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NBA PLAYOFFS

Page 29

NHL Playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals Boston 4, Carolina 2 (Series tied 3-3) Western Conference semifinals Anaheim 2, Detroit 1 (Series tied 3-3)

Baseball American League Baltimore 7, Tampa Bay 5 Chicago White Sox 7, Cleveland 4 Toronto 5, N.Y. Yankees 1 Texas 7, Seattle 1 Minnesota 6, Detroit 2 Oakland 12, Kansas City 3 Boston 4, L.A. Angels 3

ELISE AMENDOLA / AP

WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2009

SEE A DIFFERENT GAME VOLUME 1 ISSUE 295

The Favre effect BY CLIFTON BROWN [email protected]

Brett Favre might return to the NFL— again—this time with the Vikings. If that happens, what will be the impact on the NFC playoff picture, the Vikings’ offense and in their locker room? Some interested parties weigh in:

National League Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 1 Philadelphia 5, L.A. Dodgers 3 N.Y. Mets 4, Atlanta 3, 10 innings Chicago Cubs 6, San Diego 2 Milwaukee 6, Florida 3 Colorado 12, Houston 1 Cincinnati 3, Arizona 1 San Francisco 9, Washington 7

The offense Former Vikings and Cardinals coach Dennis Green says Favre would be a better fit in Minnesota than he was last year with the New York Jets. “Frankly, I was surprised the Jets (traded for) him,” Green said. “The Vikings, (coach) Brad Childress and those guys are 100 percent West Coast offense. That’s Favre. He would know their system better than any other player. He wouldn’t need as much training camp and offseason stuff. It makes more sense.”

Zimmerman watch

30

Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman was 2-for-5 on Tuesday to extend his hitting streak. N.L. record 45: Wee Willie Keeler (1896-97) MLB record 56: Joe DiMaggio (1941)

The locker room

DEAN DUPREY / AP

The Vikings are a better fit for Brett Favre, former NFL coach Dennis Green says.

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora says the Vikings have enough veteran players to handle the furor that follows Favre. And veterans understand how tough it is to quit. “Before, I was one of those guys who said, ‘Favre, just go sit your butt down somewhere,’

Brett as a Viking? 3 views on No. 4 “ Umenyiora said. “But the older I get, the more I realize: What else is he going to do? You’re talking about a guy who’s been playing football 25 or 30 years of his life. “They’re going to have to drag me out of the league. If you’re his teammate, you can’t be childish. You have to see things from his point of view.”

The NFC race If he called the shots for the Vikings, former Broncos G.M. Ted Sundquist would not sign Favre. Why not? The Vikings won the NFC North last season, and Sundquist says they are the favorites again with Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback. “If you bring in Brett, the microscope is on the Vikings from Day 1, all year, and not just in those two games they play against the Packers,” Sundquist said. “It changes the whole dynamic around a pretty good football team. I can understand that maybe Favre could make the difference in a playoff game. But first you have to make the playoffs, and it’s a long journey to get there. “Even with Favre on the Vikings, I still think the Giants and the Eagles remain the favorites in the NFC.”

Rajon Rondo shot just 3-of-12, but had nine boards and five assists as Boston rallied for a 3-2 series lead. Page 7

No Laker flop this time There’s normalcy again in the playoffs. Kobe Bryant got off to a hot start, Aaron Brooks did not look like an all-world point guard and the Lakers took a 3-2 series lead with a 118-78 win Tuesday. Now, the only question is whether the Lakers can avoid another letdown with a chance to close out the Rockets on Thursday. “We know that winning on the road in the playoffs is always a tall order,” Phil Jackson said.

— Benson Taylor Rockets go cold, Page 6

NHL PLAYOFFS

Pair of Sevens Sevens are wild in the second round of the playoffs. After tonight’s Game 7 battle in Washington decides the first qualifier for the Eastern Conference finals, the top two remaining seeds—Boston and Detroit—will put their seasons at risk Thursday night in Game 7s against Carolina and Anaheim. Two things to consider: Detroit hasn’t played a Game 7 in seven years. And Carolina has played Game 7s in each of its last three playoff series—and won them all.

— Ron Smith Hiller stones Wings, Page 11

Goodell: Expanded schedule on agenda, Page 25

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OFF THE FIELD

A quick look at the best sports on TV — all times Eastern NHL

Penguins at Capitals 7 p.m., Versus

The series we all wanted to see reach seven games has gotten to that point. It’s been back-and-forth action all the way, and all of the stars of this series have done their part in one way or another. Well, maybe there’s one player who hasn’t (Washington’s Mike Green), but perhaps he could make all the difference in Game 7. Green, third on the Capitals in goals during the regular season with 31, has tallied only one goal in 13 playoff games.

NBA

Mavericks at Nuggets 9 p.m., TNT

Mark Cuban and Kenyon Martin sure have had the spotlight the past couple of days, and only one of them is in position to do something about it on the court. Martin’s Nuggets are still one game from wrapping up this series, and now they can do it on their home floor. Get this one, and then we’ll be back talking about the goosebump story involving Chauncey Billups’ leadership of his hometown team, and how he gives Denver a great shot at beating either the Lakers or Rockets in the next round.

BASEBALL

Dodgers at Phillies 7 p.m., ESPN

Since losing star Manny Ramirez to a 50-game drug suspension last week, the Dodgers have lost four of five. But the Phillies haven’t been playing much better of late, and they have all of their important pieces in their lineup. No doubt L.A. lefthander Randy Wolf will be amped up for this one, as he spent the first eight years of his career in Philly and developed quite a following. The Phillies’ Jamie Moyer opposes him.

— Compiled by Roger Kuznia

GUIDE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

TNT—Playoffs, conference semifinals, Game 5, Dallas at Denver

7 p.m. ESPN—L.A. Dodgers at Philadelphia

NHL HOCKEY

NBA BASKETBALL 9 p.m.

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7 p.m. VERSUS—Playoffs, conference semifinals, Game 7, Pittsburgh at Washington

Woman indicted on extortion charges The estranged wife of a longtime aide to Rick Pitino was indicted Tuesday on federal charges of trying to extort money from the Louisville men’s basketball coach and lying to the FBI. Karen Cunagin Sypher, 49, faces a combined maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted of the two charges, federal authorities said. Sypher is the estranged wife of Louisville equipment manager Tim Sypher. Karen Sypher She is scheduled to be arraigned May 19. Karen Sypher’s attorney, Thomas Clay, did not immediately return a call Tuesday.

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY

Quick hits Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo won’t be playing in the U.S. Open at Bethpage in June after failing to qualify in a sectional qualifying tournament Monday in Dallas, the Dallas Morning News reported. Romo shot an 80—he fired even par on the front nine—in rainy conditions. Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente’s family is planning to produce a film drama about the Pirates great, the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Tim Schooley reported, adding that Clemente’s son, Luis, is close to an agreement to start a production company with Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony and business partner Michael Haines. The move comes after talks fell through with two other companies interested in Clemente’s story, including one led by actor Andy Garcia. UCLA officials unveiled their $185 million vision for an updated Pauley Pavilion, the Los Angeles Times reported, though leaving some season-ticket holders worried because the university will look to trade choice seats for big donations to the project, which could push existing ticket holders farther from the action. — SportsBusiness Daily, sportsbusinessdaily.com — Compiled by Ken Bradley, with wire reports

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SINCE YOU ASKED ... You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Write us at: [email protected]

TO: Sporting News Today FROM: Aaron Kogon, Boothwyn, Pa.

Gary Kubiak Texans head coach

Q: I know the Nuggets are a good team now. But they just started to become a Finals contender after A.I. (Allen Iverson) was traded to Detroit. Do you think Chauncey Billups is the reason the Nuggets have been so good?

BILL HABER / AP

Chauncey Billups (7) brought leadership to the Nuggets.

RESPONSES Scott Hastings Nuggets analyst Aaron, Imagine the movie 300 without King Leonidas. What would all of us fans had—299 athletic, six-pack-clad warriors running amok, chopping and slashing their way to ugly victories and sloppy losses without thought or plan. Leonidas—or Chauncey, rather—brought focus, leadership and a purpose of mind to a very athletic Nuggets team. Now, there is a plan, a drive and a purpose to their actions. Bring on Xerxes, bring on the Persian horde because this movie isn’t over yet. Sean Deveney SN’s NBA expert Aaron, There are a few reasons the Nuggets have improved; for example, the bench is deep, plus having Kenyon Martin and Nene healthy has been a big boost. But, ultimately, we need to remember that the Nuggets made the playoffs the last five seasons, and put up a combined 4-20 record in those five series. Bring in a guy like Billups, who demands precision on both ends of the floor and holds his teammates accountable for their mistakes, and you wind up with a Nuggets team that is finally playing its best basketball in May. WRITE US Got a question you’d like answered? E-mail it to editorin-chief Jeff D’Alessio at [email protected], along with your name and hometown.

(What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved roved as a friend) Born: Aug. 15, 1961, in Houston Status: Married Alma mater: Texas A&M What’s on TV: The King of Queens, Two and a Half Men What’s in my iPod: Merle Haggard, George Strait, David id Allen Coe What I drive: 2008 black Ford F-350 truck Favorite flicks: Frost/Nixon, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken What I’m reading: It’s Your Ship, by Captain D. Michaell Abrashoff Magazine subscriptions: Texas Monthly, Big Game Bookmark: RamNation.com, to check on my kids at Colorado lorado State Superstition: Drive my wife’s car to the stadium on game ame day Worst habit: Cursing, but improving every day On my office walls: Pictures of my wife and kids, and a sign behind my desk: “This is no dress rehearsal. We Aree Professionals And This Is The Big Time!” — Waylon Jennings Love to trade places for a day with … My dad! Struggling with Parkinson’s for the past 10 years has been very difficult. First job: Hambrick’s Grocery Store in Houston. I was 12 and made 75 cents an hour. I dropped a dolly of Big Red soda in the parking lot on my second day! Talent I’d most like to have: Play a guitar Favorite meal: Steak and potato Favorite athlete to watch in another sport: Tiger Woods Favorite city to visit: Las Vegas Favorite team as a kid: Houston Oilers Favorite value in others: Generosity Dream date: My wife. I’m not crazy. My greatest love: My family. It’s what life is all about. My hero: My dad My bucket list: 1. See the Houston Texans win a Lombardi Trophy, 2. Be a grandfather, 3. See my three boys ys become successful. My motto: Tough times don’t last; tough people do. — Jeff D’AAlessio lessio DAVID DUROCHIK FOR SN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

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Life isn’t all watching hockey for NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. He talks about it, too—in SN Magazine’s latest Conversation.

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Next Gen: Recruiting

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RECRUITING DISH

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Jake Heaps’ cell phone doesn’t leave his ear much these days. That’s how life has evolved for the nation’s top quarterback prospect. While his classmates at Skyline High (Sammamish, Wash.) are dealing with prom and other junior-year occasions, Heaps is trying to figure out whether his future coach will be BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall, California’s Jeff Tedford, LSU’s Les Miles, Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin or Washington’s Steve Sarkisian. Heaps (6-2, 200) told Sporting News Today he hopes to be finished with the recruiting process by sometime in June. He also said there is a chance he might trim his list of five schools so he doesn’t hold up coaches from recruiting other quarterbacks. “Coaches were trying to get me to make a decision by April, but I’ll probably be done in the month of June,” Heaps told SN Today. “The good thing about the schools in my top five is that I have visited them all. … Economic times are tough, so it’s tough to fly around and see everything you want to see, but I feel confident I’ve seen what I’ve needed to see with those five.” Heaps broke down his top five schools, which are listed alphabetically. BYU. “I just love the environment there, the offense is great and obviously it is a school of my faith (Mormon), so that is a positive.” California. “They have a great balance to their offense, kind of a new kind of look to it. There’s a little spread and a little pro style, and you can get a great education at Cal-Berkeley.” LSU. “LSU is a big-time SEC program and has really been on the up this past couple of years. Coach Miles is a fantastic coach.” Tennessee. “When I took my visit, I couldn’t believe I was looking across the table at (defensive coordinator) Monte Kiffin—he’s such a legend in what he does. They have a pro-style offense that’s very USC-suited, and it can get you ready for the next level.” Washington. “I’ve grown up loving to watch them play. I’ve been a Husky fan all my life.” Heaps is the top-rated quarterback in the Sporting

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QB prospect Jake Heaps has five top-level programs after him. News 100, a preseason ranking of the nation’s best high school recruits for 2010. He is the No. 17 prospect overall. Booker T. Washington (Miami) G Jose Jose has committed to Tennessee, Rivals.com reported. He also reported scholarship offers from Florida, Miami, Rutgers and South Florida, among others. Jose (6-2, 355) is the third 2010 commitment for the Vols. He called Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin with the news from school. “I was in my first-period class, economics. I’d been thinking about it for a week or so,” Jose told Rivals. com. “It felt like the best time, and Tennessee has been the school that’s really been wanting me and that I felt good about, so I asked to go to the bathroom and called him.” — Brian McLaughlin

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

AMERICAN LEAGUE Boston 4, L.A. Angels 3

ANAHEIM— Jason Varitek drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the ninth inning, J.D. Drew homered and the Boston Red Sox rallied to beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 on Tuesday night. Drew led off the ninth with a single against Scot Shields (1-3) and scored one out later when Varitek lined the righthander’s 1-2 pitch to right-center. Ramon Ramirez (4-0) pitched a hitless eighth inning for the victory and Jonathan Papelbon got three outs for his ninth save in as many chances. Jered Weaver, coming off the first complete-game victory of his four-year career, allowed a run and four hits over seven innings and left with a 3-1 lead. The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Jose Arredondo, and Darren Oliver came in to face the stillhomerless David Ortiz. Oliver hit Ortiz on the left wrist with a 1-2 pitch to force in a run, and Jason Bay grounded out against Shields to drive in Jacoby Ellsbury with the tying run. The Angels’ bullpen has been scored on in 20 of 29 appearances with five blown saves, a 2-9 record and a major leagueworst 6.90 ERA. Justin Masterson allowed two runs and five hits over six innings and struck out four. — The Associated Press

More MLB coverage, Page 18

NATIONAL LEAGUE San Francisco 9, Washington 7

Oakland 12, Kansas City 3

Sox rally in 9th, then hold on Red Sox 4, Angels 3 Boston AB R Ellsbury cf 5 1 Lugo ss 3 0 D.Ortiz dh 3 0 Bay lf 4 0 Lowell 3b 4 0 J.Drew rf 4 2 J.Bailey 1b 4 0 Varitek c 4 0 N.Green 2b 3 1 Totals 34 4

H BI 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 8 4

Boston 010 000 021 — 4 8 2 Los Angeles 100 100 100 — 3 6 0 a-sacrificed for J.Rivera in the 8th. E: Lowell (5), Lugo (2). LOB: Boston 7, Los Angeles 10. 2B: Varitek (8). HR: J.Drew (5), off Jer.Weaver. RBIs: D.Ortiz (15), Bay (35), J.Drew (18), Varitek (13), M.Izturis (11), Hunter (22), K.Morales (19). SB: Ellsbury (16), Abreu (13). CS: Hunter (2). S: Figgins, Willits. SF: M.Izturis, K.Morales. Runners left in scoring position: Boston 3 (Lowell 2, Lugo); Los Angeles 6 (Napoli, Abreu 3, Mathis, Hunter). DP: Los Angeles 1 (J.Rivera, J.Rivera, Mathis). Boston IP H Masterson 6 5 Delcarmen 1 1 R.Ramirez W, 4-0 1 0 Papelbon S, 9-9 1 0 Los Angeles IP H Jer.Weaver 7 4 Arredondo H, 10 1⁄3 2 Oliver 0 0 S.Shields L, 1-3 BS, 1-2 1 7.82 Bulger 2⁄3 0

Cabrera’s meeting brings hits Athletics 12, Royals 3 Kansas City AB R H BI Crisp cf 3 1 3 1 Maier cf 2 1 2 0 DeJesus lf 5 0 1 0 Teahen 3b 4 0 1 1 1-Lu.Hernandez pr-3b 0 0 0 .000 J.Guillen rf 3 0 1 0 Butler 1b 3 0 0 0 Jacobs dh 4 1 1 1 Callaspo 2b 4 0 0 0 J.Buck c 4 0 0 0 Aviles ss 4 0 1 0 Totals 36 3 10 3

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .296 2 0 .303 0 1 .218 0 1 .313 0 0 .310 0 0 .253 0 0 .184 0 1 .239 1 1 .291 3 4

Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Figgins 3b 4 1 0 0 0 0 .246 M.Izturis ss 3 1 1 1 0 0 .280 Abreu rf 3 0 0 0 2 0 .301 Hunter cf 4 0 2 1 1 1 .301 K.Morales 1b 3 0 0 1 0 1 .273 Napoli dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 .313 J.Rivera lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .272 a-Willits ph-lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Kendrick 2b 2 1 0 0 2 0 .241 Mathis c 4 0 2 0 0 2 .265 Totals 30 3 6 3 5 5

R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 4 3 105 4.89 1 0 0 0 18 0.52 0 0 0 1 19 0.52 0 0 1 1 18 1.20 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 1 4 98 2.45 2 2 1 0 18 6.43 0 0 0 0 4 1.42 2 1 1 0 0 24 0 0 1 0 8 8.44

Oliver pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored: Oliver 3-1, S.Shields 3-1, Bulger 1-0. HBP: by Masterson (M.Izturis), by Oliver (D.Ortiz). WP: Bulger. Umpires: Home, Jim Joyce; First, Brian Runge; Second, Bill Miller; Third, Derryl Cousins. T: 3:18. A: 33,411 (45,257).

BEN MARGOT / AP

Jack Cust’s three-run HR was part of a seven-run second inning for Oakland. OAK L AND — O a k l a n d ’s Orlando Cabrera called a hitters’ only meeting as soon as he arrived at the ballpark Tuesday to get the attention of some of the team’s younger players. Then the Athletics’ shortstop went out and gave his teammates an example of what he was talking about. Cabrera had three hits and four RBIs, Jack Cust hit a three-run homer in a seven-run second inning and the A’s broke out of a season-long slump to beat the Kansas City Royals 12-3 on Tuesday night. “I told the young guys, we’re not going to win every game but at least we have to pick the way that we’re going to lose,” said Cabrera, who spoke at the meeting along with fellow veterans Nomar Garciaparra and Jason

5

Giambi. “If we’re going to lose, we’re going to lose playing hard, giving everything. We were playing hard but you have to do that every time, every single play.” Two days after getting shut out by Texas, the A’s set a season-high for runs while pounding out 13 hits to snap a two-game losing streak. Matt Holiday added two hits and two RBIs and Trevor Cahill (2-2) pitched six innings for the win as the A’s handed the Royals their fourth straight loss. The 12 runs were the most by the A’s since beating Arizona 15-1 on June 17, 2008. Every Oakland starter scored at least one run and all but one—second baseman Adam Kennedy—had at least one hit. — The Associated Press

Oakland O.Cabrera ss K.Suzuki c Giambi 1b Crosby 1b Holliday lf Cust dh R.Sweeney cf a-R.Davis ph-cf Kennedy 2b T.Buck rf Hannahan 3b Totals

AB R H BI 5 1 3 4 4 2 2 0 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 2 5 1 2 3 4 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 4 2 1 0 5 2 1 1 38 12 13 12

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .261 0 0 .286 0 2 .223 0 1 .300 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2

0 0 1 1 0 0 5

.275 .276 .257 .327 .219 .204

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .238 1 0 .325 1 0 .212 0 0 .262 2 0 .237 0 3 .290 0 0 .254 0 1 .192 1 1 .182 1 2 .213 0 0 .167 6 7

Kansas City 000 011 100 — 3 10 2 Oakland 172 200 00x — 12 13 0 a-struck out for R.Sweeney in the 7th. 1-ran for Teahen in the 7th. E: Ponson (1), Crisp (3). LOB: Kansas City 8, Oakland 9. 2B: Maier (2), O.Cabrera (4), K.Suzuki (12), Giambi (5), Hannahan (3). HR: Crisp (3), off Cahill; Jacobs (6), off Cahill; Cust (5), off Hochevar. RBIs: Crisp (12), Teahen (14), Jacobs (20), O.Cabrera 4 (10), Giambi 2 (15), Holliday 2 (22), Cust 3 (17), Hannahan (4). SB: Crisp (9), K.Suzuki (1). SF: Giambi. Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 3 (Jacobs 2, DeJesus); Oakland 6 (Cust 2, Kennedy 2, K.Suzuki, R.Davis). DP: Oakland 1 (Cahill, O.Cabrera, Giambi). Kansas City Hochevar L, 0-1 36.00 Ponson Ho.Ramirez Farnsworth Mahay Tejeda Oakland Cahill W, 2-2 Giese K.Cameron Blevins 12.46

IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 7 8 8 2 1 48 2 1 1 1 1 IP 6 1 1 1

4 1 0 1 0 H 7 2 0 1

4 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 R ER BB SO 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

49 6.08 20 7.11 10 5.56 22 4.09 11 1.54 NP ERA 99 3.69 20 4.19 11 1.13 10

Umpires: Home, Jim Wolf; First, Brian O’Nora; Second, Fieldin Culbreth; Third, Mike Muchlinski. T: 2:43. A: 10,156 (35,067).

Sandoval hits walk-off HR SAN FRANCISCO—Pablo Sandoval says he had never hit a gameending homer at any point in his baseball journey from northern Venezuela to San Francisco. If he had ever tripped on the dirt and faceplanted while trying to stretch a double into a triple, he wasn’t about to admit that, either. This promising season is just full of new experiences for the 22-year-old slugger and his jubilant Giants teammates. Sandoval’s three-run homer with two outs in the ninth ended San Francisco’s wild 9-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. “I couldn’t believe that happened for me,” said Sandoval, a free swinger who uncharacteristically took four pitches before his homer. “In this moment, I’m just going to get my pitch and drive the ball. I don’t want to tie the game. I just want to end it. Ryan Zimmerman extended his hitting streak to 30 games with two singles for the hardluck Nationals, who have lost nine straight to the Giants— none tougher than this defeat after Washington scored six runs in the late innings. San Francisco blew a 5-1 lead when Nick Johnson hit a three-run homer in the seventh and drove in two more runs with a weak single in the eighth. — The Associated Press

Giants 9, Nationals 7 Washington AB R H BI C.Guzman ss 5 1 2 0 N.Johnson 1b 4 1 2 5 Zimmerman 3b 5 1 2 0 Dunn lf 5 0 1 0 Beimel p 0 0 0 0 Kearns rf 5 0 1 0 W.Harris cf 3 1 0 1 A.Hernandez 2b 3 0 0 0 b-Willingham ph 1 0 0 0 K.Wells p 0 0 0 0 Dukes lf 0 0 0 0 Nieves c 4 1 3 0 Zimmermann p 1 0 0 0 a-Cintron ph 1 1 1 0 Tavarez p 0 0 0 0 c-Belliard ph-2b 1 1 1 1 Totals 38 7 13 7

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .379 1 1 .314 0 0 .364 0 0 .313 0 0 --0 3 .241 1 1 .226 0 0 .282 0 0 .193 0 0 --0 0 .275 0 0 .280 0 0 .000 0 0 .050 0 0 .000 0 0 .179 2 6

San Francisco Burriss 2b Renteria ss Sandoval 3b B.Molina c Winn lf Rowand cf Ishikawa 1b Schierholtz rf d-Uribe ph Cain p Howry p Affeldt p Medders p e-Aurilia ph Totals

BB SO Avg. 1 1 .273 1 0 .252 0 0 .303 1 2 .288 0 0 .269 0 0 .230 0 1 .234 0 1 .231 0 0 .256 0 3 .154 0 0 --0 0 1.000 0 0 --0 0 .159 3 8

AB 4 3 5 3 4 4 4 3 1 3 0 0 0 1 35

R H BI 1 1 0 2 1 2 1 3 3 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 10 9

Washington 000 100 330 — 7 13 2 San Francisco 200 300 013 —

9 10 0

Two outs when winning run scored. a-singled for Zimmermann in the 7th. b-flied out for A.Hernandez in the 8th. c-singled for Tavarez in the 8th. d-flied out for Schierholtz in the 9th. e-grounded out for Medders in the 9th. E: C.Guzman (4), Beimel (1). LOB: Washington 8, San Francisco 4. 2B: Dunn (5), Nieves (1), Sandoval (9), Winn (6). HR: N.Johnson (3), off Cain; B.Molina (8), off K.Wells; Sandoval (3), off Beimel. RBIs: N.Johnson 5 (17), W.Harris (3), Belliard (3), Renteria 2 (16), Sandoval 3 (14), B.Molina (28), Winn 2 (15), Ishikawa (12). SB: Renteria (2). S: Zimmermann. SF: W.Harris. Runners left in scoring position: Washington 4 (A.Hernandez 2, Zimmerman 2); San Francisco 2 (Sandoval 2). Washington IP H Zimmermann 6 6 Tavarez 1 1 K.Wells H, 4 1 1 Beimel L, 0-2 BS, 1-12⁄3 2 San Francisco IP H Cain 7 9 Howry BS, 2-2 2⁄3 2 Affeldt 2⁄3 2 Medders W, 2-1 2⁄3 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 3 2 8 104 5.28 0 0 0 0 11 5.65 1 1 0 0 8 4.26 3 3 1 0 16 4.09 R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 4 1 4 100 3.00 3 3 1 1 25 5.14 0 0 0 0 8 3.00 0 0 0 1 8 4.40

Inherited runners-scored: Affeldt 2-2. HBP: by Zimmermann (Renteria). Umpires: Home, Tim Timmons; First, Gerry Davis; Second, Jeff Kellogg; Third, Mark Wegner. T: 2:51. A: 25,701 (41,915).

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS L.A. Lakers 118, Houston 78 Series glance

All goes perfectly for Kobe, Lakers LOS ANGELES—Kobe Bryant needed only three quarters to score 26 points and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from their Game 4 flop, routing the Houston Rockets 118-78 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. The top-seeded Lakers did everything they didn’t do in Sunday’s 99-87 loss at Houston—hustled, rebounded and played tight defense on Houston’s smaller lineup, keeping Aaron Brooks in check and limiting wide-open shots. On Sunday the Lakers trailed by 29 points. On Tuesday night, they had a 29-point lead by late in the second quarter, on a 3-pointer by Bryant, who led seven Lakers in double figures. The Lakers can wrap up the series Thursday night in Houston. “We’ve got to stay focused and understand that the effort we gave tonight is not going to be enough on Thursday. It’s just not,” Bryant said. “We’re not playing some chump team. I don’t care how many people they have out. This is a tough team, it’s a tough team full of competitors.” The Rockets played their second game without Yao Ming, who sustained a season-ending stress fracture in his left foot in Game 3. Bryant looked more like himself after being held to 15 points on Sunday. With the Lakers far ahead after holding the Rockets to only 15 points

in each of the second and third quarters, he sat out the fourth period. “We played just the opposite we did the last game,” Houston coach Rick Adelman said. “We turned it over in the first half, shot it poorly. We said if we turn it over against this team we’re going to be in big trouble. That’s exactly what we did. “It just kind of fed their energy level. The second and third quarters are about as bad as we’ve played in a long time.” Pau Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum 14 points, Trevor Ariza 13 and Jordan Farmar 12. Lamar Odom and Josh Powell had 10 apiece. Brooks was held to 14 points after scoring a career-high 34 on Sunday. Ron Artest had a horrible night shooting, 4 of 15 for nine points. The Rockets shot only 32 percent. The Lakers fell behind by six points midway through the first quarter, but it didn’t take them long to answer the question of whether they’d show up. Los Angeles gained control by outscoring Houston 23-6 during the final six minutes of the first quarter. Bryant had eight points, making three straight shots at one point. Odom sank a 3-pointer and Farmar another 3 at the buzzer for a 35-24 lead. It was 64-39 at the break. — The Associated Press

(L.A. Lakers lead series 3-2) May 4: Houston 100, L.A. Lakers 92 May 6: L.A. Lakers 111, Houston 98 May 8: L.A. Lakers 108, Houston 94 May 10: Houston 99, L.A. Lakers 87 Tuesday: L.A. Lakers 118, Houston 78 Thursday: L.A. Lakers at Houston, 9:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday: Houston at L.A. Lakers, TBA, if necessary

Houston L.A. Lakers

24 35

15 29

15 30

HOUSTON Min FG FT Reb Battier 29:23 2-7 0-0 2-3 Scola 31:21 4-10 4-4 5-13 Hayes 17:01 3-6 0-0 3-4 Brooks 30:23 4-11 6-6 0-1 Artest 29:18 4-15 0-0 1-4 Landry 27:59 4-6 1-2 2-3 Wafer 13:00 4-9 4-4 0-0 Cook 19:22 0-7 0-0 2-7 Lowry 17:54 1-7 0-0 0-2 Barry 18:37 3-5 0-0 0-4 White 5:42 0-6 0-0 1-1 Totals 240:00 29-89 15-16 16-42

24 — 78 24 — 118 A 0 4 0 2 1 0 2 1 4 1 0 15

PF 3 4 5 2 3 3 0 2 2 1 0 25

PTS 5 12 6 14 9 9 13 0 2 8 0 78

Percentages: FG .326, FT .938. 3-Point Goals: 5-29, .172 (Barry 2-4, Wafer 1-3, Battier 1-4, Artest 1-7, White 0-1, Brooks 0-3, Lowry 0-3, Cook 0-4). Team Rebounds: 7. Team Turnovers: 18 (24 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Artest, Battier, Cook, Landry). Turnovers: 17 (Artest 4, Barry 3, Cook 3, Brooks 2, Scola 2, Landry, Wafer, White). Steals: 4 (Barry 2, Artest, Cook). Technical Fouls: None. LAKERS Ariza Gasol Bynum Fisher Bryant Odom Farmar Walton Vujacic Brown Powell Mbenga Totals

Min FG FT Reb 23:55 5-8 2-5 0-2 32:38 5-9 6-8 5-13 19:50 5-6 4-4 3-6 17:37 1-6 0-0 0-0 30:49 10-19 5-6 0-4 18:30 2-3 5-6 3-6 22:29 4-7 2-3 0-2 21:27 1-2 2-2 0-6 14:24 1-5 0-0 0-1 16:53 3-7 0-0 0-4 15:46 4-7 2-2 1-3 5:42 1-3 0-0 0-2 240:00 42-82 28-36 12-49

A 3 3 0 0 3 1 6 3 0 0 1 0 20

PF 1 1 2 2 3 0 1 3 3 1 1 0 18

PTS 13 16 14 2 26 10 12 4 2 7 10 2 118

Percentages: FG .512, FT .778. 3-Point Goals: 6-13, .462 (Farmar 2-2, Odom 1-1, Ariza 1-2, Brown 1-2, Bryant 1-3, Fisher 0-1, Vujacic 0-2). Team Rebounds: 11. Team Turnovers: 13 (10 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Gasol 3, Brown, Bryant, Mbenga, Vujacic). Turnovers: 12 (Bryant 4, Ariza 2, Odom 2, Farmar, Mbenga, Powell, Walton). Steals: 12 (Ariza 3, Brown 2, Walton 2, Bryant, Farmar, Fisher, Gasol, Odom). Technical Fouls: None. CHRIS CARLSON / AP

The Lakers had the game so much in control that Kobe Bryant, left, sat out the entire fourth quarter after scoring 26 points.

A: 18,997 (18,997). T: 2:25. Officials: Bennett Salvatore, Ken Mauer, Derrick Stafford.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Boston 92, Orlando 88

Allen’s 3 gives Celtics lead, needed momentum BOSTON—He’s technically a member of the defending champions, but Stephon Marbury doesn’t have the ring, doesn’t have the memories of the Celtics’ 17th NBA title. So he’s doing what he can to help them win an 18th. “I’m playing basketball this year. For me, that was enough,” Marbury said Tuesday night after scoring all of his 12 points in the final quarter to help Boston rally from a 14-point deficit and beat the Orlando Magic 92-88. “From where I was, just being able to get back on the court after not playing the whole year, I know I’m blessed. I’m just happy that I had the opportunity to come out and help the Celtics win another championship.” Ray Allen’s 3-pointer with 1:20 left gave Boston its first lead since midway through the first quarter, and the Celtics took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a chance to close it out in Game 6 in Orlando on Thursday night. Dwight Howard had 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Magic, who did not hit a basket after opening a 10-point lead with 5:39 to play. It didn’t help that, on one of the only times the Orlando defense played well, the officials ruled that Rajon Rondo’s apparent airball hit the rim and gave Boston a fresh 24-second clock with 37 seconds to play. “You can watch it, you can write whether it hit the rim or not,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. “But you want us coaches to say it, so that I can donate money to the league

and I can be called a whiner and everything. “You’re playing Boston. They’re the defending champions. That’s the way it is. ... They all watch boxing. You’re in the 12th round against the champ. You can’t be thinking, ‘I’m going to put it in the hands of the judges.’ You can’t do that. You got to knock them out.” Paul Pierce had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Game 4 hero Glen “Big Baby” Davis scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Davis also grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of free throws after Howard intentionally missed a free throw with 5.9 seconds left. “Stephon Marbury led the charge in the second half, and made some things happen, and that energy fed me,” said Davis, who hit the buzzerbeater to win Game 4 on Sunday. “Things weren’t going right, and we’re looking for an answer. ... You help others, and motivate others, and that’s what Stephon Marbury did and that’s what we all did.” Marbury joined the Celtics at the end of February after a season-long feud with New York Knicks management earned him his longawaited release. He saw limited playing time as the backup point guard in Boston, never making as many as five baskets in a game until a six-minute span at the start of the fourth quarter on Tuesday night. Then he went back to the bench. “He’s been great for us. He just hangs in there, keeps working every day. He’s been very patient,” Celtics

CHARLES KRUPA / AP

Boston’s Glen Davis, center, scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. coach Doc Rivers said. “This is tough for him. He’s never been taken out to put starters in. That’s always been him going in, and he’s been able to handle it well and be a great teammate. So, I’m just happy for him.” Rashard Lewis scored 19 and Hedo Turkoglu had 18 for the Magic,

who almost blew a 28-point lead in Game 1, then lost Game 4 on Davis’ 21-footer. A backup until Kevin Garnett was injured and lost for the playoffs—so far—Davis has replaced him in the starting lineup and kept the defending champions hanging around.

“We’re not the team that we were last year. We’re a different team. We’re not going to just show up and beat teams,” Rivers said. “We’re really grinding here. I don’t know if people appreciate what people are doing here, with the minutes and the legs. But we know we’ve got to get wins. There’s only so long you can go.” Mickael Pietrus dunked on an alley-oop to make it 77-63 with 8:49 left, Orlando’s biggest lead of the game, and Rivers disgustedly called a timeout. The Magic led 85-75 with 5:39 to play before Boston scored the next 13 points to open an 88-85 lead. “We were up all night, but the last two minutes we just stopped,” Turkoglu said. “We shouldn’t even be in that situation because we could have won this game easily.” Marbury hit a 3-pointer, then another jumper, and after Davis sank a pair of hook shots, Marbury converted a three-point play to make it 83-75. Turkoglu made a jumper to extend the lead to 10 points before Rivers put Pierce, Perkins and Rondo back in the game with 4:55 left. Two jumpers by Davis, a layup by Pierce and a reverse from Perkins made it 85-83. Davis missed a potential gametying shot with 1:55 left—his only miss in the quarter—but Allen made up for it by putting Boston ahead with a 3-pointer—just his third basket of the game. — The Associated Press

Series glance (Boston leads series 3-2) May 4: Orlando 95, Boston 90 May 6: Boston 112, Orlando 94 May 8: Orlando 117, Boston 96 May 10: Boston 95, Orlando 94 Tuesday: Boston 92, Orlando 88 Thursday: Boston at Orlando, 7 p.m., ESPN Sunday: Orlando at Boston, TBA, if necessary

Orlando Boston

22 16

ORLANDO Min FG FT Turkoglu 36:34 7-14 4-4 Lewis 38:40 8-16 2-2 Howard 37:23 5-10 2-3 Alston 35:14 6-15 2-3 Redick 28:59 1-6 0-0 Pietrus 19:07 2-4 0-0 Battie 9:20 4-7 0-0 Gortat 10:39 2-3 0-0 Lee 11:22 1-3 0-0 Johnson 12:43 0-2 0-0 Totals 240:01 36-80 10-12

23 21

22 22 Reb 0-2 0-5 4-17 0-5 1-3 1-2 0-1 0-1 0-0 2-3 8-39

21 — 33 — A 7 3 1 6 3 0 0 0 2 1 23

PF 4 2 4 0 0 3 1 3 2 1 20

88 92 PTS 18 19 12 16 3 5 8 4 3 0 88

Percentages: FG .450, FT .833. 3-Point Goals: 6-24, .250 (Alston 2-6, Lee 1-1, Pietrus 1-3, Lewis 1-4, Redick 1-4, Johnson 0-1, Turkoglu 0-5). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 10 (6 PTS). Blocked Shots: 2 (Gortat, Lewis). Turnovers: 10 (Howard 4, Turkoglu 2, Alston, Battie, Johnson, Lewis). Steals: 5 (Alston 3, Gortat, Turkoglu). Technical Fouls: Defensive three second, 8:02 third. BOSTON Min FG FT Reb Pierce 40:05 6-11 7-7 1-9 Davis 42:11 8-16 6-6 4-7 Perkins 35:12 3-7 0-0 3-11 Rondo 28:38 3-12 0-0 2-9 RAllen 41:09 3-11 5-5 0-3 Scalabrine 18:21 2-5 0-0 1-1 House 19:36 3-6 2-2 0-2 Marbury 14:48 5-10 1-1 0-0 Totals 240:00 33-78 21-21 11-42

A 8 2 1 5 3 2 0 2 23

PF 3 4 4 4 0 4 1 0 20

PTS 19 22 6 6 13 6 8 12 92

Percentages: FG .423, FT 1.000. 3-Point Goals: 5-16, .313 (Scalabrine 2-3, R.Allen 2-5, Marbury 1-2, Pierce 0-1, House 0-2, Rondo 0-3). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 8 (3 PTS). Blocked Shots: 1 (Perkins). Turnovers: 8 (R.Allen 4, Rondo 3, Perkins). Steals: 7 (Pierce 2, R.Allen, Davis, House, Perkins, Rondo). Technical Fouls: None. A: 18,624 (18,624). T: 2:33. Officials: Monty McCutchen, Bill Spooner, Mike Callahan.

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8

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Boston 92, Orlando 88

NOTEBOOK

Unlikely heroes spur Celtics, push Magic to brink BY ALBERT BREER [email protected]

BOSTON—The temptation here is to let the past serve as your guide. A veteran-driven Celtics team persevered. A playoff-inexperienced Magic club pressed late, then puked all over itself in the final minutes. And the reigning titlist, drawing on its championship experience, closed a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to prevail late. Nice. Neat. Not nearly true, not except for the part about Orlando choking. See, Stephon Marbury wasn’t on last year’s Celtics team, and hasn’t exactly played a major role for this one. Glen Davis scored 39 points— total—in 17 playoff games last year, while logging 137 minutes over the run to the title. Yet, those were the guys who sparked Boston’s furious rally late. “I really thought Stephon Marbury and Big Baby (Davis), in that one stretch, kept us alive, gave us hope,” said Boston coach Doc Rivers. Consider this—in the fourth quarter, both Marbury (12 points) and Davis (10) had more than Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined. Start when things were at their worst. With a little less than nine minutes to go, Boston was down 77-63, and hadn’t gotten within a possession of the Magic since the second minute of the second quarter. First, Marbury launches a 24-foot bomb from the top to cut the lead to 77-66, and follows it with a 21-foot

ELISE AMENDOLA / AP

Stephon Marbury, left, helped spark the Celtics’ comeback from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit. jumper from just below the elbow to get the Celtics within nine. Davis followed with two buckets, then Marbury drove for a 3-point play, and then Davis hit consecutive

jumpers. Suddenly, with 3:56 left, the Orlando lead had been shaved to 85-79. So in a little less than five minutes, Davis and Marbury had combined

to score all 16 of the Celtics’ points, while Orlando could muster just 8. “It felt good, because we needed it,” said Marbury, who spent much of this season in Knicks-imposed purgatory, after clashing with head coach Mike D’Antoni. “The time was right for me to go in and do what I did, and for us to win the basketball game. My whole mindset when I got into the game was to try to create something that would change the flow of the game.” And his big shots—and Davis’ too—certainly did. As the momentum from the rally started to spill over, the Celtics clamped down defensively—Hedo Turkoglu’s driving jumper with 5:39 left was Orlando’s last field goal. After that, the Magic didn’t score again until Rashard Lewis was fouled intentionally with 7.3 seconds left. By then, Pierce and Kendrick Perkins had drawn the Celtics within two, and Allen hit the go-ahead 3, rolling off the pick and hitting it offbalance, with 1:20 left. By then, too, you figured out how these Celtics are picking up the slack with Kevin Garnett shelved. Pierce and Allen are part of the equation, to be sure. But so are guys like Davis and Marbury, who would’ve been afterthoughts as recently as a month ago. “Our guys showed a lot of character,” said Davis. “Stephon Marbury led the charge in the second half and made some things happen, and that energy fed me, I made some shots, and it fed off everybody. And that’s what it’s all about.”

Coach: Magic quit playing their game Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy gave the Celtics their due. But he knew that, after his club blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s 92-88 loss, it was more about what his Magic didn’t do than anything else. “We quit playing the game that had got us here,” a disgusted Van Gundy said afterward. “We looked like we were trying to run the clock out—walking the ball up the floor, playing halfcourt. We haven’t had success playing that way, but that’s how we decided to play it.” It’s not like the Magic hadn’t been warned. In Game 1, Orlando led by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter, only to see that lead dwindle to three before Boston finally ran out of gas. It’s just that this time, Boston summoned enough to finish the job, and Orlando was left again looking for answers. “We have to learn as a team about playing against good teams in these series,” said Dwight Howard. “You have a team down, you have to bury them.”

Celts not rattled After all the Celtics have been through—three seven-game series and, now, a total of 38 playoff games in the last two seasons—a certain calm confidence permeated the team as it worked through the late comeback. Even in that hole, the man who hit the go-ahead 3 with 1:20

left, Ray Allen, said there was not a whole lot of concern. “We cause our own (luck) by starting aggressive and doing the things to help each other,” he said. “The experience definitely comes in to play. No one’s rattled by the situation we’re in, so everybody can think calmly and make the right plays we need to make.”

Howard a little touchy Howard showed some frustration late over his lack of offensive opportunities, hinting that the Magic have abandoned their inside-out style of play. The All-Star took just 10 shots, scoring 12 points to go with his 17 rebounds. “I don’t need to get into it with my coach, go back and forth with him, because it’s really about defense,” Howard said. “Even if I feel like I should, I’m not getting those touches, but I have to be able to go on the other end and defend without fouling, and we all have to play team defense.”

‘Big’ sorry Celtics forward Glen Davis apologized Tuesday for bumping a 12-year-old boy while celebrating his game-winning shot against the Magic on Sunday night. “If I’ve hurt anybody or if I’ve done any harm to anybody, please forgive me because my intentions were just harmless,” he said. — Albert Breer

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9

Nuggets eager to face Mavs on home court

NBA flexes postseason muscle

DENVER—The Denver Nuggets returned from Dallas with a bad taste in their mouths, and it had nothing to do with Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s nasty case of food poisoning. Andersen said between bites of mashed potatoes Tuesday that he’s recovered from his sour stomach that kept him out of the Nuggets’ 119-117 loss to the Mavericks the previous night. “I feel really good now,” Andersen said after getting additional IVs and shooting some baskets. He said he can’t wait for Game 5 tonight at the Pepsi Center when the Nuggets try to clinch their first trip to the Western Conference finals in 24 years. His teammates are equally eager to take out their frustrations on the basketball court. They’re upset with the way their families and friends were treated Monday night at American Airlines Center, where fans hurled insults at Kenyon Martin’s girlfriend, rap star Trina, and where Carmelo Anthony’s girlfriend, LaLa Vazquez of MTV fame, was removed from her seat by security guards for her safety. Fans also got into shouting matches with Martin’s mother, who had extra protection around her after Mavericks owner Mark Cuban called her son a thug following the frenetic finish in Game 3. “I think all of us are kind of angry about ... the treatment we got in Dallas,” Nuggets coach George Karl said Tuesday. “And we want our home crowd to be with us and ... we want to show them that we owe them a game.” On Tuesday, Cuban apologized for yelling at Martin’s mother, Lydia Moore, and suggested things had gotten out of hand. But his apology was brushed aside by the Nuggets because it contained an offer that they could all sit in his suite with his own family “when the series comes back to Dallas.” “We don’t plan on going back to Dallas,” retorted Chauncey Billups. Cuban also offered to take Martin and his mother out for dinner this summer. Dinner in Dallas is a sore subject with the Nuggets right now. Andersen said he ate something bad at the team hotel Monday that left him doubled over in the locker room during the game with severe abdominal cramps and vomiting.

The NBA’s postseason got off to a vibrant start, propelled by the dynamic seven-game Celtics-Bulls series that fueled the first round of the playoffs. At the gate, the NBA sold out all but three of its 45 first-round games, the same number of nonsellouts as last year’s first round. On the television side, TNT rode the strength of the Celtics-Bulls series to a double-digit increase in viewers over last year’s first round. For the 24 games on TNT, the network averaged 3.379 million viewers, up 14.3 percent from 2.956 million viewers last year in 22 firstround games. The first-round games generated a 2.6 cable rating (2.597 million households), compared with a 2.4 cable rating (2.339 million households) for first-round games last year. Meanwhile, Game 7 of the BullsCeltics series was the most watched first-round game in cable history with 6.987 million viewers. “You buy the package and you hope for a series like the one we just had between the Bulls and the Celtics,” said Turner Sports President David Levy. “Obviously, you leverage it.” Levy would not disclose details, but said playoff sales this year are on pace with last season’s playoffs. On ESPN, however, ratings dipped during this year’s first round. The eight first-round games generated a 2.1 cable rating (2.040 million households) compared with a 2.4 cable rating (2.306 million households) over nine firstround games last season. ABC’s first-round ratings also dipped slightly. Through May 3, the five first-round games on ABC

MATT SLOCUM / AP

Carmelo Anthony, left, and Denver want to finish the series tonight. The Nuggets sorely missed their energetic center as Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki scored a series-high 44 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to help the Mavericks stave off elimination. Without the “Birdman” swatting away passes and making things tough on Nowitzki in the paint, Dallas outrebounded the Nuggets 50-34, and Denver managed just seven second-chance points. With all the talk of hostile treatment in Dallas, Andersen isn’t alleging sabotage. “Nope. I’m actually going to have some fresh legs,” he said. “I’m just real anxious to get out there on the floor and give it everything I’ve got.” Cuban, who’s skipping Game 5 to be at an awards ceremony in Las Vegas, is counting on the series returning to Dallas. However, no NBA team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, and no team has beaten Denver at the Pepsi Center since March 11. “The pressure is on them to win the series,” Jason Kidd said. “We don’t have any pressure.” Billups chuckled at the notion. “We can still afford to lose,” he said. “They can’t.” — The Associated Press

ELISE AMENDOLA / AP

Game 7 of the Bulls-Celtics series was the most watched first-round game in cable history.

generated a 3.1 rating (3.503 households) compared with six firstround games that generated a 3.4 rating (3.802 million households) in 2008. Web traffic increased significantly during the first round, with page views to NBA.com up more

than 40 percent compared with last year’s first round. At the arenas, the Sixers were the only team failing to sell out its first-round games—they were the only team that didn’t sell out during last season’s first round, too. — John Lombardo, SportsBusiness Journal

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Playoff glance

INSIDE DISH

Pacers’ Granger wins most improved award Pacers F Danny Granger won the NBA’s most improved player award Tuesday, beating out Nets PG Devin Harris. Granger had the NBA’s fifth-highest scoring average this season—a career-best 25.8 points—made his All-Star team debut and accepted an invitation to train with USA Basketball in July. He improved his scoring average by at least five points in each of the past two seasons—he averaged 7.5 points as a rookie out of New Mexico, 13.9 in his second season and 19.6 in 2007-08. As for what’s in store for next season, Granger said he wants to become an “elite defender.” “He is the face of our franchise, and he handles himself well on the court and off,” team president Larry Bird said. “I think going forward, he will continue to do the things he’s doing, and continue to improve. That’s all you can ask for.”

MICHAEL CONROY / AP

Danny Granger has improved his scoring average by at least five points a game the past two seasons.

One day after withdrawing his name from consideration to return as the 76ers’ coach next season, Tony DiLeo discussed his reasons for stepping down and returning to his role as senior vice president and assistant to general manager and team president Ed Stefanski. “Family has a lot to do with it,” DiLeo said Tuesday. “I will cherish returning to that role to help build the 76ers’ organization for a championship.” Stefanski said Monday that there isn’t a precise timetable to hire the franchise’s 23rd head coach. Meanwhile, TNT analyst Doug Collins apologized to Stefanski for mistakenly saying he spoke to the team about its open coaching job. Collins had told The Associated Press on Tuesday night before Game 5 of the Rockets-Lakers series he had talked with the Sixers about their vacancy “like two or three times.” “Whatever they want to do, they know where I am if they want to call,” he said. Collins, a former NBA coach, then backtracked on his original comments during the game and denied speaking with Stefanski.

Stefanski also said he had no interest in re-signing free-agent C Theo Ratliff, who accused DiLeo of not being tough enough in addressing repeated mistakes after the 76ers’ playoff loss to the Magic, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. Hawks PG Mike Bibby, who just completed the final year of three-year deal, says he wants to return to the Hawks next season. “It’s not my decision to make,” Bibby told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I told them before, I love it here. … I definitely want to come back. I love the coaching staff, love the team, love the city.” Bibby averaged 14.9 points and 4.4 assists during the regular season. The Knicks have not promised G Stephen Curry they will select him with their firstround pick in the draft, according to Newsday. “I don’t know where that came from,” Dell Curry, Stephen’s father, said. “There’s no truth to it.” Move over Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets have sold several thousand “Protect The Nest” T-shirts that feature forward Chris “Birdman” Andersen, The Denver Post reported. “We sell several hundred a game,” Nuggets director of consumer products Bill McAdoo told the newspaper. “As fast as we print them, I’ve had to triple the orders.”

Today’s games All Times ET CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (Best-of-7) Dallas at Denver, 9 p.m., TNT

Betting line Today FAVORITE ....................LINE .................... O/U ..............UNDERDOG at Denver..............................8½..........................(213½)....................... Dallas

10

Most improved player voting Selected by a national panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters. Name, Team

1st

2nd 3rd Pts

Danny Granger, Indiana

48

37

13

364

Devin Harris, New Jersey

43

35

19

339

Kevin Durant, Okla. City

6

14

11

83

Paul Millsap, Utah

3

13

23

77

Nene, Denver

7

5

8

58

Rajon Rondo, Boston

2

5

4

29

David Lee, New York

1

3

11

25

John Salmons, Chicago

2

2

1

17

Thaddeus Young, Phil

1

2

5

16

Von Wafer, Houston

2

-

2

12

Brandon Roy, Portland

1

1

-

8

Chris Andersen, Denver

1

-

1

6

J.R. Smith, Denver

1

-

1

6

Glen Davis, Boston

1

-

-

5

Jason Terry, Dallas

1

-

-

5

Wilson Chandler, N.Y.

1

-

-

5

Aaron Brooks, Houston

-

1

1

4

Jameer Nelson, Orlando

-

1

1

4

Kelenna Azubuike, G.S.

-

-

3

3

Dwyane Wade, Miami

-

1

-

3

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland -

1

-

3

Roger Mason, S.A.

-

-

3

3

Luis Scola, Houston

-

-

2

2

Ronnie Brewer, Utah

-

-

2

2

Kendrick Perkins, Boston

-

-

1

1

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte

-

-

1

1

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte

-

-

1

1

Tyrus Thomas, Chicago

-

-

1

1

Mo Williams, Cleveland

-

-

1

1

J.J. Barea, Dallas

-

-

1

1

Mike Conley, Memphis

-

-

1

1

Rasual Butler, N.O.

-

-

1

1

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto

-

-

1

1

Jeff Green, Okla. City

-

-

1

1

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (Best-of-7), All times ET EASTERN CONFERENCE Cleveland vs. Atlanta (Cleveland wins series 4-0) May 5: Cleveland 99, Atlanta 72 May 7: Cleveland 105, Atlanta 85 May 9: Cleveland 97, Atlanta 82 Monday: Cleveland 84, Atlanta, 74 Boston vs. Orlando (Boston leads series 3-2) May 4: Orlando 95, Boston 90 May 6: Boston 112, Orlando 94 May 8: Orlando 117, Boston 96 May 10: Boston 95, Orlando 94 Tuesday: Boston 92, Orlando 88 Thursday: Boston at Orlando, 7 p.m. Sunday: Orlando at Boston, TBA, if necessary WESTERN CONFERENCE L.A. Lakers vs. Houston (L.A. Lakers lead series 3-2) May 4: Houston 100, L.A. Lakers 92 May 6: L.A. Lakers 111, Houston 98 May 8: L.A. Lakers 108, Houston 94 May 10: Houston 99, L.A. Lakers 87 Tuesday: L.A. Lakers 118, Houston 78 Thursday: L.A. Lakers at Houston, 9:30 p.m. Sunday: Houston at L.A. Lakers, TBA, if necessary Denver vs. Dallas (Denver leads series 3-1) May 3: Denver 109, Dallas 95 May 5: Denver 117, Dallas 105 May 9: Denver 106, Dallas 105 Monday: Dallas 119, Denver 117 Today: Dallas at Denver, 9 p.m. Friday: Denver at Dallas, TBA, if necessary Sunday: Dallas at Denver, TBA, if necessary

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Anaheim 2, Detroit 1

Ducks headed to Detroit after top line helps stave off elimination

HENRY DIROCCO / AP

Ducks G Jonas Hiller sprawled out for a second-period save, one of his 38 stops in Anaheim’s Game 6 win over the defending Cup champions.

ANAHEIM—The Anaheim Ducks made sure there would be no road clincher by the Detroit Red Wings. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each had a goal and an assist and Jonas Hiller made 38 saves as the Ducks beat the Red Wings 2-1 Tuesday to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinal series. Scott Niedermayer and Bobby Ryan added assists for the Ducks, who built a two-goal lead in the second period and managed to shut down the Red Wings until Johan Franzen brought Detroit within a goal with 2:25 to play. Game 7 will be in Detroit on Thursday, with the winner moving on to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the conference finals. “Not a lot had to be said, we have enough guys in here who have been there before,” Getzlaf said. “It was unacceptable the way we played last game. We were excited about tonight.” Led by their top line of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan, the Ducks matched the Red Wings’ up-tempo attack stride for stride and avoided elimination. The Red Wings had clinched their last eight playoff series wins with victories on the road, and seemed poised to do the same after outskating and outshooting Anaheim 78-45 in consecutive wins in Games 4 and 5. But facing elimination, the Ducks returned to the form that carried the team to a league-best 10-2-1 mark in the final weeks of the season, then through a first-round upset of the Presidents’ Trophywinning San Jose Sharks.

“We knew we wanted it tonight, we have a great team in here,” said Perry. “We dug down and you can just feel it before the game, everyone was ready to play.” Having failed in their chance to close out the Ducks on Tuesday, the Red Wings will now face their first Game 7 since drubbing the Colorado Avalanche 7-0 at the home in the final game of Patrick Roy’s career on May 31, 2002. Detroit is 11-7 in Game 7s, but just 3-3 at home since 1991. “I think they were more desperate tonight than we were,” said Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom. “They came out stronger. There were too many turnovers that created more time in our zone than we wanted to.” Anaheim’s best postseason players also got back in form. Getzlaf generated 16 points in 11 games to open the playoffs, but was held without a point in Game 5. He responded with his seventh multiple-point game of the playoffs. Hiller yielded 10 goals in the last two games, but he returned to the stinginess that carried the Ducks to wins in Games 2 and 3 of the series. “I think everybody stepped up and played hard and we deserved to win and go on to Game 7,” Hiller said. “It was a tough fight, 60 minutes, a close game again, and emotions were unloading at the end. “We have to play with emotions to have a chance to win.” Chris Osgood made 26 saves for the Red Wings and was sharp early as the Ducks outshot Detroit 12-8 in a quick-paced first period. After failing to score on an initial

man-advantage in the opening minute of the second period, the Ducks went back on the power play when Niklas Kronwall lofted the puck over the glass in the Detroit zone. Getzlaf knocked Daniel Cleary off the puck behind the Ducks’ net to begin a rush. He finished the play by outmuscling Jonathan Ericsson to tap in a loose puck in the Detroit crease 2:21 into the second period. — The Associated Press

Series glance (Series tied 3-3) May 1: Detroit 3, Anaheim 2 May 3: Anaheim 4, Detroit 3, 3OT May 5: Anaheim 2, Detroit 1 May 7: Detroit 6, Anaheim 3 May 10: Detroit 4, Anaheim 1 Tuesday: Anaheim 2, Detroit 1 Thursday: Anaheim at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Detroit Anaheim

0 0

0 2

1 0

— —

1 2

First Period: None. Penalties: Anaheim bench, served by Ryan (too many men), 4:35; Hudler, Det (delay of game), 13:13; Filppula, Det (holding), 19:38. Second Period: 1, Anaheim, Getzlaf 4 (Perry, S.Niedermayer), 2:21 (pp). 2, Anaheim, Perry 7 (Getzlaf, Ryan), 17:35. Penalties: Kronwall, Det (delay of game), 1:41; Marchant, Ana (interference), 9:15; Ebbett, Ana (cross-checking), 12:04. Third Period: 3, Detroit, Franzen 8 (Hudler, Zetterberg), 17:35 (pp). Penalties: Samuelsson, Det (interference), 9:07; Anaheim bench, served by Ryan (too many men), 10:05; Rafalski, Det (holding), 11:01; Ebbett, Ana (tripping), 16:43; Rafalski, Det, major (fighting), 20:00; Datsyuk, Det, major (fighting), 20:00; S.Niedermayer, Ana, major (fighting), 20:00; Marchant, Ana, game misconduct, 20:00; Getzlaf, Ana (roughing, hooking), 20:00; Perry, Ana, minor-majormisconduct (roughing, fighting), 20:00. Shots on Goal: Detroit 8-13-18: 39. Anaheim 12-10-6: 28. Power-play opportunities: Detroit 1 of 4; Anaheim 1 of 5. Goalies: Detroit, Osgood 7-3-0 (28 shots-26 saves). Anaheim, Hiller 7-5-0 (39-38). A: 17,174 (17,174). T: 2:29. Referees: Dave Jackson, Kevin Pollock. Linesmen: Jean Morin, Thor Nelson.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Boston 4, Carolina 2

Bruins head home after fending off Canes a second time RALEIGH, N.C.—The Boston Bruins played an entire season to get to this point: a winner-take-all Game 7 in their building. With those high stakes, the NHL’s top remaining seed wasn’t about to get caught up in settling a score. Instead, the Bruins moved a step closer to giving the Carolina Hurricanes a different kind of knockout punch. They evened the Eastern Conference semifinals and sent the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game by beating Carolina 4-2 Tuesday night. “We’ve been working hard all year to get home-ice advantage,” center Patrice Bergeron said. “And there it is, and we have it.” Mark Recchi had a goal and an assist. Marc Savard scored before leaving in the third period with a minor leg injury. Steve Montador and Chuck Kobasew added goals, Bergeron had two assists and Tim Thomas stopped 31 shots in his second straight victory. “Basically, I’m trying not to let them get anything to feed off of,” Thomas said. The Bruins led 2-0 barely 5 minutes in and made it stand to win their second straight since falling one loss shy of elimination. The reward: A trip back to Beantown for Thursday night’s Game 7, their first at home since losing in the first round to Montreal in 2004. “From the time we fell behind 3-1 in the series, our goal was to create a Game 7,” coach Claude Julien said. “We’re there now. ... Getting to

KARL B. DEBLAKER / AP

Bruins G Tim Thomas said he was trying not to give Ray Whitney and the Hurricanes ‘anything to feed off of,’ and he made 31 saves. Game 7 is one thing. Now we’ve got to decide what we’re going to do with it.” And there wasn’t even any need to retaliate for what they considered a sucker punch thrown by Carolina’s Scott Walker near the end of Game 5. Matt Cullen and Sergei Samsonov scored for the Hurricanes.

Their first losing streak of the playoffs has put them in danger of blowing a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history. “I believe in this hockey team. I really do, and sometimes that means you say unkind things to them because you expect more and better out of them,” said coach Paul Maurice after his postgame speech

was described, perhaps sarcastically, by defenseman Tim Gleason as “uplifting.” At least Carolina is used to playing Game 7s. Each of the Hurricanes’ previous three playoff series dating to the 2006 Stanley Cup run also went the full seven games, and they won all three. “It seems like whenever you

counted us out was when we played our best,” captain Rod Brind’Amour said. “So I’m sure everyone’s counting us out right now.” Cam Ward stopped 15 shots and allowed four goals for the second straight game. In four previous starts after a loss, he was 4-0 and had allowed a total of four goals. The series between one-time New England rivals received a jolt of bad blood two nights earlier, when Walker dropped Aaron Ward with a right cross that led the NHL to fine the Hurricanes forward $2,500 but not suspend him. The injury didn’t cost Ward any playing time either; he logged about 20 minutes while playing with a shiner around his left eye. But the Bruins promised to never forget what they felt was a cheap shot. For now, though, they were content to do their talking between the whistles. Boston had two goals before the Hurricanes registered their second shot on net. “They came in tonight and kind of blew us out of the water,” Gleason said. Bergeron set up the first goal by dumping the puck to Recchi, who tapped it in for his 50th career playoff goal and third of the series. Montador then made it a two-goal game with a slap shot from behind the left circle. “Every team’s going to tell you they want to score the first goal— you feel a lot more comfortable, and the first goal certainly made us feel confident,” Julien said. “Then we got that second one, (and it) just

seemed like we had lots of confidence.” Cullen scored the Hurricanes’ first goal since Game 4 when he flipped a backhander over an outstretched Thomas nearly 3 minutes into the second period. But Savard restored the Bruins’ two-goal advantage roughly 6 minutes later with a one-timer that clipped the near post and went in for his fourth goal of the series. — The Associated Press

Series glance (Series tied 3-3) May 1: Boston 4, Carolina 1 May 3: Carolina 3, Boston 0 May 5: Carolina 3, Boston 2, OT May 8: Carolina 4, Boston 1 May 10: Boston 4, Carolina 0 Tuesday: Boston 4, Carolina 2 Thursday: Carolina at Boston, 8 p.m.

Boston Carolina

2 0

2 1

0 1

— —

4 2

First Period: 1, Boston, Recchi 3 (Bergeron, Kobasew), 2:01. 2, Boston, Montador 1 (Krejci, Ryder), 5:04. Penalties: Chara, Bos (holding), 19:29. Second Period: 3, Carolina, Cullen 2 (Walker, LaRose), 2:49. 4, Boston, Savard 6 (Lucic, Wideman), 8:53. 5, Boston, Kobasew 3 (Bergeron, Recchi), 18:03. Penalties: Eaves, Car (tripping), 14:11; Babchuk, Car (holding), 19:27. Third Period: 6, Carolina, Samsonov 3 (Staal, Gleason), 7:20. Penalties: Montador, Bos (boarding), 8:11; Wideman, Bos (delay of game), 10:46. Shots on Goal: Boston 9-6-4: 19. Carolina 11-8-14: 33. Power-play opportunities: Boston 0 of 2; Carolina 0 of 3. Goalies: Boston, Thomas 7-3-0 (33 shots-31 saves). Carolina, C.Ward 7-6-0 (19-15). A: 18,680 (18,680). T: 2:20. Referees: Marc Joannette, Kelly Sutherland. Linesmen: Shane Heyer, Brian Murphy.

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EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Playoff glance

Crosby’s 1st Game 7 will be Ovechkin’s 3rd ARLINGTON, VA.—When the Washington Capitals host the Pittsburgh Penguins to finish their taut, thrilling Eastern Conference semifinal tonight, Alex Ovechkin’s third career Game 7 in the NHL playoffs will mark Sidney Crosby’s debut in such a setting. That’s right: For all of his talent and success, Sid the Kid is still relatively, well, a kid. “I’ve watched a lot of Game 7s, but this will be my first one,” the 21-year-old Crosby said. “I’ve never played one in juniors—or any level.” So he and 22-year-old teammate Kris Letang asked the more-experienced Bill Guerin for some words of advice Tuesday while skipping the optional skate at the Penguins’ practice facility. “Somebody,” Crosby observed, “is going home.” Which sort of feels like a bit of a shame, given what these teams have delivered so far in a series that features the past two NHL MVPs (Ovechkin and Crosby), two of this year’s MVP finalists (Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin), and the past two league points leaders (Malkin and Ovechkin). “(Today),” Ovechkin said, wearing gray sweats and flip-flops after sitting out Washington’s optional practice, “is going to be pretty sick.” Consider: Five games won by a single goal, the other decided by only two goals; Three games went to overtime, including Washington’s 5-4 victory at Pittsburgh in Game 6 on Monday night; Both teams led in each game, and five times the team that scored first lost. Both teams have held a series lead, with Washington up 2-0, then Pittsburgh up 3-2. And the teams have been tied or separated by one goal 92 percent of the time.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Penguins and Capitals have faced off in the NHL playoffs six times in the last 17 years. Two of those series—in 1992 and 1995—have gone to a seventh game, with the Penguins advancing in both cases. Here’s a closer look at those matchups.

(Series tied 3-3) May 1: Boston 4, Carolina 1 May 3: Carolina 3, Boston 0 May 5: Carolina 3, Boston 2, OT May 8: Carolina 4, Boston 1 May 10: Boston 4, Carolina 0 Tuesday: Boston 4, Carolina 2 Thursday: Carolina at Boston, 8 p.m.

Game 7: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 1 After falling in a 3-1 series hole, the Penguins employed their version of the left-wing lock and outscored the Capitals 14-7 the rest of the way. Pittsburgh rode the momentum through the playoffs and defended their 1990-91 title, sweeping Chicago in the Cup finals.

1995 Eastern Conference quarterfinals Game 7: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 0

Alex Ovechkin has the edge in Game 7 experience—he lost one last year, and beat New York last round. “It’s lived up to the hype of the ‘Super Series,’” Capitals forward Brooks Laich said, “and I think it’s great for hockey, in general.” There are particular moments that stand out, from goalie Simeon Varlamov’s out-ofnowhere save on Crosby in Game 1, to the hat tricks delivered by Ovechkin and Crosby in Game 2, to the OT wins for the Penguins in Games 3 and 5 when a puck went in the goal off a Caps defenseman. “The star power is there, and they haven’t underperformed,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It’s not like you’re playing in the Super Bowl, and you’ve got the best running back in the league going seven carries for 12 yards. There’s no disappointment here.”

Ovechkin has 13 points (seven goals, six assists), better than two per game—and more than anyone in the NHL has produced in any playoff series since 2003. Crosby, meanwhile, has 10 points, and Malkin eight. It might have been instructive for Crosby to hear what the Capitals had to say Tuesday about what they remember of their recent Game 7 experiences. In the first round this season, they won a Game 7, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate the New York Rangers. But in the first round a year ago, Ovechkin’s first trip to the postseason, the Capitals lost a Game 7 at home in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers. — The Associated Press

(Best-of-7) All Times ET

Caps-Pens: Game 7 primer

1992 Patrick Division semifinals

KEITH SRAKOCIC / AP

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

Again, the Capitals jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, and again, the Penguins came back to win the series. This time, though, there was no Cup in Pittsburgh’s future. With Mario Lemieux taking the season off to recover from treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Pittsburgh fell in the conference semifinals in five games to New Jersey, the eventual champs.

— Sean Gentille

Today’s games All Times ET Conference semifinals (Best-of-7) Pittsburgh at Washington, 7 p.m., Versus

Betting lines Today FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG LINE at Washington .......-145................Pittsburgh...........+125

Boston vs. Carolina

Washington vs. Pittsburgh (Series tied 3-3) May 2: Washington 3, Pittsburgh 2 May 4: Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3 May 6: Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2, OT May 8: Pittsburgh 5, Washington 3 May 9: Pittsburgh 4, Washington 3, OT Monday: Washington 5, Pittsburgh 4, OT Today: Pittsburgh at Washington, 7 p.m.

WESTERN CONFERENCE Detroit vs. Anaheim (Series tied 3-3) May 1: Detroit 3, Anaheim 2 May 3: Anaheim 4, Detroit 3, 3OT May 5: Anaheim 2, Detroit 1 May 7: Detroit 6, Anaheim 3 May 10: Detroit 4, Anaheim 1 Tuesday: Anaheim 2, Detroit 1 Thursday: Anaheim at Detroit, 7 p.m.

Vancouver vs. Chicago (Chicago wins series 4-2) April 30: Vancouver 5, Chicago 3 May 2: Chicago 6, Vancouver 3 May 5: Vancouver 3, Chicago 1 May 7: Chicago 2, Vancouver 1, OT May 9: Chicago 4, Vancouver 2 Monday: Chicago 7, Vancouver 5

13

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14

INSIDE DISH

Haggling between NHL, Coyotes begins in bankruptcy court The NHL, stung by an order from a bankruptcy judge to produce documents telling all it knows about an offer to buy the Phoenix Coyotes, filed a motion Tuesday morning in a Phoenix court objecting to the mandate. According to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, the NHL is balking at revealing details about a mysterious bid to buy the team by Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who has Phoenix ties and reportedly would keep the franchise in Arizona. The NHL’s motion was filed a day after lawyers for Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes won a motion to find out details of Reinsdorf’s offer so they can compare it to the $212.5 million offer from Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, the BlackBerry CEO who reportedly wants to move the financially strapped team to Hamilton in southern Ontario. The NHL’s motion, according to the Star, argues that Moyes’ attorneys should not be allowed to request anything on the team’s behalf because the league now controls the team, not Moyes. The NHL says it took control in November when Moyes signed an “irrevocable proxy” in return for a financial bailout. The Coyotes, however, argue that the proxy only pertains to certain voting rights—and voting on a bankruptcy is not one of them. The bottom-line question is really who controls the team. And according to the Star, it should be answered by the bankruptcy judge next week. “There is no justification for the efforts of ... Moyes to harass the league with such discovery that may prove wholly unnecessary,” the NHL’s motion reads. “Premature disclosure of confidential discussions will jeopardize value for the league and all of its member teams, including the Phoenix Coyotes.” For Chicago chairman Rocky Wirtz,

Gonchar told The Associated Press his availability will be a game-time decision. Gonchar was expected to miss at least the remainder of the second-round series against Washington after a knee-to-knee hit forced him to the sideline. But the injury was not as bad as initially feared and Gonchar was one of a handful of Penguins taking part in an optional skate Tuesday morning. The Penguins have split the two games with Washington since losing their top defenseman.

ROSS D. FRANKLIN / AP

A day after Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes filed a motion looking for details on an NHL-brokered bid to buy his team, the league objected and made its own appeal in court. Monday night’s 7-5 Blackhawks victory over Vancouver was a back-slapping, handshaking, magical lovefest he had never envisioned this soon for his young team. “To make it to the Final Four, I never could have imagined it,’’ Wirtz told the Chicago Sun-Times after watching his team qualify for the Western Conference finals on the same night it surpassed a million in season attendance for the first time. “Vancouver is a very good team, Calgary is a

very good team. It’s not like you’re beating teams that aren’t very, very good. (The Hawks) worked their (butts) off.’’ Wirtz told the newspaper his goal for this season was to just make the playoffs. Winning two postseason series and setting up a potential showdown with archrival Detroit is icing on the cake. “You never know with such a young team,’’ Wirtz told the newspaper. “People talked about us being undersized

and inexperienced, but these guys had the ability, they just kept coming back again and again and again. “It is like a storybook, and we’re just letting it unfold.’’ Pittsburgh D Sergei Gonchar practiced Tuesday for the first time since injuring his right knee in a Game 4 collision with Capitals F Alex Ovechkin and says he hopes to play in Wednesday’s Game 7 at Washington.

The Toronto Sun reports that Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has shot down a rumor that he would send his team’s seventh overall pick in the June entry draft to Tampa Bay for the Lightning’s second overall pick and RW Ryan Malone. The Lightning, according to the rumor, would do that because Malone is under contract through 2014-15 and produces a salary cap hit of $4.5-million for each of the next six seasons. “I have no comment,” Burke told the newspaper. “It certainly has not been discussed at our end.” The newspaper also said a source in Tampa denied the rumor. “I would be shocked if that was the case,” the source said. “The Lightning plan to keep the second pick. They really want (D Victor) Hedman.” Detroit F Tomas Kopecky underwent facial surgery to repair a fractured cheekbone and will miss the rest of the season, according to John Hahn, the team’s senior director for communications. “The surgery was successful,” Hahn said. “But he’s out indefinitely.” Kopecky was injured late in Game 4 when he got into a fight with Anaheim Ducks D Francois Beauchemin.

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INSIDE DISH

reported P Tom Glavine (shoulder) will throw two or three innings in a simulated game today. If that goes well, the 305-game winner would be ready for a rehab assignment. Glavine told the newspaper he would need two rehab starts and could join the Braves’ rotation in late May. He hasn’t pitched this season.

As expected, Major League Baseball is reviewing the claims by White Sox P Bobby Jenks that he intentionally threw behind Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler in Saturday’s game, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I wasn’t trying to hit him. If they’ll investigate that, they’ll see that,” Jenks told the newspaper. “It wasn’t a dirty pitch. It wasn’t up. It was right at his butt. That’s all I can say.” Jenks tried to justify his actions by saying he was tired of watching Rangers pitchers his hit teammates this season. On Saturday, Texas hit two Chicago batters, bringing the total to four this season.

Marlins P Scott Proctor, who hadn’t pitched yet this season because of elbow problems, had season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday, according to the South Florida SunSentinel. Proctor missed 63 games last season because of elbow tendinitis and began having problems just before Grapefruit League action began this season.

TONY GUTIERREZ / AP

Bobby Jenks doesn’t deny throwing a pitch at the Rangers’ Ian Kinsler. NCAA did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment. — Liz Mullen, SportsBusiness Journal Still battling a sore right hip, Mets 1B Carlos Delgado hasn’t ruled out a trip to the disabled list, according to the New York Daily News. Manager Jerry Manuel said Delgado, who missed five consecutive games from April 27-May 2, would rest for at least a couple more. Working his way back from a hip injury, Yankees P Chien-Ming Wang pitched six scoreless innings in a rehab start Tuesday at Class AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre. General manage Brian Cashman told the New

15

THE LAUNCHING PAD

MLB looking into Jenks’ errant pitch, subsequent comments

An Ohio judge has ordered the NCAA to show cause to why it is not in contempt of court for violating the court’s order declaring void an NCAA regulation prohibiting college baseball players from having their lawyer present during negotiations with MLB clubs. Erie County (OH) Judge Tygh Tone found “probable cause to believe that defendant NCAA is in indirect civil and criminal contempt” of a February court order in a case involving Oklahoma State P and expected first-round draft pick Andy Oliver. In that order, Tone found NCAA Bylaw 12.3.2.1 to be “arbitrary and capricious.” Tone issued Tuesday’s order after the NCAA Monday issued a memo to draft-eligible baseball players, outlining the NCAA rules regarding players hiring an agent or advisor for the June draft. Tone ordered the NCAA to produce in person the author or authors of that memo, as well as other evidence related to its alleged non compliance with his February court order and his August ’08 temporary restraining order. The

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

York Daily News that he expects Wang will need to make at least one more. Before going on the disabled list, Wang went 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA in three starts for the Yankees. In an attempt to shake up his struggling team, Indians manager Eric Wedge could use SS Jhonny Peralta at third base, according to mlb.com. In such instances, 2B Asdrubal Cabrera would move to shortstop and 3B Mark DeRosa would play first base. The Plain Dealer of Cleveland also speculated that OF Grady Sizemore eventually might move from leadoff to the middle of the batting order. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On Tuesday, the Brewers signed IF/OF Frank Catalanotto to a minor league contract. Catalanotto, a .292 career hitter, was released by the Rangers in spring training.

What to expect in the major leagues today

Back on track? When we last saw lefthander Dontrelle Willis on a major league mound, the date was Sept. 28, 2008. It was the only time in his final five starts last season that he didn’t walk at least five batters (he walked three in a no-decision against the Rays in that game). After rehabbing from an anxiety disorder, Willis will make his 2009 debut tonight at the Metrodome. In three levels of the Tigers’ minor league system this season, Willis was 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA and a 16:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four starts. Now he just has to pitch that well it in the majors.

Banged-up contenders Just over a month into the season, the Red Sox already are on their second (and final) West Coast trip of the season. Their first trip, which included three games at Los Angeles and three at Oakland, resulted in a 2-4 record. Boston and L.A. play the second game of a three-game set tonight, and each team is looking forward to the day it can put its projected starting lineup on the field. For the Red Sox, second baseman Dustin Pedroia (groin) and first baseman Kevin Youkilis (oblique/back) have missed time recently, and the Angels have been plagued by injury problems to their rotation and still are without outfielder Vladimir Guerrero (chest).

Bang for their buck What’s so significant about the 2009 season for the Rockies? This officially is the final season they are on the books for any portion of the eight-year, $121 million deal (and ‘09 buyout) that they gave lefthander Mike Hampton before the 2001 season. Hampton, now with Houston, will be atop the Coors Field mound again tonight. And he also will be worth watching at the plate, where he hit 10 homers while with Colorado from 2001-02.

— Chris Bahr

The Red Sox placed first baseman Kevin Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 5, because of a strained oblique muscle on his left side. Youkilis is batting .393 with six home runs, 20 RBIs and a major league-best .505 on-base percentage. Washington’s Lastings Milledge will be out 6-8 following surgery on his broken right ring finger, the latest setback for the Nationals’ former starting center fielder. Milledge was injured Monday while trying to bunt in a game with Triple-A Syracuse, where he was sent after seven games with Washington this season.

TONY DEJAK / AP

Dontrelle Willis will make his first major-league start tonight since Sept. 28.

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Fantasy Focus

LEAGUE LEADERS Batting Average

Start ’em, Sit ’em A.L.

Player Youkilis V.Martinez Mi.Cabrera Ad.Jones Longoria A.Hill Bartlett

Start ’em Paul Konerko, 1B, White Sox. Konerko is 15-for-42 (.357) with five homers and 14 RBIs lifetime against Indians ace Cliff Lee. Torii Hunter, OF, Angels. In his career, Hunter is 14-for-38 (.368) with three homers against Boston’s Tim Wakefield. Ted Lilly, SP, Cubs. The lefty is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA in his career against the Padres. And he has allowed one earned run in 21 2/3 innings at home this season.

Sit ’em Ricky Nolasco, SP, Marlins. Nolasco has a 7.71 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP in two career starts against Milwaukee. He also has a 6.33 ERA and 1.67 WHIP on the road this season. Adam LaRoche, 1B, Pirates. LaRoche is 2-for-11 (.182) in his career against St. Louis starter Joel Pineiro. Mark Buehrle, SP, White Sox. His winning streak (5-0 this season) could end this afternoon. Buehrle is 9-12 in his career against Cleveland, which hit .329 against him in 2008. — Brad Pinkerton

MORE COVERAGE Get everything you need to dominate your fantasy league at sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball

Player Beltran Votto Zimmerman HaRamirez MRamirez Hudson Helton

.393 .374 .365 .363 .362 .357 .356

A.L.

Team New York Cincinnati Washington Florida Los Angeles Los Angeles Colorado

.374 .374 .364 .357 .348 .343 .343

Player C.Pena Longoria 7 tied at

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Tampa Bay

Runs A.L.

Player Ad.Jones Markakis Scutaro Bay Pedroia Longoria

Player Pujols ASoriano Hudson Werth Zimmerman Hart Weeks

35 33 32 29 29 27

A.L.

Team St. Louis Chicago Los Angeles Philadelphia Washington Milwaukee Milwaukee

33 29 27 27 27 26 25

Player Crawford Ellsbury Abreu Figgins Crisp 3 tied at

Player Longoria Bay C.Pena Huff Lind A.Hill Markakis

Player Pujols Cantu Fielder Braun Dunn B.Molina Ethier

45 35 32 31 31 30 30

A.L.

Team St. Louis Florida Milwaukee Milwaukee Washington San Francisco Los Angeles

34 32 29 28 28 28 27

Player Buehrle R.Ramirez Frasor Bannister Palmer A.Bailey

Player Longoria Byrd Callaspo Polanco 5 tied at

Player Kotchman F.Sanchez Hudson Zimmerman M.Cameron F.Lopez Ha.Ramirez

16 13 13 13 12

5-0 4-0 4-0 3-0 3-0 3-0

Player Pelfrey Martis Meredith DiFelice T.Pena Condrey

1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000

A.L.

Player Crisp 7 tied at

Team Atlanta Pittsburgh Los Angeles Washington Milwaukee Arizona Florida

13 13 12 12 11 11 11

4 2

4-0 4-0 4-0 3-0 3-0 3-0

1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000

Player Greinke Verlander Halladay Lester F.Hernandez Bedard Garza

Team Kansas City Detroit Toronto Boston Seattle Seattle Tampa Bay

Player Peavy Santana Lincecum J.Vazquez Haren Gallardo Billingsley

59 56 49 49 47 43 42

Player Bourn Kemp Morgan Victorino D.Wright 15 tied at

A.L.

Team Houston Los Angeles Pittsburgh Philadelphia New York

3 3 3 3 3 2

Player Fuentes F.Francisco Papelbon Jenks Soria 4 tied at

Team San Diego New York San Francisco Atlanta Arizona Milwaukee Los Angeles

61 60 58 57 56 47 47

N.L.

Team Los Angeles Texas Boston Chicago Kansas City

9 9 9 8 7 6

Player Cordero Franklin Fr.Rodriguez Bell Qualls BWilson Broxton

East Toronto Boston New York Tampa Bay Baltimore

W 23 21 15 15 14

L 12 12 17 19 19

Pct .657 .636 .469 .441 .424

GB WCGB L10 — — 7-3 1 — 7-3 6½ 5½ 3-7 7½ 6½ 5-5 8 7 5-5

Str W-3 W-2 L-1 L-2 W-1

Home 12-4 13-4 6-7 6-7 11-10

Away 11-8 8-8 9-10 9-12 3-9

Central Detroit Kansas City Minnesota Chicago Cleveland

W 17 18 16 15 12

L 14 15 17 17 22

Pct .548 .545 .485 .469 .353

GB WCGB L10 — — 6-4 — 3 6-4 2 5 4-6 2½ 5½ 3-7 6½ 9½ 3-7

Str L-1 L-4 W-1 W-1 L-1

Home Away 8-5 9-9 11-6 7-9 12-9 4-8 8-8 7-9 6-11 6-11

West Texas Los Angeles Seattle Oakland

W 18 16 16 12

L 14 15 17 18

Pct .563 .516 .485 .400

GB WCGB L10 — — 8-2 1½ 4 7-3 2½ 5 2-8 5 7½ 4-6

Str W-2 L-1 L-1 W-1

Home Away 9-6 9-8 10-8 6-7 7-7 9-10 7-10 5-8

National League Standings East New York Philadelphia Florida Atlanta Washington

W 18 16 17 16 10

L 14 14 16 17 21

Pct .563 .533 .515 .485 .323

GB WCGB L10 — — 8-2 1 1½ 5-5 1½ 2 3-7 2½ 3 5-5 7½ 8 5-5

Str W-1 W-1 L-2 L-1 L-3

Home 12-7 8-10 6-7 5-9 5-7

Away 6-7 8-4 11-9 11-8 5-14

Central St. Louis Cincinnati Milwaukee Chicago Houston Pittsburgh

W 20 19 19 18 14 13

L 13 14 14 14 18 19

Pct .606 .576 .576 .563 .438 .406

GB WCGB L10 — — 4-6 1 — 7-3 1 — 7-3 1½ ½ 7-3 5½ 4½ 5-5 6½ 5½ 2-8

Str L-1 W-2 W-1 W-2 L-1 W-1

Home Away 12-5 8-8 7-9 12-5 10-7 9-7 9-6 9-8 8-10 6-8 8-7 5-12

West W Los Angeles 22 San Francisco 18 Colorado 13 San Diego 13 Arizona 13 z-first game was a win

L 12 14 18 20 21

Pct .647 .563 .419 .394 .382

GB WCGB L10 — — 6-4 3 ½ 7-3 7½ 5 5-5 8½ 6 2-8 9 6½ 2-8

Str L-2 W-3 W-2 L-4 L-2

Home 14-3 12-4 7-8 8-6 9-14

Away 8-9 6-10 6-10 5-14 4-7

Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)

Saves N.L.

Team Kansas City

Team New York Washington San Diego Milwaukee Arizona Philadelphia

N.L.

Triples A.L.

11 11 9 9 9 9 8

Strikeouts

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Texas Kansas City Detroit

Team Houston New York San Francisco Colorado Pittsburgh Cincinnati Los Angeles

N.L.

Team Chicago Boston Toronto Kansas City Los Angeles Oakland

Doubles A.L.

Player Bourn Jose Reyes Burriss Fowler Morgan Taveras Kemp

22 16 13 12 9 8

Pitching (3 decisions) N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Tampa Bay Baltimore Toronto Toronto Baltimore

13 11 11 10 10 10 9

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Los Angeles Los Angeles Kansas City

RBIs A.L.

Team St. Louis Washington San Diego Cincinnati Chicago Philadelphia Philadelphia

Stolen Bases N.L.

Team Baltimore Baltimore Toronto Boston Boston TampaBay

Player Pujols Dunn AdGonzalez Bruce ASoriano Utley Ibanez

13 11 9

16

American League Standings

Home Runs

N.L.

Team Boston Cleveland Detroit Baltimore TampaBay Toronto TampaBay

CHARLES REX ARBOGAST / AP

Paul Konerko has five HRs against Cliff Lee.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

Team Cincinnati St. Louis New York San Diego Arizona San Francisco Los Angeles

10 9 9 8 8 8 8

American League Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 5-0) at Cleveland (Cl.Lee 1-5), 12:05 p.m. Tampa Bay (Niemann 2-3) at Baltimore (Bergesen 1-0), 7:05 p.m. N.Y. Yankees (Pettitte 2-1) at Toronto (Richmond 4-1), 7:07 p.m. Seattle (Washburn 3-2) at Texas (McCarthy 3-1), 8:05 p.m. Detroit (Willis 0-0) at Minnesota (Perkins 1-2), 8:10 p.m. Boston (Wakefield 4-1) at L.A. Angels (Palmer 3-0), 10:05 p.m. Kansas City (Bannister 3-0) at Oakland (Outman 0-0), 10:05 p.m.

The Line at Cle -145 Chi +135 TB -110 at Bal+100 at Tor-110 NY +100 at Tex -135 Sea +125 at Min -155 Det +145 Bos -115 at LA +105 at Oak -110 KC +100

National League Atlanta (Jo-.Reyes 0-2) at N.Y. Mets (Niese 0-0), 1:10 p.m. Washington (Martis 4-0) at San Francisco (Zito 1-2), 3:45 p.m. St. Louis (Pineiro 4-2) at Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf 3-3), 7:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Wolf 1-1) at Philadelphia (Moyer 3-2), 7:05 p.m. Florida (Nolasco 2-3) at Milwaukee (Looper 2-2), 8:05 p.m. San Diego (C.Young 2-1) at Chicago Cubs (Lilly 4-2), 8:05 p.m. Houston (Hampton 1-3) at Colorado (Marquis 4-2), 8:40 p.m. Cincinnati (Cueto 3-1) at Arizona (Augenstein 0-0), 9:40 p.m.

The Line at NY-130 Atl +120 at SF -145 Was +135 STL -125 at Pit +115 at Phi -120 LA +110 at Mil -150 Flo+140 at Chi -150 SD +140 at Col -150 Hou +140 Cin -130 at Ari +120

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17

Clemens states his case, continues to deny PED use NEW YORK—Roger Clemens broke his silence Tuesday, again denying that former personal trainer Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs. The public comments were Clemens’ first in more than a year. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was interviewed by phone on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning. He said he chose to speak out Tuesday because it was the release date of a book about his alleged drug use. “He’s never injected me with HGH or steroids,” Clemens said of McNamee’s assertions to baseball investigator George Mitchell. Clemens appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes in January of last year, then held a news conference the next day. But he had stayed quiet since testifying before Congress the following month. Though American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime was officially released Tuesday, its revelations were not new to the public. The book, by four New York Daily News reporters, recaps previous reports in the newspaper. It had been available to reviewers and had excerpts published before Tuesday. Clemens said he had started working with a communications firm. “They came in and said, ‘You need to get your story out about all this garbage that is being said,’ “ he said. “It’s important for me to do that. I’ve seen excerpts of the book and they’re completely false. ... You know, guys, it’s piling on. It’s hurtful at times. But I’m moving on.” Clemens said he had given a DNA sample to federal investigators but that syringes provided by McNamee would not link him to performance-enhancing drug use. “It’s impossible because he’s never given me any,” Clemens said. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury in Washington that is trying to determine whether he lied

PAT SULLIVAN / AP

Roger Clemens said it would have been ‘suicidal’ to use steroids because of a history of heart problems in his family.

when he told a congressional committee last year that he had not used illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens said he had not been summoned to testify before the grand jury. He also has sued McNamee for defamation. “He’s on the offensive again, which is Roger’s mode of operation. ... This, in my view, is going to backfire, because he’s publicly now poking a stick in Congress’ eye. And, to me, all that’s going to do is vitalize the prosecutors going forward,” McNamee’s lead lawyer, Richard Emery, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “Nobody, for a minute, thinks he’s not a liar just because he’s talking. He’s always talked, and he has stood by his falsehoods. So going forward, I think, it’s just going to dig the hole deeper for him.”

Clemens’ radio appearance returns him to the spotlight as other stars had replaced him as the most visible reminders of baseball’s drug scandal. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted before the season that he had used steroids, and Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez was suspended last week for violating MLB’s drug policy. Clemens said he had not followed either situation closely. The Ramirez case proved “the testing program we have set up in Major League Baseball is great,” he said. Clemens said he was sad to hear about Rodriguez. “I wish him the best, tell him to move forward, continue to do what he’s doing,” he said. “But I hope none of the things that he took or anything like that hurt his body to the point where it would hurt his career.”

Clemens said it would have been “suicidal” for him to use steroids because of a history of heart problems in his family. “Everywhere I’ve gone and gotten the opportunity to speak to young kids or college kids, I take a lot of pride in telling those boys to get after it and do things the right way and take care of your body, because I know how I did it; I know how hard I worked,” Clemens said. “For some of that to come in question, of course it’s hurtful. But it’s not going to break my spirit.” Clemens also repeated his much-lampooned use of the word “misremembers” about friend and former teammate Andy Pettitte’s statement that Clemens told him he used HGH. Clemens said he has spoken to Pettitte a few times, but not about the drug allegations. Clemens disputed the perception that’s he gone into hiding, insisting he’s doing the same things he’s always done when he’s not playing. He joked about competing with Brett Favre to see who could come out of retirement the most times. Asked about polls showing the public doesn’t believe him, Clemens said, “All I can do is speak the truth and from my heart to them.” “That’s all I can do,” he said. “I know what your polls say, (but) I’ve been getting great responses everywhere I’ve gone in the cities I’ve traveled to. All I can do is be me and give them the message I just told you about that steroids are bad for these kids. You don’t want to have anything to do with them the way they tear your body down. “But I can’t defend a negative. When you’ve got somebody that’s out there that is really just crawling up your back to make a buck—which is what this is— other than speaking out, what else can you do?” — The Associated Press

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18

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yanks monitor wind, HRs, empty seats at new park

SETH WENIG / AP

Yankees COO Lonn Trost says it’s too early to tell whether price cuts will eliminate empty seats. NEW YORK—The New York Yankees are monitoring the wind, home runs and empty seats close to the field at their new ballpark. Chief operating officer Lonn Trost said more wind studies will be done at the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium, but the weather during the first two homestands might have been unusual. Forty-seven home runs were hit—four shy of the record for the first 13 games at a major league ballpark. Thirty-two of the homers were hit to right field. “There were wind studies performed before. There will be wind studies performed as we go forward, and we’re just looking like you are to see whether or not it’s the weather, the wind, what happens when the old building goes down,” Trost said Tuesday. The home run total at the new stadium is vastly higher than the most in the first 13 games of a season at the old Yankee Stadium (36 homers in 2007), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “Based upon wind analysis and wind studies, the winds we were having were the least likely winds

to occur,” Trost said. “We’ll always look and we’ll always analyze. And right now, I don’t know if I can do anything about wind.” Trost also said the Yankees might consider changes in 2010 to the first row behind the outfield fences. Possible fan interference already has led to a pair of umpire video reviews. “We’re going to have to look at that, you know, this year to see whether or not that row, which is both in left field and right field, impedes play in any way,” he said. “But we can’t do anything this year.” And Trost thinks it’s too early to tell whether changes announced by the Yankees between the first and second homestands will eliminate all of the empty seats near the field. The Yankees cut the price of 116 of 258 front-row seats. They also are giving free tickets to those with season ticket plans for seats that cost $325 or more a game. “Every day we look at it and analyze it,” he said. “Could you really tell what’s taken place in two homestands with 90 percent of them in rain? I can’t.” — The Associated Press

Toronto 5, N.Y. Yankees 1

Halladay outpitches ex-teammate Burnett TORONTO—Roy Halladay wasn’t about to get too caught up in his showdown with A.J. Burnett. Instead, the Toronto ace did what he always does—shut down the New York Yankees. Halladay pitched a five-hitter to best his former teammate and Scott Rolen had three hits and three RBIs for the Blue Jays in a 5-1 victory Tuesday night. “That’s a big part of being consistent, having the same approach and not letting those things affect the way you look at games,” Halladay said of facing Burnett, who pitched for Toronto from 2006 to 2008. “As soon as you start changing the way you approach the game you can find yourself in trouble.” Aaron Hill hit a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who improved to an ALbest 23-12. They lead New York, which was playing without shortstop Derek Jeter, by 6½ games. Halladay (7-1) walked none and struck out five to win his fourth straight start and improve to 16-5 in 33 career games against New York. He has an ERA of 2.77 against the Yankees, his best against any AL opponent. “He showed why he’s the best around and why he’s going to continue to be the best around,” New York outfielder Johnny Damon said. Alex Rodriguez had a run-scoring single in the seventh for the Yankees, his first RBI since hitting a three-run homer in his first at-bat since returning from hip surgery Friday. Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui left the game in the fifth with

Blue Jays 5, Yankees 1 New York AB R H BI Gardner cf 4 0 0 0 Damon lf 4 1 2 0 Teixeira 1b 4 0 0 0 A.Rodriguez 3b 3 0 1 1 H.Matsui dh 1 0 0 0 a-Swisher ph-dh 2 0 0 0 Cano 2b 3 0 0 0 Me.Cabrera rf 3 0 1 0 Cash c 3 0 0 0 R.Pena ss 3 0 1 0 Totals 30 1 5 1

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .214 0 0 .320 0 2 .191 0 0 .214 0 0 .263 0 2 .265 0 0 .313 0 0 .333 0 1 .000 0 0 .283 0 5

Toronto Scutaro ss A.Hill 2b Rios rf V.Wells cf Lind dh Rolen 3b Overbay 1b Barajas c Snider lf Totals

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .270 0 0 .357 1 0 .257 1 0 .277 2 0 .328 0 0 .319 0 1 .256 0 0 .309 0 2 .253 4 3

New York Toronto

AB 4 4 3 3 2 4 4 3 3 30

R 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 5

H BI 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 8 5

000 000 100 — 1 5 1 000 300 02x — 5 8 0

E: A.Rodriguez (1). LOB: New York 2, Toronto 6. 2B: Damon (7), R.Pena (2), Rios (9), Rolen (8). HR: A.Hill (9), off A.Burnett. RBIs: A.Rodriguez (4), A.Hill (30), Rolen 3 (15), Barajas (19). SF: Barajas. Runners left in scoring position: New York 1 (Teixeira); Toronto 3 (Barajas 2, Snider). DP: New York 2 (Cano, R.Pena, Teixeira), (Cano, Teixeira); Toronto 1 (Rolen, A.Hill, Overbay). New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA A.Burnett L, 2-1 7 2⁄3 7 5 5 4 3 110 5.36 Veras 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 12 7.04 Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Halladay W, 7-1 9 5 1 1 0 5 103 2.95

NATHAN DENETTE / AP

Inherited runners-scored: Veras 1-0. Umpires: Home, Laz Diaz; First, Chuck Meriwether; Second, Mike Reilly; Third, Chad Fairchild. T: 2:22. A: 43,737 (49,539).

Roy Halladay is now 16-5 against the Yankees in his career, and has won 13 of the past 15. a tight right hamstring and is day to day. “When he came out of the box in the (second) inning he felt his right hamstring tighten up so we took him out,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “He didn’t feel like he strained anything but it was tight so we felt like we had to get him out.”

Jeter was scratched with a sore right oblique, an injury that has bothered him for the past week, and was replaced by Ramiro Pena. Girardi said Jeter could return to the lineup today. “I’ve pulled that muscle before and (ended up on) the disabled list,” Jeter said. “That’s two or three weeks.”

“We’re trying to avoid that. Hopefully this extra day helped.” Burnett (2-1) allowed five runs and seven hits in 7 2-3 innings and has not won since April 14. — The Associated Press

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19

AMERICAN LEAGUE Texas 7, Seattle 1

Baltimore 7, Tampa Bay 5

Hamilton hits go-ahead homer in return

O’s Jones keeps improving

ARLINGTON, TEXAS—Josh Hamilton looked like a player trying to shake the rust off in his first three plate appearances Tuesday night. With one big swing in the seventh, the Rangers center fielder looked more like the All-Star who took the league by storm last season. Hamilton returned from the disabled list by hitting the go-ahead homer in a six-run seventh inning and the Texas Rangers won for the eighth time in 10 games, beating the Seattle Mariners 7-1. “The at-bats before that weren’t great,” said Hamilton, who led the American League last year with 130 RBIs. “But that one at-bat, it felt good. Anytime you can make plays or do something with the bat like hit a home run, it helps the confidence out.” Hamilton, activated after missing 13 games with a strained ribcage muscle, struggled in his first three at-bats before his two-run shot off Mariners reliever Mark Lowe (0-1) gave Texas a 3-1 lead. Before he put the Rangers up for good, Hamilton bounced into a double play in the first, flew out in the third and struck out looking in the fifth. He had not played since April 26. “Josh had some opportunities early and didn’t come through,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “It took a load off his shoulders. That gave us the lead and we kept chipping and put more runs on the board.” Chris Davis homered for the fourth time in eight games for Texas, and Michael Young had three hits and was on base five times after missing two games with back stiffness. Scott Feldman took a shutout into the seventh and gave up one run and four

Rangers 7, Mariners 1 Seattle AB R H BI I.Suzuki rf 4 0 1 0 Jo.Lopez 2b 4 0 0 0 Griffey Jr. dh 2 0 1 0 Beltre 3b 4 0 0 0 Branyan 1b 4 0 0 0 F.Gutierrez cf 4 1 1 0 Johjima c 3 0 1 1 Y.Betancourt ss 3 0 0 0 En.Chavez lf 2 0 0 0 a-Balentien ph-lf 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 1 4 1

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .313 0 0 .248 2 0 .225 0 0 .227 0 1 .277 0 0 .271 0 0 .255 0 0 .259 0 1 .274 0 0 .306 2 3

Texas AB Kinsler 2b 5 M.Young 3b 3 Hamilton cf 5 An.Jones dh 3 Byrd lf 5 N.Cruz rf 4 C.Davis 1b 4 Saltalamacchia c 4 Andrus ss 4 Totals 37

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .326 2 0 .344 0 2 .239 2 1 .315 0 2 .304 0 1 .273 0 1 .231 0 1 .261 0 0 .272 4 8

Seattle Texas

TONY GUTIERREZ / AP

Josh Hamilton looked rusty in his first three at-bats, but he went yard in his fourth time at the plate. hits in 6 1/3 innings for the first-place Rangers. “We had opportunities that we didn’t cash in,” Washington said. “The pitching kept us there and we put something together in the seventh.” Mariners starter Jason Vargas, who is in the rotation for an injured Carlos Silva, allowed one run and five hits in five innings. Seattle, which had only four hits, has lost seven of eight. Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was displeased with his team’s lack of offense. The Mariners came into the

game 12th in the American League in runs scored. “We have to make adjustments or maybe we have to look into making some changes,” Wakamatsu said. Young singled with one out in the seventh, bringing Hamilton up to the plate. After swinging and missing on an offspeed pitch, Hamilton drove a fastball from Lowe over the 14-foot wall in left. Rangers closer Frank Francisco was unavailable to pitch because of biceps tendinitis. G.M. Jon Daniels said Francisco may miss the rest of this series. — The Associated Press

R H BI 0 3 0 1 3 0 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 7 14 6

000 000 100 — 1 4 2 000 010 60x — 7 14 0

a-grounded out for En.Chavez in the 7th. E: Branyan 2 (2). LOB: Seattle 5, Texas 11. 2B: Johjima (2), Kinsler (10), Byrd (13), Saltalamacchia (5). HR: C.Davis (9), off Vargas; Hamilton (3), off M.Lowe. RBIs: Johjima (7), Hamilton 2 (12), N.Cruz (22), C.Davis (17), Saltalamacchia (14), Andrus (7). SB: F.Gutierrez (1). CS: I.Suzuki (3). SF: N.Cruz. Runners left in scoring position: Seattle 1 (Balentien); Texas 6 (Hamilton 4, Andrus 2). DP: Seattle 1 (Vargas, Y.Betancourt, Branyan). Seattle IP H Vargas 5 5 Batista 1 2 M.Lowe L, 0-1 2⁄3 5 White 1⁄3 2 Olson 1 0 Texas IP H Feldman 6 1⁄3 4 Holland W, 1-1 1 2⁄3 0 Guardado 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 3 73 1.04 0 0 1 2 30 3.06 6 3 0 0 32 4.70 0 0 1 1 13 3.29 0 0 0 2 12 3.00 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 2 109 4.85 0 0 0 0 20 1.74 0 0 0 1 16 7.36

Inherited runners-scored: White 1-1, Holland 1-0. WP: Feldman. Umpires: Home, Marty Foster; First, Marvin Hudson; Second, John Hirschbeck; Third, Wally Bell. T: 2:50. A: 16,564 (49,170).

BALTIMORE—Adam Jones has been hitting the ball solidly all season, as evidenced by his impressive .363 batting average. As if that isn’t enough, Baltimore’s rapidly improving center fielder has added a jolt of power to his swing. Jones slammed two home runs for the first time in his career and drove in four runs Tuesday night to lead the Orioles over the Tampa Bay. Jones hit a solo shot in the first inning and a three-run drive in the second. Both homers—his seventh and eighth of the season—came off Andy Sonnanstine (1-4), who had allowed only one home run in 32 2/3 innings this season. “The first one was a good pitch by him. I’ve seen it on video. It was a good pitch and I went down and got it,” Jones said. “The other one was 3-1 right down the middle. I’m just not missing them as often. I’m putting them in play and I’m putting them in play with authority.” Now in his second full year in the majors, Jones totaled 17 homers in his first 233 games before hitting three in his last three. “I got a bat in my hand. I’m not going to go up there swinging gingerly,” he said. “I got three strikes and I’m just trying to make the best of it up there.” — The Associated Press

Orioles 7, Rays 5 Tampa Bay AB B.Upton cf 4 Crawford lf 5 Longoria 3b 4 C.Pena 1b 4 W.Aybar dh 5 Zobrist 2b 4 Bartlett ss 4 Kapler rf 2 a-Gross ph-rf 1 Navarro c 3 Totals 36

R H BI 1 0 0 1 2 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 5 11 5

BB SO Avg. 1 0 .160 0 0 .336 1 0 .362 1 1 .252 0 1 .268 0 1 .254 0 0 .356 0 0 .234 0 0 .260 1 0 .186 4 3

Baltimore B.Roberts 2b Ad.Jones cf Markakis rf Huff 1b Mora 3b Montanez dh-lf Zaun c Pie lf Wigginton lf Sherrill p C.Izturis ss Totals

R H BI 1 0 1 2 2 4 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 2 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 11 7

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .281 0 0 .363 0 0 .349 0 1 .268 0 1 .258 0 1 .243 1 0 .214 1 1 .180 0 0 .204 0 0 --0 0 .245 2 5

AB 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 1 2 0 4 34

Tampa Bay 050 000 000—5 11 0 Baltimore 151 000 00x—7 11 1 a-flied out for Kapler in the 8th. E: Ad.Jones (2). LOB: Tampa Bay 9, Baltimore 5. 2B: Crawford 2 (10), Longoria (16), Bartlett (7), Markakis (11), Huff (9), Montanez (4), Wigginton (3). HR: Ad.Jones 2 (8), off Sonnanstine 2. RBIs: Crawford 2 (17), Longoria (45), Kapler (1), Navarro (5), B.Roberts (13), Ad.Jones 4 (25), Mora (12), Montanez (6). SB: Bartlett (8). SF: Kapler. Runners left in scoring position: Tampa Bay 4 (C.Pena, Navarro, W.Aybar, B.Upton); Baltimore 3 (C.Izturis, B.Roberts, Mora). Runners moved up: Longoria, Zaun. GIDP: Navarro. DP: Baltimore 2 (Huff), (C.Izturis, Huff). Tampa Bay Sonnanstine L, ¼ Balfour Howell J.Nelson Wheeler Baltimore Hendrickson Bass W, 2-1 Baez H, 2 Ji.Johnson H, 5 Sherrill S, 6-8

IP 2 2 2 11⁄3 2⁄3 IP 2 4 1 1 1

H 9 0 1 1 0 H 6 3 1 1 0

R ER BB SO 7 7 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 R ER BB SO 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1

NP ERA 69 7.27 23 6.08 28 3.14 28 4.20 5 6.75 NP ERA 42 6.35 43 5.18 15 2.37 22 3.52 26 3.68

Sonnanstine pitched to 3 batters in the 3rd. Inherited runners-scored: Balfour 2-0, Wheeler 1-0. IBB: off Baez (C.Pena). Umpires: Home, Todd Tichenor; First, Tom Hallion; Second, Jerry Crawford; Third, Phil Cuzzi. T: 3:01. A: 17,122 (48,290).

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20

AMERICAN LEAGUE Minnesota 6, Detroit 2

Chicago White Sox 7, Cleveland 4

Extra effort gives Mauer what he seeks

Thome punishes familiar foe

MINNEAPOLIS—When Detroit Tigers left fielder Clete Thomas leaped high to rob Joe Mauer of a home run in the first inning, the Minnesota Twins catcher simply told himself to put a little extra on it the next time around. The way the two-time A.L. batting champion is hitting these days, things like that are coming easy for him. Mauer hit a home run just over Thomas’s glove in the third inning and the Twins’ struggling bullpen protected a lead for three innings in a 6-2 victory Tuesday night. “It felt good,” Mauer said. “I’m seeing the ball pretty good and put a couple good swings on it.” Joe Crede homered for the Twins in his first at-bat after missing three games with a hamstring injury. Jeff Larish and Ramon Santiago homered for Detroit, but Armando Galarraga (3-3) still hasn’t figured out how to beat Minnesota. He gave up five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings and is 0-5 with a 5.63 ERA in his career against the Twins. “Not good,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. “It seemed like we should’ve had five or six runs but we didn’t have any, so not good.” Kevin Slowey (5-1) gave up one run and eight hits in six innings for the Twins. Reliever Jesse Crain was booed lustily after giving up a leadoff homer to Santiago to start the seventh, but Jose Mijares, Matt Guerrier and Joe Nathan retired nine in a row for an embattled bullpen that surrendered a two-run lead in the eighth against Seattle on Sunday. With one on in the first inning, Mauer lifted a drive the opposite way that was headed to the seats. But Thomas leaped

Twins 6, Tigers 2 Detroit AB Granderson cf 4 Polanco 2b 3 Thomas lf 4 Mi.Cabrera 1b 4 Larish dh 3 Ordonez rf 4 Inge 3b 4 Laird c 3 a-J.Anderson ph 1 Santiago ss 4 Totals 34

R 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

H BI 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 9 2

BB SO Avg. 1 1 .254 1 0 .272 0 1 .364 0 0 .365 1 0 .259 0 0 .241 0 2 .269 0 1 .207 0 0 .321 0 0 .283 3 5

Minnesota AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Span cf-lf 5 1 2 1 0 2 .299 Tolbert 2b 3 0 1 0 1 2 .190 Mauer c 3 1 2 2 1 0 .500 Morneau 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .315 Kubel dh 3 1 1 0 1 1 .308 Cuddyer rf 3 1 1 0 1 0 .272 Crede 3b 4 1 1 2 0 1 .233 Delm.Young lf 3 0 0 1 0 1 .277 Gomez cf 0 1 0 0 1 0 .218 Punto ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 .200 Totals 30 6 8 6 7 8 Detroit 000 001 100 — 2 9 1 Minnesota 022 001 01x — 6 8 0 a-flied out for Laird in the 9th. E: Polanco (1). LOB: Detroit 8, Minnesota 8. 2B: Granderson (3). HR: Larish (3), off Slowey; Santiago (2), off Crain; Crede (4), off Galarraga; Mauer (4), off Galarraga. RBIs: Larish (4), Santiago (14), Span (16), Mauer 2 (12), Crede 2 (9), Delm.Young (14). SB: Span (8), Gomez (3). CS: Span (2). S: Tolbert. Runners left in scoring position: Detroit 5 (Mi.Cabrera 3, Laird, Santiago); Minnesota 2 (Span, Cuddyer). DP: Minnesota 2 (Punto, Morneau), (Tolbert, Punto, Morneau).

JIM MONE / AP

Joe Mauer continued his hot hitting since coming off the D.L. with a home run and a single Tuesday. at the left field wall and caught it just before it would have landed in the first row. “He said, ‘All right, I’m just going to hit it harder,’” Twins first baseman Justin Morneau said. “And he sneaked it by him.” In the third, Mauer did put a little extra oomph on it. Thomas ran out of real estate and slammed into the wall as

Mauer’s two-run homer barely reached the seats for a 4-0 lead. “He hit it and I turned the wrong way,” Thomas said. “So I probably could have had that one too, but I turned the wrong way off the jump and it got by me. That one was definitely hit better, so that would’ve been a harder play, but I still think I should’ve made it.” — The Associated Press

Detroit Galarraga L, 3-3 Perry Lyon Minnesota Slowey W, 5-1 Crain Mijares H, 3 Guerrier H, 4 Nathan

IP 5 2⁄3 2 1⁄3 IP 6 0 1 1⁄3 2⁄3 1

H 6 2 0 H 8 1 0 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 5 4 4 99 4.61 1 1 2 4 42 3.14 0 0 1 0 7 4.85 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 2 98 4.91 1 1 1 0 11 9.00 0 0 0 1 13 3.68 0 0 0 1 12 3.50 0 0 0 1 11 1.50

Crain pitched to 2 batters in the 7th. Inherited runners-scored: Perry 2-0, Lyon 1-0, Mijares 1-0. IBB: off Perry (Morneau). WP: Slowey. PB: Laird. Umpires: Home, Ed Rapuano; First, Paul Schrieber; Second, Paul Nauert; Third, Joe West. T: 2:52. A: 24,807 (46,632).

CLEVELAND—Don’t tell the Cleveland Indians that Jim Thome was struggling at the plate. He was hitting .212 and in a 3-for-22 slump entering Tuesday night’s game, but he hit a pair of two-run homers to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 7-4 victory. “It’s hard when you’re struggling,” Thome said. “That’s what makes this game so tough. You have to understand there are going to be hard times and they’re sure not fun to go through.” Both home runs were off starter Jeremy Sowers (0-2), and Thome’s 42nd multihomer game gave him 547 for his career. Thome trails Mike Schmidt by one for 13th place on the alltime home run list. D.J. Carrasco (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of starter Clayton Richard and struck out Mark DeRosa and Shin-Soo Choo to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. Thome has 183 career home runs at Progressive Field, his home park from 1994-2002. The slugger began his major league career with the Indians in 1991. His last two-homer game came in Cleveland on opening day last season. “It’s always nice to come back here,” Thome said. “I’ve always felt comfortable hitting in this ballpark.” — The Associated Press

White Sox 7, Indians 4 Chicago AB R H BI J.Nix ss 4 1 1 1 Al.Ramirez ss 0 0 0 0 Getz 2b 5 1 0 0 Dye rf 4 2 1 0 Thome dh 3 3 2 4 Konerko 1b 4 0 1 0 Fields 3b 5 0 0 0 C.Miller c 4 0 2 2 Podsednik lf 3 0 1 0 Lillibridge cf 4 0 0 0 Totals 36 7 8 7

BB SO Avg. 1 1 .313 0 0 .200 0 2 .258 1 1 .291 2 1 .227 1 1 .305 0 3 .243 0 1 .231 1 0 .241 0 1 .159 6 11

Cleveland Sizemore cf A.Cabrera 2b V.Martinez c DeRosa 3b Choo rf Peralta ss Garko dh LaPorta 1b B.Francisco lf Totals

BB SO Avg. 1 1 .227 0 0 .328 2 0 .374 0 1 .239 1 1 .265 0 1 .246 0 1 .273 1 1 .188 0 0 .248 5 6

AB 4 5 2 4 3 4 4 3 4 33

R 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4

H BI 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 8 4

Chicago 201 020 200 — 7 8 0 Cleveland 012 100 000 — 4 8 1 E: LaPorta (1). LOB: Chicago 8, Cleveland 7. 2B: Dye (4), Konerko (10), A.Cabrera (7), B.Francisco (6). HR: Thome 2 (6), off Sowers 2; J.Nix (2), off Sowers. RBIs: J.Nix (3), Thome 4 (18), C.Miller 2 (5), A.Cabrera (17), Choo (18), Peralta (14), B.Francisco (9). CS: Sizemore (6). Runners left in scoring position: Chicago 5 (Fields 2, Getz, Lillibridge 2); Cleveland 4 (Sizemore 2, Choo 2). DP: Chicago 1 (Getz, J.Nix, Konerko). Chicago IP H R ER BB SO Richard 3 1⁄3 6 4 4 3 2 Carrasco W, 1-0 2 2 0 0 1 3 Thornton H, 5 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 Dotel H, 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 Jenks S, 8-8 1 0 0 0 0 0 Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO Sowers L, 0-2

J.Lewis Sipp Herges

NP ERA 79 5.40 35 2.88 26 2.84 11 0.00 12 1.50 NP ERA

4 7 5 5 3 3 8512.00

2 1⁄3 0 1 0 0 5 36 4.26 1⁄3 1 1 0 3 1 23 2.84 2 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 33 1.69

Sowers pitched to 2 batters in the 5th. Inherited runners-scored: Carrasco 2-1, Sipp 1-1, Herges 3-0. IBB: off Carrasco (V.Martinez). WP: Richard, Sipp. Umpires: Home, Jerry Meals; First, Mike DiMuro; Second, James Hoye; Third, Dale Scott. T: 3:19. A: 16,760 (45,199).

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

NATIONAL LEAGUE Philadelphia 5, L.A. Dodgers 3

Werth swipes four bags, including home PHILADELPHIA—Jayson Werth stole second, then third. When Dodgers pitcher Ronald Belisario ignored him dancing down the third-base line in the seventh inning, Werth knew it was time to complete the stolen base cycle and dash for home. Werth was safe on the rare steal of home plate and tied the Philadelphia team record of four stolen bases in a game in the 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. “I just saw an opportunity, really,” Werth said. “Fortunately it worked out.” Werth’s four steals were one more than he had all season. They tied a club record set by Sherry Magee on July 12 and Aug. 31 in 1906, and Garry Maddox on May 29, 1978. “I guess he was feeling frisky or had a lot of energy,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “He wanted to run.” It was another jolt in a game full of surprises for the Phillies. Jimmy Rollins was dropped from his customary leadoff spot to fifth and ended an 0-for-13 skid with an RBI single. And Chan Ho Park (1-1) had his second straight effective outing after a dreadful start this season. He started pitching more like he did in spring training when he won a spot in the rotation. Park walked none and gave up two runs in six innings. Brad Lidge gave up a run in the ninth to make it 5-3, but still earned his fifth save. “That was pretty cool. That doesn’t happen very often,” Lidge said of

Werth’s steal. No Phillie had stolen home since 2007, and Pete Rose was the last one to steal three bases in an inning (1980). Ryan Howard stole his third career base and the Phillies had a total of six. “That’s our style of game,” Werth said. The Dodgers are 1-4 since losing Manny Ramirez for 50 games last Thursday for failing a drug test. Park was in danger of losing his spot in the rotation when he pitched past the fifth inning only once in his first four starts and had an 8.57 ERA. He allowed one hit in six shutout innings in his last outing at New York and followed that with another confidence-boosting performance against the N.L. West leaders. He survived a shaky three-hit first inning that put the Dodgers ahead 1-0. But he retired seven straight in one stretch that included two swinging strikeouts in the second. The Phillies scored three times in the fourth to go ahead 4-2 and give Park his first win since last July 23, when he was a reliever for the Dodgers. In the first meeting for the teams since last year’s NLCS, Werth singled and Howard walked to open the inning against Clayton Kershaw (1-3). Rollins singled and tied the score at 2. Raul Ibanez made it 4-2 with the double to left-center. Werth’s steal of home gave the Phillies a 5-2 lead and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Phillies 5, Dodgers 3 Los Angeles AB R H BI Pierre lf 5 1 1 0 Furcal ss 4 0 0 0 Hudson 2b 4 1 3 1 Ethier rf 4 0 1 0 Martin c 4 0 1 0 Loney 1b 4 1 1 0 Kemp cf 4 0 1 1 Blake 3b 4 0 1 0 Kershaw p 2 0 1 0 Ja.McDonald p 0 0 0 0 b-Paul ph 1 0 0 0 Ohman p 0 0 0 0 Belisario p 0 0 0 0 d-Loretta ph 1 0 1 1 2-J.Castro pr 0 0 0 0 Totals 37 3 11 3

21

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .404 0 1 .238 0 1 .343 0 0 .283 0 1 .271 0 0 .264 0 1 .274 0 2 .259 0 0 .154 0 0 .000 0 0 .333 0 0 1.000 0 0 .000 0 0 .355 0 0 .438 0 6

Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Victorino cf 5 0 1 1 0 0 .269 Utley 2b 5 0 0 0 0 2 .294 Werth rf 4 2 2 0 0 0 .295 Howard 1b 3 1 0 0 1 2 .280 Rollins ss 3 1 1 1 1 0 .198 Ibanez lf 2 0 1 2 1 1 .330 Feliz 3b 0 1 0 0 4 0 .303 Ruiz c 2 0 0 0 1 0 .161 Park p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .125 a-Dobbs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .143 Durbin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 S.Eyre p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --c-Stairs ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .389 1-Bruntlett pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 27 5 6 4 8 6 Los Angeles 100 100 001 — 3 11 1 Philadelphia 001 300 10x — 5 6 0 a-popped out for Park in the 6th. b-grounded out for Ja.McDonald in the 7th. c-singled for Madson in the 8th. d-singled for Belisario in the 9th. 1-ran for Stairs in the 8th. 2-ran for Loretta in the 9th. E: Blake (3). LOB: Los Angeles 7, Philadelphia 9. 2B: Pierre (5), Ethier (8), Ibanez (9). RBIs: Hudson (20), Kemp (24), Loretta (4), Victorino (20), Rollins (10), Ibanez 2 (25). SB: Werth 4 (7), Howard (1), Rollins (2). S: Ruiz, Park. Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 3 (Martin, Blake, Pierre); Philadelphia 7 (Utley 3, Victorino 2, Ruiz 2). DP: Los Angeles 2 (Furcal, Hudson, Loney), (Furcal, Hudson, Loney).

TOM MIHALEK / AP

Before stealing home in the seventh inning, Jason Werth, below, stole second base and third in the same inning. He also stole third in the fourth. He had a one-out single in the seventh, then stole second and third. He stole third base in the fourth. “It wasn’t on Russell not doing a good job, they were just gauging our pitches,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre

said. “We were aware of (Werth) but he picked our pocket anyway.” Rollins entered the game batting only .195, so Manuel decided to shake up the lineup by dropping the former N.L. MVP in the lineup.

Shane Victorino, who had an RBI groundout in the third, batted at the top of the order for the Phillies. Manuel declined to say if the move was a one-time switch. — The Associated Press

Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Kershaw L, 1-3 5 4 4 4 4 5 98 5.21 Ja.McDonald 1 0 0 0 1 0 10 6.87 Ohman 2⁄3 1 1 1 2 1 22 5.23 Belisario 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 19 3.05 Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Park W, 1-1 6 7 2 2 0 3 101 6.00 Durbin H, 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 6 3.44 S.Eyre H, 4 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 3 5.14 Madson H, 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 17 2.51 Lidge S, 5-6 1 3 1 1 0 1 24 8.56 Kershaw pitched to 1 batter in the 6th. Inherited runners-scored: Ja.McDonald 1-0, Belisario 3-1. IBB: off Ohman (Rollins). HBP: by Kershaw (Ibanez). Umpires: Home, Tim Tschida; First, Bob Davidson; Second, Jeff Nelson; Third, Mark Carlson. T: 3:00. A: 45,191 (43,647).

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22

NATIONAL LEAGUE N.Y. Mets 4, Atlanta 3, 10 innings

Mets show Manuel, Minaya their mettle NEW YORK—Mets manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya have both said they want to see more fight out of their team this year. They got it Tuesday night. Carlos Beltran drew a bases-loaded walk from Jeff Bennett with two outs in the 10th inning and New York rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 for a rare comeback victory. The Mets were down by three in the eighth but fought back to improve to 1-11 this season when trailing after seven innings. “Six outs to go and we were able to take it out of their pockets pretty much,” closer Francisco Rodriguez said. “Wins like this get you going.” Beltran also doubled, stole third and scored the tying run in the ninth for the Mets, who have won eight of nine. “He can take over a game. That’s basically what he did tonight,” Manuel said. Jair Jurrjens took a four-hit shutout into the eighth for Atlanta before a tworun double to left-center by Jose Reyes cut it to 3-2—though he was easily thrown out at third when he tried to stretch it into a triple. Beltran opened the ninth with a double off Mike Gonzalez and swiped third on a close play with one out. Braves third baseman Chipper Jones thought third-base umpire Greg Gibson missed the call. “It came down to one play and he got it wrong. I never had a guy slide into my glove and be safe,” Jones said. “We played a perfect game tonight and we lost.” Fernando Tatis was hit by an 0-2 pitch before pinch-hitter Luis Castillo tied it with a sacrifice fly. It was the second blown save in seven chances for Gonzalez, who picked off Tatis for the third

Mets 4, Braves 3, 10 innings Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg. K.Johnson 2b 5 0 0 0 0 2 .230 Escobar ss 5 2 2 0 0 1 .306 C.Jones 3b 4 1 2 0 1 0 .293 G.Anderson lf 4 0 1 1 0 0 .196 McCann c 4 0 3 1 1 0 .279 Kotchman 1b 4 0 1 1 1 0 .316 Francoeur rf 5 0 0 0 0 1 .261 Schafer cf 3 0 1 0 1 0 .220 Jurrjens p 2 0 0 0 0 0 .071 Moylan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --O’Flaherty p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --c-Infante ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .338 M.Gonzalez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Bennett p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 36 3 10 3 4 4 New York AB Jos.Reyes ss 5 Cora 2b-1b 3 Dan.Murphy lf 3 b-Sheffield ph 1 Fr.Rodriguez p 0 e-R.Castro ph 0 Beltran cf 4 D.Wright 3b 4 Tatis 1b-lf 3 Reed rf-lf 3 d-Castillo ph-2b 0 Santos c 3 Pelfrey p 2 Putz p 0 a-Church ph-rf 2 Totals 33 Atlanta New York

FRANK FRANKLIN II / AP

Mets CF Carlos Delgado (15) went 2-for-4 and drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning. out. By then, the Mets had new life. “You could see it. Everyone was up. Last year it probably would have been a 1-2-3 inning. It showed we have heart and determination,” Ryan Church said. Reyes reached on an infield single with two outs in the 10th and stole second. After an intentional walk to Alex Cora, pinch-hitter Ramon Castro walked to load the bases. Bennett (0-1) went to a full count on Beltran and his final delivery appeared a bit low. The right-hander walked off the mound shaking his head and muttering into his glove. “You are in the big leagues, you’ve got to throw strikes in that situation. I didn’t

get the job done,” Bennett said. Atlanta dropped to 14-1 when leading after seven innings. Rodriguez (1-0) worked two scoreless innings for the win, the first time he has pitched more than one inning in a major league game since Aug. 17, 2007, with the Los Angeles Angels. “I felt really strong out there,” Rodriguez said. “My command was perfect.” Jones was back in Atlanta’s lineup after sitting out Monday night with a stiff and swollen right elbow. It was the first game at Citi Field for Jones, who hit .313 with 19 homers and 55 RBIs in 88 games at Shea Stadium, the Mets’ old ballpark. — The Associated Press

R 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4

H BI 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 4

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .274 2 0 .333 0 0 .277 0 0 .178 0 0 --1 0 .292 1 0 .374 0 1 .317 0 1 .333 0 1 .350 0 0 .321 1 0 .283 0 0 .083 0 0 --0 0 .269 5 4

000 101 010 0 000 000 021 1

3 10 0 4 9 0

Two outs when winning run scored. a-singled for Putz in the 8th. b-lined out for Dan.Murphy in the 8th. c-sacrificed for O’Flaherty in the 9th. d-hit a sacrifice fly for Reed in the 9th. e-walked for Fr.Rodriguez in the 10th. LOB: Atlanta 10, New York 7. 2B: Escobar 2 (8), McCann (5), Jos. Reyes (4), Beltran (7). 3B: D.Wright (3). RBIs: G.Anderson (5), McCann (12), Kotchman (15), Jos.Reyes 2 (15), Beltran (25), Castillo (10). SB: C.Jones (1), Jos.Reyes (11), Beltran (4). CS: McCann (1), D.Wright (6), Tatis (1). S: Jurrjens, Infante. SF: G.Anderson, Castillo. Runners left in scoring position: Atlanta 6 (K.Johnson, Francoeur 4, Escobar); New York 2 (D.Wright 2). DP: Atlanta 2 (McCann, McCann, K.Johnson), (Schafer, Schafer, McCann). Atlanta IP Jurrjens 7 2⁄3 Moylan 0 O’Flaherty H, 4 1⁄3 M.Gonzalez BS, 2-7 1 Bennett L, 0-1 2⁄3 New York IP Pelfrey 7 Putz 1 Fr.Rodriguez W, 1-0 2

H 7 0 0 1 1 H 6 2 2

R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 1 4 102 2.06 0 0 1 0 4 6.94 0 0 0 0 3 2.13 1 1 0 0 17 3.68 1 1 3 0 22 2.51 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 1 3 96 4.89 1 1 2 1 24 3.79 0 0 1 0 26 1.15

Moylan pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored: O’Flaherty 1-0. IBB: off Bennett (Cora), off Fr.Rodriguez (McCann), off Putz (C.Jones, Kotchman). HBP: by M.Gonzalez (Tatis). WP: Jurrjens. Umpires: Home, Andy Fletcher; First, Ted Barrett; Second, Tim McClelland; Third, Greg Gibson. T: 3:02. A: 39,408 (41,800).

Milwaukee 6, Florida 3

Fielder hits pair of HRs MILWAUKEE—Prince Fielder said it feels like there are 35 guys on the right side of the field when he comes to bat. That matters little when the lefthanded slugger shows his pop. Fielder hit a pair of two-run homers over the shift and Rickie Weeks and Mike Cameron hit solo shots to rally the Milwaukee Brewers to a 6-3 victory over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night. “Pretty much the night belonged to Prince—three hits, two homers, four RBIs,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “That’s pretty much the offense.” It was the first time this season the Brewers hit four homers in a game. Milwaukee has won seven of its last nine and is five games over .500 since a 4-9 start. Fielder, who had been hitless in 10 at-bats, singled the opposite way in the second and hit his first homer down the rightfield line in the fourth inning off starter John Koronka to cut Florida’s lead to 3-2. Weeks tied it with his homer in the fifth and, after Corey Hart singled, Fielder hit a towering shot over the Marlins’ bullpen off Koronka (0-1) for his seventh this season to give Milwaukee a 5-3 lead. Marlins pitching coach Mark Wiley made a visit to the mound just before Fielder hit his second homer. — The Associated Press

Brewers 6, Marlins 3 Florida AB R H BI Bonifacio 3b 4 2 2 1 Hermida lf 4 0 1 1 Ha.Ramirez ss 3 0 2 0 Cantu 1b 4 0 0 0 Uggla 2b 3 0 1 1 R.Paulino c 3 0 0 0 d-Jo.Baker ph 1 0 0 0 C.Ross cf 4 0 0 0 Carroll rf 2 1 0 0 e-Gload ph 1 0 0 0 Koronka p 1 0 0 0 Badenhop p 0 0 0 0 b-Coghlan ph 1 0 0 0 C.Martinez p 0 0 0 0 Penn p 0 0 0 0 Totals 31 3 6 3

BB SO Avg. 0 2 .257 0 1 .241 0 1 .357 0 0 .283 1 2 .193 0 1 .256 0 1 .286 0 1 .207 1 2 .143 0 0 .238 0 1 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .250 0 0 --0 0 --2 12

Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Weeks 2b 5 1 1 1 0 2 .274 Hart rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .262 Braun lf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .342 Fielder 1b 4 2 3 4 0 0 .272 M.Cameron cf 3 1 1 1 1 1 .296 Hardy ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 .218 Hall 3b 3 0 0 0 1 2 .283 Kendall c 2 0 0 0 1 0 .229 Parra p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .077 a-B.Nelson ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000 Villanueva p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 DiFelice p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --c-Duffy ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .107 Hoffman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 31 6 9 6 4 6 Florida 120 000 000 — 3 6 1 Milwaukee 000 230 01x — 6 9 0 a-struck out for Parra in the 6th. b-grounded out for Badenhop in the 7th. c-walked for DiFelice in the 8th. d-struck out for R.Paulino in the 9th. e-grounded out for Carroll in the 9th. E: Ha.Ramirez (2). LOB: Florida 5, Milwaukee 7. 2B: Ha.Ramirez (11), Hardy (4). HR: Fielder 2 (7), off Koronka 2; Weeks (8), off Koronka; M.Cameron (7), off C.Martinez. RBIs: Bonifacio (7), Hermida (14), Uggla (20), Weeks (22), Fielder 4 (29), M.Cameron (19). SB: Bonifacio (7). S: Koronka, Parra. Runners left in scoring position: Florida 3 (R.Paulino, Cantu, Uggla); Milwaukee 4 (Weeks 3, Kendall). DP: Florida 1 (Bonifacio, Uggla, Cantu); Milwaukee 1 (Hall, Weeks, Fielder). Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Koronka L, 0-1 4 2⁄3 7 5 5 3 2 92 9.64 Badenhop 1 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 15 3.38 C.Martinez 1 2⁄3 2 1 1 1 1 41 5.40 Penn 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 6 7.24 Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Parra W, 2-4 6 6 3 3 2 8 107 4.82 Villanueva H, 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 5.51 DiFelice H, 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 10 1.08 Hoffman S, 6-6 1 0 0 0 0 1 12 0.00 Inherited runners-scored: Badenhop 1-0, Penn 3-0. HBP: by C.Martinez (Kendall), by Parra (Ha.Ramirez). WP: Parra. Umpires: Home, Angel Campos; First, Gary Darling; Second, Bruce Dreckman; Third, Bill Hohn. T: 2:51. A: 29,331 (41,900).

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23

NATIONAL LEAGUE Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 1

Chicago Cubs 6, San Diego 2

Duke’s poise after Pujols’ HR ends Bucs’ skid

Bradley burns old pal Peavy

PITTSBURGH—Albert Pujols’ home run in the first inning struck halfway up the batter’s backstop in center field, the kind of drive that can unnerve a pitcher. Instead, it almost seemed to calm down Zach Duke. Duke responded to Pujols’ homer by limiting St. Louis to three singles the rest of the way while pitching eight innings, and the Pittsburgh Pirates ended an eight-game losing streak by beating the Cardinals 7-1 on Tuesday night. Adam LaRoche and Brandon Moss both broke out of slumps with homers for the Pirates. “Man, it’s so nice to get a win,” Moss said. Njyer Morgan’s two-run triple finished off a four-run second inning that included Duke’s run-scoring single and the Pirates—back in last place in the NL Central—won for the only second time in 14 games since April 26. They were 11-7 when the slide began but are now 13-19. “We were desperate to get that streak over and start a winning streak,” Duke said. “Who knows, maybe a 15-game or 20-game winning streak started tonight.” The Cardinals did almost nothing against Duke (4-3) following Pujols’ 21st home run in 63 games at PNC Park, the most by an opposing player. Pujols’ drive was his second off Duke in two games since Wednesday—when the Cardinals beat the lefthander 4-2—and was his 13th this season. Pujols is 15-for-33 against Duke, and the homer was his fourth consecutive hit off him in two games. “That’s what that guys does, he’s paid

Pirates 7, Cardinals 1 St. Louis AB R H BI Schumaker 2b 3 0 0 0 b-Barden ph-3b 1 0 0 0 K.Greene ss 4 0 0 0 Pujols 1b 4 1 1 1 Ludwick rf 1 0 1 0 Rasmus cf 2 0 1 0 Y.Molina c 2 0 0 0 B.Thompson p 0 0 0 0 d-Thurston ph 0 0 0 0 Duncan lf 2 0 0 0 T.Greene 3b-2b 4 0 1 0 Wellemeyer p 2 0 0 0 Boyer p 0 0 0 0 T.Miller p 0 0 0 0 a-LaRue ph-c 2 0 0 0 Robinson cf-rf 4 0 1 0 Totals 31 1 5 1

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .298 0 0 .291 0 1 .225 0 0 .328 0 0 .274 0 0 .261 0 0 .311 0 0 1.000 1 0 .259 2 1 .283 0 1 .227 0 2 .143 0 0 --0 0 --0 1 .368 0 0 .222 3 7

Pittsburgh AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Morgan lf 5 1 2 2 0 1 .305 F.Sanchez 2b 3 0 1 0 2 1 .317 McLouth cf 4 0 1 1 1 0 .290 Ad.LaRoche 1b 4 1 1 1 0 2 .224 R.Diaz c 4 1 2 0 0 0 .400 An.LaRoche 3b 3 1 0 0 0 1 .245 Moss rf 4 2 3 2 0 0 .200 Ja.Wilson ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 .235 Duke p 3 1 1 1 0 1 .188 c-Monroe ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .222 Capps p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 35 7 11 7 3 6 St. Louis 100 000 000 — 1 5 0 Pittsburgh 040 030 00x — 7 11 0 a-flied out for T.Miller in the 7th. b-grounded out for Schumaker in the 8th. c-popped out for Duke in the 8th. d-walked for B.Thompson in the 9th. LOB: St. Louis 8, Pittsburgh 8. 3B: Morgan (3). HR: Pujols (13), off Duke; Ad.LaRoche (6), off Wellemeyer; Moss (1), off Wellemeyer. RBIs: Pujols (34), Morgan 2 (15), McLouth (23), Ad.LaRoche (15), Moss 2 (5), Duke (2). Runners left in scoring position: St. Louis 4 (Schumaker, Duncan, Robinson 2); Pittsburgh 2 (Ad.LaRoche 2). DP: Pittsburgh 1 (Duke, Ja.Wilson, Ad.LaRoche).

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP

Pirates 3B Andy LaRoche scored in the second inning on a single by starter Zach Duke, who is now 4-3. to hit balls like that and he does a very good job of it,” Duke said. “But it turned out differently after the first. ... My breaking pitches were working for me and I was able to keep them off

balance.” Duke settled down to pitch seven shutout innings, striking out five and walking one. — The Associated Press

St. Louis IP Wellemeyer L, 3-34 1⁄3 Boyer 2⁄3 T.Miller 1 B.Thompson 2 Pittsburgh IP Duke W, 4-3 8 Capps 1

H 9 0 1 1 H 4 1

R ER BB SO NP ERA 7 7 3 4 93 5.80 0 0 0 1 12 8.31 0 0 0 1 16 3.72 0 0 0 0 29 4.63 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 1 5 104 2.52 0 0 2 2 26 6.75

HBP: by B.Thompson (An.LaRoche), by Duke (Y.Molina, Rasmus). Umpires: Home, Randy Marsh; First, Mike Winters; Second, Lance Barksdale; Third, Mike Estabrook. T: 2:30. A: 11,718 (38,362).

CHICAGO—Milton Bradley took a few extra seconds to admire the trajectory of his long home run. He couldn’t help but enjoy it, even if it was off his old friend Jake Peavy. Nothing personal, that’s just how he is. “I’ve always said, I don’t play baseball, I feel it,” Bradley said. Everyone at Wrigley Field felt Bradley’s presence Tuesday night when he hit his towering two-run homer off Peavy to help the Cubs beat the San Diego Padres 6-2 on Tuesday night. Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome each had two doubles and three hits, Bobby Scales added his first major league home run and Rcih Harden won his fourth straight decision for the Cubs. Peavy (2-5), whom the Cubs were interested in obtaining in the offseason, is the last Padres starter to get a win, on April 16. San Diego has lost nine straight road games, and four in a row overall. “We’re just not playing good baseball,” Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. “It’s part of a learning process with a young team, but that’s not an excuse.” Off to a poor start after signing a three-year, $30 million deal, Bradley watched his 439foot homer to deep center, his fourth of the season, before rounding the bases. — The Associated Press

Cubs 6, Padres 2 San Diego AB Giles rf 4 Eckstein 2b 3 Ad.Gonzalez 1b 4 Headley lf 4 Gerut cf 4 Kouzmanoff 3b 4 Blanco c 3 L.Rodriguez ss 2 Peavy p 2 Moreno p 0 b-Macias ph 1 Meredith p 0 Totals 31

R 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

H BI 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .161 1 1 .263 0 0 .301 0 3 .246 0 1 .229 0 0 .215 0 1 .162 1 0 .240 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 1 .250 0 0 --2 7

Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg. A.Soriano lf 5 0 3 2 0 0 .278 Theriot ss 5 0 0 0 0 1 .287 Fukudome cf 5 1 3 0 0 2 .333 D.Lee 1b 3 0 0 0 1 3 .202 Bradley rf 3 1 1 2 1 1 .186 Fontenot 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .222 Soto c 3 1 1 0 1 2 .175 Miles 2b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .208 Harden p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .231 Heilman p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --a-Scales ph 1 1 1 1 0 0 .429 Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --c-Hoffpauir ph 1 1 1 0 0 0 .306 Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Totals 34 6 11 5 4 11 San Diego 200 000 000 — 2 5 0 Chicago 000 012 12x — 6 11 0 a-homered for Heilman in the 7th. b-struck out for Moreno in the 8th. c-singled for Marmol in the 8th. LOB: San Diego 4, Chicago 9. 2B: Giles (4), A.Soriano 2 (9), Fukudome 2 (9). HR: Ad.Gonzalez (11), off Harden; Bradley (4), off Peavy; Scales (1), off Moreno. RBIs: Ad.Gonzalez 2 (24), A.Soriano 2 (22), Bradley 2 (8), Scales (1). SB: Gerut (2), Fukudome (4). S: Harden. Runners left in scoring position: San Diego 2 (Headley, L.Rodriguez); Chicago 6 (Theriot 2, Fontenot 3, Fukudome). DP: Chicago 1 (Miles, Theriot, D.Lee). San Diego Peavy L, 2-5 Moreno Meredith Chicago Harden W, 4-1 Heilman H, 5 Marmol H, 10 Gregg

IP 6 1 1 IP 6 1 1 1

H 6 2 3 H 4 1 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 2 9 111 4.30 1 1 2 0 29 4.67 2 2 0 2 23 4.50 R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 1 5 101 4.54 0 0 0 0 17 5.06 0 0 1 1 16 3.94 0 0 0 1 14 3.86

WP: Peavy, Meredith. Umpires: Home, Angel Hernandez; First, Bill Welke; Second, Tim Welke; Third, Scott Barry. T: 2:39. A: 39,963 (41,210).

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24

NATIONAL LEAGUE Colorado 12, Houston 1

Cincinnati 3, Arizona 1

No patience, no problem for Rockies’ Stewart

Owings owns former team

DENVER—Ian Stewart was offered the same piece of hitting advice over and over: Quit being so picky and patient. Start hacking. The message clicked. A more aggressive Stewart hit a grand slam and a solo shot in the Colorado Rockies’ 12-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. “We saw more swings tonight in one game than we’d seen in a lot of at-bats,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “That’s what we’ve talked about. A swinging bat is a dangerous bat.” Stewart was taking too many pitches as he waited for the perfect one. Instead, he was looking at his fair share of called third strikes. So he adopted a more assertive approach. “But it’s something I’m working on and need to work on,” said Stewart, who was hitless in his last 10 at-bats before his homer in the fourth. “I’m trying to put the ball in play.” Stewart’s second career grand slam came on a fastball from reliever Tim Byrdak in the fifth inning. His five RBIs tied a career high. Even more, he’s looking like the hitter Hurdle remembers from spring training. The one who wasn’t so selective. “I don’t know exactly what he was looking for at times, but if you gear up to hit the ball, you’ve got a chance,” Hurdle said. “I just felt sometimes he was trying to figure too much out when the ball’s in flight. The game’s too quick up for here for that to happen.” Brad Hawpe finished with four hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in a career-high five runs. Todd Helton added a two-run homer in the third. Ubaldo Jimenez (3-4) turned in his

Rockies 12, Astros 1 Houston AB R K.Matsui 2b 4 0 Bourn cf 4 0 Berkman 1b 4 0 Ca.Lee lf 4 0 Tejada ss 2 0 a-Ja.Smith ph-ss 2 0 Pence rf 4 1 Blum 3b 4 0 I.Rodriguez c 3 0 d-Quintero ph 1 0 F.Paulino p 1 0 Byrdak p 0 0 R.Ortiz p 1 0 Totals 34 1

H BI 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .245 0 1 .295 0 0 .187 0 1 .322 0 0 .308 0 0 .000 0 0 .316 0 0 .264 0 0 .275 0 1 .000 0 0 .143 0 0 --0 1 .125 0 5

Colorado AB R H BI Fowler cf 5 1 1 0 Tulowitzki ss 4 2 2 0 Barmes 2b 1 0 0 0 Helton 1b 3 2 1 2 Belisle p 0 0 0 0 c-Murton ph-rf 1 1 1 0 Hawpe rf 4 2 4 5 Corpas p 0 0 0 0 Atkins 3b-1b 4 1 0 0 S.Smith lf 3 1 0 0 Iannetta c 4 0 1 0 Stewart 2b-3b 4 2 2 5 Jimenez p 3 0 0 0 b-Quintanilla ph-ss1 0 0 0 Totals 37 12 12 12

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .255 0 1 .248 0 1 .225 1 0 .343 0 0 --0 0 .333 1 0 .359 0 0 --1 0 .202 1 0 .295 0 1 .213 0 2 .211 0 0 .333 0 1 .143 4 7

Houston Colorado

000 000 100 — 1 8 2 102 152 01x — 12 12 0

a-flied out for Tejada in the 7th. b-struck out for Jimenez in the 7th. c-doubled for Belisle in the 8th. d-struck out for I.Rodriguez in the 9th. E: Tejada (5), K.Matsui (2). LOB: Houston 7, Colorado 5. 2B: Fowler (6), Murton (1), Hawpe (10). HR: Helton (4), off F.Paulino; Stewart (5), off F.Paulino; Stewart (6), off Byrdak; Hawpe (5), off R.Ortiz. RBIs: I.Rodriguez (15), Helton 2 (20), Hawpe 5 (25), Stewart 5 (18). SB: Bourn (11). S: F.Paulino. Runners left in scoring position: Houston 5 (Ca.Lee, Tejada, K.Matsui 3); Colorado 1 (Atkins). DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP

Rockies IF Ian Stewart was hitless in 10 at-bats, but came through with two HRs, including a grand slam. third straight solid start, scattering seven hits and giving up one run over seven innings. He’s now allowed just five runs over his last 21 innings. The hard-throwing Jimenez struck out four as his fastball hit 98 mph at times. He also had pinpoint command,

walking none. “Finally, a game without a walk,” he said, smiling. Jimenez did have two pitches get away from him, sending Carlos Lee diving for the dirt on two balls near his head. — The Associated Press

Houston F.Paulino L, 1-3 Byrdak R.Ortiz Colorado Jimenez W, 3-4 Belisle Corpas

IP 4 1 3 IP 7 1 1

H 7 1 4 H 7 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 8 7 4 2 96 6.93 1 1 0 1 20 3.46 3 1 0 4 57 5.55 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 0 4 101 4.73 0 0 0 0 12 9.00 0 0 0 1 10 5.27

F.Paulino pitched to 4 batters in the 5th. Inherited runners-scored: Byrdak 3-3. WP: Jimenez. Umpires: Home, Larry Vanover; First, Dan Iassogna; Second, Charlie Reliford; Third, Adrian Johnson. T: 2:39. A: 23,233 (50,449).

PHOENIX—Micah Owings beat Arizona with his bat last September. On Tuesday night, he beat his former team with his arm. With Brandon Phillips homering and driving in two runs, Owings pitched the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Owings said it is coincidental that he’s had two big games against the team that drafted him in 2005 and then dealt him to Cincinnati last season. “I don’t want to look into that,” Owings said. “My focus is going out and playing the game, playing it hard and playing it the right way, whoever it’s against.” It was Owings’ second trip to Chase Field since the trade, but the first time he pitched against the Diamondbacks. Last Sept. 13, Owings had a pinch-hit double in the 10th inning to beat the Diamondbacks, who were contending for a division title. Now the Diamondbacks are in last place in the NL West, nine games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona fell to 1-4 under manager A.J. Hinch, who replaced Bob Melvin last week. Owings, meanwhile, is pitching for a team with the best road record (12-5) in baseball. Owings (3-3) outpitched Arizona’s Dan Haren (3-4), who again lacked run support. Arizona has scored two runs or fewer in five of Haren’s eight starts. — The Associated Press

Reds 3, Diamondbacks 1 Cincinnati AB R H BI Taveras cf 4 0 1 0 Hairston Jr. ss 3 1 1 0 Votto 1b 2 0 0 0 Hanigan c 2 0 0 0 Phillips 2b 4 2 2 2 Bruce rf 4 0 1 0 R.Hernandez c-1b 3 0 0 1 L.Nix lf 4 0 0 0 A.Rosales 3b 3 0 1 0 Owings p 3 0 0 0 Rhodes p 0 0 0 0 Weathers p 0 0 0 0 Cordero p 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 3 6 3

BB SO Avg. 0 1 .313 0 0 .260 0 0 .374 0 0 .297 0 1 .265 0 1 .250 0 1 .280 0 1 .304 0 1 .298 0 0 .286 0 0 --0 0 --0 0 --0 6

Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg. F.Lopez 2b 4 0 2 1 1 0 .328 Montero c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .255 b-Snyder ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 .215 J.Upton rf 4 0 0 0 0 3 .295 Reynolds 3b 2 0 0 0 2 1 .250 Byrnes lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .207 Whitesell 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .095 C.Young cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .186 Ojeda ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 .313 Haren p 2 0 1 0 0 0 .211 Rauch p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --a-R.Roberts ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .348 1-Jo.Wilson pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 .231 Schoeneweis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --c-S.Drew ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .205 Totals 32 1 6 1 4 6 Cincinnati 000 201 000 — 3 6 1 Arizona 000 000 010 — 1 6 0 a-was hit by a pitch for Rauch in the 8th. b-flied out for Montero in the 8th. c-walked for Schoeneweis in the 9th. 1-ran for R.Roberts in the 8th. E: Owings (1). LOB: Cincinnati 4, Arizona 9. 2B: F.Lopez (11). HR: Phillips (6), off Haren. RBIs: Phillips 2 (22), R.Hernandez (12), F.Lopez (9). SB: Taveras (9), Hairston Jr. 2 (3), F.Lopez (4). SF: R.Hernandez. Runners left in scoring position: Cincinnati 2 (Phillips, Hairston Jr.); Arizona 4 (Byrnes 2, Reynolds, F.Lopez). DP: Cincinnati 1 (Phillips, Votto, Hairston Jr.). Cincinnati Owings W, 3-3 Rhodes H, 6 Weathers H, 6 Cordero S, 10-10 Arizona Haren L, 3-4 Rauch Schoeneweis

IP 7 1⁄3 2⁄3 1 IP 7 1 1

H 4 1 0 1 H 6 0 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 4 90 4.33 0 0 0 0 6 0.00 0 0 1 1 16 2.45 0 0 1 1 15 2.40 R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 0 5 102 2.09 0 0 0 0 7 7.07 0 0 0 1 9 1.80

Owings pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored: Rhodes 1-1, Weathers 1-0. HBP: by Owings (R.Roberts), by Haren (Hairston Jr.). Umpires: Home, Hunter Wendelstedt; First, Rob Drake; Second, Dana DeMuth; Third, Doug Eddings. T: 2:40. A: 24,835 (48,652).

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Labor peace, schedule expansion top Goodell’s to-do list reaction to that has been extraordinary, and we would like to feed that passion.”

BY VINNIE IYER [email protected]

CHARLOTTE—NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talked for only a short time at the Charlotte Touchdown Club on Tuesday afternoon, but he had no trouble scoring points on a variety of his league’s offseason issues. Goodell has big plans to increase the reach of the premier American professional team sport, but he also realizes that without labor peace and a new collective bargaining agreement between players and owners, all those plans will be put in hold in 2011. “We need an agreement that works for everyone,” Goodell said. “It’s a detriment to our fans if we ever stop playing games. Both of us are motivated to get a long-term deal that’s good for the players, for the owners, and most important, good for the game.” Here’s how Goodell addressed other NFL hot topics:

Brett Favre potentially returning to the NFL again. The commissioner knows Favre’s future lies in the hands of one person: Favre. “I haven’t spoken to him in a while,” Goodell said. “As the season gets closer, I know he’ll want to play. But that’s a decision he will need to ultimately make.” Limiting rookie salaries. Goodell says there will be about $400 million in guaranteed money doled out to this year’s rookie class. “There’s nothing wrong with rookies getting their money, but they should earn it on the field,” he said. Putting the NFL Network in more homes. The league is taking a more patient approach with making its own channel more available, not necessarily rushing into deals with cable companies. “The question is, ‘How do you reach the broadest possible audience?’ “ he said.

Expanding the regular season. Whether it’s by one or two games and shortening the exhibition season accordingly, it’s something Goodell wants to put on the table. To successfully extend the schedule, the league would need cooperation from several parties, from owners to media outlets. “It’s clear that not all the preseason games match the standards of what NFL games should be,” he said. “The big thing for us is making sure we’ve gone through all the analysis and understand all the ramifications. “The general consensus I hear from our players is that we have to create value, ways in which we

CRAIG RUTTLE / AP

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said more overseas, regular-season games are a goal of his. increase the quality of what we’re doing. They’re willing to do the kind of things that are necessary to grow the game.”

Expanding the game globally. The

NFL already has played regularseason games in Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom. Although there won’t be an expansion team overseas or even the rumored Super Bowl played in London anytime

soon, Goodell said that along with more games on the schedule would be more opportunities to test foreign markets. “The NFL game extends beyond our borders,” he said. “The fan

Limiting veteran salaries. Despite a sagging economy that has cost the NFL and its franchises jobs within their organizations, the players have remained unaffected. About another $500 million will enter the salary pool for the upcoming season. “I don’t think we’ll see a significant reduction in (player) salaries anytime soon,” he said. Michael Vick potentially returning. “We haven’t made any kind of decision about that,” he said. “What Michael did was horrific, and he’s still paying a big price for it.”

25

Goodell’s idols When he was a kid, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he idolized sports stars from Baltimore, especially Colts and Orioles. Not surprisingly, quarterback legend Johnny Unitas and Hall of Fame tight end John Mackey were among his heroes. Goodell said he also admired a running back from nearby Washington. “I liked the Redskins, and I was a fan of Larry Brown,” he said. Brown isn’t a Hall of Famer, but maybe he should be. Coach Vince Lombardi helped Brown overcome a hearing impairment to become one of the hardest runners in NFL history and league MVP in 1972. That’s the kind of inspiration you would expect for such an inspired league leader. — Vinnie Iyer

Goodell expects to meet with Vick after his federal prison term ends as expected July 20. The commissioner said he is open to Vick returning to the NFL, if Vick shows he is committed to taking his life in the right direction.

Video gaming. With the league having an exclusive licensing agreement with EA Sports through 2012, Goodell cited the success of the Madden NFL series—more than 21 million copies sold the last three years—and opened the possibility of other companies getting in on the action. “The more we bring in electronic games, the better for our game,” he said.

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26

Scouts’ views

Tight end rankings: Cowboys’ Witten best of diverse group The tight end position has many permutations in today’s NFL. There is the traditional in-line player, the tight end who splits out wide, the shifting tight end and the tight end/fullback hybrid better known as an H-back. RealScouts, SN Today’s team of former NFL scouts, rank the top 20 tight ends:

field. He’s smart enough to find open space in zones, fast enough to beat linebackers man-to-man and strong enough to overpower safeties. Clark’s ability to adjust within the Colts’ option-route system is critical, and he does enough as a blocker to stay on the field in any situation.

1.

4.

Jason Witten, Cowboys. Though his 81 receptions for 952 yards and four touchdowns in ’08 were considered a bit of a down year, he still has 177 catches the last two seasons. He has missed just one game in six seasons and has a career 11.5 yards per catch average. The departure of Terrell Owens means Witten will be targeted even more in ’09, and his blocking ability also will help the running game balance the offense.

2.

Tony Gonzalez, Falcons. The Falcons already had an exciting young QB in Matt Ryan, the NFL’s second-ranked running game and a Pro Bowl receiver in Roddy White. Gonzalez, coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 96 catches, can be the threat down the seam the team has been missing since Alge Crumpler’s prime. Gonzalez also is an effective blocker, and he’ll be a valuable asset in the red zone. Look for Gonzalez to eclipse that 100catch mark in ’09.

3.

Dallas Clark, Colts. Some say Clark’s success is a function of the Colts’ offense, and there’s little doubt that Peyton Manning has had a positive effect on his career. Clark, however, makes this offense go at times because of his ability to beat any coverage in the middle of the

Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers. After back-to-back 16-game, 80-catch seasons, Winslow was on the sideline again in ’08, missing six games. His life will get better in Tampa. His unique combination of size, speed and athletic ability makes him a threat anywhere on the field, and offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski plans to take full advantage. Don’t be surprised to see Winslow lead the Bucs in receptions, yardage and touchdowns this year.

5.

Antonio Gates, Chargers. He played through toe, ankle and hip injuries last season, hindering his production. He still is the man who transformed the tight end position. Big, physical and fast, he cuts and runs like a wide receiver but his size and strength make him tough to tackle in the open field.

6.

Heath Miller, Steelers. He is more of a traditional in-line tight end who does everything well. In additional to being an outstanding run blocker, he has the size and sure hands to be an effective short-tointermediate route-runner and a dangerous red-zone threat. The Steelers’ switch to a more passoriented attack has only helped him, and the fact he never has to leave the field is invaluable.

7.

Owen Daniels, Texans. He is a smart, savvy receiver who has a knack for beating zone coverage. He’s not physically imposing, but he can run, has reliable hands and is now a proven playmaker. With improved play from the offensive line and running game, QB Matt Schaub should be more effective in ’09 and that means more balls for Daniels.

8.

Chris Cooley, Redskins. He is a smaller, athletic tight end who works well in space, as a receiver and a blocker. He’s deceptively fast and has burned plenty of linebackers on deep seam routes. Though his touchdowns and yards per catch were down in ’08, Jim Zorn’s offense has meant more touches for Cooley (career-high 83 catches in ’08).

9.

Todd Heap, Ravens. Heap, 29, has slowed considerably because of a litany of recent injuries. He also is not an ideal fit in coordinator Cam Cameron’s scheme, and there’s reason to believe Heap will slide further down this list. He’s still a solid in-line blocker, but the arrival of L.J. Smith means team officials believe Heap’s best days are behind him.

10.

Bo Scaife, Titans. The Titans upgraded their wide receiver corps, adding free agent Nate Washington and drafting Kenny Britt. The team also drafted a tight end, Jared Cook, in the third round. Scaife might not get as many looks as he is accustomed, but he still is the key cog in the two-minute offense and in the red zone.

11.

Ben Watson, Patriots. For those who look strictly at receiving

17.

Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings. He had a breakout season in ’08, showing strong hands and the ability to make tough catches over the middle and displaying the athleticism to gain yardage after the catch. His limitations as a blocker take him off the field at important times, though.

statistics, his decline is severe. He doesn’t get a lot of looks in the passing game, and he has been inconsistent with the opportunities he does get. However, he never leaves the field. When the Patriots go with a two-tight end look, Watson is in there. When they go with a big goal-line personnel group, Watson is in there. When they go with an empty set, Watson is in there as an extra pass blocker. The additions of Chris Baker and Alex Smith will alter his role, but Watson remains a critical piece of the offense.

12.

Zach Miller, Raiders. He has not missed a game in two seasons and has emerged as an every-down tight end who can run block effectively—which will be a bigger part of the offense in ’09—and make plays as a receiver. Miller, heading into his third season, will improve as QB JaMarcus Russell becomes more seasoned.

13.

Greg Olsen, Bears. There was no sophomore slump in ’08. He showed great improvement and became a playmaker, particularly in the red zone, posting five touchdowns. After failing in several attempts to upgrade the wide receiver corps, Olsen remains the Bears’ best and most reliable option in the passing game. His statistics are sure to improve with QB Jay Cutler.

14.

Jeremy Shockey, Saints. He is a disappointment since arriving from New York, but Saints coaches say Shockey is healthy and has been spending a lot of time working with QB Drew Brees. Shockey is athletic and a capable

18. TONY GUTIERREZ / AP

Jason Witten still had 81 catches in what was considered a subpar season. big-play threat when at full strength. If Billy Miller can catch 45 balls in this offense (he did last year), a healthy Shockey can give this team 75-plus catches.

15.

John Carlson, Seahawks. Carlson’s 55 receptions were the most by any rookie tight end in ’08, and QB Matt Hasselbeck missed nine games. With Hasselbeck back and a re-tooled game plan, Carlson’s natural receiving skills could be on display. He has great hands and is not afraid to make tough catches over the middle.

16.

Kevin Boss, Giants. Boss did a nice job last year, his first full season as a starter. He’s a big target, and his sure hands and ability to run after the catch give Eli Manning confidence. Boss is a tough, competitive guy who should continue to improve and get more touches, particularly in the red zone.

Dustin Keller, Jets. He emerged as a Brett Favre favorite last year. Keller basically is a bulked-up wide receiver who often aligns in the slot in spread formations. He has dangerous vertical speed and big-play ability. With the Jets’ QB situation in flux and his limitations as a blocker, it’s hard to imagine him moving up this list much in the short term.

19.

Brent Celek, Eagles. After spending time in Smith’s shadow, Celek takes over as the starter. Celek has soft hands and is athletic and fast enough to be a threat down the seam. This offense still runs through RB Brian Westbrook. An improved line, a healthy Westbrook and dangerous perimeter threats should allow Celek opportunities to make an impact in ’09.

20.

Brandon Pettigrew, Lions. We generally don’t rank rookies, but Pettigrew deserves mention. He lacks breakaway speed but plays faster than his 40 time would suggest, and he will take some pressure off WR Calvin Johnson. Pettigrew also can be a devastating blocker who can set the edge and really bolster the running game. — RealScouts, a team of former NFL scouts, analyze NFL and college players, coaches and teams exclusively for Sporting News Today.

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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—Darian Barnes, New Orleans; Tatum Bell, Denver; 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; Montell Owens (R), Jacksonville; Chris Perry, Cincinnati; Andrew Pinnock, Denver; Michael Pittman, Denver; P.J. Pope, Denver; Cecil Sapp, Houston; Aaron Stecker, New Orleans; Selvin Young, Denver. Wide receivers—Drew Bennett, St. Louis; Marty Booker, Chicago; Drew Carter, Oakland; Jason Carter; Carolina; Keary Colbert, Detroit; Jayson Foster, Denver; Malcom Floyd (R), San Diego; D.J. Hackett, Carolina; Dante Hall, St. Louis; Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis; Ike Hilliard, Tampa Bay; Darrell Jackson, Denver; Nate Jackson, Denver; Matt Jones, Jacksonville; Joe Jurevicius, Cleveland; Ashley Lelie, Oakland; Brandon Lloyd, Chicago; Dane Looker, St. Louis; Ruvell Martin (R), Green Bay; Anthony Mix, Tampa Bay; Ben Obomanu (R), Seattle; Tab Perry, Miami; Jerry Porter, Jacksonville; Kevin Robinson, Kansas City; Koren Robinson, 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; Scott Chandler, San Diego; Owen Daniels (R), Houston; Nate Lawrie, Cincinnati; Michael Merritt, Kansas City; Chad Mustard, Denver; Leonard Pope (R), Arizona; 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; Jonas Jennings, San Francisco; Levi Jones, Cincinnati; James Marten (R), Oakland; Fred Miller, Chicago; Rob Petitti, St. Louis; Jon Runyan, Philadelphia; Ephraim Salaam, Houston; Charles Spencer, Jacksonville; Barry Stokes, New England; Mark Tauscher, Green Bay; Mark Wilson (R), Oakland; Eric Young, Cleveland. Guards—Lennie Friedman, Cleveland; Adrian Jones, Kansas City; Pete Kendall, Washington; Matt Lentz, Detroit; Terrence Metcalf, Chicago; Edwin Mulitalo, Detroit; Chris Naeole, Jacksonville; Tutan Reyes, 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; Bryan Pittman, Houston; Cory Withrow, St. Louis.

DEFENSE Defensive ends—Kevin Carter, Tampa Bay; Earl Cochran, Houston; Sean Conover, NY Jets; Nick Eason, Pittsburgh; Kalimba Edwards, Oakland; Ebenezer Ekuban, Denver; John Engelberger, Denver; Simon Fraser, Atlanta; Roderick Green, San Francisco; Travis LaBoy, Arizona; Jayme Mitchell, Minnesota; Jerome McDougle, NY Giants; Julius Peppers (F), Carolina; Jason Taylor, Washington; Anthony Weaver, Houston; James Wyche, Jacksonville. Defensive tackles—Kenderick Allen, Minnesota; Gary Gibson (R), Carolina; La’Roi Glover, St. Louis; Vonnie Holliday, Miami; Antwan Lake, New Orleans; Anthony Montgomery (R), Washington; Langston Moore, Detroit; Kindal Moorehead, Atlanta; Dewayne Robertson, Denver; Orpheus Roye, Pittsburgh; Montavious Stanley (R), New Orleans; Hollis Thomas, New Orleans; Josh Thomas, Indianapolis; John Thornton, Cincinnati; Darwin Walker, Carolina; Gabe Watson (R), Arizona; Ellis Wyms, Minnesota; Brian Young, New Orleans; Jeff Zgonina, Houston. Linebackers—Rufus Alexander, Indianapolis; Jason Babin, Kansas City; Rocky Boiman, Kansas City; Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay; Khary Campbell, Washington; Anthony Cannon, Detroit; Dan Cody, Baltimore; Rosevelt Colvin, New England; Donte’ Curry, Carolina; Donnie Edwards, Kansas City; Keith Ellison (R), Buffalo; Troy Evans, New Orleans; Gilbert Gardner, Chicago; Curtis Gatewood, Kansas City; Morlon Greenwood, Houston; Marques Harris, San Diego; Napoleon Harris, Minnesota; Abdul Hodge (R), Cincinnati; Mike Humpal, Pittsburgh; Brad Kassell, NY Jets; Jason Kyle, Carolina; Teddy Lehman, Buffalo; Paris Lenon, Detroit; Wesly Mallard, Seattle; Jim Maxwell, Cincinnati; Willie McGinest, Cleveland; Marques Murrell (R), NY Jets; Ryan Nece, Detroit; Shantee Orr, Cleveland; Antwan Peek, Cleveland; Carlos Polk, Dallas; Junior Seau, New England; Matt Sinclair, Washington; Gary Stills, St. Louis; Terrell Suggs (F), Baltimore; Dontarrious Thomas, Minnesota; Pisa Tinoisamoa, St. Louis; Marcus Washington, Washington; Nate Webster, Denver. Cornerbacks—David Barrett, NY Jets; Dre’Bly, Denver; Fakhir Brown, St. Louis; Terry Cousin, Cleveland; Jason Craft, St. Louis; Travis Fisher, Detroit; Reynaldo Hill, Tennessee; Roderick Hood, Arizona; William James, Jacksonville; Michael Lehan, New Orleans; Sam Madison, NY Giants; Ricky Manning Jr., St. Louis; Derrick Martin (R), Baltimore; Chris McAlister, Baltimore; Mike McKenzie, New Orleans; R.W. McQuarters, NY Giants; Deltha O’Neal, New England; Dunta Robinson (F), Houston; Lewis Sanders, New England; Duane Starks, Jacksonville; Brandon Sumrall, NY Giants; DeJuan Tribble, San Diego; Jason Webster, New England; Jimmy Williams, Houston; Stanley Wilson, Detroit. Safeties—Oshiomogho Atogwe (F), St. Louis; Michael Boulware, Minnesota; Mike Brown, Chicago; John Busing, Cincinnati; Oliver Celestin, Kansas City; Corey Chavous, St. Louis; Keith Davis, Dallas;Will Demps, Houston; Mike Doss, Cincinnati; Hiram Eugene, Oakland; Mike Green,Washington; Rodney Harrison, New England;Terrence Holt, New Orleans; Dexter Jackson, Cincinnati; Sammy Knight, NY Giants; Dawan Landry (R), Baltimore; Marquand Manuel, Denver; Marlon McCree, Denver; Lawyer Milloy, Atlanta; Jarrad Page (R), Kansas City; Pierson Prioleau, Jacksonville; Chris Reis (R), New Orleans; Dwight Smith, Detroit; GeorgeWilson (R), Buffalo; Cameron Worrell, Chicago. SPECIAL TEAMS Kickers—John Carney, NY Giants; Matt Stover, Baltimore. Punters—Mitch Berger, Pittsburgh; Mike Dragosavich, Indianapolis; Sam Koch (R), Baltimore; Kyle Larson, Cincinnati; Ryan Plackemeier, Cincinnati.

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Packers president says team will wait on Favre The Green Bay Packers will “wait and see” what Brett Favre decides to do before they seek to restore their relationship, according to team president Mark Murphy. Murphy didn’t directly answer a question Tuesday evening about whether a $20 million, 10-year marketing arrangement proposed to Favre last summer was still on the table. But Murphy said he wasn’t sure what the Packers’ future with Favre will look like, beyond the eventual retirement of his jersey. “Kind of like with what we have with Bart Starr and some of our other great players, we want to have him back and I think he’ll be remembered as a Packer,” Murphy said. “But obviously I think we all need some time to pass before we make those decisions.” After seeing fans jam London’s Wembley Stadium to watch the NFL the past two years, the league is considering adding a second regular-season game overseas in 2010. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the second game could be played in London or another location in the United Kingdom. The issue will be discussed at next week’s league meetings and could be included in a larger plan to add up to two regular-season games to the NFL schedule. The two previous matchups in London were Giants-Dolphins (’07) and Saints-Chargers (’08). The Patriots and Bucs will play there on Oct. 25. Cowboys team activities will move to a nearby high school stadium as the investigation continues into the collapse of its indoor practice facility. The Cowboys on Tuesday announced organized team activities and their June 15-17 minicamp will be held at Standridge Stadium in Carrollton. The facility is part of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. The Cowboys activities will be closed to the public. New grass practice fields will be installed at Valley Ranch in Irving, where the Cowboys practice structure collapsed May 2 during a

The Arizona Republic reported had recent talks with Cardinals G.M. Rod Graves that will continue in the near future. Titans QB Kerry Collins is 36, but armed with a new contract, a steady starting job and new personnel around him, he feels rejuvenated. “I am excited about the additions that we have made to our receiving corps,” Collins told the Tennessean. Retired Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren may be having a change of heart. The Washington Post reported that Holmgren has left the door open to work again in the NFL but is undecided in which capacity he would like to return. TONY DEJAK / AP

One former Buc was not pleased that Kellen Winslow, above, missed the first day of Tampa Bay’s OTAs. storm. Twelve people were injured. Bucs TE Kellen Winslow, who signed a contract extension with a $20 million guarantee after being traded from Cleveland, did not attend the Bucs’ first day of offseason workouts. He reportedly will report soon, but in the interim his new teammates, and even some exBucs, are not happy. “So when your team fires up OTAs and you’re not here, I guess you’re being misunderstood again, right?” ex-Buc DT Warren Sapp told the St. Petersburg Times. “Your past don’t equal your future, but it will sure give me some reflection of what you might do. I’ll leave it at that.” The Ravens’ official website reported two of the team’s veteran stars might miss training camp, for different reasons. It’s unclear if WR Derrick Mason will be ready to practice after having offseason shoulder surgery. Meanwhile, LB Terrell Suggs, who still hasn’t signed his franchise tender, may opt for another holdout. Another franchise-tagged linebacker looking for a long-term deal is Karlos Dansby, whom

New NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, after working several weeks without a contract, said Tuesday his contract has been completed. Regarding negotiations on a revised collective bargaining agreement, Smith said he speaks three or four times a week with Goodell and expressed confidence in eventually striking a deal. The CBA expires after the 2010 season. Former Australian Rules football player Jy , Bond 23, first punted a football five years ago and has never faced a full-on rush. Still, he is in Dolphins camp to compete with incumbent Brandon Fields. Dolphins special teams coach John Bonamego once coached Australian-born Nathan Chapman in Green Bay, and Chapman has been coaching Bond and set up a tryout. G.M. Jeff Ireland told the The Miami Herald that Bond’s first three attempts all were booming—with a fivesecond hang time—and had a couple 60-yard punts last weekend during the rookie minicamp. Browns coach Eric Mangini says he is pleased with how rookie ILB David Veikune, an end at Hawaii, is progressing. “Usually, a player at end going to linebacker goes to the outside,” Mangini said via the team’s website. “His change of direction, his ability to communicate the defense and his understanding of concepts have all been good.

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College Football

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FOUR DOWNS

Q:

Eleven Tennessee scholarship players have left since Lane Kiffin arrived. Is this just typical attrition during a coaching change or a reason for concern? Curtis: Typical attrition. The switch from Phil Fulmer to Lane Kiffin is like going from George Strait to Green Day. It’s not surprising such a culture change would send 15 percent of the roster to other schools. The bigger deal is that Dave Curtis Kiffin and Co., get 11 COLLEGE FOOTBALL highly touted recruits lined up to fill those scholarship slots over the next couple of years. If a few of them work out, the Vols start contending a little sooner than expected.

Hayes: Typical attrition. Every new coach goes through the same process of weeding out those who don’t buy into what they’re selling. It’s a little more extreme at Tennessee for two reasons: former coach Phillip Fulmer was beloved by his players, and Kiffin has implemented such a radical change from the Matt Hayes past. Winning over playCOLLEGE FOOTBALL ers still loyal to the previous staff is the hardest part of rebuilding a program.

Q:

Which BCS league race will be most intriguing this season? Curtis: Lot of candidates here, but I keep

coming back to the ACC. Virginia Tech is masquerading as a national championship contender for now, which gives the league the buzz it’s missed the past few seasons. But the drop to the next tier of teams—Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina—isn’t huge, and all those teams possess the talent to sneak into the Orange Bowl. We’ll learn lots about the Hokies in their Georgia Dome opener against Alabama.

Hayes: The SEC. More specifically, the West Division. The only team not in it is Mississippi State—and the Bulldogs will get at least one big upset. Ole Miss is the preseason favorite with a championship formula: A loaded offense and a terrific defensive line. The success of the remaining four teams—Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Arkansas—depends on new quarterbacks. Jordan Jefferson played well late last season for LSU, and Greg McElroy won’t be asked to do much more than John Parker Wilson at Alabama. I’ve got a feeling Neil Caudle will win the job at Auburn, and watch how well he plays under passing game whiz Gus Malzahn. Then there’s Ryan Mallett, the Michigan transfer who is a perfect fit for Bobby Petrino’s offense at Arkansas. Best guess: A tiebreaker determines the division champion.

Q:

Bobby Bowden blasted the NCAA for threatening to strip him of wins for the cheating scandal. Justified? Curtis: Of course not. Coaches get paid by the Brinks truck and become unparalleled celebrities on their campuses. Part of the

WEEKDAYS 1–4PM ET

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

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Each week, Sporting News Today college football columnists Matt Hayes and Dave Curtis answer the hot topics of the week

price, though, is that you take the fall for what goes wrong in your program. Maybe Bobby didn’t know about the academic fraud at FSU. But maybe Bobby should have known. He’s on the hook for what’s happened in Tallahassee, and as head coach, he belongs there. I still believe the NCAA will give him a pass on appeal, but he has no grounds to complain.

Hayes: I’m a huge Bobby fan, but he’s way off here. FSU wouldn’t have won those games without the ineligible players. To say the “players were punished” is ridiculous. Sitting out meaningless games against I-AA opponents the following season— after missing a meaningless bowl game—is not punishment. Sitting out a season—as two of FSU’s ACC rivals did with recent academic offenders (Duke with QB Zack Asack; Maryland with QB Josh Portis)—is taking academic improprieties seriously. Maybe one day someone at FSU—I don’t know, say, university president T.K. Wetherell—will realize the players cheated to pass course exams. That helped them pass a course, which helped them stay eligible, which helped keep them on the team, which helped the ’Noles win games. Why is that so difficult to understand?

Q:

The Orlando Sentinel posted a blog this week ranking its fittest coaches (Ron Zook was No. 1). How about the toughest—with which I-A head coach would you least like to rumble? Curtis: As a skinny dweeb with a bad shoulder, I think I’ll take the doctor’s-noteout-of-gym-class route. But if I’m needed for a noble purpose, like defending the

Listen on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 127, online at SportingNews.com or check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.

WADE PAYNE / AP

Despite 11 scholarship players bolting since Lane Kiffin’s arrival, neither Matt Hayes nor Dave Curtis expressed concern. honor of Matt Hayes, I think I’d want to avoid Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema. He’s a former linebacker from the heart of wrestling country, and he’s got a year’s worth of frustration built in his gut. Another six-loss season, and Big Bret’s ready to pummel someone. I’m hoping it’s not me.

Hayes: Imagine if you will, any of those 120

grown men throwing down with one “Dangerous” Dave Curtis. Frankly, I’d rather watch Dave play Pete Carroll one-on-one. At 6-7, Dave is at least five or six inches taller, and I don’t think Pete could get off his deadly jumper. As for a coach I don’t want to see in the ring: Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio. He and Tom Izzo could defend a Third World country by themselves.

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INSIDE DISH

Clemson’s depth chart lists co-starters at QB

Floyd accused of paying Mayo associate

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he wasn’t ready to name a starting quarterback after the team’s spring game on April 11. Given a few weeks to think about it, Swinney still isn’t ready. Sophomore Willy Korn and freshman Kyle Parker were listed as co-starters at quarterback when the school released its post-spring depth chart Tuesday. Parker, who also is playing baseball for the Tigers, completed 13 of 21 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for a touchdown in the spring game. Korn hit 12 of 25 passes for 144 yards but threw two interceptions. “The competition will continue over the summer and into the fall,” Swinney said after the game. “It is a close battle.”

A Yahoo! report claims that USC coach Tim Floyd made a direct cash payment to a man who helped deliver former North College Hill standout O.J. Mayo, according to Louis Johnson, a former acquaintance of Mayo’s. Floyd gave at least $1,000 in cash to Rodney Guillory, who allegedly lavished Mayo with improper benefits while the guard starred for the Trojans, according to the Yahoo! report. Johnson said he was able to view $100 bills inside an envelope Guillory had. Johnson said the payment occurred in 2007. Yahoo! Sports reported Johnson has told NCAA investigators and federal authorities—including the FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney’s Office—that Floyd paid Guillory. Last year, Johnson accused Guillory of providing Mayo with improper benefits while the guard played for USC. Such an act would constitute a major NCAA violation for USC, which is the subject of an ongoing three-year investigation into alleged improprieties in both the football and men’s basketball programs. Guillory and Floyd declined to comment to the website. The NCAA and USC also declined to comment to the website.

Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley has been named the 2010 recipient of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award. Dooley, 76, will receive the award, which recognizes career excellence in coaching on and off the field, on Jan. 14, 2010, in Houston. Dooley, the Bulldogs’ most successful coach, was 201-77-10 in 25 seasons (1964-1988), winning a national championship in 1980 and six SEC championships. He took Georgia to 20 bowl games. He was the school’s athletic director from 1979-2004. Former NFL stars Fred Dean (Louisiana Tech), Rod Smith (Missouri Southern State) and the late Sam Mills (Montclair State) head the 2009 divisional class announced Tuesday for the College Football Hall of Fame. Also named to the class were former Los Angeles Rams “Fearsome Foursome” member Roger Brown (Maryland-Eastern Shore), former Marshall and Georgia coach Jim Donnan and former Missouri Valley coach Volney Ashford, who died in 1973. The divisional class includes players and coaches from Divisions I-AA, II and III and the NAIA. This year’s members will be inducted July 18-19 in South Bend, Ind. Mills, who played in five Pro Bowls, died of intestinal cancer in 2005 at age 45. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach envisions a playoff

RICHARD SHIRO / AP

Clemson QB Willy Korn (3) threw two interceptions in the spring game. system that would essentially allow all teams to compete in the postseason. Leach, a graduate of Pepperdine Law School, told BitterLawyer.com in a recent interview that he doesn’t expect his plan to receive much support. “This business of a four-team playoff or an eight-team playoff is just stupid,” Leach told the website. “I think you have to cut the regular season to 10 games. Then I think you need to invite a lot of teams (maybe 64) into a playoff, but you’d let the rest of the teams continue in an NIT-type deal so that they could play another six games or so, which they need to fund their programs.” New Mexico first-year coach Mike Locksley said Tuesday that freshman QB Emmanuel Yeager is leaving the school because he needs to be closer to home. Yeager, from Washington, D.C., enrolled early and went through spring practice with the Lobos. Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Yeager has been released from his scholarship. “… I respect him for doing what’s best for his family,” Locksley said in a news release.

Texas F/C Alexis Wangmene has been granted a medical hardship waiver from the Big 12 for the 2008-09 season, the school announced. Wangmene will be a redshirt sophomore for the upcom-

ANN HEISENFELT / AP

According to a report, USC coach Tim Floyd paid to have O.J. Mayo steered to his team. ing 2009-10 season. Ole Miss was expecting a recruiting visit Tuesday from 6-4 G Nick Williams, who is searching for a new home after announcing his transfer from Indiana. The Rebels are believed to be the leader for Williams, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds as a freshman for the Hoosiers. Williams was a top-100 level prospect at Mobile (Ala.) LeFlore High. He committed as a junior and signed early at Marquette, then was released from his letter of intent after coach Tom Crean left to coach IU. Williams followed Crean there and played in 31 games for the Hoosiers last season, averaging 26.5 minutes. Williams apparently wanted to be

closer to home for the remainder of his college career. He will have three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2009-10 season. — Mike DeCourcy Virginia Tech G Hank Thorns and Rutgers G Earl Pettis each informed their coaches that they intend to transfer. Maine associate coach Mike Burden has resigned after being charged with making sexual advances on a student athlete, the Bangor Daily News reported. Orono police say the 36-year-old Burden was charged with unlawful sexual contact against a 21-year-old woman and assault against a second woman who stopped to help her early Sunday.

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NASCAR

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NASCAR, FOX searching for answers on ratings dip BY MICHAEL SMITH SportsBusiness Journal

A double-digit decline in ratings for NASCAR on FOX has officials researching why the audience is shrinking and what, if anything, can be done to reverse the trend. Through the season’s first 10 races, Nielsen ratings on FOX are down 11.5 percent and viewership is down 10.8 percent from 2008 numbers, which don’t include a 2008 rainout. Ratings for each of the past seven Sprint Cup races going into last week’s event at Darlington were down by double digits. FOX’s average rating for the season was a 5.4 with 8.9 million viewers before Saturday’s race at Darlington, compared with averages of 6.1 and 10 million for 2008. The overnight rating for Saturday’s Southern 500 was 16.3 percent lower than last year’s race. “As you look at the current snapshot, it’s been a challenging year,” said Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group. “That being said, we’re still the No. 1 sport on television six of the last nine weeks. Our position in the sports and entertainment landscape is strong. “The biggest impact is with our TV partners and their commercial sales. We’re mindful of that. The flip side is that we hear great things, that it’s not a NASCAR issue. It’s a broader economy and advertising issue.” There’s also the Dale Earnhardt Jr. factor. Earnhardt, the sport’s greatest selling force and biggest star, is 18th in points. He hasn’t

BRETT FLASHNICK / AP

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s struggles may be part of the reason for declining TV ratings. provided a huge surge for NASCAR through his performance. “We’ve been challenged in this area by story lines,” Brooks said. “In professional sports, the story lines drive that momentum. Whether it’s coming out of the gate with a rainshortened Daytona 500 or other challenges, if we can catch a few breaks with story lines and the racing we’re starting to see, it can be a momentum changer and booster.” Carl Edwards’ airborne flip on the last lap at Talladega and the subsequent controversial finish was thought to be the kind of story line that NASCAR needed to spur interest. Footage of Edwards’ car flying into the fence played over and over the following week. The following race, a Saturday night event at Richmond, drew a 4.0 rating, down from last year’s 4.5. “We agree with Paul that NASCAR is a strong TV sport this time of year, and that we caught a bad break out of the gate with rain at

the Daytona 500,” FOX Sports chairman and chief executive David Hill said in a statement. “We haven’t finished examining this year’s figures yet, but we’re encouraged by the audience for Richmond given extremely tough competition.” Brooks said NASCAR and FOX are looking at every angle, from the lack of compelling story lines on the track to the spacing and timing of commercial breaks. Broadcasters traditionally have gone to commercial during pit stops, but Brooks said fans want to see the pit stops. “Maybe we shouldn’t be breaking away from pit stops, which is the traditional model,” Brooks said. “What we’re hearing from fans is that they want to see that. … We’re studying everything from commercial patterns, when they’re run, to how networks break away from the action. Is there a different way?” From a market standpoint, New York’s ratings are up 5 percent, but other big markets have not followed suit. Chicago is down 25 percent, and Los Angeles has dropped 23 percent. Ratings for traditional NASCAR strongholds such as Charlotte and Atlanta are down 22 percent and 10 percent, respectively. “Compared to a lot of other sports, I look at an average rating of 5.4 and say, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good,’” said Mike Trager, a sports TV consultant. “I realize they’re off, but I look at it more in terms of sustainability. Sports, over time, are relatively predictable and they sustain a certain level, and I think that’s still the case with NASCAR.” [email protected]

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Yeley replaces suspended Mayfield

JOHN HARRELSON / AP

J.J. Yeley, right, who hasn’t run in a Sprint Cup race since last August at Pocono, will get his first chance this weekend at Charlotte.

J.J. Yeley said Tuesday he is ready to replace suspended Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield as driver of Mayfield Motorsports’ No. 41 entry. Yeley, 32, who has 95 career Cup starts, said he appreciates the opportunity to get in the Mayfield car, starting with this weekend’s Sprint Showdown qualifying race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. He hasn’t competed in a Cup event since finishing 39th at Pocono last August. He then parted ways with Hall of Fame Racing after he had missed four races and was 36th in driver points. “It’s going to be nice,” Yeley said. “I’ve been in the car; I’ve been fitted (in a seat). I’m just

looking forward to the opportunity. … It’s been too long since I’ve been in something, and I’m ready to get back at it.” Mayfield was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR last week after he failed a drug test earlier this month. Because Mayfield is under an indefinite suspension, Yeley doesn’t know how long he will drive the car. — Bob Pockrass, SceneDaily.com Richard Childress Racing is changing the crew chiefs for its No. 29 and No. 2 Nationwide Series teams. Doug Randolph will assume the crew chief duties for the No. 29, and Dan Deeringhoff, who led Clint Bowyer to the 2008 Nationwide

Series championship, will move over to lead Austin Dillon’s driverdevelopment program, including races in the No. 2 Nationwide entry. Former crew chief Rich Lavalette will serve as Dillon’s car chief under Deeringhoff, who will turn his attention to Dillon’s Nationwide, ARCA and NASCAR Camping World East and West series efforts. The No. 29 car, driven by Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Stephen Leicht this season, is ninth in the Nationwide owners standings and has two top-five and six top-10 finishes to its credit with 25 races remaining on the 2009 schedule. — Bob Pockrass, SceneDaily.com

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Golf

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

NOTEBOOK

Baker-Finch coming out of booth for Colonial PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA.—The most nervous Annika Sorenstam ever felt on a golf course was standing on the 10th tee at Colonial in 2003 when she became the first female in 45 years to compete on the PGA Tour. Ian Baker-Finch might be able to understand how she felt. The 48-year-old Australian, a past champion at Colonial, has entered the Crowne Plaza Invitational, which begins May 28. This will be the 20-year anniversary of his victory at Colonial, but only his second time to compete in the last 12 years. “I turn 50 in a couple of years and I want to see where I am, whether it’s worth putting extra effort into playing a bit,” Baker-Finch said Tuesday. “I’d be an addition to the field as a past champion, so if I did shoot a bad score, I wouldn’t feel bad about taking a place.” Baker-Finch, a television commentator for the last decade who now works for CBS Sports, has not played tournament golf in eight years, going 74-77 at Colonial to miss the cut. Most people recall his return to the British Open as a former champion when he played at Royal Troon in 1997 and shot 92 before he withdrew. He has considered playing a couple of times over the years, but was cautious because of what happened at Troon, playing with an ailing back, nowhere to hide before thousands of fans. But he’ll still be nervous.

Goydos and drug testing Paul Goydos last year illustrated the difference between him and Tiger Woods when he said that Woods was trying to win 18 majors and “I’m trying to play in 18 majors.” But he has one major distinction Woods can’t match—first player to be tested for drugs at a major. “I shot a 74, nothing special,” he said. “I hadn’t made a cut at a major in 10 years, since the ’99 PGA Championship, and I was the

PGA Tour glance

PHIL COALES / AP

Paul Goydos was a little surprised when he was the first person asked to take a drug test at a major. first one tested at a major championship.” Drug testing became a topic last week after Los Angeles Dodgers star Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games. Goydos has his own take on what constitutes “performance enhancing drugs,” arguing that glasses help a player’s performance. But he pointed out to reporters, and later during his Q&A at a corporate function, that drug testing shouldn’t be an issue in golf. “Do you know the rules of golf?” he said. “Our second rule says to be a good sport, treat competitors fairly and leave the course better than you found it. It’s not the 50th rule. It’s the second. We don’t cheat. We call penalties on ourselves. Golf is all about integrity.” He said drug testing is the “only rule in golf in which we’re not policing ourselves.”

Couples’ future Fred Couples turns 50 in October and will make his Champions Tour debut later this year. As for the future, he plans to keep

Texas Open Site: San Antonio Schedule: Thursday-Sunday Course: LaCantera Golf Club, Resort Course (7,153 yards, par 70) Purse: $6.1 million. Winner’s share: $1,098,000 TV (all times ET): Golf Channel (ThursdayFriday, 3-6 p.m., 8:30-11:30 p.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.) Last year: Zach Johnson followed a thirdround 62 with a 64 for a two-stroke victory over Charlie Wi, Mark Wilson and Tim Wilkinson in the October event. Last week: Sweden’s Henrik Stenson won The Players Championship, closing with a 6-under 66 for a four-stroke victory over Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter. Tiger Woods shot a 73 in the final round to finish eighth, seven strokes back. Notes: The tournament, played in San Antonio since 1922, was last held in the spring in 1969. Next year, the event will move to the Greg Norman-designed AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. ... Johnson won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. ... Tommy Armour III broke the PGA Tour’s 72-hole scoring record in 2003, finishing at 26-under 254. He shot 64-6263-66. ... Mike Souchak won the 1955 event at Brackenridge Park at 27-under 257. ... Former University of Texas star Justin Leonard won in 2000, ‘01 and ‘07. ... Bart Bryant won the 2004 event for his first PGA Tour title, shooting a course-record 60 in the third round. ... The Tour will remain in Texas the next two weeks for the Byron Nelson Championship and Colonial.

full membership on the Champions Tour, and he has an idea what his schedule will look like without even looking. And while he doesn’t know the schedule, he kept it simple, as always. “The Senior Open is in Seattle, and there’s a tournament in Seattle,” he said. “A couple in California—that’s four. One in Houston and San Antonio late in the year—that’s six. Five majors—that’s 11. And I believe I have to play 12, and that’s my goal.” He counted the U.S. Senior open twice, But not to worry. He’ll get to that number. — The Associated Press

PGA Tour statistics (Through May 10) Scoring Average 1, Tiger Woods, 69.13. 2, David Toms, 69.69. 3, Sean O’Hair, 69.73. 4 (tie), Kenny Perry and Steve Stricker, 69.76. 6, Kevin Na, 69.83. 7, Nick Watney, 69.85. 8, Brian Gay, 69.91. 9, Luke Donald, 69.96. 10, Tim Clark, 70.12. Driving Distance 1, Bubba Watson, 313.3. 2, Robert Garrigus, 306.3. 3, Gary Woodland, 306.2. 4, Nick Watney, 302.6. 5, Dustin Johnson, 302.2. 6, Angel Cabrera, 301.9. 7, Scott Piercy, 301.7. 8, Charley Hoffman, 299.4. 9, Bill Haas, 299.0. 10, John Merrick, 298.3. Driving Accuracy Percentage 1, David Toms, 74.48%. 2, Brian Gay, 73.84%. 3, Joe Durant, 72.83%. 4, Bart Bryant, 72.46%. 5, Scott Verplank, 72.42%. 6, Tim Clark, 71.97%. 7, Kirk Triplett, 70.98%. 8, Tim Wilkinson, 70.84%. 9, Scott McCarron, 70.81%. 10, Heath Slocum, 70.45%. Greens in Regulation Pct. 1, Ross Fisher, 71.85%. 2, Camilo Villegas, 71.14%. 3, D.J. Trahan, 70.71%. 4, John Senden, 70.49%. 5, Sean O’Hair, 70.16%. 6, K.J. Choi, 69.93%. 7, Briny Baird, 69.77%. 8, Casey Wittenberg, 69.68%. 9, Kenny Perry, 69.25%. 10, Greg Owen, 68.79%. Total Driving 1, Jonathan Byrd, 67. 2, Lucas Glover, 70. 3, Mathew Goggin, 81. 4 (tie), Bill Haas and Boo Weekley, 89. 6, David Toms, 92. 7, Kenny Perry, 94. 8 (tie), Robert Allenby and D.J. Trahan, 96. 10, 2 tied with 103. Putting Average 1 (tie), Chris Couch and Luke Donald, 1.696. 3, Geoff Ogilvy,

World Golf rankings (Through May 10) 1. Tiger Woods 2. Phil Mickelson 3. Sergio Garcia 4. Geoff Ogilvy 5. Henrik Stenson 6. Kenny Perry 7. Paul Casey 8. Padraig Harrington 9. Vijay Singh 10. Camilo Villegas 11. Robert Karlsson 12. Sean O’Hair 13. Steve Stricker 14. Jim Furyk 15. Anthony Kim 16. Lee Westwood 17. Ernie Els 18. Ian Poulter 19. Rory McIlroy 20. Mike Weir 21. Angel Cabrera 22. Retief Goosen 23. Luke Donald 24. Martin Kaymer 25. Stewart Cink 26. Zach Johnson 27. Justin Leonard 28. Alvaro Quiros 29. Nick Watney 30. Robert Allenby 31. Tim Clark 32. Adam Scott 33. Ben Curtis 34. Miguel Angel Jimenez 35. K.J. Choi 36. Justin Rose

USA USA Esp Aus Swe USA Eng Irl Fji Col Swe USA USA USA USA Eng SAf Eng NIr Can Arg SAf Eng Ger USA USA USA Esp USA Aus SAf Aus USA Esp Kor Eng

9.87 8.47 6.79 6.36 6.29 5.71 5.69 5.30 5.26 4.84 4.58 4.52 4.47 4.40 4.17 3.90 3.86 3.79 3.73 3.50 3.47 3.37 3.35 3.23 3.20 3.17 3.07 2.98 2.96 2.92 2.91 2.89 2.85 2.82 2.82 2.81

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1.703. 4, Kevin Na, 1.710. 5, Charlie Wi, 1.719. 6, Tim Clark, 1.720. 7, Steve Stricker, 1.721. 8, David Toms, 1.724. 9 (tie), Jerry Kelly and Aaron Baddeley, 1.728. Birdie Average 1, Geoff Ogilvy, 4.61. 2, Anthony Kim, 4.58. 3, Sean O’Hair, 4.40. 4, Dustin Johnson, 4.35. 5, Tim Clark, 4.26. 6, Paul Casey, 4.25. 7, Hunter Mahan, 4.24. 8 (tie), Charley Hoffman and Nick Watney, 4.23. 10, Fred Couples, 4.11. Eagles (Holes per) 1, Bubba Watson, 73.8. 2, Nick Watney, 79.2. 3, Mike Weir, 82.3. 4, Ryan Palmer , 85.5. 5, Chris Stroud, 87.8. 6, Phil Mickelson, 93.0. 7, Tommy Gainey, 94.5. 8, Dustin Johnson, 95.1. 9, Daniel Chopra, 97.7. 10, Retief Goosen, 99.0. Sand Save Percentage 1, David Mathis, 67.27%. 2, Kevin Na, 66.13%. 3, Luke Donald, 66.10%. 4, Brad Adamonis, 64.47%. 5, Webb Simpson, 63.86%. 6, George McNeill, 62.86%. 7, Brian Gay, 62.71%. 8, Ken Duke, 62.50%. 9, Mike Weir, 62.30%. 10, Joe Ogilvie, 62.16%. All-Around Ranking 1, Sean O’Hair, 228. 2, Tim Clark, 258. 3, Nick Watney, 266. 4 (tie), Kenny Perry and David Toms, 277. 6, Steve Stricker, 294. 7, Camilo Villegas, 364. 8, Ben Crane, 371. 9, Kevin Na, 373. 10, Charlie Wi, 375. PGA Tour Official Money Leaders 1, Phil Mickelson (10), $3,238,635. 2, Geoff Ogilvy (10), $3,155,529. 3, Sean O’Hair (11), $2,963,842. 4, Kenny Perry (12), $2,705,259. 5, Nick Watney (12), $2,497,253. 6, Paul Casey (6), $2,299,950. 7, Tiger Woods (6), $2,166,813. 8, Zach Johnson (12), $2,032,921. 9, Steve Stricker (11), $1,960,236. 10, Retief Goosen (10), $1,755,992.

37. Shingo Katayama 38. Ross Fisher 39. Jeev Milkha Singh 40. Trevor Immelman 41. Chad Campbell 42. Oliver Wilson 43. Rory Sabbatini 44. Hunter Mahan 45. Dustin Johnson 46. Soren Kjeldsen 47. Stephen Ames 48. Aaron Baddeley 49. David Toms 50. Graeme McDowell 51. Ben Crane 52. Thongchai Jaidee 53. Davis Love III 54. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 55. Andres Romero 56. Prayad Marksaeng 57. Mathew Goggin 58. Brian Gay 59. J.B. Holmes 60. Louis Oosthuizen 61. Pat Perez 62. Kevin Sutherland 63. Stuart Appleby 64. Peter Hanson 65. Boo Weekley 66. Charl Schwartzel 67. Anders Hansen 68. Rod Pampling 69. Richard Sterne 70. Soren Hansen 71. Lucas Glover 72. Francesco Molinari 73. Lin Wen-Tang 74. Kevin Na 75. Bubba Watson

Jpn Eng Ind SAf USA Eng SAf USA USA Den Can Aus USA NIr USA Tha USA Esp Arg Tha Aus USA USA SAf USA USA Aus Swe USA SAf Den Aus SAf Den USA Ita Twn USA USA

2.80 2.75 2.74 2.66 2.60 2.47 2.45 2.42 2.40 2.36 2.31 2.31 2.30 2.28 2.27 2.25 2.25 2.23 2.23 2.23 2.20 2.20 2.20 2.19 2.13 2.10 2.07 1.99 1.99 1.97 1.95 1.95 1.94 1.93 1.88 1.86 1.86 1.83 1.82

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Tennis

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

Venus out in Madrid; Federer opens with victory MADRID—Venus Williams joined sister Serena on the sidelines of the Madrid Open on Tuesday after the third-ranked American player was beaten 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 by Alisa Kleybanova. Serena, who retired from her match on Monday with a right knee injury, watched on from the stands as Kleybanova picked her shots well and ran Williams ragged throughout the 2 hours, 12 minute contest. After splitting the first two sets, Kleybanova broke early for a 2-0 lead as Williams’ backhand misfired. Williams broke the 26th-ranked Russian as she served for the match to level the set at 5-5. But Williams continued to be troubled by erratic play as she lost her serve, eventually hitting long on match point to hand Kleybanova—who knocked Ana Ivanovic out of the Australian Open earlier this year—a pass into the third round. “I felt like she won by just being aggressive from both sides (of the court),” Williams said. “Against me she had to go for everything and make everything. All her balls landed in (Tuesday).” “See you next year” was the only consolation Williams could offer local fans. Roger Federer began his final warmup for Roland Garros with a convincing 6-1, 7-5 win over Robin Soderling, while new No. 3 Andy Murray scored a tough 7-6 (9), 6-4 win against Simone Bolelli. The Swiss star hit 24 winners and took advantage of the Swedish player’s 25 unforced errors to capture four break points. Federer fired down 11 aces, including on the final point to clinch his place in the third round. “It’s about playing well and getting ready for Paris,” said Federer, who has lost to Rafael Nadal in his last three trips to Roland Garros. “It’s good to get the

DANIEL OCHOA DE OLZA / AP

Roger Federer began his warmup for the French Open by beating Robin Soderling at the Madrid Open. first match.” Federer, who had a bye for the first round, could lose his No. 2 position in the rankings to Murray without a good showing at the joint ATP and WTA event being played at the brand new “Magic Box” tennis center. Bolelli hit 30 winners to Murray’s 22, but the 61st-ranked Italian also had 50 unforced errors, including a forehand long to give Murray the first set tiebreaker after 1 hour, 17 minutes. Murray, the defending champion, clinched the win with the only break of

the match in the final game when Bolelli netted a forehand. Murray will next play No. 16 Tommy Robredo after the Spaniard rallied to defeat Mardy Fish of the United States 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Earlier, Ivan Ljubicic scored the first upset after beating ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 7-5. The Croatian wildcard broke ninthranked Tsonga three times, with two of those coming in the second set when Ljubicic rallied from 5-2 down to take it. — The Associated Press

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Madrid Open results At Recinto Ferial Casa de Campo Madrid Purse: Men, $5.04 million (WT1000); Women, $4.5 million (Premier) Surface: Clay-Outdoor Men’s, First round Marin Cilic (13), Croatia, def. Marcel Granollers, Spain, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1. Andreas Seppi, Italy, def. Eduardo Schwank, Argentina, 7-5, 6-4. Fabio Fognini, Italy, def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, France, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 3-0, retired. Jurgen Melzer, Austria, def. Albert Montanes, Spain, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. Nikolay Davydenko (10), Russia, def. Viktor Troicki, Serbia, 6-2, 6-2. Tomas Berdych, Czech Republic, def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Spain, 6-0, 7-6 (5). Jeremy Chardy, France, def. Jose Acasuso, Argentina, 6-3, 6-2. James Blake (14), United States, def. Victor Hanescu, Romania, 6-2, 6-4. Ivo Karlovic, Croatia, def. Julien Benneteau, France, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4. Second Round Tommy Robredo (16), Spain, def. Mardy Fish, United States, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2. Fernando Verdasco (7), Spain, def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain, 6-3, 6-2. Ivan Ljubicic, Croatia, def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (9), France, 6-4, 7-5. Roger Federer (2), Switzerland, def. Robin Soderling, Sweden, 6-1, 7-5. Andy Murray (4), Britain, def. Simone Bolelli, Italy, 7-6 (9), 6-4. Women, Second Round Francesca Schiavone, Italy, def. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-2. Agnes Szavay, Hungary, def. Aravane Rezai, France, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Caroline Wozniacki (9), Denmark, def. Varvara Lepchenko, United States, 6-3, 6-1. Vera Dushevina, Russia, def. Robert Vinci, Italy, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Jelena Jankovic (4), Serbia, def. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, 7-5, 6-2. Amelie Mauresmo, France, def. Zheng Jie (15), China, 6-2, 7-5. Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic, def. Anne Keothavong, Britain, 6-1, 7-5. Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, def. Venus Williams (5), United States, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Doubles Men, First Round Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina, and Mardy Fish, United States, def. Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer, Spain, 6-2, 6-3. Marc Lopez and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, Spain, def. Christopher Kas, Germany, and Rogier Wassen, Netherlands, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 11-9 tiebreak. Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo, Spain, def. Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, Spain, 7-6 (3), 6-1. Simon Aspelin, Sweden, and Wesley Moodie, South Africa, def. Maximo Gonzalez and Juan Monaco, Argentina, Germany, 6-4, 7-5. Women, First Round Dinara Safina, Russia, and Agnes Szavay, Hungary, def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Arantxa Parra Santonja, Spain, 6-0, 6-2. Second Round Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, and Janette Husarova, Slovakia, def. Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska, Poland, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 tiebreak. Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber (1), United States, def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States, and Nadia Petrova, Russia, 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 tiebreak. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Elena Vesnina, Russia, def. Alla Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova, Russia, 6-1, 6-1.

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Horse Racing

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009

33

134TH PREAKNESS

NOTEBOOK

Filly’s presence, talent has the boys nervous

Papa Clem struggles in workout

BALTIMORE—Larry Jones knows something about running a filly against the boys in a Triple Crown race, and he’s not looking forward to the threat posed by Rachel Alexandra. The trainer saddled Eight Belles to a gallant second-place finish in last year’s Kentucky Derby before she broke her front ankles past the finish line and had to be destroyed on the track. Now Jones is preparing to send this year’s beaten Derby favorite Friesan Fire in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes against stellar filly Rachel Alexandra, who has won five consecutive races by a combined 43½ lengths. “Anytime the horse is as fast as her, you wish you didn’t have to run against them,” Jones said Tuesday. “I’ve chased her twice with fillies. If I’ve got any shot of beating her, it’s going to have to be with a boy. I ain’t got a filly that can try her.” Perhaps because she’s beaten her fellow females so soundly, Rachel Alexandra is gearing up to test herself against new rivals. Coming off a smashing 20¼-length victory in the Derby eve Kentucky Oaks, Rachel Alexandra is expected to be among at least 13 horses entered Wednesday for the 1 3-16-mile Preakness. That’s when the filly’s owner, Jess Jackson, has to pony up a $100,000 supplemental fee because she wasn’t nominated to the Triple Crown races. “She may never know there’s any colts in here. She just may go in the front and think there’s a bunch of girls chasing her around there,” Jones said. Pimlico oddsmaker Frank Carulli

ROB CARR / AP

Friesan Fire, above, the Derby favorite, is set to take on Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra. has already said he would make Rachel Alexandra the morning-line favorite. No filly has won the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924. Gary Stute, who trains Papa Clem, isn’t thrilled by the prospect of taking on Rachel Alexandra. “Personally, it’s a little disappointing, but for racing I think it’s great,” he said. “I figure it should bring 20-30,000 extra fans here on Saturday. And when the husbands are watching the race at home, the

wives will be watching, too. Racing is in kind of a downward spiral right now, and this can only help it in the long run.” Jones may not welcome the extra competition, but he has no qualms about a filly going against the boys a year after the Eight Belles tragedy thrust horse racing into a heated debate on such issues as safety and treatment of the animals. “If they run her in the Preakness, it shows me they have confidence

that we didn’t mess up running Eight Belles in the Derby,” he said. “It wasn’t the fact that there was boys in there that made her do what she did. That wasn’t why Eight Belles had her problem.” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was sanguine about Rachel Alexandra. He saddled Excellent Meeting, the last filly to run in the Preakness in 1999. “There is going to be a lot of excitement with that filly in there,” Baffert said. “She’s an incredible athlete. She’s going to be forwardly placed, so she’ll be out of the way. She’s got a beautiful fluid stride and a great turn of foot. She’s dangerous.” The imposing presence of Rachel Alexandra steals much of the spotlight from Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who hasn’t scared away the competition as he tries to back up his 50-1 upset by winning the second leg of the Triple Crown. Among his other challengers will be Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile, who lost by 6¾ lengths; thirdplace finisher Musket Man; fourthplace Papa Clem; and 10th-place General Quarters. Count Jones among the skeptics questioning whether Mine That Bird can return to the winner’s circle two weeks after a Derby victory that still has people buzzing. “He has to do it twice in a row to make me a believer,” Jones said. Mine That Bird likely won’t even have the same jockey on his back Saturday. Calvin Borel, whose railhugging ride in the Derby was credited for the victory, has committed to being aboard Rachel Alexandra, whom he rides regularly. — The Associated Press

BALTIMORE—Papa Clem turned in a slow workout Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes. The Arkansas Derby winner went five furlongs in 1:05 at Pimlico. In contrast, Friesan Fire, who finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby, covered the same distance in a crisp 58.40 seconds. Trainer Gary Stute didn’t seem concerned about the fourth-place finisher in the Derby. “I was hoping for a faster time, but I’m not worried about it,” he said. “The track may have been a little slow if you look at the earlier works. All his workouts before the Derby were bad except for the last one. Coming back from the Derby in two weeks, I just mainly wanted him to get a feel for the track.” Papa Clem isn’t fond of working in the morning. “I never really thought of him as a Derby horse because he never really trained like one, but every time he’s run, he’s run a lot better than he trained,” Stute said. The trainer felt his horse deserved a better fate in the Derby. There was considerable jostling in the stretch as runner-up Pioneerof the Nile, third-place finisher Musket Man and Papa Clem battled for the three slots behind 50-1 winner Mine That Bird. “I thought I was a little unlucky not to finish second,” Stute said. “In a normal race, there might have been an inquiry. I’ve heard the Kentucky Derby is like Game 7 in the NBA finals. They’re going to let them play. They better mug you before they call a foul.” Stute is trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. Mel Stute

captured the Preakness in his first try with Snow Chief in 1986.

Loading the musket Musket Man had his final major drill Tuesday at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park, a sharp halfmile work in 46.60 seconds. “It went perfect, just what I wanted,” trainer Derek Ryan said. “I haven’t run any horses at Pimlico in quite a while, but it’s a similar track to Monmouth. I’ve won a couple stakes there.” Ryan, who saddles a Preakness horse for the first time, is hoping for a dry track. He feels the sloppy track at the Derby compromised Musket Man, who finished a nose behind second-place Pioneerof the Nile. “All that rain and it never dried out,” Ryan said. “He’s got a good turn of foot, but on a sloppy track you don’t have that turn of foot you would have on a dry track.” The Tampa Bay and Illinois Derby winner will remain in New Jersey until Saturday.

Top jocks The top four riders in the country based on earnings and two Hall of Famers will compete Friday, the day before the Preakness, in a four-race Jockey Challenge at Pimlico The top rider, based on points accumulated in each race, gets $14,000. The runner-up earns $10,000 with $8,000 for third and $3,500 for fourth. Garrett Gomez, Julien Leparoux, Rafael Bejarano and Ramon Dominguez hold the top four spots on the money list. — The Associated Press

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IN BRIEF

TRANSACTIONS

Armstrong loses 15 seconds in mountains a bill Tuesday that would authorize Delaware to become the only state east of the Mississippi River to offer sports betting, sending it to Gov. Jack Markell for his promised signature. The Senate passed the bill 17-2 without a committee hearing, suspending its rules before voting. The decision came on the first day back in session after hours of closed-door negotiations. Because of a brief unsuccessful experiment with a sports lottery in the 1970s, Delaware is one of only four states, along with Nevada, Montana and Oregon, exempted from a 1992 federal law banning sports gambling. As the only state east of the Mississippi River that can offer sports betting, Delaware has a distinct edge against slot machine competition in neighboring states. — The Associated Press

SAN MARTINO DI CASTROZZA, ITALY—Lance Armstrong looked weary, his face was drawn, and he was sweating profusely after losing 15 seconds in the first mountainous stage of the Giro d’Italia. Yet the seven-time Tour de France champion was not upset. At 37, Armstrong is still regaining his form after 3½ years of retirement and a broken collarbone in March. “I’m happy with my performance today. This was my first big climb since retiring,” he said. “I had a good feeling and no collarbone pain at all.” Italy’s Danilo Di Luca won the fourth stage in an uphill sprint Tuesday and Sweden’s Thomas Lovkvist of Team Columbia-High Road took the overall leader’s pink jersey from Alessandro Petacchi. Lovkvist holds a two-second lead over Di Luca in the overall standings, while Armstrong dropped from fifth to sixth overall, 28 seconds behind Lovkvist.

Major League Soccer

Soccer CANCUN, MEXICO—Atlante advanced to the FIFA Club World Cup after a scoreless draw Tuesday against fellow Mexican club Cruz Azul in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final. The Club World Cup is set for December in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. Atlante won the first leg of the homeand-away final 2-0. Tuesday’s game was played in a fan-filled stadium and was delayed two weeks because of the outbreak of swine flu in Mexico. LONDON—Burnley advanced to the promotion playoff against Sheffield United, defeating Reading 2-0 Tuesday night on second-half goals by Martin

ALESSANDRO TROVATI / AP

Lance Armstrong is in sixth place at the Giro d’Italia, 28 seconds behind the leader, Thomas Lovkvist. Paterson and Steven Thompson. Burnley, which finished fifth in the League Championship, won the homeand-home, total-goals semifinal by 3-0 aggregate and will play third-place Sheffield United at Wembley on May 25 for a spot in the Premier League next season. First-place Wolverhampton and second-place Birmingham earned automatic promotion to England’s top league. FRANKFURT—Wolfsburg,

Bayern

34

Munich and Hertha Berlin all won to leave the Bundesliga title race wide open with two rounds of matches remaining. Wolfsburg got two goals from Edin Dzeko and one from Grafite to beat Borussia Dortmund 3-0, while Lukas Podolski scored and set up Luca Toni and Franck Ribery to help Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0. Hertha won 2-1 in Cologne.

Miscellaneous DOVER, DEL.—The state Senate approved

EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts D.C. 3 1 5 14 Toronto FC 3 2 4 13 Chicago 2 0 6 12 Kansas City 3 4 2 11 New England 2 2 3 9 New York 2 5 2 8 Columbus 1 2 5 8 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Pts Chivas USA 7 1 1 22 Seattle 4 2 2 14 Colorado 3 2 2 11 Houston 3 2 2 11 Real Salt Lake 3 4 1 10 Los Angeles 1 1 6 9 San Jose 1 5 2 5 FC Dallas 1 6 1 4 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. Saturday’s Games Chicago at Toronto FC, 4 p.m. Colorado at New England, 7:30 p.m. Houston at New York, 7:30 p.m. Seattle FC at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Kansas City at Real Salt Lake, 9 p.m. D.C. United at Chivas USA, 11 p.m. Sunday’s Game Columbus at Los Angeles, 3 p.m. Saturday, May 23

GF 15 13 14 12 6 9 11

GA 13 13 11 12 12 11 14

GF 12 11 10 7 14 10 8 7

GA 3 5 8 5 11 10 16 15

New England at Toronto, 4 p.m. Real Salt Lake at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m. Chivas USA at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. Los Angeles at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m. San Jose at Houston, 8:30 p.m. Seattle at Colorado, 9:30 p.m. Sunday, May 24 Chicago at New York, 3 p.m.

BASEBALL Major League Baseball MLB: Fined Chicago White Sox RHP Bobby Jenks an undisclosed amount for throwing a pitch behind Texas 2B Ian Kinsler in a May 9 game. American League CLEVELAND INDIANS: Activated INF Jamey Carroll from the 15-day DL. Optioned INF Josh Barfield to Columbus (IL). KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Transferred OF Jose Duarte from Northwest Arkansas (Texas) to Omaha (PCL). TEXAS RANGERS: Activated OF Josh Hamilton from the 15-day DL. Assigned INF Joaquin Arias to Oklahoma City (PCL). National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Placed OF Conor Jackson on the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Bobby Korecky to Reno (PCL). Recalled LHP Clay Zavada from Mobile (SL). FLORIDA MARLINS: Purchased the contract of LHP John Koronka from New Orleans (PCL). Transferred RHP Scott Proctor to the 60-day DL. HOUSTON ASTROS: Activated C Humberto Quintero from the 15-day DL. MILWAUKEE BREWERS: Agreed to terms with INF-OF Frank Catalanotto on a minor league contract. PITTSBURGH PIRATES: Activated SS Jack Wilson from the 15-day DL. Optioned SS Brian Bixler to Indianapolis (IL). American Association EL PASO DIABLOS: Signed INF Arnoldo Ponce. FORT WORTH CATS: Released OF Brad Sullivan and LHP Austin Bridges. PENSACOLA PELICANS: Signed 1B-C Luis Bautista. SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CAPTAINS: Traded LHP Alexis Sosa to Amarillo (United) and INF Michael Lewis to Coastal Bend (United) for future considerations. SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS: Released C Marcus Quade, INF Devin Murphy, INF Chris Davis and INF Jason Wysong. ST. PAUL SAINTS: Signed INF Steve Butler. WICHITA WINGNUTS: Released RHP Lance Odom, RHP Jeff Reekers, OF Bill Duffy, INF Louie Curcio, INF

Dustin Smith, C Scott Daniels and INF Derek Jennings. Can-Am League SUSSEX SKYHAWKS: Signed RHP TJ Stanton WORCESTER TORNADOES: Released LHP Mike Joyce. Golden Baseball League YUMA SCORPIONS: Agreed to terms with 2B Jonathan Ash, RHP Austin Bibens-Dirx, OF Truan Mehl, RHP Rick Rivas and 2B T.J. Wilson. United League SAN ANGELO COLTS: Signed RHP Brett Lester, OF Hunter Jobes and C Chad Clemons. FOOTBALL National Football League BUFFALO BILLS: Signed DE Jermaine McGhee and DB Kyle Ward. Released LB Vince Hall. HOUSTON TEXANS: Signed FB Boomer Grigsby. Canadian Football League EDMONTON ESKIMOS: Signed DB E.J. Underwood and DE Michael Williams. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS: Signed DB Darrius Battles, DB Patrick Body and WR Ivan Birungi. HOCKEY National Hockey League PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Named David Peart vice president of business partnerships. VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Assigned C Cody Hodgson to Manitoba (AHL). ECHL ECHL: Fined Alaska G Jean-Phillippe Lamoureax an undisclosed amount for his actions in a May 10 game. COLLEGE DEPAUL: Named David Booth men’s assistant basketball coach. DUQUESNE: Released F Shawntez Patterson and F Aleksandar Milovic from their basketball scholarships. SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA: Announced it will eliminate men’s tennis as a varsity sport, effective June 30. UTAH: Signed men’s basketball coach Jim Boylen to a five-year contract. WASHINGTON: Named Mark Rountree associate director of athletics for compliance.