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Look who’s talking STANLEY CUP FINALS

S

San Diego QB Philip Rivers Detroit 3, Pittsburgh 1

The Pro
Bowler dishes on
his battles with
Jay Cutler, his
family life, and
his rep as one of
the NFL’s most
notorious trash-talkers. Page 23
MONDAY SEE A DIFFERENT GAME
Draft prospect Hasheem Thabeet
JUNE 1, 2009 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 314
The former UConn star—and
possible top-3 FRANK GUNN / AP
pick later this
Chris Osgood had another strong game
month—admits in net for Detroit, making 32 saves.
his offense BASEBALL: THE WEEK AHEAD
is a work in
Pens in 2-0 hole
June brings litmus tests for
Ready or not
progress, but his
defensive play? DETROIT—It has been only
Not a problem. Page 5 two rounds since the Pittsburgh

three surprising contenders Penguins rallied from a two-game

Scoreboard
NHL
Stanley Cup finals
Detroit 3, Pittsburgh 1
(Detroit leads series 2-0)
Baseball
American League
Cleveland 5, N.Y. Yankees 4
Boston 8, Toronto 2
Detroit 3, Baltimore 0
Minnesota 3, Tampa Bay 2
Chicago White Sox 7, Kansas City 4
Oakland 5, Texas 4
L.A. Angels 9, Seattle 8
National League
N.Y. Mets 3, Florida 2
Houston 2, Pittsburgh 1
Philadelphia 4, Washington 2
Milwaukee 5, Cincinnati 2
San Francisco 5, St. Louis 3
San Diego 5, Colorado 2
Atlanta 9, Arizona 3
L.A. Dodgers 8, Chicago Cubs 2
Between them, the Tigers, Rang-
ers and Reds have made one playoff
appearance this decade. That total
could double—at least—in 2009.
As the season
slips into June, the
Tigers lead the A.L.
Central by four
games, the Rangers
are 5 ½ games
ahead in the A.L.
West and the Reds
Stan McNeal are crowding the
BASEBALL
Brewers and
Cardinals in the
N.L. Central.
This week, all three clubs face
challenges from bona fide contend-
ers that will go a long way in deter-
mining if they’re indeed ready to
shed their perennial also-ran status.
TIGERS
Ahead: Playoff regulars Boston
and the L.A. Angels visit Comerica
Park.
Update: After breaking camp
with a staff full of pitching
Curtis Granderson, right, Jeff Larish and the A.L. Central-leading Tigers have a tough draw this week.
questions, the Tigers have come
together. They are second in A.L.
ERA and lead the majors in bounce-
back seasons, thanks to Justin
Verlander, Fernando Rodney, Joel
Zumaya and Dontrelle Willis. Rick
Porcello, a 20-year-old lefty, has
emerged as an A.L. Rookie of the
Year favorite.
“They’re playing like everyone
GAIL BURTON / AP
expected them to play last year,”
Royals CF Coco Crisp said. “Expec-
tations were high last year and it
didn’t happen. With a little pressure
off, they’re playing better.”
RANGERS
Ahead: A trip to New York and
Boston will provide some sort of
statement.
Update: Everyone outside of
Texas figured the Rangers were
keeping first place warm for the
injury-depleted Angels. Well, as the
Angels have gained their health, the
Rangers have strengthened their
lead. Their pitching is holding up
and they still lead the majors in
homers.
REDS
Ahead: After being swept at
Milwaukee, series still await at St.
Louis and home against Chicago.
Update: For a change, the Reds
are relying on pitching—their 4.07
ERA is sixth best in N.L.—and
power. They will have to count even
more on pitching because their best
hitter, Joey Votto, just went on the
disabled list for “stress-related”
issues.
“We knew their pitching would be
improved,” Brewers G.M. Doug
Melvin said. “And they would be one
of the teams in this race. It’s going to
be close all summer.”
smcneal@sportingnews.com
deficit to beat Alex Ovechkin and
the Washington Capitals—so it can
happen.
But only one team in history has
lost two road games to open the
Stanley Cup finals and gone on to
win the cham-
pionship. Here’s GAME 3
what it will take Detroit at
for Pittsburgh, a Pittsburgh
Tuesday
3-1 loser to Detroit
8 p.m. ET
in Game 2 Sunday,
TV: Versus
to become the
second:
1. Scoring from Sid: Thanks in
large part to the strong defensive
play of Red Wings forward Henrik
Zetterberg, Sidney Crosby doesn’t
have a point. “It’s frustrating, but
that’s playoff hockey,” he said.
2. Solve Chris Osgood: The
Detroit goalie is making a case for
the Conn Smythe Trophy with his
timely saves, including another
huge glove stop on Evgeni Malkin.
3. Match Detroit’s depth: Justin
Abdelkader has more goals than
Crosby and Malkin combined.
Pittsburgh needs an answer for the
surprising rookie.
— Craig Custance
Rivalry heats up, Page 6
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Tune In Today
A quick look at the best sports on TV
— all times Eastern
BASEBALL
Yankees at Indians
7 p.m., ESPN
Joba Chamberlain isn’t performing as well
as a starter as he did as a reliever, but G.M.
Brian Cashman seems resolute in sticking with
Chamberlain in a starting role. Chamberlain
carries a respectable 3.97 ERA into tonight’s con-
test, but it’s his 1.57 WHIP that is unsightly. The
Indians’ offense will give Chamberlain a tough
test, but it’s their pitching that the Yankees will
feast on. Jeremy Sowers’ 7.71 ERA shouldn’t
provide much resistance.
TENNIS
French Open
Noon, ESPN2
Roger Federer and Andy Roddick are on pace
to face each other in the quarterfinals, which
means all they have to do is beat their respective
opponents today. Roddick has the tougher road
to reach the quarters, as he’ll face 11th-seeded
Gael Monfils, while Federer will face unseeded
Tommy Haas, who has never reached the round
of eight. On the women’s side, No. 2 seed Serena
Williams and No. 5 seed Jelena Jankovic also are
vying for a spot in their quarterfinals.
NASCAR
This Week in NASCAR
8 p.m., Speed
If you want to know what Pocono Raceway
looks like, go to your closet and get a hanger.
Pocono has its share of detractors among
drivers (many want races there shortened from
500 miles to 400), but the fact remains it is one
of NASCAR’s most unique and difficult tracks
to run on. Steve Byrnes and the gang will give
us the flavor and history of the track, and also
recap all that happened at Dover on Sunday.
— Compiled by Roger Kuznia
See a Different Game
Delay of
game in
Cubs’ sale
Are the Chicago Cubs worth $900
million?
That’s the question that has reportedly
bogged down negotiations between the
Tribune Co. and Wilmette, Ill., investment
banker Tom Ricketts, whose planned pur-
chase of baseball’s lovable losers was
expected to be final by now.
The Chicago Tribune reports that a dispute
over the value of the Cubs’ broadcasting con-
tracts is stalling the Tribune Co.’s attempt to
sell the team to Ricketts and his family.
Tribune Co. controls WGN-TV, WGN
radio and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, all
of which broadcast Cubs games. The expo-
sure has generated millions of ticket sales
at Wrigley Field and significantly increased
the value of a team Tribune Co. bought for
$20.5 million in 1981.
But the Tribune says the Ricketts family
disputes the value of those broadcast con-
tracts and is asking for concessions or a
reduction in the sale price of $40 million to
$50 million.
“If the Ricketts deal doesn’t get done, I
am sure there’ll be other ones,” Tribune Co.
chairman Sam Zell told Bloomberg
Television.
GUIDE
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
8 p.m.
ESPN2 — World Series, finals, game 1, teams
TBA, at Oklahoma City
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
7 p.m.
ESPN — N.Y. Yankees at Cleveland
TENNIS
Noon
ESPN2 — French Open, round of 16, at Paris
OFF THE FIELD
Tom Ricketts’ plan to purchase Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs has hit a snag over the team’s broadcast deals.
Retired players angry with the NFL
Players Association over disability and
pension benefits say the executive
director of the union may be ahead of
himself in seeking their support during
upcoming contract talks with the
league.
An informal group of players lashed out
Sunday at comments made by DeMaurice
Smith, who said Saturday that if there is a
lockout by owners in 2011 retired player
benefits would be reduced by 80 percent
while it lasts.
Several players meeting in Las Vegas
about their clashes with the union said
their benefits are protected by law—lockout
or not.
Gossip site RadarOnline.com landed
the first at-home photos of Michael Vick, who
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 2
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sentence under house arrest in Hampton,
Va.
The site this weekend posted a video and ON NEWSSTANDS NOW
six photos it says show the suspended Fal-
cons quarterback with children from his
non-profit foundation.
Ted Williams’ fishing license and per-
sonal notes on local fishing holes were
swiped during an auction preview in New
Hampshire.
Auctioneer John Pappas told the New Hamp-
shire Sunday News the stolen items could
have fetched $1,000 or more at Saturday’s
auction. The 1970 license for “Theodore
Williams” was in a small holder attached
A Division I head basketball coach at 31? If
to a fishing cap, and the notes were tucked anyone can do it, it’s Memphis’ Josh Pastner,
inside. Sporting News college hoops expert Mike
— Compiled by staff with wire reports DeCourcy explains in the new magazine.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com My Profile

Ara Parseghian
95-17-4 as Notre Dame football coach
(What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved as a friend)

Born: May 21, 1923, in Akron, Ohio

Status: Married
Alma mater: Miami (Ohio)
What’s on TV: Network news: A.M.—Today
Show, P.M.—CBS. Sports—football, basketball,
baseball golf. I prefer mystery movies. Movies
that make you think. I liked Columbo.
What’s in my iPod: ’40s music, Sinatra, some
classical. When in Florida—Marco Island—we
listen to FM 101.1. Terrific music.
What I drive: 8-year-old parchment Lexus 430
Favorite flicks: Patton, Elmer Gantry, The
Godfather and several others
What I’m reading: Jim Dent’s new book. Covers
my first year at Notre Dame, 1964.
Magazine subscriptions: Newsweek, TIME, Golf
Digest, Golf Magazine
Bookmarks: BlueandGold.com, South Bend
Tribune, Chicago Tribune
Superstitions: Very few. When coaching, if we
were on a win streak it was a good idea to wear
the same outfit. AP FILE
Worst habit: Lack of patience
First job: Golf caddy, age 14 or 15, Loyal Oak Favorite values in others: Honesty, integrity,
CC in Akron. Made 75 cents for 18 holes. As loyalty
time moved forward, it went to 85 cents and Favorite physical attribute about myself: I am alive!!
we hoped for a 15-cent tip to make $1 for 4 And least … Eyesight. Would still like to have
hours. The golf course was about 4 miles from sharp vision.
my house. Hitch-hiked to and from. Dream date: At 86, I don’t have one!!
Talent I’d most like to have: To be a gifted musical My greatest love: Sports after wife
instrument player. The piano. My heroes: Everyone who was a part of
Favorite meal: Seafood—Escargot, stone crabs, WWII. I served in the Navy just short of 3
lobster, virtually all seafood. Also, Armenian years.
food—father Armenian, mother French My motto: It’s not the first mistake you make;
Favorite city to visit: San Francisco—great food it’s the one you repeat.
Favorite team as a kid: Cleveland Indians — Jeff D’Alessio
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Next Gen
RECRUITING DISH

Gators, Razorbacks sought him

N?8KK@D<@J@K66
first, but WR considering others
Last fall, Kadron Boone had two scholarship offers.
One was from nearby Florida, which went on to win
the national title, and the other from Arkansas. At the
time, Boone told Sporting News Today the Gators were a
>8D<;8P
clear favorite and that he was happy with his two big-
time choices.
While the Gators are still clearly a contender for
Boone, a 6-1, 190-pound receiver from Trinity Catho-
lic (Ocala, Fla.), other schools have made an impres-
sion on him.
“Louisville is the latest to offer,” Boone told SN
Today. “Right now, some other schools have been step-
ping up the recruiting, like Texas Tech, Oklahoma
and Notre Dame. There have been other schools com-
ing up. I’m not going to rest on the recruiting process.
“Right now, I’m just trying to narrow the schools
down so I can make a decision. I’ll do it after I take all
my visits. After I take all five, I’ll be ready.”
Boone, who is a member of the Sporting News Top
100 for the class of 2010, also reports scholarship
offers from Clemson, Kansas, Miami, Oregon and
Tennessee, just to name a few. COURTESY OF KADRON BOONE
He said the attention from coaches has been espe- Trinity Catholic (Ocala, Fla.) WR Kadron Boone is rated as one of the
cially satisfying, considering he missed his sophomore top 100 in the nation, and has a lengthy list of major college offers.
year because of a torn ACL. He also said being in the
SN100—he is ranked No. 62 overall—is an honor. reported. He also reported scholarship offers from
“When you first see it, it’s amazing, especially after
tearing my ACL,” Boone said. “It shows that all the
Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas, TCU, Vanderbilt, Wake
Forest and Mississippi State, among others.
:FCC<><=FFK98CC =8EK8JP=FFK98CC GIF=FFK98CC
hard work and dedication really pay off. You also have “It was really a tough decision,” Underwood told ON SALE 6/2/09 ON SALE 6/9/09 ON SALE 6/23/09
to not be satisfied; you have to try to be No. 1.” the newspaper. “I am a business-like man and want to
Boone recovered from his knee injury to post be a businessman in the future. This is a chance to play
impressive numbers as a junior. He caught 57 passes football and take advantage of the educational
for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. opportunities.
“I’ve gotten better at down blocking and my foot- “I will get to play football and be around some of the
work, and I’ve picked up my speed,” Boone said. most unique minds in the world.”
“(Trinity) Coach (John) Brantley said he has never seen Underwood (6-3, 260) played tight end as a junior
anybody come back from an ACL tear like this and do and caught three passes for 25 yards, but he will be a
some of the things I’m doing. He’s told me to keep up
the good work.”
full-time offensive tackle as a senior—likely the posi-
tion he’ll play in college. ($/''$*/'$.+'+
Some schools had been looking at him as a defensive www.sportingnews.com or www.streetandsmiths.com
Guyer (Denton, Texas) OT Cole Underwood has com- tackle, too. SHIPPING: + $3.50 for the first magazine + 50¢ each additional magazine
mitted to Stanford, the Denton Record-Chronicle — Brian McLaughlin
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Q&A with … C Hasheem Thabeet
Thabeet’s offense needs work, but ‘I can always play defense’
He won’t be the No. 1 pick, but at 7-2½, center
Hasheem Thabeet is the tallest player in this year’s
NBA draft and, thus, figures to go either second or
third. He readily admits that he has much to learn
on the offensive end—though, he explains, that’s
only because he is more of a natural soccer player.
Sporting News Today’s Sean Deveney caught up with
Thabeet for further explanation.
Q: You’re on the verge of being one
of the top picks in the draft.
Could you have imagined that when
you got over here?
A: When I came in, my goal was just to
get an education and then go home
and get a good job. But I started playing
basketball seriously, and I started learning
the game and I found out I love doing it.
Q: Coming out of the Big East,
which was such a tough
conference this year, has that helped
you as you approach the NBA draft
process?
A: I think so. … After the season, I got
a chance to work out with some
pros, and I could see the strength that
those guys had. But I was getting that
every day in the Big East. It was really
tough. I have played basketball, coming in,
only six years. So, it made me grow up fast
with it, the skill level and strength I need.
Q: You met with some
representatives from Memphis
out in L.A. last week. How did that go?
A: It went pretty well. I met with them,
they got to know me a little bit, they
asked me about myself, about where I
thought I would get picked.
Q: Do you have a team in mind that
you want to go to?
A: I don’t have a preference. It is a
great opportunity for me. I just
Next Gen: NBA Draft MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 5
want to go wherever I get picked.
Q: What position did you play in
soccer?
Q: What have you been working
on to get ready for the draft? A: I grew up playing soccer, so I would
play all different positions. I have
A: I have been working on my offense.
That is all I do. A lot of times
nowadays when I go to work out, I don’t
played every position in soccer. Throw me
anywhere, I will play. I played goalie when
I was young.
work on my defense at all. I go and I shoot
jump shots and things like that.
Q: Have you kept in touch with
(former Husky) Rudy Gay?
Q: So you feel your defense is
already NBA-ready? A: I talk to Rudy a lot. We don’t really
talk about basketball; we talk about a
A: Definitely. I can always play
defense. No one taught me how to
play defense, I just have always known
lot of things. But, he has told me that, in the
NBA, you can’t just stand near the basket
and block everything that comes near you,
how to do it. or they will call you for the 3-second rule.
That is one thing I will have to make an
Q: You come in thinking defense
all the way.
adjustment on. I have been working on that.
A: I think that, maybe my offense
needs to improve, but I think that if
I am not going to go to your end and score,
Q: You were in Nashville in April,
for a benefit concert. How did
that come about?
then you are not going to come to my end
and score. That helps me a lot more playing A: It was a charity event for a choir
group from Africa that was trying
defense, to be motivated. to raise money for back in Africa, so that
they can build schools and stuff. It was the
Q: How far along is your offense at
this point?
African Children’s Choir. They invited me.
A: It is getting better. The thing people
don’t understand, I had to make a Q: A lot of country music, I
understand.
transition from soccer to basketball, from
just kicking it and you’re not allowed to
touch it, to now, you’re allowed to touch it
A: Yes, and I am not a real fan of
country. But it was a benefit, so it
was good.
but you’re not allowed to kick it. That
takes time to get used to. I am just trying
to get as many repetitions as I can to get Q: You were one of the speakers?
better.
A: I was, I had a speech. I was sur-
prised—I was in Nashville, and I
Q: As long as you don’t get
confused and start kicking the
ball in a basketball game.
did not think that anyone in Nashville
would know who I am. I came out, and I
had a speech I had prepared and memo-
A: Sometimes during practice, I will
kick the ball and coach will stop the
rized. But with the ovation I got, it was
amazing. The ovation was so loud, I got
practice and say, “No, this is basketball,
Hasheem. This is not soccer.”
confused and forgot my speech. I had to do
the impromptu version. Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet is expected to be taken among the top three in the NBA draft.
CHRIS CARLSON / AP
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
STANLEY CUP FINALS
S GAME 2: DETROIT 3
Temperatures rise as Wings take 2-0 lead
DETROIT—The final seconds were ticking
away in Detroit’s 3-1 Game 2 win over
Pittsburgh and the Red Wings had a
meaningless two-man advantage, thanks
to penalties against Evgeni Malkin and
Max Talbot.
The Red Wings easily could have run
out the clock, passing the
puck back and forth as
time expired. But instead
they shot it, one last
chance at another goal
on Marc-Andre Fleury.
They wanted to score.
Kind of like a quarter-
Craig Custance back who takes one more
HOCKEY shot at the end zone
instead of taking a knee
against a heated rival.
That’s what this has become. The Pen-
guins and Red Wings, two teams that
rarely play in the regular season and are
only squaring off for the second time in
the playoffs, are forming quite a rivalry.
“They obviously don’t like us, we don’t
like them,” Pittsburgh forward Pascal
Dupuis said. “It’s playoff time right now,
so 20 seconds left in the game, what hap-
pened, happened.”
What happened? With 19 seconds
remaining, two of the biggest stars in the
series, Henrik Zetterberg and Malkin,
exchanged punches after Zetterberg took
exception to the Penguins—mostly Tal-
bot—whacking at goalie Chris Osgood.
Zetterberg ducked a big swing from
Malkin and ended up on top of the Rus-
sian, although it’s hard to say anyone won
the fight between two players who seldom
drop their gloves. Zetterberg guessed it
was the first time he has ever received a
five-minute major for fighting.
PITTSBURGH 1
Two games’ worth of chippiness culminated in a late fight between Evgeni Malkin,top, and Henrik Zetterberg.
Detroit’s big rookie, Jonathan Ericsson,
one of the few Red Wings who actually
does fight, liked what he saw from
Zetterberg.
NHL
FRANK GUNN / AP
“Z’s a strong man from Sweden and took
care of him,” Ericsson said, smiling.
Zetterberg wasn’t gloating about the
fight, and seemed more embarrassed than
anything. Malkin didn’t address the
media.
“I think in the playoffs and finals like this,
there is a lot of emotions, a lot of feelings,”
Zetterberg said. “When you get scrums,
that’s the way it is. It should be a lot of feel-
ings and nothing more than that.”
But it is. From the heated exchange
between Sidney Crosby and Kirk Maltby
in Game 1, to Johan Franzen shoving Chris
Kunitz into the Red Wings bench, the bad
blood between these two teams is becom-
ing increasingly public.
The Red Wings seldom engage in post-
whistle shoving and impressed the Black-
hawks with their discipline. Chicago tried
everything to fluster them, but never
could.
“They’re one of those rare teams that do
everything right all the time,” Chicago
defenseman Brent Seabrook said.
But the Penguins are bringing out an
edginess in the Red Wings. When guys
like Zetterberg start throwing punches,
it’s hard to ignore.
Part of it is frustration, at least from the
Penguins’ side. They struggle to beat
Osgood and when they do, they hit the
post.
But what do the Red Wings have to be
frustrated about? As Crosby pointed out,
Malkin wasn’t fighting himself.
“Z threw punches too,” Crosby said.
It’s a mix of frustration and bad blood.
Factor in the talent level of both teams and,
if Pittsburgh ever finds a way to score, this
could be a fascinating series.
And the Penguins certainly still think
it’s a series.
“They were strong at home,” Crosby
said. “Now we have to do our job.”
ccustance@sportingnews.com
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 6
NOTEBOOK
Babcock: I misspoke
about ‘classy’ Crosby
Before saying a word about the game,
Detroit coach Mike Babcock felt the need to
clarify an earlier statement.
At a press conference before Sunday’s
Game 2, Babcock said Pittsburgh’s Sidney
Crosby went “head hunting” in Saturday’s
game. Crosby said it was the first time he had
been referred to as a head-hunter by an oppos-
ing coach and the comment added more spice
to an already contentious rivalry.
Babcock tried to clarify the comment Sun-
day night, saying he meant to highlight the
head-to-head matchup of Crosby and Detroit
forward Henrik Zetterberg.
“I misspoke or I didn’t speak well, because
to me speaking unfairly about Sidney Crosby
would be wrong,” Babcock said. “But I
wanted to clear that up because that sure
wasn’t my intent at all. And it’s an unfair
comment on a classy player who plays hard.”
From surgery to star
Detroit defenseman Jonathan Ericsson
scored the Red Wings’ first goal of Game 2
with his second-period slapshot. The goal
came less than a week after his appendix was
removed in a surprising surgery that forced
him to miss the clinching game of the West-
ern Conference finals.
Surprisingly, he hasn’t missed a game
against Pittsburgh and Babcock said he
hasn’t changed the way he has used him since
his return.
“No, I just play him,” Babcock said.
Ericsson said after Sunday night’s game
that he is being aided by pain-killing shots.
“I don’t feel much right now actually,” Eric-
sson said. “It feels better and better as it goes
on.”
Ericsson played 16:48 on Sunday and fin-
ished plus-1.
— Craig Custance
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
STANLEY CUP FINALS
S GAME 2: DETROIT 3
Two nights, two wins for ‘exhausted’ Wings
DETROIT—The Red Wings found a
perfect way to move halfway to a
repeat—beat the Pittsburgh Pen-
guins back-to-back.
So much for Detroit being old,
beaten down and needing a break.
The Red Wings topped the Pen-
guins 3-1 in Game 2 of the finals
Sunday night and are two wins
from holding onto the Stanley Cup.
Just as they did last year in win-
ning the title for the 11th time and
fourth in 11 seasons, the Red Wings
took the first two games from the
Penguins at home. This year posed
a new challenge, sweeping a pair on
consecutive nights three days after
finishing the Western Conference
finals.
“It’s hurt us. Don’t kid yourself,”
Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “I
thought we were exhausted out
there. It’s amazing what will does
for you.
“We found a way to win two
games, but we haven’t been as good
as we’re capable of being.”
Rookie defenseman Jonathan
Ericsson, who watched the Western
Conference finale Wednesday night
in the dressing room hours after
having his appendix removed,
scored the tying goal for Detroit in
the second period. He missed one
game and returned to the lineup
Saturday.
“Just a couple years ago, it took
people a month to recover,” the
25-year-old Ericsson said. “It took
me three days.”
Valtteri Filppula added the go-
ahead tally 6:08 later, and Justin
PITTSBURGH 1
Abdelkader scored his second of
the series in the third. The Red
Wings left the ice in front of their
cheering, towel-waving fans and
headed for Pittsburgh with another
commanding lead.
Game 3 is Tuesday night, and the
odds favor the Red Wings’ quest to
become the NHL’s first repeat
champion since they did it in 1997
and ‘98. Teams that win Games 1
and 2 at home have captured the
Cup 31 of 32 times.
Frustration boiled over for Pitts-
burgh with 18.2 seconds left, when
Max Talbot stuck his stick in goalie
Chris Osgood’s midsection after he
made his 31st save. That led to a
fight between Evgeni Malkin and
Red Wings forward Henrik Zetter-
berg that left both players’ jerseys
on the ice.
Malkin was subject to a one-game
suspension for being assessed in the
final 5 minutes, but that punishment
was quickly rescinded by league
disciplinarian Colin Campbell.
“None of the criteria in this rule
applied,” Campbell said in a state-
ment. “Suspensions are applied
under this rule when a team
attempts to send a message in the
last five minutes by having a player
instigate a fight. A suspension could
also be applied when a player seeks
retribution for a prior incident. Nei-
ther was the case here.”
The Penguins, who dropped the
opener 3-1 on Saturday night, played
better in this two-game set com-
pared to a year ago when the finals
were new to them.
NHL
Malkin had a strong first period
and staked Pittsburgh to an early
1-0 lead. It just wasn’t enough as
Detroit—especially Zetterberg—
bottled up captain Sidney Crosby
and kept him pointless for the sec-
ond straight night.
“In each of the first two games we
have been able to play in the offen-
sive zone for periods of time,” Pen-
guins coach Dan Bylsma said.
“We’ve been able to get shots, been
able to outshoot a good Detroit team,
but they’ve been able to get the
timely goals.
“As a result they’ve got two
wins.”
Crosby sent a perfect feed from
behind the net to Bill Guerin, whose
bid to tie it in the second was foiled
when the puck struck the inside of
the left post. Crosby was denied by
the left post at the other end, less
than 2 minutes into the third, a no-
goal confirmed by video replay.
Crosby let out a disgusted spit
from the bench as the announce-
ment was made.
Just over a minute later,
Abdelkader sealed the win with his
second NHL goal and second in two
nights. Not bad for a rookie who
hails from Michigan.
Abdelkader stayed with the bound-
ing puck while guarded by Rob Scud-
eri and took a whack at it—sending a
shot fluttering past Marc-Andre
Fleury’s glove 2:47 into the third.
Osgood outplayed Fleury again
in earning his 73rd NHL playoff
victory, eighth on the career list.
Ericsson tied it 1-1 at 4:21 of the
Dan Cleary and the Red Wings scored three goals on 26 shots in Sunday’s Game 2 win.
second after Darren Helm won a
faceoff in the Pittsburgh end.
Just 14 seconds after Malkin left
the penalty box, Filppula back-
handed in a rebound of Marian Hos-
sa’s shot—with Tomas Holmstrom in
front—with 9:31 remaining.
After shutting out the Penguins
by a combined 7-0 score in the first
two games of last year’s finals, the
nicked-up Red Wings bent but
FRANK GUNN / AP
didn’t break. And they did it again
without injured forwards Pavel
Datsyuk, their leading scorer in the
regular season, and four-time
champion Kris Draper.
The Penguins needed nearly 7
minutes before Kris Letang
recorded the team’s first shot, but
Pittsburgh finished the period with
a flourish—outshooting the Red
Wings 9-0 to close the frame.
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 7
Series glance
(Best-of-7), All times ET
(Detroit leads series 2-0)
May 30: Detroit 3,Pittsburgh 1
Sunday: Detroit 3,Pittsburgh 1
Tuesday: Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8
p.m., Versus
Thursday: Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8
p.m., Versus
Saturday: Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8
p.m., if necessary, NBC
Tuesday, June 9: Detroit at
Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., if necessary,
NBC
Friday, June 12: Pittsburgh at
Detroit, 8 p.m., if necessary, NBC
Pittsburgh 1 0 0 — 1
Detroit 0 2 1 — 3
First Period: 1, Pittsburgh, Malkin 13 (Letang, Guerin), 16:50 (pp).
Penalties: Kronwall, Det (cross-checking), 16:08.
Second Period: 2, Detroit, Ericsson 3 (Hudler, Helm), 4:21. 3,
Detroit, Filppula 2 (Holmstrom, Hossa), 10:29. Penalties: Malkin,
Pit (interference), 8:15.
Third Period: 4, Detroit, Abdelkader 2 (Holmstrom, Hossa), 2:47.
Penalties: Talbot, Pit (slashing), 19:41; Malkin, Pit, minor-major-
misconduct (instigator, fighting), 19:41; Zetterberg, Det, major
(fighting), 19:41.
Shots on Goal: Pittsburgh 11-9-12: 32. Detroit 7-16-3: 26.
Power-play opportunities: Pittsburgh 1 of 1; Detroit 0 of 2.
Goalies: Pittsburgh, Fleury 12-7-0 (26 shots-23 saves). Detroit,
Osgood 14-4-0 (32-31).
A: 20,066 (20,066). T: 2:27.
Referees: Bill McCreary, Marc Joannette. Linesmen: Jean Morin,
Steve Miller.
They took advantage when Niklas
Kronwall was sent off for cross-
checking Talbot, the only penalty
called in the first.
Malkin, the NHL’s regular-sea-
son scoring champion—and playoff
leader with 30 points—let go a drive
that was batted in the air by defen-
seman Brad Stuart and past Osgood
with 3:10 left in the period.
— The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NHL MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 8

STANLEY CUP FINALS

S GAME 2: DETROIT 3 PITTSBURGH 1 INSIDE DISH

Nieuwendyk replaces Hull-Jackson G.M. duo in Dallas

Goal scoring: Abdelkader two, Crosby zero
DETROIT—A frustrated Sidney
Crosby took a whack at Kirk Malt-
by’s skate near the end of Game 1,
tired of what he called the nonstop
chirping by the Red Wings for-
ward. So far, it might be Crosby’s
best shot of the Stanley Cup finals.
Blanketed by Henrik Zetterberg
whenever he steps on the ice,
Crosby has gone from best player
in the playoffs to a concern because
of his lack of offense.
He’s not playing badly—he’s just
not playing like Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins’ 3-1 loss Sunday
night put them down 2-0 for the
second straight year, and Crosby’s
inability to duplicate his previous
dominating play—14 goals and 14
assists in 17 games through the
first three rounds—is a reason
why.
“There’s tons of explanations,
but the fact is you get quick chances
and either you put them in or you
don’t, and that’s the difference,”
Crosby said.
Crosby has no points in two
frustrating games, though it’s
hardly for lack of effort. He nearly
broke through early in the third
period when, with Pittsburgh
down 2-1, he rang a shot off the left
post and nearly stuffed the
rebound past Chris Osgood.
About a minute later, Justin
Abdelkader, a rookie who had
never scored an NHL goal before
the finals, scored to give the Red
Wings a 3-1 lead.
Who could have guessed
Abdelkader would have two goals
and Crosby none?
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are hitting goal posts with regularity.
It’s an all-too-familiar scenario
for the Penguins, who never recov-
ered from their 2-0 deficit last year
and lost to Detroit in six games.
Evgeni Malkin has a goal and an
assist, but the Penguins aren’t
finding the open ice they did in
earlier series.
The left and right post? They’re
CARLOS OSORIO / AP
finding those regularly.
“Instead of hitting the post, we
have to hit the net,” defenseman
Hal Gill said.
The Penguins trailed Washing-
ton 2-0 in the Eastern Conference
semifinals and eventually won the
series in seven.
— The Associated Press
The Dallas Stars, after missing the
playoffs for the first time since 2002,
announced Sunday that co-general
managers Brett Hull and Les Jackson
will be replaced by former Stars for-
ward Joe Nieuwendyk.
The surprising change, which was
reported before Game 2 of the Stan-
ley Cup finals, was made by team
owner Tom Hicks, who called Nieu-
wendyk a rising front-office star
who has made an impact as special
assistant to the general manager in
Toronto.
“These moves are all about help-
ing this club take the proverbial next
step,” Hicks said in a statement. “Joe
is a leader and has been a winner in
everything he has done. He is ready
for this opportunity and has a bright
future as an NHL general manager. DANIEL HULSHIZER / AP
We want that future to be with the Joe Nieuwendyk won three Stanley Cups with three different teams, including Dallas in 1999.
Dallas Stars.”
Nieuwendyk and Hull were team- the years and I want to help continue job as co-general managers, but after
mates on Stars teams that won the that legacy.” analyzing the situation, it is in the
Stanley Cup in 1999 and returned to Hull and Jackson had spent a sea- team’s best interest to return them to
the finals in 2000. Nieuwendyk son and a half as front-office part- roles that fit their respective
won the Conn Smythe Trophy as ners. The Stars reached the Western strengths,” Hicks said. “Brett will
postseason MVP in ’99, but it was Conference finals months after they assist the club in several business
Hull who scored the Cup-winning took over in 2007-08, but didn’t areas and serve as an adviser to me
goal. make the playoffs this past season. and (team president) Jeff Cogen, while
Nieuwendyk played seven years Injuries were a big problem, but Les will go back to what he does
with the Stars and posted career there also were serious dressing- best—overseeing our scouting
totals of 564 goals, 562 assists and room issues that can be traced to the department.”
1,126 points over 20 seasons. He also most memorable move of the Hull-
appeared in 158 career playoff Jackson era: the signing of Sean Avery. The Associated Press reports
games, recording 116 points and 66 Both will remain with the Stars in that the Edmonton Oilers have
goals. He helped three different front-office roles that “focus on their signed centre Milan Kytnar to a three-
teams in three different decades win respective strengths,” according to a year entry level contract. Kytnar, 20,
Stanley Cups: Calgary in 1989, Dal- news release. Hull will serve as was Edmonton’s fifth pick (127th
las, and New Jersey in 2003. executive vice president and alter- overall) in the 2007 draft and joins
“I am ready for this opportunity,” nate governor; Jackson will return to the team after two seasons in the
said Nieuwendyk, who retired from his longtime role as director of scout- WHL. The 6-foot, 180-pound Slova-
playing in 2006. “The Dallas Stars ing and player development. kian scored 27 goals for the Saska-
have built a winning tradition over “Brett and Les have done a great toon Blades this season.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Nuggets return top five scorers, expectations rising
Although the Nuggets are
disappointed their season is
over, there’s every reason to
start looking forward to next
year. Denver’s top five scorers
return, and its three unre-
stricted free agents—PF Chris
Andersen, SG Dahntay Jones and
PG Anthony Carter—all are prac-
tically begging to come back.
Plus, the Nuggets will have
PG Chauncey Billups at the start of
training camp—it was his
acquisition from Detroit in
November that marked Den-
ver’s metamorphosis from
afterthought to contender. Bil-
lups said the key will be for a
playoff-inexperienced team to
learn from just falling short of
The Finals.
“These guys have been
through a lot in just one season,
grew up a lot,” Billups told The
Associated Press. “That’s when
you start to turn the corner and
get better, when you see what
did and didn’t work and you
get better from it.”
Lakers coach Phil Jackson,
who was fined $25,000 last
week for criticizing officials
during the Nuggets series, says
he thinks two officials would
be better than three on the
court. “Some of the things I’ve
talked about in the past is the
placement of the two-referee
system is perhaps better than
three referees because of the
angles the two referees have on
the court,” Jackson told The
Denver Post. “There are other
things that go along with it.
About 10 years ago, you got a
definite thing toward referee-
ing the defense instead of refer-
eeing the game.”
The Chicago Tribune
described the amount of cam-
paigning G Stephen Curry has
done to be drafted by the
Knicks as “almost comical,”
and at the NBA’s predraft com-
bine, Curry was even asked if
he was worried about alienat-
ing other teams. (His response
was no.) During the combine,
Curry reiterated his desire to
play in New York. “I’ve seen
them play and I know the whole
(Mike) D’Antoni system,” Curry
said. “I’ve played in the open
court running up and down my
whole life. I think I’m best in
transition making decisions
and getting my shots. I think
they know that already. I keep
telling them. Hopefully, they’ll
buy into it.”
The Lakers will have a
tough decision this offseason in
regards to SF Trevor Ariza, who
will be an unrestricted free
agent. Ariza has played well
during the playoffs—well
enough that he likely will be in
line for a big pay raise this sum-
mer, perhaps pricing himself
out of L.A.
The Lakers obtained Ariza in
a trade last season, and general
manager Mitch Kupchak recently
admitted to the Los Angeles Daily
News he didn’t think Ariza
would develop this quickly.
Bucks coach Scott Skiles sent
team trainer Marc Boff to C Andrew
Bogut’s offseason home in Aus-
tralia to oversee the initial
stages of his return to on-court
exercises. And Skiles hopes
Bogut—who’s coming off a back
injury—will return to Milwau-
kee for more supervised work
this summer. That, Skiles says,
would make a strong statement
to the rest of the team about
Bogut’s desire to lead.
“All we can do is impress
upon him the importance of
what he is to the franchise, and
there’s responsibility that goes
along with that,” Skiles told
The Associated Press. “I’m
totally comfortable that
Andrew’s the type of guy that
is going to continue to under-
stand that.”
With the news last week
that the Cavs had reached a
deal with a Chinese ownership
group, fans in China wasted
little time in dreaming for a
superstar pairing of C Yao Ming
and SF LeBron James. According
to Reuters, Chinese chat rooms
have been buzzing, with one
person writing on Sina.com,
“It’s very clear that the Cava-
liers’ next step is to buy Yao
Ming. And then to win the
league championship, and then
to build a Cavaliers’ dynasty!”
NBA MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 9
NBA FINALS
Finals
(Best-of-7) All times, ET
Thursday,: Orlando at L.A. Lakers,
9 p.m., ABC
Sunday, June 7: Orlando at L.A.
Lakers, 8 p.m., ABC
Tuesday, June 9: L.A. Lakers at
Orlando, 9 p.m., ABC
Thursday, June 11: L.A. Lakers at
Orlando, 9 p.m., ABC
Sunday, June 14: L.A. Lakers at
Orlando 8 p.m., if necessary, ABC
Tuesday, June 16: Orlando at L.A.
Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC
Thursday, June 18: Orlando at L.A.
Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, ABC
Betting line
FAVORITE ..........LINE ........................ UNDERDOG
at L.A. Lakers............... 6(206)............................. Orlando
Odds to win series
L.A. Lakers..............-250 Orlando ..........................+210
NBA Calendar
June 15 — NBA draft early
entry entrant withdrawal deadline
(5 p.m. ET).
June 25 — NBA draft.
MARK J. TERRILL / AP
PG Chauncey Billups (7), who got the lion’s share of credit for the Nuggets’ improvement, felt his team ‘grew up a lot.’
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NBA MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 10
NBA FINALS

Magic happy, but not satisfied with silver

ORLANDO—Pick a moment. They were 21-61 that season. Orlando Magic
All-Star point guard Jameer The No. 1 pick brought them
Nelson going out with a shoulder another Superman. AVG 3-Pnt.
tear in February. Dwight How- Howard has talked about win- Player G MIN FGM-FGA PCT FGM-FGA FTM-FTA PCT PTS AVG HIGH
ard calling out coach Stan Van ning a title since he was drafted Howard 18 38.3 140-225 .622 0-2 110-170 .647 390 21.7 40
Gundy for not getting the ball out of high school. The 23-year-
Lewis 19 40.7 126-274 .460 36-92 80-103 .777 368 19.4 29
enough, or losing on four last- old has quickly honed his skills,
second shots in the playoffs. and his rare combination of size Turkoglu 19 38.3 96-234 .410 25-67 71-84 .845 288 15.2 29
The Orlando Magic have sur- and speed has helped the Magic Alston 18 32.9 85-222 .383 33-94 25-34 .735 228 12.7 26
vived it all to reach the NBA rise again. Pietrus 19 25.1 65-134 .485 33-84 36-51 .706 199 10.5 17
Finals. “We’ve been through “I think we started to bring Lee 16 28.9 55-122 .451 10-33 20-22 .909 140 8.8 24
everything you could possibly go back some magic in Orlando,”
Redick 12 21.8 23-63 .365 16-41 12-13 .923 74 6.2 15
through in the playoffs in one sea- Howard said. “I felt that we were a
son,” Van Gundy said. laughingstock around the league. Lue 1 3.9 2-2 1.000 1-1 0-0 .000 5 5.0 5
The Magic knocked off the Everybody played the Magic, they Johnson 19 14.7 32-85 .376 9-30 9-18 .500 82 4.3 13
defending champion Boston Celt- thought about Disney World. So I Gortat 19 11.4 27-37 .730 0-0 8-12 .667 62 3.3 11
ics after falling behind in the just wanted to change that.” Battie 16 5.8 16-34 .471 0-0 3-5 .600 35 2.2 8
series 3-2. They eliminated LeB- Consider it done.
Richardson 1 2.4 0-1 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0 0.0 0
ron James and the top-seeded Howard had 40 points and 14
Cleveland Cavaliers, and now rebounds in a Game 6 win Satur- Foyle 2 1.9 0-1 .000 0-0 0-0 .000 0 0.0 0
Orlando is back in the finals for day night to power the Magic to a TEAM 19 241.3 667-1434 .465 163-444 374-512 .730 1871 98.5 117
the first time since 1995. Game 1 is 4-2 series win over Cleveland. OPPONENTS 19 241.3 660-1473 .448 112-346 348-457 .761 1780 93.7 114
Thursday night at Los Angeles. Nelson went down in early Feb-
But the Magic aren’t satisfied. ruary, and only a trade-deadline
“You can look at everybody in deal to get Rafer Alston from REBOUNDS ASSISTS
the locker room’s eyes as well as Houston kept them as contenders. Player OFF DEF TOT AVG. AST AVG. PF DQ STL TO BLK
coach and tell that we are happy Then came the playoffs, which
Howard 81 196 277 15.4 32 1.8 82 4 12 47 40
about getting to the finals, but we has provided the ultimate heart-
Lewis 20 95 115 6.1 50 2.6 35 0 21 40 13
are not tremendously happy break and satisfaction.
enough yet,” forward Rashard Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Turkoglu 8 78 86 4.5 97 5.1 61 0 14 51 2
Lewis said. “We like winning that Young each hit shots in the final GARY W. GREEN / AP Alston 2 43 45 2.5 79 4.4 43 0 29 32 4
silver basketball, but I think the moments to give Philadelphia wins Magic C Dwight Howard, dunking, had 40 points and 14 rebounds in the Game 6 win. Pietrus 17 35 52 2.7 12 0.6 61 0 15 19 12
gold basketball will be a little bet- in the first round series against the Lee 4 28 32 2.0 26 1.6 29 0 16 17 3
ter than that silver one.” Magic. But they survived. James averaged more than 38 season were helped in large part Redick 1 16 17 1.4 23 1.9 22 1 7 5 1
Orlando’s only other finals They lost on a Glen Davis’ shot points, eight rebounds and eight by Nelson, who was their leading Lue 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
appearance ended swiftly, getting as time expired in Game 4 of assists in the conference finals, scorer in both.
Johnson 7 19 26 1.4 39 2.1 28 0 11 12 0
swept by the Houston Rockets. their second round series against including a buzzer-beating Though rumblings of Nelson
After Shaquille O’Neal bolted for Boston. And after the Magic blew 3-pointer to win Game 2 and a suiting up for the Finals are Gortat 16 47 63 3.3 3 0.2 34 0 7 8 10
Los Angeles in the summer of ’96, a fourth-quarter lead in a devas- triple-double to steal Game 5. But already heating up again, a Magic Battie 6 10 16 1.0 0 0.0 7 0 0 1 1
the franchise collapsed. tating Game 5 meltdown, How- again the Magic survived. spokesman said Sunday that Richardson 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
The Magic hit bottom in the ard publicly challenged Van Now comes the Lakers. Nelson’s rehabilitation is ahead Foyle 0 1 1 0.5 0 0.0 1 0 0 1 0
2003-04 season, with coach Doc Gundy for not getting him the The Magic are 2-0 this season of schedule but that his status TEAM 162 568 730 38.4 361 19.0 403 5 132 243 86
Rivers getting fired and star Tracy ball enough. But they survived. against Los Angeles, but the remains uncertain. OPPONENTS 160 575 735 38.7 378 19.9 461 6 125 257 66
McGrady demanding a trade. Then came the league MVP. wins against the Lakers this — The Associated Press * Rookie
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NBA MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 11
NBA FINALS

Lakers ‘hungry and focused’ after last year’s embarrassment

LOS ANGELES—It’s going to be right off the bat so you have
Orlando, not Boston, in the NBA advantage.” Los Angeles Lakers
finals. Even though the opponent After taking Saturday off, the
is different, the Los Angeles Lak- Lakers reconvened Sunday for a AVG 3-Pnt.
ers are still consumed with video session. Except for Gasol Player G MIN FGM-FGA PCT FGM-FGA FTM-FTA PCT PTS AVG HIGH
redeeming themselves after last and Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant
Bryant 18 40.0 184-395 .466 28-81 137-153 .895 533 29.6 41
year’s abject failure. and the other starters departed
Their humiliating 131-92 dis- without speaking to the media. Gasol 18 39.9 124-216 .574 0-0 79-113 .699 327 18.2 30
missal by the Celtics in Game 6 Having played 13 games in 26 Odom 18 31.4 82-158 .519 14-27 38-64 .594 216 12.0 26
last year still stings. days to reach the finals, the Lak- Ariza 18 29.7 72-129 .558 30-60 31-54 .574 205 11.4 21
“We know what it feels like to ers are taking advantage of the
Fisher 17 26.8 42-118 .356 12-51 25-30 .833 121 7.1 13
lose and we just want to come out six-day break before making one
there and amend that,” coach last push at a 16th NBA Bynum 18 17.0 46-94 .489 0-0 22-34 .647 114 6.3 14
Phil Jackson said Sunday. championship. Brown 18 14.5 36-81 .444 12-25 19-24 .792 103 5.7 14
A year ago, Pau Gasol had “We got really banged up in Farmar 15 13.5 27-68 .397 11-31 12-17 .706 77 5.1 13
never played in the NBA finals, these last two series,” Jackson
Vujacic 18 12.7 24-85 .282 16-48 5-6 .833 69 3.8 9
so he was excited just to be there. said. “There are a number of
Not this time. guys that physically could use Walton 16 16.0 24-65 .369 5-15 8-12 .667 61 3.8 10
“The team right now is hungry the days off.” Powell 12 5.2 9-22 .409 0-0 6-6 1.000 24 2.0 10
and focused,” he said. “This year They include Lamar Odom Mbenga 4 2.4 1-5 .200 0-0 0-0 .000 2 0.5 2
we have a mission. It’s like, ‘OK, (sore back), Trevor Ariza (sore
TEAM 18 240.0 671-1436 .467 128-338 382-513 .745 1852 102.9 119
we’re in the finals, now let’s go to hip and groin) and Luke Walton
work.’ It’s a big difference.” (ankle). OPPONENTS 18 240.0 614-1431 .429 114-364 391-513 .762 1733 96.3 120
Another difference is that the “We’ve been in situations
Lakers have home-court advan- where we had days of rest and REBOUNDS ASSISTS
tage this year. Games 1 and 2 are then we were a little sluggish at
Player OFF DEF TOT AVG. AST AVG. PF DQ STL TO BLK
Thursday and next Sunday at the beginning of a series,” Gasol
Staples Center before the best- said. “Now there’s no slacking, Bryant 16 79 95 5.3 89 4.9 46 0 31 43 14
of-7 series moves to Orlando for no slipping or nothing. We’re Gasol 58 145 203 11.3 47 2.6 54 1 15 39 36
up to three games. ready to start and we’re ready to Odom 54 117 171 9.5 38 2.1 54 1 11 30 26
“It’s nice to have home-court play.”
Ariza 13 54 67 3.7 46 2.6 57 0 27 33 9
advantage, but it’s still not some- Bryant admitted during the DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP
thing to rely on in this kind of a Western Conference finals that Lakers F Pau Gasol has averaged 18.2 points and 11.3 rebounds in the playoffs. Fisher 4 26 30 1.8 40 2.4 45 0 15 21 1
series,” Jackson said. “Orlando is he’s not sleeping much. He’s been Bynum 23 42 65 3.6 7 0.4 56 0 6 16 18
one of the better road teams in sending text messages to Gasol swept them in two regular-sea- Hedo Turkoglu, Mickael Pietrus Brown 7 17 24 1.3 13 0.7 26 0 10 10 2
the league the last two years.” in the wee hours and getting son games. and Rafer Alston are threats Farmar 3 19 22 1.5 31 2.1 12 0 7 15 3
No doubt Jackson will remind responses. “I don’t think there have been from 3-point range.
Vujacic 7 23 30 1.7 10 0.6 31 0 10 9 4
his team that both Houston and “We exchanged a couple of text many players like him because of “It’s to your advantage not to
Denver won at Staples in the past messages making sure we’re on his physical gifts and attributes,” double against this team,” Jack- Walton 13 29 42 2.6 40 2.5 32 1 13 18 3
two rounds, costing the Lakers the same page,” Gasol said. “It Gasol said. “You have to be really son said. “They’re going to Powell 5 8 13 1.1 3 0.3 6 0 0 2 1
home-court advantage. just brings us together.” focused on him, don’t let him get threaten you with that (outside Mbenga 0 2 2 0.5 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 1
“That’s something you don’t The Lakers’ immediate prob- any deep catches and don’t let shooting), but really it’s their
TEAM 203 561 764 42.4 364 20.2 419 3 145 246 118
want to do in the finals with this lem is how to contain Dwight him get going or confident.” inside game that you have to be
kind of 2-3-2 setup,” he said. “It’s Howard. He averaged 21.5 points Howard does most of the dam- concerned about.” OPPONENTS 215 535 750 41.7 363 20.2 422 4 147 260 69
just about trying to get a leg up and 16 rebounds when the Magic age inside, while Rashard Lewis, — The Associated Presss
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Struggling Indians put Sizemore on D.L.
The Cleveland Indians, already
struggling in last place in the A.L.
Central, have placed star CF Grady
Sizemore on the 15-day disabled list
and sat leading hitter Victor Martinez
Sunday with a bruised left knee.
Sizemore has struggled at the
plate all season and recently was
used at DH because of the elbow
inflammation that finally forced
him to the D.L. He hit his team-high
ninth home run against the Yan-
kees Saturday night, but his overall
average is .223.
Martinez, who is hitting a team-
best .350 with seven home runs,
fouled a ball off his knee Saturday
night in the first inning. He tried to
continue, but could not run more
than a few feet after grounding to
second to complete the at-bat. X-rays
were negative.
Sizemore was replaced on the
roster Chris Gimenez, who was called
up from Class AAA Columbus.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
said Sunday that LP Francisco Liriano
will remain in the rotation, at least
for the time being. Liriano is 2-7
and has not lasted more than four
innings in his last three starts. “I’m
definitely not ready to send Frankie
to the minor leagues and I’m not
ready to send him to the bullpen
right now,” Gardenhire told The
Associated Press after watching
Liriano and the Twins lose to the
Rays Saturday night. “We’ll just see
how it all goes. I’d love to see
Frankie just get going in the
rotation.”
Liriano told reporters he doesn’t
always know what pitch to throw
with men on base. To which
Baseball
INSIDE DISH
TONY DEJAK / AP
Grady Sizemore’s inflamed elbow forced him to DH, then landed him on the disabled list.
Gardenhire replied: “When you got back problem that struck without
a catcher like Joe Mauer that knows warning while he was preparing to
what’s going on, you trust him. If bat in Saturday’s game against the
it’s not going well for you, just trust White Sox. “It grabbed him so hard,
him.” they said he went down to his
knees,” manager Trey Hillman said.
Rangers OF Josh Hamilton sat out “He did go to the hospital and he’s
Sunday’s game against the Athlet- still there. ... He was in some pain.”
ics with an abdominal pain and will Buck was placed on the 15-day dis-
undergo an MRI today to determine abled list and catcher Brayan Pena
if he needs to go back on the dis- was recalled from Class AAA
abled list. “I don’t want to,” Hamil- Omaha. Hillman said he had no
ton told MLB.com. “I don’t like idea how long Buck might remain
those two letters (D.L.), but if it’s in the hospital or whether he might
necessary, it’s necessary. If it’s not, require surgery.
we’ll work through it and see where
it goes from there.” Hamilton said Padres RP Jake Peavy will make
he has been playing at about 75 per- his scheduled start Tuesday despite
cent, but that declines below 50 being bothered by tendinitis in his
when he tries to run. He was used right ankle. Padres manager Bud
as a DH Saturday night. Black said the ankle has improved
and Peavy “feels confident it’s not
Royals C John Buck remained going to affect him.” Black added
hospitalized Sunday with a lower that “it’s always great to have that
caliber of pitcher making his start.”
Peavy is 5-5 with a 3.67 ERA. He
turned the ankle running the bases
against the Cubs on May 22.
The Associated Press reports
the Reds will activate RP Edinson
Volquez from the disabled list and
start him today in the opener of a
four-game series against the
Cardinals.
Volquez (4-2, 4.25 ERA) will
make his ninth start of the season.
He left a May 16 game against the
Padres with mild spasms in his
back and went on the D.L. six days
later.
According to the St. Louis Post-
Dispatch, RP Kyle Lohse will miss his
second straight start Tuesday when
the Cardinals face the Reds. Lohse,
who was hit by a pitch in a May 23
game against the Royals, has bat-
tled what he describes as “a burn-
ing cramp” in his arm every time he
exerts himself. “It’s become frus-
trating because it’s not getting bet-
ter,” Lohse told the newspaper.
The St. Petersburg Times reports
that Rays RP Troy Percival might not
be retiring after all. Manager Joe
Maddon told the newspaper he met
with the veteran closer, who told
him he’s going back to California
and work to get his arm healthy
enough to return. If successful, Per-
cival, 39, could potentially work his
way back onto the roster. “He’s
going to continue to work on trying
to get the feeling back in his arm,
right shoulder down through the
bicep area to his elbow,” Maddon
told the paper. “We’re just on hold.”
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 12
THE LAUNCHING PAD
What to expect in the major leagues today
LENNY IGNELZI / AP
Starter Hiroki Kuroda hasn’t pitched for Los Angeles since opening day.
Back in Dodger blue
The first-place Dodgers will get a key teammate—no, not that one—
back tonight against the Diamondbacks. Righthander Hiroki Kuroda, who
hasn’t pitched for Los Angeles since opening day, is set to return from his
oblique injury. Kuroda had a 5.19 ERA in two minor league rehab starts, and
he was only 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in four starts against Arizona last season.
However, the Dodgers have won four of the fives games, including the past
four, between these two teams this season. To keep that streak alive, L.A. will
need more production from its infield. First baseman James Loney, second
baseman Orlando Hudson, shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman Casey
Blake and catcher Russell Martin have combined for a .216 batting average
(19-for-88) against the D-backs this season.
Out with the Oswalt?
In addition to the speculation that Astros manager Cecil Cooper’s days
are numbered, there is growing sentiment that the same is true for ace Roy
Oswalt in Houston. A recent Chicago Tribune report indicated Oswalt, who
has a no-trade clause, is at odds with Cooper and might be willing to accept
a deal to a contender. In the meantime, Oswalt will try (again) for his second
win of the season tonight against a Colorado team that has seen its fair share
of speculation and change in recent days.
On the road again
Still under .500 at home, the Phillies head West for the start of a 10-game
road trip. Philadelphia is a major league-best 16-6 away from Citizens Bank
Park heading into tonight’s game at San Diego. Meanwhile, the Padres have
won their past 10 games at Petco Park. Back in April, the Padres took two of
three in Philadelphia, despite Phillies second baseman Chase Utley homer-
ing three times and droving in six runs.
— Chris Bahr
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 13
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 29 21 .580 — — 6-4 L-1 14-9 15-12
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Boston 29 22 .569 ½ — 4-6 W-1 17-6 12-16
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Toronto 29 24 .547 1½ 1 2-8 L-1 18-7 11-17
Bartlett Tampa Bay .373 Beltran New York .352 CPena Tampa Bay 17 AdGonzalez San Diego 20 Tampa Bay 25 28 .472 5½ 5 4-6 L-1 13-11 12-17
Baltimore 23 28 .451 6½ 6 7-3 L-2 16-13 7-15
MiCabrera Detroit .355 Tejada Houston .350 Teixeira New York 16 Ibanez Philadelphia 17
ISuzuki Seattle .354 Pence Houston .341 Bay Boston 15 Dunn Washington 16 Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
VMartinez Cleveland .350 Pujols St. Louis .339 NCruz Texas 14 Pujols St. Louis 16 Detroit 28 21 .571 — — 5-5 W-2 15-7 13-14
Chicago 24 25 .490 4 4 7-3 W-3 12-10 12-15
AdJones Baltimore .344 FSanchez Pittsburgh .333 Morneau Minnesota 14 Bruce Cincinnati 14 Minnesota 25 27 .481 4½ 4½ 6-4 W-1 19-11 6-16
Morneau Minnesota .342 DWright New York .333 Four tied 13 Howard Philadelphia 14 Kansas City 23 27 .460 5½ 5½ 2-8 L-4 15-15 8-12
Two tied .333 Two tied .332 Reynolds Arizona 13 Cleveland 22 30 .423 7½ 7½ 6-4 W-1 12-13 10-17
West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Runs Stolen Bases Texas 30 20 .600 — — 7-3 L-1 18-9 12-11
Los Angeles 25 24 .510 4½ 3 5-5 W-1 14-12 11-12
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Seattle 24 27 .471 6½ 5 5-5 L-1 12-12 12-15
Oakland 19 29 .396 10 8½ 4-6 W-1 11-13 8-16
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
BRoberts
Scutaro
Baltimore
Toronto
43
43
Pujols
Ibanez
St. Louis
Philadelphia
42
40
Crawford
Ellsbury
Tampa Bay
Boston
30
21
Bourn
Kemp
Houston
Los Angeles
16
12
National League Standings
East W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Crawford Tampa Bay 40 Zimmerman Washington 39 Figgins Los Angeles 20 Taveras Cincinnati 12 Philadelphia 28 20 .583 — — 7-3 W-3 12-14 16-6
Damon New York 40 Hudson Los Angeles 38 Abreu Los Angeles 15 DWright New York 12 New York 28 21 .571 ½ ½ 7-3 W-1 17-9 11-12
DENIS POROY / AP Atlanta 25 25 .500 4 4 5-5 W-1 11-12 14-13
AdJones Baltimore 40 AdGonzalez San Diego 37 BUpton Tampa Bay 15 Burriss San Francisco 11
Chicago Cubs SP Randy Wells Morneau Minnesota 40 ASoriano Chicago 36 Bartlett Tampa Bay 14 Fowler Colorado 11
Florida 23 28 .451 6½ 6½ 4-6 L-1 9-14 14-14
Washington 13 36 .265 15½ 15½ 2-8 L-6 7-16 6-20
Pedroia Boston 39 Two tied 35 Two tied 11 JosReyes New York 11
Kelly Shoppach, C, Indians. With Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Milwaukee 30 20 .600 — — 5-5 W-3 16-9 14-11
Victor Martinez nursing a knee RBIs Pitching (5 decisions) St. Louis 29 21 .580 1 — 6-4 L-1 17-9 12-12
injury, Shoppach could get extra Cincinnati 26 23 .531 3½ 2½ 5-5 L-3 13-12 13-11
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Chicago 25 24 .510 4½ 3½ 4-6 L-1 16-10 9-14
at-bats this week. He did well last Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Pittsburgh 22 28 .440 8 7 3-7 L-1 12-11 10-17
season in place of Martinez, so Longoria Tampa Bay 55 Fielder Milwaukee 48 Palmer Los Angeles 5-0 1.000 Broxton Los Angeles 5-0 1.000 Houston 20 28 .417 9 8 2-8 W-1 9-15 11-13
there’s a nice track record here. Bay Boston 49 Ibanez Philadelphia 46 Greinke Kansas City 8-1 .889 Cain San Francisco 6-1 .857 West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Morneau Minnesota 47 Dunn Washington 42 Halladay Toronto 8-1 .889 Martis Washington 5-1 .833 Los Angeles 35 17 .673 — — 6-4 W-1 18-5 17-12
Teixeira New York 44 Pujols St. Louis 42 Slowey Minnesota 7-1 .875 Pelfrey New York 4-1 .800 San Francisco 25 24 .510 8½ 3½ 6-4 W-1 18-9 7-15
Randy Wells, SP, Cubs. He’s 0-2, but San Diego 25 25 .500 9 4 7-3 W-1 17-6 8-19
TorHunter Los Angeles 42 AdGonzalez San Diego 40 Buehrle Chicago 6-1 .857 JoJohnson Florida 4-1 .800 Arizona 22 29 .431 12½ 7½ 5-5 L-1 12-19 10-10
his peripherals (1.80 ERA, 1.16 CPena Tampa Bay 41 Howard Philadelphia 40 Penny Boston 5-1 .833 LiHernandez New York 4-1 .800 Colorado 20 29 .408 13½ 8½ 5-5 L-1 9-14 11-15
WHIP and 8.3 K/9) make him Markakis Baltimore 40 Hawpe Colorado 39 Pettitte New York 5-1 .833 Lincecum San Francisco 4-1 .800 z-first game was a win
worth a shot. Plus, he gets two
starts this week (at ATL, at CIN). HIts Strikeouts Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)
American League The Line
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L.
Randy Choate, RP, Rays. You never N.Y. Yankees (Chamberlain 2-1) at Cleveland (Sowers 1-2), 7:05 p.m. NYY -150 at Cle +140
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
Oakland (Cahill 2-5) at Chicago White Sox (B.Colon 3-4), 8:11 p.m. at ChW -125 Oak +115
know who’s going to get the saves AHill Toronto 77 Hudson Los Angeles 70 Verlander Detroit 90 JVazquez Atlanta 86
Baltimore (R.Hill 1-0) at Seattle (Washburn 3-3), 10:10 p.m. at Sea -115 Bal +105
in Joe Maddon’s bullpen-by-com- Crawford Tampa Bay 69 Tejada Houston 69 Greinke Kansas City 88 JSantana New York 86
mittee, but Choate has nailed VMartinez Cleveland 69 Zimmerman Washington 66 Lester Boston 74 Peavy San Diego 84 National League The Line
down the last two for Tampa Bay. ISuzuki Seattle 68 FSanchez Pittsburgh 65 FHernandez Seattle 72 Lincecum San Francisco 84 N.Y. Mets (Li.Hernandez 4-1) at Pittsburgh (Snell 1-6), 7:05 p.m. NYM -115 at Pit +105
Morneau Minnesota 67 Beltran New York 62 Halladay Toronto 68 Billingsley Los Angeles 76 Milwaukee (Suppan 3-4) at Florida (A.Miller 1-2), 7:10 p.m. at Fla -115 Mil +105
Four tied 65 Ibanez Philadelphia 62 Garza Tampa Bay 66 Haren Arizona 71
Aaron Rowand, OF, Giants. Rowand Colorado (Cook 3-2) at Houston (Oswalt 1-2), 8:05 p.m. at Hou -130 Col +120
Three tied 60 Beckett Boston 59 Gallardo Milwaukee 65
is hitting .363 in his new leadoff Cincinnati (Volquez 4-2) at St. Louis (Wellemeyer 5-4), 8:15 p.m. at StL -125 Cin +115
role, and he can plug a gap if Doubles Saves Philadelphia (Blanton 3-3) at San Diego (Correia 1-3), 10:05 p.m. at SD -170 Phi +160
you’re short outfielders at the Arizona (Buckner 1-1) at L.A. Dodgers (Kuroda 1-0), 10:10 p.m. at LAD -165 Ari +155
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L.
moment. Tuesday’s Games National League
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
American League N.Y. Mets at Pittsburgh, 7:05 p.m.
— George Winkler Longoria Tampa Bay 20 Tejada Houston 20 Fuentes Los Angeles 13 Bell San Diego 15 Boston at Detroit, 7:05 p.m. San Francisco at Washington, 7:05 p.m.
MYoung Texas 19 FSanchez Pittsburgh 18 Papelbon Boston 13 FrRodriguez New York 14 Texas at N.Y. Yankees, 7:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Atlanta, 7:10 p.m.
MORE COVERAGE Byrd Texas 18 Hudson Los Angeles 16 Jenks Chicago 12 Cordero Cincinnati 13 L.A. Angels at Toronto, 7:07 p.m.
Kansas City at Tampa Bay, 7:08 p.m.
Milwaukee at Florida, 7:10 p.m.
Colorado at Houston, 8:05 p.m.
Callaspo Kansas City 17 Kotchman Atlanta 16 FFrancisco Texas 11 Hoffman Milwaukee 13
Get everything you need to Lowell Boston 17 HaRamirez Florida 16 MaRivera New York 10 Four tied 12 Cleveland at Minnesota, 8:10 p.m. Cincinnati at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.
dominate your fantasy league at Oakland at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 p.m. Philadelphia at San Diego, 10:05 p.m.
Three tied 16 Three tied 15 Rodney Detroit 10
sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball Baltimore at Seattle, 10:10 p.m. Arizona at L.A. Dodgers, 10:10 p.m.
Sherrill Baltimore 10
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 14
Seattle Florida
Attendance report Streaks Through May 31 Disabled List RHP Roy Corcoran, April 29 SS Alfredo Amezaga, May 17
Through May 28 LHP Ryan Feierabend-x, March LHP Renyel Pinto, May 23
Through May 31 15 RHP Scott Proctor-x March 27
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE LHP Cesar Jimenez-x, March 29 RHP Anibal Sanchez, May 8
AMERICAN LEAGUE C Kenji Johjima, May 26 RHP Henricus Vandenhurk-x,
AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING BATTING Baltimore
OF Luis Montanez, May 23
RHP Shawn Kelly, May 6 March 29
Longest current batting streak ... 24, Longest current batting streak ... 14, LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith, April
RHP Dennis Sarfate, May 2 11 Houston
HOME GAMES ROAD GAMES Suzuki, Sea, May 6 to May 31. Tejada, Hou, May 16 to May 31. RHP Alfredo Simon, April 15 RHP Carlos Silva, May 7 3B Aaron Boone-x March 27
Longest batting streak, season ... 24, Longest batting streak, season ... 30, RHP Koji Uehara, May 24 RHP Doug Brocail, May 4
DATES TOTAL AVG DATES TOTAL AVG
Suzuki, Sea, May 6 to May 31 (current). Zimmerman, Was, April 8 to May 12. Tampa Bay RHP Geoff Geary, May 14
Baltimore 29 650,503 22,431 22 607,753 27,625 Boston SS Jason Bartlett, May 25 RHP Jose Valverde, April 27
RHP Miguel Gonzalez-x, March RHP Chad Bradford, March 27
Boston 23 869,461 37,803 28 883,835 31,566 27
PITCHING PITCHING OF Pat Burrell, May 11 Los Angeles
Chicago White Sox 22 561,637 25,529 27 650,339 24,087 OF Mark Kotsay, March 27 INF Akinori Iwamura-x, May 25 LHP Hong-Chih Kuo, April 30
Longest current winning streak Longest current winning streak ... 4, SS Jed Lowrie, April 12
Cleveland 25 561,338 22,454 27 766,983 28,407 LHP Scott Kazmir, May 21 RHP Hiroki Kuroda, April 7
... 6, Verlander, Det, April 27 to May 30; Condrey, Phi, April 8 to May 24; Lowe, Atl, RHP John Smoltz, March 27 RHP Troy Percival, May 22 1B Doug Mienkiewicz-x, April 17
Detroit 22 613,589 27,890 27 777,488 28,796 Greinke, KC, April 8 to May 4. April 25 to May 11; Harden, ChC, April 21 to CF Fernando Perez-x, March 27 OF Xanvier Paul, May 21
Longest current losing streak ... 5, May 12; Meredith, SD, April 9 to May 7; W. Chicago C Shawn Riggans, April 10 RHP Jason Schmidt, March 30
Kansas City 30 672,393 22,413 20 573,216 28,661 None LHP Brian Shouse, May 25 RHP Claudio Vargas-x, April 6
Contreras, CWS, April 10 to May 8. Rodriguez, Hou, April 28 to May 20; Pineiro,
L.A. Angels 26 1,051,033 40,424 23 691,654 30,072
Longest winning streak, season StL, April 10 to April 27; Pelfrey, NYM, April Cleveland Texas Milwaukee
Minnesota 30 779,624 25,987 22 628,741 28,579 ... 6, Verlander, Det, April 27 to May 30 8 to May 7; Cain, SF, May 7 to May 29. 1B Travis Hafner, April 29 RHP Joaquin Benoit-x, April 5 RHP David Riske, April 10
LHP Aaron Laffey, May 23 RHP William Eyre, April 23 2B Rickie Weeks, May 18
N.Y. Yankees 23 1,026,625 44,636 27 898,711 33,286 (current); Greinke, KC, April 8 to May 4 Longest current losing streak ... 6, LHP Scott Lewis-x, April 11 RHP Eric Hurley-x, April 5
Oakland 24 428,879 17,870 24 626,065 26,086 (current). De La Rosa, Col, April 11 to May 31. RHP Anthony Reyes-x, May 23 RHP Dustin Nippert-x, March 27 New York
Longest losing streak, season ... Longest winning streak, season RHP Joe Smith, April 29 RHP Vincente Padilla, May 17 OF Ryan Church, May 23
Seattle 24 653,625 27,234 27 723,551 26,798 RHP Jake Westbrook-x, March 26
5, Contreras, CWS, April 10 to May 8 ... 5, Broxton, LAD, April 15 to May 23; INF Alex Cora, May 18
Tampa Bay 24 583,783 24,324 29 698,215 24,076 Toronto 1B Carlos Delgado, May 11
(current). Billingsley, LAD, April 8 to May 3. Detroit
Texas 27 705,366 26,125 23 572,378 24,886 C Michael Barrett, April 18 LHP Oliver Perez, May 3
Longest losing streak, season ... RHP Jeremy Bonderman, March RHP Jesse Litsch, April 14 SS Jose Reyes, May 21
Toronto 25 585,144 23,406 28 643,425 22,979 TEAM 6, De La Rosa, Col, April 11 to May 31 30 RHP Shaun Marcum, March 27 C Brian Schneider, April 16
SS Carlos Guillen, May 5 RHP Dustin McGowan, March 27 LHP Billy Wagner, March 27
AL Totals 354 9,743,000 27,523 354 9,742,354 27,521 Longest current winning streak ... 3, (current). OF Marcus Thames, April 19 RHP Robert Ray, May 22
CHW, May 29 to May 31. C Matt Treanor-x, April 24 Philadelphia
Longest current home-win streak ... TEAM None
Kansas City NATIONAL LEAGUE
1, BOS, May 24 to May 24; CLE, May 31 to Longest current winning streak ... SS Mike Aviles, May 24
NATIONAL LEAGUE May 31; LAA, May 31 to May 31; SEA, May 3, MIL, May 29 to May 31; PHL, May 29 to 3B Alex Gordon, April 16
Arizona
1B Tony Clark, May 5
Pittsburgh
C Ryan Doumit, April 20
24 to May 24. May 31. SS Tony Pena, May 3 RHP Tom Gordon, May 4 LHP Phil Dumatrait-x, March 27
Longest current road-win streak ... Longest current home-win streak ... RHP Joakim Soria, May 8 1B Conor Jackson, May 12 RHP Craig Hansen, April 20
HOME GAMES ROAD GAMES RHP Robinson Tejeda, May 21
3, CHW, May 29 to May 31; TEX, May 22 to 10, S-D, May 7 to May 24. RHP Yusmeiro Petit, May 9 RHP Tyler Yates, May 16
DATES TOTAL AVG DATES TOTAL AVG RHP Doug Waechter, April 18 RHP Brandon Webb, April 7
May 24. Longest current road-win streak ... St. Louis
Arizona 31 833,320 26,881 20 510,210 25,511 Los Angeles
Longest current losing streak ... 4, 2, COL, May 23 to May 24. Atlanta LHP Jaime Garcia, March 27
Atlanta 23 551,184 23,965 27 815,578 30,207 RHP Kelvim Escobar-x, April 4 RHP Buddy Carlyle, May 26 3B Troy Glaus, March 27
K-C, May 27 to May 31. Longest current losing streak ... 6, RHP Shane Loux, May 17
Chicago Cubs 26 1,027,754 39,529 23 876,570 38,112 LHP Tom Glavine, April 2
Longest current home-loss streak ... WAS, May 25 to May 31. RHP Dustin Moseley, April 18 RHP Tim Hudson-x, Feb. 24 San Diego
Cincinnati 25 550,783 22,031 24 660,801 27,533 4, K-C, May 27 to May 31. Longest current home-loss streak ... C Robert Shields, May 27 SS Omar Infante, May 21 RHP Mike Adams-x, April 1
Longest current road-loss streak ... 4, HOU, May 21 to May 24. LHP Jo-Jo Reyes, May 21 RHP Cha Seung Baek-x, March 30
Colorado 23 634,059 27,568 26 719,779 27,684 Minnesota SS Everth Cabrera-x, April 20
9, TOR, May 19 to May 27. Longest current road-loss streak ... RHP Boof Bonser, March 27
Florida 23 412,786 17,947 28 853,298 30,475 Chicago OF Cliff Floyd, April 5
Longest winning streak, season ... 6, CHC, May 19 to May 24; CIN, May 15 to RHP Pat Neshek-x, Feb. 21 RHP Chad Fox, May 10 RHP Shawn Hill, April 26
Houston 24 719,279 29,970 25 596,628 23,865 11, BOS, April 15 to April 27. May 31; WAS, May 25 to May 31. LHP Glen Perkins, May 19 INF-OF Ryan Freel, May 28 2B Luis Rodriguez, May 14
L.A. Dodgers 23 1,014,063 44,090 29 941,998 32,483 Longest home-win streak, season ... Longest winning streak, season ... RHP Rich Harden, May 18 RHP Mark Worrell-x, April 1
New York 2B Aaron Miles, May 26 San Francisco
Milwaukee 25 934,730 37,389 25 777,416 31,097 9, BOS, April 17 to April 26. 10, S-D, May 15 to May 25. RHP Brian Bruney, May 20 3B Aramis Ramirez, May 9 LHP Noah Lowry-x, March 26
Longest road-win streak, season ... Longest home-win streak, season ... LHP Damaso Marte, April 26 RHP Joseph Martinez-x, April 10
N.Y. Mets 26 1,014,435 39,017 23 790,195 34,356 C Jose Molina, May 8
6, SEA, April 9 to April 25. 13, LAD, April 13 to May 6. Cincinnati RHPSergio Romo, March 26
Philadelphia 26 1,130,426 43,478 22 684,433 31,111 OF Xavier Nady, April 15 3B Edwin Encarnacion, April 28
Longest losing streak, season ... 9, Longest road-win streak, season ... C Jorge Posada, May 5 RHP Edinson Volquez, May 17 Washington
Pittsburgh 23 388,334 16,884 27 838,369 31,051 TOR, May 19 to May 27. 6, FLA, April 14 to April 19. SS Bryan Ransom-x, April 25 CF Roger Bernadina-x, April 19
San Diego 23 597,758 25,989 27 931,603 34,504 Longest home-loss streak, season ... Longest losing streak, season ... 8, Colorado LHP Matt Chico-x, March 27
Oakland INF Jeff Baker-x, April 27 OF Elijah Dukes, May 18
San Francisco 27 922,521 34,167 22 722,488 32,840 5, NYY, May 2 to May 7. CHC, May 17 to May 25; PIT, May 3 to May 3B Eric Chavez-x, April 25 RHP Taylor Buchholz-x, March 27 C Jesus Flores, May 10
St. Louis 26 1,050,968 40,422 24 658,518 27,438 Longest road-loss streak, season ... 10. RHP Joey Devine-x, April 4 RHP Matt Daley, May 18 LHP Scott Olsen, May 17
9, MIN, May 5 to May 20; TOR, May 19 to Longest home-loss streak, season ... RHP Justin Duchscherer-x, March LHP Jeffrey Francis-x, March 27 1B Dmitri Young, April 1
Washington 24 483,872 20,161 26 889,034 34,194 27 C Chris Iannetta, May 24 RHP Terrell Young, March 27
May 27. 7, WAS, May 15 to May 20. 2B Mark Ellis-x, April 29
NL Totals 398 12,266,272 30,820 398 12,266,918 30,821 LHP Franklin Morales, April 22
Longest road-loss streak, season ... SS Nomar Garciaparra, May 24 RHP Ryan Speier, April 19 (x-60-day; all others are 15-day)
MLB Totals 752 22,009,272 29,268 752 22,009,272 29,268 11, S-D, April 29 to May 14. RHP Dan Giese, May 16
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 15
NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers 8, Chicago Cubs 2 Dodgers 8, Cubs 2
Q&A with ... Dodgers SP Chad Billingsley
Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Five-run first lifts Dodgers

Pierre lf 6 1 1 0 0 3 .374
Furcal ss 5 1 2 0 0 0 .245
Hudson 2b
Martin c
Loney 1b
Kemp cf
5
3
5
4
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
1
0
2
1
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
2
.332
.272
.289
.306
‘We’re a team that knows how to win’
Loretta 3b 4 0 2 2 1 1 .321 At age 24 and in only his second full season in the rotation,
Hoffmann rf 4 0 0 1 0 2 .200
Milton p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Billingsley has become the Dodgers’ ace. He recently appeared
Belisario p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 on Sporting News Radio to discuss his early accomplishments,
c-Ausmus ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .344 the rotation’s young arms and the Dodgers’ success without sus-
Troncoso p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 pended outfielder Manny Ramirez.
e-Ethier ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .256
Broxton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Totals

Chicago
A.Soriano lf
39

AB R H BI BB SO
4 0 1 0 1 2
8 12 7 4 10

Avg.
.246
Q: You’re ranked 42nd on Sporting News’
Top 50 players list. It has to be pretty
cool to be on the list, right?
Theriot ss 4 1 2 0 0 0 .293
Bradley rf
D.Lee 1b
Re.Johnson cf
4 1 1 0 0 1
3 0 1 0 0 0
4 0 3 2 0 0
.224
.248
.295
A: Oh, absolutely. Just starting my fourth season,
it’s kind of amazing everything that’s hap-
pened in this short time. It’s a great honor just to be
Soto c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .216
Scales 2b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .239 recognized with all the great players we have in this
Waddell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
b-Hoffpauir ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .281 league right now.
Patton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
d-Fukudome ph 1 0 0 0 0 1
Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fontenot 3b-2b 4 0 0 0 0 0
.309
---
.224
Q: How do you use last year to make
adjustments for his year? GUS RUELAS / AP
Marshall p
Ascanio p
a-J.Fox ph-3b
1 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0
3 0 0 0 0 3
.231
.000
.429
A: Every time you go out there, you learn
something. As a pitcher, you’ve got to adjust
At the age of 24, Chad Billingsley has developed into the Dodgers’ ace.

Totals 35 2 9 2 1 9

Los Angeles 501 020 000 — 8 12 0

from pitch to pitch and at-bat to at-bat. You may get a
guy out one way, but the next at-bat he might be Q: How does this team feel about itself right
now?
Chicago 000 002 000 — 2 9 2

a-struck out for Ascanio in the 5th. b-flied out for Waddell in
looking for that pitch. You’re constantly learning and
the game’s evolving. You’ve always got to find that
edge to get you over the top a little bit.
A: As you can see, with Manny or without Manny,
we’re a team that knows how to win. Guys have
stepped up greatly like Juan Pierre. He stepped in, he’s
the 6th. c-was hit by a pitch for Belisario in the 8th. d-struck
out for Marmol in the 8th. e-grounded into a fielder’s choice batting (near .400), driving in some runs, stealing
for Troncoso in the 9th. E: Marmol (2), Soto (2). LOB: Los

NAM Y. HUH / AP
Angeles 11, Chicago 8. 2B: Loney (11), Loretta (3), A.Soriano
(11), Re.Johnson 2 (3). HR: Kemp (6), off Marshall. RBIs:
Hudson (31), Loney 2 (38), Kemp (30), Loretta 2 (10), Hoff-
Q: You broke your ankle in the offseason.
Did you start to wonder, What the heck
did I do wrong?
some bases. And Casey Blake, I don’t know that there’s
any better eight-hole hitter out there. ... We’re playing
good overall ball. We’re winning the close games and
mann (7), Re.Johnson 2 (14). SB: Martin (7), Kemp (12). SF:
Dodgers C Russell Martin, right, tagged out Cubs CF Reed Johnson at home plate in the second inning.

CHICAGO—Eric Milton pitched into the
Milton (2-0) took a shutout into the
Hoffmann. Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles
6 (Milton, Hoffmann 2, Loney 2, Pierre); Chicago 4 (Hoffpauir
2, Theriot, Fukudome). DP: Los Angeles 1 (Hoffmann,
Hoffmann, Martin).
A: Absolutely. They always say bad things
happen in threes. It’s kind of a freak
accident. Luckily, there were no ligament tears or
beating the teams we need to beat. We’re playing with a
lot of confidence right now.

sixth inning for his second straight

win, and the Los Angeles Dodgers
sixth and left with one out after the
Cubs scored twice. He allowed six hits
Los Angeles
Milton W, 2-0
Belisario
IP
5 1⁄3
1 2⁄3
H
6
1
R ER BB SO
2 2 1 4
0 0 0 2
NP ERA
86 3.14
37 2.30
anything like that. It was just a spiral fracture and
break. So I was kind of happy about that, but still Q: Can you and Clayton Kershaw form one
of the best starting tandems in baseball?
backed him with a five-run first while
beating the Chicago Cubs 8-2 Sunday
night to salvage a four-game split.
while earning back-to-back wins after
going nearly three years without one.
The Dodgers continued to roll even
Troncoso
Broxton
Chicago IP
1
1
2
0
H
0 0 0 1
0 0 0 2
R ER BB SO
15 1.89
12 1.44
NP ERA
a broken ankle. At four weeks I started walking
on it, and at five weeks I started jogging on it a
little bit. Luckily, it happened fairly early in the
A: He’s still just 21 years old. He’s still learning.
He’s going out there and competing every
time he steps out on the mound. He’s definitely got a
Marshall L, 3-4 4 1⁄3 8 8 7 1 2 72 4.73
Matt Kemp hit his sixth homer and though Manny Ramirez is serving a Ascanio 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 12 3.52 offseason so I didn’t have any setbacks going into bright future ahead of him if he can figure this game
Waddell 1 1 0 0 0 2 14 0.00
finished with two hits. Rafael Furcal, 50-game suspension for violating Patton 1 1 0 0 1 2 18 6.46 spring training. I didn’t really do any ground out. He reminds me a lot of myself—always seems
Russell Martin, Mark Loretta and James baseball’s drug policy. Marmol 1 0 0 0 1 2 22 3.13 running on it until the end of January. I was a like he had to throw the ball by the guy. He’s starting
Gregg 1 1 0 0 1 1 23 4.64
Loney each added two apiece as the Los Angeles went 20-9 in May, post- little bit behind in that, but I got off the mound to learn it’s not about velocity; it’s about changing
Dodgers banged out 12 in all, and Los ing its highest win total for the month Inherited runners-scored: Belisario 2-0, Ascanio 1-1. about six or seven times before camp started. I speeds and location and mixing your pitches very
HBP: by Milton (D.Lee), by Marmol (Ausmus), by Marshall
Angeles finished a 5-2 trip with an easy since going 21-7 in 1962, and this one (Milton). WP: Troncoso. Umpires: Home, Rob Drake; First, didn’t come in behind at spring training, so I was well. He’s showing some signs of learning that. If he
win after getting pounded 7-0 and shut got out of hand early. Mark Wegner; Second, Tim Timmons; Third, Jeff Kellogg. T: able to join the team at full strength and ready to can get that down, he can be one heck of a pitcher for
3:05. A: 40,091 (41,210).
out for the first time the previous day. —The Associated Press go. many years to come.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 16
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 4, Washington 2 N.Y. Mets 3, Florida 2

Moyer’s milestone lifts Phillies to 6th straight win Ailing Mets finish May 19-9
Phillies 4, Nationals 2 NEW YORK—The worse the New Mets 3, Marlins 2
Washington AB R H BI BB SO Avg. York Mets feel, the better they Florida AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
A.Hernandez 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .273 Coghlan lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .212
Hanrahan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- seem to play. Bonifacio 3b 3 0 1 1 1 0 .250
N.Johnson 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .331 John Maine shut down Flor- Ha.Ramirez ss 4 0 3 1 0 0 .330
Zimmerman 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .319 Cantu 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .266
Dunn rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .270 ida again before becoming the Hermida rf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .264
Willingham lf 4 2 2 2 0 1 .252 latest Mets player sidelined by Uggla 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .208
Kearns cf 4 0 2 0 0 1 .226 Jo.Baker c 3 0 0 0 1 1 .262
J.Bard c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .174 sickness or injury, and New C.Ross cf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .254
Alb.Gonzalez ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 .278 York held off the Marlins 3-2 on Volstad p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .045
Lannan p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .100 b-Gload ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 .270
Bergmann p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Sunday to cap a hectic month Calero p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Beimel p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- marked by gritty success. c-R.Paulino ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .239
b-W.Harris ph-2b 1 0 1 0 0 0 .264 Totals 32 2 6 2 4 10
Totals 33 2 5 2 1 7 “Our pitching has really
stepped up for us,” manager New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Pagan cf 2 0 1 1 0 0 .333
Rollins ss 5 0 0 0 0 1 .226 Jerry Manuel said. Reed cf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .275
Victorino cf 3 1 0 0 1 0 .293 David Wright made a diving L.Castillo 2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .294
Utley 2b 3 1 2 1 1 1 .294 D.Wright 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .333
Howard 1b 3 0 1 1 1 2 .266 grab to start a rally-killing dou- Sheffield lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .292
Ibanez lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .332 ble play, and the depleted Mets Dan.Murphy 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .250
Werth rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .253 F.Martinez rf 3 1 1 1 0 0 .188
Feliz 3b 4 0 1 1 0 0 .302 completed a 5-1 homestand to Santos c 3 0 1 1 0 0 .275
Coste c 2 1 2 1 2 0 .254 finish 19-9 in May. After taking W.Valdez ss 2 1 1 0 1 0 .286
1-Ruiz pr-c 0 0 0 0 0 0 .304 Maine p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .211
Moyer p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .077 two of three from Florida, they Feliciano p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
a-Dobbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .132 have won 11 of the past 14 games a-Tatis ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .258
Condrey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Putz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- at their new home, Citi Field. Parnell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
c-Stairs ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .281 Bobby Parnell escaped an Fr.Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Totals 27 3 7 3 2 4
Totals 31 4 7 4 6 10 eighth-inning jam and Fran-
H. RUMPH JR / AP cisco Rodriguez struck out Florida 000 000 020 — 2 6 0
Wash 000 100 100 — 2 5 0 New York 001 000 20x — 3 7 0
Philadelphia’s Shane Victorino, left, barely beats the tag of Nationals C Josh Bard in the first inning. Victorino scored on Chase Utley’s double. Phil 110 100 10x — 4 7 1 three in a hitless ninth for his
14th save in 14 chances. a-grounded into a double play for Feliciano in the 7th.
a-struck out for Moyer in the 6th. b-singled for Beimel b-walked for Volstad in the 8th. c-struck out for Calero
PHILADELPHIA—Jamie Moyer reached a (winning 250). It takes so much effort to has reached 250 wins with a fastball in the in the 8th. c-struck out for Madson in the 8th. 1-ran Missing injured regulars Jose in the 9th. LOB: Florida 7, New York 4. 2B: Ha.Ramirez
rare mark for a pitcher, becoming the prepare and play. I was taught to play low 80s. for Coste in the 8th. E: Moyer (1). LOB: Washington 5, Reyes, Carlos Delgado and (16), Uggla (9), Pagan (3), L.Castillo (4), F.Martinez (2),
Philadelphia 9. 2B: Utley (8). 3B: Howard (2), Ibanez Santos (5). RBIs: Bonifacio (12), Ha.Ramirez (23), Pagan
44th to win 250 games. The veteran the game as a team, not as an individual. “It’s impressive how much he’s perse- (2). HR: Willingham (8), off Moyer; Willingham (9), off Ryan Church, New York got (3), F.Martinez (3), Santos (18). SB: D.Wright (12). S:
Phillies left-hander would have been When you play 20-some years, some of vered in this game,” Nationals manager Condrey; Coste (2), off Lannan. RBIs: Willingham 2 (12), RBI doubles from Omir Santos, Dan.Murphy, Maine. Runners left in scoring posi-
Utley (33), Howard (40), Feliz (27), Coste (7). SB: Utley tion: Florida 4 (Jo.Baker, Hermida 2, Cantu); New York
juast as happy if it was his first. these things can happen.” Manny Acta said. “He’s been written off (5). Runners left in scoring position: Washington 1 Fernando Martinez and Angel 4 (L.Castillo, D.Wright, Tatis, Sheffield). GIDP: D.Wright,
Moyer went six strong innings to lead Moyer is pitching his 23rd season for his several times. It’s remarkable and he sets (Dunn); Philadelphia 5 (Ibanez 3, Moyer, Rollins). Pagan—who left in the fourth Tatis. DP: Florida 2 (Ha.Ramirez, Uggla, Cantu), (Ha.
Ramirez, Uggla, Cantu); New York 1 (D.Wright, Dan.
the Phillies to their third straight vic- seventh club. It was his sixth try at 250 a great example. I’m happy for him.” Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA with discomfort in his right Murphy).
tory, 4-2 over the bumbling Washington after going winless in his last five outings. Said Phillies manager Charlie Man- Lannan L, 2-5 5 4 3 3 4 7 106 4.21 groin.
Bergmann 1 0 0 0 1 1 16 3.97 Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Nationals on Sunday. “I really wasn’t concerned about how uel, “A guy like Jamie and the type of Beimel 1 1 1 1 1 0 21 4.87 Pagan started in center field Volstad L, 4-4 7 6 3 3 2 3 94 3.71
The 46-year-old Moyer is only the 11th many attempts, I was concerned about pitcher he is, what he’s had to earn and Hanrahan 1 2 0 0 0 2 15 5.40 for All-Star Carlos Beltran, Calero 1 1 0 0 0 1 19 2.16
Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
left-hander to join the exclusive 250-win creating consistency with myself,” he said. his ups and downs, it says a lot about the Moyer W, 4-5 6 3 1 1 0 4 102 6.75 who sat out with a stomach Maine W, 5-3 6 3 0 0 2 5 82 3.75
list. And despite his teammates’ post- Moyer (4-5) had one his best starts of individual. For a guy with his ability, Condrey H, 5 1 1 1 1 0 1 14 2.20 virus. Feliciano H, 8 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 2.25
Madson H, 12 1 1 0 0 1 1 15 2.49 Putz H, 10 1⁄3 2 2 2 1 0 17 3.81
game champagne toast, Moyer’s words the season Sunday, striking out four and how he goes about it, how he gets it done, Lidge S, 12-16 1 0 0 0 0 1 17 7.71 Maine (5-3) apparently Parnell H, 10 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 7 2.11
lacked the excitement one might expect walking none while registering a sea- you don’t see many guys like that.” caught the bug, too, and lost his Fr.Rodriguez S, 14-14 1 0 0 0 1 3 17 0.73
Umpires: Home, Dana DeMuth; First, Doug Eddings;
after such a rare achievement. son-low hits allowed. It was Moyer’s Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth to Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Brian Knight. T: lunch during the game. Feeling Inherited runners-scored: Parnell 2-1. Umpires:
“It’s not about the personal things, I’m first win since April 26. record his 12th save. The Phillies have won 2:32. A: 45,239 (43,647). ill, he was lifted after six shut- Home, Tim Welke; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Angel
Hernandez; Third, Bill Welke. T: 2:33. A: 40,482
more excited about us winning,” Moyer And while he was reluctant to laud his seven straight against Washington. out innings and 82 pitches. (41,800).
said. “I really haven’t thought about milestone, others praised a pitcher who — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 17
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 5, Cincinnati 2 San Francisco 5, St. Louis 3

Brewers’ bats awaken in 3-game sweep

Giants 5, Cardinals 3
Giants’ bullpen St. Louis
Br.Ryan ss
AB R
5 2
H
3
BI
0
BB
0
SO
0
Avg.
.280

MILWAUKEE—The Milwaukee Brewers Brewers 5, Reds 2

comes through Thurston 2b-3b 2 0
Pujols 1b
Ludwick rf
4 1
3 0
0
3
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
.240
.339
.256
regained some of their swagger with a
three-game sweep of the Cincinnati
Cincinnati
Dickerson cf
AB
4
R
0
H
0
BI
0
BB
1
SO
2
Avg.
.239 in rubber game Stavinoha lf
Y.Molina c
4 0
4 0
1
1
2
0
1
1
0
1
.256
.273
Hairston Jr. 3b 4 1 0 0 1 2 .262 Barden 3b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .239
Reds. Bruce rf 5 0 1 1 0 2 .229 SAN FRANCISCO—The Giants’ a-Duncan ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .261
B.Phillips 2b 4 1 2 1 0 1 .280 Rasmus cf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .229
Earlier this month, the Brewers had a L.Nix lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .264 dependable bullpen is a big rea- Wainwright p 3 0 0 0 0 1 .161
season-high seven-game winning streak a-Gomes ph-lf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .375 son San Francisco has been c-Ankiel ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .231
R.Hernandez 1b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .286 D.Reyes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
followed by a stretch where they lost six Ale.Gonzalez ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 .224 winning the close games lately. C.Perez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
of eight, including two straight to the St. Hanigan c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .323 Rich Aurilia hit his first Schumaker cf-2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .307
Owings p 3 0 1 0 0 2 .300 Totals 33 3 8 3 6 7
Louis Cardinals in the three-game series Masset p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- home run of the season to give
that started this just concluded home- b-A.Rosales ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .247 San Francisco the lead in the San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Weathers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Rowand cf 4 2 2 0 0 1 .283
stand. Then, came the Reds, winners of Totals 36 2 7 2 3 14 seventh, Aaron Rowand dou- Torres cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250
four straight and five of their last six. bled and scored twice and the Renteria ss 3 0 1 1 1 1 .247
Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Winn rf 3 0 0 1 0 0 .275
The Brewers took it from Cincinnati Counsell 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .324 Giants took the rubber game Sandoval 1b 4 1 2 1 0 0 .308
with a 5-2 win on Sunday as Mike Cam- Hardy ss 2 1 0 1 1 0 .236 from the St. Louis Cardinals F.Lewis lf 3 0 2 0 1 0 .276
Braun lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .316 Uribe 3b 2 0 1 0 0 0 .304
eron homered and Yovani Gallardo won Fielder 1b 3 1 0 0 1 2 .273 5-3 on Sunday. Medders p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
his fifth game. M.Cameron cf 4 1 2 3 0 1 .284 The victory gave the team a b-Schierholtz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .241
Gamel 3b 3 0 2 1 0 1 .214 M.Valdez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
“Cincinnati had been playing very Stetter p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- winning month of May at 15-14 Affeldt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
well,” Brewers manager Ken Macha DiFelice p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- and a 5-1 homestand. d-B.Molina ph-c 0 0 0 1 0 0 .254
c-Catalanotto ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250 Whiteside c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .286
said. “Sometimes you go through Hoffman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Merkin Valdez (2-0) pitched B.Wilson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
streaks where you don’t get the hit when Hart rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .256 1 2/3 innings with a 1-2-3 sev- Burriss 2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .271
Kendall c 2 1 1 0 1 0 .207 J.Sanchez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
you need it. At 4-2, it winds up becom- Gallardo p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .182 enth for the win as San Fran- Aurilia 3b 2 2 2 1 0 0 .200
ing a very good home stand. It was a nice Hall 3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .222 cisco improved to 6-1 in rubber Totals 29 5 12 5 2 3
Totals 29 5 8 5 3 8
rebound after losing five out of six.” games and 5-0 at home in those St. Louis 001 020 000 — 3 8 0
The Brewers won 3-2 on Friday night, JIM PRISCHING / AP Cincinnati 001 010 000 — 2 7 0 contests. The Giants are 8-1 in San Francisco 100 020 11x — 5 12 0
Milwaukee 212 000 00x — 5 8 3 a-struck out for Barden in the 5th. b-grounded out for
then pounded out 16 hits in Saturday’s Mike Cameron, right, homered in his second straight game for the Brewers. home series this season. Medders in the 6th. c-flied out for Wainwright in the
9-5 victory as Prince Fielder, Ryan a-struck out for L.Nix in the 7th. b-fouled out for Brandon Medders struck out 8th. d-hit a sacrifice fly for Affeldt in the 8th. LOB: St.
Masset in the 8th. c-flied out for DiFelice in the 8th. E: Louis 12, San Francisco 5. 2B: Br.Ryan (6), Pujols (9),
Braun and Cameron all homered. It was executed. That’s why they are in first and, except for Brandon Phillips’ solo M.Cameron (1), Fielder (2), DiFelice (1). LOB: Cincinnati Albert Pujols to end the sixth, Stavinoha (4), Rowand (15), Sandoval (14). HR: Aurilia
the first sweep of the Reds in a three- place.” homer, allowed seven harmless hits. 11, Milwaukee 5. 2B: Ale.Gonzalez (7), Hanigan (2), Jeremy Affeldt struck out Joe (1), off Wainwright. RBIs: Ludwick (27), Stavinoha 2
Kendall (6). HR: B.Phillips (9), off Gallardo; M.Cameron (10), Renteria (23), Winn (20), Sandoval (20), B.Molina
game series at Miller Park since July 3-5, The Brewers came in sharing first Gallardo struck out nine and worked (11), off Owings. RBIs: Bruce (30), B.Phillips (36), Hardy Thurston with runners on first (32), Aurilia (11). CS: F.Lewis (3). S: Thurston, J.Sanchez.
2006. place in the N.L. Central with the out of a bases-loaded jam in the second. (24), M.Cameron 3 (27), Gamel (6). S: Gallardo. SF: and second to end the eighth SF: Ludwick, Winn, B.Molina. Runners left in scoring
Hardy. Runners left in scoring position: Cincinnati position: St. Louis 7 (Ludwick, Wainwright 3, Y.Molina
Despite all that, the Reds’ Brandon Cardinals. Gallardo had plenty of early run sup- 7 (Owings 2, R.Hernandez 2, Hairston Jr. 2, B.Phillips); and Brian Wilson finished for 2, Thurston); San Francisco 2 (Winn, Burriss). DP: St.
Phillips still insisted that Cincinnati It wasn’t quite the gem Gallardo (5-2) port when the Brewers touched Reds Milwaukee 4 (Hart 2, Gallardo, Counsell). GIDP: Kendall. his 12th save in 15 chances. Louis 3 (Barden, Thurston, Pujols), (Thurston, Pujols),
DP: Cincinnati 1 (Hairston Jr., B.Phillips, R.Hernandez). (Br.Ryan, Pujols).
was the superior team. threw on Monday against St. Louis starter Micah Ownings (3-4) for two “Today, they saved us,” man-
“I feel like we’re a better team than the when the right-hander had a no-hitter runs in the first, one in the second and Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA ager Bruce Bochy said of his St. Louis IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Owings L, 3-6 5 2⁄3 8 5 5 3 5 103 5.10 Wainwright L, 5-3 7 10 4 4 2 3 101 3.38
Brewers,” he said. “But today, they exe- going into the sixth and finished allow- two more in the third. Masset 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 18 1.06 relievers. “We played good D.Reyes 0 2 1 1 0 0 7 3.86
cuted better than we did. They did the ing two hits in eight shutout innings, but “We got on the board early with Yo on Weathers 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 2.55 baseball this homestand com- C.Perez 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 2.30
Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
little things. We didn’t do the little he was good enough against Cincinnati. the mound, so that made it much easier Gallardo W, 5-2 5 1⁄3 7 2 1 2 9 97 3.18 ing off a tough trip. It’s big for J.Sanchez 4 1⁄3 6 3 3 3 2 83 4.75
things the last two games. That’s why “After the first couple of innings, I to really focus on getting the victory Stetter H, 9 1 0 0 0 0 1 16 3.94 this ballclub to bounce back.” Medders 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 2 3 31 2.78
DiFelice H, 6 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 21 1.16 M.Valdez W, 2-0 1 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 27 2.76
they won the game.” think my command wasn’t where it was instead of trying to figure out how to Hoffman S, 13-13 1 0 0 0 1 3 23 0.00 Pujols doubled, singled twice Affeldt H, 11 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 6 1.96
However, he added that Milwaukee did last time,” he said. “You just got to fight score some runs,” Cameron said. and scored a run after hitting B.Wilson S, 12-15 1 1 0 0 0 1 13 4.07
Inherited runners-scored: Masset 1-0, Stetter 2-0, D.Reyes pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Inherited
everything right, and the Reds didn’t. yourself. You’ve got to battle through In the first, J.J. Hardy walked, took DiFelice 1-0. HBP: by Gallardo (B.Phillips). WP: Gallardo, two home runs in Saturday runners-scored: C.Perez 2-1, Medders 2-0, Affeldt
“Good teams do little things to win,” it.” third on Ryan Braun’s hit-and-run sin- Hoffman. Umpires: Home, Jim Wolf; First, Brian O’Nora; night’s 6-2 victory and was 2-0. IBB: off Medders (Y.Molina), off J.Sanchez (Pujols).
Second, Fieldin Culbreth; Third, Gary Cederstrom. T: 3:03. HBP: by J.Sanchez (Thurston). WP: J.Sanchez. PB:
he said. “We got to do small things. Get He did just that as he lasted 5 1/3 gle and scored on Cameron’s single. A: 44,594 (41,900). 7-for-11 in the series. Whiteside. Umpires: Home, Mike Reilly; First, Chuck
them over, get them in and they innings, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch — The Associated Press — The Associated Press Meriwether; Second, Laz Diaz; Third, Eric Cooper. T: 2:52.
A: 41,440 (41,915).
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 18
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Atlanta 9, Arizona 3 Braves 9, Diamondbacks 3 San Diego 5, Colorado 2
Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Rookie gets good advice at right time K.Johnson 2b

Escobar ss
C.Jones 3b

McCann c
6 3 3 0
5 2 3 2
4 2 3 4
c-Di.Hernandezph-3b 1 0 0 0
1 1 0 0
0 1 .256
0 1 .299
0 1 .316
0 1 .167
4 0 .318
Gonzalez rips homer No. 20
PHOENIX—After watching Atlanta G.Anderson lf 5 1 2 3 0 1 .266 DENVER—Adrian Gonzalez may Padres 5, Rockies 2
Kotchman 1b 2 0 0 0 0 0 .277
starter Kris Medlen walk the first batter 1-Prado pr-1b 1 0 1 0 1 0 .247 be on a torrid home run pace, San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
M.Diaz rf 5 0 2 0 0 0 .284 Gwynn rf-cf 4 1 2 0 1 1 .320
he faced, Chipper Jones decided to offer but even he isn’t that impressed Eckstein 2b 5 1 1 0 0 1 .246
Schafer cf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .204
the rookie some friendly advice. Medlen p 3 0 0 0 0 2 .000 with his totals. Hairston cf 4 2 2 1 1 0 .326
b-Norton ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .129 Mujica p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
“He told me I had to get ahead of hit- “I’ll see where the numbers Bell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
ters and it clicked,” Medlen said. “I have Acosta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- are at the end of the year because Ad.Gonzalez 1b 4 1 2 3 1 1 .287
d-Kawakami ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .176 Kouzmanoff 3b 5 0 2 1 0 1 .228
to go throw strikes.” May means nothing,” he said. Headley lf 4 0 0 0 1 3 .236
Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Medlen retired 14 of the next 15 bat- Totals 40 9 15 9 5 10 Gonzalez hit his major-league H.Blanco c 3 0 0 0 2 0 .172
Jo.Wilson ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 .209
ters he faced en route to his first career leading 20th home run, Chad Gaudin p 3 0 1 0 0 0 .077
Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
victory, 9-3 over the Arizona Diamond- F.Lopez 2b 2 0 0 0 1 1 .314 Gaudin struck out a season-high G.Burke p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Zavada p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- c-Giles ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .192
backs on Sunday. nine and San Diego beat Colo- Totals 37 5 12 5 6 7
Montero c 2 1 1 0 0 0 .225
“I got the sense his first couple starts Ojeda 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .260 rado 5-2 on Sunday.
G.Parra rf 4 0 2 1 0 1 .319 Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
that he was pitching away from contact,” Brad Hawpe and Yorvit Tor- Fowler cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .258
Reynolds 1b 4 0 2 1 0 2 .268
Jones said. “He’s got to get ahead in the S.Drew ss 4 1 1 0 0 2 .211 realba had two hits each for Col- Barmes 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .255
Byrnes lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .214 Helton 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .314
count and use his entire repertoire to be orado, which lost for the first Atkins 3b 4 1 1 0 0 2 .194
C.Young cf 4 0 1 1 0 2 .178
effective.” Snyder c 3 1 1 0 0 0 .240 time under interim manager Jim Hawpe rf 4 1 2 0 0 1 .348
Medlen allowed one run on four hits Schlereth p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Tracy, who replaced the fired Stewart lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .182
Rauch p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Tulowitzki ss 3 0 1 1 0 1 .226
over six innings and struck out eight. e-Whitesell ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .107 Clint Hurdle on Friday. Torrealba c 4 0 2 1 0 2 .241
“That got him going, getting out of the Scherzer p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .278 Gonzalez’s 20 home runs by De La Rosa p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .063
Vasquez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- a-S.Smith ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .256
first inning like that,” said Braves man- a-R.Roberts ph-2b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .367 June 1 are the most in franchise Grilli p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
ager Bobby Cox. “He threw nothing but Totals 36 3 10 3 1 11 history. The previous record b-Murton ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .263
Jo.Peralta p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
strikes after that. He hit his target real Atlanta 202 410 000 — 9 15 0 was 17 by Greg Vaughn in 1998 Totals 33 2 8 2 0 10
well and changed speeds really well.” PAUL CONNORS / AP Arizona 000 001 110 — 3 10 0 and Nate Colbert in 1970. San Diego 003 010 100 — 5 12 1
Jones also helped the rookie at the Atlanta’s Chipper Jones provided leadership with his bat and his early-game pep talk. a-flied out for Vasquez in the 6th. b-doubled for Medlen “What he does at the plate is Colorado 000 000 200 — 2 8 0
plate, homering and driving in four runs in the 7th. c-struck out for C.Jones in the 8th. d-struck out very impressive. It doesn’t sur-
for Acosta in the 9th. e-grounded out for Rauch in the 9th. a-struck out for De La Rosa in the 5th. b-lined out for
in spite of the painful bunions on his to the left-field wall on the first pitch he Scherzer surrendered a career-high 1-ran for Kotchman in the 4th. LOB: Atlanta 10, Arizona 7. prise me,” San Diego manager Grilli in the 7th. c-grounded out for G.Burke in the
right foot. 2B: K.Johnson 3 (12), Escobar 3 (13), Norton (2), G.Parra 8th. E: Hairston (1). LOB: San Diego 11, Colorado 6.
saw for a 1-0 lead. Jones followed with a eight runs on 10 hits in a career-worst 3 Bud Black said. “I’ve seen it too 2B: Eckstein (11), Kouzmanoff (8), Jo.Wilson (3). HR:
(3), Snyder (6). HR: C.Jones (5), off Scherzer; G.Anderson
Asked how he’s feeling, Jones said, “A single to center, scoring Escobar to make 2-3 innings, with three walks, four (1), off Scherzer. RBIs: Escobar 2 (26), C.Jones 4 (21), often.” Ad.Gonzalez (20), off De La Rosa; Hairston (7), off Grilli.
lot like I do every do now every day. I G.Anderson 3 (15), G.Parra (16), Reynolds (30), C.Young RBIs: Hairston (22), Ad.Gonzalez 3 (40), Kouzmanoff
it 2-0. strikeouts and a hit batter. Scott Hairston also homered (20), Tulowitzki (16), Torrealba (7). SB: Hairston (6). CS:
(12). CS: F.Lopez (2). Runners left in scoring position:
can go out there and hit left-handed. “They set the table and we tried to “They had a really good approach and Atlanta 7 (Kotchman, K.Johnson, Schafer 2, McCann, Esco- and Heath Bell recorded his 15th Ad.Gonzalez (1), Tulowitzki (4). SF: Tulowitzki. Runners
bar, M.Diaz); Arizona 3 (Reynolds 2, Byrnes). DP: Atlanta 1 left in scoring position: San Diego 4 (Gaudin, Eckstein
Right-handed is more of a problem. I clear it,” Jones said. came out swinging,” Scherzer said. save in 16 chances for the Padres, 2, Jo.Wilson); Colorado 2 (Torrealba, Fowler). DP: San
(McCann, McCann, Escobar); Arizona 2 (Reynolds, S.Drew,
was able to get some good wood on some Escobar doubled again leading off the “They hit my mistakes. I just didn’t have Scherzer), (S.Drew, F.Lopez, Reynolds). who salvaged the final game of Diego 2 (H.Blanco, H.Blanco, Kouzmanoff), (Jo.Wilson,
Eckstein, Ad.Gonzalez).
balls today.” third, and Jones homered into the left- it today. Some days you just don’t have it the three-game series.
Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Garrett Anderson hit his first Atlanta field stands to extend Atlanta’s lead to 4-0 and the big thing for me is to come back Medlen W, 1-2 6 4 1 1 1 9 91 6.28 Gonzalez and Hairston backed San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Bennett 1 2 1 1 0 0 12 2.70 Gaudin W, 2-3 6 1⁄3 7 2 1 0 9 92 4.76
home run, and Kelly Johnson and Yunel in the fourth. Jones added an RBI single the next time.” up a strong pitching perfor- G.Burke H, 4 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 5 1.35
Acosta 1 3 1 1 0 1 23 1.93
Escobar each had three doubles for the in the fourth, and Anderson hit a three- Arizona ended Medlen’s shutout bid in Moylan 1 1 0 0 0 1 9 5.09 mance from their starter. Gau- Mujica H, 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 18 2.49
Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Bell S, 15-16 1 0 0 0 0 1 15 1.27
Braves, who won for the second time on run homer to put the Braves ahead 8-0. the sixth when Chris Snyder doubled din (2-3) ran into trouble in the Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Scherzer L, 2-4 3 2⁄3 10 8 8 3 4 86 4.47
their seven-game road trip. “We were looking at an uphill battle down the left-field line and scored on Vasquez 2 1⁄3 3 1 1 1 3 31 6.11 fifth. He allowed consecutive De La Rosa L, 0-6 5 6 4 4 3 5 84 5.43
Zavada 1 1 0 0 0 1 15 0.00 Grilli 2 5 1 1 2 1 45 5.89
The Braves wasted little time against from the get-go,” said Diamondbacks Geradro Parra’s double into the left-field one-out singles to Troy Tulowit- Jo.Peralta 2 1 0 0 1 1 24 3.18
Schlereth 1 1 0 0 1 1 24 0.00
Diamondbacks starter Max Scherzer manager A.J. Hinch “They didn’t miss corner. Chris Young added an RBI single Rauch 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 5.96 zki and Torrealba, but pinch-
Inherited runners-scored: G.Burke 2-0. HBP: by
(2-4), scoring two runs on the game’s any mistakes.” in the seventh off Jeff Bennett and Mark hitter Seth Smith looked at strike Gaudin (Stewart). Umpires: Home, Chris Guccione;
Inherited runners-scored: Vasquez 1-0. HBP: by
first seven pitches. Anderson’s home run was his first Reynolds had a run-scoring single to right Scherzer (Kotchman). PB: Snyder. Umpires: Home, Angel three and Tulowitzki was caught First, Todd Tichenor; Second, Jerry Layne; Third, Tony
Campos; First, Phil Cuzzi; Second, Tom Hallion; Third, Jerry Randazzo. T: 2:49. A: 30,223 (50,449).
Johnson doubled down the left-field since Sept. 20 against Texas as a mem- against Manny Acosta in the eighth. stealing to end the inning.
Crawford. T: 2:56. A: 30,020 (48,652).
line on the second and Escobar doubled ber of the Los Angeles Angels. — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 19
AMERICAN LEAGUE NATIONAL LEAGUE
Cleveland 5, N.Y. Yankees 4 Houston 2, Pittsburgh 1

Peralta’s three hits include game-winner in ninth Hampton mystifies Pirates again
CLEVELAND—Jhonny Peralta took an Indians 5, Yankees 4 PITTSBURGH—If only Mike Astros 2, Pirates 1
easy approach and lined a hard game- New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Hampton could face the Pitts- Houston AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Jeter ss 4 1 2 0 0 0 .306 Maysonet 2b 4 0 2 0 0 1 .450
winning hit. Damon lf 4 2 2 0 0 0 .301 burgh Pirates in every start, he Tejada ss 4 0 2 1 0 0 .350
Cleveland’s third baseman drove in Teixeira 1b 4 1 2 4 0 0 .281 might regain the form that Pence rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .341
A.Rodriguez 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .260 Ca.Lee lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .308
three runs with three hits, including a Cano 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .314 allowed him to be one of the Sampson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
one-out RBI single in the ninth inning H.Matsui dh 3 0 1 0 1 1 .263 National League’s best pitchers Hawkins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
1-R.Pena pr-dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 .246 Berkman 1b 3 1 0 0 1 1 .230
as the Indians defeated the New York Swisher rf 3 0 1 0 0 2 .229 a decade ago. Michaels cf-lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .179
Yankees 5-4 Sunday. Gardner cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .270 Hampton continued his mas- Keppinger 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .293
Cervelli c 2 0 0 0 0 0 .286 Quintero c 4 0 2 1 0 0 .258
“The only thing I thought is we really a-Posada ph-c 2 0 0 0 0 1 .310 tery over Pittsburgh, allowing Hampton p 3 1 1 0 0 1 .368
need a hit to win, so don’t try too hard,” Totals 34 4 10 4 1 4 only one run in seven innings Bourn cf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .287
Totals 34 2 8 2 2 5
Peralta said. “I figured they would pitch Cleveland AB R H BI BB SO Avg. in Houston’s 2-1 win on
inside. That’s where it was, so I just A.Cabrera ss 4 2 2 0 0 1 .318 Sunday. Pittsburgh AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
B.Francisco lf 3 1 2 0 2 1 .275 McLouth cf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .256
swung.” Jh.Peralta 3b 4 0 3 3 0 0 .269 He became only the second An.LaRoche 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .299
Peralta pulled the 3-1 offering from Choo rf 2 0 0 1 0 0 .296 pitcher to win eight in a row F.Sanchez 2b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .333
DeRosa dh 2 0 0 1 1 1 .266 1-Morgan pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .275
David Robertson past diving third base- Garko 1b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .256 against the Pirates since 1954, Monroe lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .235
man Alex Rodriguez on the backhand Shoppach c 4 0 0 0 0 4 .211 improving to 12-3 lifetime b-Delw.Young ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .286
Valbuena 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .188 Ad.LaRoche 1b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .231
side to score Trevor Crowe from second Crowe cf 3 2 1 0 1 0 .184 against Pittsburgh. Only the R.Diaz c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .311
base. Totals 29 5 9 5 4 9 Braves’ Tom Glavine has had a Moss rf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .262
Ja.Wilson ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 .246
Mark Teixeira extended his season- New York 000 002 020 — 4 10 0 streak that long against the Maholm p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .095
high hitting streak to 13 games and had Cleveland 003 010 001 — 5 9 1 Pirates in the past 55 years. J.Chavez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
a-Hinske ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .278
four RBIs for New York. He hit a two- One out when winning run scored. a-struck out for “I’ve played for so many Meek p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
run homer, his 16th, in the sixth off for- TONY DEJAK / AP Cervelli in the 8th. 1-ran for H.Matsui in the 9th. E: teams and faced so many dif- S.Burnett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A.Cabrera (3). LOB: New York 5, Cleveland 9. 2B: Jeter Totals 30 1 4 1 1 6
mer Yankees right-hander Carl Pavano. Indians 3B Jhonny Peralta knocked in the game-winning run with this single in the ninth inning. (12), Damon (12), Teixeira (12), A.Cabrera (13), Crowe ferent lineups,” Hampton said.
His two-run double off Matt Herges in (2). HR: Teixeira (16), off Pavano. RBIs: Teixeira 4 (44), “It’d been so long since I faced Houston 010 000 100 — 2 8 0
Jh.Peralta 3 (21), Choo (31), DeRosa (33). SB: B.Francisco Pittsburgh 100 000 000 — 1 4 1
the eighth tied it at 4. half and walked Crowe, who was bunted move the runner and stay out of the (9). CS: Cano (2), Valbuena (1). S: Swisher, A.Cabrera, them (prior to his previous
“He’s been hot his whole career, not to second by Asdrubal Cabrera. Robert- double play.” Garko. SF: Choo, DeRosa. Runners left in scoring posi- start against Pittsburgh in a-grounded out for J.Chavez in the 8th. b-struck out
tion: New York 3 (A.Rodriguez, Cano, Posada); Cleveland for Monroe in the 9th. 1-ran for F.Sanchez in the 9th.
just now,” Pavano said of Teixeira, who son replaced Coke and walked Ben Pavano pitched well for 7 1/3 innings, 4 (Garko 2, Choo, Valbuena). DP: Cleveland 2 (A.Cabrera, April) and the lineup turned E: An.LaRoche (6). LOB: Houston 7, Pittsburgh 3. 2B:
is hitting .400 with 20 RBIs during his Francisco before yielding Peralta’s hit. leaving with a 4-2 lead as he sought his Garko), (Valbuena, A.Cabrera, Garko). over and there’s a lot of new Tejada (20). HR: McLouth (9), off Hampton. RBIs:
Tejada (29), Quintero (4), McLouth (32). Runners left
streak. “The walks hurt us,” Girardi said. sixth win in seven starts in May. New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA guys. I don’t think there’s any- in scoring position: Houston 5 (Ca.Lee, Hampton,
New York played its 17th straight “That’s the bottom line. Walks aren’t “They are a tough team,” Pavano said. Hughes 5 5 4 4 1 6 95 5.45 thing to it other than I was for- Berkman 2, Pence). DP: Houston 1 (Keppinger, May-
Wang 3 3 0 0 1 3 42 16.07 sonet, Berkman); Pittsburgh 2 (Ja.Wilson, F.Sanchez,
errorless game, tying the major league something you can’t afford in that “We played great, let it slip away, but Coke L, 1-3 1⁄3 0 1 1 1 0 11 4.79 tunate enough today to make Ad.LaRoche), (Ja.Wilson, F.Sanchez, Ad.LaRoche).
record set by Boston in June 2006, but situation. came back. We got a win, so I’m happy.” D.Robertson 0 1 0 0 1 0 10 2.45 quality pitches and the defense
Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
lost for only the fourth time in 18 “They got the hit. We didn’t.” The right-hander signed a four-year, Pavano 7 1⁄3 7 3 3 0 4 89 5.29 played great behind me.” Hampton W, 3-4 7 3 1 1 1 3 90 5.07
games. After Cabrera twice bunted foul, man- $40 million contract with New York in R.Perez 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 14.66 Miguel Tejada and Humberto Sampson H, 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 2.10
R.Betancourt 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3.71 Hawkins S, 6-8 1 1 0 0 0 2 13 2.61
Kerry Wood (2-2) got Jorge Posada to ager Eric Wedge gave him the green 2005, but spent much of his time on the Herges BS, 1-1 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 13 1.13 Quintero each went 2-for-4 Pittsburgh IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
bounce into an inning-ending double light to swing away. disabled list. In only 26 starts, he was K.Wood W, 2-2 1 1 0 0 1 0 17 6.00 with an RBI for the Astros, who Maholm L, 3-2 7 8 2 1 2 4 108 3.82
J.Chavez 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 2.86
play with runners on first and third in “I saw Wedge take off the bunt sign 9-8 with a 5.00 ERA. R.Perez pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. D.Robertson took two of three from Pitts- Meek 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 10 2.60
the top of the ninth. and saw what Asdrubal was doing and He got off to a rocky start in Cleveland pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. Inherited runners- burgh after entering the series S.Burnett 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 6 3.27
scored: D.Robertson 1-1, R.Perez 1-0, R.Betancourt
Yankees manager Joe Girardi gave thought, ‘Good luck to you,’ ” Peralta after signing a one-year, free-agent con- 2-0, Herges 2-2. HBP: by Hughes (Jh.Peralta, Choo). on a seven-game losing streak. WP: Maholm. PB: R.Diaz. Umpires: Home, John
Brett Gardner at first base the steal sign said. tract in January. He was 0-3 with a 9.50 Umpires: Home, Jeff Nelson; First, Mark Carlson; Sec- Nate McLouth homered for Hirschbeck; First, Wally Bell; Second, Marty Foster; Third,
ond, Tim Tschida; Third, Bob Davidson. T: 3:21. A: 29,405 Marvin Hudson. T: 2:26. A: 19,566 (38,362).
with Posada up, but the rookie didn’t Cabrera said he wasn’t worried about ERA in four April starts before becom- (45,199). the Pirates, who have lost four
go. bunting foul for a third strike. ing one of the Indians’ few bright spots of five. Tejada extended his hit-
“It has been addressed,” Girardi said. “I feel comfortable bunting, that’s my in May. ting streak to 14 games.”
Phil Coke (1-3) came on in the bottom game,” the shortstop said. “I wanted to — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 20
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Boston 8, Toronto 2 Minnesota 3, Tampa Bay 2

Lester, new-look offense work for Red Sox Twins pick up rare road win
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Brendan Twins 3, Rays 2
TORONTO—A new-look lineup gave the Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 2 Harris homered, Nick Black- Minnesota AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Boston Red Sox offense a much-needed Boston AB R H BI BB SO Avg. burn pitched well, Denard Span Span lf-rf 4 1 1 0 1 0 .299
Pedroia 2b 4 1 1 3 0 0 .326 A.Casilla 2b 5 0 0 0 0 1 .161
spark. The way Jon Lester pitched, it was J.Drew rf 4 0 1 1 0 2 .248 made a highlight-reel defensive Morneau 1b 4 0 1 1 0 2 .342
more than enough. Youkilis 1b 4 3 2 2 1 1 .366 play, and reliever Jose Mijares Kubel dh 3 0 0 0 1 2 .317
Bay lf 3 1 2 1 2 1 .288 Cuddyer rf 1 0 0 0 0 1 .276
Kevin Youkilis homered twice, Dustin Lowell 3b 5 0 2 1 0 3 .308 made a difficult catch before Delm.Young lf 3 0 1 0 0 2 .239
Pedroia hit a three-run shot and Lester D.Ortiz dh 5 1 1 0 0 1 .185 falling face-first on the mound. B.Harris ss 4 1 1 1 0 0 .274
Varitek c 2 1 0 0 3 0 .239 Buscher 3b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .188
struck out a career-high 12 as the Red Sox Ellsbury cf 3 0 1 0 1 0 .299 The Minnesota Twins needed Redmond c 4 0 2 0 0 0 .267
beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 on Sunday. N.Green ss 4 1 1 0 1 1 .298 all of that—and more—to get a Gomez cf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .220
Totals 34 8 11 8 8 9 Totals 36 3 8 3 2 10
“It started with Lester,” Red Sox man- rare road victory Sunday, with
ager Terry Francona said. “He was Toronto AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Justin Morneau and Carlos Tampa Bay AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Scutaro ss 4 1 2 0 0 1 .305 Zobrist 2b-ss 4 0 1 0 1 1 .304
powerful.” Jo.McDonald ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 .211 Gomez also prividing timely Crawford lf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .324
Lester (4-5) allowed one run, three hits A.Hill 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .333 hitting to beat the Tampa Bay Longoria dh 3 0 0 0 1 0 .327
Rios rf 3 1 1 1 1 1 .276 C.Pena 1b 4 1 1 1 0 0 .231
and three walks in six innings, lowering V.Wells cf 3 0 0 1 0 0 .266 Rays 3-2 on Sunday. W.Aybar 3b-2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .263
his ERA to 5.65. His 12 strikeouts were Inglett cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 “A much-needed win for our Joyce cf 3 1 2 1 0 0 .231
Lind dh 4 0 1 0 0 3 .288 b-B.Upton ph-cf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .204
the most by a Red Sox pitcher this season Rolen 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .303 baseball team,” manager Ron Gross rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .247
and the most by a Boston left-hander since Millar 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .267 Gardenhire said after the Twins c-Kapler ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .178
Barajas c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .285 Navarro c 4 0 1 0 0 1 .212
Bruce Hurst struck out 14 against Oak- Bautista lf 2 0 0 0 2 2 .269 avoided a weekend sweep and Brignac ss 2 0 2 0 0 0 .250
land on May 5, 1987. Totals 31 2 5 2 5 13 improved to just 6-16 away from a-Dillon ph-3b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .200
Totals 34 2 8 2 3 6
“He could have beat anybody with the Boston 100 310 030 — 8 11 0 the Metrodome. “A few good
stuff he had today,” Blue Jays manager Toronto 100 000 010 — 2 5 0 things happened there.” Minnesota 010 001 100 — 3 8 0
Tampa Bay 000 110 000 — 2 8 1
Cito Gaston said. LOB: Boston 10, Toronto 8. 2B: Bay (13), Lowell 2 (17), Blackburn (5-2) pitched six
Lester, who threw 115 pitches, said his D.Ortiz (13), N.Green (10). HR: Youkilis (8), off Romero; strong innings, allowing two a-struck out for Brignac in the 7th. b-singled for Joyce in
Pedroia (2), off Romero; Youkilis (9), off Wolfe; Bay (15), the 8th. c-grounded out for Gross in the 8th. E: Zobrist
only regret was not being able to go deeper off Wolfe; Rios (6), off Masterson. RBIs: Pedroia 3 (20), runs and seven hits, and the (1). LOB: Minnesota 8, Tampa Bay 8. 2B: Brignac (2).
in the game. J.Drew (23), Youkilis 2 (31), Bay (49), Lowell (35), Rios Twins scored all their runs off HR: B.Harris (3), off Garza; C.Pena (17), off Blackburn;
(25), V.Wells (25). SB: Scutaro (5), Rios (4). CS: N.Green Joyce (2), off Blackburn. RBIs: Morneau (47), B.Harris
“I had a pretty good feel for my curve- (3). S: Pedroia, Ellsbury. SF: J.Drew, V.Wells. Runners Matt Garza (4-4) to beat their (10), Gomez (3), C.Pena (41), Joyce (2). Runners left
ball today and threw a lot of change-ups,” left in scoring position: Boston 5 (Lowell 2, N.Green former teammate and end a in scoring position: Minnesota 5 (Redmond, Delm.
2, Ellsbury); Toronto 2 (Lind, Bautista). Young, A.Casilla 3); Tampa Bay 3 (Longoria 2, Kapler).
Lester said. “That’s big with this team. three-game losing streak.
You’ve just got to keep a good mix and you Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Span, who began the game in Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Lester W, 4-5 6 3 1 1 3 12 115 5.65 Blackburn W, 5-2 6 7 2 2 1 1 98 3.50
can’t let them look for one area or sit on a Masterson 2 2 1 1 1 1 39 4.25 left field, climbed the wall in Henn H, 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 7 3.60
fastball. When I did get behind, I was able R.Ramirez 1 0 0 0 1 0 15 1.38 right to rob Tampa Bay’s Gabe Guerrier H, 8 2⁄3 0 0 0 2 2 24 3.60
Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Mijares H, 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 16 2.16
to have enough soft stuff in the mix where Romero L, 2-2 4 6 5 5 5 5 91 4.15 Gross of an extra-base hit with Nathan S, 9-11 1 0 0 0 0 2 11 2.33
they couldn’t just gear up for a fastball.” DARREN CALABRESE / AP Richmond 2 1 0 0 1 1 27 3.50 the Rays threatening to break Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Camp 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 17 5.29 Garza L, 4-4 7 7 3 3 1 6104 3.67
Justin Masterson pitched two innings Boston P Jon Lester had the Blue Jays’ bats in a tailspin all day as he registered a career-high 12 strikeouts. B.J.Ryan 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 10 8.74 the game open after taking a J.Nelson 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 9 6.23
and Ramon Ramirez finished it off in the Wolfe 2 3 3 3 1 2 33 7.56 2-0 lead in the fifth. Isringhausen 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 21 3.18
Howell 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 2 12 2.45
ninth. Pedroia was bumped up and outfielder one hit, helping the Red Sox score more Romero pitched to 2 batters in the 5th. Inherited Mijares helped the Twins
Jason Bay also homered for the Red Sox, Jacoby Ellsbury dropped to eighth as than three runs for just the second time in runners-scored: Richmond 2-1, B.J.Ryan 1-0. IBB: through a jam in the eighth by Guerrier pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited
off B.J.Ryan (Varitek), off Richmond (Ellsbury). WP: runners-scored: Mijares 1-0, Howell 2-0. Umpires:
who tweaked their lineup to shake them- Francona tried to boost the offense after seven games and improve to 3-4 on their Lester, Romero. Umpires: Home, Andy Fletcher; First, keeping track of Carlos Pena’s Home, James Hoye; First, Mike DiMuro; Second, Dale
selves out of a recent offensive slump. watching his team score just 13 runs in its current 10-game trip. Scott Barry; Second, Ted Barrett; Third, Tim McClelland. pop fly that deflected off one of Scott; Third, Jerry Meals. T: 3:09. A: 26,579 (36,973).
T: 3:08. A: 30,496 (49,539).
Nine of Boston’s 11 hits were for extra- previous five games. “We scored early and then we added the catwalks supporting the
bases. “We need to have our on base guys (up on,” Francona said. “That’s always a good roof at Tropicana Field before
Batting leadoff for the first time this high) for the guys in the middle of the way to play. We haven’t done that very the portly six-foot, 231-pound
season, Pedroia homered off the left-field order,” Francona said. “It’s important.” much lately but it was a very good day pitcher caught the ball and
foul screen in the fourth inning, his The moves paid off as every Boston today.” wound up on his stomach.
second. starter except Jason Varitek had at least — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 21
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago White Sox 7, Kansas City 4 Detroit 3, Baltimore 0

‘Zack’s human:’ Greinke can’t hold lead for KC Jackson shows his new stuff
KANSAS CITY—With a 4-1 lead and Zack White Sox 7, Royals 4 BALTIMORE—Aubrey Huff Tigers 3, Orioles 0
Greinke on the mound, the Kansas City Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg. remembers Edwin Jackson in Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Podsednik lf 5 2 3 1 0 0 .297 Thomas rf 5 0 1 1 0 0 .282
Royals felt relaxed and confident. Al.Ramirez ss 5 0 0 0 0 0 .253 2006 when both played for Santiago 2b 5 0 0 0 0 0 .308
Next time, they’ll know better. Dye rf 4 0 1 1 0 2 .277 Tampa Bay. Ordonez dh 3 1 0 0 1 0 .280
Thome dh 4 1 2 1 0 1 .256 Granderson cf 4 1 1 1 0 0 .258
Chris Getz completed a Chicago come- Konerko 1b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .309 After Jackson pitched eight Larish 1b 3 0 2 1 1 1 .250
back with a tiebreaking two-run single Pierzynski c 4 2 3 0 0 0 .299 innings of two-hit ball to lead Inge 3b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .269
Wise cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .192 J.Anderson lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .277
off Juan Cruz in the ninth inning Sun- a-Bri.Andersonph-cf 0 1 0 0 1 0 .275 the Detroit Tigers over the Bal- Laird c 3 0 0 0 1 1 .225
day, and the White Sox rallied for a 7-4 Fields 3b 3 0 1 2 1 2 .244 timore Orioles 3-0 Sunday, Everett ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 .284
Getz 2b 4 1 1 2 0 1 .248 Totals 33 3 6 3 4 3
victory and their first three-game sweep J.Nix 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .205 Huff determined the right-
in Kansas City since 2005. Totals 36 7 11 7 2 9 hander bears very little resem- Baltimore AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
B.Roberts 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .300
“As soon as you start thinking you’ve Kansas City AB R H BI BB SO Avg. blance to his teammate of two Ad.Jones cf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .344
got the game in hand, things change,” Bloomquist 2b 4 0 0 0 1 1 .284 years ago. Markakis rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .298
Maier cf 5 0 1 1 0 2 .280 A.Huff 1b 3 0 0 0 0 2 .268
said Royals center fielder Willie Butler 1b 5 0 2 0 0 1 .291 “He wasn’t even close to that. Wigginton 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 .226
Bloomquist. “Zack’s human. He’s not Jacobs dh 4 1 1 0 1 1 .248 He definitely has developed Scott lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .325
J.Guillen rf 5 0 1 0 0 1 .269 Wieters dh 3 0 0 0 0 1 .182
going to throw a shutout every time. Teahen 3b 4 1 1 0 0 2 .285 probably some of the nastiest Zaun c 3 0 0 0 0 1 .203
We’ve got to continue to get him runs Olivo c 4 1 2 1 0 1 .239 stuff in the big leagues this Andino ss 1 0 0 0 1 0 .256
DeJesus lf 3 1 1 2 1 0 .236 a-C.Izturis ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .261
and keep piling on when we get a lead.” Lu.Hernandez ss 3 0 1 0 0 1 .217 year,” said Huff, who went Totals 28 0 2 0 2 8
Greinke, going for his major league- Totals 37 4 10 4 3 10 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.
Detroit 000 100 011 — 3 6 0
leading ninth win, went seven innings Chicago 100 210 003 — 7 11 1 “When he was in Tampa, he Baltimore 000 000 000 — 0 2 0
and gave up eight hits in what would be Kansas City 031 000 000 — 4 10 0 wasn’t going over 94 (mph).
a-struck out for Andino in the 9th. LOB: Detroit 8,
a decent outing for most major league a-walked for Wise in the 9th. E: Danks (1). LOB: Chicago Now he has got 98 with a hard Baltimore 3. 2B: Thomas (5), Larish (2), Wigginton (8).
pitchers but was easily his worst. 4, Kansas City 10. 2B: Podsednik (4), Pierzynski (6), slider and a changeup. I don’t HR: Granderson (13), off Berken. RBIs: Thomas (13),
Maier (3), Butler (15), Jacobs (9), DeJesus (9). 3B: Pod- Granderson (30), Larish (7). CS: Andino (1). Runners
“When you’re down 3-1 with Greinke ED ZURGA / AP sednik (2). RBIs: Podsednik (8), Dye (34), Thome (29), know where that came from.” left in scoring position: Detroit 4 (Santiago 2, Laird,
pitching, most teams would say, ‘We’ve Brian Anderson, right, scored one of Chicago’s three ninth-inning runs. Fields 2 (20), Getz 2 (10), Maier (6), Olivo (15), DeJesus 2 Jackson (5-3) permitted only Inge); Baltimore 2 (Zaun, Markakis).
(20). S: Lu.Hernandez. Runners left in scoring posi-
already won the series, let’s pack it in tion: Chicago 1 (Al.Ramirez); Kansas City 7 (J.Guillen three baserunners and faced Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
and go to Chicago,’” said manager Ozzie Greinke. “He’s hit everything. You get a great pitcher and to score four runs on 2, Butler, Jacobs, Maier, DeJesus 2). GIDP: Thome. DP: only two batters over the mini- E.Jackson W, 5-3 8 2 0 0 1 7 101 2.30
Kansas City 1 (Bloomquist, Lu.Hernandez, Butler). Rodney S, 10-10 1 0 0 0 1 1 17 3.00
Guillen. “But we didn’t. We battled. two strikes and he fights off good pitches. him is huge for us.” mum. Nick Markakis hit a Baltimore IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
That’s what we’ve been doing lately.” I used to think he was just a bloop hit Chicago starter John Danks had Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA fourth-inning single; Robert Berken L, 1-1 7 4 1 1 2 2 102 2.25
Danks 5 1⁄3 9 4 4 2 5 100 4.80 Baez 1 1 1 1 1 1 22 3.77
Scott Podsednik singled, double and guy. He’s a little better than that.” allowed only one earned run in 16 con- Dotel 1 1 0 0 1 3 22 1.04 Andino walked in the sixth and Hendrickson 1 1 1 1 1 0 12 5.66
tripled and scored two runs and A.J. Bale came in with one out in the ninth secutive innings in Kansas City until Thornton W, 2-1 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 19 1.80 was caught stealing; and Ty
Jenks S, 12-13 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 3.00 HBP: by Berken (Inge). Umpires: Home, Sam Holbrook;
Pierzynski was 2-for-3 against Greinke, and gave up Pierzynski’s single just Mark Teahen and Olivo singled and Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Wigginton hit a leadoff double First, Adrian Johnson; Second, Larry Vanover; Third, Dan
whose record stayed at 8-1 while he gave inches fair into left, and walked Brian David DeJesus hit a two-run double in Greinke 7 8 4 3 0 7 114 1.10 in the eighth. Iassogna. T: 2:21. A: 32,233 (48,290).
J.Wright 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 17 3.51
up four runs, three earned, and struck Anderson. After Cruz walked Josh the second. DeJesus scored when short- Bale L, 0-1 0 1 2 2 1 0 9 8.10 Jackson, who struck out
out seven. His ERA crept up from 0.84 Fields, Getz singled into right. He scored stop Alexei Ramirez got turned around J.Cruz 2⁄3 2 1 1 1 0 24 3.97 seven, came within an inning
to 1.10. on Podsednik’s single. and appeared to lose Mitch Maier’s pop Bale pitched to 2 batters in the 9th. Inherited of his second career complete
“Podsednik—if I could get him out, it Matt Thornton (2-1) pitched 1 2/3 RBI double in the sun. Miguel Olivo’s runners-scored: Dotel 1-0, Thornton 2-0, J.Cruz 2-2. game. He was pulled by man-
WP: Thornton, Bale, J.Cruz. PB: Olivo. Umpires: Home,
would be a lot better,” said Greinke, who innings of hitless relief for the win and RBI single put Greinke on top 4-1 in the Paul Nauert; First, Paul Schrieber; Second, Ed Rapuano; ager Jim Leyland after throw-
had trouble with his usually reliable Bobby Jenks worked the ninth for his third. Third, Chad Fairchild. T: 3:13. A: 19,855 (38,177). ing 101 pitches.
slider. 12th save in 13 chances as KC lost for the Josh Fields made it 4-3 with a two-run “A little bit of a tough spot in
“He always does that to me.” 16th time in 21 games. single in the fourth and then Podsednik the eighth inning, he had to
Pierzynski was 3-for-4 for the day and “Anytime you face a pitcher like doubled in the fifth and tied it 4-all when work a little harder,” Leyland
got the ninth inning rally started with a Greinke, you know it’s going to be a Jermaine Dye dropped an RBI single in said. “That’s why I took him
single off John Bale (0-1). really good battle,” said Thornton. “Our front of DeJesus in left. out.”
“I’ve thrown him everything,” said offense did a good job top to bottom. He’s —The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 22
AMERICAN LEAGUE
L.A. Angels 9, Seattle 8 Oakland 5, Texas 4

Angels’ rally complete with three-run ninth Kennedy gets best of Francisco
Angels 9, Mariners 8 ARLINGTON, TEXAS—Adam Ken- Athletics 5, Rangers 4
Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
I.Suzuki rf 5 2 4 1 0 0 .354 nedy knew his long-ball oppor- O.Cabrera ss 4 1 1 0 1 0 .236
Y.Betancourt ss 3 1 1 0 0 0 .256 tunities would be limited Kennedy 2b 5 3 3 2 0 1 .390
Beltre 3b 5 1 2 1 0 0 .232 Cust dh 5 0 1 1 0 1 .252
Griffey Jr. dh 3 1 1 1 1 1 .208 against Texas Rangers closer Holliday lf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .270
Branyan 1b 2 1 1 0 2 0 .323 Frank Francisco. With a fast- Giambi 1b 4 1 1 1 0 2 .220
Jo.Lopez 2b 4 1 3 1 1 0 .230 Crosby 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .204
Quiroz c 4 0 1 2 0 1 .250 ball in the mid-to-high 90s and K.Suzuki c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .285
En.Chavez lf 5 1 2 2 0 0 .289 an effective off-speed pitch, R.Sweeney cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .250
F.Gutierrez cf 5 0 0 0 0 1 .258 Cunningham rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .050
Totals 36 8 15 8 4 3 Francisco hadn’t allowed a run Hannahan 3b 4 0 0 0 0 3 .194
all season. Totals 37 5 10 4 2 9
Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Figgins 3b 4 3 2 0 1 0 .296 Kennedy won the battle, Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Abreu rf 5 1 2 2 0 1 .295 breaking a 4-all tie with a one- Kinsler 2b 5 0 1 0 0 1 .279
Guerrero dh 4 0 2 2 0 1 .246 M.Young 3b 5 1 2 0 0 1 .333
1-Matthews Jr. pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 .269 out homer in the ninth for his An.Jones dh 4 0 1 0 0 3 .282
Tor.Hunter cf 4 1 1 2 1 1 .313 third career multi-homer game, N.Cruz rf 2 1 0 0 2 1 .296
J.Rivera lf 4 0 2 1 1 0 .310 Blalock 1b 4 1 2 1 0 0 .258
Quinlan 1b 2 0 0 0 0 1 .231 and the Oakland Athletics C.Davis 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .194
a-K.Morales ph-1b 3 0 1 1 0 0 .280 ended a four-game skid with a Byrd cf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .304
Napoli c 4 1 1 1 0 1 .274 Dav.Murphy lf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .226
Kendrick 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .225 5-4 victory over the A.L. West- Saltalamacchia c 4 0 1 2 0 1 .255
b-M.Izturis ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 .260 leading Rangers on Sunday. Andrus ss 3 0 0 0 0 2 .283
E.Aybar ss 3 1 0 0 0 1 .279 Kennedy ripped a 1-0 fastball a-Hamilton ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .240
Totals 36 9 11 9 4 6 1-Vizquel pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
off Francisco (1-1) into the right Totals 35 4 10 4 3 10
Seattle 213 002 000 — 8 15 0 field seats, ending a streak of
Los Angeles 000 014 103 — 9 11 0 Oakland 100 001 201 — 5 10 0
28 appearances without having Texas 000 000 220 — 4 10 2
Two outs when winning run scored. a-popped out for yielded an earned run. Fran-
Quinlan in the 6th. b-walked for Kendrick in the 9th. 1-ran a-singled for Andrus in the 9th. 1-ran for Hamilton
for Guerrero in the 9th. LOB: Seattle 10, Los Angeles 7. 2B: cisco had 17 2/3 scoreless in the 9th. E: Blalock (1), Kinsler (4). LOB: Oakland 8,
I.Suzuki 2 (8), Y.Betancourt (6), Griffey Jr. (5), Branyan (13), innings in his first 17 games Texas 7. 2B: O.Cabrera (6), An.Jones (9), Byrd (18), Sal-
Jo.Lopez (8), Guerrero 2 (2), J.Rivera (7). HR: En.Chavez (2), off talamacchia (7). HR: Kennedy (3), off Millwood; Giambi
MARK J. TERRILL / AP E.Santana; I.Suzuki (5), off E.Santana; Napoli (7), off Olson;Tor. this season, the most in the (6), off Millwood; Kennedy (4), off F.Francisco. RBIs:
Hunter (12), off Olson. RBIs: I.Suzuki (16), Beltre (21), Griffey majors without giving up a Kennedy 2 (15), Cust (26), Giambi (23), Blalock (28),
Gary Matthews Jr., right, gets ready to jump into the arms of teammate Mike Napoli after scoring the winning run in the ninth inning for the Angels. Jr. (14), Jo.Lopez (26), Quiroz 2 (2), En.Chavez 2 (13), Abreu 2 Byrd (24), Saltalamacchia 2 (23). SB: Holliday (4). CS:
(21), Guerrero 2 (5),Tor.Hunter 2 (42), J.Rivera (19), K.Morales run. Dav.Murphy (3). Runners left in scoring position:
(30), Napoli (19). SB: Beltre (6), En.Chavez (8), Figgins (20). Oakland 5 (Giambi, Kennedy 2, O.Cabrera, K.Suzuki);
ANAHEIM—The Angels haven’t had a his previous 14 1/3 innings, failed to pro- two-run single and capped by pinch-hitter S: Y.Betancourt 2, Quiroz. SF: Griffey Jr., Guerrero. Runners
“Off a closer, you’re not going Texas 4 (Blalock, N.Cruz, Kinsler, Saltalamacchia). GIDP:
comeback win like this in nearly 13 years, tect an 8-6 lead for starter Garrett Olson. Orlando Palmeiro’s two-run double. left in scoring position: Seattle 6 (Quiroz 2, F.Gutierrez to get a whole lot of chances or a Giambi, K.Suzuki, Kinsler. DP: Oakland 1 (Kennedy,
3, En.Chavez); Los Angeles 3 (Tor.Hunter, Napoli, Guerrero). O.Cabrera, Crosby); Texas 2 (Kinsler, Andrus, Blalock),
and David Aardsma’s first blown save of “I knew from the first pitch I threw,” This time, they waited until they were GIDP:Y.Betancourt. DP: Los Angeles 1 (Kendrick, Quinlan). whole lot of good pitches to hit,” (M.Young, Kinsler, Blalock).
the season enabled them to get it done. Aardsma said. “I gave it everything I had, down to their last out to take the lead. Kennedy said. “When you get
Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Kendry Morales capped a three-run but I couldn’t put enough pitches in the Juan Rivera drew a bases-loaded walk Olson 5 1⁄3 5 5 5 0 3 65 4.68 one, you want to put a good Braden 6 5 2 2 2 6 82 3.63
ninth inning with a bases-loaded single, strike zone. And by the time I did, I hadn’t that forced in the tying run. Morales, who Batista H, 5 1 1⁄3 3 1 1 0 1 28 3.76 swing on it.” Breslow H, 4 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 8 5.03
White H, 4 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 2 24 1.75 Wuertz H, 5 1 1 2 2 1 3 25 2.59
and Los Angeles overcame a seven-run earned any close calls. I can live with entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the AardsmaL,1-2BS,1-9 2⁄3 2 3 3 4 0 33 2.13 Francisco didn’t show up in A.BaileyW,4-0BS,3-5 12⁄3 3 0 0 0 1 18 2.23
deficit against an overworked Seattle hits—but the walks? I didn’t give us a sixth, ended it with a single to left on a 2-2 Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA the clubhouse for an extended Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
E.Santana 5 1⁄3 10 8 8 3 2 97 9.50 Millwood 6 5 2 2 2 5 116 3.23
Mariners bullpen to pull out a wild 9-8 chance.” pitch. It was the first time the Angels won R.Rodriguez 2⁄3 2 0 0 0 0 7 7.36 period after the game. When Holland 2 4 2 2 0 3 34 5.96
victory on Sunday. It was the Angels’ biggest comeback in a a game they trailed after eight innings in Bulger 2 2 0 0 0 0 23 4.87 he finally arrived, he said he F.Francisco L, 1-1 1 1 1 1 0 1 16 0.48
J.Speier W, 1-1 1 1 0 0 1 1 18 5.31
“We had some great at-bats in the ninth, victory since July 15, 1996, at Texas under 19 attempts this season. wasn’t upset or ducking report- Braden pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. Inherited
and it paid off with the win,” manager manager Marcel Lachemann —the third “When I knew they were going to walk R.Rodriguez pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Inherited ers but was just going through runners-scored: Breslow 2-2, Wuertz 1-0, A.Bailey
runners-scored: White 1-0, R.Rodriguez 1-1, Bulger 2-2. HBP: by Millwood (Holliday). Balk: Holland.
Mike Scioscia said. “The bullpen got outs time during that season that the Rangers Torii, I kept thinking about the pitch I was 1-0. IBB: off Aardsma (Tor.Hunter), off E.Santana (Jo. his usual post-game routine. Umpires: Home, Gerry Davis; First, Brian Gorman;
that kept us in the game, and we didn’t lost after leading by seven runs. On that going to get and what to look for,” Morales Lopez). HBP: by Olson (E.Aybar), by E.Santana (Branyan). “It was a fastball in the mid- Second, C.B. Bucknor; Third, Mike Everitt. T: 2:57. A:
WP: White. Umpires: Home, Bill Miller; First, Bill Hohn; 22,952 (49,170).
quit.” occasion, the Halos turned a 7-0 deficit said through a translator. “I was just Second, Bruce Dreckman; Third, Paul Emmel. T: 2:56. A: dle of the plate,” Francisco said
Aardsma, who had converted all eight into a 10-7 conquest with a six-run seventh patient and waited for my pitch.” 38,632 (45,257). of the homer to Kennedy.
save chances and hadn’t allowed a run in keyed by Garret Anderson’s go-ahead — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Q&A with … Chargers QB Philip Rivers
Rivers plans to tone down taunting, even though he keeps it ‘clean’
What does Philip Rivers’ in-game yapping at
opposing players and fans alike really say about
him? What does it mean to him that he outlasted
Jay Cutler in the AFC West? And can he own a divi-
sion for an extended period of time like some of his
heroes—Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady—
have done in their careers?
Rivers, 27, discussed those matters, as well as
his devout Catholic faith and unique family life, in
a wide-ranging Sporting News Conversation with
Steve Greenberg. Some excerpts and outtakes from
the magazine interview that is on newsstands now:
Q: You say you’re going to tone
down talking to opposing fans.
Why would you do that? It seems like
fun for both sides.
A: It is fun. There hasn’t been profan-
ity on either side; it hasn’t been
vulgar. In Indianapolis (in a January ’08
playoff game), every completion Peyton
(Manning) threw: “That’s how a real
quarterback does it!” And then we scored
and I said, “Yeah, what now?” But the
reasons for toning it down are, 1) so it’s not
a distraction for any of us, and then 2) it
wasn’t explained on the SportsCenter reel
like I’ve explained it to you. People
watched it and said, “This guy’s out of his
mind.” Not that I always worry about the
perception, but I’m not going to win that
battle by saying I’m just having a good
time.
Q: Cameras caught you gesturing
to Jay Cutler during a win
against the Broncos a couple of
seasons ago. It sure looked like you
were taunting him. Did you go too far?
A: There are obviously two sides to
every story. They’re a division rival,
our guys got a big defensive stop, they’d
been going at it all day with Jay, and I was
kind of congratulating Matt Wilhelm and
Shaun Phillips. I had a little smirk on my
Chargers QB Philip Rivers enjoys sparring with opposing fans and players, but because of the way it comes across on television, ‘maybe it wasn’t the best thing.’
face, had a little, “Atta baby, nice play!”
with my eyes directed toward Jay. Is it
something I regret? No, because it was
clean. But I understand some of the
feedback and the perception it created.
Maybe it wasn’t the best thing. But I can
repeat everything that was said and how it
went. If it doesn’t get caught on TV, I don’t
think either one of us would have ever
thought about it.
Q: How great was it for this team
to hang in there last season and
win the division the way you did,
especially after that nutty call in
Denver in Week 2?
A: It was unreal. I was talking to my
wife about last season, the 4-8
NFL
(start) and how we came back. She said,
“Isn’t it funny how you just remember how
it ended?” It’s hard to put yourself back to
how hard it really was and how rough and
sick we felt coming in here at 4-8 and going
to Wednesday practice. It was rough ... and
it was super-rewarding—and a lot of
people deserve a lot of credit. Norv
(Turner) did a heck of a job. To stand in
front of the team and it looks like it’s
slipping away from you, it’s not easy. What
do you say? “Hang in there, we’re almost
there, keep playing hard.” But he did that;
he never flinched.
Q: Here’s an impossible question.
If you were on a team with Eli
Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, who
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 23
replaced by you?
A: All four guys have continued to
improve and have good careers.
The one thing I really appreciated was the
relationship with Drew here my first two
years, what I learned from him about
pushing myself and competing. He’s meant
a lot to this organization. Eli and Ben have
a handful of Super Bowls and obviously
have played great, and here in San Diego
we’ve won a lot of football games.
Q: What was it like to play high
school ball for your father
(Steve) in Athens, Ala.?
A: Some of the greatest memories that
I’ve ever had. It was awesome. Ever
since I was old enough to think about it, I
couldn’t wait to play for him. It was
something both of us couldn’t wait for.
And then it just flies by. I’ll never forget
both of us literally crying our eyes out after
the last game we were together. We sat
there and had a big hug. God, it was over. It
JAY DROWNS / SN was the end of it. I remember that like
yesterday.
would start?
A: That is pretty impossible. I imagine
you’d get three “I woulds” if you
Q: You publicly supported Prop 4,
a California ballot initiative
that would have required parental
asked all three guys that question. I think notification before abortions could be
I’d have to say I would. performed on minors. Did you also get
involved with Prop 8, which
Q: Who’s the best player from
your 2004 draft class?
eliminated same-sex couples’ right to
marry in the state?
A: I think, right now, it’s Larry
Fitzgerald. The things he does and
how consistent he is and what he can do in
A: On Prop 8, I did not, but I have the
stance that you would imagine. As
for Prop 4, just having young daughters, I
one play, one catch, to change the game, is
really unmatched.
felt strongly enough about it to try to help
out. Another thing I feel strongly about is
chastity. You ask why I got married so
Q: It’s pretty neat, isn’t it, how
things have really worked out
young—it was important to Tiff and I to
remain pure until we got married. That
for you, Manning and Roethlisberger
but also for Drew Brees, who was
was certainly some motivation right there
to get married young. (Laughs.)
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Scouts’ views
Return specialist rankings: Nobody’s more dangerous than Bush
Perhaps no aspect of the NFL
game will see a greater change in
2009 than the return game. With
the elimination of wedge blocking,
kickoff coverage units will be able
to get downfield more easily and
put greater pressure on returners.
The ability to make the first tackler
miss and get upfield quickly will be
even more critical to success in the
field-position battle.
RealScouts, SN Today’s team of
former NFL scouts, rank their top
15 return specialists for ’09:
1. Reggie Bush, Saints. Though
some critics harp on Bush’s
inability to become a feature back,
he is one of the most explosive all-
purpose players in the game. In
2008, he scored three touchdowns
on punt returns and a third of his
punt returns went for 20 yards or
more. He may be unmatched as a
returner who can score on any
given play.
2. Josh Cribbs, Browns. Cribbs is
a versatile, athletic player
and a special teams ace. He didn’t
have his best year in ’08, but he has
turned in 1,000-plus yards on
kickoff returns in each of his four
seasons and has six return TDs in
that span. He has mended fences in
Cleveland after threatening to sit
out offseason activities over a con-
tract dispute.
3. Darren Sproles, Chargers.
Every indication coming out
of Chargers camp is that LaDainian
Tomlinson will carry the running
load this year, which means Sproles
will be able to focus on his return
duties. Even with more work on
offense last season, Sproles aver-
aged 26.0 yards on kickoffs and a
career-high 11.3 on punts. The
Chargers’ franchise player, Sproles
will look to earn a big contract with
his play this year.
4. Devin Hester, Bears. Hester
had a down year as a return
specialist in 2008—he averaged 6.2
yards per punt return and lost his
kick-return job to Danieal Man-
ning—but that’s largely because he
was focused on developing his
skills as a receiver. Look for him to
return to form on punt returns,
where he was among the best in the
history of the game in 2007.
5. Danieal Manning, Bears.
Though there was some talk
of Manning taking over as the start-
ing free safety, word is he will
remain in his role as the nickel back
and kickoff returner. His 29.7 kick-
return average was highest in the
league among players with at least
20 returns last season, and nine of
his 36 returns went for 40 yards or
more.
6. Clifton Smith, Buccaneers.
Smith made the Pro Bowl
as a rookie returner last season, fin-
ishing in the top 10 in the in kickoff-
and punt-return average. He’s a
small, quick back who shows great
first-step explosion and excellent
change-of-direction skills. When
he gets in the open field, it’s over.
7. Leodis McKelvin, Bills. As a
rookie, McKelvin found his
niche in the return game, averaging
28.2 yards on kick returns. Seven
went for 40 yards or more, and he
NFL MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 24
He has sure hands and sees the field
extremely well, allowing him to
find running lanes.
12. Leon Washington, Jets.
Washington will likely
have a bigger role in the Jets’
offense this year but should still
have a big role in the return game.
He shows excellent burst and
speed in the open field, the
strength to break tackles and the
ability to make the first tackler
miss. He had four kick-return TDs
over the past two years.
13. Johnnie Lee Higgins, Raiders.
Higgins returned three
punts for touchdowns in 2008,
showing good open-field running
ability and a dangerous burst when
he gets into open space. He also is a
capable kick returner, though Jus-
tin Miller is a little more explosive
in that role for Oakland.
EVAN VUCCI / AP
14. Roscoe Parrish, Bills. One
of the league’s most
dynamic punt returners, he has at
The Saints’ Reggie Bush might not be a feature back, but he’s emerged as the NFL’s top returner after taking three punts back for TDs in 2008. least one TD in each of the past
three seasons. Extremely quick
had a 98-yard touchdown. McKel-
vin is expected to start at corner-
back this year, but the Bills will
averaged more 10 yards per punt
return.
Hobbs ranked second in the league
with a 28.5 kick-return average and
produced seven 40-plus yard
and instinctive, Parrish sees run-
ning lanes very well and can make
multiple defenders miss in the open
keep him in the return mix.
9. Jerious Norwood, Falcons. The
Falcons again are talking
returns. He should have a good shot
at claiming the kick-return job in
field.
8. Chris Carr, Ravens. For now,
he’s expected to handle
punt returns in his first year with
about giving Norwood a bigger role
on offense, but it’s hard to envision
a scenario in which they would
Philadelphia, especially if Quintin
Demps wins one of the starting
safety jobs.
15. Eddie Royal, Broncos. With
Josh McDaniels now in
Denver, think of Royal as Wes
the Ravens, but he could become
the main kickoff returner, too. He is
remove him off kick returns. He
has excellent vision, has a nice burst
11. Allen Rossum, 49ers. Ros-
Welker. The Broncos will work
hard to find ways to get the ball in
elusive and gets north-south
quickly, but he doesn’t have the top-
end speed to be a breakaway threat.
when he finds open space and can
cut on a dime.
sum, 33, is still an elite
return man. He’s coming off a
career year in which he averaged
his hands and let him run. He’s elu-
sive, has deceptive speed and has a
knack for making the big play.
Still, he ranked in the top five in
kickoff returns last season and 10. Ellis Hobbs, Eagles. With
the Patriots last year,
almost 27 yards per kick return and
just under 15 yards on punt returns.
—RealScouts analyze NFL and college players, coaches
and teams exclusively for Sporting News Today.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Palmer softens stance on Johnson; Rams to be put up for sale
Carson Palmer has been critical of Chad John-
son’s absence from offseason workouts, but
that doesn’t mean he wants him out. Palmer
recently acknowledged how key Johnson is
to the Bengals’offense—a unit that won’t
have free-agent departee T.J.
Houshmandzadeh . sive line, which has two new starters in
In an interview on Fox Sports Radio,
Palmer said, “He’s a damn good receiver—
that’s obvious, everybody knows that. I
never once said anything about not want-
ing him here and not needing him. He’s a
Pro Bowl receiver. He’s put up a ton of
yards. He’s extremely dangerous to cover.
We would love him when he comes here,
but he’s not here right now.”
With Johnson working out in Los Ange-
les, Palmer is trying to build a rapport with
free-agent pickup Laveranues Coles, Chris Henry
and second-year players Andre Caldwell and
Jerome Simpson, The Cincinnati Enquirer
reported.
“I don’t think (Palmer’s) had the chance
to really let loose like he can,” RB Cedric
Benson told the Enquirer. “We have a lot of
young receivers who haven’t had much of
any experience at all. They’re trying to
find their way in this game. In a way, he
has to work through that, too. He’s been
very patient and let those guys work it
out.”
The Rams will soon be put up for sale,
according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Owner Chip Rosenbloom has retained Gold-
man Sachs, the prominent investment
banking firm, to advance the sale, the
newspaper said.
A local buyer hasn’t emerged, so it’s pos-
sible the Rams could be purchased by out-
of-town interests and eventually moved. If
the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Com-
mission doesn’t meet certain criteria in the
team’s lease at the Edward Jones Dome, the
Rams can opt out of the agreement
Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer, right, knows it’s important to have WR Chad Johnson at offseason workouts.
following the 2014 season, the Post-Dispatch
reported.
The Rams could have interest in Michael
Vick, according to nationalfootballpost.com.
The report said the Rams have been per-
forming their “due diligence” on Vick and
could actively pursue him if and when he is
reinstated.
Vick might make sense for the Rams
because of Marc Bulger’s slide the past two
years and because Vick’s speed and athleti-
cism could be highlighted playing in a dome
on artificial surface, the report said.
NFL
INSIDE DISH
AL BEHRMAN / AP
The uncertain ownership situation could
complicate any interest in Vick, however. A
new owner may be opposed to pursuing
him.
The Baltimore Sun reported the Ravens
have two priorities for the offense heading
into training camp: improve their red zone
scoring and third-down efficiency. Last
season, the Ravens were ranked 25th in
scoring inside the 20-yard line and 15th in
converting third-down plays. “We’ve got to
get more explosive,” offensive coordinator
Cam Cameron said.
The development of QB Joe Flacco should
help. The Ravens were cautious with Flacco
in his rookie season, especially in the red
zone early in the season. The team will lean
more on Flacco to make plays in 2009.
Another key will be developing the offen-
rookie RT Michael Oher and veteran C Matt
Birk.
It’s unrealistic to think the Falcons
will get as much impact from their 2009
draft picks as they received from their
2008 class, which featured Rookie of the
Year Matt Ryan. But after watching first-
round pick Peria Jerry in OTAs, G.M. Thomas
Dimitroff thinks the defensive tackle will
make an immediate impact in the line
rotation.
“We are very impressed with his work
ethic and ability to help ramp up the energy
level along the defensive line,” Dimitroff
told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s
got his ears pinned back, and he’s ready to
play some football. I like his focus and
energy.”
Bucs SS Sabby Piscitelli started five of the
team’s final eight games last season in place
of injured Jermaine Phillips, giving coaches
the confidence to move Phillips to line-
backer and make Piscitelli the starter. Pis-
citelli, heading into his third season, has
misread plays and missed some tackles but
has shown great improvement.
The scheme of new coordinator Jim Bates’
is “not dramatically different ... but I think
(it) definitely allows myself and Tanard (Jack-
son) to be more aggressive,” Piscitelli told
the St. Petersburg Times. “I think this is a
playmaking scheme. I think we’re going to
have a lot more interceptions. I think that’s
true for the whole secondary.
“They expect the safeties to be the two
best athletes on the field, I think. We can
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 25
really go out there and make a lot of plays.”
In the competition for the Panthers’
No. 2 quarterback job, Josh McCown is ahead
of Matt Moore, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“The preseason will be real important to
both of them,” coach John Fox said.
Packers DL Justin Harrell, who has had
injury problems and fallen well short of
expectations in his first two seasons,
understands this could be a make-or-break
year for him. “It’s huge,” he told the Green
Bay Press-Gazette. “This is one of the biggest
years of my life.”
Harrell, a 2007 first-round pick, has
battled weight issues this offseason while
making the transition from tackle to end in
the team’s 3-4 scheme, the Press-Gazette
reported. He had been close to his target
playing weight of 305 before ballooning to
more than 320 in May after spending a
week at home. He attributed the gain to “a
little bit too much barbecue.”
Retired football players angry with
the NFL Players Association over disability
and pension benefits say the executive
director of the union may be ahead of him-
self in seeking their support during upcom-
ing contract talks with the league.
An informal group of football players
lashed out Sunday at comments made by
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith,
who said Saturday that if there is a lockout
by owners in 2011 retired player benefits
would be reduced by 80 percent while it
lasts.
Several players meeting in Las Vegas
about their clashes with the union said
their benefits are protected by law—lockout
or not. Retired player Marvin Cobb says Smith
must work through problems with retired
players before they will support him and
the union.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
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;
Drew Henson, Detroit; Quinn Gray, Kansas City; Trent Green,
St. Louis; Rex Grossman, Chicago; Brad Johnson, Dallas; J.P.
Losman, Buffalo; Jamie Martin, San Francisco; Craig Nall,
Houston; Marques Tuiasosopo, Oakland; Anthony Wright,
NY Giants.
Running backs—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 Pitt-
man, 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; Jayson Foster, Denver; D.J. Hackett, Caro-
lina; 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; Ben Obomanu (R), Seattle; Tab Perry, Miami; Jerry
Porter, Jacksonville; Kevin Robinson, Kansas City; Koren Rob-
inson, Seattle; Edell Shepherd, Denver; Travis Taylor, Detroit;
Amani Toomer, NY Giants; Kelley Washington, New England;
Todd Watkins (R), Oakland; Harry Williams, Houston; Reggie
Williams, Jacksonville; Wallace Wright (R), NY Jets.
Tight ends—Courtney Anderson, Houston; Adam Bergen,
Denver; Mark Bruener, Houston; Owen Daniels (R), Houston;
Nate Lawrie, Cincinnati; Michael Merritt, Kansas City; Chad
Mustard, Denver; Rob Myers, NY Jets; Jeff Robinson, Seattle;
Derek Schouman (R), Buffalo; Stephen Spach (R), Arizona;
Daniel Wilcox, Baltimore; Kris Wilson, San Diego.
Offensive tackles—Tyson Clabo (R), Atlanta; Anthony
Davis, St. Louis; Jon Dunn, Detroit; Wayne Gandy, Atlanta;
Kwame Harris, Oakland; Jon Jansen, Washington; Jonas
Jennings, San Francisco; Levi Jones, Cincinnati; Kyle Link, NY
Jets; James Marten (R), Oakland; Fred Miller, Chicago; Rob
Petitti, St. Louis; Jon Runyan, Philadelphia; Charles Spencer,
Jacksonville; Barry Stokes, New England; Mark Tauscher,
Green Bay; Mark Wilson (R), Oakland.
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; Rob
Sims (R), Seattle; 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
Diego; Scott Peters, Arizona; Cory Withrow, St. Louis.
NFL MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 26
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,
Harvin provides limitless options for Vikings
San Francisco; Brian Johnston, Kansas City; Travis LaBoy,
Arizona; Jayme Mitchell, Minnesota; Jerome McDougle,
EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN.—When the Harvin scored in every game for
NY Giants; Julius Peppers (F), Carolina; Josh Savage, Vikings made Percy Harvin their the Gators last year and averaged
New Orleans; Anthony Weaver, Houston; James Wyche, first-round draft pick last month, 9.55 yards per rush in his three
Jacksonville.
coach Brad Childress immediately years at Florida. He’s 5-11, shorter
Defensive tackles—Kenderick Allen, Minnesota; Gary asked his offensive coordinator than the standard NFL size for
Gibson, Carolina; La’Roi Glover, St. Louis; Vonnie Holliday,
Miami; Antwan Lake, New Orleans; Langston Moore, about his plans. receivers, but he makes up for that
Detroit; Kindal Moorehead, Atlanta; Dewayne Robertson, Childress wanted to know how with exceptional quickness and
Denver; Orpheus Roye, Pittsburgh; Hollis Thomas, New Darrell Bevell would use Harvin, elusiveness.
Orleans; Josh Thomas, Indianapolis; John Thornton,
the versatile wide receiver from Harvin caught plenty of deep
Cincinnati; Casey Tyler, Dallas; Darwin Walker, Carolina; Ellis
Wyms, Minnesota; Brian Young, New Orleans; Jeff Zgonina,
Florida who will be counted on balls in practices this weekend,
Houston. this season for his ability to catch, but his best value to the Vikings
Linebackers—Rufus Alexander, Indianapolis; Jason run and return kicks. might ultimately be the way he can
Babin, Kansas City; Rocky Boiman, Kansas City; Derrick
“As soon as we called his name keep defenses from focusing solely
Brooks, Tampa Bay; Khary Campbell, Washington; Anthony
out, he turned to me and said, on All-Pro running back Adrian
Cannon, Detroit; Dan Cody, Baltimore; Rosevelt Colvin, New
England; Donte’ Curry, Carolina; Donnie Edwards, Kansas ‘Where’s the list?’ Bevell recalled. Peterson by diversifying an offense
City; Keith Ellison (R), Buffalo; Troy Evans, New Orleans; “So he wanted it immediately.” that has clearly been on the con-
Gilbert Gardner, Chicago; Curtis Gatewood, Kansas City; Bevell, speaking Saturday servative side under Childress.
Morlon Greenwood, Houston; Marques Harris, San Diego;
between Minnesota’s minicamp “Percy is a special athlete. Not
Napoleon Harris, Minnesota; Abdul Hodge (R), Cincinnati;
Mike Humpal, Pittsburgh; Brad Kassell, NY Jets; Jason Kyle,
practices, said there are 20 or 30 only is he a good receiver, but he’s
Carolina; Teddy Lehman, Buffalo; Wesly Mallard, Seattle; plays in the scheme designed spe- got a little bit of that tailback in
Jim Maxwell, Cincinnati; Willie McGinest, Cleveland; cifically for the fleet-footed Har- him,” quarterback Sage Rosenfels
Marques Murrell (R), NY Jets; Ryan Nece, Detroit; Shantee
vin, who was selected 22nd overall. said. “There is a lot of things that
Orr, Cleveland; Antwan Peek, Cleveland; Carlos Polk, Dallas;
Between 10 and 15 of those, Bevell we can do with him, maybe get
Junior Seau, New England; Matt Sinclair, Washington; Gary
Stills, St. Louis; Terrell Suggs (F), Baltimore; Dontarrious said, were added to the playbook some mismatches.”
Thomas, Minnesota; Marcus Washington, Washington; Nate in the past month. Florida used Harvin frequently
Webster, Denver. “We’re up there trying to dia- for direct snaps. “That is a lot of
Cornerbacks—David Barrett, NY Jets; Fakhir Brown, St. gram everything we can,” Bevell my versatility,” he said.
Louis; Terry Cousin, Cleveland; Jason Craft, St. Louis; Travis
Fisher, Detroit; Reynaldo Hill, Tennessee; William James,
said. “We’re looking at things we Peterson, for his part, is excited.
Jacksonville; Michael Lehan, New Orleans; Sam Madison, can do. We’re looking at things “There’s a couple of new plays
NY Giants; Ricky Manning Jr., St. Louis; Derrick Martin (R), other teams have done and trying we’re throwing in there to see how
Baltimore; Chris McAlister, Baltimore; Mike McKenzie, New
to get the ball to our it works out,” he said. “Some of
Orleans; R.W. McQuarters, NY Giants; Deltha O’Neal, New
playmakers.” them are looking pretty nice.”
England; Dunta Robinson (F), Houston; Lewis Sanders,
New England; Duane Starks, Jacksonville; Brandon Sumrall, That includes the single-wing Harvin’s speed looks pretty good
NY Giants; DeJuan Tribble, San Diego; Jason Webster, New formation, which Miami success- to Peterson, too. “I know that guy
England; Jimmy Williams, Houston; Stanley Wilson, Detroit. fully used last year. It starts with a is exhausted, because I’m
Safeties—Oshiomogho Atogwe (F), St. Louis; Michael Boul- direct snap to a running back and exhausted for him—all the run-
ware, Minnesota; Mike Brown, Chicago; Oliver Celestin, Kansas
City; Corey Chavous, St. Louis; Will Demps, Houston; Mike Doss,
can feature motion in the back- ning around he’s doing,” Peterson
Cincinnati; Hiram Eugene, Oakland; Mike Green, Washington; field, fakes and other types of said. “He’s a tremendous athlete,
Rodney Harrison, New England; Terrence Holt, New Orleans; tricks. The Dolphins call their ver- and he has a lot of ability.”
Dexter Jackson, Cincinnati; Sammy Knight, NY Giants; Marquand
sion the “Wildcat,” but whatever JIM MONE / AP Like any rookie, though, he has
Manuel, Denver; Marlon McCree, Denver; Lawyer Milloy, Atlanta;
the name the concept has caught Minnesota has already implemented 20 or 30 plays designed for rookie WR Percy Harvin. much to learn. “He is very athletic,
Chad Nkang, Jacksonville; Pierson Prioleau, Jacksonville; Chris
Reis (R), New Orleans; Dwight Smith, Detroit; Jimmy Williams, on around the league. but in terms of mentally he has
San Francisco; Cameron Worrell, Chicago. Harvin took some of those direct receiver Darius Reynaud are also to play right now. I’m just learning struggled a little bit,” Bevell said.
SPECIAL TEAMS
snaps during a series of plays the being evaluated in that role. kind of a little bit of everything. I’m “It’s not something that we didn’t
Kickers—John Carney, NY Giants; Matt Stover, Baltimore. Vikings tested Saturday without a “They just want me to learn mul- just working hard and whatever expect, because we have really put
Punters—Mitch Berger, Pittsburgh; Mike Dragosavich,
Indianapolis; Sam Koch (R), Baltimore; Kyle Larson, Cincin- defense on the other side. Running tiple positions,” Harvin said. “We they need me to play, that’s what a lot on his plate.”
nati; Ryan Plackemeier, Cincinnati. back Chester Taylor and wide don’t know quite where I’m going I’ll do.” —The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NASCAR MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 27
Autism Speaks 400 results

Johnson rallies for win at Dover FINISH START

1
2
8
31
CAR DRIVER
48
14
Jimmie Johnson
Tony Stewart
MAKE
Chevrolet
Chevrolet
POINTS
195
175
REID SPENCER 1992. “We got to the lead there and 3 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 170
rspencer@sportingnews.com got by Biffle and just couldn’t hold 4 14 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 165
off Jimmie. He was like a freight 5 19 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 155
DOVER, DEL.—It’s tough to keep a train coming. I mean, I was sur- 6 2 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 150
good man down—and when you prised I could hold him off as long as 7 13 99 Carl Edwards Ford 151
have the combination of a great car I did, but I was pretty happy that we
8 11 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 142
and an excellent driver, it’s down- were able to do it for that long.
9 17 7 Casey Mears Chevrolet 138
right impossible, as Jimmie Johnson “I mean, when you’re the fastest
proved in Sunday’s Autism Speaks car and you’re coming as fast as he 10 28 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 139
400 at Dover International was, it was just a matter of getting
Speedway. the opening that he needed, and we NASCAR Sprint Cup standings (through Sunday’s race)
Restarting eighth on Lap 374 of did everything we could to take his
400, after NASCAR called the 10th line away from him as often as we RK. +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS POLES WINS T-5 T-10
caution of the race for David could, but just couldn’t do it long 1 1 Tony Stewart 1,853 0 13 0 0 6 9
Stremme’s hard crash on the enough.” 2 -1 Jeff Gordon 1,807 -46 13 0 1 6 8
frontsretch, Johnson atoned for a Earnhardt’s strong run started to 3 1 Jimmie Johnson 1,789 -64 13 0 2 6 8
slow pit stop and charged through erode after Denny Hamlin smacked 4 -1 Kurt Busch 1,762 -91 13 0 1 4 7
the field to run down Greg Biffle and the wall on Lap 231 to bring out the 5 2 Ryan Newman 1,680 -173 13 1 0 4 7
Tony Stewart and win his fourth fifth caution of the afternoon. With a 6 -- Kyle Busch 1,634 -219 13 1 3 4 5
Sprint Cup race at Dover, his second quick pit stop, Earnhardt came out
7 -2 Denny Hamlin 1,630 -223 13 0 0 2 4
of the 2009 season and the 42nd of third for a restart on Lap 237, but his
8 1 Matt Kenseth 1,625 -228 13 1 2 4 6
his career. No. 88 Chevrolet developed a tight
Johnson, who led 298 laps, cleared handling condition and began to 9 1 Greg Biffle 1,618 -235 13 0 0 4 7
Stewart for the lead through Turns 3 fade. 10 -2 Jeff Burton 1,587 -266 13 0 0 2 5
and 4 on Lap 398 and pulled away to Despite adjustments under the 11 -- Carl Edwards 1,582 -271 13 0 0 2 6
finish .861 seconds ahead of the No. sixth caution (called because of 12 -- Mark Martin 1,567 -286 13 3 2 3 7
14 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet. Having debris on Lap 276), the condition 13 -- David Reutimann 1,536 -317 13 2 1 2 3
taken two tires to Johnson’s four ALAN MARLER / AP worsened after a restart on Lap 281, 14 1 Kasey Kahne 1,501 -352 13 0 0 1 4
during the final pit stops for each Jimmie Johnson led 298 laps and beat Tony Stewart down the stretch to win Sunday’s race. and Earnhardt brought the car back 15 -1 Juan Pablo Montoya 1,475 -378 13 1 0 0 4
team, Stewart repeatedly ran high to pit road five laps later, after a 16 1 Clint Bowyer 1,449 -404 13 0 0 3 4
through the corners to try to block “Fortunately, I had such a good car a challenge. I really had to suck it up wreck on the backstretch involving 17 -1 Brian Vickers 1,436 -417 13 2 0 2 5
Johnson’s line. that I could run around the top,” said and get going. I thought I was going Paul Menard and Robby Gordon put
18 1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,352 -501 13 0 0 1 3
But Johnson finally found room to Johnson, who climbed one position to pound the wall a couple of times the race under caution for a seventh
19 -1 Martin Truex Jr. 1,338 -515 13 1 0 0 3
the outside through Turns 1 and 2 to third in the series standings. “My on the top. I cooked it off in there too time.
20 -- Marcos Ambrose 1,319 -534 13 0 0 1 2
and completed the winning pass hat’s off to Tony Stewart. That was fast and slid right up to the crumbs, The pit stop dropped Earnhardt to
through the final two corners. one heck of a race. I had to drive so and I’m like, ‘Please stay, please.’ 15th for a restart on Lap 291, but 21 1 Casey Mears 1,306 -547 13 0 0 0 2
Biffle finished third, followed by far over my head to get by him. I’m And it stuck, and I made it back changes to the car sent the handling 22 -1 Jamie McMurray 1,289 -564 13 0 0 0 3
Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch. Kasey just very proud of what we did out around.” from tight to loose, and Earnhardt 23 2 Joey Logano 1,263 -590 13 0 0 0 3
Kahne, Carl Edwards, Ryan New- there on the racetrack today. Stewart, who took the series points wasn’t a contender for the win after 24 -1 Kevin Harvick 1,261 -592 13 0 0 2 2
man, Casey Mears and Mark Martin “I wasn’t going to give up. I had no lead from 26th-place finisher Jeff that. Nevertheless, he gained one 25 -1 Reed Sorenson 1,259 -594 13 0 0 0 1
completed the top 10. In his first race idea what was going to happen, but I Gordon, used his consummate skill position in the standings to 18th, 215 —Bold line indicates Chase cutoff
at Hendrick Motorsports with a knew I had a great racecar. I knew to try to keep Johnson behind him. points out of 12th place, the last posi-
crew chief other than Tony Eury Jr., there were some laps left, and it was “We had an opportunity,” said tion eligible for the Chase for the MORE COVERAGE from sportingnews.com
Dale Earnhardt Jr. faded to 12th after just time to go—and I got it done. To Stewart, who became the first NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Results: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=555297
a cracking the top five earlier in the have to run that hard to pass that owner/driver to lead the points —Reid Spencer writes for
race. many good cars to get the lead, that’s standings since Alan Kulwicki in the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service Standings: sportingnews.com/nascar/standings
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NASCAR
Newman strong again, moves up to fifth in standings
DOVER, DEL.—A sign of how good
Ryan Newman has been lately: His
eighth-place finish in Sunday’s
Autism Speaks 400 was his worst
in the past five races.
Newman’s streak of four consecu-
tive top-five finishes came to an end
at Dover, but he still moved up two
spots to fifth in the Sprint Cup
standings.
Newman struggled with the han-
dling of his No. 39 Chevrolet, but he
and crew chief Tony Gibson did
their best to get the car better.
“We were a top-10 car, and that
ROB CARR / AP was it,” Gibson said. “We could
Dale Earnhardt (88) was battling drivers like Mark Martin near the front of the field. never really hit on anything that
really worked for Ryan. We danced
with air pressures, wedge and track-
Earnhardt enjoys Dover bar adjustments but never hit on
anything. … We keep on pounding
until handling fades away, pounding away and pounding
away. We have to stay strong as a
team, and if we do that we can pre-
BY REID SPENCER
rspencer@sportingnews.com
DOVER, DEL.—For the first time in a long time, Dale Earnhardt Jr. INSIDE DISH
really seemed to be enjoying himself on the racetrack.
“Bad ass!” Earnhardt crowed Sunday after passing Matt Kenseth
for the fifth position just past the midpoint of the Autism Speaks
400 at Dover International Speedway. With Brian Whitesell and
Gordon limps home 26th
Lance McGrew on the pit box (having replaced longtime crew chief Jeff Gordon finished off a difficult
Tony Eury Jr.), Earnhardt sped to the front of the field and ran as weekend with a disappointing 26th-
high as third before his handling deteriorated in the final third of place finish in Sunday’s Autism
the race. Speaks 400 at Dover. Gordon crashed
Nevertheless, his 12th-place finish was a marked improvement during qualifying on Friday and had
over his past three Sprint Cup results of 27th, 27th and 40th. His to start from the rear of the field
average finish for all 13 races is 20.6. Sunday.
“I’m happier,” said Earnhardt, who spent a stressful three days Gordon, who has fought back pain
answering questions about the crew chief change. “I would like to this season, said the impact of the
have run better than 12th. We had the car really good there for crash made for a little more soreness
most of the race. We got it a little too loose, then got real tight trying during Sunday’s race. But he didn’t
to fix it. blame that or anyone else for finish-
“Track position was real important, and we didn’t have it at the ing outside the top 10 for the second
end of the race. We had good communication and we made the car consecutive race.
a little better, (and) by lap 200, I was pretty happy and pleased. We “It was a frustrating weekend,” he
need to keep doing that.” said. “We got ourselves behind on
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 28
vail on a day like today.
“It’s pretty good when you can say
you’re ticked off because you fin-
ished eighth. We have to get better,
and we want to win races quickly.”
Newman was running 10th when
the yellow flag waved with 37 laps to
go. Gibson called for right-side tires
only, and Newman restarted third.
Though he couldn’t hang on for a top
five, he didn’t complain about his
seventh top 10 of the year—he had
eight all of last year.
“I drove a little harder than I
wanted to at the end on two tires,”
Newman said. “I had to drive it so
hard to get everything out of it. Typi-
cally with these cars the more you
finesse them the better they are. But
there was no finessing today. When
everything is not clicking and you
can still finish eighth—not a bad day
overall.”
— SceneDaily.com
HAROLD HINSON FOR SN
Ryan Newman and crew chief Tony Gibson have been firing on all cylinders lately.
said. “You can’t predict when those gains the last few weeks.”
things are going to happen. You make
a call. That wasn’t the deciding factor. Casey Mears finished ninth for his
That got us one lap down, but we got
ourselves another lap down. We
could have come back from that, got-
second top 10 in four weeks—both
since team owner Richard Childress
swapped Mears’ No. 07 team with
Friday when I hit the wall. You know, ten on the lead lap and had a decent Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 team.
it was a battle from there. I thought day out of it.” Mears has struggled all season, his
when the green flag dropped we first with Richard Childress Racing,
would be pretty good. We were driv- Kasey Kahne posted a solid sixth- with a best finish of 15th in the first
ing forward. All it takes is one adjust- place finish Sunday as the No. 9 team nine races (before the switch). He fin-
ment to get yourself off, and that’s used the new Dodge engine for the ished 36th in last week’s Coca-Cola
what happened today. first time. Kahne also improved to 600.
“We made one adjustment to make 14th in the points standings after “We all struggled at Charlotte last
the car better and we went backwards back-to-back top-10 finishes for the week, so it was good to come to Dover
and got down two laps and our day second time this year. this week and run like we did,” Mears
was done from that point on.” “The new motor had plenty of said. “The (team) didn’t panic after
Gordon lost ground early when he power, which made the car fun to Charlotte. They knew Dover was a
had made a green-flag pit stop, then drive,” Kahne said. “We were good different racetrack, and they hung on
the caution fell, and Gordon had to on pit stops, and the car handled well. to their game plan and it really worked
battle back from that as well. For our Dodge team, it was a really for us.”
“That certainly messed us up,” he good day. We’ve made some really big — SceneDaily.com
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Q&A with ... Washington coach Steve Sarkisian
‘People here are starving to win again’
Steve Sarkisian left the comfort and consis-
tency of an assistant coaching spot at juggernaut
USC for the head coaching gig at Washington,
which has gone winless since mid November
2007. He took a few minutes from Year 1 of his
reconstruction effort with the Huskies to chat
with Sporting News Today’s Dave Curtis:
Q: So, are you guys going to win
a game this season?
A: I hope so. No, I haven’t tried to
put a ceiling on what we can be. I
don’t want to say we have to be this or
that or finish here or win this many.
The whole thing with the spring, when
we looked at practices 13, 14 and 15, we
were way better than in practices one,
two and three.
How good are we? I don’t really know.
But I know the kids are willing, and the
coaches are teaching well. We have some
key things in place.
Q: Like quarterback, I assume.
There’s been interest around
the country on Jake Locker fitting
into your scheme. How would you
describe the work you’ve done with
him?
A: The first half of the spring, so
much of it was teaching just a
style of play. This is how we want our
quarterback to play. By the second half,
it was just great. The ones on both sides
of the ball, they just kept getting better
and better. For Jake, the last seven
practices were among the best football
I’ve seen him play.
Q: What’s been the focus with
Jake?
A: One of the biggest issues was,
there’s no secret the guy’s a great
athlete. He could start for our defense if
he wanted to. But we’re trying to show
College Football
Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, left, felt QB Jake Locker (10) showed a lot of progress in the spring.
him this thing is a marathon, not a
sprint. We need him to start 13 games
this year, not four or five. And so he has
to understand when to use his legs, but
when to get those easy completions to
allow the other guys to play.
From the first day we met, the mes-
sage has been how important accuracy
is for him, and film study, so that he can
know when the opportunities to run are
going to come. We still want him to be a
huge weapon with his feet.
Q: How’s he taking to the
changes?
A: Well, his completion percentage
just kept going up. His accuracy
STEPHEN BRASHEAR / AP
and his ball placement, I think he
noticed that guys in practice started
making bigger plays for him because of
where he put the ball. They could catch
and run instead of having to twist
around to make the catch.
He’s taken velocity off the ball. He’s
more comfortable throwing in the pocket
with guys around him. And, working
with coach (Doug) Nussmeier, we’ve
really hammered home the footwork
side of the game.
Q: What does the rest of the
offense look like?
A: Any time you start on offense,
you have to have the trigger
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 29
If you deliver
it daily, they
guy. That’s No. 1. Everything else
looks good, maybe a little better than
I thought. We’re deeper at receiver
than I anticipated. We’re a good six
will come.
deep. We have good tight ends. We
have a nice amount of tailbacks, and
we’ve got Chris Polk, who could be
special.
The key for us is we need an offensive
line that can function. We have guys
there who have played a lot of football.
The focus in the spring was to get their
weight down. They lost a bunch of
weight, and it’s a more athletic group
than in the past.
Q: What’s the buzz about
Washington football in the
Seattle area right now?
A: People here are starving to win
again. That’s the big thing I’ve FREEup!
noticed. They’ve experienced a national Sign
championship, Rose Bowls, Orange Bowl
Today!
victories, wins at home and on the road
against the best teams in America. The
lull the program has hit, all it has done to
people is fuel the fire. They view this time
and this era as a chance to get back to The country’s first and only
what Washington football has been.
daily digital sports newspaper.
Q: What about your
relationship with Pete
Carroll? You face USC in Delivered via email every morning, 7 days a
September. What’s that like for
you?
week, Sporting News Today is your one-stop
destination for breaking sports stories plus
A: It’s been good. We were together
in Arizona for the Pac-10
meetings, and he’s continued to be a news about every team, every game and
very good mentor. You know, there are
every score from coast-to-coast.
some things I use judgment of what I
ask about, and he uses judgment on
what he gives me.
At the end of the day, he wants to see Experience America’s hottest new product.
us succeed up here. Except when we play
them.
Sign up at sportingnewstoday.com. It’s free.
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.
95
DAVID CRENSHAW /AP
TE Cody Slate is a weapon for the Herd, but
he needs someone to throw him the ball.
MARSHALL
2008 record: 4-8 overall, 3-5 C-USA
Coach: Mark Snyder
Outlook: Marshall has faded into
irrelevancy since leaving the MAC
for Conference USA in 2005. If the
Thundering Herd find a capable
QB—they aren’t lacking candidates
with Mark Cann, Brian Anderson,
Press Taylor and Jake Lauden-
slayer in the mix—they could post
their first winning record since
joining C-USA. The starter will be
equipped with a weapon in TE
Cody Slate, although talented and
aptly-named RB Darius Marshall
was suspended last month.
— Derek Samson
College Football / College Basketball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 30
COLLEGE FOOTBALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL
INSIDE DISH INSIDE DISH
Vols’ Crompton reveals he kept death threats quiet
Tennessee senior QB Jonathan Crompton says he
Player who left Arkansas
received death threats last season but never told any- says he, others cheated
one in the athletic department. He also didn’t tell his
parents at first.
“I did have death threats,” Crompton told the Knox- Former Arkansas G Patrick its findings. While Patrick
ville News Sentinel. “I really didn’t talk about it that Beverley said in a recent inter- Beverley is no longer a stu-
much. “You don’t say, ‘Poor me.’ ” view that he and some Razor- dent-athlete at the University
Crompton started the first four games last season backs teammates had class of Arkansas, the university
before losing the job after Tennessee fell to 1-3. He papers written for them. still may not discuss details
played in eight games and was 86-for-167 for 889 Beverley, who was ruled regarding his departure from
yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. ineligible by the school last the men’s basketball program
He said he received threats in e-mails and on his cell August and then left to play due to student privacy laws.”
phone after his number was posted on the Internet. professionally in the Ukraine,
Crompton said his parents became aware of the situa- gave the interview to DraftEx- North Carolina G/F Will
tion after a package they ordered had messages about press.com. It was posted on Graves , who was suspended for
him written on the shipping box. YouTube last Tuesday. most of last season, is taking
“It was tough, I’m not going to lie,” Crompton told It is the first time Beverley classes and working out dur-
the newspaper. “When you’re faced with adversity, admitted to cheating and the ing the first summer session,
your true character comes out—as a person, as a stu- first time he accused team- a sign that he likely will be
dent, as a Christian.” mates, the Arkansas Democrat- reinstated and play in 2009-
Crompton graduated in May and is pursing his Gazette reported. 10, The News & Observer
master’s degree. He is the front-runner to win the job “There was some things reported.
this fall, though coach Lane Kiffin has said there will be that happened with me and
an open competition in preseason camp. MARK HUMPHREY / AP W my team,” Beverley said in the Clemson doesn’t have
A 1-3 start in 2008 caused problems for Vols QB Jonathan Crompton. video. “Someone from Arkan- another proven long-range
Colorado WR Josh Smith, one of the team’s top
playmakers, and TE Ryan Wallace are transferring. listed as the backup free safety at the end of spring
sas was doing papers, was
doing me and some of my
shooter to make up for the loss
of Terrence Oglesby, whose deci-
Coach Dan Hawkins said Smith asked for his release so practice. teammates’ papers. Basically, sion to play overseas sur-
he can pursue a music major not offered at Colorado, instead of ratting my team prised everyone in the
the Boulder Daily Camera reported. Wallace, who was Arkansas sophomore DT Lavunce Askew was sus- out, I just said it was just me. program.
redshirted last season, hopes to transfer to a school pended from the team by coach Bobby Petrino after I was forced to have a year of So who fills the hole at
closer to home in Bowling Green, Ky. being arrested Saturday night in connection with the ineligibility.” shooting guard next season?
Smith set school records with 1,568 return yards and theft of a laptop. Arkansas didn’t give a rea- It likely will be a combination
50 kickoff returns, including one for a touchdown, last Preliminary police reports show that Askew admit- son when it announced Bever- of players, most of them stron-
season as a sophomore. He also had 387 yards receiving. ted to stealing a laptop and handed it over to a Fayette- ley was ineligible. ger on the defensive end.
Two schools that offer the music major Smith is ville police officer, according to the Arkansas The Democrat-Gazette “We obviously lose his
interested in are Arizona State and USC, according to Democrat-Gazette. requested and received a shooting, but at the same time,
the newspaper. Smith played high school football at He played in eight games last season, starting the response from the school on we can be longer and perhaps
Moorpark, Calif. finale against LSU, and had five tackles. Saturday regarding Bever- better defensively,” coach Oli-
ley’s comments. ver Purnell told reporters in a
Georgia announced that sophomore FS John Knox Iowa WR Shane Prater told the Omaha World-Herald “The university conducted conference call. “Sometimes
is transferring to Georgia Military College for “aca- he is leaving the school for Iowa Western Community a full and thorough review of when you’re forced to do
demic considerations.” College because he didn’t meet minimum academic the matter and took swift things differently, you can
He had eight tackles in 12 games last season and was requirements during his freshmen year. action based on all aspects of end up being better.”
SPORTING NEWS TODAY
Steve Stricker pulled on the Colonial’s traditional plaid jacket after winning on the second playoff hole. He is now the No. 8 player in the world.
Leaderboard
Sunday
At Colonial Country Club
Fort Worth, Texas
Purse: $6.2 million
Yardage: 7,204 Par: 70
Final
(x-won on second playoff hole FedEx Cup points in parentheses)
x-Steve Stricker (500), $1,116,000 63-63-69-68—263
Steve Marino (245), $545,600
Tim Clark (245), $545,600
Jason Day (135), $297,600
Paul Casey (110), $248,000
Woody Austin (95), $215,450
Vijay Singh (95), $215,450
Ian Poulter (85), $192,200
Jim Furyk (73), $161,200
Kevin Sutherland (73), $161,200 66-67-68-68—269
Kevin Na (73), $161,200
Zach Johnson (73), $161,200
Charlie Wi (56), $112,840
www.sportingnews.com
Tom Lehman (56), $112,840
Jeff Overton (56), $112,840
Luke Donald (56), $112,840
Justin Leonard (56), $112,840
Corey Pavin (52), $83,700
John Senden (52), $83,700
Ted Purdy (52), $83,700
Sean O’Hair (52), $83,700
J.J. Henry (47), $59,520
Stewart Cink (47), $59,520
Nick O’Hern (47), $59,520
66-67-62-68—263 Mark Wilson (47), $59,520
63-64-66-70—263
Jason Bohn (47), $59,520
65-65-65-69—264 Brian Gay (41), $42,160
66-67-66-66—265 Hunter Mahan (41), $42,160
63-68-67-68—266
James Driscoll (41), $42,160
64-64-69-69—266 David Toms (41), $42,160
66-69-65-68—268 Stephen Ames (41), $42,160
68-69-67-65—269
Matt Kuchar (41), $42,160
Harrison Frazar (41), $42,160
66-68-66-69—269 Rory Sabbatini (34), $30,646
69-67-64-69—269
Justin Rose (34), $30,646
67-70-66-67—270 Brian Davis (34), $30,646
Golf MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 31
Stricker wins on Clark’s collapse
FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Steve Stricker from today,” the 33-year-old South childhood friends.
blew a final-round lead right after African said. “I have a lot of work to “Obviously it’s disappointing,”
he took it and gave away another do when it comes to closing out golf Marino said. “But I’m playing well
stroke by missing a short par putt tournaments.” right now and I’m excited about
down the stretch. Stricker’s victory was pure relief, playing golf and feel good about my
Stricker stayed at it, though. A as evidence by his fist pump and game.”
chip-in birdie on 17 helped him choked-up interviews afterward. Stricker and Marino shot 68s to
get in a three-man playoff. Then, It’s not that he questioned his abil- match Clark (70) at 17-under 263.
lucky to be playing a second extra ity to close out tournaments, he was Jason Day, a 21-year-old Austra-
hole, he put his approach just 3 just ready to win after finishing lian who recently became a Colonial
feet from the cup and knocked it second, third, fourth, sixth and member, shot 69 and finished
right in to win the Crowne Plaza seventh this year. fourth at 264. He shot 65 in the
Invitational. Now he has five career wins— other three rounds, but started
Admirable as it may be, the real and the No. 8 spot in the world with a bogey and wound up a stroke
story Sunday was how Tim Clark ranking. out of the playoff.
blew this tournament. “I feel fortunate,” Stricker said, Another stroke back was Paul
Trying to shed his title as the guy wearing the plaid jacket given to all Casey, coming off a prestigious win
who’d won the most money on the winners at the Colonial Country in Europe that vaulted him to No. 3
PGA Tour without winning an event, Club. “I’ve been on the other end a in the world ranking. He opened
Clark wasted a two-shot lead with couple times this year where you the final round with three straight
five holes left. He left short a 9-foot feel going to win and end up losing. birdies but couldn’t build on it
putt that would’ve won it on the final This feels very good.” much.
hole, then pulled a 7-footer that Stricker, who earned $1,116,000, Woody Austin (68) and Vijay
would’ve ended the playoff on the led after two rounds with a 36-hole Singh (69) tied for sixth at 14 under.
first hole. The final kick in the gut tournament record of 126. He Clark’s foibles on the 18th hole—
came when his approach on the sec- moved back ahead with birdies on in regulation, then in the playoffs—
ond extra hole hit the pin and rolled Nos. 5 and 6 on Sunday, then fol- sent the playoff to No. 17, a hole
DONNA MCWILLIAM / AP more than 20 feet from the cup. lowed with consecutive bogeys. Stricker already had birdied three
“I can’t take anything positive When he missed a 4-footer on times in four rounds.
No. 16, Stricker seemed out of con- His fourth birdie there was the
tention. His chances looked even charm.
68-69-66-67—270 Scott Verplank (34), $30,646 70-68-68-68—274 Greg Owen (10), $13,516 68-69-69-72—278
69-67-65-69—270 Kenny Perry (34), $30,646 64-72-68-70—274 Rocco Mediate (10), $13,516 67-70-69-72—278 worse when he was in fluffy grass “This is what my whole career
68-65-67-70—270 Ryan Palmer (34), $30,646 69-63-70-72—274 Jason Dufner (10), $13,516 69-71-65-73—278
behind the 17th green. has been about up. I’ve had to pull
66-68-64-72—270 Tim Herron (34), $30,646 71-65-66-72—274 Geoff Ogilvy (10), $13,516 70-67-67-74—278
71-69-66-65—271 George McNeill (28), $22,940 68-70-68-69—275 Mike Weir (6), $12,958 69-67-72-71—279 Then his chip rolled in. myself up when something hasn’t
68-67-67-69—271 Brandt Jobe (28), $22,940 71-69-66-69—275 Adam Scott (6), $12,958 68-71-69-71—279
“You need breaks to win, that’s gone my way,” Stricker said. “You
69-65-66-71—271 Bob Estes (28), $22,940 71-66-68-70—275 Carl Pettersson (6), $12,958 71-68-69-71—279
65-64-70-72—271 Kevin Streelman (28), $22,940 68-70-66-71—275 Tommy Armour III (6), $12,958 67-72-68-72—279 why winning is so special, so hard have to let it roll off your back.”
71-68-67-66—272 Lucas Glover (28), $22,940 70-65-66-74—275 Richard S. Johnson (2), $12,524 71-69-70-70—280
to do,” he said. Maybe one day, Clark can. Not
71-66-68-67—272 Michael Bradley (22), $16,337 70-67-73-66—276 Derek Fathauer (2), $12,524 68-69-70-73—280
69-69-66-68—272 Ben Crane (22), $16,337 71-68-70-67—276 Rod Pampling (2), $12,524 73-66-67-74—280 Steve Marino was the third player now.
67-71-66-68—272 Danny Lee (0), $16,337 69-67-71-69—276 Ryuji Imada (1), $12,152 69-68-73-71—281
in the playoff. He narrowly missed Not after being tied for the tour-
69-65-68-70—272 Chris DiMarco (22), $16,337 69-71-67-69—276 Chez Reavie (1), $12,152 72-68-70-71—281
68-71-70-64—273 Matt Bettencourt (22), $16,337 69-70-68-69—276 John Rollins (1), $12,152 70-67-71-73—281 a long birdie putt on the first extra nament record with five holes to
69-67-68-69—273 Bart Bryant (22), $16,337 70-68-67-71—276 John Merrick (1), $11,904 71-68-71-75—285
hole, then pretty much took himself play. Not after being the tourna-
69-64-70-70—273 Charley Hoffman (22), $16,337 73-67-65-71—276
67-72-65-69—273 Fredrik Jacobson (22), $16,337 68-70-66-72—276 Failed to qualify for final round out of contention with a wild tee ment’s most accurate driver to that
68-68-67-70—273 Heath Slocum (15), $14,136 69-71-68-69—277 Ken Duke (1), $11,780 71-69-71—211
shot on the second extra hole. Colo- point and then knocking two tee
70-68-65-70—273 Dudley Hart (15), $14,136 74-66-68-69—277 Mark Brooks (1), $11,594 71-69-72—212
67-69-66-71—273 Tom Pernice, Jr. (15), $14,136 69-67-70-71—277 Aron Price (1), $11,594 67-72-73—212 nial would’ve been a sweet place for shots into trouble.
71-69-69-65—274 James Nitties (15), $14,136 67-68-70-72—277 Joe Ogilvie (1), $11,408 67-73-73—213
his debut win considering his mom Clark’s second-place finish was
69-69-70-66—274 Anthony Kim (15), $14,136 69-68-68-72—277 Mark Calcavecchia (1), $11,284 68-72-74—214
69-68-70-67—274 Bo Van Pelt (10), $13,516 71-69-69-69—278 grew up a few blocks away and was the seventh of his career.
in the gallery with a group of her — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Glance
PARIS—A look at the French Open
on Sunday:
Weather: Sunny. High of 73
degrees.
Attendance: 31,283.
Men’s winners: No. 3 Andy
Murray, No. 10 Nikolay Davydenko,
No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez, No. 23
Robin Soderling.
Men’s losers: No. 1 Rafael Nadal,
No. 8 Fernando Verdasco, No. 13
Marin Cilic, No. 30 Victor Hanescu.
Women’s winners: No. 1 Dinara
Safina, No. 9 Victoria Azarenka,
No. 20 Dominika Cibulkova, Maria
Sharapova.
Women’s losers: Defending
champion Ana Ivanovic, No. 25 Li
Na, No. 29 Agnes Szavay, Aravane
Rezai.
Stat of the day: 31-1—Nadal’s
career French Open record, after his
first loss at the Grand Slam tourna-
ment he’s won four times. Soderling
beat him 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Quote of the day: “I need to
learn, and you learn more when you
lose than when you win.” — Nadal
On court today: No. 2 Roger
Federer vs. Tommy Haas, No. 5 Juan
Martin del Potro vs. No. 9 Jo-Wilfried
Tsonga, No. 6 Andy Roddick
vs. No. 11 Gael Monfils, No. 16
Tommy Robredo vs. No. 29 Philipp
Kohlschreiber; No. 2 Serena Williams
vs. No. 24 Aleksandra Wozniak,
No. 5 Jelena Jankovic vs. Sorana
Cirstea, No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova
vs. No. 12 Agnieszka Radwanska,
No. 30 Samantha Stosur vs. Virginie
Razzano.
Today’s forecast: Sunny in the
morning, cloudy in the afternoon
with a chance of rain. High of 77
degrees.
Today’s TV: Tennis Channel, 5
a.m.-noon ET; ESPN2, noon-6:30
p.m. ET.
— The Associated Press
Swede stuns Nadal in one of biggest upsets ever
PARIS—For 31 matches, Rafael Nadal
ruled the red clay of Roland Garros,
boasting an unbeaten record and an
unbreakable will.
For 31 matches, this was his surface,
his tournament, his time.
For 31 matches, dating to his debut
on May 23, 2005, Nadal never truly
was challenged, much less defeated,
at the French Open, allowing him to
win four consecutive titles and close
in on becoming the first player in his-
tory with five in a row.
Until Sunday. Until the fourth
round of the 2009 French Open. Until
Robin Soderling, a 24-year-old from
Sweden with a bit of an attitude and
6-foot-3 worth of power, transformed
Nadal’s career mark at Roland Garros
from a best-ever 31-0 to 31-1 with 3½
hours of assertive, and sometimes
spectacular, play.
“Well, that’s the end of the road, and
I have to accept it,” Nadal said. “I have
to accept my defeat as I accepted my
victories: with calm.”
Simply put, Soderling’s 6-2, 6-7 (2),
6-4, 7-6 (2) victory over the No.
1-seeded Nadal rates as one of the big-
gest upsets in tennis history. Not sure?
Set aside all of Nadal’s bona fides for a
moment—the dominance on clay; the
six Grand Slam titles, including at
Wimbledon and Australian Open—
and focus on this: The 23rd-seeded
Soderling never had won so much as a
third-round match at any major tour-
nament before this one.
“I kept telling myself, ‘This is just
another match,’” Soderling said.
Nadal won all three of their previ-
ous meetings, including a contentious
match at Wimbledon in 2007, and a
6-1, 6-0 rout on clay at Rome in April.
But this time, Nadal was a half-step
Tennis
FRENCH OPEN
Sweden’s Robin Soderling, above, ended Rafael Nadal’s four-year dominance at the French Open.
slower than usual—he tumbled to the
ground in the third set, smearing clay
all over his pink shirt and charcoal
shorts—and Soderling was lights-out
good.
Soderling finished with 61 winners,
28 more than Nadal, and won the
point on 27 of 35 trips to the net.
“One of those days,” Nadal said. “I
had someone playing very well in
front of me.”
The stunning result rendered the
rest of Sunday’s action around the
grounds mere footnotes, from reign-
ing French Open women’s champion
Ana Ivanovic’s exit in a 6-2, 6-3 loss to
No. 9 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, to
Maria Sharapova’s latest three-set
CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP
victory, to the Williams’ sisters loss in
doubles.
All that really mattered on this day
was Nadal’s ouster. In the first round,
he broke Bjorn Borg’s record of 28
straight French Open wins by a man.
In the second, he eclipsed Chris Evert’s
overall tournament record of 29.
“Everybody’s in a state of shock, I
would think,” said Mats Wilander, a
three-time French Open champion
who works with Soderling as Sweden’s
Davis Cup captain. “At some point,
Nadal was going to lose. But nobody
expected it to happen today, and maybe
not this year. Now it’s a matter of:
There’s a tournament to be won.”
The biggest beneficiary might be
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009
Nadal streaks
come to an end
48—match winning streak in best of
five set matches on clay
32—sets winning streak at Paris since
losing second set in ‘07 final
vs Federer
32—winning streak snapped vs. play-
ers ranked outside the Top 20 since
taking over No. 1 last August
31—match winning streak at Roland
Garros (all-time record)
10—match winning streak in Grand
Slam tournaments comes to an end
since SF loss at 08 US Open
5—had reached QF or better in past
five GS tournaments since 4th Rd. exit
at 07 US Open
4—titles streak, tying Bjorn Borg’s
mark from 1978-81
Other drop shots:
First time since 2005 he has lost
two clay court matches in a season
Only second time in past 13 GS
tournaments he failed to reach
quarters or better
First time since July 2004 he lost
back-to-back clay court tournaments
in the same year
Had a 6-1 record in Paris in tie-
breaks before losing fourth set TB
Soderling is the 13th different
player to beat Nadal on clay in his
career, the first Swede
Nadal is 153-6 on clay since 2005
Source: ATPWorldTour.com
Roger Federer, the 13-time major
champion whose resume is missing
only a French Open title. Federer lost
to Nadal in each of the past three finals
at Roland Garros.
“If one guy deserves it,” Nadal said,
“that’s him.”
— The Associated Press
32
Results
At Stade Roland Garros
Paris
Purse: $21.8 million (Grand Slam)
Surface: Clay-Outdoor
Singles
Men
Fourth Round
Fernando Gonzalez (12), Chile, def. Victor
Hanescu (30), Romania, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Andy Murray (3), Britain, def. Marin Cilic
(13), Croatia, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Robin Soderling (23), Sweden, def. Rafael
Nadal (1), Spain, 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2).
Nikolay Davydenko (10), Russia, def.
Fernando Verdasco (8), Spain, 6-2, 6-2,
6-4.
Women
Fourth Round
Dominika Cibulkova (20), Slovakia, def.
Agnes Szavay (29), Hungary, 6-2, 6-4.
Dinara Safina (1), Russia, def. Aravane
Rezai, France, 6-1, 6-0.
Victoria Azarenka (9), Belarus, def. Ana
Ivanovic (8), Serbia, 6-2, 6-3.
Maria Sharapova, Russia, def. Li Na (25),
China, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.
Doubles
Men
Third Round
Daniel Nestor, Canada, and Nenad Zimonjic
(1), Serbia, def. Christopher Kas, Germany,
and Rogier Wassen, Netherlands, 6-0, 6-3.
Bob and Mike Bryan (2), United States,
def. Rik de Voest, South Africa, and Ashley
Fisher (14), Australia, 6-3, 6-4.
Marc Lopez and Tommy Robredo, Spain,
def. Michael Kohlmann and Alexander
Waske, Germany, 6-3, 6-4.
Jose Acasuso, Argentina, and Fernando
Gonzalez, Chile, def. Mahesh Bhupathi,
India, and Mark Knowles (4), Bahamas,
7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Women
Third Round
Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska,
Poland, def. Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic,
and Lisa Raymond (2), United States,
6-2, 6-3.
Yan Zi and Zheng Jie (16), China, def.
Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs (4),
Australia, 6-4, 7-5.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and
Nadia Petrova (10), Russia, def. Serena and
Venus Williams (5), United States, 7-6 (4),
5-7, 7-6 (6).
Mixed
Second Round
Nathalie Dechy, France, and Andy Ram,
Israel, def. Elena Vesnina, Russia, and
Daniel Nestor (6), Canada, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7
tiebreak.
Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, and Bruno
Soares, Brazil, def. Anastasia Rodionova,
Russia, and Rik de Voest, South Africa,
6-4, 6-2.
Ai Sugiyama, Japan, and Andre Sa (5),
Brazil, def. Pauline Parmentier and Marc
Gicquel, France, 6-2, 6-3.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
NCAA REGIONAL ROUNDUP
Gore’s grand slam lifts
Heels to super regionals
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Garrett Gore
hadn’t shown much pop at the plate
this season—until Sunday.
Gore hit a grand slam to highlight a
seven-run third inning and followed
with another homer two innings later
to help North Carolina beat Kansas
12-1 to win its NCAA regional. The
slam was the first career postseason
homer for Gore, who had three home
runs this season and seven for his
career before Sunday.
Gore was a small part of a domi-
nant performance for the Tar Heels
(45-16), who had no trouble advanc-
ing to this week’s super regionals.
North Carolina, the No. 4 national
seed in pursuit of a fourth straight
trip to the College World Series, got a
strong effort on the mound from
starter Adam Warren and key hits
from Kyle Seager and Dustin Ackley
to overwhelm the Jayhawks (39-24).
The win improved the Tar Heels to
12-0 at home in NCAA regional play
over the past four seasons.
Kansas 5, Coastal Carolina 1
James Stanfield and David Naro-
dowski came up with key hits in the
seventh inning, helping Kansas
eliminate the Chanticleers.
Stanfield’s RBI groundout gave
the Jayhawks (39-23) the lead, and
Narodowski hit a two-run single that
made it 4-1.
Gainesville (Fla.) Regional
Florida 16, Miami 5
Preston Tucker and Matt den
Dekker drove in three runs apiece
and Florida used two big innings to
beat rival Miami and advance to the
super regionals.
It marked the first time in 11 tries
that the Gators (42-20) advanced in
regional play when grouped with
the four-time national champions.
Tucker and Josh Adams homered
for No. 8 national seed Florida.
Miami 4, Jacksonville 0
David Gutierrez pitched a seven-
hitter and Miami took advantage of
three errors to eliminate Jacksonville.
Louisville (Ky.) Regional
Vanderbilt 8, Louisville 4
Brian Harris, Steven Liddle and
Andrew Giobbi each drove in two
runs as Vanderbilt beat Louisville and
forced a deciding game in the
regional.
Nick Christiani (6-6) limited the
Big East Conference champions,
who came in averaging 8.4 runs per
game, to just three earned runs on
seven hits.
The third-seeded Commodores
(37-26) will take on the top-seeded
Cardinals (46-16) tonight.
Vanderbilt 6, Middle Tennessee 0
Caleb Cotham threw a four-hitter,
and Aaron Westlake and Jonathan
White each homered to help elimi-
nate Middle Tennessee.
The Commodores avenged a first-
game loss to the Blue Raiders.
Greenville (N.C.) Regional
East Carolina 8, South Carolina 6
Brandon Henderson hit a grand
slam and East Carolina held on to
beat South Carolina and force a
winner-take-all regional champi-
onship game.
Kyle Roller hit a three-run homer
College Baseball
Georgia Tech 2B Jason Garofalo, left, turns a double play that forced Southern Mississippi’s Kameron Brunty at second base.
and Dustin Harrington also con-
nected for the top-seeded Pirates (45-
18). They scored the first eight runs,
then withstood the Gamecocks’ late
rally to set up a rematch today.
South Carolina (40-22) trailed
8-2 entering the ninth before Justin
Dalles hit a two-run homer and
pinch-hitter Brady Thomas’ bases-
loaded double brought home two
more.
East Carolina 16, Binghamton 9
Kyle Roller homered twice during
an eight-run fifth inning to elimi-
nate Binghamton.
Trent Whitehead had three hits,
Drew Schieber homered and Roller
finished with four hits and four RBIs
for the Pirates, who trailed 7-2.
Clemson (S.C.) Regional
Clemson 15, Oklahoma St. 1
Mike Freeman and Ben Paulsen
homered as top-seeded Clemson
routed Oklahoma State to force a
deciding game today in the
regional.
The Tigers (43-20) scored 11 runs
in the first three innings and
cruised behind freshman left-
hander Chris Dwyer (5-5), who
struck out a career-high 13 and
allowed six hits in 8 2/3 innings.
PAUL ABELL / AP
Clemson 10, Tennessee Tech 0
Freshman right-hander Scott
Weismann threw eight sterling
innings, and the Tigers pounded
out 14 hits in the rout.
Ben Paulsen and Chris Epps
homered for the Tigers, who led
8-0 after four innings.
Atlanta Regional
Georgia Tech 10, Southern Miss 3
Luke Murton became the 10th
player in Georgia Tech history to hit
20 homers in a season.
Murton, Jay Dantzler and Cole
Leonida hit homers in the first two
innings for Georgia Tech (38-18-1),
MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 33
which won two games Sunday to
set up tonight’s regional final game
against Southern Miss.
Georgia Tech 8, Elon 4
Nine straight Georgia Tech bat-
ters reached safely in a seven-run
second.
Oxford (Miss.) Regional
Western Kentucky 10,
Mississippi 9
Wade Gaynor hit two home runs
to key an eight-run rally and Jake
Wells’ go-ahead homer in the ninth
inning gave Western Kentucky a
win over Mississippi and forced a
deciding game in the regional.
The Hilltoppers snapped the Reb-
els’ 11-game regional home winning
streak and extended their school
record for runs in a season to 536.
Western Kentucky 11, Missouri 6
Chad Creger hit a three-run
homer, and Wade Gaynor became
the Hilltoppers’ first 20-20 player
as they eliminated the Tigers.
Baton Rouge (La.) Regional
LSU 10, Minnesota 3
Louis Coleman pitched into the
eighth inning, and LSU beat Min-
nesota to advance to the super
regionals.
Coleman (12-2) allowed one run
on five hits while striking out eight
for LSU (49-16). Blake Dean and
Ryan Schimpf each had three hits
and two RBIs as the Tigers raced
out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the
third against Minnesota (40-19).
Minnesota 15, Baylor 12
Derek McCallum’s home run,
three doubles and seven RBIs
helped Minnesota survive its sec-
ond elimination game.
— The Associated Press
Scores, more results, Page 34
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Baseball MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 34
NCAA REGIONAL ROUNDUP
NCAA Division I regionals glance All times ET, double elimination

At Clark-LeClair
Stadium
Greenville, N.C.
Today
Southern Mississippi (37-24) vs.
Georgia Tech (38-18-1), 7 p.m.
At Alex Box Stadium
Baton Rouge, La.
May 29
May 30
Army 7, Texas State 4, Texas St.
eliminated
Seminoles jump State (47-12) advanced to the super regionals for
the third consecutive year.
May 29
South Carolina 11, George Mason 3
East Carolina vs. Binghamton,
At McKethan Stadium
Gainesville, Fla.
LSU 10, Southern U. 2
Baylor 5, Minnesota 0
May 30
Texas 3, Boston College 2, 25
innings
Sunday
out 32-0, cruise Oral Roberts 15, Kent State 10
Michael Notaro drove in three runs and hit
ppd., rain May 29 Minnesota 11, Southern U. 8, Army 4, Boston College 3, Boston
May 30 Miami 9, Jacksonville 4 Southern U. eliminated College eliminated TALLAHASSEE, FLA.—Stephen Cardullo set a tour- one of Oral Roberts’ five homers, knocking
East Carolina 11, Binghamton 7 Florida 8, Bethune-Cookman 7 LSU 3, Baylor 3, 10 innings Texas 14, Army 10, Texas advances
May 30 nament record with seven hits, including three Kent State from the NCAA tournament.
Binghamton 11, George Mason 6, Sunday
George Mason eliminated Jacksonville 8, Bethune-Cookman Minnesota 15, Baylor 12, Baylor At Packard Stadium of Florida State’s NCAA-record 15 doubles, as
South Carolina 12, East Carolina 2 7, Bethune-Cookman eliminated eliminated Tempe, Ariz. the Seminoles routed Ohio State 37-6 on Sunday
Sunday Florida 8, Miami 2 LSU 10, Minnesota 3, LSU advances May 29
East Carolina 16, Binghamton 9, Sunday Oral Roberts 13, Cal Poly 3 and advanced to the super regionals. Fort Worth (Texas) Regional
Binghamton eliminated Miami 4, Jacksonville 0, At L. Dale Mitchell Park Arizona State 17, Kent State 6 Florida State (45-16) set NCAA postseason TCU 5, Oregon State 4
East Carolina 8, South Carolina 6 Jacksonville eliminated Norman, Okla. May 30
Today Florida 16, Miami 5, Florida May 29 Kent State 10, Cal Poly 9, Cal Poly records with 37 runs, 38 hits and 66 total bases, Jason Coats hit a game-winning RBI single in
advances eliminated STEVE CANNON / AP
South Carolina (40-22) vs. East Arkansas 10, Washington State 3 while Cardullo set the school mark for hits in an the ninth inning to give TCU a win over Oregon
Carolina (45-18), 6 p.m. Oklahoma 5, Wichita State 4 Arizona State 4, Oral Roberts 1 Florida State’s Jason Stidham, center right, earned
At Dick Howser May 30 Sunday offensive performance the football team the regional most outstanding player award at the State and clinch a berth in the super regionals.
At Boshamer Stadium Stadium Washington State 3, Wichita State Oral Roberts 15, Kent State 10, Kent would’ve been proud of. Tallahassee Regional after sparking an eight-run first
Chapel Hill, N.C. Tallahassee, Fla. 2, Wichita St. eliminated St. eliminated
May 29 Arizona State 8, Oral Roberts 3, Jason Stidham, the regional’s most outstand- inning against Ohio State. Oregon St. 13, Texas A&M 5
May 29 Arkansas 17, Oklahoma 6
Coastal Carolina 11, Kansas 3 Georgia 24, Ohio State 8 Sunday Arizona State advances ing player, hit a two-run double as the Semi- Koa Kahalehoe went 5 for 5 with three RBIs,
North Carolina 5, Dartmouth 2
May 30
Florida State 16, Marist 4
May 30
Oklahoma 7, Washington State 2,
Washington St. eliminated At Anteater Ballpark noles scored eight times in the first and cruised Norman (Okla.) Regional helping Oregon State knock Texas A&M from
Kansas 16, Dartmouth 0, Ohio State 6, Marist 4, Marist Arkansas 11, Oklahoma 0, Arkansas Irvine, Calif. past the pitching-depleted Buckeyes (42-19), Arkansas 11, Oklahoma 0 the NCAA tournament.
Dartmouth eliminated eliminated advances May 29 who trailed 32-0 in the fifth. Freshman Drew Smyly had a no-hitter bro- Kahalehoe was hitting .227 coming into the
North Carolina 14, Coastal Florida State 8, Georgia 2 Virginia 5, San Diego State 1
Carolina 5 Sunday At Reckling Park UC Irvine 4, Fresno State 2 ken up with one out in the ninth inning, and game, but had four singles and a two-run double
Sunday Ohio State 13, Georgia 6, Georgia Houston May 30 Ohio State 13, Georgia 6 Andy Wilkins went 5-for-5 with two homers for the Beavers. Teammate Ryan Ortiz was 4 for
Kansas 5, Coastal Carolina 1, Coastal eliminated May 29 San Diego State 4, Fresno State 1,
Carolina eliminated Florida State 37, Ohio State 6, Kansas State 16, Xavier 8 Fresno St. eliminated Michael Stephens hit a pair of homers, includ- and five RBIs as Arkansas advanced. 6 with a solo home run.
North Carolina 12, Kansas 1, North Florida St. advances Rice 5, Sam Houston State 2 Virginia 5, UC Irvine 0 ing a three-run shot to highlight a six-run sev- Smyly’s bid to throw the first NCAA tourna- Texas A&M (37-24) didn’t score until the
Carolina advances May 30 Sunday
At Jim Patterson UC Irvine 14, San Diego State 3, San enth, as Ohio State eliminated Georgia. ment no-hitter in 18 years ended on an infield sixth on a homer by Joe Patterson.
Xavier 9, Sam Houston State 6, Sam
At Doug Kingsmore Stadium Houston eliminated Diego State eliminated hit by Trey Sperring with one out in the ninth.
Stadium
Clemson, S.C.
Louisville, Ky.
May 29
Kansas State 7, Rice 6, 10 innings
Sunday
Virginia 4, UC Irvine 1, Virginia
advances
Austin (Texas) Regional Fullerton (Calif.) Regional
May 29 Middle Tennessee 5, Vanderbilt 4 Rice 12, Xavier 5, Xavier eliminated Texas 14, Army 10 Oklahoma 7, Washington State 2 Cal State Fullerton 16, Utah 3
Oklahoma State 10, Alabama 6 Louisville 8, Indiana 2 Rice 8, Kansas State 0 At Goodwin Field Preston Clark hit a game-winning grand slam Aaron Baker’s first career grand slam high- Cal State Fullerton pounded out 21 hits and
Clemson 5, Tennessee Tech 4 May 30 Today Fullerton, Calif.
May 30 Vanderbilt 10, Indiana 0, Indiana Kansas State (43-17-1) vs. Rice May 29 in the bottom of the ninth inning as Texas ral- lighted a five-run seventh inning, and Garrett Tyler Pill (11-3) pitched eight strong innings as
Tennessee Tech 6, Alabama 2, eliminated (42-16), 7 p.m. Gonzaga 19, Georgia Southern 10 lied from a four-run deficit to stun Army and Richards threw his first complete game. the top-seeded Titans defeated Utah and
Alabama eliminated Louisville 3, Middle Tennessee 2 Cal State Fullerton 18, Utah 2
Oklahoma State 3, Clemson 2 Sunday At Lupton Baseball May 30 advance to the super regionals. advanced to the super regionals.
Sunday Vanderbilt 6, Middle Tennessee 0, Stadium Utah 11, Georgia Southern 10, Trailing 10-6, the Longhorns loaded the Houston Regional
Clemson 10, Tennessee Tech 0, Middle Tenn. eliminated Fort Worth, Texas Georgia Southern eliminated
Vanderbilt 8, Louisville 4 Cal State Fullerton 7, Gonzaga 4 bases three times against Army (36-21) during Rice 8, Kansas State 0 Utah 9, Gonzaga 7
Tennessee Tech eliminated May 29
Clemson 15, Oklahoma State 1 Today Oregon State 9, Texas A&M 8 Sunday the inning. The second time, Brandon Loy Freshman Taylor Wall threw a three-hitter Tyler Yagi had a career-high five hits and
Today Louisville (46-16) vs. Vanderbilt TCU 6, Wright State 3 Utah 9, Gonzaga 7, Gonzaga almost ended the game when he bounced a as Rice (42-16) defeated Kansas State (43-17-1) scored three runs to keep Utah alive.
Oklahoma State (34-23) vs. (37-26), 7 p.m. May 30 eliminated
Clemson (43-20), 7 p.m. Texas A&M 6, Wright State 4, 11 Cal State Fullerton 16, Utah 3, Cal three-run double off the top of the left-field wall and set up a deciding game tonight.
At Oxford-University innings, Wright St. eliminated State Fullerton advances just inches away from going over for the win.
At Russ Chandler Stadium TCU 13, Oregon State 1
Stadium Oxford, Miss. Sunday A few batters later, Clark hit a walk-off grand Rice 12, Xavier 5 Irvine (Calif.) Regional
Atlanta May 29 Oregon State 13, Texas A&M 5, slam. Jared Rogers struck out a career-high seven Virginia 4, UC Irvine 1
May 29 Western Kentucky 11, Missouri 5 Texas A&M eliminated
Southern Mississippi 17, Elon 15 Mississippi 8, Monmouth, N.J. 1 TCU 5, Oregon State 4, TCU
in his first complete game for Rice. Virginia advanced to its first-ever super
Georgia Tech 9, Georgia State 3 May 30 advances Army 4, Boston College 3 regional. The Cavaliers secured the win with
Missouri 9, Monmouth, N.J. 0,
May 30
Georgia State 4, Elon 3, Elon Monmouth, N.J. eliminated At UFCU Disch-Falk Boston College bowed out of the tournament Tempe Regional two runs in the ninth after holding a 2-1 lead.
eliminated Mississippi 7, Western Kentucky 4 Field hours after losing a 25-inning marathon to Arizona St. 8, Oral Roberts 3
Southern Mississippi 10, Georgia Sunday Austin, Texas
Western Kentucky 11, Missouri 6,
Texas, the longest game in NCAA history. Zack MacPhee’s two-run, go-ahead single in UC Irvine 14, San Diego State 3
Tech 7 May 29
Sunday Missouri eliminated Boston College 8, Texas State 7 Kevin McKague escaped a ninth-inning scare the sixth inning helped lead Arizona State over Jeff Cusick had four hits, and Ben Orloff and
Georgia Tech 8, Elon 4, Elon Western Kentucky 10, Mississippi 9 Texas 3, Army 1 for his seventh save for Army, getting Mickey Oral Roberts. Ronnie Shaeffer each drove in three runs as UC
eliminated Today
Georgia Tech 10, Southern Mississippi (42-18) vs. Western Wiswall to ground into a double-play with the Jared McDonald added a two-run, inside-the- Irvine stayed alive
Mississippi 3 Kentucky (42-19), 8 p.m. bases loaded. park home run in the eighth inning as Arizona — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
NHRA
Capps outlasts Hood for
third victory of season
TOPEKA, KAN.—Ron Capps raced to
his third Funny Car victory of the
season Sunday, beating No. 1 quali-
fier Ashley Force Hood in the
O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals
at Heartland Park Topeka.
Larry Dixon and Allen Johnson
also won their divisions in the
NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing
series event.
Capps had a 4.265-second run at
286.07 mph.
“When they said we won, it was
such a great feeling,” Capps said.
“Ed McCulloch fought the condi-
tions today and all weekend long.
We dropped cylinders all weekend,
and we got put in that lane that was
considered not as good as the left
lane, and we won two rounds in
that right lane.
“To have conditions with a
125-degree track temperature and
have a two-lane dragstrip with both
lanes getting wins was a phenome-
nal job by Heartland Park Topeka
and the NHRA Safety Safari.”
The win helped strengthen
Capps’ lead over Del Worsham in
the point standings.
Larry Dixon raced to his second
Top Fuel win of the season, beating
Clay Millicam with a 3.971-second
run at 301.74.
The win pushed Dixon from sixth
to fourth in the standings, 141 points
behind first-place Tony Schumacher.
In Pro Stock, Johnson won for the
first time in almost three years,
driving his Dodge Stratus to a hole-
shot win at 6.726 at 204.94 over
Mike Edwards.
— The Associated Press
NHRA / Horse Racing MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 35
HORSE RACING
BELMONT STAKES Saturday 6:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Mine That Bird owners gearing up for race
The owners of Kentucky Derby after winning two races and fin-
Summer Nationals results winner Mine That Bird stopped ishing second in the Florida
Sunday by the gelding’s barn at Churchill Derby in his first three starts.
At Heartland Park Topeka Downs for a quick visit before “I feel he’s a top-quality horse,
Topeka, Kan.
Finals heading to New York for Belmont and has run well in three of his
TOP FUEL: 1, Larry Dixon. 2, Clay Millican. 3, Spencer
Massey. 4, Shawn Langdon. 5, Tony Schumacher. 6. Antron Stakes week. four races,” trainer Todd Pletcher
Brown. 7, Brandon Bernstein. 8, Cory McClenathan. 9, Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard said. “The Derby, to me, I have to
Terry Haddock. 10, Doug Kalitta. 11, Morgan Lucas. 12,
Steven Chrisman. 13, Joe Hartley. 14, Scott Palmer. 15, Chris Blach also met with trainer Chip put a line through that race. I felt
Karamesines. Woolley a day before Mine That he didn’t handle the surface at all
FUNNY CAR: 1, Ron Capps, Dodge Charger. 2, Ashley Force
Hood. 3, Tim Wilkerson. 4, Jack Beckman. 5, Bob Tasca III. Bird’s final workout in prepara- in that race.”
6, John Force. 7, Tony Pedregon. 8, Del Worsham. 9, Matt
Hagan. 10, Jeff Arend. 11. Cruz Pedregon. 12, Jack Wyatt. tion for Saturday’s 1½-mile
13, Jerry Toliver. 14, Mike Neff. 15, Robert Hight. 16, Daniel
Wilkerson.
Belmont. Field of nine?
PRO STOCK: 1, Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus. 2, Mike “It looks like he has put on a lit- A field of 10 3-year-olds is shap-
Edwards. 3, Greg Anderson. 4, Jeg Coughlin. 5, Greg tle weight,” Allen said Sunday ing up for the 141st running of the
Stanfield. 6, Rickie Jones. 7, Jason Line. 8, Warren Johnson.
9, Ron Krisher. 10, Rodger Brogdon. 11, Kurt Johnson. 12, after seeing Mine That Bird for Belmont, although trainer Nick
Dave Northrop. 13, Larry Morgan. 14, Steve Spiess. 15,
Ronnie Humphrey. 16, Johnny Gray. the first time since the gelding ran Zito has indicated that one of his
second in the Preakness Stakes three possible starts—Nowhere
Finals Results
Top Fuel—Larry Dixon, 3.971 seconds, 301.74 mph def. on May 16. “For as hard as he has to Hide—may not make the race.
Clay Millican, 4.056 seconds, 293.41 mph. run and the shipping, I am real The nine all-but-definites are
Funny Car—Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.265, 286.07 def.
Ashley Force Hood, Ford Mustang, 4.495, 238.26. happy with the way he looks.” Kentucky Derby winner and
Pro Stock—Allen Johnson, Dodge Stratus, 6.726, 204.94
def. Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 6.718, 205.88. While the owners were New Preakness runner-up Mine The
Top Alcohol Dragster—Jim Whiteley, 5.361, 265.74 def. York-bound, Woolley leaves for the Bird, Flying Private (19th in the
Tom Conway, 5.369, 264.23.
Top Alcohol Funny Car—Steve Harker, Chevy Monte Carlo, city Tuesday, with Mine That Bird Derby, fourth in the Preakness);
5.656, 253.47 def. Sean O’Bannon, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, scheduled to be shipped via plane— Derby runners Chocolate Candy
5.724, 253.37.
Competition Eliminator—Bruno Massel, Chevy Cobalt, not trailer—on Wednesday. (fifth); Summer Bird (sixth);
7.970, 126.33 def. David Rampy, Bantam Roadster, 7.471,
154.74. Mine That Bird, with regular Dunkirk (11th); and Mr. Hot
Super Stock—Gary Emmons, Pontiac Firebird, 10.163, exercise rider Charlie Figueroa AP PHOTO Stuff; Preakness runner Luv
119.20 def. Lloyd Wofford, Plymouth Volare, 10.278, 126.80.
Stock Eliminator—Adam Davis, Chevy Camaro, 11.448, up, galloped 1½ miles Sunday. Mine That Bird will try to finish in the money again at Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. Gov (eighth); and Brave Victory,
109.99 def. S.E. Buchanan, Plymouth Barracuda, 11.480, “He was a little more into the Charitable Man and Miner’s
112.51.
Super Comp—Ryan Herem, Dragster, 8.887, 174.44 def. bit today,” Woolley said. “That mile in 49.00 seconds under 11. Escape.
Bob Fuller, Dragster, 8.911, 178.19.
Super Gas—Tommy Phillips, Chevy Corvette, 9.921, should set him up for his breeze exercise rider Renzo Morales, not Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin,
142.55 def. Rick Cates, Corvette, 9.882, 159.82.
Super Street—Tim Forshee, Pontiac Firebird, 10.969,
tomorrow. He’ll work a half-mile long after Dunkirk went the same who won the 2006 Belmont with A little or a lot
134.74 def. Brandon Kanan, Chevy Corvette, 14.446, 76.43. and gallop an eighth past the wire distance in 49.57 under jockey Jazil, says Charitable Man is The largest Belmont field was
Point Standings
with Calvin (Borel) on him. John Velazquez. ready to win. 15 in 1983, when Caveat defeated
TOP FUEL: 1, Tony Schumacher, 715. 2, Antron Brown, Mine That Bird may be the “We feel we’ve got the horse to Slew o’ Gold. Next were 14-horse
672. 3, Brandon Bernstein, 649. 4, Larry Dixon, 574. 5, Cory
McClenathan, 563. 6, (tie) Shawn Langdon, 522. Morgan Workouts begin favorite, but Charitable Man and beat,” McLaughlin said Sunday. fields in 1875 (Calvin beat Aris-
Lucas, 522. 8, Spencer Massey, 447. 9, Doug Kalitta, 443. 10, Peter Pan Stakes winner Char- Dunkirk could be the top “Mine That Bird we have a lot of tides) and in 1996 (Editor’s Note
Joe Hartley, 365.
FUNNY CAR: 1, Ron Capps, 729. 2, Del Worsham, 610. 3, itable Man and Kentucky Derby challengers. respect for, Dunkirk, and other beat Skip Away). ... There’s never
Ashley Force Hood, 603. 4, Tony Pedregon, 584. 5. Jack Beck- also-ran Dunkirk posted final A son of 1999 Belmont winner horses, but I wouldn’t trade been a walkover, but there were
man, 553. 6, Tim Wilkerson, 498. 7, Matt Hagan, 480. 8, Bob
Tasca III, 460. 9, John Force, 453. 10, Cruz Pedregon, 420. workouts Sunday before taking Lemon Drop Kid, Charitable Man places with anyone.” five two-horse fields, in 1887,
PRO STOCK: 1, Jeg Coughlin, 789. 2, Jason Line, 716. 3,
Mike Edwards, 714. 4, Greg Anderson, 650. 5. Allen Johnson, on Derby winner Mine That Bird missed the Derby and the Preak- Dunkirk, purchased for $3.7 1888, 1892, 1910 and 1920 (Man
552. 6, Greg Stanfield, 482. 7, Ron Krisher, 432. 8, Kurt in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. ness after finishing seventh in million, is looking to rebound o’War).
Johnson, 423. 9, Rickie Jones, 388. 10, Warren Johnson, 330.
Charitable Man covered a half the Blue Grass Stakes on April from an 11th-place Derby finish — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Back Page MONDAY, JUNE 01, 2009 36
IN BRIEF
TRANSACTIONS

Twelve sites in Brazil to host 2014 World Cup

BASEBALL
American League
CLEVELAND INDIANS: Placed OF Grady Sizemore on the 15-
day DL. Recalled UT Chris Gimenez from Columbus (IL).
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Placed C John Buck on the 15-day DL.
SAO PAULO—Fans in the 12 Brazilian cities hit an opposite-field drive over the fence in Recalled C Brayan Pena from Omaha (PCL).
chosen to host 2014 World Cup matches right field. National League
erupted in joy after the announcement was Brianna Hesson, who had drawn the bases- PITTSBURGH PIRATES: Placed LHP Donnie Veal on the 15-day
made Sunday. loaded walk in the first game, delivered a DL, retroactive to May 30.
Several thousand Brazilians gathered for two-run single in the third to get Georgia HOCKEY
FIFA’s announcement on the streets of the within 5-3 but the Bulldogs couldn’t come up National Hockey League
DALLAS STARS: Fired co-general managers Brett Hull and
bidding cities, and fans cheered loudly when with their third comeback win of the World Les Jackson. Named Joe Nieuwendyk general manager.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter named the Series. EDMONTON OILERS: Signed C Milan Kytnar to a three-year
winners. contract.
The host cities will be Belo Horizonte, IRL
Brasilia, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Manaus, WEST ALLIS, WIS.—Scott Dixon took advantage
Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, of the heavy Milwaukee Mile traffic to pass Major League Soccer
Salvador and Sao Paulo. Ryan Briscoe and drive away to a victory EASTERN CONFERENCE
W L T Pts GF GA
Two huge yellow jersey-shaped banners Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile. Chicago 5 1 6 21 20 16
were displayed on the field at the Maracana The reigning IndyCar Series champion Kansas City 4 4 4 16 16 14
D.C. 3 2 7 16 18 17
stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where the final is darted past Briscoe 25 laps from the end of Toronto FC 4 4 4 16 16 19
expected to take place. The stadium also the A.J. Foyt 225 and was not challenged the Columbus 2 2 7 13 15 17
New England 3 3 4 13 10 17
hosted the final in 1950, the only other time rest of the way, beating last year’s race winner New York 2 7 3 9 12 16
football’s biggest showcase was played in by nearly half the front straightaway on the WESTERN CONFERENCE
Brazil. one-mile oval. W L T Pts GF GA
Chivas USA 7 2 3 24 17 9
“It was tough,” said Dixon, who also took Houston 5 2 3 18 14 7
NASSAU, BAHAMAS—Soccer’s governing the series points lead with his second victory Seattle 4 2 5 17 15 9
Colorado 4 2 4 16 16 13
body said it has received confirmation from of the season and the 18th of his career. Los Angeles 1 1 9 12 13 13
the World Anti-Doping Agency that its poli- Dario Franchitti was third. Graham Rahal Real Salt Lake 3 6 2 11 15 15
FC Dallas 2 6 3 9 12 17
cies are compliant with worldwide codes, AP PHOTO finished fourth, followed by Danica Patrick, San Jose 2 7 2 8 12 22
which essentially ends what was portrayed Washington’s Amanda Fleischman, right, is tagged out by Georgia C Kristyn Sandberg, left, in Sunday’s first game. earning her fourth top-five finish in the last NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie.
as a simmering dispute between the parties. five races. May 30 Games Friday’s Game
Colorado 3, New York 2 Houston at Chicago, 9 p.m.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Sunday — Europa League games next season will victory over Alabama on Sunday night. New England 2, D.C. United 1 Saturday’s Games
that WADA sent confirmation “that our code, be played with five officials, with two new Gardiner sent a 2-1 pitch from Alabama ace Golf Houston 3, Toronto FC 0
Seattle FC 1, Columbus 1, tie
Los Angeles at Toronto FC, 3:30 p.m.
Columbus at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m.
FIFA’s disciplinary code and FIFA’s anti-dop- ones stationed near each goal and assisting Kelsi Dunne (28-5) the opposite way, clearing WEST DES MOINES, IOWA—Mark McNulty won Los Angeles 1, Kansas City 1, tie Colorado at Real Salt Lake, 10 p.m.
ing code, is totally in compliance with the the referee. the left-field fence as Whitney Larsen fell over the Principal Charity Classic for his seventh San Jose 2, Real Salt Lake 1 Seattle FC at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Games Sunday, June 7
WADA code”—albeit with one exception, he — FIFA ratified plans for the four “home the top as she tried to make a game-saving Champions Tour victory, beating Fred Funk FC Dallas 3, Chicago 0 San Jose at FC Dallas, 3 p.m.
noted, regarding when suspended injured nations”—England, Scotland, Wales and catch. It was her first hit in 16 at-bats. with a 30-foot birdie putt on the fourth hole of Thursday’s Game Chivas USA at New England, 6 p.m.
Chivas USA at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
players can resume practicing with their vari- Northern Ireland—to combine on a Great The Gators (63-3) won for the 29th straight a playoff.
ous clubs. Britain team for the 2012 Olympics. Those time and will face third-seeded Washington The 55-year-old McNulty, from Zimbabwe,
WADA’s requirement that athletes make soccer associations agreed on the deal last in the best-of-three championship series closed with a 5-under 66 to match Funk (66) Menchov entered the final stage—an indi-
their whereabouts known for testing each day week, and means Britain will enter an Olym- beginning tonight. The Huskies beat Georgia and second-round leader Nick Price (68) at vidual time trial—with a 20-second lead on
of the year has been a thorny issue for FIFA, pic soccer tournament for the first time in 52 6-3 Sunday night to play for the champion- 10-under 203 on the Glen Oaks Country Club Danilo Di Luca and was ahead of the Italian at
which contends that policy treats all players years. ship for the first time since 1999. course. McNulty and Funk birdied the sec- the final checkpoint before he fell.
as doping suspects. FIFA has previously said Danielle Lawrie, who walked in the decid- ond extra hole to eliminate Price. Menchov finished the race with a 41-second
players should be eligible to testing six days a Softball ing run in Georgia’s 9-8 victory over Wash- advantage over Di Luca, while Franco Pelli-
week at their club’s training ground and freed OKLAHOMA CITY—Ali Gardiner hit the first ington earlier in the day, made the most of her Cycling zotti was third overall, 1:59 back. Seven-time
of the obligation while on vacation. walk-off grand slam in Women’s College first chance at redemption. Washington ROME—Denis Menchov won the 100th edi- Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong fin-
Also Sunday from FIFA’s executive com- World Series history, lifting top-seeded Flor- loaded the bases with nobody out in the first tion of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday despite ished 12th overall, 15:59 behind Menchov.
mittee meeting: ida into the championship round with a 6-5 inning against Erin Arevalo (1-1), and Lawrie falling in the final half mile. — The Associated Press