Page 2239 of 2957

      Blame the billy goat – Zambrano and Harden have arm issues

      September 4, 2008 /

      Any Cubs fan knows that even with their team resting comfortably in first place and on the brink of capturing a postseason berth, you just can’t take anything for granted. Case in point, the front of the Cubs’ starting rotation is experiencing some arm troubles.

      Carlos ZambranoCarlos Zambrano will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of his arm injury after leaving Tuesday nights start with a sore shoulder. Even though he says the situation isn’t serious, Rich Harden also admitted to having some arm “discomfort” and will skip his next start as a precaution.

      Regardless of the severity of Harden’s condition or the contradictions built up the last few days, the timing of the media circus building over the pitching staff couldn’t be worse for the Cubs, coming on the heels of Carlos Zambrano leaving Tuesday night’s start with a sore shoulder.

      With the balance of Zambrano’s season hanging on the outcome of today’s MRI exam, the double dose of soreness at the top of the rotation raises the scrutiny as high as the stakes in Harden’s next start, which should come Wednesday in St. Louis.

      ”Look, if he were available to pitch today, or tomorrow, or the next day, why would we wait for St. Louis?” Piniella said when pressed on the reason for Harden being given 11 days between starts. ”Doesn’t that make sense? He’s not available right now is all I’m trying to tell you. And he’s going to be available for the St. Louis series.”

      Pressed again, Piniella revealed the ”discomfort.”

      Everything is serious when it comes to Harden because he has a history of not being able to stay healthy. “Discomfort” might turn into something more and if Zambrano has to be shut down for an extended period of time, the Cubs can’t afford to have Harden sidelined. Worse case scenario, if both Zambrano and Harden were seriously injured, the Cubs would have Ryan Dempster, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Rich Hill/Sean Marshall as their postseason rotation. Yikes.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      The Oklahoma City… Thunder?

      September 3, 2008 /

      The new NBA Oklahoma City franchise (formerly the Seattle Supersonics) has settled on the “Thunder” as its nickname.

      As Oklahoma City’s NBA team prepared to reveal its name and logo, the NBA’s Web site showed “Thunder” as the name and the color scheme as blue, yellow and orange.

      The franchise planned to formally reveal the team’s nickname, colors and logo at 5 p.m. CDT.

      I’m not too keen on the Thunder, as I’m not a big fan of nicknames that don’t end in a “s.” It’s tough to say that Dwight Howard is the best Magic (?) ever or that Kevin Durant will go down in history as the best Thunder ever.

      Over the last few weeks I heard several names bandied about; the Bison, the Barrons, the Tornadoes, the Marshalls and the Outlaws, just to name a few. I personally like the Outlaws, but given its tarnished reputation, the NBA is probably shying away from anything associated with criminal activity. Of that list, I think the Marshalls is the next best option.

      It’s also a little strange that they settled on blue, yellow and orange colors. I thought they might do maroon and orange to tie in the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

      You can see the logo at NBA.com and at the official team website, which, oddly enough, is still is tagged as “Seattle SuperSonics.”

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Warriors suspicious of Monta Ellis’ injury

      September 3, 2008 /

      Golden State guard Monta Ellis, who recently signed a six-year contract worth $66 million, recently underwent ankle surgery to repair a torn ligament that he claims he sustained while playing basketball in Mississippi.

      There were reports that the Warriors were suspicious of Ellis’ story, and we now may have an idea why.

      League sources have told ESPN that there were cuts and abrasions on Ellis’ leg that are not consistent with the way Ellis said he injured the ankle.

      Just over a month after receiving one of the biggest pay raises in NBA history, Ellis underwent ankle surgery to repair the torn ligament last Wednesday in Alabama and will likely be sidelined until December at the earliest.

      Two experts in sports medicine consulted by ESPN.com, granted anonymity because they aren’t privy to the specifics of Ellis’ condition, said that a torn deltoid ligament is rarely seen in basketball. The deltoid ligament, the sources explained, is on the medial (big toe) side of the ankle while the structures typically involved in a high ankle sprain are on the opposite (lateral) side of the ankle. Involvement of the deltoid suggests a more serious rotational injury than those commonly associated with the NBA, the sources said.

      If Ellis is found to have sustained his injuries by taking part in non-basketball activities prohibited in his contract, Golden State could theoretically attempt to void the new six-year, $66 million deal signed by the 22-year-old on July 24. But such a drastic step is considered highly unlikely as long as the injuries cause no lasting damage, given Ellis’ standing as perhaps Golden State’s most prized asset in the wake of Baron Davis’ free-agent defection to the Los Angeles Clippers.

      The more likely punishments — assuming Ellis makes a full recovery from his injuries — are a fine or, at worst, a suspension.

      This keeps getting more interesting by the minute. It’s may be telling that Ellis has yet to speak to the media to confirm his side of the story. If he is being truthful, you’d think that he’d have no problem doing an interview about how he injured the ankle. There’s something more going on here.

      In the end, it all depends on the severity of the injury. If he was involved in non-basketball activities when he tore the ligament, and the injury will negatively impact his game, then the Warriors have every right to seek to have the contract terminated. But if he’s expected to recover completely, it is highly doubtful that it will go that far.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      The official Miami-Florida smack talk thread

      September 3, 2008 /

      Florida Gators

      Throw out the records, polls and rankings, because Miami vs. Florida is one of the most heated rivalries in all of college football. The two teams will square off again this Saturday at 8:00pm ET on ESPN.

      Last week the Gators (1-0) rolled over Hawaii 56-10 as Heisman candidate Tim Tebow completed 9 of 14 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing nine times for 37 yards. The Canes (1-0) throttled Charleston Southern 52-7 amassing 416 total yards, including 224 on the ground.

      Miami has dominated the recent meetings between the two schools, winning the last six contests. On a whole, the Hurricanes also have five national championships to the Gators’ two, even though Florida has become the more dominant program the past couple years.

      The smack talk from the players is already flying. Florida receiver Louis Murphy had this to say about the “U”:

      “If I’m right, the ‘U’ stands for the University of Miami,” said Murphy. “Well, we’re the University of Florida. We’re the ‘U.’ I don’t refer to them as the ‘U.’ I refer to them as Miami. If the ‘U’ is for university and winning and championships, we’re the ‘U.’ They are Miami, and that’s what I call them.”

      Even Tebow got into the chatter with this to say in reference to watching a Miami game while on recruiting trip a few years ago:

      “I am huge into the college environment and excitement, and you look around, and there were 30,000 empty seats,” Tebow said. “Then you come to Florida and you see this environment. … Wow, what a difference.”

      Below is a complete list of Miami and Florida blogs and information sites to get you primed for the matchup.

      Top Miami Hurricanes Sites

      All Canes Blog.com
      Miami Hurricanes Official Website
      Miami Hurricanes Rivals.com Page
      Inside The U.com

      Top Florida Gators Sites

      Alligator Army
      Florida Gators Official Website
      GatorBait.net
      Gator Envy

      Oddsmakers have made the Gators a 21.5-point favorite, which is a huge spread given this is such a big rivalry and that Florida hasn’t beaten Miami in their last six meetings. But obviously with the Gators transforming into a powerhouse over the years while Miami has struggled, as well having the more talented roster, oddsmakers probably figure Urban Meyer will try to bury his instate rivals to gain an edge on the recruiting front. These two schools are always battling each other for top recruits every year, so both could use the outcome of this game to get an edge.

      College Football, Television

      MLB’s top flops, failures, fiascoes and firsts

      September 3, 2008 /

      UATGSPORTS.CA compiled an interesting list of baseball’s top flops, failures, fiascoes and firsts of the 2008 MLB Season.

      Alex Rodriguez

      “Failures”
      If there was ever an unfitting send off for the house that Ruth built, a season and era that ends without a World Series championship would be it.

      New York Yankees
      … The Yankees have been unable to string together enough wins to make up ground on the Red Sox or Rays. Much of the Yankees misfortunes can be credited to the meteoric rise of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays’ rise has knocked Boston back into the wildcard race with the Twins and thus left the Yankees on the outside looking in. Depending on how the Red Sox and Twins finish down the stretch we could be witness to a post season without the Yankees and Red Sox.

      “Flops”
      It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

      Cleveland Indians
      … Considering CC looks like a completely different pitcher with Milwaukee and the Indians are squandering a 30/30 season from Grady Sizemore, this season is an utter disappointment for Chief Wahoo and the Indians. The Indians have not won a World Series since 1949 and suddenly their collapse in the bottom of the 9th inning during the 1997 World Series with two outs doesn’t seem so bad.

      “Firsts”
      A changing of the guard (also the New York Yankees’ worst nightmare).

      Tampa Bay Rays
      The Rays are guaranteed to finish north of .500 for the first time in franchise history, but arguably more important is the fact that this team will likely unseat the Red Sox and Yankees in the AL East.

      “Fiascoes”
      Saying the franchise is in “rebuilding mode” is an understatement.

      Seattle Mariners
      Seattle brought in Erik Bedard (now on the DL) and Carlos Silva and JJ Putz was expected to step-up in the closing role. Big contracts were also handed out to Kenji Johjima and Adrian Beltre over the years which pretty much sealed the fate of Bill Bavasi, the Mariners GM who was fired back in June. Suddenly this team is rebuilding and the one reason to go see this team play is for the Mariner Moose. The memories of a 116-win season are long gone in the state of Washington.

      Very cool list. The Yankees’ failures this season goes to show you that without pitching, it doesn’t matter if a team has an All-Star lineup. And the same can be said for the Tigers, who were also mentioned by UATGSPORTS.CA. As for the Tribe, injuries completely dismantled an otherwise potentially great year. But the Indians loaded up again in the Sabathia trade and should again be a contender next year if Carmona can stay completely healthy.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑