Category: General Sports (Page 66 of 112)

Tuesday Morning Headliners: ‘Melo suspended two games

June 23, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

– The Nuggets suspended forward Camelo Anthony for the first two games of the 2008-09 season. The suspension is due to Anthony’s arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol on April 14.

– Starter Ben Sheets threw a complete game four-hitter in the Brewers’ 4-1 victory over the Braves. Sheets struck out seven in route to his ninth win of the season. The problem with Sheets has never been his stuff – it’s been his injury history. Knock on wood – he’s been able to stay injury-free all season and is off to a great first half.

– Dan Haren threw seven strong innings in Arizona’s 2-1 win over the Red Sox. Haren limited Boston to only two hits and struck out five to earn his eighth victory of the year.

– Matt Holliday went 2 for 3 at the plate and homered, but the Rockies fell to the red-hot Royals 8-4 as Mark Teahen hit his eighth dinger of the year. KC has now won three in a row and is 8-2 in its last 10 games.

– Pitcher Felix Hernandez hit a grand slam in the Mariners’ 5-2 win over the Mets, but then was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain after Carlos Beltran slid into him. King Felix joined C.C. Sabathia in AL pitchers who obviously don’t mind hitting during interleague play. Both pitchers have gone yard in the past couple days. (Sabathia hit a 440-foot shot that still hasn’t landed yet.)

General Sports, MLB, NBA

Monday Morning Headliners: Teixeira blasts three HR’s

June 23, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

– Mark Teixeria went off Sunday, belting three dingers, driving in four RBI and scoring three runs in the Braves’ 8-3 win over the Mariners. Six of his 13 home runs have come in the month of June.

– Prince Fielder went yard twice and drove in three runs in the Brewers’ 7-3 win over the Orioles. Can the Brew Crew finally find some consistancy this year?

– Ken Griffey blasted career home run No. 601, but the Reds fell to the Yankees 4-1 as Andy Pettitte earned his eighth win of the year. The Bronx Bombers have won eight of their last 10 contests.

– The Cubs beat the Sox 7-1 and earned the sweep in the Cross-Town Classic. Ryan Dempster won his ninth game of the year; he’s been absolutely unstoppable at Wrigley this season.

– Titans’ defensive end Jevon Kearse was reportedly arrested for DUI early Sunday according to NewsChannel 5 in Tennessee.

General Sports, MLB, NFL

Sunday Morning Headlines: Pistons interested in Carmelo?

June 22, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

– The Nuggets reportedly turned down a trade offer from Detroit that would have sent star Carmelo Anthony for Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince – this according to an unnamed source at ESPN.com.

– Vladimir Guerrero homered twice in the Halos’ 6-2 win over Philadelphia. Vlad added two RBI and two runs scored on a 2 for 3 day.

– Jim Edmonds continues his resurgence in Chicago, going 2 for 4 with two dingers, two RBI and two runs scored in the Cubs’ 11-7 blasting of the White Sox. The Cubs go for the sweep in the Cross-Town Classic on Sunday.

– C.C. Sabathia didn’t pick up a win, but he lasted 7.0 innings and struck out 10 in the Indians’ 7-2 win over the Dodgers in 11 innings. He also hit a monster home run, launching a 440-foot shot in the third inning off L.A. starter Chan Ho Park. The Tribe continue to give manager Joe Torre fits and will go for the series sweep Sunday.

– Albert Pujols will try to join the Cardinals in Detroit next Thursday. Pujols has been dealing with a calf injury.

– The Cubs placed Carlos Zambrano on the 15-day DL, retroactive to June 19. Sean Marshall is expected to take Zambrano’s spot in the rotation.

– The Chargers are reportedly willing to move wide receiver Eric Parker in a trade. It appears that the team might have to cut him, however, because the interest in Parker is limited.

General Sports, MLB, NBA, NFL

Congress to look into steroids in horse racing

June 20, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

Gary West of the Star-Telegram writes that a congressional subcommittee has conducted an inquiry into “Breeding, Drugs and Breakdowns” in the sport of horse racing.

In her opening comments, Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky said, “It seems greed has trumped the health of horses, the safety of jockeys and the integrity of the sport.”
Some might point out that not every segment of the industry was represented. Nobody was there Thursday, for example, representing the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association or the Association of Racing Commissioners International. Most of all, nobody was there to represent the typical horseman who spends so much of his time and resources caring for his horses as though they’re part of his family.
And some might wonder why the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House of Representatives was spending its time on such things. But it would be a mistake not to answer the wake-up call.
“We want you to regulate yourself,” Rep. Stearns said, as if addressing everybody connected to the sport. And the implication was clear: If horse racing doesn’t address its problems, if it doesn’t regulate itself, then government will.

My initial reaction to seeing this was doesn’t congress have better things to worry about? But these horses aren’t making a conscious decision to use steroids and other drugs – humans are making those decisions for them. So maybe it is worth it for congress to step in and take a look at what’s going on in the underworld of horse racing, especially if these animals’ health is in danger.

General Sports

horse racing Steroids

Friday Morning Headliners: Curt Shilling done for season

June 20, 2008 / Anthony Stalter

– The Boston Globe is reporting that Red Sox starter Curt Shilling will have surgery on his right throwing shoulder on Monday, which would effectively end his season if not his career.

– The Mariners continued their club purge Thursday, firing manager John McLaren just days after giving the boot to GM Bill Bavasi. In the end, it appears that McLaren just couldn’t overcome the bone-headed mistakes of Bavasi.

– Joba Chamberlain had another strong outing, lasting 5.2 innings and giving up just one run on four hits while striking out nine. Alex Rodriguez singled in the go ahead run in the sixth inning as the Yanks topped the Padres 2-1.

– The Rays used a seven-run seventh inning to crush the Cubs 8-3. Carl Crawford hit a grand slam in the seventh as the Rays swept the Cubs in Tampa.

– The White Sox used a grand slam by Jermaine Dye to beat the Pirates 13-8. Dye finished 3 for 4 with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored.

– Bears fans will be happy to know that the team has extended the contract of DT Tommie Harris. The new deal will reportedly extend his contract four more years and pay him roughly $40 million.