murphy (6), Youkilis (15). 3B: N.Cruz
BOSTON—Nelson Cruz and the Texas
Rangers found their offense one day
after Jon Lester took it away.
out,” Washington said. “When he did have
to make pitches and he made them over the
plate, we put them in play.”
(1). HR: M.Young (8), off Matsuzaka; N.Cruz (17), off
Okajima; Kotsay (1), off Padilla. RBIs: M.Young (22),
N.Cruz (42), Dav.Murphy 2 (12), Vizquel (7), Ellsbury
(16), Kotsay (1). CS: Bay (1), D.Ortiz (2). Runners left
Q: There has to be more to
it than that. You seem to
have found the secret to
just keep going and going. It’s
amazing really. I’ve learned a lot
just watching the way they all hit. Q: In your mind, what role
has Hall of Famer
Cruz led a 12-hit attack with a dou- The Rangers won a series against the in scoring position: Texas 2 (Kinsler, C.Davis); Boston 2 succeeding in the major Nolan Ryan played in the
(Lowell 2). DP: Texas 1 (Kinsler, Vizquel, C.Davis).
ble, triple and homer, helping the
Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 6-3
on Sunday and bounce back from Les-
Red Sox at Fenway Park for the first
time since a three-game sweep in
August 1997. They were 0-12-3 in their
Texas
Padilla W, 4-3
O’Day H, 5
IP
7
1
H
4
0
R ER BB SO
3 2 4 4
0 0 0 2
NP ERA
99 5.22
11 1.00
leagues relatively late in your
career. What’s turned things
around for you?
Q: Is this team going to be
able to sustain the level
of play that has them in first
revival of this franchise since
he became team president a
little more than a year ago?
C.Wilson S, 5-6 1 0 0 0 1 1 12 3.33
ter’s 6 1/3 innings of perfect pitching.
“I’m very glad with how the guys
recovered,” Texas manager Ron Wash-
last 15 series at Boston and 1-9 in their
last 10 road games against the Red Sox
before Sunday’s win.
Boston
Matsuzaka L, 1-4
Masterson
IP
5 2⁄3
2⁄3
H
10
1
R ER BB SO
5 5 0 8
0 0 0 0
NP ERA
102 7.33
10 4.14
A: I mean, God has just
blessed me. I’ve just been
waiting for this moment, the right
place in the A.L. West?

A: When this season started, I

ington said. “You learn from the day
before and you go out there and it’s a
different challenge every day.”
Michael Young got the Rangers off to
a fast start with a solo homer off
Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first inning.
Young also had Texas’ first hit Satur-
day night, but that double didn’t come
until the seventh inning of Boston’s 8-1
win as Lester tossed a two-hitter.
was asked the same ques-
A: He brings with him a
winner’s mindset. He
encourages us to be tough and do
Okajima 2⁄3 1 1 1 0 1 11 2.55
Cruz, playing at Fenway for the first R.Ramirez 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 1.30 moment. When I would get sent tion, and I told those guys to just whatever it takes to win. He does
time, went 0-for-8 with two strikeouts Papelbon 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 2.16 down to the minors, my family watch us play in spring training. that not just for the pitchers, but
in the first two games, then had three Inherited runners-scored: Masterson 1-0. WP: would always say that I was there We won then and it’s been like that for the position players as well.
straight extra-base hits after striking Matsuzaka. Umpires: Home, Tim Timmons; First, Rob for a reason. Last year was my ever since. We play smart baseball
Drake; Second, Jeff Kellogg; Third, Ron Kulpa. T: 2:49. A:
out in his first at-bat in the series finale.
“It was tough the first couple of
games,” said Cruz, whose 17th homer
37,537 (37,373). time to be called up and this is my
season to shine.
and have put all the pieces together
to win games, whether we need
pitching, defense or offense.
Q: Is he pretty visible? Is
he in the clubhouse a
lot? Does he talk regularly to
of the season went far over the Green
Monster. “Mikey (Young) and Ian
(Kinsler) told me it was the same thing
Q: Was there ever a point
when you were being
traded from one team to Q: Has this season and the
success you and this team
the players?

A: He’s always around. He

shakes your hand. It means
“Michael got us on the board early and for them.” another when you got have had been as much fun as a lot. It’s great having someone like
from that point we just waited (Matsuzaka) — The Associated Press discouraged and wondered if a you anticipated it would be? him to talk to.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 21
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle 4, Minnesota 2 Detroit 9, L.A. Angels 6 Oakland 3, Baltimore 0

Burke bails out Mariners Thomas’ slam sustains Tigers A’s rookies continue to shine
SEATTLE—Jamie Burke walked Mariners 4, Twins 2 Tigers 9, Angels 6 OAKLAND—The last-place Oak- Athletics 3, Orioles 0
Minnesota AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Baltimore AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
into the Seattle Mariners’ club- Span lf-cf 4 1 2 0 1 0 .300 Figgins 3b 5 1 2 1 0 0 .308 land Athletics are on quite a Ad.Jones cf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .346
house Sunday morning and Mauer c 5 1 1 0 0 1 .410 Abreu rf 4 1 1 0 1 0 .293 roll. In particular, their rookie Reimold lf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .280
Morneau dh 5 0 1 1 0 1 .335 Guerrero dh 5 1 1 0 0 2 .253 Markakis rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .286
was greeted by smiling team- Crede 3b 3 0 1 1 1 1 .237 K.Morales 1b 4 2 1 0 1 0 .273 pitchers. Scott dh 4 0 0 0 0 2 .319
mates happy to see the 37-year- 1-Tolbert pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .177 J.Rivera lf 5 1 3 3 0 0 .303 Vin Mazzaro pitched into the Mora 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .266
Kubel rf-lf 4 0 0 0 1 0 .304 Matthews Jr. cf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .246 Salazar 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .000
old catcher back in the majors. Cuddyer 1b-rf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .275 E.Aybar ss 4 0 2 1 0 0 .283 eighth inning, Jason Giambi Wieters c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .143
What he did on the field had B.Harris ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .284 J.Mathis c 1 0 0 0 2 1 .218 drew a bases-loaded walk in Wigginton 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .221
Gomez cf 2 0 1 0 1 0 .224 a-M.Izturis ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .261 a-B.Roberts ph-2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .279
them all standing and a-Buscher ph-1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .205 Napoli c 0 0 0 0 0 0 .264 the first and the A’s beat the Andino ss 3 0 2 0 0 1 .245
cheering. A.Casilla 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .185 Kendrick 2b 3 0 1 1 1 0 .229 Baltimore Orioles 3-0 on Sun- Totals 32 0 5 0 2 6
Totals 34 2 8 2 6 6 Totals 36 6 11 6 6 5
Often praised by Mariners day for their season-high sixth Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
pitchers for his ability to call a Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Avg. straight win. O.Cabrera ss 4 1 1 0 0 1 .236
I.Suzuki rf 4 0 2 0 1 1 .356 Granderson cf 4 1 0 0 1 2 .264 Kennedy 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .339
game, Burke showed his bat Branyan 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 .322 Polanco 2b 4 1 1 0 1 0 .252 “This is an awesome feeling,” Cust rf 3 1 0 0 1 0 .239
can occasionally provide a Beltre 3b 4 1 2 0 0 0 .246 Ordonez rf 4 2 1 0 1 1 .280 Mazzaro said. Cunningham rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .163
Griffey Jr. dh 3 0 0 0 2 1 .219 J.Anderson lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .269 Holliday lf 3 1 0 0 1 0 .287
spark, too. He singled in his Jo.Lopez 2b 5 1 3 2 0 0 .236 DUANE BURLESON / AP
Mi.Cabrera 1b 1 1 0 0 2 1 .352 After Adam Jones led off the Giambi dh 2 0 0 1 1 0 .217
first at-bat since being called up Cedeno ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 .154 Clete Thomas’ eighth-inning grand slam was the Tigers’ only hit in the 1-Thomas pr-lf-rf 2 1 1 4 0 0 .248 game with a single, Mazzaro K.Suzuki c 2 0 0 1 0 0 .280
En.Chavez lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .271 last four innings and broke open a tie game. Thames dh 5 1 2 0 0 1 .261 Crosby 1b 3 0 0 1 0 0 .198
from Class AAA Tacoma and J.Burke c 4 1 2 1 0 1 .176 Inge 3b 4 0 1 2 0 1 .277 (2-0) retired 15 of the next 16 Hannahan 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .173
added a solo homer off Minne- F.Gutierrez cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .262 Raburn lf-1b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .250 Orioles hitters—an impressive R.Davis cf 2 0 0 0 1 0 .211
Totals 35 4 12 4 5 6 Laird c 1 0 1 0 2 0 .234 G.Petit 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .241
sota Twins starter Kevin DETROIT—The Detroit bases. Everett ss 3 1 1 2 1 0 .264
showing for his second career Totals 26 3 2 3 4 2
Slowey in Seattle’s 4-2 victory. Minnesota 000 020 000 — 2 8 0 Tigers got one hit in the Placido Polanco flied out Totals 31 9 8 8 9 6 start and first at home.
Seattle 101 020 00x — 4 12 0 Baltimore 000 000 000 — 0 5 0
“It was nice to see him this final four innings Sunday. to shallow center, and Los Angeles 300 001 011 — 6 11 1
The 22-year-old righthander Oakland 300 000 00x — 3 2 1
morning,” Mariners pitcher a-flied out for Gomez in the 8th. 1-ran for Crede in That was all they needed. Raburn bluffed an attempt Detroit 202 000 05x — 9 8 1 was called up last Tuesday to
the 9th. LOB: Minnesota 12, Seattle 13. 2B: Mauer a-struck out for Wigginton in the 8th. E: Kennedy
Erik Bedard said. “He came (9), B.Harris (9), Jo.Lopez (12). HR: Branyan (13), off Clete Thomas’ eighth- to score. Gary Matthews a-was intentionally walked for J.Mathis in the 8th.
make his major league debut (6). LOB: Baltimore 7, Oakland 4. RBIs: Giambi (31),
here this morning and he was Slowey; Jo.Lopez (6), off Slowey; J.Burke (1), off Slowey. inning grand slam—the Jr. threw toward the plate 1-ran for Mi.Cabrera in the 4th. E: K.Morales (4), and earned the win against the K.Suzuki (19), Crosby (12). SB: O.Cabrera (2). Runners
RBIs: Morneau (52), Crede (24), Branyan (26), Jo.Lopez Porcello (1). LOB: Los Angeles 9, Detroit 8. 2B: Abreu left in scoring position: Baltimore 4 (Scott 2, Marka-
catching right off the bat.” 2 (31), J.Burke (1). CS: Cedeno (2). SF: Crede. Runners first of his career—broke but the ball was misplayed (11), K.Morales (14), J.Rivera 2 (10), E.Aybar (10). HR:
White Sox in Chicago. This kis, Wieters); Oakland 2 (G.Petit 2).
Jose Lopez and Russell Bran- left in scoring position: Minnesota 5 (Crede, A.Casilla open a tie game after the by the cutoff man, Morales, Figgins (1), off Porcello; J.Rivera (6), off Porcello; Thomas time, he left to a standing ova-
2, Span, Kubel); Seattle 8 (Cedeno, Branyan, En.Chavez, (4), off Bulger. RBIs: Figgins (15), J.Rivera 3 (25), Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
yan also homered for the Mari- Griffey Jr. 2, J.Burke, Jo.Lopez 2). Tigers took advantage of a allowing Raburn to score E.Aybar (14), Kendrick (22), Thomas 4 (17), Inge 2 (37),
tion when he walked off the R.Hill L, 2-1 2⁄3 1 3 3 4 0 39 5.24
ners, who took two of three key error by first baseman the tying run. Everett 2 (20). SB: E.Aybar (2). S: Laird. Runners left mound in the eighth following Bass 4 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 50 3.49
Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA in scoring position: Los Angeles 6 (Kendrick, J.Mathis, Albers 2 0 0 0 0 2 21 4.79
from Minnesota and have won Slowey L, 8-2 4 2⁄3 10 4 4 2 2 94 4.21 Kendry Morales in a 9-6 “Raburn’s a heck of a Guerrero, Figgins 2, Matthews Jr.); Detroit 3 (Raburn,
Robert Andino’s one-out Ji.Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 3.10
three consecutive series. Lopez Dickey 2 1⁄3 1 0 0 1 3 39 2.86 victory over the Los Ange- player and he’s got good Ordonez, Granderson). DP: Detroit 2 (Polanco, Everett, single. Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Crain 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 17 7.27 Mi.Cabrera), (Everett, Polanco, Raburn). Mazzaro W, 2-0 7 1⁄3 5 0 0 0 4 105 0.00
finished with three hits, includ- Mijares 0 0 0 0 1 0 6 2.50 les Angels. legs, so he drew that throw,” “I was definitely more Wuertz H, 7 1⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 7 2.39
ing an RBI double. Ayala 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 4 3.96 “That’s the situation that Tigers manager Jim Ley- Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA relaxed,” Mazzaro said. “That Breslow H, 5 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 4.76
Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Saunders 6 7 4 4 5 5 112 3.94 A.Bailey S, 4-7 1 0 0 0 1 2 19 1.98
Burke was designated for Bedard W, 5-2 5 4 2 2 4 4 101 2.47 every kid dreams about,” land said. “That’s how to Arredondo L, 1-3 1 1⁄3 0 2 2 2 1 24 5.55 first game really helped.”
assignment by the Mariners on Batista H, 6 1 1 0 0 1 0 19 3.62 Thomas said. “You want to make things happen.” Bulger BS, 2-2 2⁄3 1 3 3 2 0 21 5.25 With only two hits, Oakland Inherited runners-scored: Bass 3-0, Wuertz 1-0,
Olson H, 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 21 4.39 Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Breslow 2-0. HBP: by R.Hill (K.Suzuki). Umpires:
May 1 and sent outright to the M.Lowe H, 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 16 4.18 hit a grand slam to win a Angels manager Mike Porcello 5 5 4 4 3 2 84 3.98 matched its longest winning Home, Bruce Dreckman; First, Paul Emmel; Second, Gary
minors on May 5 after clearing White S, 1-2 1 1 0 0 1 1 23 1.53 game. That’s as good as it Scioscia said Morales Perry BS, 1-1 1 3 0 0 0 2 25 3.13 streak against the Orioles at Darling; Third, Bill Hohn. T: 2:13. A: 17,208 (35,067).
Seay 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 5 5.06
waivers. With starting catcher Mijares pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited run- gets.” should have just let the Zumaya W, 2-0 1 2⁄3 1 1 1 3 1 31 2.89 eight games and earned a three-
Kenji Johjima on the disabled list ners-scored: Mijares 2-0, Ayala 3-0. HBP: by Slowey The Angels led 5-4 going throw go through to Rodney 1 2 1 1 0 0 23 3.75 game sweep for the first time
(Beltre). Umpires: Home, C.B. Bucknor; First, Angel
with a broken toe and backup Campos; Second, Gerry Davis; Third, Brian Gorman. T: into the bottom of the catcher Mike Napoli. Porcello pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. Perry pitched to 2 this year. This is the A’s longest
Rob Johnson out for a few days 3:32. A: 37,714 (47,878). eighth, but Jose Arredondo “He should have just batters in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored: Bulger winning streak since Aug.
2-2, Perry 1-1, Seay 2-0, Zumaya 2-0. IBB: off Zumaya
with an injured left foot, the (1-3) walked Ryan Raburn missed it, but he tipped it (M.Izturis). Umpires: Home, Jerry Crawford; First, Dan 11-16, 2006, when they also
Mariners were left with only one and Adam Everett with into foul territory, and that Bellino; Second, Phil Cuzzi; Third, Tom Hallion. T: 3:11. won six in a row. Oakland’s
A: 32,074 (41,255).
available catcher on their active one out. Jason Bugler came let the run score,” Scioscia starters have won six straight
roster, Guillermo Quiroz. on and walked Curtis said. games as well.
— The Associated Press Granderson, loading the — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 22
NATIONAL LEAGUE AMERICAN LEAGUE
N.Y. Mets 7, Washington 0 Cleveland 8, Chicago White Sox 4
Mets 7, Nationals 0

Mets end swing on positive note New York

Cora 2b
F.Martinez lf
Beltran cf
D.Wright 3b
AB R
4 2
5 2
5 0
3 1
H
1
1
1
2
BI
0
1
1
1
BB
1
0
0
2
SO
1
0
0
0
Avg.
.297
.200
.342
.345
Banged up Indians beat former ace
CHICAGO—While the Cleveland Indians 8, White Sox 4
Dan.Murphy 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 .247 Cleveland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
WASHINGTON—Livan Hernandez gave Church rf 5 1 2 0 0 0 .277 Indians celebrated a rare road B.Francisco rf 4 1 1 1 1 1 .257
Schneider c 3 0 1 1 0 0 .219
the New York Mets everything he had W.Valdez ss 4 0 0 0 0 2 .200 triumph delivered by a bunch J.Carroll 2b 5 0 3 2 0 0 .345
V.Martinez dh 5 1 2 1 0 1 .344
before leaving with an upset stomach. Li.Hernandez p 3 0 1 0 0 0 .130 of rookies, White Sox manager Choo lf 3 1 1 1 2 1 .298
c-Reed ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .311
It was enough to end a difficult road Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Ozzie Guillen was furious with DeRosa 3b 4 0 0 0 1 0 .262
Shoppach c 5 1 1 0 0 2 .202
trip on a positive note. Parnell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- his flailing team. Gimenez 1b 4 2 1 1 1 0 .375
Fr.Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Hernandez allowed four singles over Totals 37 7 11 5 4 3 Chris Gimenez and Luis Val- Valbuena ss 2 2 1 2 2 1 .200
Crowe cf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .200
seven innings and the Mets scored five buena hit consecutive home Totals 36 8 11 8 7 8
Washington AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
first-inning runs in a 7-0 victory over C.Guzman ss 4 0 1 0 0 1 .326 runs off former Cleveland ace
Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
the Washington Nationals on Sunday. N.Johnson 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .325 Bartolo Colon and the Indians Podsednik lf 3 1 1 0 2 1 .299
Zimmerman 3b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .320
New York went 2-4 on its six-game Dunn lf 3 0 2 0 1 0 .264 beat Chicago 8-4 on Sunday, Al.Ramirez ss 5 1 2 3 0 1 .247
Dye rf 3 1 0 0 2 1 .273
trip, getting swept in Pittsburgh before Dukes cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .269 handing the White Sox their Konerko 1b 5 0 2 0 0 0 .295
Kearns rf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .214
taking two of three from the woeful J.Bard c 1 0 0 0 3 0 .211 fifth loss in six games. Fields dh 2 0 0 0 2 0 .242
R.Castro c 3 0 0 1 1 0 .235
Nationals. The Mets open a three-game A.Hernandez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .262 “It’s so disappointing when Bri.Anderson cf 3 1 0 0 1 1 .243
Stammen p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .167
series against N.L. East-leading Phila- a-Alb.Gonzalez ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .295 you play like that,” Guillen said. Getz 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .248
a-J.Nix ph-2b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .200
delphia on Tuesday at Citi Field. Colome p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- “It takes the wind out of you. Beckham 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .000
b-W.Harris ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .256
Hernandez (5-1) walked four and struck Tavarez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
We don’t know what to do. Totals 32 4 5 4 8 7
out four to win for the fifth time in seven MacDougal p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Everything we try doesn’t Cleveland 120 122 000 — 8 11 1
starts, departing after 116 pitches. The d-Belliard ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .173 work. Maybe if I go crazy with Chicago 000 030 010 — 4 5 1
Totals 30 0 5 0 6 6
righthander has won seven straight the media and (rip) my team ... I a-struck out for Getz in the 8th. E: DeRosa (8), B.Colon
against the Nationals and improved to New York 500 000 101 — 7 11 0 might wake them up. But it’s (1). LOB: Cleveland 10, Chicago 9. 2B: J.Carroll 2 (3),
Washington 000 000 000 — 0 5 1
10-5 lifetime against his former team. wasting my time.” Shoppach (6), Konerko (14). HR: Gimenez (2), off
B.Colon; Valbuena (1), off B.Colon; V.Martinez (10), off
“Obviously we need good pitching, a-singled for Stammen in the 5th. b-flied out for Colome The White Sox have been out- B.Colon; Choo (8), off B.Colon; Al.Ramirez (4), off D.Huff.
in the 7th. c-flied out for Li.Hernandez in the 8th.
and that’s outstanding pitching,” Mets scored 35-17 in going 2-5 on a RBIs: B.Francisco (22), J.Carroll 2 (7), V.Martinez (41),
d-fouled out for MacDougal in the 9th. E: MacDougal Choo (33), Gimenez (2), Valbuena 2 (3), Al.Ramirez 3
manager Jerry Manuel said, adding he (1). LOB: New York 8, Washington 9. 2B: F.Martinez (4), homestand that concludes with (26), R.Castro (14). SB: Fields (2). S: Crowe. SF: Val-
Beltran (18), D.Wright (16), Church (8), Schneider (3).
was surprised when Hernandez begged a five-game series against first- buena. Runners left in scoring position: Cleveland
RBIs: F.Martinez (5), Beltran (33), D.Wright (34), Dan. 5 (DeRosa 3, Shoppach 2); Chicago 5 (Konerko, Getz,
out because he was ill. “That’s not nor- Murphy (19), Schneider (5). SB: Cora (4), D.Wright (14). place Detroit. The defending AL
CHARLES DHARAPAK / AP R.Castro, Beckham 2). DP: Cleveland 1 (Valbuena,
SF: Schneider. Runners left in scoring position: New
mal for Livo. He can throw 160, 170 Central champions, who are 4½ J.Carroll, Gimenez).
Mets P Livan Hernandez didn’t allow a run in his seven innings, beating his old team for the seventh straight time. York 4 (Dan.Murphy, Li.Hernandez, Church 2); Washing-
pitches and not flinch, but you know ton 4 (A.Hernandez 2, Kearns, Dukes). DP: New York 2 games behind the Tigers and Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
(Dan.Murphy, W.Valdez, Dan.Murphy), (W.Valdez, Cora,
he’s battling some different things when D.Huff W, 1-2 5 4 3 3 3 3 96 8.71
Mets this season. did that today.” Dan.Murphy); Washington 1 (N.Johnson, C.Guzman, only 2½ games ahead of last- Aquino 2 0 0 0 1 0 27 3.27
MacDougal).
he comes in and says that.” The Mets, limited to four runs in split- Alex Cora led off the game with a four- place Cleveland, are 2-for-39 Vizcaino 0 1 1 1 2 0 17 2.31
R.Perez H, 5 1 0 0 0 1 2 13 11.74
Hernandez had enough confidence in ting the first two games of the weekend pitch walk and scored on Fernando Mar- New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA with runners in scoring posi- K.Wood 1 0 0 0 1 2 20 5.59
Li.HernandezW, 5-1 7 4 0 0 4 4 114 3.88
the Mets bullpen not to try and gut it out series, took advantage of Craig Stammen’s tinez’s double over the head of center Feliciano 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 21 2.35 tion in their last six games. Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
B.Colon L, 3-6 5 8 6 5 1 3 88 4.23
when he felt bad. Pedro Feliciano and wildness in the first to build a 5-0 lead. fielder Elijah Dukes. Martinez went to Parnell 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 4 1.96 Rookie David Huff (1-2) Whisler 0 0 2 2 2 0 9 13.50
Fr.Rodriguez 1 0 0 0 1 1 16 0.68
Bobby Parnell combined to pitch the In 55 games, the Mets have scored 49 third on Carlos Beltran’s groundout and Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA allowed three runs—all on Carrasco 2 2 0 0 2 3 43 2.13
Gobble 1 1 0 0 2 0 29 7.00
eighth and Francisco Rodriguez fin- runs in their first at-bat, the second-high- Wright walked. Martinez scored on a Stammen L, 0-2 5 6 5 5 2 2 86 6.45 Alexei Ramirez’s homer—in Dotel 1 0 0 0 0 2 12 2.29
Colome 2 3 1 1 1 1 36 7.71
ished the five-hitter, completing New est total in the National League. New wild pitch as Wright stole second and Tavarez 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 5.06 five innings to earn his first
Whisler pitched to 2 batters in the 6th. Vizcaino pitched
York’s third shutout. York’s first-inning batting average is a Daniel Murphy’s RBI single made it 3-0. MacDougal 1 1 1 0 1 0 11 6.75 career victory. to 3 batters in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored:
“I want to go seven innings and that’s lofty .342 (77 for 225). Murphy advanced on Ryan Church’s Inherited runners-scored: Parnell 2-0. WP: Stam- Gimenez, Valbuena and Huff R.Perez 3-1, Carrasco 2-2. WP: Gobble. Umpires:
Home, Hunter Wendelstedt; First, Brian Knight; Second,
it,” Hernandez said. “The relievers came “That’s what we need to do is jump on double and scored on Brian Schneider’s men 2, Colome 2. Umpires: Home, Derryl Cousins; First, are playing because the Indians Dana DeMuth; Third, Doug Eddings. T: 3:11. A: 25,609
D.J. Reyburn; Second, Jim Joyce; Third, Brian Runge. T:
in and made two innings and that’s it. I teams early—which we’ve done all sacrifice fly. Stammen then uncorked 2:48. A: 31,841 (41,888). have been decimated by inju- (40,615).
think it’s good for me today.” year—but also add one or two here and another run-scoring wild pitch to cap ries. They currently have eight
Washington lost for the 10th time in there when we have the opportunity,” New York’s big first. players on the disabled list.
12 games and dropped to 2-7 against the third baseman David Wright said. “We — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 23
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Braves 8, Brewers 7
Atlanta 8, Milwaukee 7 Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Colorado 7, St. Louis 2
Counsell 2b 5 0 1 0 0 1 .311
Jimenez clamps Cards after first
Jones homers twice, rallies Braves
Hardy ss 3 2 0 0 1 0 .228
Braun lf 4 2 2 4 0 0 .310
Fielder 1b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .298
M.Cameron cf 3 1 1 2 1 1 .278
Gamel 3b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .239
Hall 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .209 ST. LOUIS—After the first three Rockies 7, Cardinals 2
Hart rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .243 Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
ATLANTA—Tommy Hanson faded after a Brian McCann’s pinch-hit double Stetter p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
hitters, Ubaldo Jimenez trailed Fowler cf 4 1 1 0 1 1 .256
strong start to his major league debut, drove in Martin Prado. Nate McLouth Coffey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 by two runs. Things got a lot Barmes 2b 4 1 3 2 0 0 .285
Villanueva p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 Hawpe rf 5 0 1 1 0 2 .339
but Chipper Jones and the Braves added a tying double and scored the go- d-McGehee ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .265
tougher for the St. Louis Cardi- Atkins 1b 4 0 0 0 1 0 .189
offense snapped out of a scoring drought ahead run on Yunel Escobar’s single to Kendall c 4 1 1 0 0 0 .216 nals after that. Stewart 3b 5 2 2 0 0 1 .237
M.Parra p 2 0 1 1 0 1 .111 C.Gonzalez lf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .111
to bail out the rookie. left. Gerut rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .208
Jimenez finished with eight Tulowitzki ss 5 0 2 1 0 1 .221
Jones had four hits, including two “Escobar put a good swing on it, but e-Mi.Rivera ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .303 innings of four-hit ball and the P.Phillips c 5 1 4 3 0 0 .364
Totals 33 7 7 7 3 7 Jimenez p 4 1 1 0 0 0 .263
homers, and matched his career high the big hit was McLouth’s,” said Brew- Colorado Rockies got unex- c-Spilborghs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .259
with five RBIs to help the Braves rally ers center fielder Mike Cameron. Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg. pected offense from Paul Phil- Corpas p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
McLouth cf 4 2 1 1 1 1 .251 Totals 41 7 15 7 2 5
past Milwaukee 8-7 on Sunday to pre- Villanueva pitched for the third Y.Escobar ss 5 2 3 1 0 0 .294
lips, who drove in three runs in
vent the Brewers from their first series straight day but said he “felt fine enough C.Jones 3b 4 2 4 5 1 0 .329 a 7-2 victory on Sunday. St. Louis AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
M.Diaz lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .270 Schumaker 2b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .294
sweep in Atlanta. to go out there.” Francoeur rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .244
“When you trail, your starting Rasmus cf 4 1 2 0 0 1 .259
The N.L. Central-leading Brewers had “I left a couple of balls up, and they Prado 1b 4 1 2 0 0 0 .269 pitcher has to step up and subdue Pujols 1b 2 0 0 2 1 1 .333
K.Johnson 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .243 Ankiel rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .222
a pair of two-run homers from Ryan took advantage of it,” said Villanueva, D.Ross c 3 0 1 0 0 0 .277
the opposition and give us a Duncan lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .249
Braun. who had a string of 15 straight scoreless b-McCann ph-c 1 1 1 1 0 0 .306 chance to get back in the game,” Y.Molina c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .259
Hanson p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .000 Thurston 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .248
Hanson retired the first 10 Milwau- appearances snapped. He had not a-Norton ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .125
manager Jim Tracy said. “Once Br.Ryan ss 3 0 1 0 0 1 .286
kee batters before giving up seven runs, allowed a hit in his last nine innings Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 he got the lead, you saw a face of Pineiro p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .143
six earned, in six innings. O’Flaherty p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- C.Perez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
before giving up four hits and three runs c-G.Anderson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .246
a guy that said, ‘That’s it.’” a-Stavinoha ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .240
Even so, Hanson was the popular in the inning. M.Gonzalez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Phillips had a career-best McClellan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
topic in postgame interviews. Totals 36 8 13 8 3 4 T.Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Eric O’Flaherty (1-0) pitched a score- four hits, including his first b-T.Greene ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .273
Catcher David Ross said Hanson less eighth for Atlanta. Mike Gonzalez Milwaukee 000 214 000 — 7 7 0 homer since 2006. Troy Franklin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
showed “phenomenal” poise, and Jones Atlanta 101 030 03x — 8 13 1 Totals 31 2 5 2 1 9
pitched the ninth for his eighth save. Tulowitzki, who missed four
said the right-hander “pitched pretty The Braves led 5-3 before Braun and a-walked for Hanson in the 6th. b-doubled for D.Ross in games with a bruised left hand, Colorado 000 102 040 — 7 15 1
good” and was as composed as second- the 8th. c-lined out for O’Flaherty in the 8th. d-walked St. Louis 200 000 000 — 2 5 0
Cameron hit two-run homers off Han- for Villanueva in the 9th. e-was hit by a pitch for Gerut
had two hits and an RBI.
year starter Jair Jurrjens. son in a four-run sixth inning. Braun hit in the 9th. E: Y.Escobar (7). LOB: Milwaukee 3, Atlanta The Rockies have scored 38 a-struck out for C.Perez in the 6th. b-struck out for
“That’s part of what makes guys good— 8. 2B: M.Parra (1), McLouth (8), M.Diaz (5), D.Ross (5), T.Miller in the 8th. c-flied out for Jimenez in the 9th.
JOHN AMIS / AP another two-run homer in the fourth. McCann (8). 3B: Counsell (1), C.Jones (2). HR: Braun 2
runs in their first four-game E: Tulowitzki (3). LOB: Colorado 11, St. Louis 4. 2B:
they’re unflappable,” Jones said. Braves 3B Chipper Jones went 4-for-4 with two Jones left Saturday night’s game with (12), off Hanson 2; M.Cameron (12), off Hanson; C.Jones winning streak of the year and Barmes (12), Rasmus 2 (13). HR: P.Phillips (1), off
Hanson, the Braves’ most heralded home runs and five RBI. 2 (7), off M.Parra 2. RBIs: Braun 4 (38), M.Cameron 2 McClellan. RBIs: Barmes 2 (26), Hawpe (42), Tulowitzki
dizziness, but returned with a season- (30), M.Parra (2), McLouth (35), Y.Escobar (28), C.Jones
are 6-4 under Tracy after going (17), P.Phillips 3 (4), Pujols 2 (51). S: C.Gonzalez. SF:
pitching prospect of this decade, said high four hits and an intentional walk. He 5 (28), McCann (20). SB: Kendall (1), Mi.Rivera (1). CS: 18-28 under Clint Hurdle. Pujols. Runners left in scoring position: Colorado 8
poor command helped lead to three home M.Cameron (1). Runners left in scoring position: (Stewart, Atkins, Fowler 2, Hawpe 2, C.Gonzalez 2); St.
ond with his fastball clocked at 96 mph. drove in a run with a first-inning triple. Milwaukee 3 (Counsell 2, Braun); Atlanta 5 (Francoeur
They’ve beaten the Cardinals Louis 2 (Ankiel, Rasmus).
runs. “He had a good slider and fastball,” Manny Parra gave up eight hits and 3, McLouth, M.Diaz). GIDP: Kendall, Francoeur. DP: five straight times, evening the
Milwaukee 1 (Gamel, Counsell, Fielder); Atlanta 1 (Prado, Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
“If I keep my command I think it turns Braun said. “He obviously has good five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Y.Escobar, Prado).
all-time series at 73-73. Jimenez W, 4-6 8 4 2 2 1 9 112 3.91
out a lot better,” said Hanson, who had a stuff.” “I thought I threw really well, but you Albert Pujols had a rare two- Corpas 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 5.96
Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA St. Louis IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
1.49 ERA at Class AAA Gwinnett before Braves manager Bobby Cox said Han- have to tip your cap to Chipper,” Parra M.Parra 5 2⁄3 8 5 5 2 4 93 6.86
run sacrifice fly in the first Pineiro L, 5-6 5 10 3 3 1 4 94 3.97
the promotion. son “has got a ton of weapons.” said. Stetter H, 11 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 13 3.38 inning for the Cardinals, who C.Perez 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 3.38
Coffey H, 10 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 6 2.28 McClellan 1 1⁄3 4 4 4 0 1 22 2.96
“Just chalk it up to, today happened, get “He’s going to be a good one,” Cox The Brewers shut out the Braves in VilanuevaL,2-4BS,4-7 1 4 3 3 1 0 32 4.18
have totaled three runs and T.Miller 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 13 3.45
it behind me, get ready for the next one.” said. “It won’t be too far off he’ll be on the first two games of the series, the sec- Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA nine hits in the last two games. Franklin 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 1.23
Braun said the Brewers were trying to the National League All-Star team. ... It ond time this season Atlanta has suf- Hanson 6 6 7 6 1 5 91 9.00 Joel Pineiro (5-6) allowed three
Bennett 1 1 0 0 0 0 17 2.81 Pineiro pitched to 4 batters in the 6th. Inherited
get a feel for Hanson early in the game. wasn’t a great debut for him. I know he’s fered back-to-back shutout losses. O’Flaherty W, 1-0 1 0 0 0 1 1 12 3.00 runs and 10 hits, all singles, in runners-scored: C.Perez 2-0, T.Miller 1-1. IBB: off
M.Gonzalez S, 8-11 1 0 0 0 1 1 16 2.88 Jimenez (Pujols). HBP: by C.Perez (Barmes). Umpires:
“The first time through the lineup, we not satisfied at all. But he’s got stuff and The Braves ended their streak of 22 five innings after skipping a Home, Angel Hernandez; First, Bill Welke; Second, Tim
wanted to make sure he was throwing he knows how to pitch.” scoreless innings in the first when Esco- Inherited runners-scored: Stetter 2-0. IBB: off Villan- start due to back spasms. Welke; Third, Jim Reynolds. T: 2:41. A: 42,288 (43,975).
strikes,” Braun said. “The second time The Braves trailed 7-5 before scoring bar hit a single and scored on Jones’ tri- ueva (C.Jones). HBP: by Coffey (M.Diaz), by M.Gonzalez The Cardinals have lost seven
(Mi.Rivera). Umpires: Home, James Hoye; First, Lance
we were a little more aggressive.” three runs in the eighth off Carlos Vil- ple to center. Barksdale; Second, Randy Marsh; Third, Marvin Hudson. of 10.
Hanson struck out the side in the sec- lanueva (2-4). — The Associated Press T: 2:49. A: 33,428 (49,743). — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 24
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Astros 6, Pirates 4
Cubs 6, Reds 3, 14 innings
Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Chicago Cubs 6, Cincinnati 3, 14 innings Houston 6, Pittsburgh 4 Pittsburgh AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
A.Soriano lf 6 1 1 1 1 1 .241 McCutchen cf 5 0 3 1 0 0 .333
Theriot ss 6 2 3 1 1 2 .291
Ortiz sharp Morgan lf 4 0 1 2 0 1 .268
Fukudome rf
D.Lee 1b
Fontenot 3b
Re.Johnson cf
K.Hill c
5 1 0 0 1 1 .290
7 0 1 2 0 1 .262
6 0 2 1 1 2 .232
7 0 1 1 0 1 .283
2 0 0 0 1 0 .259
Soriano lifts Cubs with homer in 14th again coming
F.Sanchez 2b
Ad.LaRoche 1b
An.LaRoche 3b 4
Moss rf
4
3

4
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
.311
.246
.301
.263
Bradley ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .218 Jaramillo c 3 1 1 1 1 2 .277
Scales pr
Gregg p
Hoffpauir ph
Ascanio p
0 0 0 0 0 0 .226
0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 0 0 .269
0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
--- CINCINNATI —The Chicago Cubs went to
extra innings again. Alfonso Soriano
out of bullpen R.Vazquez ss
Snell p
a-Delw.Young ph 1
4
2
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
0
.266
.182
.317
J.Fox ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .364 made it worth the wait. HOUSTON—Russ Ortiz is S.Jackson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Patton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- J.Chavez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Zambrano ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .259 Soriano led off the 14th inning with a unhappy with his role. d-Hinske ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 .275
A.Guzman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 home run and the Cubs beat the Cincin- That’s just fine with the Totals 35 4 12 4 3 9
A.Blanco 2b 4 1 2 0 2 0 .208
R.Wells p 2 1 1 0 0 0 .182 nati Reds 6-3 on Sunday to win their Astros, as long as he keeps Houston AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Waddell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Bourn cf 4 0 2 0 1 0 .298
Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- weekend series. pitching the way he did Sunday Tejada ss 4 0 1 1 0 0 .354
Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Soto ph-c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .204 Soriano hit Mike Lincoln’s first pitch in Houston’s 6-4 win over the Pence rf 3 1 0 0 1 2 .342
Totals 52 6 12 6 8 8 into the seats in right-center for his 14th Pittsburgh Pirates. Ca.Lee lf 3 0 1 1 1 0 .321
Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg. 1-Erstad pr-lf 0 1 0 0 0 0 .135
Hairston Jr. 3b 4 0 0 1 0 1 .252 homer. He was 0-for-5 before the clutch Felipe Paulino, who took Berkman 1b 4 1 2 0 0 2 .246
Burton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Blum 3b 4 1 1 0 0 0 .264
Janish ss 2 0 0 0 0 2 .283 drive and 10-for-64 (.156) in his previ- Ortiz’s spot in the rotation earlier Keppinger 2b 4 1 2 1 0 1 .276
Dickerson cf-rf 5 0 1 0 2 0 .239 ous 15 games. this season, strained his right
B.Phillips 2b 5 1 1 0 2 0 .276 Quintero c 4 0 3 2 0 0 .325
L.Nix rf-lf 6 0 3 0 1 1 .277 “I had a tough three weeks, but I groin in the second inning and F.Paulino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .091
R.Hernandez 1b 4 1 1 0 1 0 .271 R.Ortiz p 2 0 0 0 0 0 .167
Gomes lf 3 0 1 1 0 1 .292 haven’t lost confidence,” Soriano said. “I left the game. Ortiz came on in Byrdak p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Herrera p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Fulchino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Weathers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- am just trying to stay healthy and play relief and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless b-Kata ph 1 1 0 0 0 0 .000
A.Rosales 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .223 hard. I made a good swing and hit the innings. He gave up four hits and Sampson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Ale.Gonzalez ss 4 0 0 0 1 1 .211
Fisher p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- ball hard.” a walk, striking out three. c-Michaels ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 .182
Owings ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .273 Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Cordero p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Mike Fontenot added an RBI single “Ortiz did a really good job,” Totals 34 6 13 6 3 5
Lincoln p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 off Lincoln (1-1) and Reed Johnson dou- Houston manager Cecil Coo-
Maloney ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .333 Pittsburgh 010 000 201 — 4 12 1
Hanigan c 6 1 2 1 0 1 .322 bled in a run for the Cubs, who led 3-1 per said. “Russ has pitched Houston 010 011 12x — 6 13 0
Arroyo p 2 0 1 0 0 1 .174
Bruce ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .216 after six innings and had to go to extras much better than he did as a a-singled for Snell in the 7th. b-grounded into a fielder’s
Rhodes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Taveras ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .257 for the fourth time in their last five AL BEHRMAN / AP starter. He’s more consistent in choice for Fulchino in the 7th. c-doubled for Sampson
Totals 49 3 11 3 7 11 games, including a 4-3 loss in 11 innings Cubs P Randy Wells, left, helped his cause with a double in the third inning. Wells scored in the inning. the strike zone. in the 8th. d-doubled for J.Chavez in the 9th. 1-ran for
Chicago 102 000 000 000 03—6 12 0 Ca.Lee in the 8th. E: R.Vazquez (2). LOB: Pittsburgh
Cincinnati 010 000 110 000 00—3 11 3 on Saturday. “He wasn’t happy when we 8, Houston 7. 2B: Jaramillo (10), Hinske (7), Berkman
E: Ale.Gonzalez (3), Hairston Jr. (6), Arroyo (2). LOB: Chi- (10), Blum (6), Keppinger (8), Quintero (2), Michaels
cago 15, Cincinnati 16. 2B: Re.Johnson (6), Dickerson (4), Rookie David Patton (2-1) pitched the for 21 with runners in scoring position. throwing error that led to two unearned put him in the bullpen and he (6). RBIs: McCutchen (4), Morgan 2 (20), Jaramillo (14),
L.Nix (12), Bruce (6). HR: Theriot (6), off Arroyo; A.Soriano 13th to get the win and Angel Guzman “Both teams squandered a bevy of runs in the third. probably still isn’t happy. But
(14), off Lincoln. RBIs: A.Soriano (27), Theriot (23), D.Lee Tejada (33), Ca.Lee (38), Keppinger (7), Quintero 2 (8),
2 (23), Fontenot (25), Re.Johnson (15), Hairston Jr. (18), finished for his first career save. Patton opportunities,” Chicago manager Lou With no outs and runners on first and we’ve talked with him several Michaels (3). SB: Pence (6). CS: Ca.Lee (2). SF: Morgan.
Gomes (5), Hanigan (5). CS: A.Blanco (1). S: Fukudome, Runners left in scoring position: Pittsburgh 4 (Ad.
A.Blanco, R.Wells, R.Hernandez 2, Taveras. SF: Hairston Jr., got Brandon Phillips to line out to right Piniella said. “We hung in there and second, Arroyo fielded Soriano’s come- times and he knows what role LaRoche 2, Snell, F.Sanchez); Houston 5 (Bourn 3, Blum,
Gomes. DP: Cincinnati 2 (Hanigan, Hanigan, A.Rosales), Pence). DP: Pittsburgh 3 (An.LaRoche, F.Sanchez,
(Janish, B.Phillips, R.Hernandez). with runners on first and second to end made some plays and made some backer and threw wildly to second to we need him to play.” Ad.LaRoche), (Jaramillo, Jaramillo, R.Vazquez),
Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA a Cincinnati threat. pitches.” leave the bases loaded. The right-hander Not that Ortiz is accepting (R.Vazquez, F.Sanchez, Ad.LaRoche); Houston 3 (Tejada,
R.Wells 6 2⁄3 7 2 2 1 4 91 1.86
Waddell H, 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.00 The Reds were 0-for-13 with runners Randy Wells was in line for his first retired the next two batters before Der- that role. In nine relief appear- Keppinger, Berkman), (Blum, Keppinger), (Berkman,
Marmol 0 0 1 1 2 0 11 3.67 Quintero, Berkman).
Heilman BS, 4-4 1 0 0 0 1 1 17 4.68 in scoring position, leaving manager career victory before the Reds rallied to rek Lee hit a two-run single to center ances since the demotion, he
Gregg 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 4.62 Dusty Baker frustrated about the missed tie it. The rookie right-hander allowed field to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead and end has a 2.50 ERA. He ran his Pittsburgh IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Ascanio 3 2 0 0 2 3 55 2.53 Snell 6 8 3 3 1 3 96 5.54
Patton W, 2-1 1 1 0 0 1 1 20 6.06 opportunities. two runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. their 0-for-21 skid with runners in scor- scoreless streak Sunday to 12 S.Jackson L, 1-1 1 1⁄3 3 3 3 2 1 35 6.23
A.Guzman S, 1-1 1 1 0 0 0 2 15 2.28 J.Chavez 2⁄3 2 0 0 0 1 15 2.92
Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA “It should never have gotten that far,” Wells has had some tough luck over the ing position. 1-3 innings, the longest by an Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Arroyo 7 5 3 1 2 2 101 5.00
Rhodes 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.45 Baker said. “We had chances. We first 10 games of his major league career. “It wasn’t miscommunication,” Astros pitcher this season. F.Paulino 1 2⁄3 3 1 1 0 4 34 6.18
Herrera 1⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 9 1.59 couldn’t get the big hit. You knew some- He is 0-2 with a 1.86 ERA in six starts Arroyo said of the error. “Brandon (sec- Steven Jackson (1-1) took the R.Ortiz 4 1⁄3 4 0 0 1 3 63 3.96
Weathers 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 13 2.66 Byrdak 0 2 2 2 1 0 9 3.86
Burton 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 3 0 43 5.47 thing was going to happen if you let since being recalled from Triple-A Iowa ond baseman Brandon Phillips) didn’t loss, allowing three runs, three FulchinoW,1-1BS,1-1 1 1 0 0 1 0 16 3.13
Fisher 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 4 20 2.45 Sampson H, 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 1.80
Cordero 1 2 0 0 0 0 19 1.44 them stick around too long. We on May 8. He has a 1.64 career ERA but is see me catch the ball. He was still look- hits and two walks in 1 1/3 Hawkins S, 8-10 1 2 1 1 0 1 16 2.55
Lincoln L, 1-1 1 4 3 3 2 0 27 9.00 should’ve won that three or four times. still looking for his first win. ing for it on the ground. That split-sec- innings. Pittsburgh rookie
Marmol pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Inherited
runners-scored: Waddell 1-0, Heilman 2-1, Weathers If you don’t win them when you’re sup- Bronson Arroyo went seven innings ond when I saw him looking for the ball Andrew McCutchen had three Byrdak pitched to 3 batters in the 7th. Inherited
1-0, Fisher 2-0. IBB: off Heilman (Ale.Gonzalez), off Ascanio runners-scored: J.Chavez 2-2, R.Ortiz 1-0, Fulchino
(R.Hernandez), off Burton (Fontenot, A.Soriano). Umpires: posed to, most of the time, you don’t.” for the Reds, yielding three runs and threw off the timing.” hits and an RBI. 3-2. WP: F.Paulino. Umpires: Home, Larry Vanover;
Home, Jerry Meals; First, Damien Beal; Second, Mike First, Dan Iassogna; Second, Sam Holbrook; Third,
DiMuro; Third, Dale Scott. T: 5:13. A: 32,629 (42,319). The Cubs weren’t much better, going 4 five hits. He also committed a costly — The Associated Press — The Associated Press Charlie Reliford. T: 3:17. A: 25,729 (40,976).
 SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 25
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Diamondbacks 9, Padres 6, 18 innings
Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Arizona 9, San Diego 6, 18 innings San Francisco 3, Florida 2
F.Lopez 2b 8 1 2 1 0 3 .301

Non-classic matchup ends marathon

G.Parra lf-rf 7 0 2 0 1 2 .292
J.Upton rf
R.Roberts lf
S.Drew ss
Reynolds 3b
5 1 2 0
3 1 0 0
8 1 4 0
7 2 1 3
0
1
1
2
3
0
1
4
.320
.329
.248
.266
Lincecum braves weather
Montero c 7 1 4 1 1 0 .245
C.Young cf 7 1 2 1 2 2 .182 SAN DIEGO—It was the kind of matchup MIAMI—The rain had stopped Giants 3, Marlins 2
Whitesell 1b 6 1 1 3 2 0 .150 San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Haren p 2 0 0 0 0 0 .259 that only an extra-inning marathon by the time Tim Lincecum took Rowand cf 4 0 2 0 1 0 .309
T.Pena p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 can produce—an infielder pitching to the mound. He ended up soak- Renteria ss 5 0 0 0 0 1 .239
Byrnes ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .212
J.Gutierrez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Winn rf 4 1 1 0 1 2 .282
a batter working on an 0-for-6 after- ing wet anyway, and happy B.Molina c 4 0 2 2 0 0 .257
Qualls p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Rauch p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- noon, including four strikeouts. with his fifth consecutive win. Sandoval 1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 .305
Ojeda ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .243 F.Lewis lf 4 1 1 0 0 1 .269
Vasquez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- With the Petco Park lights on as Lincecum pitched three-hit Torres lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Snyder ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .232 dusk fell, Mark Reynolds hit a three- ball into the eighth inning and Uribe 3b 3 0 2 1 1 0 .306
Zavada p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Burriss 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .257
L.Rosales p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 run homer off infielder Josh Wilson San Francisco beat the Florida Lincecum p 4 1 1 0 0 2 .154
Totals 64 9 18 9 10 15
with two outs in the 18th inning, send- Marlins 3-2 on Sunday. The Romo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg. B.Wilson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Gwynn cf 7 0 1 0 1 0 .298 ing the Arizona Diamondbacks to a Giants hit six doubles and won Totals 36 3 11 3 3 6
E.Gonzalez 2b 7 0 2 0 1 1 .216 9-6 win over the San Diego Padres on for the fourth time in five
Ad.Gonzalez 1b 6 1 1 0 2 0 .278 Florida AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Headley lf 8 1 1 1 0 5 .237 Sunday in the longest major league games. Coghlan lf 3 1 1 2 1 0 .224
Giles rf 6 1 0 0 1 0 .192
Kouzmanoff 3b 5 1 1 1 0 2 .218 game this season. Bengie Molina had two RBIs Bonifacio 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .242
Mujica p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 Ha.Ramirez ss 4 0 0 0 0 2 .332
Gregerson p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000
“It’s tough because No. 1, he’s a posi- to back Lincecum (5-1), who Gload 1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 .282
Gaudin p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .067 tion player and you don’t want him to went 7 1/3 innings to win his 1-B.Carroll pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .212
H.Blanco 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .197 Uggla 2b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .222
Hundley c 6 0 1 1 1 1 .237 get you out, and No. 2, you don’t know fifth straight decision. He also Hermida rf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .256
C.Burke ss-3b-ss 7 1 1 0 0 1 .207 what he’s going to throw,” Reynolds doubled and scored. C.Ross cf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .251
Geer p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .188
Venable ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .143 said. “The first seven went pretty Jo.Baker c 4 1 1 0 0 1 .260
Thatcher p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Nolasco p 1 0 0 0 1 0 .214
G.Burke p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- The Padres were held hitless well,” Lincecum said. “I had a Cr.Martinez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Meredith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- a-De Aza ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .286
C.Floyd ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000 through nine extra innings by four DENIS POROY / AP tough time finding the strike Calero p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Perdomo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 relievers. Their only baserunners in zone but when I needed to I got Totals 31 2 5 2 4 6
Eckstein ph 1 1 1 3 0 0 .253 Mark Reynolds’ three-run homer in the top of the 18th inning ended the longest game of the season.
Bell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- extras came on three walks. The game outs. The hit was nice and it San Francisco 000 111 000 — 3 11 0
Jo.Wilson ss-p 3 0 0 0 0 1 .164
Totals 61 6 9 6 6 14 took 5 hours, 45 minutes. atop the right-field wall. concentrate on getting a good pitch to was nice to score. Just a good Florida 000 000 020 — 2 5 1
Arizona 000 042 000 000 000 003—9 18 0 San Diego used all its relievers and “One pitch away,” Wilson said. “I hit and hit it hard.” game.” a-flied out for Cr.Martinez in the 8th. 1-ran for Gload in
San Diego 000 000 105 000 000 000—6 9 1 had starter Chad Gaudin—the loser in had Mark 0-2 there. I wish I could Hinch said he had his pitching fig- The Giants sat through a rain the 9th. E: Bonifacio (11). LOB: San Francisco 10, Florida
E: C.Burke (6). LOB: Arizona 16, San Diego 7. 2B: G.Parra (5), J.Upton 6. 2B: Rowand (18), Winn (16), Sandoval (16), F.Lewis
(13), S.Drew 2 (10), Montero 2 (7), C.Young (12), Whitesell (4), Gwynn (3), Friday night’s series opener—pitch have thrown a strike before I got to ured out for at least 22 innings before delay for the fifth straight day. (11), Uribe (8), Lincecum (1). HR: Coghlan (2), off Lince-
E.Gonzalez (3), Ad.Gonzalez (5). HR: Reynolds (14), off Jo.Wilson; Kouz-
manoff (5), off Haren; Eckstein (1), off Qualls. RBIs: F.Lopez (11), Reynolds the 16th and 17th innings before turn- 3-2. he would have to go to a position After the start was delayed 1 cum. RBIs: B.Molina 2 (34), Uribe (11), Coghlan 2 (8).
3 (36), Montero (7), C.Young (14),Whitesell 3 (6), Headley (23), Kouzmanoff ing to Wilson in the 18th for his third SB: F.Lewis (5). CS: Rowand (1). SF: B.Molina. Runners
(21), Hundley (11), Eckstein 3 (20). SB: J.Upton (8), S.Drew (1), C.Young (8).
“I was very comfortable,” he added. player. hour, 38 minutes, Lincecum left in scoring position: San Francisco 5 (B.Molina,
CS: Gwynn (2). S: G.Parra, Haren, Zavada. SF: F.Lopez, Montero. Runners career relief appearance. “I expected it in that type of game. It Padres manager Bud Black said he acknowledged he felt the effects Burriss, Sandoval, F.Lewis, Rowand); Florida 3 (Gload,
left in scoring position: Arizona 11 (S.Drew 2, Whitesell 2, C.Young 2, Ha.Ramirez, Jo.Baker). DP: San Francisco 1 (Burriss,
Snyder, Reynolds 2, F.Lopez 2); San Diego 2 (Giles, Headley). DP: Arizona 1 Wilson (0-1) was claimed off waiv- was probably just a matter of time. I didn’t want to overextend Gaudin. of the high humidity and damp Renteria, Sandoval).
(F.Lopez, S.Drew,Whitesell); San Diego 1 (E.Gonzalez, Ad.Gonzalez). ers from Arizona on May 15, four days was ready.” San Diego scored five in the ninth air.
Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Haren 7 4 1 1 1 5 106 2.33 San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
after he pitched a scoreless inning for Wilson pitched in high school and and tied it at 6 on David Eckstein’s “You just try to hydrate before Lincecum W, 5-1 7 1⁄3 3 2 2 4 4 110 2.96
T.Pena 1 1 0 0 1 1 17 3.00
J.Gutierrez 1⁄3 2 3 3 1 0 19 3.73 the Diamondbacks against Cincinnati. his two other big league relief appear- first career pinch-hit homer, a three- the game. That’s important for Romo H, 2 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 7 5.40
Qualls BS, 3-15 2⁄3 2 2 2 0 0 12 3.97 B.Wilson S, 15-18 1 2 0 0 0 1 18 3.58
Rauch 1 0 0 0 0 1 14 5.26 “When he pitched for us he threw ances had been in blowout losses. run shot with two outs off Chad guys like me with high metabo- Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Vasquez 2 0 0 0 0 1 29 5.23 all fastballs, so you figure he has some “I don’t know how long I could have Qualls. lism,” Lincecum said. “Still, I Nolasco L, 2-6 7 10 3 2 3 4 106 8.17
Zavada 2 2⁄3 0 0 0 3 2 45 0.00 Cr.Martinez 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 3.86
L.Rosales W, 1-0 3 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 4 34 5.40 kind of wrinkle,” said Reynolds, who lasted,” he said. “I started getting tired Leo Rosales (1-0) pitched 3 1/3 was sweating. ... I’m going to go Calero 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 1.86
San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Geer 5 5 4 4 3 2 78 5.60 fell behind 0-2. “He threw a curveball toward the end of that inning.” innings for the win. hydrate and try to get some food
Thatcher 1 3 2 2 1 0 28 4.50 WP: Lincecum 2, Cr.Martinez. Umpires: Home, Brian
G.Burke 1 2 0 0 0 2 21 1.86 up there and I laid off some high fast- Arizona manager A.J. Hinch said he It was the longest big league game down. Then I’ll probably have O’Nora; First, Fieldin Culbreth; Second, Gary Cederstrom;
Meredith 1 0 0 0 0 1 21 2.78 balls, and he left one out over and I didn’t want his players getting com- by time and innings since San Diego to take another shower.” Third, Jim Wolf. T: 2:49. A: 11,505 (38,560).
Perdomo 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 5.06
Bell 2 1 0 0 1 4 32 1.48 was able to barrel it up.” fortable facing a position player. beat visiting Cincinnati 12-9 in an The N.L. Cy Young Award
Mujica 2 2 0 0 0 0 26 2.45
Gregerson 2 1 0 0 3 2 35 3.15 Wilson allowed a single to Felipe “Your swings can get a little bit big,” 18-inning game that lasted 5 hours, 57 winner was lifted after yielding
Gaudin 2 1 0 0 1 3 37 5.01 Lopez and walked Ryan Roberts with said Hinch, who had Gerardo Parra minutes on May 25, according to the Chris Coghlan’s two-run
Jo.Wilson L, 0-1 1 3 3 3 1 0 29 13.50
WP: Gregerson 2. Umpires: Home, Chad Fairchild; First, Joe West; Sec- one out before Reynolds hit a full- lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance Elias Sports Bureau. homer, which made it 3-2.
ond, Paul Nauert; Third, Paul Schrieber. T: 5:45. A: 27,804 (42,691).
count pitch off an advertising sign Lopez. “We had the players — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Dolphins want to stay ahead of curve with wildcat
As NFL minicamps and spring practices
continue, many interesting scenarios are
developing around the NFL. Here is a look at
five subjects that bear watching:
1. Proliferation of wildcat formation
Rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin
already has taken direct snaps during Vikings
practices. The Ravens might
use more wildcat packages,
featuring quarterback Troy
Smith in a variety of roles.
And we certainly can expect
the NFL’s masters of the
wildcat, the Dolphins, to
expand their packages after
Clifton Brown drafting elusive quarterback
PRO FOOTBALL Pat White.
“We really didn’t scratch
the surface last year,” Dolphins coach Tony
Sparano said. “Truth be told, going into every
game, we probably had a total of three (wild-
cat) plays on the game plan sheet. That’s why I
think it’s important that we keep our informa-
tion to ourselves.”
Sparano expects more teams to implement
the wildcat and hopes his defense will benefit
from seeing it frequently during practice.
“We know that other people are going to try
and do it as well,” Sparano said. “The more
reps our defense can get vs. the wildcat, the
better off we feel like we’ll be prepared when it
happens during the course of the game.”
2. Matt Hasselbeck’s back
So far, so good for Hasselbeck, who is
moving and throwing without pain. Hassel-
beck’s health clearly is the key to the Sea-
hawks’ playoff hopes. They had won four
consecutive NFC West titles until last season,
when back problems limited Hasselbeck to
seven games.
In spring practices, Hasselbeck is bonding
with new favorite target T.J. Houshmandza-
deh and learning the offensive wrinkles added
by new coordinator Greg Knapp.
“It’s exciting to watch the cutups of stuff
Greg Knapp has done and also how the run-
ning game works, how his play-action works,
the naked bootleg,” Hasselbeck said. “A lot of
that stuff we had but we didn’t emphasize.
Now, it’s definitely emphasized.”
The Seahawks have intangibles working for
them—veteran players used to winning, a
noisy home stadium and a ’09 schedule that
includes just five games against playoff teams
from last season.
Seattle could be a surprise team in the NFC,
but only if Hasselbeck stays healthy.
3. Vince Young’s angst
Young, the Titans’ backup quarter-
back, told a TV station that he wants to start
in Tennessee or be traded. This sounds like a
bigger problem for Young than for the
Titans.
Kerry Collins has a new contract and led
the Titans to the NFL’s best regular-season
record (13-3) last season. It is unlikely that
coach Jeff Fisher would bench Collins, par-
ticularly after some of the drama Young put
the Titans through last season.
However, this is the biggest offseason of
Young’s career. He is only 26 years old, 10
years younger than Collins. With two years
left on his contract, Young needs a strong
training camp and preseason to show the
entire league, not just Fisher, that he still can
realize his potential.
It is perfectly fine that Young wants to
start. Now, he needs to convince the Titans,
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NFL MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 26
or another team, they would be better with
him in the lineup instead of on the bench.
4. Brandon Marshall’s troubles
One of the league’s best wide receiv-
ers, Marshall is in the final year of his con-
tract and wants a new deal. Marshall will not
be suspended by the league for a March 1
incident. However, he is scheduled to stand
trial in Atlanta this summer for two counts of
misdemeanor battery in an incident involv-
ing a former girlfriend. That case will be
reviewed separately by commissioner Roger
Goodell.
Can Marshall, arrested three times during a
12-month span, avoid further problems? And
will he develop the same chemistry with either
Kyle Orton or Chris Simms that he enjoyed
with Jay Cutler? Stay tuned.
5. The Bills-T.O. honeymoon
Will it last the entire season? And
will Terrell Owens’ presence help the Bills
make the playoffs? The answers will deter-
mine if coach Dick Jauron keeps his job. Jau-
ron says Owens will make the offense more
dangerous, especially in the red zone.
“His reach is a factor, his size is a factor, his
ability to screen with his body is a factor,” Jau-
ron said. “It does open up the field and oppor-
tunities for other people.”
The Bills begin a mandatory minicamp
Tuesday, and so far, Owens has been a happy
camper.
“He’s a cool dude,” running back Marshawn
Lynch said. “I love having him on the team.”
Few in Dallas, Philadelphia or San Fran-
cisco, however, loved Owens when he left
town. We will see if the Bills still love him in
WILFREDO LEE / AP
January.
cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com
RB Ronnie Brown helped the Dolphins improve their win total by ten games with his effectiveness in the wildcat.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Scouts’ views
Head coach rankings: Belichick remains the master
The top NFL coaches are the griz-
zled vets who have proven their
worth over time. But there are some
young coaches pushing their way to
the top and finding new ways to do
things.
RealScouts, Sporting News Today’s
team of former NFL scouts, rank all
the NFL head coaches:
1. Bill Belichick, Patriots. The smart-
est coach in the league. No one
does a better job of adapting
schemes and personnel to the oppo-
nent on a week-to-week basis. He
always finds a way to win the
matchup game.
2. Tom Coughlin, Giants. Preparation
is the key for the detail-ori-
ented Coughlin. His team is ready
to play every Sunday.
3. Andy Reid, Eagles. No matter what
is going on in and around his
team, Reid has the Eagles contend-
ing at the end of the season.
4. Jeff Fisher, Titans. In the NFL, no
coach gets to stay in one place
as long as he has unless he’s really,
really good. A yard away from a
Super Bowl title, he guided this
team through a restructuring phase
and back into contention.
5. Mike Tomlin, Steelers. He is smart
and tough, but the best thing
he does is delegate authority. He lets
his assistants coach and his players
play.
6. Sean Payton, Saints. He is an
offensive genius who has built
a juggernaut. With more talent on
defense in ’09, the Saints could be
an NFC contender.
7. Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals. The
desert has been a burial ground
for good coaches, but Whisenhunt
Pats coach Bill Belichick usually out-schemes opposing coaches, finding ways to exploit matchups.
has conquered all the negatives and
put the Pittsburgh stamp on the for-
mer laughingstock of the league.
8. Mike Smith, Falcons. He is a defen-
sive-minded guy who took a
rookie quarterback and a no-name
defense and turned them into a con-
tender in his first year.
9. John Fox, Panthers. He is a player’s
coach and a great motivator.
The players love playing for him.
10. John Harbaugh, Ravens. Unlike
most coaches, he has no ego
but still is effective in front of the
ELISE AMENDOLA / AP
team. He gets the most out of every
player and coach.
11. Brad Childress, Vikings. The team
has gotten better every year
under his watch, and last season he
got the Vikings to the playoffs with-
out a viable quarterback.
12. Tony Sparano, Dolphins. Like his
boss, Bill Parcells, Sparano
brings an attitude and toughness
missing for several years in Miami.
He is a block-and-tackle guy who
boils everything
fundamentals.
down
NFL
13. Norv Turner, Chargers. An out-
standing offensive play-
caller, Turner has enough presence
and savvy to steady the ship in trou-
bled times and keep the Chargers in
Super Bowl contention.
14. Mike Singletary, 49ers. He is a
hard-nosed, tough-minded,
old-school guy who eventually will
build this team in his image.
15. Wade Phillips, Cowboys. He takes
too much blame for the trou-
bles in Dallas. However, he is inno-
vative defensive mind and can deal
with some big egos.
16. Mike McCarthy, Packers. He has
the necessary belief in his
team to make bold changes and
make them pay off. Last year, he
dumped Brett Favre for Aaron Rod-
gers. This season, he moves his
defense to a 3-4 scheme. He always
is looking for ways to make the team
better.
17. Jack Del Rio, Jaguars. His team is
built in his image—tough,
physical and competitive. Last year
was a tough one, but Del Rio proved
himself as a leader by making tough
offseason decisions.
18. Dick Jauron, Bills. Though he
came through the ranks as a
defensive coordinator, his most
prominent trait is that his players
love to play for him.
19. Jim Mora, Seahawks. He was
groomed for this job the past
year, learning the Seattle organiza-
tion as an assistant to the now
retired Mike Holmgren. Mora is
smart and will learn from his mis-
to
takes made in Atlanta.
20. Lovie Smith, Bears. A Tony
Dungy disciple, Smith is the
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 27
picture of stoicism. He is one of the
first generation Tampa-2 guys on
defense, and his group will be much
using personnel groupings and
alignments to create mismatches.
He also has outstanding leadership
better this season now that he is characteristics. What he needs now
reunited with line coach Rod is more talent.
Marinelli. Smith’s new quarter-
back, Jay Cutler, will make him and
his team better.
27. Jim Schwartz, Lions. He is an
excellent coach who has an
excellent rapport with players.
21. Marvin Lewis, Bengals. It wasn’t
long ago that Lewis was con-
Detroit, however, is a tough place to
prove your worth.
sidered the NFL’s preeminent
defensive mind. He is a good coach,
but it’s hard to be successful in Ben-
28. Jim Caldwell, Colts. Peyton
Manning is the coach, cap-
tain and leader of this team. As long
gal Land. as the quarterback is in Indy,
22. Gary Kubiak, Texans. The Tex-
ans have one of the top two
Caldwell will not drive the success
of this team.
receivers in the game, a solid
quarterback, an exciting young
running back, an improved offen-
29. Todd Haley, Chiefs. He is a hard-
nosed coach who comes into
his first head coaching gig with high
sive line and productive young expectations. He also is an excellent
talent on defense. It’s time for
Houston to make the jump to the
playoffs.
play-caller, but the Chiefs lack tal-
ent. If Haley can weather the storm
early, his front office should take
23. Jim Zorn, Redskins. Following
Joe Gibbs is not an easy job,
and a meddling owner makes it
care that problem.
30. Tom Cable, Raiders. He showed
some fight at the end of last
tougher. Things started well enough season, proving he can motivate his
for Zorn in ’08. He is a good coach, team. Despite all the good feelings
but we expected him to handle his now, the owner makes this a tough
players better. He must bounce back situation.
from a poor finish.
24. Rex Ryan, Jets. We will bet 31. Raheem Morris, Buccaneers. The
players in Tampa like him a
money Ryan will be higher
on this list next year. He has all the
tools to be a great coach and is
lot. But he is a young coach (he turns
33 in September) with no head
coaching experience. He might be
finally getting his shot.
25. Eric Mangini, Browns. In the
in over his head.
32. Josh McDaniels, Broncos. No
mold of his mentor,
Belichick, Mangini is tough. But he
is stubborn, which often limits his
head coach, especially a
rookie, makes a positive mark by
trading the franchise quarterback.
game plans and hinders his rela- McDaniels already is in trouble.
tionships with players.
26. Steve Spagnuolo, Rams. He is
creative when it comes to
— RealScouts, a team of former NFL scouts, analyze
NFL and college players, coaches and teams exclusively
for Sporting News Today.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Q&A with ... Falcons coach Mike Smith
‘We are in an active trade situation’ with Vick
Mike Smith was the surprise pick to be the
coach of the Falcons last offseason, but it didn’t
take him long to prove he belonged. He turned
the team from 4-12 mess to 11-5 playoff team in
his first year. Sporting News Radio’s Bob Berger
and Joe McDonnell caught up with Smith this
week to talk about the Falcons’ evolution, the
addition of Tony Gonzalez, the possible trade of
Michael Vick and more.
Q: Can you talk about what you
went through last year?
A: It was a fast year, in terms of the
pacing of it. We felt like, as a
staff, it was a good situation, not a bad
situation. We basically went in and told
our guys that 2007, 2006, those
seasons were history. We were starting
with a clean slate across the board and
we were going to select the best 53
players on our roster, and we didn’t
really care where they were drafted,
how many zeros were on their pay-
check. We were going to have an open
competition. And then once we picked
the 53, we were going to pick the best 11
on offense and defense. By approaching
it that way, it gave our guys an area to
focus on.
Q: How has the culture of the
year?
organization changed in one
A: Organizations are ever-chang-
ing, and the dynamics are
changing every day. We knew we had to
go in and change the culture because we
were aware of what happened; we just
didn’t talk about it. I’m a very commu-
nicative coach, and with the staff we put
together we have over 220 year of NFL
experience. Often times people ask me
are you a players’ coach or a disciplinar-
ian. I tell them I’m neither; I’m an
accountability coach. And I want us to
JOHN BAZEMORE/ AP
Mike Smith’s Falcons went 11-5 in his first season.
not only be accountable to ourselves but
each other.
Q: How do you not only sustain
what you’ve done but build
on it?
A: The players in this league and
the coaches in this league, every
one of them have abilities—and it’s
really not about abilities; it’s about
sustainability. And you have to be able
to sustain from play to play, from game
to game, from year to year. And when
you do that, then you create an atmo-
sphere of winning. We have to be
humble and hungry, and that’s really
our motto for this year. We have to be
humble in regards that we really didn’t
accomplish anything last year. And we
NFL
have to be hungry to know there’s a lot
more out there for us.
Q: Did you know QB Matt Ryan
was going to be this good?
A: We definitely knew that Matt
had the skill set to be a success-
ful quarterback in this league. The
traits the great quarterbacks have are
that they are accurate throwers and
great decision-makers. We felt that Matt
was very accurate and that he was a
great decision-maker.
Did we know he was going to have
that type of year right out of the gate?
No, we didn’t. Matt won the job. We had
an open-competition with three other
quarterbacks. He won the job, had a
very good season. The offense was very
efficient.
He got a great award in being named
the NFL Rookie of the Year. But really
the biggest honor that Matt Ryan
received last year was we did not elect
captains prior to the season; we elected
them at the end of the year. Matt was
voted by his teammates as a permanent
captain for the Atlanta Falcons.
Q: How much does the addition
of Gonzalez help Ryan’s
game?
A: We were very excited about
Tony because he is going to
create matchup problems and he’s going
to make our entire football team better,
not just our offense. Tony is the con-
summate pro. He is going to be a
first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Q:
team?
Can we overstate the impact
Michael Turner had on your
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 28
If you deliver
it daily, they
A: I think Michael Turner was
without a doubt the most
valuable player on our football team last
will come.
year. He rushed for right under 1,700
yards, carried a good workload for us
week-in and week-out and really got
stronger for us as the season went along.
That’s a great trait for a running back.
Michael is very compact. He’s not tall
but he’s big, and he’s deceivingly fast.
He had more runs over 75 yards over
the last four years than any running
back in the league.
Q: Can you tell us about wide
receiver Roddy White’s
breakout year?
A: Very similar to Matt, he has the
skill set you’re looking for in a
wide receiver. He’s physical. He can FREEup!
catch the ball on the vertical routes. He Sign
Today!
can catch the ball underneath. He can
body defenders. And I think Roddy has
matured in his time in the league, and I
just think he came of age last year.
The country’s first and only
Q: Vick still is a member of your
team. Is the talk of his daily digital sports newspaper.
reinstatement a distraction?
A: No, it’s not. It’s a situation where
Michael is on our roster. I’ve
Delivered via email every morning, 7 days a
never coached Michael; I don’t know
week, Sporting News Today is your one-stop
Michael. It’s been well-documented that
Michael is not going to be an Atlanta
Falcon. We are in an active trade destination for breaking sports stories plus
situation. There are some contingencies
in terms of what the commissioner is
news about every team, every game and
going to do, whether he’s going to be every score from coast-to-coast.
reinstated or when he’s going to be
reinstated. It won’t be a distraction to
our team, and I wish Mike Vick nothing
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SPORTING NEWS TODAY
Report: Favre had surgery on throwing shoulder last month
Brett Favre opted for the operating table as a means of repairing his torn biceps.
www.sportingnews.com NFL
INSIDE DISH
Brett Favre underwent arthroscopic
shoulder surgery last month with
the intent to play for quarterback for
the Vikings this season, but the
shoulder is not yet 100 percent,
according to ESPN.com.
A meeting with Dr. James Andrews
led Favre to consider his options
regarding his torn biceps, and he
dealt with cortisone injections and
exercise designed to release the ten-
don, but eventually decided on the
operation.
Favre has thrown on a limited basis
since the surgery, which occurred last
month, but has not felt close to “100
percent” and would not come back
unless he makes significant progress,
according to the reports.
Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, would not
confirm or deny the surgery, saying
“That’s a confidential client
privilege.”
Vikings sources declined to com-
ment. Coach Brad Childress reiterated
last week that Favre “is retired” but
refused to set a deadline on any
potential decision.
Niners rookie WR Michael Crab-
tree tested his surgically repaired
foot after a practice this weekend,
running about a dozen 40-yard
sprints at three-quarters speed,
according to The Sacramento Bee. It
was the first time he’d run hard
since March surgery. He isn’t
expected to practice with the team
until training camp in late July.
Colts owner Jim Irsay says retired
offensive line coach Howard Mudd and
WILFREDO LEE / AP offensive coordinator Tom Moore will
be allowed to join the team as
“consultants” by training camp Aug.
1. Irsay said both would have “very
significant roles” despite yielding
their job titles. That news obviously
will make QB Peyton Manning happy.
“This was Jim Caldwell’s call ulti-
mately,” Irsay told The Indianapolis
Star. “(Team president) Bill (Polian)
and I are there to support the head
coach, and we do. I asked Jim what
he wanted, and he wanted to see
these guys come back and be part of
things. Everything is good.”
With every passing day, it
appears less and less likely that the
Panthers will be able to trade dis-
gruntled Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers.
It’s unlikely that any team could a)
offer enough to help the playoff-con-
tending Panthers in ’09 to get Pep-
pers or b) have enough cap space to
absorb his $16.7 million contract for
this season. Team officials say they
hope Peppers, 29, will sign his one-
year contract and show up for train-
ing camp, which begins Aug. 2.
Retired coach Tony Dungy, now a
studio analyst for NBC, says he likes
what he sees in Browns QB Brady
Quinn, who is battling Derek Anderson
for the starting job.
“I watched Brady Quinn in college,”
Dungy told The Repository. “I think
he’s a leader. I think he has all the
qualities you’re looking for.
“Derek Anderson is good. We
played these guys (Nov. 30), and we
had a lot of respect for Anderson. I
think they’ve got two good
quarterbacks.”
Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez
missed the team’s practice Sunday
because of an injured right leg. Gon-
zalez spent the rest of practice work-
ing to stretch his leg muscles. Coach
Jim Caldwell said he expects Gonzalez
to be able to practice later this week.
Rookie CB Malcolm Jenkins took
his finals at Ohio State a week early
so he could join the Saints for the
last three of five minicamp prac-
tices. He turned in three papers and
took three exams in the last week,
arriving at the team’s minicamp Sat-
urday. He return to Columbus next
weekend to graduate.
“I think he’s a pretty smart player,
and he has handled the bulk of what
we’re doing now pretty well,” coach
Sean Payton said. “When we drafted
him, we felt like we were getting a
guy who is physical, who is smart,
who is disciplined, a guy that plays
the run as well as he plays the pass.
We’re excited he was able to get out
here earlier than we had anticipated
having graduated.”
The Bucs are giving WR Kelly
Campbell a second chance after a
series of arrests on gun and drug
charges. He failed a drug test at the
Scouting Combine and went
undrafted in ’02 and then spent
three seasons with the Vikings. He
played last season in the Canadian
Football League, averaging 22.6
yards per catch for the Edmonton
Eskimos.
“A lot of stuff is going on with guys
around the league and they’re losing
their opportunity,” Campbell told
The Tampa Tribune. “That’s why I’m
looking at this like it might be my
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 29
last chance and why I’m so thankful
that God has opened up another
door for me.”
Said Bucs coach Raheem Morris:
“You see elite speed. You see a guy
who can get downfield and make
plays. You see a guy not afraid.”
A key part of new 49ers offen-
sive coordinator Jimmy Raye’s plan for
’09 is to get the ball much more often
to TE Vernon Davis, who was targeted
on only 49 pass attempts last season.
He made only 31 catches and scored
only two touchdowns despite play-
ing all 16 games for the first time in
his three-year NFL career. Raye said
he wants to utilize Davis’ downfield
speed to create problems down the
seams.
“He’s also an excellent in-line
blocker,” Raye told The (Santa Rosa,
Calif.) Press-Democrat, “but we
would like to use him not as much in
blocking in pass situations as we
would running routes. So we would
like to put him in positions where he
is a matchup problem for the defense
... provided the protection that we
have will allow us to do that.”
Eagles TE Brent Celek is watch-
ing a lot of tape of the Cowboys’ Jason
Witten and Redskins’ Chris Cooley,
studying their moves and technique
as blockers and route-runners.
“(Witten) moves his feet pretty
fast. He’s in the right place at the
right time,” Celek told The (Wilm-
ington, Del.) News Journal. “He’s not
the fastest, he’s not the quickest but
he knows where guys are going to
be on defense and how to get around
them and where the zones are.”
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
‘Toughened up’ Cassel ready for K.C. challenge
KANSAS CITY—Everywhere Matt Cassel went, a
great quarterback got in the way.
Not one but two Heisman Trophy winners
kept him on the bench throughout his college
career at Southern Cal, denying him even one
start. Then he was drafted by the Patriots, where
a Super Bowl MVP was running the offense.
Now he’s in Kansas City, and are things ever
different. That’s not Matt Leinart, Carson
Palmer and Tom Brady he’s competing against
anymore. It’s Tyler Thigpen, Ingle Martin and
Brodie Croyle.
At 27, Cassel has a team to call his own for the
first time since high school. From the first day of
spring drills, a team finally is counting on him
not to follow, but to lead; not to hold the clip-
board, but to execute the plays on it.
This weekend’s mandatory minicamp brought
all the Chiefs players on the field with their new
quarterback for the first time. The realization is
sinking in that his time is finally at hand.
“Slowly but surely,” Cassel said with a grin.
“We’re building chemistry, we’re building rap-
port and everybody’s working hard.”
Although coach Todd Haley refuses to name a
starter at any position, there is no question who
is the No. 1 quarterback.
“He’s running the team,” new wide receiver
Bobby Engram said. “And I’m very impressed.
He’s a very sharp guy. He’s watching film, he’s
drawing up plays, he’s coaching everybody up.
He’s shown early on that we’re going to be able to
rely on him.”
Another tip-off about who’s running the show
is the fact Cassel will be paid almost $15 million
this year. After he replaced the injured Brady in
the season opener last September and proved
his worth by throwing for 3,693 yards and 23
touchdowns, the Patriots made him their “fran-
chise” player, limiting his free-agent movement.
The trade to Kansas City soon followed.
So now Cassel has all the money he could
want, the chance to start that he always has
craved and is, by all accounts, a happy man.
“I can’t even tell you the feelings I have, the
emotions,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”
Chiefs fans are excited, too. After the team
For the first time since high school, Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, center, is the unquestioned leader of a football team.
won only six games the last two years, the gen-
eral manager and coach were fired to clear the
way for new G.M. Scott Pioli and Haley.
“Everything’s new,” Cassel said. “It’s a new
environment, it’s new teammates, getting to
know my linemen, getting to know my receivers,
getting to know my running backs.”
Haley, the offensive coordinator the past two
years at Arizona, is not known as an easy man to
please. But when asked about his new quarter-
back, he seems almost to gush.
“He’s the leader for every workout group. It’s
hard to outwork this guy,” he said. “When he’s
done working out, he’s upstairs bugging us. He’s
making drawings, coming up with ideas, want-
ing to talk football, all the time on top of working
NFL
DAVID EULITT / AP
out real hard. He’s lost some weight, has his
body in shape.
“We want our quarterback to be one of the
hardest workers on the team. I think he’s clearly
shown me that.”
Even with his naturally upbeat outlook, there
were times when Cassel did get discouraged.
But he now believes even that will work to his
advantage in Kansas City.
“You get toughened up,” he said. “There’s
going to be a lot of adversity that comes up dur-
ing the season, whether we lose a game, whether
it’s a tough play or an interception or something
like that. You have to be able to overcome it and
be mentally tough.”
— The Associated Press
Remaining free agents
A quick look at the remaining NFL free agents by position
(R-restricted free agent, F-franchise tagged player):
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks—Brooks Bollinger, Dallas; Ken Dorsey,
Cleveland; Gus Frerotte, Minnesota; Charlie Frye, Seattle;
Quinn Gray, Kansas City; Trent Green, St. Louis; Rex Gross-
man, Chicago; Drew Henson, Detroit; Brad Johnson, Dallas;
J.P. Losman, Buffalo; Jamie Martin, San Francisco; Craig Nall,
Houston; Marques Tuiasosopo, Oakland; Anthony Wright,
NY Giants.
Running backs—Shaun Alexander, Washington; J.J.
Arrington, Denver; Darian Barnes, New Orleans; Tatum Bell,
Denver; Jon Bradley, Detroit; Brian Calhoun, Detroit; Jesse
Chatman, NY Jets; P.J. Daniels, Baltimore; Reuben Droughns,
NY Giants; Warrick Dunn, Tampa Bay; DeShaun Foster, San
Francisco; Samkon Gado, St. Louis; Nick Goings, Carolina;
Ahman Green, Houston; Andre Hall, Denver; Kay-Jay Harris,
NY Giants; Maurice Hicks, Minnesota; Edgerrin James,
Arizona; Rudi Johnson, Detroit; Deuce McAllister, New
Orleans; Travis Minor, St. Louis; Chris Perry, Cincinnati;
Andrew Pinnock, Denver; Michael Pittman, Denver; P.J. Pope,
Denver; Cecil Sapp, Houston; Aaron Stecker, New Orleans;
Selvin Young, Denver.
Wide receivers—Drew Bennett, St. Louis; Marty Booker,
Chicago; Drew Carter, Oakland; Jason Carter; Carolina;
Keary Colbert, Detroit; Biren Ealy, New Orleans; D.J. Hackett,
Carolina; Dante Hall, St. Louis; Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis;
Ike Hilliard, Tampa Bay; Darrell Jackson, Denver; Nate
Jackson, Denver; Matt Jones, Jacksonville; Joe Jurevicius,
Cleveland; Ashley Lelie, Oakland; Brandon Lloyd, Chicago;
Dane Looker, St. Louis; Marcus Maxwell, Baltimore; Anthony
Mix, Tampa Bay; Tab Perry, Miami; Jerry Porter, Jacksonville;
Koren Robinson, Seattle; Edell Shepherd, Denver; Travis
Taylor, Detroit; Amani Toomer, NY Giants; Reggie Williams,
Jacksonville.
Tight ends—Courtney Anderson, Houston; Adam Bergen,
Denver; Mark Bruener, Houston; Owen Daniels (R), Houston;
Nate Lawrie, Cincinnati; Marcus Pollard, Atlanta; Jerame
Tuman, Arizona; Daniel Wilcox, Baltimore.
Offensive tackles—Anthony Davis, St. Louis; Jon Dunn,
Detroit; Wayne Gandy, Atlanta; Kwame Harris, Oakland;
Jonas Jennings, San Francisco; Levi Jones, Cincinnati;
Fred Miller, Chicago; Rob Petitti, St. Louis; Jon Runyan,
Philadelphia; Charles Spencer, Jacksonville; Barry Stokes,
New England; Mark Tauscher, Green Bay.
Guards—Lennie Friedman, Cleveland; Pete Kendall,
Washington; Matt Lentz, Detroit; Terrence Metcalf, Chicago;
Edwin Mulitalo, Detroit; Chris Naeole, Jacksonville; Grey
Ruegamer, NY Giants; Kendall Simmons, Pittsburgh; Jason
Whittle, Buffalo.
Centers—Brennen Carvalho, Green Bay; Jean-Philippe
Darche, Kansas City; Melvin Fowler, Buffalo; Matt Lehr, New
Orleans; Andy McCollum, Detroit; Jeremy Newberry, San
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 30
Diego; Scott Peters, Arizona; Cory Withrow, St. Louis.
DEFENSE
Defensive ends—Kevin Carter, Tampa Bay; Earl Cochran,
Houston; Sean Conover, NY Jets; Nick Eason, Pittsburgh;
Kalimba Edwards, Oakland; Ebenezer Ekuban, Denver;
John Engelberger, Denver; Simon Fraser, Atlanta; Roderick
Green, San Francisco; Travis LaBoy, Arizona; Jayme Mitchell,
Minnesota; Jerome McDougle, NY Giants; Julius Peppers
(F), Carolina; Josh Savage, New Orleans; Anthony Weaver,
Houston; James Wyche, Jacksonville.
Defensive tackles—Kenderick Allen, Minnesota; Gary
Gibson, Carolina; La’Roi Glover, St. Louis; Vonnie Holliday,
Miami; Antwan Lake, New Orleans; Langston Moore, Detroit;
Kindal Moorehead, Atlanta; Dewayne Robertson, Denver;
Orpheus Roye, Pittsburgh; Hollis Thomas, New Orleans; Josh
Thomas, Indianapolis; John Thornton, Cincinnati; Casey Tyler,
Dallas; Darwin Walker, Carolina; Ellis Wyms, Minnesota;
Brian Young, New Orleans; Jeff Zgonina, Houston.
Linebackers—Rufus Alexander, Indianapolis; Jason Babin,
Kansas City; Rocky Boiman, Kansas City; Derrick Brooks,
Tampa Bay; Khary Campbell, Washington; Anthony Cannon,
Detroit; Dan Cody, Baltimore; Rosevelt Colvin, New England;
Donte’ Curry, Carolina; Donnie Edwards, Kansas City; Greg
Ellis, Dallas; Gilbert Gardner, Chicago; Curtis Gatewood,
Kansas City; Morlon Greenwood, Houston; Napoleon Harris,
Minnesota; Brad Kassell, NY Jets; Jason Kyle, Carolina; Teddy
Lehman, Buffalo; Wesly Mallard, Seattle; Willie McGinest,
Cleveland; Ryan Nece, Detroit; Shantee Orr, Cleveland; Ant-
wan Peek, Cleveland; Carlos Polk, Dallas; Junior Seau, New
England; Matt Sinclair, Washington; Gary Stills, St. Louis;
Terrell Suggs (F), Baltimore; Dontarrious Thomas, Minnesota;
Marcus Washington, Washington; Nate Webster, Denver.
Cornerbacks—David Barrett, NY Jets; Fakhir Brown,
St. Louis; Terry Cousin, Cleveland; Jason Craft, St. Louis;
Travis Fisher, Detroit; Reynaldo Hill, Tennessee; William
James, Jacksonville; Adam Jones, Dallas; Michael Lehan,
New Orleans; Sam Madison, NY Giants; Ricky Manning Jr.,
St. Louis; Chris McAlister, Baltimore; Mike McKenzie, New
Orleans; R.W. McQuarters, NY Giants; Deltha O’Neal, New
England; Dunta Robinson (F), Houston; Lewis Sanders,
New England; Duane Starks, Jacksonville; DeJuan Tribble,
San Diego; Jason Webster, New England; Jimmy Williams,
Houston; Stanley Wilson, Detroit.
Safeties—Michael Boulware, Minnesota; Mike Brown,
Chicago; Oliver Celestin, Kansas City; Corey Chavous, St.
Louis; Will Demps, Houston; Mike Doss, Cincinnati; Mike
Green, Washington; Terrence Holt, New Orleans; Dexter
Jackson, Cincinnati; Sammy Knight, NY Giants; Lawyer
Milloy, Atlanta; Chad Nkang, Jacksonville; Pierson Prioleau,
Jacksonville; Dwight Smith, Detroit; Jimmy Williams, San
Francisco; Cameron Worrell, Chicago.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kickers—John Carney, NY Giants; Matt Stover, Baltimore.
Punters—Mitch Berger, Pittsburgh; Kyle Larson, Cincin-
nati; Ryan Plackemeier, Cincinnati.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NASCAR MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 31
Pocono 500 results
Stewart notches first win for new team FINISH START
1 1
CAR DRIVER
14 Tony Stewart
MAKE
Chevrolet
POINTS
190
LAPS
200
REID SPENCER he did so masterfully. In fact, the 2 11 99 Carl Edwards Ford 180 200
rspencer@sportingnews.com entire race was a testament to Stew- 3 13 00 David Reutimann Toyota 165 200
art’s driving ability. Lost in the 4 2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 165 200
LONG POND, PA.—Perhaps more drama of the ending was where 5 5 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 160 200
amazing than Tony Stewart’s first Stewart started almost four hours 6 20 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 150 200
victory as an owner/driver was his earlier—in last place. Because he 7 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 151 200
victory celebration Sunday at wrecked his car during Saturday
8 15 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 142 200
Pocono Raceway. during practice, he was forced to
9 10 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 138 200
Actually, what was amazing was being Sunday’s race at the back of
that Stewart could even manage a the field. 10 26 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 134 200
celebration at all, after using every Stewart competed for a decade
trick in the book—including shut- and won 33 races and two champi- NASCAR Sprint Cup standings (through Sunday’s race)
ting down his engine entering Turn onships at Joe Gibbs Racing, but
1 at the 2.5-mile triangular track— Sunday’s victory had special sig- RK. +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS POLES WINS T-5 T-10
to save enough fuel to win the nificance as he became the first 1 -- Tony Stewart 2,043 -- 14 0 1 7 10
Pocono 500. owner/driver to win a race since 2 -- Jeff Gordon 1,972 -71 14 0 1 7 9
The win was Stewart’s 34th in Ricky Rudd in 1998. 3 -- Jimmie Johnson 1,940 -103 14 0 2 6 9
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series and “I’ve always had a great group of 4 1 Ryan Newman 1,840 -203 14 1 0 5 8
his first since acquiring an owner- people to work with at Gibbs, but 5 -1 Kurt Busch 1,819 -224 14 0 1 4 7
ship interest in Stewart-Haas Rac- it’s just a little different when it’s 6 5 Carl Edwards 1,762 -281 14 0 0 3 7
ing before the 2009 season. your own, you know, when you’re
7 2 Greg Biffle 1,753 -290 14 0 0 4 7
“He’s doing a damn burnout!” the one that’s got to be accountable
8 -- Matt Kenseth 1,745 -298 14 1 2 4 6
Jeff Gordon’s crew chief, Steve for (it),” Stewart said.
Letarte, said in amazement after Edwards, who won at Pocono 9 -3 Kyle Busch 1,731 -312 14 1 3 4 5
Stewart began his victory dough- last August by conserving fuel, lost 10 -- Jeff Burton 1,725 -318 14 0 0 2 6
nuts on the frontstretch. the race off pit road to Stewart on 11 2 David Reutimann 1,701 -342 14 2 1 3 4
Holding down his speed to the the final stop for both cars, under a 12 -5 Denny Hamlin 1,679 -364 14 0 0 2 4
minimum needed to stay ahead of caution for debris on Lap 159 that 13 -1 Mark Martin 1,678 -365 14 3 2 3 7
runner-up Carl Edwards, who also was extended to seven laps when a 14 -- Kasey Kahne 1,619 -424 14 0 0 1 4
was saving fuel, Stewart crossed light rain shower crossed the 15 -- Juan Pablo 1,617 -426 14 1 0 0 5
the finish line 2.004 seconds ahead track. 16 -- Clint Bowyer 1,576 -467 14 0 0 3 4
of the No. 99 Ford. “I didn’t think Tony could save 17 -- Brian Vickers 1,536 -507 14 2 0 2 5
Stewart, who increased his lead that much fuel, but he did a really
18 2 Marcos Ambrose 1,469 -574 14 0 0 1 3
in the Cup standings to 71 points good job,” said Edwards, who led a
19 -- Martin Truex Jr. 1,447 -596 14 1 0 0 3
over Gordon, lost more than four race-high 103 of 200 laps. “Our car
20 -2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,434 -609 14 0 0 1 3
seconds of a 6.8-second lead over was getting great fuel mileage all RUSS HAMILTON SR. / AP
Edwards in the final 10 laps. day, and (I’m) just really proud of 21 -- Casey Mears 1,432 -611 14 0 0 0 2
Tony Stewart celebrated his 34th Sprint Cup victory and the first points race as a owner/driver. 22 -- Jamie McMurray 1,418 -625 14 0 0 0 3
“Breathe easy, boys, we’re gonna my guys. We were great on pit
make it,” Stewart radioed to his road. 23 3 Sam Hornish Jr. 1,371 -672 14 0 0 0 3
crew as he rolled through the final “Tony beat us off of pit road on
Bad starts, great finishes 24 1 Reed Sorenson 1,362 -681 14 0 0 0 1
Tony Stewart became the fourth driver in 2009 to start from the rear of the field and win a
corner. “God, I’m proud of you that last stop by about three quar- Sprint Cup race. It didn’t happen once last year. 25 -2 Joey Logano 1,357 -686 14 0 0 0 3
guys. You make me look like a ters of a car length or something, DRIVER DATE TRACK REASON —Bold line indicates Chase cutoff
genius in here.” and that’s primarily because of his Tony Stewart June 7 Pocono Backup car
“We didn’t tell you how to save pit stall (Stewart had pit stall No. 1, MORE COVERAGE from sportingnews.com
Brad Keselowski April 26 Talladega Engine change
gas,” crew chief Darian Grubb closest to the exit from pit road).”
Kyle Busch March 1 Las Vegas Engine change Results: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=557743
retorted. — Reid Spencer writes for
Stewart did that on his own, and the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service Matt Kenseth Feb. 15 Daytona Backup car Standings: sportingnews.com/nascar/standings
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NASCAR
INSIDE DISH
Edwards suggests tweak to double-file restarts
Johnson calls for better light system
A pit-road penalty in Sun-
day’s Pocono 500 that was all
but unavoidable helped spoil
a promising run Jimmie
Johnson.
Johnson was approaching
the pit-road commitment line
on Lap 103 when caution flew
for debris, and the light at the
entrance to pit road turned
from green to red. Johnson
proceeded to his pit but had
to restart at the rear of the
field on Lap 109 for entering
pit road when it was closed.
Though he worked his way
back to third late in the race,
Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet
ran out of fuel on the final lap,
and he coasted to a seventh-
place finish.
“We were in great position,
and unfortunately, coming to
pit road, the caution came
MEL EVANS / AP out, and I couldn’t see a flag-
Carl Edwards (99) would like a tweak to the restarts so the second-place car doesn’t beat the leader on a restart. man or lights or anything,”
Johnson said. “So hopefully
BY REID SPENCER it. Other than that, I thought it was great. It they can look into a little bet-
rspencer@sportingnews.com was fun. I thought it made for exciting rac- ter light system.
ing. So I think that NASCAR is moving in “I looked for it later and
LONG POND, PA.—NASCAR’s much-bally- the right direction there.” saw it, and there is a very
hooed move to double-file “shootout-style” It’s not likely that NASCAR will make an small single light that’s way
restarts—with the lead-lap cars side-by-side immediate tweak of that magnitude to the out from the inside, and I
at the front of the field—didn’t play a deci- new format, but it would prevent a penalty think we need to re-look at
sive role in Sunday’s Pocono 500, but race to the second-place car for beating the leader those things at all these race-
runner-up Carl Edwards got enough expe- to the line on a restart. tracks that help the guys that
rience with the new system to suggest a Third-place finisher David Reutimann are pitting.”
change. agreed with Edwards. — Reid Spencer
“Let the leader start in his own lane, so “I wasn’t close enough to the front to really
he has his own row,” Edwards said. “The see what was going on with the leader, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran 27th
leader would have no one beside him—he Carl’s right—the leader should at least have in his second race with crew
could start inside, outside, do whatever he the right to be out there,” Reutimann said. chief Lance McGrew and fell two
wanted—and then the second and third “He’s earned the right to be there, and maybe spots to 20th in the points
cars start behind him, with the second- all the rest of us (should) double-up. standings.
place guy having the option (of lane “I’m sure they will refine it and make it “We’re building Rome here
choice). better, but I think it came off pretty good for and … we’re still working on
“I think that would be a better way to do the first time.” the communication,”
McGrew said. “We’ve just got
to do a little better job of fig-
uring out what the track is
going to do the next day and
make the appropriate changes
the night before instead of
trying to change it during the
race. It’ll come.
“We’re going to have some
hurdles and there’s going to
be some mountains to climb.
And we just have to keep our
heads up and continue to try
to get better. That’s the big-
gest thing. If you give up,
you’re done.
“Right now I’m still posi-
tive about it. I think there’s a
lot of talent on this team, and
obviously there’s a lot of tal-
ent in the racecar driver.
We’ve just got to get him com-
fortable with what’s under
him.”
— SceneDaily.com
Nationwide Series direc-
tor Joe Balash said he had “no
issues” with Kyle Busch’s gui-
tar-smashing victory celebra-
tion after Busch won the
Federated Auto Parts 300 on
Saturday at Nashville
Superspeedway.
“There’s absolutely nobody
else in this world like Kyle
Busch,” Balash said. “He
races hard, he celebrates
hard. He’s going to jump on
his plane tonight, relax a little
bit, head to Pocono and race
hard again.”
Things didn’t go as well at
Pocono for Busch: He fought
an ill-handling car and fin-
ished 22nd.
— Lee Montgomery, SceneDaily.com
Mechanical problems
sink Hamlin, Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch (above) had a day just as bad as Denny Hamlin at Pocono.
LONG POND, PA.—Denny Ham-
lin’s day took a turn for the
worse before he could complete
one lap of Sunday’s Pocono
500. Kurt Busch’s trouble
came later—in the form of a
broken water pump—but it
was equally as crippling.
And the end result was a dis-
appointing outcome for two
drivers trying to further solid-
ify their position in the top 12 of
the standings.
Hamlin’s problems were the
result of a fuel-pump issue that
forced his Joe Gibbs Racing
Toyota to slow moments after
taking the green flag. After an
extended stay behind the wall
for repairs, he returned to the
track and finished 38th, 22 laps
down.
“It was just unacceptable,”
crew chief Mike Ford said. “It’s
not the first time we’ve had fuel
issues—across all three (JGR)
cars. It’s just plain unaccept-
able, and it should never hap-
pen. We had a fuel pump lock
up and that broke a couple
other pieces in the system. It’s
one of those things that’s
MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 32
CAROLYN KASTER / AP
difficult to troubleshoot in a
short amount of time.
“What started it was having
the fuel pump lock up. It was
just a parts failure.”
While Hamlin took a hit in
the points standings—he fell
from seventh to 12th, the last
Chase-eligible position—Busch
lost one spot as he dropped to
fifth.
Busch ran among the top 15
for most of the race before his
water pump gave way on Lap
129 of 200. Busch finished
37th, 18 laps down, after he too
went behind the wall for
repairs.
“It was just a bad day,” Busch
said. “We fought a tight condi-
tion for most of the first half of
the race. We had a spring rub-
ber pop out of the right rear.
We kept working on it, but (the
car) just wanted to plow into
the wall. Then I heard some-
thing just blow off—a loud poof.
I hit pit road immediately. It
was a broken water pump and
we sheered the pulley. … Just a
bad day all around.”
— SceneDaily.com
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Woods: ‘I knew I could do this’
DUBLIN, OHIO—Two holes, two tow-
ering shots, two clutch birdies.
Just like that, Tiger Woods broke
out of a four-way tie and won the
Memorial on Sunday with a 7-under
65 to cap off a high-charged come-
back. And just as suddenly, he
silenced the skeptics who wondered
if he was ready to defend his title in
the U.S. Open in two weeks at Beth-
page Black.
“I knew I could do this,” Woods
said after birdies on the final two
holes gave him a one-shot victory.
“I was close to winning, but the
game wasn’t quite there when I
really needed it on Sunday. I recti-
fied that.”
First came a 9-iron at No. 17 that
Woods launched as high as he
could, allowing the ball to land
softly on the top shelf of a rock-hard
green for a 9-foot birdie putt. More
brilliance followed on the 18th,
when Woods hit a 7-iron from 183
yards that stopped a foot from the
hole, wrapping up his fourth title at
Muirfield Village.
Then came a bold observation by
tournament host Jack Nicklaus. He
had said earlier in the week that
Woods, with 14 career majors,
would probably break his record of
18 majors in a couple of years.
“I suspect No. 15 will come for
Tiger Woods in about two weeks,”
Nicklaus said at the trophy presen-
tation. “If he drives the ball this
way, and plays this way, I’m sure it
will. And if not, it will surprise me
greatly.”
There were no surprises Sunday
for Woods, the best sign of all.
He hit the ball where he was aim-
ing and found every fairway in the
final round, the first time he had
done that on the PGA Tour in more
Golf MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 33
Leaderboard NOTEBOOK
Sunday
At Muirfield Village Golf Club
Dublin, Ohio
Purse: $6 million Ballesteros to be honored in ’10
Yardage: 7,366; Par: 72
(FedExCup points in parentheses; a-amateur)
Tiger Woods (500), $1,080,000 69-74-68-65—276 -12 Each year the Memorial Tour- the 11th green Sunday, facing a
Jim Furyk (300), $648,000 67-70-71-69—277 -11
Jonathan Byrd (163), $348,000 69-68-71-72—280 -8 nament singles out players or con- slick green that ran away from
Mark Wilson (163), $348,000 68-70-69-73—280 -8
Matt Kuchar (100), $219,000 73-67-71-71—282 -6 tributors for their achievements him.
Davis Love III (100), $219,000 72-68-69-73—282 -6 in and gifts to the game. A Memorial Tournament offi-
Matt Bettencourt (100), $219,000 71-68-68-75—282 -6
Stewart Cink (83), $180,000 68-72-72-71—283 -5 In 2010 it will honor one of the cial walked by a TV screen as
Ernie Els (83), $180,000 70-70-71-72—283 -5
Will MacKenzie (70), $150,000 70-73-73-68—284 -4 most colorful and beloved inter- Woods stood over the chip and
Mike Weir (70), $150,000 69-69-75-71—284 -4 national stars, Seve Ballesteros. said, “Oh, is this the one he chips
Geoff Ogilvy (70), $150,000 72-74-63-75—284 -4
K.J. Choi (60), $126,000 73-70-72-70—285 -3 Ballesteros, fighting a cancer- in?”
Jerry Kelly (53), $90,133 72-72-75-67—286 -2
Nick Watney (53), $90,133 73-71-74-68—286 -2 ous brain tumor, won a record 50 Woods took a chop at it, with a
Daniel Chopra (53), $90,133 72-69-73-72—286 -2 times on the European tour, one-handed follow-through and
Ryuji Imada (53), $90,133 70-69-74-73—286 -2
Chris DiMarco (53), $90,133 73-67-73-73—286 -2 including three British Open the ball dropped for eagle.
Dustin Johnson (53), $90,133 73-68-72-73—286 -2
Hunter Mahan (53), $90,133 74-69-70-73—286 -2 championships. The first Euro- “Yep,” the gentleman said as he
Luke Donald (53), $90,133 64-76-72-74—286 -2
Michael Letzig (53), $90,133 72-70-69-75—286 -2 pean to win the Masters, in 1980, walked away.
Kevin Sutherland (47), $55,200 69-75-73-70—287 -1 the Spaniard twice won the green
Alex Cejka (47), $55,200 73-68-73-73—287 -1
Steve Marino (47), $55,200 68-72-73-74—287 -1 jacket and was the youngest win- Catching a plane
Bubba Watson (47), $55,200 71-71-70-75—287 -1
Kenny Perry (41), $40,800 72-73-75-68—288 E ner at Augusta until Tiger Woods’ Scott McCarron, playing as a
Woody Austin (41), $40,800 75-70-73-70—288 E first victory in 1997. single and the first player off the
Charl Schwartzel (0), $40,800 72-68-77-71—288 E
Steve Stricker (41), $40,800 70-74-73-71—288 E His 1988 British Open victory tee, raced around Muirfield Vil-
Mathew Goggin (41), $40,800 73-73-70-72—288 E
Jason Day (41), $40,800 67-73-75-73—288 E featured his usual wizardry lage in 2 hours, 9 minutes—what
Rod Pampling (41), $40,800 69-71-74-74—288 E around the greens, capped by a his caddie Bradley Whittle was
Camilo Villegas (37), $33,150 71-74-73-71—289 +1
Kevin Na (37), $33,150 71-72-73-73—289 +1 chip from behind the 18th green told was an unofficial Memorial
Ted Purdy (33), $28,260 67-79-75-69—290 +2
Richard Sterne (0), $28,260 74-71-74-71—290 +2 that finished inches from the cup. speed record.
MIKE MUNDEN / AP Jeff Overton (33), $28,260 76-69-71-74—290 +2 “I knew at the time I won the Know how the contenders say it
Jose Maria Olazabal (33), $28,260 74-74-68-74—290 +2
Tiger Woods made a statement Sunday with a final-round 65 that gave him a one-shot win. Troy Matteson (33), $28,260 69-73-71-77—290 +2 Open in 1988 that I had reached takes time to look over putts on
Steve Flesch (29), $22,800 73-75-74-69—291 +3
Y.E. Yang (29), $22,800 73-72-74-72—291 +3 some sort of peak, that it was a the fast greens at Muirfield Vil-
Robert Allenby (29), $22,800 72-76-68-75—291 +3
than five years. He missed only five gave him a 69 and allowed him to Ben Curtis (29), $22,800 71-71-72-77—291 +3 round of golf that I would think lage? McCarron, who shot a 71,
fairways all week, his best perfor- finish alone in second. Furyk is Johnson Wagner (25), $18,600 69-74-76-73—292 +4 fondly about for the rest of my said he had his best putting day of
Tom Lehman (25), $18,600 71-74-74-73—292 +4
mance off the tee since the 1998 close friends in Woods, and had Lucas Glover (25), $18,600 75-69-72-76—292 +4 life,” he said. the week and barely glanced at
Jeff Quinney (21), $15,264 75-72-74-72—293 +5
Masters. been hearing the speculation that Lee Janzen (21), $15,264 72-73-75-73—293 +5 He will be invited to come to them.
“It was nice to play this well going Woods was not the same. Charley Hoffman (21), $15,264 71-72-76-74—293 +5 Muirfield Village the week of the “I took absolutely no time” on
Webb Simpson (21), $15,264 73-71-73-76—293 +5
into the U.S. Open,” Woods said. “I just wish you all would just D.J. Trahan (21), $15,264 73-74-69-77—293 +5 Memorial. If his health allows the greens, he said. “The only time
Ian Poulter (16), $13,890 75-71-74-74—294 +6
“This is how you have to hit it in quick (ticking) him off ... so he has John Senden (16), $13,890 71-74-74-75—294 +6 him to make the trip, it will be his I actually took some time was on 8
order to win U.S. Opens.” to come back and keep proving Martin Kaymer (0), $13,890 71-76-72-75—294 +6 first time at the course since he and I four-putted.”
Tom Pernice, Jr. (16), $13,890 71-74-73-76—294 +6
He managed to work in some of stuff,” Furyk said. “I think he a-Reinier Saxton 69-75-72-78—294 +6 won four points for the winning He wished he had concentrated
Nicholas Thompson (11), $13,320 69-75-78-73—295 +7
Muirfield Village magic along the answered a lot of questions today.” Zach Johnson (11), $13,320 71-73-75-76—295 +7 European side in the 1987 Ryder a bit more on holes 8, 9 and 12,
way, surging into contention by Woods finished at 12-under 276 David Duval (11), $13,320 71-74-74-76—295 +7 Cup matches. where he was a combined 15 over
Marc Leishman (11), $13,320 74-74-70-77—295 +7
chipping in for eagle from a nasty and won for the 67th time in his Steve Lowery (11), $13,320 76-71-71-77—295 +7 for the week; on the other 60 holes
Brett Quigley (6), $12,660 74-73-78-71—296 +8
lie in thick rough behind the 11th career. The timing could not have Tim Herron (6), $12,660 75-73-76-72—296 +8 Déjà vu again he was 2 under.
Nick O’Hern (6), $12,660 73-73-76-74—296 +8
green. been better. He was within one shot George McNeill (6), $12,660 76-69-75-76—296 +8 One highlight that gets shown McCarron needed to step on the
“I don’t even know how to of the lead going in to the back nine Paul Casey (6), $12,660 73-70-75-78—296 +8 more than others at the Memorial gas. He had a 12:15 p.m. flight to
Chez Reavie (6), $12,660 71-74-72-79—296 +8
describe it,” said Michael Letzig, at Quail Hollow and made nothing Jeff Klauk (1), $12,120 76-71-79-73—299 +11 is Tiger Woods’ chip-in for par Memphis where he was scheduled
Mark Brooks (1), $12,120 75-73-76-75—299 +11
who played with Woods. “It was better than par for a 72. He played Bill Haas (1), $12,120 74-72-77-76—299 +11 from behind the 14th green in for two quick practice rounds later
the best golf I’d ever seen.” in the final group at The Players Stuart Appleby (1), $11,820 72-74-76-78—300 +12 1999, his first of four wins at Sunday on the courses where he’ll
D.A. Points (1), $11,820 75-70-75-80—300 +12
Jim Furyk, part of the four-way Championship, couldn’t find a fair- Scott McCarron (1), $11,580 74-74-82-71—301 +13 Muirfield Village. Maybe some play in Monday’s U.S. Open sec-
Marc Turnesa (1), $11,580 72-73-78-78—301 +13
tie on the back nine, made a 20-foot way and closed with a 73. Rocco Mediate (1), $11,340 73-70-81-78—302 +14 have seen it too much. tional qualifier.
birdie putt on the final hole that — The Associated Press Erik Compton (0), $11,340 72-75-74-81—302 +14 He was in deep rough behind — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY
Spence’s pitching locks up return trip to Series for ASU
TEMPE, ARIZ.—Josh Spence threw a
four-hitter and struck out 10, Jason
Kipnis’ two-run single keyed a five-
run fifth inning and Arizona State
beat Clemson 8-2 on Sunday night
to advance to the College World
Series for the third time in five
seasons.
Spence, a junior left-hander ham-
pered by a hand injury late in the
season, retired the first 11 batters he
faced and walked one in his second
complete game of the year. He
improved to 9-1 while winning for
the first time in 51 days.
Kipnis, the Pacific-10 player of
the year, singled off Clemson starter
Chris Dwyer (5-6) to drive in the
first two runs in the Sun Devils’
five-run fifth. Kole Calhoun had a
two-run double and Matt Newman
had a run-scoring double in the
inning.
Arizona State (48-12) will make
its 21st College World Series appear-
ance, tied with Southern California
for third in NCAA history.
Arizona State has won five titles,
tied with LSU for third.
Jeff Schaus hit his 13th homer for
Clemson (44-21).
Arizona State 000 050 003
Clemson 000 100 001 —
Spence and Ramirez Dwyer, Vaughn (5) and Nester. W: Spence 9-1. L:
Dwyer 5-6. HR: Clemson, Schaus (13).
Southern Miss 7, Florida 6
GAINESVILLE, FLA.—Joey Archer
drove in three runs, reliever Scott
Copeland pitched three scoreless
innings and Southern Mississippi
beat Florida to advance to the Col-
lege World Series for the first time
in school history.
www.sportingnews.com College Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 34
NCAA SUPER REGIONALS Super Regionals glance
All times ET (Best-of-3)
At Dick Howser Stadium
Tallahassee, Fla.
Friday
Arkansas 7, Florida State 2
Saturday
Arkansas 9, Florida State 8
The Golden Eagles (40-24), the instate rival to clinch the super Arkansas advances to College World Series
surprise of the NCAA tournament, regional title. Warren (9-2) allowed
At Alex Box Stadium
overcame a five-run deficit to win eight hits and three runs in 7 1/3 Baton Rouge, La.
for the 12th time in 15 games. The innings against the Pirates (46-20). Friday
LSU 12, Rice 9
hot streak started shortly after Pirates starter Kevin Brandt Saturday
coach Corky Palmer announced his (9-2)—who held the Tar Heels to five LSU 5, Rice 3
retirement. Now, he’ll get a story- hits in 8 1/3 shutout innings in an LSU advances to College World Series
book send-off in Omaha, Neb. April victory—took the loss after
At UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Archer had an RBI double in the allowing six hits and three runs in Austin, Texas
fourth, then drove in two runs with five innings. Saturday
Texas 10, TCU 4
a single in the three-run eighth off With the win, North Carolina also Sunday
Billy Bullock (3-3). Tyler Koelling became the first ACC school to reach TCU 3, Texas 2
Today
followed with a grounder to short- the College World Series, a bowl TCU (40-17) vs. Texas (45-14-1), 7 p.m.
stop that should’ve been an ending- game and the men’s basketball Final
At McKethan Stadium
inning double play with the game Four in the same season. Gainesville, Fla.
tied at 6. But first baseman Preston Saturday
North Carolina 002 005 101 — 9 13 0 Southern Mississippi 9, Florida 7
Tucker couldn’t field the throw that East Carolina 000 000 030 — 3 10 0 Sunday
Warren, Moran (8) and Fleury Brandt, Mincey (6), Simmons (6), Somers Southern Mississippi 7, Florida 6, Southern Mississippi advances
skipped in the dirt. (7), Daniels (9) and Avchen, Wright (9). W: Warren, 9-2. L: Brandt, 9-2.
Florida 114 000 000 — 6 8 0 HRs: North Carolina, Ackley (22), Gore (6). At Boshamer Stadium
Southern Miss 100 210 03x — 7 7 0 Chapel Hill, N.C.
McInnis, Copeland (6) and Graves and Maxie (5). Maronde, Larson (4), Saturday
Davis (4), Bullock (8) and Munroe. W: Copeland, 2-5. L: Bullock, 3-3. TCU 3, Texas 2 North Carolina 10, East Carolina 1
Sv: Cargill (13). HRs: Florida, Tucker (15), McArthur (3). Southern Miss, AUSTIN, TEXAS—Matt Vern and Matt Sunday
Davis (14), Ewing (4). North Carolina 9, East Carolina 3, North Carolina advances
Carpenter each hit home runs and
TCU edged top national seed Texas to At Packard Stadium
Tempe, Ariz.
Virginia 5, Mississippi 1 force a deciding third game in the Saturday
OXFORD, MISS.—Virginia is headed super regional. Arizona State 7, Clemson 4
Sunday
to its first College World Series after Vern hit a two-run shot in the Arizona State 8, Clemson 2, Arizona State advances
beating Mississippi to win the super fourth inning off Texas starter Cole
At Oxford-University Stadium
regional series. Green to give the Horned Frogs (40- Oxford, Miss.
Matt Packer, in his third appear- 17) a quick lead. Carpenter made it Friday
Mississippi 4, Virginia 3, 12 innings
ance of the series, and three others 3-0 with his solo homer off Green Saturday
combined for 10 strikeouts and (5-3) in the sixth. Virginia 4, Mississippi 3
— 8 12 0 PHIL SANDLIN / AP Sunday
2 4 2 allowed just seven hits as the Cava- Southern Mississippi’s Adam Doleac, left, slides safely into home to tie the game at 6-6 The teams meet again tonight, with Virginia 5, Mississippi 1, Virginia advances
liers (48-13-1) set the school record against Florida in the eighth inning. The Eagles eventually won the game, 7-6. the winner advancing to the College
At Goodwin Field
for wins in a season. Virginia World Series. Fullerton, Calif.
improved to 5-1 since the NCAA while the Rebels stranded eight North Carolina 9, East Carolina 3 Texas (45-14-1) got within a run on Friday
Cal State Fullerton 12, Louisville 0
tournament began and has done it runners and were 0-for-3 with run- CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Dustin Ackley hit a Preston Clark’s RBI single in the sev- Saturday
with pitching, allowing just nine ners in scoring position. Ole Miss three-run homer and Adam Warren enth and Brandon Belt’s run-scoring Cal State Fullerton 11, Louisville 2
earned runs. had just one runner advance past took a shutout into the eighth inning single in the eighth. Cal State Fullerton advances to College World Series
The Rebels (44-20) have lost four second base after falling behind 1-0 to help North Carolina beat East Car- Texas 000 000 110 — 2 6 0
straight super regionals over the in the first. olina and clinch its fourth straight TCU 000 201 00x — 3 7 1
Green, Dicharry (8), Wood (8) and Rupp Gerrish, Marshall (8) and Hola-
last five seasons. Mississippi 100 000 000 — 1 7 3 trip to the College World Series. day. W: Gerrish, 6-2. L: Green, 5-3. Sv: Marshall (9). HRs: TCU, Carpenter
The Cavaliers took advantage of Virginia 000 130 01x — 5 9 2 The Tar Heels (47-16) swept the (11), Vern (17).
Baker (5), McKean (7) and Morgan Poutier (3), Wilson (6), Packer (8)
three errors and stole six bases, and Arico. W: Wilson, 9-3. L: Baker, 4-3. best-of-three series against their — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Tennis MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 35
FRENCH OPEN

Q&A with … tennis great Pete Sampras

Federer savors career-defining victory ‘I’m in good company with Roger’
PARIS—Oh, how Roger Federer savored
every moment with his first French Open ATPWorldTour.com caught up with Pete
trophy. Sampras after Roger Federer matched his record
He raised it overhead. He cradled it in the of 14 Grand Slam titles:
crook of his elbow. He closed his eyes and
kissed it. He examined the names of other
champions etched on its base. Even in a
downpour on Court Philippe Chatrier, as
Q: How does it feel to share
your record and once you
retired with 14, did you think it
heavy, gray clouds blocked any shred of would be less than seven years
sunlight Sunday, that silver trophy sure before your record would be
seemed to glisten. matched?
Finally, the lone major championship that
had eluded Federer was his. With his latest
masterful performance, Federer tied Pete
A: I didn’t think it would only take
seven years to tie it. It feels like
I’m in good company with Roger. If
Sampras’ record of 14 major singles titles there was someone I would want to be
and became the sixth man to complete a tied with and maybe one day my record
career Grand Slam. to be broken, I hoped it would be SIMON DAWSON / AP
History was at stake, and Federer was at someone like Roger. Pete Sampras was the first to win 14 Grand Slams.
his best, outplaying No. 23-seeded Robin
Soderling of Sweden en route to a 6-1, 7-6 (1),
6-4 victory in a French Open final that
lacked suspense but not significance.
Q: Now that he’s reached 14,
how many do you think
Roger will end up with before he
A: I followed his results and saw
some highlights. People were
saying that he was struggling, but as
“Maybe my greatest victory—or certainly retires? great players normally do, they find a
the one that takes the most pressure off my
shoulders,” Federer said in French,
moments after dropping to his knees, cak- BERNAT ARMANGUE / AP
A: It’s hard to put a number on it.
But now, I know it’s a different
sport, he might have his eyes on (Jack)
way to win. I believe in destiny and it
was Roger’s time to win in Paris.

ing them with clay, as his 127 mph service

winner ended the match. “I think that now,
Until Sunday’s win over Robin Soderling, Roger Federer was 0-3 in his career in French Open title matches. Nicklaus’ 18 Grand Slams record.
Q: You had Andre (Agassi) and
Roger has had Nadal as main
and until the end of my career, I can really
play with my mind at peace and no longer
hear that I’ve never won at Roland Garros.”
exactly what happened,” the second-seeded
Federer said. “It’s funny. I didn’t hope for it.
But I believed in it.”
All-time Grand Slam leaders Q: Could you talk about Roger’s
amazing stretch of reaching
15 of the past 16 Grand Slam finals?
rivals. What do you think it would
have been like if both of you were
out there playing in the same era?
Federer came heartbreakingly close in
the past, losing the previous three French
Open finals, so there certainly was some-
Sunday, Federer showed off the athleti-
cism and artistry that carried him to five
championships at Wimbledon, the last five
Pete Sampras
AUS FREN WIM U.S.
2 - 7 5
TOT
14 A: It’s incredible. I never would have
thought that some one would be
as consistent as Lendl’s eight consecutive
A: I think when you have two great
players, playing at the same time.
I think I would have had my fair share of
Roger Federer 3 1 5 5 14
thing poetic about his tying Sampras’ Grand at the U.S. Open and three at the Australian Roy Emerson 6 2 2 2 12
US Open finals. But this surpasses it and wins, and he would have had his fair
Slam mark at this particular tournament, Open. Federer hit more aces than Soderling, to do it on all surfaces, it’s a reflection of share of wins. We have similar tempera-
Bjorn Borg - 6 5 - 11
on this particular court. 16-2. He broke Soderling four times. He won his game and his career. ments and contrasting styles of play,
Rod Laver 3 2 4 2 11
Rafael Nadal beat Federer at Roland Gar- 40 of the first 47 points on his serve. He which would have made for a great
Bill Tilden - - 3 7 10
ros in the 2006-08 finals and the 2005 semi-
finals, but his 31-match French Open winning
streak ended this year with a fourth-round
won five points with delicate drop shots.
Soderling never really stood a chance, not
against Federer, not on this day, not on this
Andre Agassi
Jimmy Connors
4
1
1
-
1
2
2
5
8
8
Q: What about Roger’s
performance in Paris to
complete a career Grand Slam, to
rivalry. Our rivalry potentially would
have transcended the sport.
Ivan Lendl 2 3 - 3 8
loss to the hard-hitting Soderling.
“I knew the day Rafa won’t be in the
stage.
“You really gave me a lesson in how to Fred Perry
Ken Rosewall
1
4
1
2
3
-
3
2
8
8
pull out two five-setters and win a
couple of other tight matches. Did Q: Will you come to Wimbledon
if he’s in the final?
finals, I will be there, and I will win. I
always knew that, and I believed in it. That’s
play tennis,” Soderling told Federer.
— The Associated Press
you follow his matches throughout
the tournament? A: TBD...
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Tennis MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 36
Comparing the great ones Federer by the numbers
Federer captured his first French Open title to improve to 14-5 Roger Federer’s win at Roland Garros
lifetime in Grand Slam finals, tying Pete Sampras for the most gives him a record-tying 14 Grand
Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis. He earned his 14th title in his Slams. With that figure in mind, here’s
40th career Slam tournament while Sampras collected his 14th a look at the 27-year-old’s career so far.
crown in his 52nd career Slam event. Federer also would have
accomplished the feat in a span less than seven years (in 24
Slams from 1st to 14th) while Sampras needed 13 years (in 45 1 Roland Garros title (2009) and
Rafael Nadal (only player he’s lost
to in a Grand Slam final)
Slams from 1st to 14th).

2 Ranking at time of Roland Garros

title (also ’04 Australian Open)

3 Australian Open titles won (2004,

’06-07)

4 Times reached final (minimum)

in each of the Grand Slam
tournaments

5 Wimbledon (2003-2007) and US

Open (2004-2008) titles won and
number of times he’s lost to Nadal in
ROGER PETE Slam finals
FEDERER SAMPRAS
Age at 14th 27 31
6 Sets lost during his title run at
Roland Garros, the most of his
Grand Slam titles, and how many
Grand Slam Title different players to complete a career
Grand Slam
Attempts needed 40th 52nd
to win 14th G.S.
Title 7 Consecutive years of winning at
least one Grand Slam title

Grand Slam
Finals record
14-5 14-4 8 Hard court titles between US
Open (5) and Australian Open
(3); Losses in his streak of 20 consecu-
tive semi-final or better Grand Slam
Span to win 14th 24 Slam Tourn. 45 Slam Tourn. appearances
Grand Slam title in less than 7 in 13 years
years
9 Countries of opponents he’s
beaten in Grand Slam finals
(Australia, Chile, Cyprus, Great Britain,
Grand Slam 175-26 203-38
Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, and U.S.)
breakdown

Australian Open 47-7 (3 titles) 45-9 (2 titles) 10 Record consecutive Grand

Slam finals reached between
2005 Wimbledon and 2007 US Open
Roland Garros 39-10 (1 title) 24-13 (SF)

Wimbledon 44-5 (5 titles) 63-7 (7 titles)

11 Appearances at Roland Garros
before winning first title (same
as Andre Agassi) and number of differ-
ent opponents he’s beaten in Grand
U.S. Open 45-4 (5 titles) 71-9 (5 titles)
Slam finals
Career record

Career titles
650-155 (.807)

59
762-222 (.774)

64
12 Titles won in his streak of 20
consecutive semifinal or better
Grand Slam appearances

Weeks at No. 1 237 286 13 Last year’s US Open where

Federer won his previous
Grand Slam title; 2000 Wimbledon
Year-end ATP 4 times 6 times where Sampras won his
World Tour
Champions (No. 1)
BERNAT ARMANGUE / AP
14 Ties Pete Sampras for the most
Grand Slam singles titles in the
history of men’s tennis
Source: ATPWorldTour.com Sunday was an emotional day for Roger Federer—he tied Pete Sampras’ record for 14 major titles and completed his own career Grand Slam. Source: ATPWorldTour.com
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Back Page MONDAY, JUNE 08, 2009 37
IN BRIEF NHRA
TRANSACTIONS
Merritt shines fresh off Olympics Rookie picks up first victory BASEBALL
American League
JOLIET, ILL.—Top Fuel rookie was 4 years old and saw my first BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Placed SS Cesar
Major League Soccer EUGENE, ORE.—Olympic gold medalist Spencer Massey raced to his first race. I watched Don Prudhomme Izturis on the 15-day DL, retroactive to
June 4. Purchased the contract of INF
EASTERN CONFERENCE LaShawn Merritt bested his own Hay- career victory Sunday in the win his last Top Fuel race in Dal-
W L T Pts GF GA Oscar Salazar from Norfolk (IL).
ward Field record by winning the sel- NHRA Route 66 Nationals, beat- las in 1994, and now he’s high- SEATTLE MARINERS: Recalled C Jamie
Chicago 5 2 6 21 20 17
D.C. 4 2 7 19 20 17 dom-run 300 meters in 31.30 seconds ing points leader and No. 1 quali- fiving me in the winner’s circle. Burke from Tacoma (PCL). Designated
Columbus 3 2 7 16 17 17 Sunday in the Prefontaine Classic. fier Antron Brown in the final. That’s unbelievable.” RHP Denny Stark for assignment.
Kansas City 4 5 4 16 16 16 National League
New England 4 3 4 16 14 17 Merritt, who won gold in the 400 Massey, driving for NHRA Tony Pedregon, Jeg Coughlin
Toronto FC 4 5 4 16 17 21 ATLANTA BRAVES: Placed 1B Casey
last summer in Beijing, surpassed his great Don “The Snake” Prud- and Matt Guidera also won their Kotchman on the 15-day DL, retroactive
New York 2 9 3 9 12 22
WESTERN CONFERENCE
own mark of 31.31 at the venerated homme, finished in 3.856 sec- categories in the NHRA Full to June 1.
W L T Pts GF GA track in 2006. He also topped the onds at 308.35 mph to edges Throttle Drag Racing Series LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Placed LHP Eric
Chivas USA 8 2 3 27 18 9 Prefontaine-best 32.19 set by Jason Brown, whose dragster trailed event. Milton on the 15-day DL, retroactive to
Houston 6 2 3 21 15 7 June 6. Recalled INF Blake DeWitt from
Seattle 4 3 5 17 15 10 Rouser in 1994. with a 3.870 at 301.54. Pedregon earned his first
Colorado 4 2 5 17 17 14 Albuquerque (PCL).
Los Angeles 2 1 9 15 15 14
Fellow Americans Xavier Carter “This whole season has been a Funny Car win of the season Eastern League
Real Salt Lake 3 6 3 12 16 16 was second in 31.93, and Wallace dream,” Massey said. “I’ve been and moved to second place in TRENTON THUNDER: Announced C Ryan
FC Dallas 2 6 4 10 14 19 Spearmon was third in 32.14. watching NHRA racing and the point standings by cruising Baker was assigned from Staten Island
San Jose 2 7 3 9 14 248
NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. wanting to drive a Top Fuel past Ashley Force Hood. (NYP) and OF Seth Fortenberry was
assigned to Staten Island.
June 6 Saturday’s Games Golf dragster in the NHRA since I — The Associated Press American Association
Los Angeles 2, Toronto FC 1 Chicago at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Columbus 2, Kansas City 0 New York at Toronto FC, 8 p.m. SPRINGFIELD, ILL.—In-Kyung Kim bird- LINCOLN SALTDOGS: Released C Lee
Real Salt Lake 1, Colorado 1, tie Houston at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. ied two of the final three holes to beat Wells. 14. Joe DeSantis. 15. Mike Berry. def. Brian Forrester, Dragster, foul. Rubin.
Chivas USA 1, Seattle FC 0 New England at Kansas City,
Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak by a stroke in Results 16. David Hope. Super Gas SIOUX FALLS CANARIES: Signed C Ken
Sunday’s Games 8:30 p.m. Mike Sawyer, Chevy Cavalier, 10.002, Lup.
FC Dallas 2, San Jose 2, tie Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles, the State Farm Classic. DON RYAN /AP Sunday Finals 162.18 def. Rock Haas, Chevy Corvette,
New England 4, New York 0 10:30 p.m. At Route 66 Raceway Can-Am League
Wednesday’s Games San Jose at Seattle FC, 10:30 Kim shot a 7-under 65 to finish at LaShawn Merritt easily won the 300-meter Joliet, Ill.
Top Fuel 10.236, 128.57. SUSSEX SKYHAWKS: Released RHP TJ
Spencer Massey, 3.856 seconds, Super Street
Chivas USA at Houston, 8:30 p.m. 17-under 271 on the Panther Creek dash at Sunday’s Prefontaine Classic. Final Order 308.35 mph def. Antron Brown, 3.870 Ryan Giacone, Ford Thunderbird, Stanton.
p.m. Sunday, June 14 Top Fuel
Chivas USA at Columbus, 3 p.m. course, giving the 20-year-old South 1. Spencer Massey. 2. Antron Brown.
seconds, 301.54 mph. 10.953, 137.05 def. Chuck Lowry,
Funny Car Chevy Camaro, 10.960, 135.76. FOOTBALL
Korean player her second LPGA Tour Clyde Weaver at 1:16 of the first round 3. Larry Dixon. 4. Clay Millican. 5. Rod Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala, 4.114,
Fuller. 6. Brandon Bernstein. 7. Terry Canadian Football League
victory along with a big boost heading Saturday night at Coushatta Casino Haddock. 8. Morgan Lucas. 9. Cory
303.78 def. Ashley Force Hood, Ford Standings
BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS: Placed OL
Mustang, 7.780, 87.91. (After 10 of 24 events)
WNBA All Times ET into the LPGA Championship next Resort. McClenathan. 10. J.R. Todd. 11. Troy Pro Stock Top Fuel Sherko Haji-Rasouli, OL Martin Bibla,
EASTERN CONFERENCE week at Bulle Rock. Foreman, the 26-year-old son of Buff. 12. Joe Hartley. 13. Luigi Novelli. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.663, 1. Antron Brown, 770. 2. Tony WR Anthony Russo, WR Jason Jones and
W L Pct GB 14. Doug Kalitta. 15. Tony Schumacher. 207.30 def. Mike Edwards, Pontiac Schumacher, 752. 3. Brandon
two-time world heavyweight cham- 16. Shawn Langdon. DB Trestin George on the suspended list.
Washington 2 0 1.000 — GXP, foul. Bernstein, 701. 4. Larry Dixon, 650.
Funny Car EDMONTON ESKIMOS: Placed DL Adam
Atlanta 1 1 .500 1 LAKEWAY, TEXAS—Bernhard Langer pion George Foreman, floored Weaver 1. Tony Pedregon, Chevy Impala. 2.
Pro Stock Motorcycle 5. Cory McClenathan, 595. 6. Morgan
Braidwood on the nine-game injured
Connecticut 1 1 .500 1 Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.096, 181.79 Lucas, 576. 7. Spencer Massey, 560. 8.
Chicago 0 1 .000 1½ became the first three-time winner on with a left hook to the chin. Earlier, Ashley Force Hood. 3. Mike Neff. 4. def. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, Shawn Langdon, 556. 9. Doug Kalitta, list.
Detroit 0 1 .000 1½ the Champions Tour this season, clos- the 6-foot-5, 236-pound Foreman Cruz Pedregon. 5. Robert Hight. 6. 7.189, 179.66. 475. 10. Clay Millican, 397.
Tim Wilkerson. 7. Bob Tasca III. 8. John SASKETCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS: Placed
New York 0 1 .000 1½ Top Alcohol Dragster Funny Car LS Jocelyn Frenette on the suspended
Indiana 0 2 .000 2 ing with a 5-under 67 for a six-stroke knocked Weaver (0-2) down with a Force. 9. Matt Hagan. 10. Jack Beck- Jim Whiteley, 5.321, 264.03 def. 1. Ron Capps, 760. 2. Tony Pedregon,
victory over Mark O’Meara in the Tri- left hook to the body. man. 11. Jim Head. 12. Del Worsham. Brandon Lewis, 9.176, 82.86. 702. 3. Ashley Force Hood, 700. 4. Del list and DB LeRon Mitchell on the nine-
WESTERN CONFERENCE 13. Ron Capps. 14. Bob Bode. 15. Jerry Top Alcohol Funny Car Worsham, 641. 5. Jack Beckman, 584. game injured list.
W L Pct GB ton Financial Classic Toliver. 16. Jeff Arend. Frank Manzo, Chevy Monte Carlo, 6. Tim Wilkerson, 553. 7. (tie) Matt TORONTO ARGONAUTS: Signed RB Jar-
Minnesota
Seattle
2
2
0
0
1.000
1.000
—
—
Auto racing Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt. 2. Mike
5.570, 258.96 def. Steve Harker, Monte Hagan, 513. Bob Tasca III, 513. 9. John rett Payton and WR Todd Lowber. Placed
Carlo, 11.394, 70.80. Force, 507. 10. Cruz Pedregon, 494.
Los Angeles 1 0 1.000 ½ NEWPORT, WALES—Denmark’s Jeppe ISTANBUL—Brawn GP’s Jenson But- Edwards. 3. Greg Anderson. 4. Kurt Competition Eliminator Pro Stock DB Brad Crawford and DE Clifford Dukes
Phoenix 1 0 1.000 ½ Huldahl won the Wales Open for his ton won the Turkish Grand Prix on Johnson. 5. Allen Johnson. 6. Johnny Sal Biondo, Chevy Beretta, 8.242, 1. Jeg Coughlin, 905. 2. Mike Edwards, on the suspended list.
San Antonio 0 1 .000 1½ Gray. 7. Warren Johnson. 8. Greg 161.17 def. Todd Patterson, Chevy 812. 3. Jason Line, 748. 4. Greg WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS: Signed S Ian
Sacramento 0 2 .000 2 first PGA European Tour title, finish- Sunday for his sixth victory in seven Stanfield. 9. Ron Krisher. 10. Jason Cobalt, 7.732, 175.75. Anderson, 727. 5. Allen Johnson, 607. Logan to a contract extension and DB
ing with a 4-under 67 for a one-stroke Formula One races. Line. 11. Justin Humphreys. 12. David Super Stock 6. Greg Stanfield, 535. 7. Kurt Johnson,
June 6 Minnesota 96, Indiana 74 Beckley. 13. Rickie Jones. 14. Ryan Ronyell Whitaker.
Chris Chaney, Chevy Cavalier, 9.690, 497. 8. Ron Krisher, 463. 9. Rickie
Los Angeles 78, Detroit 58 Seattle 80, Sacramento 70 victory over Sweden’s Niclas Fasth at Button overtook pole sitter Sebas- Ondrejko. 15. Rodger Brogdon. 16. 130.13 def. Jeff Niceswanger, Chevy Jones, 420. 10. Warren Johnson, 384.
Seattle 71, Sacramento 61 Today’s Game Ronnie Humphrey. COLLEGE
Washington 82, Connecticut 70 Los Angeles at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Celtic Manor. tian Vettel on the first lap following a Pro Stock Motorcycle
Camaro, 10.029, 124.41. Pro Stock Motorcycle
Stock Eliminator 1. Eddie Krawiec, 433. 2. Andrew Hines, TULSA: Announced men’s basketball
Atlanta 87, Indiana 86, 2OT Tuesday’s Game mistake by the Red Bull driver and 1. Matt Guidera. 2. Eddie Krawiec. 3. Adam Davis, Chevy Camaro, 11.188, 382. 3. Matt Smith, 380. 4. Douglas
Minnesota 102, Chicago 85 Seattle at Indiana, 7 p.m. G Scottie Haralson is transferring from
Phoenix 90, San Antonio 79 Boxing held on for a 6.7-second win over Red Andrew Hines. 4. Steve Johnson. 5.
Matt Smith. 6. Doug Horne. 7. Michael
110.98 def. John Shaul, Plymouth Fury, Horne, 349. 5. Hector Arana, 319. 6.
Connecticut.
10.116, 129.65. Craig Treble, 311. 7. Matt Guidera,
Sunday’s Games KINDER, LA.—George Foreman III won Bull’s Mark Webber. Phillips. 8. Katie Sullivan. 9. Karen Super Comp 280. 8. (tie) Shawn Gann, 241. Steve
Washington 77, Atlanta 71 Stoffer. 10. Hector Arana. 11. Craig
Connecticut 66, New York 57 in his professional debut, stopping — The Associated Press Treble. 12. Shawn Gann. 13. Wesley
Kari Larson, Dragster, 8.896, 166.09 Johnson, 241. 10. Karen Stoffer, 211.