Sportingnews-20090524

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Pens take Game 3 A late first-period flurry sparked by its two superstars helps spur Pittsburgh to a 3-0 series lead over Carolina. Page 7 Detroit at Chicago: Today 3 p.m., ET, NBC Red Wings lead series 2-1

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP

Kobe Bryant, left, hit a big 3-pointer and finished with 41 points. Kobe the closer: Bryant comes up big in L.A.’s Game 3 win. Page 11 Cleveland at Orlando: 8:30 tonight, TNT Series tied 1-1

Scoreboard NBA Playoffs Western Conference finals L.A. Lakers 103, Denver 97 (Lakers lead series 2-1)

NHL Playoffs Eastern Conference finals Pittsburgh 6, Carolina 2 (Pittsburgh leads series 3-0)

Baseball Interleague St. Louis 5, Kansas City 0 N.Y. Yankees 5, Philadelphia 4 Texas 6, Houston 3 Atlanta 4, Toronto 3 Baltimore 2, Washington 1 Colorado 4, Detroit 3 Chicago White Sox 4, Pittsburgh 0 Cleveland 7, Cincinnati 6 Minnesota 6, Milwaukee 2 N.Y. Mets 3, Boston 2 Tampa Bay 10, Florida 3 Arizona 8, Oakland 7, 11 innings San Francisco 5, Seattle 1 L.A. Dodgers 5, L.A. Angels 4, 10 innings National League San Diego 3, Chicago Cubs 1

SUNDAY MAY 24, 2009 SEE A DIFFERENT GAME VOLUME 1 ISSUE 306

GERRY BROOME / AP

Bill Guerin and Evgeni Malkin

INDIANAPOLIS 500 Today, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

Will Danica switch to NASCAR? She’s open to it and sponsors would flock to her BY MATT CROSSMAN [email protected]

CHARLOTTE—Racing takes center stage today, with the runnings of the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. At the center of center stage will be Danica Patrick. Her Indy car contract is up at the end of this season, refueling speculation she will jump from the IRL to NASCAR. Five facts to keep in mind amid the hype: She is willing to do it. Many motorsports observers think Patrick is making NASCAR noise to help her negotiating position. But asked whether she would be willing to jump to NASCAR if her preconditions for a winning car and right situation were met, she said, “Absolutely.” She would be hired, and quickly. “If she had the right team and the right drivers to help support her,

1.

2.

I think she could do really well,” said Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing.

3.

She would be attractive to sponsors. “If she can do it on the racetrack, she would be in the stratosphere in terms of ability to attract really top-rate sponsors,” said Geoff Smith, president of Roush-Fenway Racing. She would struggle initially. “I would say to her, ‘I wouldn’t try it if I were you,’” said Darrell Waltrip, a three-time Cup champion. “These stock cars are pretty brutal, they’re hot, they’re hard to handle. She’s used to sitting out there in all that fresh air. Now you’ve got to sit behind an 850 horsepower monster. I’d say the monster would win.” She’d have to swallow her pride. She’d have to first race at lower NASCAR levels, as no owner she’d be willing to sign with would throw her right into a Cup car. If

4.

5.

CHRIS O’MEARA / AP

Today, Danica Patrick will line up for her fifth Indy 500, but her contract is up after this season. anything kills a Danica-to-NASCAR deal, this will be it. “I can’t tell you I’d be excited about it,” Patrick said. “When you go from one top-tier Castroneves tries for No. 3, Page 28

racing to not a top-tier racing, you’ve really got to think about that and evaluate your pros and cons. But I would be open to it.” Is the Coca-Cola 600 too long? Page 26

Custance: Crosby leads the Conn Smythe race, Page 6

’06 first-rounders get one last shot Fair or not, judgment has been passed on the NFL’s class of 2006 first-round picks. “Three years is a good barometer,” said former Texans G.M. Charley Casserly, who drafted Mario Williams first that year. “If he hasn’t become a starter and he’s had three healthy years, in most cases, it’s time to move on.” Williams was a home run in that draft. Other ’06 first-rounders are pushing “bust” territory and facing a critical year: Dolphins DB Jason Allen. He has never nailed down a starting job, and the Miami secondary has been overhauled with newcomers. Raiders S Michael Huff. He lost his starting job in ’08 and has one interception in 39 starts. 49ers OLB Manny Lawson. He’s being counted on as a key edge rusher, but his 5 1/2 career sacks make that iffy. Patriots RB Laurence Maroney. He says he’s hungry, but his durability and consistency are concerns. Browns OLB Kamerion Wimbley. His sack totals have declined each year, and the new staff isn’t married to him.

— Albert Breer

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Tune In Today A quick look at the best sports on TV — all times Eastern

AUTO RACING

Indianapolis 500 1 p.m., ABC Ah yes, the Indy 500, where even I get excited about the release of a gazillion balloons, a drink of milk and Jim Nabors belting out “Back Home Again in Indiana.” Polesitter Helio Castroneves goes for his third win at Indy, and he has shown much strength all of this month. But of course, we all will get excited if Danica Patrick pulls out her first Indy win. She has consecutive top-five finishes entering this race, and has one top-five to her credit at the Brickyard.

BASEBALL

Mets at Red Sox 1:30 p.m., TBS Every time you think 42-year-old Tim Wakefield is going to absolutely lose it (like after he surrendered seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings May 17 against the Angels), he seems to bounce back and continue to get it done. When his knuckleball is working and making guys hit harmless pop flys, it’s a thing of beauty for Red Sox fans. Wakefield is 3-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three starts at Fenway Park, which means the Mets may be in trouble.

NBA

Cavaliers at Magic 8:30 p.m., TNT The resilience of the Magic has been remarkable, with Orlando falling down by considerable margins in the first two games and coming back to make incredible games of each of them. And no doubt they feel like they let Game 2 get away, as LeBron James’ 3-pointer at the buzzer evened this series up. Now in the Magic kingdom, the pressure is still on the Cavs to win one game to regain homecourt advantage.

— Compiled by Roger Kuznia

GUIDE AUTO RACING 7:30 a.m. SPEED—Formula One, Monaco Grand Prix, at Monaco 1 p.m. ABC—IRL, Indianapolis 500 5 p.m. FOX—NASCAR, Sprint Cup, CocaCola 600, at Concord, N.C. COLLEGE BASEBALL 2 p.m. FSN—Big 12 Conference, championship game, teams TBA, at Oklahoma City COLLEGE SOFTBALL 1 p.m. ESPN—NCAA Division I, Super Regionals, game 2 Washington at Georgia Tech 6 p.m. ESPN2—NCAA Division I, Super Regionals, game 2 California at Florida GOLF 9:30 a.m. TGC—European PGA Tour, BMW PGA Championship, final round, at Surrey, England Noon NBC—PGA of America, Senior Championship, final round, at Beachwood, Ohio 1 p.m. TGC—PGA Tour, Byron Nelson Championship, final round, at Irving, Texas 3 p.m. CBS—PGA Tour, Byron Nelson Championship, final round, at Irving, Texas 7 p.m. TGC—LPGA, Corning Classic, final round, at Corning, N.Y. (same-day tape) MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 1:30 p.m. TBS—N.Y. Mets at Boston 4 p.m. WGN—Chicago Cubs at San Diego 8 p.m. ESPN—Milwaukee at Minnesota NBA BASKETBALL 8:30 p.m. TNT—Playoffs, Eastern Conference finals, game 3, Cleveland at Orlando NHL HOCKEY 3 p.m. NBC—Playoffs, Western Conference finals, game 4, Detroit at Chicago TENNIS Noon ESPN2—French Open, early round, at Paris

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

2

If you deliver it daily, they will come.

OFF THE FIELD

Harrison’s son ‘doing well’ after pit bull attack The agent of Steelers linebacker James Harrison says the player’s young son is “doing well” at a Pittsburgh hospital following an attack by a pit bull. Agent William Parise says 2-year-old James Harrison III was bitten on the thigh after his mother let the dog out of its pen Thursday afternoon. Parise said Saturday he was with the boy at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and the boy was expected to remain there for another day or two. Parise says the woman and the player’s massage therapist also were hurt trying to help the boy, and the therapist needed three stitches. A hospital spokesman declined comment Saturday, saying the family has asked that no information be released. GENE J. PUSKAR / AP

Coach’s wife charged The wife of the Connors State (Okla.) College baseball coach has been charged with assaulting two umpires after a game in Bartlesville, Okla. Sheri Keith, the wife of Cowboys coach Perry Keith, was charged with two counts of assault and battery on athletic officials. The charges stem from a May 9 incident in which Keith allegedly assaulted umpires Michael Lentz and John Williams after a CSC lost a game against Eastern Oklahoma State College. According to a police affidavit, Sheri Keith barged into a locker room after the game, screamed obscenities and attacked the umpires.

Sports biz report For the second consecutive season, Major League Baseball is participating in fundraising and awareness initiatives for the veterans’ mental health program “Welcome Back Veterans,” SportsBusiness

James Harrison’s two-year-old son will spend another day or two recuperating after a dog attack. Daily reported. On Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and September 11, teams will wear special “Stars & Stripes” caps, which also will be sold beginning this week for $37. All proceeds go to the Welcome Back Veterans program. EA Sports meets Oprah Winfrey—or at least her trainer Bob Greene—as it releases “EA Sports Active,” its first fitness title and a significant attempt by the videogame publisher to broaden its customer base beyond its core young male following, SportsBusiness Journal’s Eric Fisher reported. The game for the Nintendo Wii—developed in partnership with Greene—will compete against other videogame-based trainers such as the Wii Fit and Ubisoft’s “My Fitness Coach.” — Compiled from staff, wire reports

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Chuck Tanner Managed Pirates to 1979 World Series title (What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved as a friend) Born: July 4, 1928, in New Castle, Pa. Status: Single What’s on TV: All sports shows, Two and a Half Men, Deal Or No Deal, cowboy movies What’s in my iPod: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anne Murray, Jerry Vale, Jim Croce What I drive: 2005 silver Mercedes-Benz 430 Favorite flicks: Baseball movies, Chicago, The Untouchables, Glenn Close movies, Dr. Zhivago, The Hustler, The Sting, The Thomas Crown Affair, Clint Eastwood movies What I’m reading: Baseball books Magazine subscription: Baseball America On my office walls: Pictures of Babs, my wife—she’s in heaven—and all 4 of my boys, 11 grandchildren, my daughters-in-law and Jesus Love to trade places for a day with … No one. I’m happy with my own life. First job: Washing dishes during the summer at Washington Quick Lunch in New Castle. I was in 8th grade and made $8 a week. Favorite meal: Sweet potato salad and salmon Favorite athlete to watch: Ted Williams hitting Favorite city to visit: Chicago for the restaurants Favorite value in others: Honesty Dream date: My wife Babs. Married 56 years. It was great. My heroes: Joe Paterno, Bob Knight, Art Rooney My greatest love: My wife and baseball My bucket list: Keep scouting and win one more World Series My motto: Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded there. — Jeff D’Alessio

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From Hank Aaron to Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson to Al Kaline, all the stars have something to say about Sporting News’ rankings of the 50 best players in baseball today.

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RECRUITING DISH

Heralded DT prospect Smith short on words, not options Garrison Smith is tough to read sometimes—he chooses his words carefully. It’s probably driving college coaches crazy, trying to figure out what this talented defensive tackle is going to do in the next year or so. Nearly the entire SEC is after the 6-4, 250-pound Atlanta native. The Douglass High School star has Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee all drooling, but he hasn’t let it get to his head. He has around 20 Garrison Smith scholarship offers. “Yes sir, I’m still pretty open,” Smith told Sporting News Today. “In a way, they’re all equal. It will all be about the relationship I have with the coaches ... I’m going to have to take this thing day by day, and just let God work it out to help me make the right decision.” Smith, who is a member of the preseason Sporting News Top 100 list for the class of 2010, said one former NFL player has a style he tries to emulate. “I don’t compare myself to any player in the NFL, because they’re much better than me; they’re already the best, and I’m just trying to get where they are,” Smith told SN Today. “I try to pattern myself after Reggie White. I would like to be like him on the field, but I’m a long way from that.” Smith went on to say that he feels his greatest strength in football is his love for the game. “Football is my drug, that’s how I get high,” Smith said with a chuckle. “I feel like God gave me gifts, and I’m just using them to the best of my ability. I don’t really like to talk about myself.” Smith had 108 tackles as a junior, with 27 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. North Clayton (Atlanta) LB Clarence Jackson has become Ole Miss’ most recent commitment, Rivals.com reported. The 6-1, 210-pound inside linebacker also reported a scholarship offer from East Carolina, and had interest from Tennessee, Illinois and Georgia, among others.

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JOHN BAZEMORE / AP

Georgia coach Mark Richt and the Bulldogs had interest in LB Clarence Jackson from Atlanta, but did not land him. “I liked how they have their system going and I liked the atmosphere,” Jackson told Rivals.com. “I just felt like they had something that all the other colleges that offered me didn’t have.” Charlotte (N.C.) Christian LB Ty Linton has committed to North Carolina, Rivals.com reported. The 6-3, 200-pound outside linebacker recently had listed the Tar Heels, Duke, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Virginia as his top five. He may also play baseball for the Tar Heels. “I just felt at peace with it,” Linton told Rivals.com. “Everything seemed to fit football- and baseball-wise. It just felt comfortable for me. I was going to wait until later on in the summer, but then I decided why not go ahead and get it over with and just focus on baseball this summer? So I went ahead and committed.” — Brian McLaughlin

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

BASEBALL / INTERLEAGUE

BASEBALL / NATIONAL LEAGUE

San Francisco 5, Seattle 1

L.A. Dodgers 5, L.A. Angels 4, 10 innings

Uribe’s double starts flurry

Dodgers walk away with win Padres’ win streak at eight

SEATTLE—On a maddening streak of failing to come up with a clutch hit, Juan Uribe was the one to finally come through for San Francisco. With two outs in the eighth inning and the frustration mounting in the Giants’ dugout, Uribe split the gap in right-center field with a bases-clearing double that started a five-run inning. Throw in Matt Cain’s complete-game effort on the mound and San Francisco’s 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night looked almost ordinary. But for a Giants offense that had just three hits in their previous 35 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Uribe’s hit was a critical moment where the pressure on San Francisco’s batters was finally released. “You could feel a sense of relief in the dugout,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “They were pressing and once he got that hit, you saw different at-bats after that. I thought it would take a hit to get the guys to relax a little bit. We certainly needed it.” With two outs and the bases loaded, Uribe lined a 1-0 pitch from Seattle reliever Mark Lowe to the wall in right-center field, scoring all three runners just when it appeared the Giants were destined for another lowscoring loss. Following Uribe’s double, Fred Lewis slugged a two-run homer off Lowe (0-2). — The Associated Press

Giants 5, Mariners 1 San Francisco AB R Rowand cf 5 0 Renteria ss 4 0 Sandoval dh 2 0 b-Aurilia ph-dh 2 0 B.Molina c 5 1 Winn rf 5 1 J.Guzman 1b 3 0 1-Burriss pr-2b 1 1 Uribe 3b 3 1 F.Lewis lf 3 1 Frandsen 2b 1 0 a-Schierholtz ph 1 0 Ishikawa 1b 0 0 Totals 35 5

H 1 0 2 0 1 2 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 12

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 5

BB 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 6

SO 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7

Avg. .272 .240 .304 .177 .274 .278 .111 .250 .304 .278 .000 .231 .226

Seattle I.Suzuki rf En.Chavez lf Beltre 3b Griffey Jr. dh Branyan 1b Jo.Lopez 2b Johjima c Cedeno ss F.Gutierrez cf Totals

H 2 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 2 10

BI 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SO 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 1 7

Avg. .315 .274 .214 .236 .314 .223 .241 .188 .262

AB 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 33

R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

San Francisco 000 000 050 — Seattle 001 000 000 —

CHRIS CARLSON / AP

Los Angeles’ Chone Figgins, bottom, breaks up a double play with Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Orlando Hudson during the fifth inning.

5 12 1 1 10 0

a-struck out for Frandsen in the 7th. 1-ran for J.Guzman in the 7th. E: B.Molina (2). LOB: San Francisco 10, Seattle 6. 2B: Sandoval (13), Uribe (4). HR: F.Lewis (2), off M.Lowe. RBIs: Uribe 3 (5), F.Lewis 2 (6), Beltre (16). SB: Johjima (2). CS: Sandoval (2), Burriss (4), F.Gutierrez (3). S: Uribe, En.Chavez. Runners left in scoring position: San Francisco 6 (B.Molina, Rowand 3, Aurilia 2); Seattle 3 (Branyan, Griffey Jr., Cedeno). DP: San Francisco 2 (Renteria, Frandsen, J.Guzman), (Renteria, Burriss, Ishikawa); Seattle 1 (Beltre, Jo.Lopez, Branyan). San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Cain W, 5-1 9 10 1 1 0 7 111 2.40 Seattle IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Olson 6 4 0 0 2 4 82 3.66 Batista H, 3 1 2 0 0 1 1 22 2.28 Lowe L,0-2 BS,2-2 2⁄3 4 5 5 2 0 28 5.32 Stark 1 1⁄3 2 0 0 1 2 26 7.56 Inherited runners-scored: Stark 1-0. Umpires: Home, Bill Miller; First, Derryl Cousins; Second, Jim Joyce; Third, Brian Runge. T: 2:41. A: 33,348 (47,878).

LOS ANGELES—Juan Pierre drew a walk with the bases loaded from Jose Arredondo in the 10th inning, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 victory over the Angels on Saturday night. Matt Kemp and Casey Blake opened the 10th with singles against Arredondo, and Juan Castro was sent up to bat for reliever Jonathan Broxton with the intention of bunting the runners over. But Arredondo walked him, then walked Pierre on a 3-2 pitch to force in Kemp and give the Dodgers their third game-ending walk this season. Pierre, who grounded into a force play with the bases loaded to end the second

inning, had come to the plate without an RBI in 97 career at-bats against the Angels. Broxton (5-0) allowed one hit over two scoreless innings for the victory. Torii Hunter hit a goahead three-run homer and Juan Rivera also went deep for the Angels. Angels righthander John Lackey allowed three runs and seven hits over seven innings, struck out five and was lifted for a pinch hitter with a 4-3 lead before James Loney greeted Scot Shields with a leadoff double in the eighth and scored the tying run on Blake’s single. — The Associated Press Yankees rally again, Page 16

San Diego 3, Chicago Cubs 1

Dodgers 5, Angels 4, 10 innings Los Angeles (A) AB R H BI BB Figgins 3b-lf-3b 5 0 1 0 0 E.Aybar ss 5 1 1 0 0 J.Rivera lf 5 2 3 1 0 M.Izturis lf-3b 0 0 0 0 0 Arredondo p 0 0 0 0 0 Hunter cf 4 1 2 3 1 Matthews Jr. rf 5 0 0 0 0 Kendrick 2b 5 0 2 0 0 Quinlan 1b 4 0 3 0 0 S.Shields p 0 0 0 0 0 Willits lf 1 0 0 0 0 Mathis c 4 0 0 0 0 Lackey p 3 0 0 0 0 a-K.Morales ph-1b 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 42 4 12 4 1

SO 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 9

Avg. .288 .282 .280 .272 --.310 .276 .247 .214 --.286 .231 .000 .278

Los Angeles (N) Pierre lf Furcal ss Hudson 2b Ethier rf Hoffmann rf Martin c Loney 1b Kemp cf Blake 3b Wolf p Belisario p b-Loretta ph Broxton p c-J.Castro ph Totals

SO 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

Avg. .383 .240 .339 .258 .000 .270 .283 .286 .294 .095 .000 .333 --.391

AB 5 4 5 3 1 4 5 5 3 1 0 1 0 0 37

R 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

H 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 11

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

BB 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5

Los Angeles (A) 000 130 000 0 — 4 12 1 Los Angeles (N) 010 020 010 1 — 5 11 0 No outs when winning run scored. a-grounded out for Lackey in the 8th. b-flied out for Belisario in the 8th. c-walked for Broxton in the 10th. E: S.Shields (2). LOB: Los Angeles (A) 9, Los Angeles (N) 14. 2B: Quinlan (2), Ethier (9), Martin (8), Loney (8), Blake (8). HR: J.Rivera (4), off Wolf; Hunter (10), off Wolf. RBIs: J.Rivera (14), Hunter 3 (34), Pierre (13), Martin 2 (18), Loney (30), Blake (27). SB: Kendrick (6). S: Wolf. Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles (A) 5 (Matthews Jr. 2, Mathis, K.Morales, Willits); Los Angeles (N) 7 (Pierre 2, Wolf, Kemp, Furcal, Loney 2). Los Angeles (A) IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Lackey 7 7 3 3 1 5 106 6.00 S.Shields BS, 3-4 1 2⁄3 2 1 1 2 1 34 6.75 Arredondo L, 1-1 1⁄3 2 1 1 2 1 20 4.95 Los Angeles (N) IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Wolf 6 1⁄3 10 4 4 0 4 95 3.02 Belisario 1 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 2 31 2.45 Broxton W, 5-0 2 1 0 0 0 3 30 1.17 Arredondo pitched to 4 batters in the 10th. Inherited runners-scored: Arredondo 2-0, Belisario 1-0. IBB: off Lackey (Blake), off Belisario (Hunter). HBP: by Lackey (Wolf, Ethier, Blake). WP: Lackey. Umpires: Home, Chuck Meriwether; First, Laz Diaz; Second, Eric Cooper; Third, Mike Reilly. T: 3:33. A: 55,301 (56,000).

SAN DIEGO—Coming home to Petco Park has made a huge difference for the San Diego Padres. Brian Giles drove in two runs for the second straight night and the Padres beat the struggling Chicago Cubs 3-1 Saturday to extend their season-high winning streak to eight games, all on the current homestand. The Padres were a downtrodden bunch after going winless on a six-game trip through Houston and Chicago. But they came home and swept the Reds and Giants, and now can sweep the Cubs with a win today. “We’ve definitely turned things around,” said Josh Geer, who settled down after the second inning, when he allowed Derrek Lee’s home run. “We owed these guys for what they did to us at their place.” While the Padres are batting .198 during the winning streak, with 28 runs, their pitchers have a 1.59 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 24 walks. Starters are 6-0. “Pitchers are throwing strikes, we’re playing good defense and getting clutch hits,” Adrian Gonzalez said. “We’re doing the little things right.” The Cubs lost their seasonhigh sixth straight. Righthander Randy Wells hadn’t allowed a run in his first 20 big league innings before giving up Giles’ two-run double with two outs in the fourth inning. — The Associated Press

Padres 3, Cubs 1 Chicago AB Theriot ss 4 Fukudome cf 4 Bradley rf 4 D.Lee 1b 4 Hoffpauir lf 4 Soto c 4 Fontenot 2b 3 Scales 3b 3 R.Wells p 2 b-Miles ph 1 Marmol p 0 Totals 33

R 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

H 0 0 1 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 7

BI 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SO 1 3 1 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 10

Avg. .269 .310 .185 .248 .295 .208 .205 .258 .000 .204 ---

San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Gwynn cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .125 E.Gonzalez 2b 3 1 0 0 0 1 .161 Mujica p 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 Ad.Gonzalez 1b 3 0 1 0 1 0 .281 Hairston lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .325 Giles rf 2 0 1 2 1 0 .170 Kouzmanoff 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .229 Hundley c 3 1 1 0 0 0 .260 C.Burke ss 3 0 1 1 0 0 .245 Geer p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .182 G.Burke p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --a-Headley ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .228 Gregerson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --Eckstein 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .229 Totals 28 3 5 3 2 7 Chicago San Diego

010 000 000 — 000 200 10x —

1 7 0 3 5 0

a-struck out for G.Burke in the 7th. b-grounded out for R.Wells in the 8th. LOB: Chicago 5, San Diego 4. 2B: Giles (6). HR: D.Lee (5), off Geer. RBIs: D.Lee (19), Giles 2 (19), C.Burke (3). Runners left in scoring position: Chicago 2 (R.Wells, Soto); San Diego 1 (Kouzmanoff). GIDP: Hoffpauir, Kouzmanoff. DP: Chicago 1 (Scales, Fontenot, D.Lee); San Diego 1 (Ad.Gonzalez, C.Burke). Chicago R.Wells L, 0-1 Marmol San Diego Geer W, 1-1 G.Burke H, 3 Gregerson H, 5 Mujica S, 1-1

IP 7 1 IP 6 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 1

H 5 0 H 5 0 0 2

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 1 7 95 1.50 0 0 1 0 16 3.60 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 0 7 107 4.91 0 0 0 0 10 0.00 0 0 0 2 11 3.91 0 0 0 1 14 2.82

Inherited runners-scored: G.Burke 1-0. HBP: by R.Wells (E.Gonzalez). Balk: R.Wells. Umpires: Home, Doug Eddings; First, Hunter Wendelstedt; Second, Brian Knight; Third, Dana DeMuth. T: 2:20. A: 37,798 (42,691).

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

6

Crosby, Lidstrom top early list for Conn Smythe Trophy The Stanley Cup finals still are almost two weeks away, but top contenders for the Conn Smythe Trophy—awarded annually to the most valuable player in the playoffs—are starting to emerge. Here are our five favorites:

1.

Linemate knows best Since being acquired from Anaheim, winger Chris Kunitz has played primarily with Sidney Crosby and has been properly impressed by his new teammate. Kunitz tells Sporting News Today’s Craig Custance why playing with Crosby is so special.

Sidney Crosby, Penguins. He brings con-

sistency, he brings leadership and he’s piling up some serious points. Through 15 playoff games, only teammate Evgeni Malkin had more than Crosby’s 24 points, and his consistency makes him a better Conn Smythe candidate than Malkin. But when the two are clicking, the Penguins Craig Custance are nearly impossible to HOCKEY beat. “Hopefully, we help each other,” Crosby said. “When he’s playing like that, I think, myself and everyone else wants to follow it up.” Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings. The feeling is that Lidstrom’s Norris Trophy streak is going to come to an end after big regular seasons from Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Washington’s Mike Green. But Lidstrom is the last of the three Norris candidates still standing, and he surely would prefer a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe over the Norris any day. Chicago’s Patrick Kane is getting a close look right now at the subtleties of Lidstrom’s game, which make him the best defenseman in the league. Kane still is searching for his first point of the Western Conference finals. Johan Franzen, Red Wings. During their latest postseason run, the Red Wings have gotten a majority of their goal scoring from depth players like Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson. But Franzen has been the one big-name forward producing offense at a fast pace. The Mule has not gone more than two games without scoring a goal, and his nine goals lead the Red Wings. One more big game from Cleary, and he cracks this list,

You gain an appreciation for his game: “Watching him was fun, you’re like ‘Wow’—all the things he does. Then you get to play with him. He’s just as good with his backhand, forehand— anywhere on the ice.” His speed through the neutral zone: “You always have to be moving your feet to catch up to him. Even if you’re in front of him, he’s by you with the puck. You have to be on your toes to support him and help him.”

2.

3.

Nobody wants to win more: “He’s a 100 percent classy guy, committed to winning and wanting to win. He brings the energy of the team up every time he’s in. It’s been a lot of fun learning from him and playing with him.”

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP

Between his leadership, consistency and productivity—he has 26 points in 16 playoff games—Sidney Crosby is a top-shelf Conn Smythe candidate. too.

4.

Evgeni Malkin, Penguins. He had four

goals in his first two games of the Eastern Conference finals, so Malkin appears to be raising his game when it matters the most. He entered Saturday night’s game with 25 points, more than any other player in the postseason. A little bit of a concern is that he’s

just plus-1 despite that offensive production, but Crosby has been happy with the play of Pittsburgh’s other star forward. “Every time he’s out there, he’s making something happen,” Crosby said. Cam Ward, Hurricanes. We feel for Ward a bit since his rough outing in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals came in front

5.

of Detroit vice president Steve Yzerman, who was scouting for the Red Wings. Yzerman also happens to be the general manager for Team Canada, and until then Ward had been making a strong case for the Olympic team. But despite an up-and-down performance against Pittsburgh, Ward is the reason the Hurricanes have made it as far as they have.

His leadership: “He’s not the vocal leader, like a Billy Guerin or Hal Gill. But the way he carries himself, goes out on the ice for practice—he’s always doing it at a high compete level, the highest level there is. He doesn’t take a shift off, a drill off. It’s something everybody has to look up to.”

“We talked about Crosby and Malkin, and our hockey team, we talk about (Eric) Staal and Ward,” Carolina coach Paul Maurice said. [email protected]

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7

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS NOTEBOOK

Pittsburgh 6, Carolina 2

Pens are winners in stars’ seesaw battle RALEIGH, N.C.—Penguins left wing Ruslan Fedotenko walked to the postgame media table and sat down next to Evgeni Malkin, two spots down from Sidney Crosby. As the two stars were peppered with questions about the Penguins’ 6-2 romp over the Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, Fedotenko said nothing. Not one word. Matt He did, howCrossman ever, say at least HOCKEY one in the game— he said it several times in a row, loudly—and in the process, turned this series from a potential nailbiter into a likely fourgame sweep. That word: “Free.” Fedotenko yelled it as he trailed Malkin, who feathered the puck lightly on his stick, into the Hurricanes’ zone with the Penguins clinging to a 3-2 lead and just under nine minutes remaining. The Hurricanes had momentum—not to mention a well-earned reputation for late-game heroics. Malkin already had scored two goals, coming on the heels of a Game 2 hat trick, and the defense naturally swarmed to him. Fedotenko wanted the puck, and he yelled his request at his fellow Russian, presumably in their native tongue. Instead of shooting, Malkin delivered a picture-perfect drop pass between his legs and took one

GERRY BROOME / AP

Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, above, and Evgeni Malkin have teammates singing their praises. stride to his left to get out of the way. Fedotenko collected the puck and zinged a wrist shot past goalie Cam Ward. The score, suddenly, was 4-2 and, two garbage goals later, the Hurricanes were playing for pride. The Penguins, meanwhile, seem to be playing a game of, “Can you top this?” Crosby and Malkin are living up

to their reputation as the scariest 1-2 center combination in the game. The problem teams face defending Malkin is he’s too big for fast players, too fast for big players, too strong for skill players and too skilled for strong players. And even if an opponent stops Malkin on the rush, there’s Crosby lurking around the crease with his speed, soft hands and impeccable timing.

“It’s amazing sometimes the way they find ways to score,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. “I’ve got a good seat to watch them.” If Fedotenko—known by his teammates as Tank—needed only one word to put this series away, Crosby needed only seven to explain the Penguins’ dominance: “We execute when we get the chances.” Let’s set aside the two garbage goals. With the game still competitive, the Penguins scored on four of their five best chances; the stoning of center Maxime Talbot on a breakaway was the only unfulfilled opportunity. Penguins veteran Bill Guerin, who scored late in the third period, is 38 years old, has been in the NHL since 1991, is on his eighth NHL team and in his 14th NHL postseason. The point is, he has been around. Asked whether this is the best offensive team he has ever been on, he neither blinked nor paused. “They make everybody else’s talent level go up,” he added. Also their attention levels. “Some of the plays they make, you never get used to that,” said defenseman Rob Scuderi. “It’s key to us not to get caught watching them. You think they don’t see you and they do. When you’re on the bench, you can do more of the watching and jaw-dropping.” And on the other bench, chins drop. And in the crowd, hearts drop. [email protected]

KARL B DEBLAKER / AP

Evgeni Malkin’s second first-period goal was met with ‘MVP’ chants in Raleigh.

Hurricanes must neutralize Penguins’ speed Task No. 1 for the Hurricanes if they want to extend this series: Figure out a way to neutralize the Penguins’ speed advantage. The Hurricanes simply can’t match the Penguins stride for stride, and if they allow them to play a wideopen game, Pittsburgh will dominate. “When you open it up against that team, you’re at a distinct disadvantage,” said Carolina coach Paul Maurice. Forget putting the puck in the net. The Hurricanes struggled Saturday to put it on net. In the first period alone, they had 13 missed shots—and only eight shots on goal. By comparison, the Penguins’ numbers were two and 16. The Hurricanes didn’t lack for chances, they lacked for accuracy. Every few minutes, a puck muffed off the side of the net or fluttered over it. Late in the third period,

with the outcome decided, a puck clanged off the post. The numbers left Maurice frustrated. “Forty-one times we shot the puck and had it blocked or missed the net,” he said. “We have to find a way to manage that puck and move that puck better and quicker and faster.”

MVP, MVP Two Penguins goals in the final minute of the opening period turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 Pittsburgh lead. The goals deflated the Hurricanes and their raucous crowd—so much so that chants of “MVP” rang through the arena after Evgeni Malkin scored his second goal of the period. “Clearly they had their fans and momentum, and there were a couple of times when the emotions were high, you can feel hemmed in at times,” said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. “To be able to get those guys going and be able to answer with those goals … was certainly a lift for us.” — Matt Crossman

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EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS Pittsburgh 6, Carolina 2

Penguins’ first-period flourish leaves ’Canes in 3-0 hole RALEIGH, N.C.—The Pittsburgh Penguins are tough enough to handle when one of their young stars is playing his best. When both are clicking, they’re nearly unbeatable. Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist, Sidney Crosby added a goal and an assist, and the Penguins pushed the Carolina Hurricanes to the brink of elimination by routing them 6-2 on Saturday night. The Penguins scored twice in the final minute of the first period, then added two more goals in 40 seconds of the third to seal their fourth straight victory and take a 3-0 series lead. Crosby and Malkin each scored for the second straight game, helping the Penguins improve to 3-0 in these playoffs when both notch goals. “Sid and Geno, they bring their level and they make everybody better,” right winger Bill Guerin said. “Everyone’s talent level goes up. That’s what they do for us.” The defending Eastern Conference champions can sweep the bestof-seven series Tuesday night and make a return trip to the Stanley Cup finals, where last year they lost to Detroit in six games. “I don’t think we think that far at any point, really,” Crosby said. “Obviously, we know we have an opportunity now, but I don’t think we’ve let ourselves get that far ahead. We’ve been focused on what we needed to do. We had a similar approach last year, but this year, maybe a little more experience helps.” Ruslan Fedotenko, Craig Adams and Guerin each had a goal and an

KARL B DEBLAKER / AP

After a three-goal effort in Game 2, Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin opened Game 3 with two first-period goals and later added an assist. assist. Adams was credited with his goal when Carolina’s Jussi Jokinen won a draw but sent the puck down the ice into an empty net. Matt Cullen and Sergei Samsonov scored for the Hurricanes, who haven’t lost a playoff series since Detroit beat them in the 2002 Cup finals. In their only other postseason appearance since, they won the

Cup in 2006. Only twice has a team rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to win a series, and it hasn’t happened since the New York Islanders did it against Pittsburgh in 1975. “Our challenge: We’ve got to find a way to beat them once,” Hurricanes coach Paul Maurice said. “And then we’ll try to revisit that.”

Malkin has 16 points in six games, including nine points and at least a goal in every game of this series. He followed up his first career NHL playoff hat trick by threatening to do it again with his sixth straight multipoint game. Crosby has 10 points in his last five. “They’ve been probably the difference in this series, so far,”

Jokinen said. “We just have to find ways to keep them off the scoresheet. And if you’re letting seven or six goals, you can’t win hockey games. That’s the bottom line.” Those two helped the Penguins pepper Cam Ward for a third straight game. The Carolina goalie turned aside 34 shots but was overwhelmed again by a Pittsburgh team that held a 40-34 shots advantage and outshot the Hurricanes 73-53 in the first two games. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves for the Penguins. Malkin and Crosby scored 30 seconds apart late in the first to turn a 1-1 tie into a two-goal Penguins lead. Crosby put Pittsburgh ahead to stay when he beat Joni Pitkanen to the net, took a pretty crossice pass from Guerin and tapped the puck past Ward with 42.2 seconds left. Malkin made it 3-1 with 11.9 seconds remaining when he tracked the puck down in the low circle, skated up the goal line and stuffed in the puck for his second tally. That came after he erased the Hurricanes’ early lead and made them pay for a fouled-up clearing attempt by Tim Gleason, using some nifty stickwork to skate in close on Ward and beat him with a wrist shot. The 22-year-old Russian’s two goals brought chants of “MVP” from the few hundred Penguins fans who infiltrated the RBC Center. It was rocking early, with the desperate Hurricanes feeding off an amped-up crowd of Caniacs. Cullen cashed in on that early emotional

burst, taking a pretty feed from Patrick Eaves and wristing it past Fleury’s stick. “The way the building was the first 10 minutes, they get the lead and to be able to answer back and leave the first period 3-1 was certainly a lift for us,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. — The Associated Press

Series glance (Pittsburgh leads series 3-0) May 18: Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 2 Thursday: Pittsburgh 7, Carolina 4 Saturday: Pittsburgh 6, Carolina 2 Tuesday: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m., Versus Friday, May 29: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Sunday, May 31: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus June 2: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus

Pittsburgh Carolina

3 1

0 0

3 1

— —

6 2

First Period: 1, Carolina, Cullen 3 (Eaves, Walker), 4:06. 2, Pittsburgh, Malkin 11 (Crosby, Gonchar), 6:50 (pp). 3, Pittsburgh, Crosby 14 (Guerin, Kunitz), 19:17. 4, Pittsburgh, Malkin 12 (Adams, Gonchar), 19:48. Penalties: Eaves, Car (slashing), 6:18; Cole, Car (roughing), 10:55. Second Period: None. Penalties: Seidenberg, Car (delay of game), 4:15. Third Period: 5, Carolina, Samsonov 5 (Cole, Pitkanen), 1:58. 6, Pittsburgh, Fedotenko 5 (Malkin), 11:29. 7, Pittsburgh, Adams 2, 18:12 (en). 8, Pittsburgh, Guerin 6 (Kunitz, Fedotenko), 18:52 (pp). Penalties: Gonchar, Pit (boarding), 7:38; Satan, Pit (interference), 16:33; Corvo, Car (tripping), 17:20; Boucher, Pit (roughing, crosschecking), 19:27; Bayda, Car (cross-checking), 19:27. Shots on Goal: Pittsburgh 16-15-9: 40. Carolina 8-8-18: 34. Power-play opportunities: Pittsburgh 2 of 4; Carolina 0 of 3. Goalies: Pittsburgh, Fleury 11-5-0 (34 shots-32 saves). Carolina, Ward 8-9-0 (39-34). A: 18,789 (18,680). T: 2:21. Referees: Eric Furlatt, Bill McCreary. Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Shane Heyer.

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9

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Kronwall hit spikes emotions in tightening West CHICAGO—A jarring hit from Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall, one that flattened Chicago’s Martin Havlat, has put a new spin on the Western Conference finals. The Blackhawks’ points leader might be out for today’s Game 4 and the hit has spiked emotions between the old Original Six rivals. “Marty didn’t have the puck,” Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell said. “If he hit Marty and hit him clean, that’s fine. That happens. ... It’s just how he hits. You can see his forearms coming up and his hands are coming up and he’s lunging forward and jumping into the guy.” Kronwall received a 5-minute interference penalty and was ejected from Friday night’s Game 3 in which the Blackhawks pulled out a 4-3 overtime victory to keep from going down three games to none. Campbell was asked if Kronwall should watch out today for retaliation. “I don’t know what will happen to him, but I’m sure there won’t be one check not finished on him,” Campbell said. While Havlat’s return is questionable for Game 4, the Hawks might have an even bigger problem. Backup goalie Cristobal Huet might have to start in place of Nikolai Khabibulin, who left Friday night’s game with a leg injury. Huet came in and stopped a Red Wings’ surge that produced three second-period goals and wiped out Chicago’s 3-0 lead. Huet held the Red Wings scoreless in the third period, and Patrick Sharp’s goal less than 2 minutes into overtime gave the Blackhawks the win and

Today’s game Conference finals (Best-of-7), all times ET Detroit at Chicago, 3 p.m., NBC

Betting line Today FAVORITE .........LINE at Chicago ............-110

PAUL BEATY / AP

Martin Havlat was on the receiving end of a jarring hit from Detroit D Niklas Kronwell during Chicago’s Game 3 win, and both teams have their opinions on the play’s legality. cut Detroit’s series lead to 2-1. Detroit also has some injury concern. Coach Mike Babcock said Kris Draper will sit today. And star center Pavel Datsyuk, who missed Game 3 with a sore foot, probably will be a game-time decision. Havlat was looking down for the puck near the boards in the first period Friday when Kronwall hit him at full speed, smashing him to the ice in a heap. A dazed Havlat stayed down for several minutes

before he was helped off the ice. He didn’t return. “The way I felt things happened, the puck went off the wall and he went to pick it up. I stepped in and he never saw me come. He never touched the puck, but I felt like the puck was right there,” Kronwall said. Told that some of the Blackhawks, especially Campbell, thought it was a dirty play, Kronwall said, “I think I would have felt the same way if

someone did that to one of my teammates. It’s unfortunate he got hurt and that’s how it is.” Asked if he hit Havlat in the head, Kronwall said: “Maybe that’s why he got knocked out. I don’t know.” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville didn’t directly address reports that Havlat may have lost consciousness when he first crumbled to the ice. But he did say doctors are monitoring his condition. “We’re not going to discuss the

injury,” Quenneville said. “His health is going to be the first criteria before he’s even going to be considered to be playing.” Babcock reiterated his belief that Kronwall’s hit was not a cheap shot, but rather a legitimate check and not worthy of the 5-minute penalty and game misconduct. “Coaches have bad games. Players have bad games. The league doesn’t let referees have bad games. So has there ever been a bad call?

UNDERDOG ........LINE Detroit....................-110

Accountability,” Babcock said. “To me, that wasn’t a head shot. So I don’t think you should be hunting anyone’s head. I think that’s real important. But I also think it’s a contact sport. And the puck was coming around the wall. He saw it coming. He turned, chose not to play it with his stick, was letting it come through his feet. Kronwall stepped up on it. That’s hockey.” Huet got a four-year, $22.5 million deal as a free agent last summer. The Blackhawks eventually put Khabibulin on waivers, but when no deal could be made to move him, he stuck around. The goalies split time for much of the regular season, but Khabibulin won the starter’s job for the playoffs. Huet’s appearance Friday was his first in the postseason this year. “Coming (into the game) in the third (period) in a 3-3 tie wasn’t something I’d ever experienced and not something I’d recommend,” Huet said, adding that he’s expecting to start today, even though no announcement has been made. “Now it’s a little different,” he added. “I’m going to have to prepare tonight knowing I’m going to play— I guess.” — The Associated Press

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INSIDE DISH

With Keenan gone, Calgary job has a Sutter feel to it Brent Sutter, relaxing at his offseason home in Red Deer, reacted with surprise when informed by the Calgary Herald that Flames coach Mike Keenan had been fired by brother Darryl Sutter, the team’s general manager. “I just feel bad for Mike,” he told the newspaper. “He’s a colleague.” Sutter also was asked the inevitable question. Was Darryl’s decision to not address the firing with reporters until Tuesday a sign that another announcement might be imminent—the hiring of Brent to coach the Flames? “I’m employed by the New Jersey Devils,” Brent Sutter told the Herald. “I haven’t talked to Darryl much, even as a brother, since I’ve been back home. I’m just trying to sort through some things right now to see what I want to do. Mr. (Devils G.M. Lou) Lamoriello and I have always taken this year by year.” It’s no secret that Sutter, who guided the Devils to 51 wins and 108 points this season, would like to return to his Alberta roots. In addition to his ranch, Sutter has business ties to the Red Deer Rebels junior franchise—a team he coached to two championships—and Red Deer is only an hour away from Calgary. “I haven’t even thought about anything like that,” Brent said, although sources in New Jersey have told the newspaper that Lamoriella would not stand in his way if he wants to leave. Another scenario: Darryl, who coached the Flames for three

BILL KOSTROUN / AP

stuff he wants to be doing for awhile. Holik, 38, is retiring after 18 seasons, his last appropriately with a New Jersey team he helped win two Stanley Cups. “I wanted to be able to walk away from the game and just move on,” Holik told Sporting News Today. “I like to be home and just do things regular people do.” But most importantly, Holik wanted to retire on his own terms. He didn’t want to do it because of injury or because there wasn’t interest in him. Still a strong veteran presence— fantastic on faceoffs and a pain to play against—Holik surely would have found a taker at the right price for next season. He said he’ll take time to relax but didn’t rule out a future in television, where the opinionated star would be a natural. The Czech Republic native finished with 326 career goals and 421 assists in 1,314 games with the Whalers, Devils, Rangers and Thrashers. He’s also known for the five-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Rangers in 2002. So yeah, he’ll be doing all right in retirement. “It was time,” he said. “I’ve done everything I wanted and probably a lot more than I ever thought I would. It’s time to be a husband and father full time.” —Craig Custance

Could Brent Sutter leave the Devils to work with his brother Darryl, Calgary’s general manager? seasons and led them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2004, could return to the bench.

Bobby Holik spent Saturday cleaning out his garage. And it was fantastic. This is exactly the kind of

The Toronto Star reports that Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie’s $212.5 million bid for the Phoenix Coyotes has generated qualified

support from SOF Investments, the single-largest secured creditor in the team’s bankruptcy case. But that doesn’t mean SOF Investments expects Balsillie’s bid to receive approval. The company, in fact, seems resigned to the possibility the Coyotes will play in Glendale, Ariz., next season and is urging the team to start marketing itself as if that’s the case. According to the Star, SOF Investments lent $75 million to Jerry Moyes to keep the team afloat. SOF said in court papers that it believes Balsillie’s bid “would result in substantial recovery of the amounts owed to the debtors’ creditors, including SOF, which would be paid in full in cash.” The Denver Post reports that Colorado is in the running to sign Swedish star Jonas Gustavsson, who generally is considered one of the best goaltenders in the world not playing in the NHL. “I think Colorado would be a great fit,” former Avalanche star Peter Forsberg told Swedish reporters about his countryman. “It’s a great city to play hockey in, even if they had a rough season. I think it would be less pressure for him there than Toronto or Philadelphia or New York.” Gustavsson, 24, is a 6-3, 192-pounder who led Farjestads to the championship of the Swedish Elite League this year, posting a 1.96 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in the regular season. He has said he’s ready to jump to the NHL.

Playoff glance CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7), all times ET

EASTERN CONFERENCE Carolina vs. Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh leads series 3-0) May 18: Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 2 May 21: Pittsburgh 7, Carolina 4 Saturday: Pittsburgh 6, Carolina 2 Tuesday: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m., Versus Friday: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Sunday, May 31: Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus Tuesday, June 2: Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus

WESTERN CONFERENCE Chicago vs. Detroit (Detroit leads series 2-1) May 17: Detroit 5, Chicago 2 May 19: Detroit 3, Chicago 2, OT May 22: Chicago 4, Detroit 3, OT Today: Detroit at Chicago, 3 p.m., NBC Wednesday: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m. Versus Saturday, May 30: Detroit at Chicago, 8 p.m., if necessary, Versus Monday, June 1: Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m., if necessary, Versus

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS L.A. Lakers 103, Denver 97

Ariza’s late swipe steals series back to Lakers

JACK DEMPSEY / AP

Kobe Bryant’s 41 points were big, but Trevor Ariza’s defense in the clutch may have been bigger.

DENVER—Trevor Ariza’s clutch steals are punching a dagger in Denver’s season just as much as Kobe Bryant’s big baskets. For the second time in three games, Ariza stole an inbounds pass in the final minute to help Los Angeles beat the Nuggets, this time 103-97 at the Pepsi Center for a 2-1 lead that restored the Lakers’ homecourt advantage in the Western Conference finals. Ariza, whose steal of Anthony Carter’s lazy lob sealed the Lakers’ win in the series opener, sliced in front of Carmelo Anthony to swipe Kenyon Martin’s inbounds pass with the Lakers clinging to a twopoint lead with 36 seconds left. Anthony fouled out to prevent the breakaway basket and Ariza sank both free throws for a 99-95 lead. “Trevor, he’s very crafty, he’s long, he’s fast, he’s quick and he’s a ball hog,” said Bryant, who scored 41 points. “He does a good job of reading those things. It’s a great defensive play.” As he did in the first game, Lamar Odom guarded the inbounds, only this time it wasn’t the shortest player on the team he was facing, but the 6-foot-9 Martin trying to get the ball in over the Lakers’ 6-10 forward. “He’s long, look at him,” Sasha Vujacic said of Odom. “He’s very long. He’s athletic. He’s got eyes behind his ears. He knows how to jump all around the ball.” Hounded, K-Mart called timeout, but on the redo, he wasn’t so lucky as he led ‘Melo too much with the

pass and Ariza snatched away both the ball and Denver’s shot at a win for the second time in five nights. “It was kind of deja vu from Game 1,” Anthony said. Ariza thought so, too. “It was kind of funny,” he said. “It was pretty much the same thing, different players. But we got the steal. We got a win, that’s the most important thing.” Bryant made four free throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the win after sinking a 3-pointer over J.R. Smith with 1:09 left to put Los Angles ahead for good at 96-95. “Kobe does that time and time and time and time and time again for game winners,” Odom said of Bryant’s 3-pointer. “It is routine— for him.” Pau Gasol added 20 points and 11 rebounds. “I think Gasol was the key to them winning tonight,” Anthony said. “Getting him going and him making shots, it made it hard to double-team him and still try to guard Kobe out there.” Anthony scored 21 points but just three after halftime, and Denver lost at home for the first time since March 9. “I don’t really think they did anything different tonight. But I missed some easy shots,” said Anthony, who had averaged 35 points in his previous five games but went just 4-for-13. Before Saturday night, the Nuggets, who had won 16 straight games at home, had been dominant in Denver in the playoffs. They ran

away with all six games at Pepsi Center against New Orleans and Dallas by an average of 17.5 points. The Nuggets led most of the game but were done in by poor decisions and a failure to keep their composure. They shot just 5-for-27 on 3-pointers and committed three technical fouls. Game 4 is Monday night, when the Lakers and Nuggets will have the Pepsi Center to themselves after World Wrestling Entertainment moved Monday Night Raw to the Staples Center in Los Angeles because of the double booking. That doesn’t mean the crowd in Denver won’t see some elbows, forearms and more trash talking like they did Saturday night, when there were five technicals called, including one on Smith for taunting Vujacic after swishing a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer. The Nuggets took a 79-71 lead on Smith’s bucket. Vujacic, who had just hit a 3-pointer of his own, his first points of the game, nearly stole Billups’ pass, but Smith snared it, spun and swished the 3-pointer as the backboard lit up in red and he fell to the floor with the crowd going crazy. Caught up in the moment, Smith jumped up jawing at Vujacic and was T’d up. After Bryant swished the technical free throw, Denver would miss its first nine shots of the fourth quarter, finally putting a shot through the hoop on Martin’s dunk with 6:34 left. —The Associated Press

Series glance (Lakers lead series 2-1) May 19: L.A. Lakers 105, Denver 103 May 21: Denver 106, L.A. Lakers 103 Saturday: L.A. Lakers 103, Denver 97 Monday: L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 p.m., ESPN Wednesday: Denver at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., if necessary, Friday: L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 p.m., if necessary Sunday, May 31: Denver at L.A. Lakers, 8:30 p.m., if necessary

L.A. Lakers Denver L.A. LAKERS Ariza Gasol Bynum Fisher Bryant Odom Walton Farmar Vujacic Brown Totals

26 28

22 24

Min FG FT 32:03 5-8 3-4 42:53 7-12 6-8 20:47 2-6 3-6 26:13 2-6 0-2 41:13 12-24 15-17 29:53 2-5 4-6 13:38 0-1 0-2 13:32 1-3 0-0 11:33 1-4 0-0 8:15 1-3 0-0 240:00 33-72 31-45

23 27 Reb 1-4 1-11 0-4 2-3 1-6 3-7 0-3 0-2 0-2 0-1 8-43

32 — 103 18 — 97 A 2 1 0 2 5 1 1 3 0 0 15

PF 4 2 3 2 4 4 0 2 2 1 24

PTS 16 20 7 4 41 8 0 2 3 2 103

Percentages: FG .458, FT .689. 3-Point Goals: 6-19, .316 (Ariza 3-5, Bryant 2-5, Vujacic 1-3, Farmar 0-1, Fisher 0-1, Brown 0-2, Odom 0-2). Team Rebounds: 14. Team Turnovers: 13 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 7 (Bynum 3, Ariza, Brown, Gasol, Vujacic). Turnovers: 12 (Farmar 3, Fisher 2, Gasol 2, Ariza, Bryant, Bynum, Odom, Vujacic). Steals: 7 (Fisher 3, Ariza 2, Bryant 2). Technical Fouls: Fisher, 6:30 third; Farmar, 10:12 fourth. DENVER Min FG FT Reb Anthony 37:29 4-13 12-14 0-5 Martin 34:36 3-10 0-0 2-7 Nene 31:15 5-9 3-4 1-6 Billups 40:06 5-15 6-7 0-6 Jones 17:28 4-6 2-2 1-2 Smith 26:21 4-15 0-0 2-3 Andersen 23:55 6-9 3-4 2-7 Carter 15:00 0-1 0-0 1-1 Kleiza 13:49 2-6 0-0 2-6 Totals 239:59 33-84 26-31 11-43

A 3 1 1 7 1 6 0 1 1 21

PF 6 6 5 1 5 4 2 2 0 31

PTS 21 6 13 18 10 10 15 0 4 97

Percentages: FG .393, FT .839. 3-Point Goals: 5-27, .185 (Billups 2-7, Smith 2-10, Anthony 1-7, Carter 0-1, Kleiza 0-2). Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 11 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Andersen 3, Martin 2). Turnovers: 11 (Anthony 4, Billups 4, Nene, Martin, Smith). Steals: 10 (Anthony 3, Billups 2, Carter, Nene, Jones, Kleiza, Smith). Technical Fouls: Kleiza, 0:07.9 second; Carter, 1:53 third; Smith, 12:00 fourth. A: 19,939 (19,155). T: 2:53. Officials: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford, James Capers.

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

12

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

‘Magic’ shot by James has Cavs breathing new life ORLANDO—As if once wasn’t enough, the Orlando Magic were forced to watch LeBron James’ amazing buzzer-beater all day Saturday. The Magic were witnesses all right. Again. And again. And again. James’ stunning fadeaway 3-pointer in Game 2 that tied the Eastern Conference finals was replayed countless times on TV sets from Cleveland to Orlando. It was also a fixture in the minds of Cavaliers fans basking in the win, and in the thoughts of Magic players wondering what could have been. “It’s tough when you got to go home and watch it on TV over and over again,” Magic center Dwight Howard said. The shot saved the Cavaliers from a daunting 0-2 hole, and already was being talked about as one of the greatest moments in Cleveland sports history. There’s just one downside for the Cavs. “It is over and done with,” James said. For all the drama and emotion surrounding the riveting shot, the Cavaliers have plenty to fix if they want to reclaim home-court advantage when the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3 tonight. The Magic ripped their defense apart, exposed their lack of depth and roared back from a double-digit deficit for the second straight game. Now the NBA’s top-seeded team heads to Orlando, where it lost both games this season, including a 29-point blowout in April in which it trailed by as many as 41. But one shot made all of that seem

like a distant memory. “To go on the road, 1 second from being down 0-2, going to Orlando and from zero seconds the shot goes in to being 1-1 going on the road, it is a good feeling for us,” James said. “We can carry this momentum.” It’s an all too familiar feeling for Orlando. The Magic have been last-second losers four times this postseason. Boston’s Glen Davis hit a jumper as time expired in Game 4 of their second-round series. Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each hit a shot in the final seconds for wins in the opening round, forcing the Magic to again watch another team celebrate as they walked slowly to the locker room in defeat. Any carry-over seems unlikely. Orlando responded well after each of the previous heartbreakers, winning the following games against Philadelphia and nearly taking Game 5 against the Celtics before blowing a big fourth-quarter lead. “How many times have I been asked that in the postseason so far?” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Game 1 in Philly we lose at the buzzer. Is there going to be carryover? OK. Game 3 in Philly, they beat us at the buzzer. Is there going to be carry-over? Game 4 against Boston, is there going to be carryover? I mean, you know, I’ve heard that the entire postseason.” The Magic, a streaky shooting team that can dazzle at times and disappear during some games, overcame a 23-point deficit in Game 2 as skittish Cleveland fans covered

Today’s game Conference finals (Best-of-7), all times ET Cleveland at Orlando, 8:30 p.m., TNT

Betting line Today FAVORITE ..........LINE ... at Orlando ................1½....

DAVID RICHARD / AP

Orlando’s Dwight Howard (12) reacts after a 3-point shot by Cleveland’s LeBron James won Game 2 as time expired Friday night. their mouths in disbelief, with Hedo Turkoglu hitting a 12-footer in the lane to put Orlando ahead by two with 1 second left. Cleveland called timeout and drew up a play for James. The league’s MVP darted toward the basket, cut back near the top of the

circle, caught the ball and let loose a shot over Turkoglu that sent those same fans hugging and cheering in an all-too-good state of shock. An encore won’t be easy. The Magic have been a matchup nightmare at times for the Cavs, who have lost nine of the last 13

games to Orlando. The Magic, with their bevy of 3-point shooters and Howard inside, have picked apart Cleveland’s defense for long stretches. Orlando has started slow in the first two games, and Cleveland likely won’t be able to count on such

O/U .........UNDERDOG (190) .............. Cleveland

a cushion tonight at Amway Arena, where the Magic usually start fast. But the Cavs did show some positive signs in the win. Unlike Game 1, when Orlando emerged on a late 3-pointer by Rashard Lewis, it wasn’t just the LeBron show. Mo Williams had 19 points and made some big shots late. Cleveland also got 12 points apiece from Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West. Sasha Pavlovic scored nine points in 21 minutes but most of Cleveland’s reserves again provided little support. The Cavs know they’ll have to win at least one in Orlando to earn a spot in the NBA finals, and they’re hoping to take advantage if they get another break. “You can’t go through the playoffs without having some lucky bounces here and there,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. “They got one, quote-unquote, lucky bounce in Game 1, if you want to say that with Rashard’s shot. We got one in Game 2. Let’s get ready for Game 3 now.” — The Associated Press

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Playoff glance

INSIDE DISH

Playing for Olympic team could again be hip thing Before the 2008 Olympics, when the Americans reclaimed the gold medal in men’s basketball, concerns over injuries and fatigue were a convenient excuse for uninterested players looking to dodge playing for their country. Not only has that excuse been utterly debunked, but it could be argued that the Olympic experience helped toughen up everyone who participated. With that in mind, a new wave of players is very interested in lining up with Team USA. There will be a minicamp in Las Vegas in July, and already 19 of the 24 players invited have accepted. Among them will be Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, Devin Harris and Blake Griffin. As Durant said earlier this season: “It’s an honor even to be considered. When you look at the guys who won (the gold medal)— Kobe (Bryant), LeBron (James), Dwyane Wade—those are guys you want to be associated with.” — Sean Deveney Spain has won the right to host the men’s basketball world championship in 2014. The board of governing body FIBA picked Spain on Saturday ahead of rival candidates China and Italy. The 24-team tournament will be played in Madrid plus Bilbao, Granada, Seville, and Las Palmas on the Canary Islands from Aug. 30-Sept. 14, 2014. Spain won the 2006 worlds in Japan when Pau Gasol—then a Memphis Grizzlies player and now with the Los Angeles Lakers—was the tournament MVP. Spain beat Greece 70-47 in the final. The United States defeated Argentina in the bronze-medal match. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer is reporting that Michael Jordan is seriously looking at buying controlling interest in the Bobcats now that majority owner Bob Johnson is looking to sell the team. The Observer mentioned two sources,

away from it. Bryant and his wife are suing their former housekeeper, accusing her of violating her contract by talking to the media about the family’s private affairs. The housekeeper initially sued the Los Angeles Lakers star and his wife, contending they harassed and humiliated her.

ERIC GAY / AP

The next Team USA men’s basketball squad could have a wave of new faces to join members of the 2008 club. speaking on condition of anonymity, that Jordan has interest and the financial backing to pursue the team. The question is at what cost. Johnson would like to set the value at $325 million or more and has hired sports investment banker Sal Galatioto to find a buyer, according to the Observer. A source told the newspaper that interest in buying the team, which wrapped up its fifth season, comes from out-of-town suitors. The source said the interested parties are not looking to move the team. Since arriving in Phoenix, Shaquille O’Neal has sung the praises of the Suns’ training staff. Now, O’Neal says he believes he can play three more years, thanks in part to his routine with them. “These guys that have been working on me, they have another technique,” O’Neal told Sporting News Radio. “And you know, even though I’ve been playing 17 years on paper, if you subtract the games that I missed, I missed three years. (That) tells you I have three years to play.”

13

In his first full year with the Suns, O’Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds over 75 games, the most he’s played since 1999-00 with the Lakers.

Andrew Bynum wants to play more minutes, and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson has just the solution: Play better defense. “If he plays well, he’ll have more time,” Jackson said Saturday, several hours before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets. Bynum criticized the Lakers’ defensive scheme after getting yanked from Game 2 early in the second half for his lackadaisical play that led to an easy bucket for Denver. Jackson was displeased that Bynum didn’t hustle downcourt after failing to get a pass in the post, which allowed Nuggets center Nene to make a layup and draw a foul from Bryant. So, Bynum took a seat with 7:14 left in the third quarter and never returned. Before Game 3, Bynum said he hadn’t discussed his criticism with his coach but he alternately stuck by his assertion and backed

The Clippers have said they’ll take PF Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick. But several publications have reported that the Clippers will be open to trading down from the top spot. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Thunder are one of the teams expected to go after that pick, using the third pick and one of their young core players (Jeff Green or Russell Westbrook) as part of the deal. ESPN.com reported that the Clippers would be open to trading the pick if they can secure SG Ricky Rubio in the process. ESPN also reported that a number of general managers “insist” that the Clippers want to move PG Baron Davis and his large contract. In a conference call with season-ticket holders, Warriors general manager Larry Riley said PG Monta Ellis can’t run a team yet, and Golden State is looking for someone who can pass, the Contra Costa Times reported. Riley also said that G Jamal Crawford isn’t a good fit for the team, so expect him to be among the players shopped this summer. Heat G Dwyane Wade said any fears about him leaving the franchise in 2010 are misplaced—as long as the team shows a commitment to winning. “I’ve said this since Day 1 and I will continue to say it, this is where I want to be,” Wade told the South Florida SunSentinel. “My main thing, and I will continue to say it, would be winning. I want to get to the point where I know that every year we’re going to be competitive and we’re going to win.”

CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7), all times ET

EASTERN CONFERENCE Cleveland vs. Orlando (Series tied 1-1) May 20: Orlando 107, Cleveland 106 May 22: Cleveland 96, Orlando 95 Today: Cleveland at Orlando, 8:30 p.m., TNT Tuesday: Cleveland at Orlando, 8:30 p.m., TNT Thursday: Orlando at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., if necessary Saturday, May 30: Cleveland at Orlando, 8:30 p.m., if necessary Monday, June 1: Orlando at Cleveland, 8:30 p.m., if necessary

WESTERN CONFERENCE L.A. Lakers vs. Denver (Lakers lead series 2-1) May 19: L.A. Lakers 105, Denver 103 May 21: Denver 106, L.A. Lakers 103 Saturday: L.A. Lakers 103, Denver 97 Monday: L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 p.m., ESPN Wednesday: Denver at L.A. Lakers, 9 p.m., ESPN Friday,: L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 p.m., if necessary Sunday, May 31: Denver at L.A. Lakers, 8:30 p.m., if necessary

NBA calendar June 4—NBA finals start date (possible move-up to June 2). June 15—NBA draft early entry entrant withdrawal deadline (5 p.m. ET). June 18—NBA finals latest possible end date. June 25—NBA draft.

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INSIDE DISH

Out since his opening day start, Dodgers P Hiroki Kuroda (oblique) had an encouraging rehab outing Friday. In 3 2/3 innings, he struck out three and allowed one hit and no earned runs. Kuroda will make another rehab start Wednesday, and manager Joe Torre told the Los Angeles Times that he could rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation in early June. There also is good medical news to report for the crosstown Angels. According to the Los Angeles Times, OF Vladimir Guerrero (chest) could wrap up his rehab assignment this afternoon and be back in L.A.’s lineup Monday. And P Kelvim Escobar (shoulder) allowed only one hit and no earned runs in 4

told the team’s website that Soria will miss another 10-14 days as he works his way back from a strained rotator cuff. Soria threw 25 pitches off the mound before Saturday’s game and reported no problems, but Hillman said he will be cautious with his closer because he wants him to return at 100 percent. Meanwhile, The Kansas City Star reported 3B Alex Gordon took some light swings this week for the first time since his hip surgery on April 17. The Royals should get an idea about a timetable for his return this week. According to a report on WEEI.com, the Red Sox “immediately shot down” the Nationals’ recent trade offer of 1B Nick Johnson for P Manny Delcarmen. CHARLES KRUPA / AP

SS Jose Reyes, one of several Mets sidelined with injuries, is battling tendinitis in his calf. 2/3 innings in his first rehab start Friday. He struck out four, and his fastball was clocked between 91-95 mph. According to the St. Petersburg Times, P Scott Kazmir, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a quad injury Friday, is expected to be out longer than two weeks. In fact, the newspaper speculated he might be out for months. The team blamed the quad injury for a change in his mechanics, which led to Kazmir’s struggles (7.69 ERA) this season. Yes, that was Andruw Jones making his first career start at 1B for the Rangers on Friday. And according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he should be there again this afternoon.

14

THE LAUNCHING PAD

Injuries continue to mount for shorthanded Mets The Mets’ offense has already been hampered by injuries. Now, their bullpen is feeling the pain. Closer Francisco Rodriguez was struck by a violent series of back spasms before their game against Boston, and setup man J.J. Putz has battled neck stiffness all week. “I’ve never experienced some pain like the way that I have right now,” Rodriguez said after the game. “The pain is strong, even to walk.” 1B Carlos Delgado (hip), SS Jose Reyes (calf), OF Ryan Church (hamstring) are also struggling with injuries. In addition, a sore knee likely will continue to limit OF Carlos Beltran to DH duty. Although a second MRI exam on Reyes’ calf again revealed only tendinitis, Reyes said the injury feels worse now than ever. Meanwhile, general manager Omar Minaya told the newspaper that P Oliver Perez (knee) is expected to make a minor league rehab start next week.

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

Manager Ron Washington told the newspaper that he likes Jones’ presence in the lineup behind OF Josh Hamilton, but Jones’ newfound versatility also likely is linked to the ongoing offensive struggles of 1B Chris Davis. In other Rangers news, mlb.com reported 3B Michael Young showed up to the ballpark on crutches Saturday after injuring his right foot/ankle in Friday’s game. Despite the injury, Young lobbied to start Saturday. Finally, slumping 2B Ian Kinsler was given the day off Saturday, with Omar Vizquel taking his place. The fading Royals desperately need some relief, but they won’t be getting any from P Joakim Soria in the near future. Manager Trey Hillman

More bad news for the struggling Indians. On Saturday, they placed Ps Anthony Reyes (elbow) and Aaron Laffey (oblique) on the 15-day disabled list. As a result, the team called up P Jeremy Sowers to take Reyes’ place in the rotation and P Rich Rundles to replace Laffey in the bullpen. After yet another poor start, the Marlins decided they had seen enough. The Miami Herald reported the Marlins optioned P Ricky Nolasco to Class AAA following his start Friday. In that game, Nolasco allowed eight earned runs on eight hits (two homers), raising his ERA to a season-high 9.07. Marlins C John Baker told the newspaper that Nolasco had spent countless hours in the video room trying to spot a flaw in his delivery, and manager Fredi Gonzalez said Nolasco hadn’t reported any physical problems.

What to expect in the major leagues today

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP

Cards P Joel Pineiro is looking to string together consecutive solid starts.

Escape from L.A. The battle for Los Angeles bragging rights will resume next month during the second leg of interleague play, but the Angels and Dodgers will wrap up their weekend series at Dodger Stadium this afternoon. Dodgers ace Chad Billingsley, who has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his nine starts, will try to become the N.L’s first seven-game winner. He could use a bit of support from outfielder Andre Ethier, who has hit the skids after a tremendous April. Luckily for the Dodgers, outfielder Juan Pierre has picked up the slack.

Hit the highway That’s what both the Royals and Cardinals—separated by a couple hundred miles on Interstate 70—will do following this afternoon’s game. Kansas City will go home to face first-place Detroit, while St. Louis will head to Milwaukee for a first-place battle of its own. First, the Royals will have to find a way to solve Cardinals Joel Pineiro, who is coming off perhaps the best start of his career (a complete-game, three-hit shutout against the Cubs). However, the Royals’ outfielders Coco Crisp, David DeJesus and Jose Guillen have hit a combined .358 (19-for-53) with two homers and eight RBIs against Pineiro.

Yesterday and today Though he’ll undoubtedly enter the Hall of Fame with a Braves cap on his plaque someday, Atlanta skipper Bobby Cox managed the Blue Jays from 1982-85 (with a 355-292 record). That was sandwiched between his two stints with Atlanta (1978-81, 1990-present). Cox has spent this weekend managing against the Jays, and his team did the near-impossible Friday by finding a way to win a game started by Roy Halladay. Today, he’ll try to rally his offense to provide some run support for righthander Jair Jurrjens, who has only four wins despite a 1.96 ERA.

— Chris Bahr

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Fantasy Focus

LEAGUE LEADERS Batting Average

PItcher Rankings A.L.

David Price Rejoice, David Price owners—he’s back. And he is the biggest riser in this week’s pitcher rankings.

Risers ▲ SP Justin Verlander, Tigers. Verlander gets two starts this week (at Kansas City, at Baltimore) to improve his A.L.-leading strikeout total. ▲ SP David Price, Rays. Price will get two chances (at Cleveland, vs. Minnesota) to (hopefully) appease his patient fantasy owners. ▲ RP Santiago Casilla, A’s. With closer Brad Ziegler and setup man Andrew Bailey struggling, Casilla could start getting save chances.

Fallers ▼ SP Francisco Liriano, Twins. Given how poorly Liriano is pitching, having two starts this week (vs. Boston, at Tampa Bay) doesn’t help his value. ▼ SP Chris Young, Padres. Young has an 8.03 ERA on the road this season, and San Diego travels to Colorado for his next start. ▼ RP Juan Cruz, Royals. With Joakim Soria nearing a return and Cruz struggling, owners should look elsewhere for cheap saves. — Matt Lutovsky

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

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

Player VMartinez Bartlett MiCabrera AdJones AHill MYoung Morneau

Player Beltran CGuzman DWright Pence Ibanez Zimmerman Hudson

.379 .376 .370 .362 .348 .345 .343

A.L.

Team New York Washington New York Houston Philadelphia Washington Los Angeles

.364 .357 .353 .351 .350 .348 .343

Player CPena Bay Inge Morneau Teixeira Seven tied

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Detroit Minnesota New York

Player BRoberts AdJones Markakis Scutaro Morneau Bay Damon

Player Pujols Ibanez Zimmerman ASoriano Werth Braun Taveras

37 36 36 36 35 34 34

A.L.

Team St. Louis Philadelphia Washington Chicago Philadelphia Milwaukee Cincinnati

38 37 35 33 32 31 31

Player Crawford Figgins Ellsbury Abreu BUpton Bartlett Crisp

Player Longoria Bay CPena Markakis Morneau Three tied

Player Ibanez Fielder Pujols Cantu Hawpe Phillips Zimmerman

48 44 38 36 36 35

A.L.

Team Philadelphia Milwaukee St. Louis Florida Colorado Cincinnati Washington

42 40 38 35 34 34 34

Player Palmer Frasor Halladay Greinke Buehrle Slowey RRamirez

Player Longoria Callaspo Lind MYoung Four tied

Player Kotchman FSanchez Hudson FLopez HaRamirez Three tied

19 16 15 15 14

5-0 4-0 8-1 7-1 6-1 6-1 4-1

Player Crisp Andrus JBuck Crawford Cuddyer DeJesus 14 tied

A.L.

Team Atlanta Pittsburgh Los Angeles Arizona Florida

16 16 15 15 15 14

5 4 3 3 3 3 2

Team Washington San Diego Los Angeles Los Angeles San Francisco Arizona New York

5-0 4-0 4-0 6-1 5-1 4-1 4-1

1.000 1.000 1.000 .857 .833 .800 .800

Player Verlander Greinke Halladay Lester FHernandez Garza Beckett

Team Detroit Kansas City Toronto Boston Seattle Tampa Bay Boston

Player Peavy Lincecum JSantana JVazquez Haren Billingsley Two tied

77 73 63 58 56 53 51

Player Kemp Victorino Bourn Morgan JUpton Winn DWright

A.L.

Team Los Angeles Philadelphia Houston Pittsburgh Arizona San Francisco New York

4 4 3 3 3 3 3

Player Fuentes Papelbon Jenks FFrancisco Sherrill MaRivera Rodney

Team San Diego San Francisco New York Atlanta Arizona Los Angeles

79 76 75 73 63 63 53

N.L.

Team Los Angeles Boston Chicago Texas Baltimore New York Detroit

12 11 10 10 9 9 8.

Player FrRodriguez Bell Cordero Broxton Franklin Qualls Hoffman

East Toronto Boston New York Tampa Bay Baltimore

W 27 25 25 23 18

L 19 18 18 22 25

Pct .587 .581 .581 .511 .419

GB WCGB L10 — — 4-6 ½ — 4-6 ½ — 9-1 3½ 3 7-3 7½ 7 4-6

Str L-5 L-2 W-1 W-3 W-2

Home 16-6 16-6 14-8 11-10 11-11

Away 11-13 9-12 11-10 12-12 7-14

Central Detroit Kansas City Minnesota Chicago Cleveland

W 24 21 21 19 17

L 17 22 23 23 27

Pct .585 .488 .477 .452 .386

GB WCGB L10 — — 7-3 4 4 3-7 4½ 4½ 4-6 5½ 5½ 4-6 8½ 8½ 5-5

Str L-1 L-4 W-3 W-2 W-1

Home 15-6 14-10 16-9 12-9 7-11

Away 9-11 7-12 5-14 7-14 10-16

West Texas Los Angeles Seattle Oakland

W 25 22 20 15

L 17 20 24 25

Pct .595 .524 .455 .375

GB WCGB L10 — — 7-3 3 2½ 5-5 6 5½ 4-6 9 8½ 3-7

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

Home 14-6 12-8 11-12 8-12

Away 11-11 10-12 9-12 7-13

National League Standings East Philadelphia New York Atlanta Florida Washington

W 23 23 22 19 12

L 18 19 20 25 30

Pct GB WCGB L10 .561 — — 7-3 .548 ½ 2½ 5-5 .524 1½ 3½ 6-4 .432 5½ 7½ 2-8 .286 11½ 13½ 1-9

Str L-1 W-2 W-2 L-4 L-2

Home 8-12 12-8 10-12 8-14 6-16

Away 15-6 11-11 12-8 11-11 6-14

Central Milwaukee St. Louis Cincinnati Chicago Pittsburgh Houston

W 26 26 22 21 19 18

L 17 17 20 20 24 23

Pct .605 .605 .524 .512 .442 .439

GB WCGB L10 — — 7-3 — — 6-4 3½ 3½ 4-6 4 4 4-6 7 7 5-5 7 7 4-6

Str L-2 W-5 L-1 L-6 L-3 L-3

Home 12-7 17-8 9-12 12-7 11-9 9-14

Away 14-10 9-9 13-8 9-13 8-15 9-9

West W Los Angeles 30 San Diego 21 San Francisco 20 Arizona 19 Colorado 17 z-first game was a win

L 14 22 22 24 25

Pct GB WCGB L10 .682 — — 8-2 .488 8½ 5 8-2 .476 9 5½ 2-8 .442 10½ 7 6-4 .405 12 8½ 4-6

Str W-1 W-8 W-1 W-4 W-1

Home 18-4 16-6 13-8 9-15 7-10

Away 12-10 5-16 7-14 10-9 10-15

Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)

N.L.

Saves N.L.

Team Kansas City Texas Kansas City Tampa Bay Minnesota Kansas City

Player Martis Meredith Broxton Billingsley Cain TPena Pelfrey

1.000 1.000 .889 .875 .857 .857 .800

Triples A.L.

14 12 11 10

Strikeouts

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Kansas City Toronto Texas

Team Houston Cincinnati New York

N.L.

Team Los Angeles Toronto Toronto Kansas City Chicago Minnesota Boston

Doubles A.L.

Player Bourn Taveras JosReyes Five tied

26 19 18 15 14 13 11

Pitching (4 decisions) N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Boston Tampa Bay Baltimore Minnesota

17 16 14 12 12 12 12

N.L.

Team Tampa Bay Los Angeles Boston Los Angeles Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Kansas City

RBIs A.L.

Team Philadelphia San Diego St. Louis Cincinnati Washington Arizona Chicago

Stolen Bases N.L.

Team Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Toronto Minnesota Boston New York

Player Ibanez AdGonzalez Pujols Bruce Dunn Reynolds ASoriano

15 13 12 12 12 11

Runs A.L.

American League Standings

Home Runs

N.L.

Team Cleveland Tampa Bay Detroit Baltimore Toronto Texas Minnesota

15

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

12 12 11 11 11 11 11.

Interleague The Line Colorado (Hammel 0-3) at Detroit (Willis 1-0), 1:05 p.m. at Det -140, Col +130 Philadelphia (Hamels 2-2) at N.Y. Yankees (Sabathia 4-3), 1:05 p.m. at NYY -160, Phi +150 Cleveland (Cl.Lee 2-5) at Cincinnati (Cueto 4-2), 1:10 p.m. Cle -115, at Cin +105 Tampa Bay (J.Shields 3-4) at Florida (Jo.Johnson 3-1), 1:10 p.m. at Fla -105, TB -105 Baltimore (Bergesen 1-2) at Washington (Martis 5-0), 1:35 p.m. at Was -130, Bal +120 N.Y. Mets (Redding 0-0) at Boston (Wakefield 5-2), 1:35 p.m. at Bos -180, NYM +170 Toronto (Richmond 4-2) at Atlanta (Jurrjens 4-2), 1:35 p.m. at Atl -150, Tor +140 Pittsburgh (Karstens 1-2) at Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 6-1), 2:05 p.m. at ChW -170, Pit +160 Texas (McCarthy 3-2) at Houston (Hampton 2-3), 2:05 p.m. Tex -110, at Hou +100 Kansas City (Bannister 3-1) at St. Louis (Pineiro 5-3), 2:15 p.m. at StL -140, KC +130 Arizona (Garland 4-2) at Oakland (Outman 1-0), 4:05 p.m. at Oak -125, Ari +115 L.A. Angels (Palmer 5-0) at L.A. Dodgers (Billingsley 6-1), 4:10 p.m. at LAD -180, LAA +170 San Francisco (Zito 1-4) at Seattle (F.Hernandez 4-3), 4:10 p.m. at Sea -165, SF +155 Milwaukee (Bush 3-0) at Minnesota (S.Baker 1-5), 8:05 p.m. at Min -120, Mil +110 National League Chicago Cubs (Lilly 5-3) at San Diego (C.Young 3-2), 4:05 p.m.

The Line at SD -120, ChC +110

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

INTERLEAGUE N.Y. Yankees 5, Philadelphia 4

N.Y. Mets 3, Boston 2

A-Rod, Yankees score three off Lidge

Replay hands Santos key homer

NEW YORK—Alex Rodriguez is batting .204—and making his hits count. Rodriguez hit a tying homer off Brad Lidge in the ninth inning and Melky Cabrera capped the three-run rally with an RBI single, giving the New York Yankees a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. In 15 games since returning from hip surgery, Rodriguez has 10 hits. Seven are home runs, however, and the Yankees are 12-3 during that span. “Right now, I’m probably the happiest .200 hitter in baseball,” Rodriguez said. John Mayberry Jr. hit a three-run homer in his major-league debut and Raul Ibanez also connected, helping the Phillies build a 4-2 lead for new starter J.A. Happ. Lidge (0-2) came on in the ninth and immediately got in trouble. Johnny Damon drew a leadoff walk and stole second. After Mark Teixeira struck out, Rodriguez smacked a full-count pitch over the short porch in right. “We went fastball away after throwing six sliders in a row,” Lidge said. “It was pretty impressive that he was able to do what he did. We didn’t expect him to hit it.” Robinson Cano followed with a single, stole second and scored without a play on Cabrera’s single to right-center. It was the third game-ending hit of the year for Cabrera, who has won back his center-field job after losing it last season. “He’s doing great,” Cano said. “Last year he was really down, but he has worked hard to bring himself back.” Cabrera raised his arms as he rounded first and dashed with glee all the way

Yankees 5, Phillies 4 Philadelphia AB R Rollins ss 4 0 Utley 2b 4 0 Werth lf 4 0 Howard 1b 4 0 Ibanez dh 4 1 Victorino cf 4 1 Feliz 3b 1 1 Mayberry rf 3 1 Coste c 3 0 Totals 31 4

SO 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 5

Avg. .234 .299 .271 .252 .350 .261 .306 .667 .230

New York AB R H BI BB SO Jeter ss 4 1 1 1 0 2 Damon lf 3 1 0 0 1 1 Teixeira 1b 4 0 2 0 0 1 A.Rodriguez dh 4 1 1 2 0 0 Cano 2b 4 2 2 0 0 0 Me.Cabrera cf 3 0 1 1 0 1 Swisher rf 3 0 0 1 0 1 Cervelli c 2 0 0 0 0 0 a-Gardner ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 Berroa 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 R.Pena 3b 2 0 0 0 0 2 b-H.Matsui ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 Cash c 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 31 5 8 5 1 9

Avg. .277 .304 .263 .204 .314 .317 .226 .303 .244 .167 .254 .250 .063

Phil New York

FRANK FRANKLIN II / AP

Melky Cabrera was hoisted by Yankees teammates after hitting his third game-ending hit of the season. across the diamond as jubilant teammates chased him down to celebrate. The Yankees have won 10 of 11 and are making a habit of these walk-off victories. They had three straight against Minnesota last weekend, and capped this one the same way: pitcher A.J. Burnett pelted Cano and Cabrera with a pie in the face as they waited to do an onfield interview—even getting some whipped cream on a radio broadcaster. For Rodriguez, it was his sixth homer

in eight games and No. 560 of his career, three shy of Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson for 11th place. “We had the last punch,” Rodriguez said. “We’re at home and we feel very comfortable.” Lidge, who converted all 48 save chances in 2008—including the postseason—during his first year in Philadelphia, has blown three of 11 opportunities this season. — The Associated Press

H 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 6

BI 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 4

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2

010 030 000 — 010 001 003 —

4 6 0 5 8 0

One out when winning run scored. a-doubled for Cervelli in the 8th. b-struck out for R.Pena in the 8th. LOB: Philadelphia 2, New York 3. 2B: Mayberry (1), Cano (12), Gardner (4). HR: Ibanez (17), off Pettitte; Mayberry (1), off Pettitte; Jeter (7), off Happ; A.Rodriguez (7), off Lidge. RBIs: Ibanez (42), Mayberry 3 (3), Jeter (21), A.Rodriguez 2 (13), Me.Cabrera (19), Swisher (24). SB: Damon (4), Cano (2). S: Me.Cabrera. Runners left in scoring position: Philadelphia 1 (Coste); New York 1 (Jeter). DP: Philadelphia 1 (Feliz, Utley, Howard); New York 2 (R.Pena, Cano, Teixeira), (R.Pena, Cano, Teixeira). Philadelphia IP Happ 6 Durbin H, 2 1 Madson H, 8 1 LidgeL,0-2BS,3-11 1⁄3 New York IP Pettitte 7 Coke 1 2⁄3 Veras W, 3-1 1⁄3

H 4 0 1 3 H 5 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 2 2 0 4 75 2.60 0 0 0 1 12 4.50 0 0 0 3 22 3.05 3 3 1 1 24 9.16 R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 4 2 5 114 4.30 0 0 0 0 21 4.19 0 0 0 0 2 5.89

Umpires: Home, Lance Barksdale; First, Mike Estabrook; Second, Randy Marsh; Third, Mike Winters. T: 2:33. A: 46,889 (52,325).

BOSTON—Baseball’s oldest ballpark met the sport’s newest innovation, and the New York Mets came away with a comefrom-behind victory. Omir Santos’ long fly off the top of the Green Monster—initially ruled a double—became the game-winning homer after the first replay review in Fenway Park history on Saturday night, and the Mets rallied against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon for a 3-2 victory. “That’s what the replay is for,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “We could have easily gotten out of there without the two runs and could have had a loss.” The “lyric little bandbox” lauded by John Updike as “a compromise between Man’s Euclidean determinations and Nature’s beguiling irregularities” found a way to account for technology’s latest innovation with two outs in the ninth and Boston leading 2-1. Santos hit the first pitch from Papelbon high to left, where third base umpire Paul Nauert lost it in the lights. Nauert ruled it a double, holding the runners at second and third and briefly preserving Boston’s lead. But the umpires conferred and went into the tunnel for the TV replay, which showed that the ball bounced first off the ledge in front of the Monster Seats, then off the top of the 37-foot wall itself and back onto the field. — The Associated Press

Mets 3, Red Sox 2 New York AB Dan.Murphy 1b 4 Pagan rf 4 Beltran dh 4 Sheffield lf 3 D.Wright 3b 4 Reed cf 4 Santos c 4 R.Martinez ss 4 Castillo 2b 2 Totals 33

R 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 3

H 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 1 0 6

BI 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3

BB 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

SO 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 7

Avg. .248 .316 .364 .260 .353 .317 .270 .100 .274

Boston Ellsbury cf Pedroia 2b D.Ortiz dh Youkilis 1b Bay lf J.Drew rf Lowell 3b Varitek c N.Green ss Totals

R 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

H 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 6

BI 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2

BB 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

SO 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 2 0 7

Avg. .298 .327 .201 .388 .287 .250 .281 .248 .303

New York Boston

AB 4 4 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 32

100 000 002 — 200 000 000 —

3 6 0 2 6 1

E: Beckett (1). LOB: New York 5, Boston 5. HR: Santos (2), off Papelbon. RBIs: Sheffield (10), Santos 2 (15), Youkilis 2 (23). SB: R.Martinez (1), Ellsbury (18), Pedroia (5). Runners left in scoring position: New York 2 (Dan.Murphy, Castillo); Boston 1 (D.Ortiz). GIDP: N.Green. DP: New York 1 (Castillo, R.Martinez, Dan. Murphy). New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Pelfrey 7 6 2 2 1 6 111 4.31 Feliciano W, 1-1 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 2.65 Putz S, 2-3 1 0 0 0 1 0 15 3.75 Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Beckett 8 5 1 0 1 5 117 5.01 PapelbonL,0-1BS,1-12 1 1 2 2 1 2 15 1.80 Umpires: Home, Joe West; First, Ed Rapuano; Second, Chad Fairchild; Third, Paul Nauert. T: 2:49. A: 37,871 (37,373).

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Baseball

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17

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

INTERLEAGUE St. Louis 5, Kansas City 0

Texas 6, Houston 3

Lohse the latest Cards starter to shine

Cruz thrives again in cleanup role

ST. LOUIS—Tony La Russa is in his 32nd year as a manager. He can’t remember any of his pitching staffs being virtually untouchable this long. Kyle Lohse threw eight innings of four-hit ball and the St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Kansas City Royals 5-0 for the second straight game Saturday, giving the rotation its fifth straight dominant outing. Lohse (4-3) struck out six and walked none, shaking off three straight losses. Cardinals starters have allowed one run in 36 2/3 innings during a five-game winning streak in which St. Louis has outscored its opponents 18-2. Joel Pineiro turned in a complete game and Adam Wainwright went 8 2/3 innings in another start during this dazzling stretch. “This would probably be the best I’ve had a chance to watch,” La Russa said. “How do you explain it? Just enjoy it.” The streak is the franchise’s best since 1973 when St. Louis had three shutouts and allowed one run twice in the final five games. Before the run, the starters walked 23 while getting swept in a three-game series against the Brewers. “We’ll just try to keep it going,” Lohse said. “You don’t want to be the guy that messes up this string of starts we’ve got.” Nick Stavinoha drove in two runs in the first for the second straight day, providing a fast start for a club that had lost seven of nine before the pitching staff took over. Skip Schumaker added his third homer, all in a span of 30 at-bats, in the third. Miguel Olivo doubled twice, but no runner made it past second for the

KYLE ERICSON / AP

Kyle Lohse didn’t get a shot at a complete game after taking a pitch off his right elbow in the 8th. Royals, who have lost 11 of 14 to fall one game below .500 (21-22) for the first time since they were 2-3 on April 11. Kansas City has been shut out three times, all in the last 13 games, and has 10 hits the last two games. “When things go bad, they go bad in a hurry and usually in all areas,” manager Trey Hillman said. The Royals had only three runners in scoring position against Lohse, who retired the side in order four times. He looked impressive after struggling on short rest in a makeup game against the Brewers on Monday, allowing four runs

in four innings. Lohse was taken out after being struck on the right elbow by Ron Mahay in the eighth, loading the bases. Lohse, who stayed in to run, had been squaring to bunt and wasn’t happy, although after the game he said he didn’t think Mahay hit him on purpose. “There wasn’t really anywhere to go on that one,” Lohse said. “It was right at my chest. It would have been better if it hit me there instead of the arm.” La Russa overruled pitching coach Dave Duncan and trainer Barry Weinberg, who were in favor of letting Lohse start the ninth with the righthander at 98 pitches. “He got blasted,” La Russa said. “I said ‘Nothing to gain from it.’ He’s going to be all pumped up, and we had a long inning, and everything’s against it.” Lohse faced the Royals for the first time since 2006 and beat them for the first time since a 12-0 shutout for the Twins on July 7, 2004. Chris Perez allowed a hit in the ninth. Luke Hochevar (0-2) retired the first two batters he faced before running into trouble. Albert Pujols walked and stole his seventh base without a throw. Chris Duncan also walked before Stavinoha doubled just inside the third-base line. Stavinoha had a two-run single in the first inning of Friday’s 5-0 win and has five RBIs while making seven straight starts in place of injured right fielder Ryan Ludwick. Hochevar allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings in his third start of the season, and best by far. He totaled 5 1/3 innings his first two outings, allowing 10 earned runs. — The Associated Press

Cardinals 5, Royals 0 Kansas City AB R Crisp cf 4 0 DeJesus lf 4 0 Butler 1b 4 0 J.Guillen rf 3 0 Teahen 3b 4 0 Callaspo 2b 4 0 Olivo c 3 0 Aviles ss 3 0 Mahay p 0 0 Hochevar p 2 0 Bloomquist ss 1 0 Totals 32 0

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

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SO 0 1 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 8

Avg. .234 .242 .280 .291 .271 .315 .233 .183 --.000 .312

St. Louis Schumaker 2b-rf Rasmus cf Pujols 1b Duncan lf Stavinoha rf Br.Ryan 2b Y.Molina c Barden 3b Lohse p C.Perez p T.Greene ss Totals

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

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

BB 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5

SO 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Avg. .297 .232 .331 .258 .250 .241 .285 .276 .250 --.263

AB 5 5 2 3 3 1 3 3 2 0 2 29

R 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 5

Kansas City 000 000 000 — St. Louis 201 000 11x —

0 5 0 5 9 0

LOB: Kansas City 6, St. Louis 9. 2B: Olivo 2 (3), Stavinoha (1), Br.Ryan (4). HR: Schumaker (3), off Hochevar. RBIs: Schumaker (13), Rasmus (17), Stavinoha 2 (5), T.Greene (4). SB: Pujols (7), Y.Molina (2). S: Y.Molina, Lohse, T.Greene. Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 4 (Aviles, Hochevar, Teahen, Callaspo); St. Louis 5 (Y.Molina, T.Greene, Duncan, Rasmus 2). Kansas City Hochevar L, 0-2 Mahay St. Louis Lohse W, 4-3 C.Perez

IP 6 1⁄3 1 2⁄3 IP 8 1

H 7 2 H 4 1

R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 4 2 1 92 10.80 1 1 3 0 45 3.45 R ER BB SO NP ERA 0 0 0 6 98 3.98 0 0 0 2 16 2.77

Inherited runners-scored: Mahay 1-1. IBB: off Mahay (Pujols). HBP: by Mahay (Lohse), by Lohse (J.Guillen). Umpires: Home, Chris Guccione; First, Todd Tichenor; Second, Jerry Layne; Third, Tony Randazzo. T: 2:34. A: 43,829 (43,975).

HOUSTON—Nelson Cruz made a strong argument Saturday for regular time in the cleanup spot of the Texas Rangers’ lineup. Cruz homered twice and Hank Blalock also connected to lead the Rangers to a 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros. Cruz, who lifted Texas to a 6-5 victory over the Astros with a 10th-inning homer Friday night, batted fourth for only the second time this season. He finished with four RBIs. “I like to just be in the lineup,” said Cruz, who has batted sixth 20 times and fifth in 11 games this year. “It doesn’t matter to me where I hit. “I found out (about the cleanup spot) when I got here today. I didn’t get excited. Being in the lineup is the thing. That’s the main difference, knowing you’ll be there regardless of what you do.” Cruz is batting .314 (22-for70) over his last 18 starts, and manager Ron Washington said he could see more time in the fourth spot. “If he can lay off bad breaking balls, there’s no reason he can’t hit there,” Washington said. “He has been hitting pretty well lately.” Scott Feldman pitched a season-high 6 2/3 innings and Blalock finished with three hits for the Rangers, who won their second straight in this season’s Lone Star series. C.J. Wilson picked up his third save. — The Associated Press

Rangers 6, Astros 3 Texas AB R Vizquel 2b 5 1 Dav.Murphy lf 4 0 Hamilton cf 4 1 N.Cruz rf 4 2 Blalock 3b 4 1 C.Davis 1b 4 0 Saltalamacchia c 4 0 Andrus ss 4 1 Feldman p 2 0 O’Day p 0 0 Guardado p 0 0 c-Byrd ph 1 0 C.Wilson p 0 0 Totals 36 6

SO 0 2 0 1 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 9

Avg. .372 .232 .237 .285 .250 .203 .252 .290 .000 ----.289 ---

Houston AB R H BI BB SO Bourn cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 Tejada ss 4 1 2 1 0 0 Berkman 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ca.Lee lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 Pence rf 3 1 2 0 1 0 Blum 3b 4 1 1 2 0 0 I.Rodriguez c 4 0 0 0 0 2 K.Matsui 2b 3 0 0 0 1 1 Moehler p 1 0 0 0 0 0 Byrdak p 0 0 0 0 0 0 a-Maysonet ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 W.Wright p 0 0 0 0 0 0 b-Erstad ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 Fulchino p 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 3 6 3 3 6

Avg. .291 .329 .232 .325 .351 .264 .262 .229 .000 --.000 --.156 ---

Texas Houston

H 2 1 1 2 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 11

BI 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

000 312 000 — 100 000 200 —

6 11 1 3 6 1

a-grounded out for Byrdak in the 6th. b-walked for W.Wright in the 7th. c-grounded out for Guardado in the 9th. E: Feldman (1), Ca.Lee (1). LOB: Texas 4, Houston 5. 2B: Dav.Murphy (5), Hamilton (2), Blalock (9). HR: N.Cruz 2 (11), off Moehler 2; Blalock (11), off Moehler; Tejada (5), off Feldman; Blum (1), off Feldman. RBIs: N.Cruz 4 (30), Blalock (25), Tejada (25), Blum 2 (15). CS: Pence (3). S: Feldman. Runners left in scoring position: Texas 3 (Saltalamacchia, Hamilton, Vizquel); Houston 1 (Bourn). Texas Feldman W, 3-0 O’Day H, 3 Guardado H, 3 C.Wilson S, 3-4 Houston Moehler L, 1-3 Byrdak W.Wright Fulchino

IP 6 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 1 IP 5 1 1 2

H 5 0 0 1 H 9 0 0 2

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 3 2 5 107 4.04 0 0 1 1 8 1.29 0 0 0 0 14 5.59 0 0 0 0 9 3.50 R ER BB SO NP ERA 6 6 0 4 68 8.31 0 0 0 1 12 3.00 0 0 0 2 16 7.24 0 0 0 2 22 4.60

Moehler pitched to 2 batters in the 6th. Inherited runners-scored: O’Day 1-0. Umpires: Home, Brian O’Nora; First, Fieldin Culbreth; Second, Gary Cederstrom; Third, Jim Wolf. T: 2:48. A: 36,019 (40,976).

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18

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

INTERLEAGUE Atlanta 4, Toronto 3

Tampa Bay 10, Florida 3

Lowe makes his own breaks, wins sixth game

Group effort gets Rays above .500

ATLANTA—Derek Lowe put Atlanta in position to win with his arm and his bat. Rafael Soriano stepped in when it looked as if Lowe’s effort wouldn’t be enough. Lowe pitched into the eighth inning and drove in the go-ahead run with one of his two hits, leading the Braves to a 4-3 victory over the slumping Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night. Lowe (6-2) allowed two runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings to move into a tie for the N.L. lead in wins. He has allowed two runs or less in seven of his 10 starts. Lyle Overbay’s RBI single off Mike Gonzalez cut Atlanta’s lead to 4-3 in the ninth. Rod Barajas then walked to load the bases but Soriano struck out pinchhitter Kevin Millar and retired Marco Scutaro on a flyball to left to earn his fourth save. “Soriano came in and did an unbelievable job,” Lowe said. “I think that’s the benefit of having two guys who are comfortable closing. Clearly Gonzalez is our closer. But when the situation come about it’s very comforting to everybody to see a guy come in like that. Because you see now he’s very comfortable in that role.” Gonzalez earned his seventh save in Friday night’s 1-0 win over Toronto but left the tying run on third base. Kelly Johnson hit a seventh-inning homer off B.J. Ryan as the Braves (22-20) moved two games over .500 for the first time since April 15, when they were 5-3. The Braves have won 11 of 16 and are 5-3 on their nine-game homestand. They began the stretch at Turner Field with the worst home record in the majors. “We needed to starting playing better at home, I think that’s the most important thing,” Lowe said. “It starts with starting pitching. You’ve got to be able to keep your team

Braves 4, Blue Jays 3 Toronto AB R H BI Scutaro ss 5 0 1 2 A.Hill 2b 3 0 1 0 Rios rf 4 0 0 0 V.Wells cf 4 0 0 0 Lind lf 4 1 2 0 Rolen 3b 3 0 1 0 Overbay 1b 2 1 1 1 Barajas c 3 1 1 0 Janssen p 1 0 0 0 a-Inglett ph 1 0 0 0 B.J.Ryan p 0 0 0 0 Wolfe p 0 0 0 0 b-Millar ph 1 0 0 0 Totals 31 3 7 3

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .271 1 0 .348 0 1 .260 0 0 .257 0 0 .302 1 0 .311 2 0 .264 1 1 .302 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 --0 1 .289 5 3

Atlanta K.Johnson 2b Kotchman 1b G.Anderson lf McCann c Prado 3b Francoeur rf D.Hernandez ss Schafer cf D.Lowe p Moylan p M.Gonzalez p R.Soriano p Totals

BB SO Avg. 0 0 .238 0 0 .290 0 1 .253 0 0 .282 0 0 .268 0 0 .265 1 1 .000 0 0 .209 0 0 .235 0 0 .000 0 0 --0 0 --1 2

Toronto Atlanta

GREGORY SMITH / AP

Braves P Derek Lowe allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings and drove in the game-winning run. in the game. I think that’s what we’ve been able to do.” The A.L. East-leading Blue Jays have lost five straight, all on the road. It’s their longest streak since losing seven straight from June 14-21, 2008. “We haven’t shown up so far in this series,” manager Cito Gaston said. “These guys have got to start swinging their bats like they did before this road trip. ... You have long streaks like this.

You just have to keep going.” Toronto right-hander Casey Janssen (0-1) gave up three runs and eight hits over six innings in his first start since 2006 and his first appearance since 2007. Janssen missed last season recovering from a torn labrum. “I could have made some better pitches,” Janssen said. “I’m back. That was my goal.” —The Associated Press

AB 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 0 0 0 34

R H BI 2 2 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 11 4

002 000 001 — 3 7 0 002 100 10x — 4 11 0

a-grounded out for Janssen in the 7th. b-struck out for Wolfe in the 9th. LOB: Toronto 7, Atlanta 7. 2B: Scutaro (11), Lind (15), Rolen (13), Kotchman (16), Francoeur (5). HR: K.Johnson (4), off B.J.Ryan. RBIs: Scutaro 2 (22), Overbay (21), K.Johnson (12), Kotchman 2 (21), D.Lowe (1). S: Janssen. Runners left in scoring position: Toronto 4 (Rios, Barajas, Scutaro 2); Atlanta 3 (McCann, K.Johnson, Schafer). DP: Toronto 1 (Rolen, A.Hill, Overbay); Atlanta 2 (D.Hernandez, Kotchman), (D.Hernandez, K.Johnson, Kotchman). Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Janssen L, 0-1 6 8 3 3 1 0 78 4.50 B.J.Ryan 1 1 1 1 0 1 17 7.45 Wolfe 1 2 0 0 0 1 16 1.80 Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA D.Lowe W, 6-2 7 1⁄3 5 2 2 2 2 97 3.45 Moylan H, 7 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 10 5.28 M.Gonzalez H, 2 1⁄3 2 1 1 2 0 24 3.79 R.Soriano S, 4-5 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 7 1.45 Inherited runners-scored: R.Soriano 3-0. Umpires: Home, Gerry Davis; First, Brian Gorman; Second, C.B. Bucknor; Third, Mike Everitt. T: 2:31. A: 27,377 (49,743).

MIAMI—An imprint in the pattern of baseball stitches was visible on Evan Longoria’s upper left arm, a souvenir from an inside pitch he failed to avoid in the ninth inning. The Tampa Bay Rays’ latest win eased the pain. Longoria hit a tiebreaking single in eighth to pad his major league-leading RBI total Saturday, and the Rays beat the hapless Florida Marlins 10-3. Tampa Bay improved to 23-22 with its third consecutive win. The reigning A.L. champions are above .500 for the first time since April 13. “That’s how we played all last year,” Longoria said. “The belief is back. In tight games we believe firmly we can win those games now. As long as we keep believing that, we’re going to be pretty good.” Longoria came out of the game in the bottom of the ninth to ice his arm but said he was fine. “It hit me right in the meat,” he said. “That’s a good spot.” While Longoria collected his 48th RBI, Jason Bartlett had three RBIs and two hits to hike his average to .376 and Jeff Niemann allowed one run in six innings. “Everybody is going to leave tonight feeling like they had a part in it, which is really a wonderful thing,” manager Joe Maddon said. “I like our fight.” —The Associated Press

Rays 10, Marlins 3 Tampa Bay AB B.Upton cf 4 Crawford lf 5 Longoria 3b 5 1-Brignac pr-2b 0 W.Aybar 1b 3 Howell p 0 Balfour p 0 c-Gross ph 1 Wheeler p 0 d-Sonnanstine ph 1 Isringhausen p 0 Bartlett ss 5 Zobrist 2b-rf 5 Kapler rf 2 a-C.Pena ph-1b 1 M.Hernandez c 4 Niemann p 2 Iwamura 2b-3b 1 Totals 39 Florida Bonifacio 3b Hermida rf Ha.Ramirez ss Cantu 1b Uggla 2b C.Ross cf R.Paulino c Coghlan lf West p Badenhop p Meyer p b-Gload ph Nunez p Lindstrom p Penn p e-Helms ph Totals

AB 5 5 4 4 4 3 4 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 33

R 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 10

H 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 0 0 13

BI 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 9

BB 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 9

SO 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 8

Avg. .196 .319 .331 .500 .282 ----.271 --.250 --.376 .292 .190 .244 .297 .000 .298

R 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

H 1 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7

BI 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3

BB 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

SO 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9

Avg. .261 .260 .323 .272 .208 .240 .232 .143 .000 .000 .000 .255 ------.216

Tampa Bay 000 110 116 — 10 13 0 Florida 000 100 200 — 3 7 3 a-walked for Kapler in the 7th. b-singled for Meyer in the 7th. c-struckoutforBalfourinthe8th.d-struckoutforWheelerinthe 9th. e-was hit by a pitch for Penn in the 9th. 1-ran for Longoria in the 9th. E: Uggla (5), Lindstrom (1), Cantu (4). LOB: Tampa Bay 15, Florida 8. 2B: B.Upton (8), Longoria (19), Bartlett (11), Zobrist (8). HR: Uggla (8), off Niemann. RBIs: B.Upton (8), Longoria (48), W.Aybar (10), Bartlett 3 (29), Zobrist (23), M.Hernandez 2 (10), Hermida (17), Uggla (30), Gload (6). SB: Crawford (26), Bartlett (13), Bonifacio (9), Ha.Ramirez (8). S: B.Upton, Niemann, West. SF: Bartlett. Runners left in scoring position:Tampa Bay 10 (Bartlett 2, Niemann 2, Zobrist 2, B.Upton, M.Hernandez 2, C.Pena); Florida 6 (Cantu, Hermida 4, Ha.Ramirez). Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Niemann 6 4 1 1 1 5 90 4.53 Howell BS, 3-4 2⁄3 2 2 2 2 1 29 3.00 Balfour W, 2-0 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 5.03 Wheeler H, 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 5.06 Isringhausen 1 1 0 0 0 1 24 0.00 Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA West 5 4 2 2 4 5 91 3.60 Badenhop 1 2⁄3 3 1 1 1 0 33 5.75 Meyer 1⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 13 2.95 Nunez L, 2-2 1 1 1 1 1 1 21 3.38 Lindstrom 1⁄3 3 4 4 1 1 17 6.75 Penn 2⁄3 2 2 2 1 1 25 6.97 Inherited runners-scored: Balfour 2-0, Meyer 2-0, Penn 1-1. IBB: off Badenhop (Zobrist). HBP: by Isringhausen (Helms), by Penn (Longoria). Balk: Lindstrom. Umpires: Home, Mark Carlson; First, Tim Tschida; Second, Bob Davidson; Third, Jeff Nelson.

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Baseball

19

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

INTERLEAGUE Minnesota 6, Milwaukee 2

Colorado 4, Detroit 3

Swarzak, with some help, turns in solid debut

Rockies survive fluky play

MINNEAPOLIS—Anthony Swarzak found a fine way to make a major league debut: Throw to Joe Mauer, then watch him build you a lead between innings. Mauer had three hits, a homer and two RBIs to help Swarzak win his first start, pushing the Minnesota Twins past the Brewers 6-2 on Saturday and ensuring Milwaukee’s first series loss in five weeks. “He came up here and showed he belongs,” said Mauer, who helped keep the 23-year-old Swarzak calm by calling for the right pitches in the right places and checking on the rookie’s composure with a couple of well-timed jogs to the mound. Swarzak sprinkled five singles over seven shutout innings, walking two and striking out three. He had runners on with one out or less in five different innings, but used an effective sinker to escape without damage and consistently threw first-pitch strikes. “That’s the Twins’ motto for sure. I’ve heard it for many years,” Swarzak said. With more than a dozen friends and family members up from Florida to watch, Swarzak couldn’t have imagined a better night. He gave teammates high fives for routine catches and spoke afterward what an “honor” it was to have Mauer as his catcher. “That’s pretty special to step into the big leagues with that performance in a jam-packed stadium,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. The Brewers had won eight of their last 10 series, splitting two, while surging to the top of the N.L. Central following a 4-9 start. This is their first two-game losing streak since the first two days of May. With thousands of Wisconsinites filling out the crowd of 40,547, a chant of “Let’s Go Brewers!” began when Ryan

DETROIT—The Colorado Rockies had several chances to lose Saturday night’s game. That only made it more enjoyable for Clint Hurdle when they didn’t. “That was definitely a gutty win,” the Rockies manager said after his team ended the Detroit Tigers’ seven-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory. “We had to deal with a lot of adversity in this one.” Hurdle was especially happy that a flukey play in the sixth didn’t cost his team more than an insurance run. With the Rockies having just taken a 4-3 lead on Todd Helton’s homer, Garrett Atkins hit what appeared to be a two-out RBI single to center. As Chris Iannetta rounded third, Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson misplayed the ball in an attempt to get off a rushed throw to the plate. Iannetta, however, strained his right hamstring and could only limp back to third as Granderson retrieved the ball. “That’s one of the craziest plays I’ve ever seen,” Hurdle said. “The kid hits a routine RBI single and we’ve got a runner already around third with the ball laying five feet behind the center fielder, and we don’t get the run.” Fortunately, four runs were enough for Jason Marquis and the Colorado bullpen.Marquis (6-3) allowed three runs on six hits and a walk in 7 2/3 innings. —The Associated Press

Twins 6, Brewers 2 Milwaukee AB Counsell ss 5 McGehee 2b 3 Braun lf 4 Fielder 1b 3 M.Cameron cf 4 Gamel dh 4 Hall 3b 4 Gerut rf 3 Kendall c 4 Totals 34

R 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2

H 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 1 8

BI 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

BB 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3

SO 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 5

Avg. .317 .308 .336 .270 .287 .308 .230 .222 .222

Minnesota Span lf Mauer c Morneau 1b Cuddyer rf Crede 3b Buscher dh B.Harris ss Gomez cf Tolbert 2b Totals

R 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 6

H 1 3 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 10

BI 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 5

BB 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3

SO 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1

Avg. .302 .429 .343 .292 .228 .208 .265 .222 .196

AB 4 3 2 3 4 4 4 3 4 31

Milwaukee 000 000 011 — Minnesota 003 110 10x —

2 8 1 6 10 0

E: Braun (1). LOB: Milwaukee 8, Minnesota 6. 2B: Kendall (5). 3B: Gomez (2). HR: Crede (7), off Looper; Mauer (9), off Looper. RBIs: Fielder (40), Kendall (15), Mauer 2 (28), Morneau (36), Crede 2 (20). SF: Morneau. Runners left in scoring position: Milwaukee 3 (M.Cameron, Gamel, Counsell); Minnesota 4 (Cuddyer, Crede, Tolbert, Buscher). DP: Milwaukee 2 (Hall, McGehee, Fielder), (Hall, McGehee, Fielder); Minnesota 1 (B.Harris, Tolbert, Morneau). Milwaukee Looper L, 4-3 Swindle Julio Minnesota Swarzak W, 1-0 Guerrier Mijares

IP 6 1⁄3 1 2⁄3 IP 7 1 1

H 9 1 0 H 5 2 1

R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 4 1 1 90 4.47 1 1 1 0 8 13.50 0 0 1 0 21 6.06 R ER BB SO NP ERA 0 0 2 3 98 0.00 1 1 0 1 20 4.03 1 1 1 1 23 2.57

Inherited runners-scored: Julio 2-1. HBP: by Looper (Morneau). Umpires: Home, Charlie Reliford; First, Adrian Johnson; Second, Dan Iassogna; Third, Sam Holbrook. T: 2:34. A: 40,547 (46,632).

JIM MONE / AP

Twins starter Anthony Swarzak got the shaving-cream treatment after his scoreless, seven-inning debut. Braun’s first-inning pop-up fell in for a one-out single to put runners on first and second with Prince Fielder at the plate. Twins fans started to boo, and Swarzak gave them the noise advantage

back. “I threw that strike in there, and they went crazy,” he said. “That was a good feeling. I will never forget that.” —The Associated Press

Rockies 4, Tigers 3 Colorado AB Fowler cf 3 Tulowitzki ss 3 Helton 1b 4 Hawpe rf 4 Iannetta c 3 1-Torrealba pr-c 1 S.Smith lf 3 Spilborghs lf 0 Atkins dh 4 Stewart 3b 4 Barmes 2b 3 Totals 32

SO 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 5

Avg. .262 .239 .340 .326 .231 .250 .266 .273 .188 .188 .243

Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Granderson cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 Polanco 2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 Thomas rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 Mi.Cabrera 1b 3 1 1 1 1 1 Ordonez dh 3 1 1 0 1 2 2-J.Anderson pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 Inge 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 Raburn lf 3 1 1 0 0 0 a-Larish ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 Laird c 4 0 3 1 0 1 Everett ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 32 3 6 2 3 7

Avg. .246 .264 .267 .370 .257 .276 .271 .229 .239 .245 .301

Colorado Detroit

R 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

H 2 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 7

BI 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2

111 001 000 — 010 020 000 —

4 7 1 3 6 0

a-walked for Raburn in the 9th. 1-ran for Iannetta in the 6th. 2-ran for Ordonez in the 9th. E: Iannetta (1). LOB: Colorado 5, Detroit 5. 2B: Iannetta (5), Laird (5). 3B: Fowler (2). HR: Iannetta (8), off Galarraga; Helton (6), off Galarraga; Mi.Cabrera (9), off Marquis. RBIs: Tulowitzki (14), Helton 2 (29), Iannetta (18), Mi.Cabrera (33), Laird (11). SB: Ordonez (1), J.Anderson (9), Raburn (1). S: Fowler. SF: Tulowitzki. Runners left in scoring position: Colorado 3 (Hawpe, Stewart, Helton); Detroit 2 (Everett, Laird). DP: Colorado 1 (Tulowitzki, Helton). Colorado Marquis W, 6-3 R.Flores H, 1 Street S, 6-6 Detroit Galarraga L, 3-4 N.Robertson Lyon

IP 7 2⁄3 1⁄3 1 IP 5 1⁄3 2 1 2⁄3

H 6 0 0 H 6 1 0

R ER BB SO NP ERA 3 2 1 4 103 4.45 0 0 0 1 5 0.00 0 0 2 2 19 3.63 R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 4 1 2 79 5.74 0 0 1 1 25 5.25 0 0 0 2 27 6.27

Inherited runners-scored: N.Robertson 1-0. Umpires: Home, Wally Bell; First, Marty Foster; Second, D.J. Reyburn; Third, John Hirschbeck. T: 2:33. A: 37,035 (41,255).

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20

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

INTERLEAGUE Cleveland 7, Cincinnati 6

Cabrera helps spoil Votto’s big night CINCINNATI—Joey Votto returned from a week in doctors’ rooms and homered in his first two at-bats. A pair of young starters took turns melting down. After nearly four hours of back-and-forth, a very strange game was decided on a routine groundball. Asdrubal Cabrera drove in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning on Saturday night, overshadowing Votto’s remarkable return from a week of medical tests—homers in his first two atbats—and rallying the Cleveland Indians to a 7-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. “Yeah, that happens in this game,” Cabrera said, referring to the irony of how it ended. Cabrera’s run-scoring groundout—his third RBI of the game—completed a rally that started against David Weathers (0-1). Cabrera, who has been Cleveland’s leadoff hitter for the past week in place of the slumping Grady Sizemore, also had a two-run single. Luis Vizcaino (1-1) got the win, and Kerry Wood pitched the ninth for his seventh save in nine chances. For the second day in a row, Cleveland’s bullpen was called into the game early. This time, it came through without allowing a run in seven innings. “I think it’s starting to come together,” manager Eric Wedge said of his bullpen, which has been a work in progress. “We’ve got to make sure the starters and the bullpen work together. That’s what has to happen next.” Cleveland snapped its five-game losing streak at Great American Ball Park and evened the weekend intrastate series at one game apiece. Mark DeRosa homered and drove in four runs for the Indians, who overcame

TOM UHLMAN / AP

Cleveland’s Luis Valbuena slides safely into home for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Votto’s impressive return to the lineup. An inner-ear infection left Votto dizzy during a West Coast trip and led to three days of medical tests to reach the diagnosis. After a week of waiting, Votto needed only two at-bats to make the Indians feel a little dazed. Votto hit a full-count pitch into the stands in left-center field in the first inning off rookie David Huff, rounded the bases and was congratulated by disbelieving teammates. Catcher Ramon Hernandez had a wide-eyed look as he bumped fists with Votto in the dugout. Votto’s night would get better.

On his first swing in his next at-bat, Votto hit a three-run shot deep into the seats in right field. Huff did a doubletake, looking back at the stands to see how far up it landed. The 35,821 fans demanded a curtain call from Votto for the third multihomer game of his career. “That’s him,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s got that short stroke. That was a great comeback game for Joey.” Hernandez also had a two-run homer off Huff, a 24-year-old pitcher who has been pounded in his first two big league starts. — The Associated Press

Chicago White Sox 4, Pittsburgh 0

Indians 7, Reds 6 Cleveland AB A.Cabrera ss 3 Sizemore cf 4 V.Martinez c 5 Choo rf 3 DeRosa 1b 4 LaPorta lf 4 Valbuena 2b 5 J.Carroll 3b 2 D.Huff p 0 a-Dellucci ph 1 Aquino p 0 b-B.Francisco ph 1 Vizcaino p 0 d-Garko ph 0 R.Betancourt p 0 K.Wood p 0 Totals 32

R 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

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

BI 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

BB 2 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 9

SO 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 5

Avg. .320 .215 .379 .303 .260 .211 .182 .333 --.256 --.248 --.240 -----

Cincinnati AB Taveras cf 4 Hairston Jr. 3b-ss 5 Votto 1b 4 Phillips 2b 4 e-Hanigan ph-c 1 Gomes lf 4 Weathers p 0 A.Rosales 3b-2b 1 Bruce rf 4 R.Hernandez c-3b 4 Ale.Gonzalez ss 3 Herrera p 0 c-Dickerson ph-lf 0 H.Bailey p 2 Burton p 0 Janish ss 2 Rhodes p 0 Lincoln p 0 Totals 38

R 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

H 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11

BI 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

BB 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5

SO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4

Avg. .279 .254 .371 .275 .327 .400 --.261 .235 .279 .206 .000 .237 .000 --.289 --.000

Cleveland 040 020 010 — 7 8 1 Cincinnati 150 000 000 — 6 11 2 a-struck out for D.Huff in the 4th. b-struck out for Aquino in the 6th. c-was intentionally walked for Herrera in the 7th. d-walked forVizcaino in the 8th. e-flied out for Phillips in the 8th. E: DeRosa (6),HairstonJr.(3),R.Hernandez(3).LOB:Cleveland9,Cincinnati 10. 2B: Choo (9), Valbuena (4). HR: DeRosa (7), off H.Bailey; Votto 2 (7), off D.Huff 2; R.Hernandez (2), off D.Huff. RBIs: A.Cabrera3(25),DeRosa4(30),Votto4(31),R.Hernandez2(16). SB: LaPorta (2), Taveras (12), Gomes (1). CS: A.Cabrera (1). S: J.Carroll, D.Huff. Runners left in scoring position: Cleveland 6 (Dellucci, LaPorta 2, A.Cabrera, Sizemore,Valbuena); Cincinnati 4 (Ale.Gonzalez 2, Phillips, Janish). DP: Cleveland 1 (A.Cabrera, Valbuena, DeRosa); Cincinnati 1 (Hairston Jr., Phillips,Votto). Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA D.Huff 3 7 6 6 1 3 63 17.55 Aquino 2 2 0 0 1 0 37 0.00 Vizcaino W, 1-1 2 0 0 0 3 1 36 1.35 R.Betancourt H, 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 19 4.37 K.Wood S, 7-9 1 1 0 0 0 0 15 7.20 Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA H.Bailey 4 1⁄3 3 6 6 6 3 95 12.46 Burton 1 1⁄3 2 0 0 0 1 19 5.49 Herrera 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 26 2.12 Weathers L, 0-1 1⁄3 1 1 1 1 0 11 3.07 Rhodes 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 0.60 Lincoln 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 12 9.19 Inherited runners-scored: Burton 3-2, Herrera 1-0, Rhodes 2-1, Lincoln 1-0. IBB: offVizcaino (Votto, Dickerson), off Aquino (R.Hernandez), off Herrera (DeRosa). Umpires: Home, Rob Drake; First, Mark Wegner; Second, Tim Timmons; Third, Jeff Kellogg.

Richard leads another shutout CHICAGO—A strange feeling hit Clayton Richard like a fastball as the Jake Peavy saga unfolded, so he did the only thing he could do. He focused, locked in. Richard struck out a careerhigh eight over six innings, Alexei Ramirez homered in his second straight game and the Chicago White Sox shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates again, 4-0 on Saturday. “It was something I had never been a part of, so it was a little bit different,” said Richard, who reportedly would have gone to San Diego had Peavy not blocked the trade Thursday. “It just made me appreciate what I have here.” Richard insisted the thought never crossed his mind: Would his next appearance be with the White Sox or the Padres? “I try to keep that out of my mind,” he said. The Pirates would have loved to keep him out of sight. Richard (1-0) allowed four hits for his first victory since last August, and the White Sox won for the fourth time in five games. They haven’t allowed a run since that franchise record-tying 20-1 loss to Minnesota on Thursday. While manager Ozzie Guillen tended to his ailing fatherin-law in Venezuela, the White Sox turned in a performance he would have liked. — The Associated Press

White Sox 4, Pirates 0 Pittsburgh AB R Morgan lf 3 0 F.Sanchez 2b 4 0 McLouth cf 4 0 Monroe dh 3 0 Ad.LaRoche 1b 4 0 Delw.Young rf 3 0 An.LaRoche 3b 3 0 Jaramillo c 3 0 a-Moss ph 1 0 Ja.Wilson ss 3 0 Totals 31 0

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

BI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

BB 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4

SO 2 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 1 1 13

Avg. .280 .294 .270 .245 .222 .333 .288 .262 .267 .250

Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Podsednik cf-lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 Al.Ramirez ss 4 1 1 2 0 0 Dye rf 4 2 1 1 0 1 Thome dh 3 0 0 0 1 1 Konerko 1b 4 0 1 1 0 1 Quentin lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 Bri.Anderson cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pierzynski c 3 0 1 0 0 0 Fields 3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 Getz 2b 3 1 1 0 0 1 Totals 30 4 6 4 2 4

Avg. .269 .224 .266 .248 .311 .222 .273 .270 .214 .243

Pittsburgh 000 000 000 — Chicago 000 120 01x —

0 5 1 4 6 0

a-struck out for Jaramillo in the 9th. E: Ja.Wilson (5). LOB: Pittsburgh 8, Chicago 4. 2B: F.Sanchez (16), Pierzynski (4). HR: Al.Ramirez (3), off Ohlendorf; Dye (11), off Ohlendorf. RBIs: Al.Ramirez 2 (17), Dye (26), Konerko (28). SB: An.LaRoche (2). CS: Fields (3). Runners left in scoring position: Pittsburgh 4 (Jaramillo, Delw.Young, Morgan, Moss); Chicago 1 (Al.Ramirez). DP: Pittsburgh 1 (Jaramillo, Jaramillo, Ja.Wilson); Chicago 1 (Fields, Getz, Konerko). Pittsburgh Ohlendorf L, 5-4 Meek Chicago Richard W, 1-0 Dotel H, 7 Thornton H, 8 Linebrink

IP 7 2⁄3 1⁄3 IP 6 2⁄3 1 1⁄3 1

H 6 0 H 4 0 0 1

R ER BB SO NP ERA 4 3 2 4 114 4.20 0 0 0 0 2 3.00 R ER BB SO NP ERA 0 0 3 8 107 3.55 0 0 1 0 22 0.63 0 0 0 3 13 2.12 0 0 0 2 18 1.69

Inherited runners-scored: Meek 1-0, Thornton 1-0. Umpires: Home, Gary Darling; First, Bruce Dreckman; Second, Paul Emmel; Third, Angel Campos. T: 2:34. A: 32,389 (40,615).

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21

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

INTERLEAGUE Arizona 8, Oakland 7, 11 innings

Baltimore 2, Washington 1

Diamondbacks steal thunder from Giambi

Three hits enough for O’s

OAKLAND—Jason Giambi couldn’t thoroughly appreciate his latest accomplishment, not with the way his Oakland Athletics are playing these days. On the night Giambi hit his 400th career home run and should have been celebrating, he was left to ponder another one-run defeat. Stephen Drew singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks won their season-high fourth straight game, beating the A’s 8-7 on Saturday night. “Right now it really doesn’t mean that much,” Giambi said. “Individual accomplishments are nice, but I’d rather have some wins and get the team on track. We’ve got to stop giving away games. We’ve got to get on the same page. ... Hopefully we can turn it around before we bury ourselves.” Giambi became the 44th player in major league history to reach 400 homers. Jack Cust, Adam Kennedy and Nomar Garciaparra also connected as the A’s pounded former ace Dan Haren, but still couldn’t pull out the win. Mark Reynolds added a two-run double in the 11th off Santiago Casilla, Oakland’s seventh pitcher, and Tony Pena (4-1) pitched the 10th for the victory. Arizona rallied against Craig Breslow (0-1) and improved to 6-2 during its three-city road trip that winds up today. “Come-from-behind victories are always fun. This road trip we’ve gotten our swagger back and our determination that we’re never out of it,” D-backs manager A.J. Hinch said. Chad Qualls finished for his 11th save in 12 chances, but not before giving up Kennedy’s run-scoring double followed by Ryan Sweeney’s infield RBI single. Jack Hannahan then grounded into a

Diamondbacks 8, Athletics 7, 11 innings Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg. F.Lopez 2b 3 0 2 0 0 0 .323 1-R.Roberts pr-2b 3 0 1 0 0 1 .364 G.Parra lf 6 2 1 0 0 0 .300 J.Upton rf 5 2 3 0 1 1 .315 S.Drew ss 4 2 3 2 1 1 .203 Reynolds 3b 6 1 2 2 0 3 .270 Montero c 4 0 1 0 1 0 .219 Byrnes dh 5 1 1 2 1 2 .208 Tracy 1b 5 0 1 2 0 1 .189 C.Young cf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .171 Totals 46 8 15 8 4 11 Oakland AB O.Cabrera ss 5 K.Suzuki c 5 Cust rf 3 R.Davis cf 0 a-T.Buck ph-rf 2 Holliday lf 5 Giambi dh 5 Garciaparra 1b 5 Kennedy 2b 4 R.Sweeney cf-rf-cf 5 Hannahan 3b 5 Totals 44 Arizona Oakland

BEN MARGOT / AP

Arizona’s Stephen Drew, top right, is congratulated by teammates Justin Upton (10) and Miguel Montero after scoring against Oakland in the 11th inning. Drew earlier drove in the go-ahead run. game-ending double play with the tying run on third. “It’s not any secret what you want to do in the situation,” Qualls said. “You take a look and you realize you can’t let the guy score. You think ‘How will I get out of this?’ I took a deep breath and went to the sinker.” Giambi connected for the milestone drive leading off the fourth inning, hitting a 3-2 off-speed pitch into the rightfield bleachers and watching the ball as it sailed out. Haren’s four homers were a career high and doubled his previous season total. The 38-year-old Giambi received a warm ovation from the crowd of 21,295 and then came back out of the dugout for

a curtain call at the Coliseum. The solo shot put the A’s up 3-1, then Kennedy homered two batters later. Garciaparra’s sixth-inning solo shot made it 5-1. That instant offense helped stake Edgar Gonzalez to a nice cushion in his Oakland debut while facing his former club, but the bullpen couldn’t hold a four-run lead. Gonzalez made 35 starts for Arizona from 2003-2008, then signed a minor league deal with the A’s in February. He had seven starts for Triple-A Sacramento before his callup Tuesday. “I hoped to fight for the win, especially because it was the Diamondbacks,” Gonzalez said. —The Associated Press

R 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 7

H 0 2 2 0 0 1 2 2 3 1 1 14

BI 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 7

BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

SO 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 10

Avg. .241 .300 .262 .167 .216 .268 .218 .250 .400 .248 .167

100 000 040 03 —8 15 0 200 201 000 02 —7 14 0

a-flied out for R.Davis in the 8th. 1-ran for F.Lopez in the 5th. LOB: Arizona 11, Oakland 5. 2B: F.Lopez (15), J.Upton (9), Reynolds (6), Tracy (8), K.Suzuki (13), Kennedy (4), Hannahan (4). HR: Cust (7), off Haren; Giambi (4), off Haren; Kennedy (2), off Haren; Garciaparra (2), off Haren. RBIs: S.Drew 2 (11), Reynolds 2 (25), Byrnes 2 (16), Tracy 2 (13), Cust 2 (25), Giambi (19), Garciaparra (8), Kennedy 2 (9), R.Sweeney (13). SB: Holliday (2). CS: Kennedy (1). SF: S.Drew. Runners left in scoring position: Arizona 7 (Reynolds 2, Byrnes 2, Tracy 2, R.Roberts); Oakland 3 (Garciaparra, K.Suzuki, Hannahan). DP: Arizona 2 (Reynolds, F.Lopez, Tracy), (S.Drew, R.Roberts, Tracy); Oakland 1 (O.Cabrera, Garciaparra). Arizona Haren J.Gutierrez T.Pena W, 4-1 Qualls S, 11-12 Oakland E.Gonzalez Wuertz H, 3 Ziegler Springer A.Bailey BS, 2-3 Breslow L, 1-3 S.Casilla

IP 7 2 1 1 IP 5 1 1 0 2 1 2⁄3 1⁄3

H 9 0 1 4 H 4 0 0 3 3 2 3

R ER BB SO NP ERA 5 5 0 7 108 2.57 0 0 1 1 23 3.28 0 0 0 2 15 1.27 2 2 0 0 18 3.32 R ER BB SO NP ERA 1 1 2 4 88 1.80 0 0 1 1 28 1.99 0 0 0 0 12 3.93 3 3 0 0 12 5.19 1 1 0 4 33 2.20 1 1 0 2 32 5.94 2 2 1 0 15 3.50

E.Gonzalez pitched to 2 batters in the 6th. Springer pitched to 3 batters in the 8th. Inherited runners-scored: Wuertz 2-0, A.Bailey 3-3, S.Casilla 1-1. IBB: off S.Casilla (Montero). HBP: by E.Gonzalez (Montero). Umpires: Home, Dale Scott; First, Scott Barry; Second, Jerry Meals; Third, James Hoye.

WASHINGTON—The Baltimore Orioles bucked the odds and made the most of three hits in another victory over the Washington Nationals. Aubrey Huff drove in the tiebreaking run with a pinch-hit triple in the seventh inning, and Baltimore capitalized on another poor performance by the Nationals bullpen in a 2-1 win Saturday night. With the score 1-all, Huff stepped to the plate against lefthander Ron Villone with a runner on first and two outs in the seventh. Huff didn’t start because he was mired in a 1-for18 slump and was batting .157 against lefties this season. Throw in the fact that Baltimore pinch hitters were 1 for 18 this season, and the chances of Huff getting the winning hit seemed remote. “I’ve been struggling the last four or five games,” Huff acknowledged. “To be able to get that hit against a lefthander was a little bit more satisfying because I haven’t hit well against them this year.” Although the Orioles are in the A.L. East cellar and Washington owns the worst record in the majors, the Nationals drew their second-largest crowd of the season (31,833) for this interleague matchup of teams located 40 miles apart on the BaltimoreWashington Parkway. The Orioles will seek to complete a three-game sweep today. — The Associated Press

Orioles 2, Nationals 1 Baltimore AB R B.Roberts 2b 3 0 Ad.Jones cf 4 0 Markakis rf 4 0 Mora 3b 3 0 Wigginton 1b 4 0 Reimold lf 4 0 Zaun c 3 1 C.Izturis ss 3 1 Uehara p 0 0 Bass p 1 0 a-A.Huff ph 1 0 Albers p 0 0 Ji.Johnson p 0 0 Sherrill p 0 0 Totals 30 2

H 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3

BI 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2

BB 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4

SO 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4

Avg. .291 .362 .314 .257 .221 .278 .210 .230 --.000 .261 .000 -----

Washington C.Guzman ss N.Johnson 1b Zimmerman 3b Dunn lf Kearns rf W.Harris 2b J.Bard c Maxwell cf Detwiler p Tavarez p Villone p b-Willingham ph Bergmann p Hanrahan p Totals

H 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

BI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

BB 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

SO 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 9

Avg. .357 .338 .348 .278 .212 .263 .171 .176 .000 .000 --.213 .000 ---

AB 4 2 3 4 4 3 4 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 31

R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Baltimore 001 000 100 — Washington 000 010 000 —

2 3 0 1 7 1

a-tripled for Bass in the 7th. b-grounded out for Villone in the 7th. E: Zimmerman (6). LOB: Baltimore 5, Washington 7. 2B: Zaun (8), N.Johnson (7). 3B: A.Huff (1). HR: C.Guzman (2), off Bass. RBIs: Markakis (36), A.Huff (35), C.Guzman (11). S: W.Harris. Runners left in scoring position: Baltimore 3 (Mora 2, B.Roberts); Washington 5 (Maxwell, Kearns 3, Dunn). GIDP: Kearns, J.Bard. DP: Baltimore 2 (B.Roberts, C.Izturis, Wigginton), (B.Roberts, C.Izturis, Wigginton); Washington 1 (W.Harris, N.Johnson). Baltimore Uehara Bass W, 3-1 Albers H, 1 Ji.Johnson H, 7 Sherrill S, 9-11 Washington Detwiler Tavarez L, 1-4 Villone Bergmann Hanrahan

IP 3 3 1 1 1 IP 6 2/3 1/3 1 1

H 3 3 0 1 0 H 1 1 1 0 0

R ER BB SO 0 0 2 3 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 R ER BB SO 1 1 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NP ERA 56 4.09 33 4.45 9 6.17 16 3.80 14 2.89 NP ERA 96 2.45 9 6.00 6 0.00 10 2.57 7 6.20

Inherited runners-scored: Villone 1-1. Umpires: Home, Tim Welke; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Angel Hernandez; Third, Bill Welke. T: 2:31. A: 31,833 (41,888).

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NFL

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

22

Q&A with ... Bills DE Aaron Schobel

Schobel has everything ‘feeling right so far’ When healthy, Aaron Schobel is one of the game’s most productive pass-rushing ends. Last season, he battled a Lisfranc foot injury that required surgery and caused him to miss 11 games. Back at 100 percent, Schobel talked to Sporting News Today’s Vinnie Iyer about Buffalo’s notable newcomers, the art of rushing the passer and his relatives in the NFL.

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What is the atmosphere in practice like with Terrell Owens? It’s no different at all. All I’ve seen is, he comes in and works hard like the rest of us. Last year, I came in excited by the young talent we had. This year, he’s just another guy who can help make us better.

In the past decade, you’re right up there with Jason Taylor, who’s coming back to your division, in producing sacks. What does it take to be a consistently good pass rusher in the NFL? Jason has been doing it well for a long time, and it takes hard work. You study how to use an offensive tackle’s long arms to your advantage. You watch where he’s weak in his game for you to exploit. From what you see on film, it shows where you should attack. You try to do everything you can to get to the passer because you know your team is depending on you to come through.

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The Bills drafted Penn State’s Aaron Maybin in the first round to help you on the pass rush. What are your first impressions? He’s obviously fast. He looks like he can eventually become a pretty darn good player.

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How are you feeling?

I’m doing pretty well. Everything’s feeling right so far. Physically, you just have to put in the work to come back in shape. Mentally, it’s a bit tougher because you’ve now got to come back from eight months off.

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Your brother Matt is a tight end with the Eagles. Your cousin Bo, a defensive end, also has played in the NFL. What was it like in the Schobels’ younger football days? We were a pretty normal football family growing up. Like with every group of guys, we did some stupid stuff, but we all learned from it.

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Brothers Doug and Ryan Stewart are revolutionizing

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What sports do you like outside of football? I don’t watch all the games, but I like baseball. My team is the Houston Astros. I also have gotten addicted to playing golf, and I’m getting a lot better at it.

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The Bills played a regularseason game in Toronto last season and will play another game there this year. What do you think about playing in Toronto? I like playing at home. It (a game in Toronto) has more of a feel of an away game because we have to pack up and go. I’ve been there only in the preseason; I missed last year’s game. I mean they have a nice locker room and stadium. It’s just different, but in the end, we’re just playing football and I’m ready to do that wherever.

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DAVID DUPREY / AP

Coming off a foot injury that cost him 11 games last year, Aaron Schobel is working his way back.

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NFL

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

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League reportedly investigates Haynesworth tampering charge the Jets’ Kris Jenkins and Buffalo’s Marcus Stroud. The Raiders rushed for 116 yards against New England, 153 against the Jets and 98 at Buffalo. “Obviously, if I hadn’t played well against them, I don’t think I’d be here,” Grove told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “There’s not a bad team in this division, especially right up the center where those nose tackles are. They’re Pro Bowl guys who have made a lot of money in this league. I got to bring my ‘A’ game, too. I am ready to go.” Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Grove “displays outstanding firststep quickness and the ability to play at the second level very, very well.”

The NFL is formally investigating a charge by the Titans that the Redskins tampered with DT Albert Haynesworth before the start of free agency, according to a Yahoo! Sports report. The Titans believe Washington interfered with their opportunity to re-sign Haynesworth before the free-agency period opened Feb. 27. The Yahoo report said the NFL has interviewed at least two people associated with the situation after the Titans complained to the league in April that Washington contacted Haynesworth and agent Chad Speck before the start of free agency. Haynesworth signed a sevenyear, $100 million contract with the Redskins, which includes $41 million guaranteed, in the opening hours of free agency. If the investigation proves the Redskins contacted Haynesworth early, the team could lose a draft pick. The Bears intend to take advantage of QB Jay Cutler’s ability to get outside the pocket to make plays. Cutler moves around very well for a 6-3, 233-pounder and was sacked only 11 times while throwing 616 passes last season. “We will have some designed movement plays,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said via chicagobears.com. “We’re moving the pocket with him, and then he has the ability to create things on his own when it’s not there—if the coverage isn’t what we wanted or if there’s a protection breakdown. That’s something the receivers will

ALEX BRANDON / AP

The NFL could take away a draft pick if Washington improperly contacted Albert Haynesworth. have to get used to and something we’ll work on definitely more than what we’ve done.” Chiefs coach Todd Haley is encouraged by the offseason performance of RB Larry Johnson, who slumped to eight rushing touchdowns over the past two years after totaling 37 in 2005 and ’06. “He made some runs in the last practice I thought were pretty special,” Haley said during the team’s workouts last week. “I was very

encouraged by a couple of those. Those flashed at me and the coaches to where you say, ‘That was pretty good.’ If Larry continues to work and stay on point and do the things asked of him, he’ll definitely have a chance to help us.” The Dolphins expect new C Jake Grove to improve the running game. In his final season with the Raiders, Grove played well against the big inside players in the AFC East: New England’s Vince Wilfork,

QB Drew Brees likes what he sees of the Saints’ defense under new coordinator Gregg Williams. “I think his style of football is one that breeds confidence and almost borderline arrogance out there that ‘We’re going to come after you and get you,’ ” Brees told ESPN.com. “I love that attitude.” The attitude adjustment is Job 1 for Williams. Job 2 is getting the Saints to apply more pressure and thereby create more turnovers. Only seven teams had fewer takeaways than the Saints’ 22 last season. Williams likes to get pressure from his front four but doesn’t hesitate to blitz linebackers and defensive backs. “They’ve been flying around and you can see that there’s a big emphasis in turning the ball over, getting your hands on the ball …,” coach

Sean Payton told ESPN.com. “Anything that’s on the ground, they’re doing a good job of getting to the ball and I think that’s a big first step in playing good defense.” It’s unlikely the Cowboys will find a trade partner for OLB Greg Ellis, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. All indications are Dallas will cut Ellis if it can’t deal him, so it’s unlikely a team will give up a draft pick and assume his $4.15 million salary for 2009 when it can get him for nothing and at a muchreduced salary after he’s released. According to the Star-Telegram and ESPN.com, teams that could have interest in signing Ellis are the Patriots, Bengals, Eagles, Panthers, Redskins, Dolphins and Bucs. Bills coach Dick Jauron was impressed by WR Terrell Owens during the team’s first week of OTAs. “He looks like a guy that’s caught a lot of passes in our game and knows what he’s doing and knows how to do it,” Jauron said. “He clearly presents a very good target and knows how to play coverages, how to play defenders and he plays with a lot of confidence. He’ll do a lot of things for our offense.” The Raiders signed former Cowboy Keith Davis to add needed depth at safety. Davis has made 31 starts and played 84 games in his career, with 72 tackles and six passes defensed. Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, who was promoted from

linebackers coach after Steve Spaguolo left for St. Louis, is excited about his unit. “I have to feel we have a very sound defense, maybe one of the best in the league. Getting Osi (Umenyiora) back was a great thing and signing the guys we signed was more than I could have hoped for.” Jaguars CB Rashean Mathis said he has fully recovered from the knee injury that cost him the final four games last season. During non-contact drills without pads, Mathis showed no signs of being bothered by last season’s injury, The Florida Times-Union reported. “I’ve been out there running full speed,” Mathis said during OTAs last week. “All that is behind me. I don’t even think about it. I’m not wearing a knee brace or anything.” LT Max Starks, the Steelers’ franchise player, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he and the team are far apart in negotiations on a long-term contract. Starks is scheduled to make $8.4 million in 2009 as the franchise player. “It appears to be at a standstill,” Starks said. “I thought I was a priority before. Then, they did James Harrison’s deal when he had one year left. So apparently, I’m a lower man on the totem pole than I thought.” Former Chicago Cardinals OL David Glenn Lunceford has died after a lengthy illness. He was 75. Lunceford died Saturday in a nursing home in Texas, said a funeral home spokeswoman. He reportedly had Alzheimer’s.

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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; 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; D.J. Hackett, Carolina; Dante Hall, St. Louis; Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis; Ike Hilliard, Tampa Bay; Darrell Jackson, Denver; Nate Jackson, Denver; Matt Jones, Jacksonville; Joe Jurevicius, Cleveland; Ashley Lelie, Oakland; Brandon Lloyd, Chicago; Dane Looker, St. Louis; Marcus Maxwell, Baltimore; Anthony Mix, Tampa Bay; 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; Martrez Milner, NY Giants; Chad Mustard, Denver; 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; Charles Spencer, Jacksonville; Barry Stokes, New England; Mark Tauscher, Green Bay; Mark Wilson (R), Oakland. Guards—Lennie Friedman, Cleveland; Pete Kendall, Washington; Matt Lentz, Detroit; Terrence Metcalf, Chicago; Edwin Mulitalo, Detroit; Chris Naeole, Jacksonville; Grey Ruegamer, NY Giants; Kendall Simmons, Pittsburgh; Rob Sims (R), Seattle; Jason Whittle, Buffalo. Centers—Brennen Carvalho, Green Bay; Jean-Philippe Darche, Kansas City; Melvin Fowler, Buffalo; Matt Lehr, New Orleans; Andy McCollum, Detroit; Jeremy Newberry, San Diego; Scott Peters, Arizona; Cory Withrow, St. Louis.

DEFENSE Defensive ends—Kevin Carter, Tampa Bay; Earl Cochran, Houston; Sean Conover, NY Jets; Nick Eason, Pittsburgh; Kalimba Edwards, Oakland; Ebenezer Ekuban, Denver; John Engelberger, Denver; Simon Fraser, Atlanta; Roderick Green, San Francisco; Travis LaBoy, Arizona; Jayme Mitchell, Minnesota; Jerome McDougle, NY Giants; Julius Peppers (F), Carolina; Josh Savage, New Orleans; Anthony Weaver, Houston; James Wyche, Jacksonville. Defensive tackles—Kenderick Allen, Minnesota; Gary Gibson, Carolina; La’Roi Glover, St. Louis; Vonnie Holliday, Miami; Antwan Lake, New Orleans; Langston Moore, Detroit; Kindal Moorehead, Atlanta; Dewayne Robertson, Denver; Orpheus Roye, Pittsburgh; Hollis Thomas, New Orleans; Josh Thomas, Indianapolis; John Thornton, Cincinnati; Darwin Walker, Carolina; Ellis Wyms, Minnesota; Brian Young, New Orleans; Jeff Zgonina, Houston. Linebackers—Rufus Alexander, Indianapolis; Jason Babin, Kansas City; Rocky Boiman, Kansas City; Derrick Brooks, Tampa Bay; Khary Campbell, Washington; Anthony Cannon, Detroit; Dan Cody, Baltimore; Rosevelt Colvin, New England; Donte’ Curry, Carolina; Donnie Edwards, Kansas City; 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; 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; Oliver Celestin, Kansas City; Corey Chavous, St. Louis; 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; Marquand Manuel, Denver; Marlon McCree, Denver; Lawyer Milloy, Atlanta; Chad Nkang, Jacksonville; Jarrad Page (R), Kansas City; Pierson Prioleau, Jacksonville; Chris Reis (R), New Orleans; Dwight Smith, Detroit; Jimmy Williams, San Francisco; 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.

NFL

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

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Goal-oriented Johnson thinks he can be MVP NASHVILLE—Chris Johnson may be a little soft-spoken. He certainly isn’t bashful. The only rookie voted to the Pro Bowl last season, the Tennessee running back wasn’t happy when he lost the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award to Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. Johnson, who finished a distant second, called the voting bogus even though Ryan led an 11-5 team to the playoffs. Now Johnson is setting his sights a little higher for his second season: Lead the NFL in rushing. And, oh yeah, league MVP. “I want to be the best,” Johnson said. “I never set a goal to be like, ‘I’m going to set my goal this high so if I get close, it’ll still be good.’ I set my goal as high as I can set it, so I want to accomplish that. When I set my goal for offensive rookie of the year, I was upset. That’s why I said it was bogus. When I set a goal, I really want to accomplish it.” A running back hasn’t been named MVP since LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006, and only Shaun Alexander (2005) and Marshall Faulk (2000) have kept that award away from quarterbacks in the past decade. Steve McNair was the last player with Tennessee to be named MVP, and he shared that award with fellow quarterback Peyton Manning in 2003. Titans assistant coach Earnest Byner never talked about his personal goals when he played. But he said he has talked with Johnson often about what the running back wants to do. “I try to set the bar as high as he

MARK HUMPHREY / AP

Chris Johnson, above, finished second to Matt Ryan for top offensive rookie in ‘08.

Three for the show Rookies Steve Slaton, Matt Forte and Chris Johnson ranked 6-7-8 in the NFL in rushing yards last season and also were productive in the passing game. Here’s how their seasons compared: Slaton, Texans Forte, Bears Johnson, Titans

ATT. 268 316 251

YDS. AVG. 1,282 4.8 1,238 3.9 1,228 4.9

likes and try to push him to that,” Byner said. “With having those goals, it’s going to take a special

TD 9 8 9

REC. 50 63 43

YDS. AVG. 377 7.5 477 7.6 260 6.0

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effort. But it also takes a special man. It’s probably going to take some adjustments in some of the

things that he does for him to really get to that goal.” The Titans surprised most everybody by drafting Johnson with the 24th pick overall out of East Carolina in April 2008. He proved he could translate his 4.24 speed in the 40-yard dash into production. Johnson didn’t play in a meaningless regular-season finale, but he still finished third in the AFC and eighth in the NFL with 1,228 yards rushing on 251 carries while sharing the running load with LenDale White. Johnson scored 10 touchdowns rushing and finished second on the team with 43 catches. Only Houston’s Steve Slaton and Matt Forte of Chicago had more yards rushing among rookies, but both had more carries than Johnson. Slaton had 17 more carries but only 54 more yards. Johnson put his dazzling speed and moves on display with 21 plays of 15 yards or longer and 40 for 10 yards or longer. He had 168 yards rushing at Kansas City on Oct. 19, second only in franchise history by a rookie to Earl Campbell’s 199-yard game in 1978. Johnson isn’t alone in expecting more out of his second season. “Often times, a rookie year ends up being kind of a blur, and then you come back the second year and you have a much better feel for things,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “He is a very instinctive player, but we are looking for him to work on the little aspects of his game.” That involves providing better pass protection, especially on blitzes. —The Associated Press

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Kentucky star ineligible after failing drug test Kentucky DE Jeremy Jarmon was ruled ineligible for his senior season by the NCAA because of a failed drug test. He said at a news conference Saturday he had inadvertently taken a banned substance that turned up positive during a random NCAA test in February. An appeal was denied, in effect ending his college football career. Jarmon did not identify the substance and took no questions. Jarmon took the supplement while recovering from a shoulder injury and was not taking part in activities. He had been taking the supplement for 15 days before checking with the training staff, who told him to stop taking it. “But it was too late,” Jarmon said, reading from a prepared statement. Jarmon said his goal in the offseason was to become leaner. He bought a dietary supplement while shopping for vitamins on the recommendation of a worker at a nutrition store, not knowing that it contained a banned substance. “I do not need to cheat to be successful,” he said. Jarmon has the third-most sacks in Kentucky history. He was an honorable mention on last season’s AP All-SEC team. The NCAA recently sent an inquiry to Ole Miss detailing possible violations by Houston Nutt and several UM assistants

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

ED REINKE / AP

Jeremy Jarmon, right, said a dietary supplement triggered his positive test. of the NCAA rules that prohibit coaches of speaking publicly about prospects before they have signed letters of intent, according to The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger. Nutt’s comments were made in a story posted on the Internet site Rivals.com on Jan. 28, about a week before the national signing day for football prospects. The violation was considered minor and usually does not affect scholarships or practice time. “Rules are rules,” Nutt said. “The difficult thing is I didn’t think we were doing anything wrong. But the good thing is we won’t make the same mistake again.” Oregon QB Justin Roper has

been granted his release, according to Scout.com. Roper, who opened last season as the starter before an injury sidelined him, looked solid in spring drills. In the spring game, he went 22 of 34 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. The report did not indicate reasons for Roper’s departure or his future plans. He was, however, slotted to be Jeremiah Masoli’s backup. Many Kansas State donors are so disgusted over the secret agreement to funnel more than $3 million to fired coach Ron Prince they’re closing their checkbooks and vowing, “No more.” When Jon Wefald revealed the

shocking news to the state Board of Regents on Wednesday, the longtime Kansas State president actually teared up. As shamed and humiliated as the Wildcats were in the late 1970s when NCAA sleuths caught them hiding 30 football players who weren’t supposed to be on scholarship, this may be worse. Now they’re reeling over what appears to be a secret sweetheart agreement that former athletic director and longtime Wefald sidekick Bob Krause entered into with Prince. Discovered by accident this month by university lawyers, the agreement says the school must pay a limited liability company established by Prince $3.2 million starting in 2015. That would be in addition to the $1.2 million buyout he already received after being dismissed last November with a 17-20 record. It’ll be up to the courts to decide how much money, if any, is paid. But there’s no doubt incoming president Kirk Schulz and incoming athletic director John Currie have a gigantic problem staring them in the face. “K-Staters are very surprised and very sad,” Dan Lykins, a prominent Topeka attorney and Kansas State grad, told The Associated Press. “We’re in a mess.” Wefald, who retires next month after 23 years, says he didn’t know anything about the agreement until it was accidentally discovered.

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Former Kansas forward transfers Former Kansas F Quintrell Thomas is transferring to UNLV. “I just thought about how good we would be once I started playing,” Thomas told the Las Vegas Sun. “It’s one of the primary entertainment places in the country. We start winning, we could turn Vegas upside down.” Thomas won’t be eligible until the 2010-11 season, per NCAA rules. But he’ll be one of a handful of talented transfers suiting up for the Rebels that season, a list that includes Chace Stanback, Derrick Jasper and Tre’von Willis. Thomas, of Elizabeth, N.J., was a threestar prospect coming out of St. Patrick High when he chose Kansas over Maryland, Rutgers and UNLV. But the 6-8 Thomas averaged just 1.5 points and two rebounds in limited action. He likely would have found himself again buried in a Kansas rotation that included twins Marcus and Markieff Morris, and All-American candidate Cole Aldrich. PG Nick Calathes will forgo his junior season at Florida to play professionally in Greece, according to several reports. Citing sources, The Gainesville Sun reported that Calathes signed a threeyear deal with with reigning Euroleague Basketball champion Panathinaikos. The deal, with incentives, could pay Calathes up to $2 million per season. Calathes, who led Florida in scoring each of his two seasons, has an option to leave after the first year of the deal if he chooses to pursue a career in the NBA. A slip of the tongue? Asked by Yahoo! Sports his opinion of new Kentucky coach John Calipari, Wildcats star G Jodie Meeks said, “He seems like a great guy. I can’t wait to play for him.” After pausing, Meeks clarified with,

ORLIN WAGNER / AP

Quintrell Thomas, right, is heading for UNLV but isn’t eligible to play until the 2010-11 season. “If I come back.” Meeks, who averaged 23.7 points last year, has entered the draft but did not hire an agent, meaning he could withdraw his name and return to school. After 81 years, the famed raised wooden floor at Minnesota’s Williams Arena is being replaced. Gophers basketball games will be played this winter on a new surface for the first time since “The Barn” opened in 1928. The arena has been renovated, and the floor itself has been sanded, repainted and waxed numerous times. But this is the first time it has been torn up. The total cost of the project is $600,000. Wood will again be used for the surface but it will have a different look for the 2009-10 season. The floor will still be raised above the team’s benches.

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Drivers: 600 length shouldn’t change BY JARED TURNER SceneDaily.com

CONCORD, N.C.—Six hundred miles around any Sprint Cup Series track is a long trip. Well over four hours of racing, no matter the conditions or day of the week, is a long time. But that’s exactly what drivers will face in today’s 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The race, advertised at 600 miles and 400 laps, is the longest on the Cup schedule by a full 100 miles. Like a handful of others, it begins in the heat of the day and ends under cooler night-time temperatures. The event, like no other on the 36-race schedule, is a test of stamina and endurance and equipment. But in this age of short attention spans and slipping ticket sales and TV ratings for Cup races, are 600 miles still warranted? Tradition suggests so. So do a lot of drivers—even ones who subscribe to the popular premise that many races merit shorter distances than their present length. “To me there’s 500-mile races at certain tracks that are too long. Six hundred miles here, the thing I like about it that it stands out (is) it’s unique, and I think that was the whole purpose behind making it 600 miles,” said Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon, who notched his first Cup here 15 years ago this weekend. “Is it too long? Heck yeah, it’s too long.

Coca-Cola 600 At Lowe’s Motor Speedway When: Today, 5:45 p.m. ET TV: FOX, 5 p.m. ET Radio: PRN/Sirius XM Satellite Ch. 128 Track layout: 1.5-mile oval Race distance: 400 laps/600 miles 2008 winner: Kasey Kahne 2008 polesitter: Kyle Busch

Starting lineup

MIKE MCCARN / AP

Jeff Gordon wants the Coca-Cola 600 to stay as it is because of its place in history. “I mean, 600 miles is a long way, but would I like to see it change? I don’t think so. In history, it has just played such an important role in our sport.” From Bobby Allison to Dale Earnhardt to defending threetime Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, winners of this race match a who’s-who list of NASCAR’s all-time greats. Yet at the same time, the 600 also has had a proclivity over the years for producing first-time winners. The annual Memorial Day weekend classic is not only NASCAR’s longest races, but it’s also one of the most prestigious. For many, going to victory lane here takes a backseat only

to winning the Daytona 500 or the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. That Lowe’s Motor Speedway is practically in the backyard of the Charlotte-area race shops that most teams call home makes winning here all the more special. But would the race still rank as high if it were not 600 miles? “I believe it would lose a bit of its strength as one of the crown jewels (of NASCAR),” Penske Racing driver Kurt Busch said. “This is a very prestigious race because it is here in Charlotte and because there is 600 miles attached to it. … In my opinion, it’s the right length.” [email protected]

(Car number in parentheses) 1. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 188.475 2. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 188.258 3. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 188.193 4. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 188.166 5. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 187.820 6. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 187.493 7. (09) Mike Bliss, Dodge, 187.422 8. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 187.396 9. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 187.188 10. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 187.169 11. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 187.162 12. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 186.916 13. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 186.864 14. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 186.832 15. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 186.825 16. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 186.735 17. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 186.599 18. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 186.574 19. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 186.548 20. (96) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 186.477 21. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 186.368 22. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 186.233 23. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 186.220 24. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 186.181 25. (66) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 186.014 26. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 185.970 27. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 185.829 28. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 185.778 29. (71) David Gilliland, Chevrolet, 185.707 30. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 185.605 31. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 185.593 32. (13) Max Papis, Toyota, 185.433 33. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 185.319 34. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 185.172 35. (12) David Stremme, Dodge, 185.096 36. (07) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 184.704 37. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 184.590 38. (44) A J Allmendinger, Dodge, 184.338 39. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 183.949 40. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 183.281 41. (34) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, Owner Points 42. (43) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, Owner Points 43. (36) Scott Riggs, Toyota, 184.433. Failed to Qualify 44. (41) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 184.093 45. (73) Mike Garvey, Dodge, 182.457 46. (64) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 182.426 47. (06) David Starr, Dodge, 179.081

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

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Q&A with ... Cup driver Bobby Labonte

‘We could use a little bit of luck’ Ask.com went from nowhere to everywhere in NASCAR seemingly overnight. The company is on the hood of Bobby Labonte’s No. 96 car, has commercials in heavy rotation and is NASCAR’s official Internet search engine. Labonte talked with Sporting Bobby Labonte News Today’s Matt Crossman about Internet safety, being a sex symbol and racing for 600 miles.

Q:

You visited an elementary school promoting Ask.com’s Safe Search program, which teaches kids Internet safety. Why is that important to you? It is what we’re going through today in life, as far as the Internet and computers go. Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But the way things are today, as great as the Internet is, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong. Trying to teach kids the right thing at their age is huge. I have two kids at home, so I understand the right and wrong of it.

A:

Q:

I don’t want to get carried away, but you’re almost a sex symbol in some of those Ask.com ads. What’s that like? (Laughs.) I don’t know. It’s all good.

A: Q: A:

Looking forward to tonight’s Coca-Cola 600—how hard is it to concentrate for 600 miles? It’s a long race. The last 100 kind of get going pretty fast. It doesn’t

seem like it takes too-too long to get through with it. For some reason, at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, between mile makers 500 and 600, it goes faster than you think. Darlington the other night, felt like it was 650 miles.

Q:

There’s been a lot of talk about NASCAR drug policy in the last few weeks. Should NASCAR release what substance it thinks Jeremy Mayfield took? I think it’s up to them. I can’t say they should or shouldn’t. There’s things we probably should know more about, and there’s probably things we don’t need to know about. We definitely don’t need to know everything. NASCAR does a great job. They instituted this program last year. I think it’s a great way they’re doing it. It’s great for our sport. They could’ve brushed it under the carpet, but they didn’t.

A:

Q: A:

You’re a Yates satellite driver. What’s that team need to get back to the top? We could use a little bit of luck. It’s still relatively a new program. There’s some things we’ve done right his year, and there’s some things we haven’t done right this year. To get from point A to point Z, you could jump a letter here and there, but you’ve really got to go one step at a time to make sure you do it right. You want to go from A to Z as fast as you can, but it’s important that we learn as much as we can about each other getting there. We have to make sure we’re as consistent as possible. Make sure we get our cars handling the best we can. When we have a 15th-place car, make sure we finish 15th, not 30th. It’s usually not one big thing, it’s a lot of little things to make the difference.

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INSIDE DISH

After double-file restarts of lead-lap cars were used in last Saturday’s non-points-paying Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, discussion has resurfaced that NASCAR should use the procedure for all events going forward. Juan Pablo Montoya, though, doesn’t agree with some of his competitors that double-file restarts make the racing more exciting. In fact, the former Formula One driver and 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion doesn’t think they are fair. “I think if you’re racing for points it’s crazy. I think if you’re racing for money it’s OK, because nobody cares,” said Montoya, who is 14th in the series standings. “I think if you have a dominant car all day, it’s kind of frustrating to go double-side race starts. If you’re running first, the guy second just pins you down and you get really loose and you end up fourth or something like that.” — David Exum, SceneDaily.com Speedway Motorsports Inc. chairman Bruton Smith said Saturday that his relationship with former SMI president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler soured when Smith turned down Wheeler’s request for a $5-million exit bonus during meetings about Wheeler’s impending retirement. Smith maintained his treatment of Wheeler, widely regarded as racing’s quintessential impresario, was consistently generous. Wheeler asserted in a statement in response to Smith’s remarks that he earned everything he made through his association with SMI and Lowe’s Motor

27

Bliss stretches fuel, wins rain-shortened race

Darby doesn’t want to see changes to cars While team owners and drivers will meet next week to talk about issues in the sport, Sprint Cup Series director John Darby says that he would not like to make any changes to the rules of NASCAR’s new car. The car, in its second full year of competition, has been blamed for not-so-stellar racing at some venues and the drop in television ratings, but Darby said earlier this week that he liked what he has seen in the last few races. “We know in the last month, we’ve seen three-wide competition at racetracks that we have never, ever seen it at before,” Darby said. “…So, right now, the indications are that the cars are competitive.” — Bob Pockrass, SceneDaily.com

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

BY REID SPENCER [email protected]

MIKE MCCARN / AP

Juan Montoya does not favor double-file restarts for lead-lap cars. Speedway, where Wheeler served as track president. — Reid Spencer NASCAR announced a tweak to the rule of removing equipment from the pit box during the Nationwide Series prerace drivers meeting Saturday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. In the past, the penalty was a stop-and-go. Now the penalty will be the tail end of the longest line (if it occurs under caution). The change means that a lapped-down car, which might not receive that big of a penalty with a stop-and-go under caution if there are several cars more than a lap down, now will incur a slightly more severe penalty. Removing equipment from the pit box most often occurs when the catch can remains attached to the rear of the car when the driver speeds out of his pit. — Bob Pockrass Bristol Motor Speedway, which has sold out a record 54 consecutive Sprint Cup Series events, will be making an unusual move for the popular half-mile track by putting tickets for its August night race on sale beginning June 9. This year’s Sharpie 500 Cup event is scheduled for Aug. 22. Track president Jeff Byrd said the economic climate has forced corporate partners to limit their involvement with regard to ticket purchases. The track faced a similar situation earlier this year for the Food City 500. That race did sell out, keeping the track’s long-running streak intact. — SceneDaily.com

CONCORD, N.C.—Superior fuel mileage got Mike Bliss out front late in Saturday night’s Carquest Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Rain did the rest. Three laps after Bliss took the lead from runner-up Brendan Gaughan on Lap 167, NASCAR red-flagged the race because of rain and made Bliss’ win official by calling the event 30 laps short of its scheduled distance of 200 laps. Bliss’ only other win in the series also came at Charlotte, on Oct. 15, 2004. The second-place finish was a career-best for Gaughan. Where Kyle Busch charged to the front after changing an engine, Bliss used fuel mileage to compensate for his engine change. He and Gaughan were the only two drivers who remained on the track during a cycle of green-flag pit stops that started on Lap 144. “We stayed out as long as we could, and it paid off,” said Bliss, who gave team owner James Finch his second unlikely victory in a month. Brad Keselowski won the Sprint Cup event at Talladega in April driving a car owned by Finch and powered by a Hendrick Motorsports engine. “I knew we had a pretty good car in practice and kind of worked our way into the top 10. We stretched our fuel mileage quite a bit, and that’s why I’m here, I guess.” Asked whether he felt as if he had stolen the race, Bliss chuckled, “Yeah, I did—but from a guy who wins too much (Busch)—and nobody likes him.” Gaughan felt he had an eighth-to-12th-place car but wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “The only thing that could have been better for us was for (the rain) to come about three laps earlier, after we passed Mike Bliss,” said Gaughan, who got past Bliss in traffic on Lap 165 but surrendered the lead two laps later. The two best cars in the race, the Toyotas of Busch and Brian Vickers, finished third and fourth. Busch led a race-high 98 laps after streaking from the rear of the field to the front in the first 41 laps. Joey Logano was fifth, followed by Jason Leffler, David Ragan and Keselowski. Jeff Burton and polesitter Carl Edwards completed the top 10. — Reid Spencer writes for the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

CHUCK BURTON / AP

Mike Bliss’ two career Nationwide wins have come at Charlotte.

Carquest 300 results FINISH

START

CAR

DRIVER

MAKE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

40 15 38 5 8 22 2 34 9 1

1 62 18 32 20 38 6 88 29 60

Mike Bliss Brendan Gaughan Kyle Busch Brian Vickers Joey Logano Jason Leffler David Ragan Brad Keselowski Jeff Burton Carl Edwards

Chevrolet Chevrolet Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Ford Chevrolet Chevrolet Ford

MORE COVERAGE from sportingnews.com Results: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=552338 Standings: sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=552348

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IRL

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

28

INDIANAPOLIS 500 Today, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

NOTEBOOK

Castroneves seeks third Indy title, but first since ’02 INDIANAPOLIS—Helio Castroneves understands better than most how hard it is to win the Indianapolis 500. The charismatic Brazilian won as a rookie in 2001 and then backed it up with a victory the next year, becoming only the fifth driver in the history of Indianapolis Motor Speedway to win two in a row. Since then, six years have passed with no fence-climbing celebrations at Indy for “Spiderman.” “The first year was pretty tough,” Castroneves said. “The second year was even tougher. The third year, I had like a bullet. This car was incredible, supersonic. I finished second. So, I learned that you can’t let opportunities go by. You’ve got to go for it. That’s what we’re going to do this Sunday.” A win this year would be particularly significant for Castroneves. On Friday, federal prosecutors dropped the remaining tax evasion conspiracy charge against him and his sister, clearing Castroneves of all the charges that once threatened to derail his career. In just his third race since returning to the series, Castroneves will start from the pole today, with Penske Racing teammate Ryan Briscoe next to him in the middle of the front row. That 1-2 punch gives team owner Roger Penske a good shot at his 15th Indy win. “We’ve got a good chance this year with two cars on the front row,” said Penske, who last visited Victory Lane with Sam Hornish Jr. in 2006. “But, to win here,

The people’s favorite is IndyCar glamour girl Danica Patrick. Unlike past years, she hasn’t been very visible this month, never among the fastest drivers in practice and 10th on the grid after a disappointing qualifying effort. “I really think I’ve got a great shot,” she said. “I’ve got more experience, which I really think does pay off here.”

Dixon receives ring Scott Dixon, the Indy 500 and IndyCar series champion last year, received the winner’s ring Saturday. He’ll start fifth today. The 28-year-old Dixon also received the American Dairy Association of Indiana’s Louis Meyer Award, named for the driver who started the Victory Lane milkdrinking tradition more than 70 years ago, and an 18-inch sterling silver replica of the Borg-Warner Trophy. Car owner Chip Ganassi also received a “Baby Borg.” DARRON CUMMINGS / AP

Helio Castroneves, above, will lead the field to the green flag today. He is trying to give team owner Roger Penske his 15th Indy 500 victory. everything has to work perfectly, everything.” Penske had a 1-2 finish in 2003, with Gil de Ferran outdueling Castroneves. This time, Castroneves would love to give the team another sweep—only with himself out front. Rising star Briscoe could make that difficult. Although Castroneves is the oddsmakers’ favorite, Briscoe is the one who could give Penske a new

face on the Borg Warner Trophy. “Winning this race comes from the preparations and the leadup to it, what you’ve done in the three weeks here,” the Australian driver said. “I honestly feel as though we couldn’t have done a better job this month. We’ve really got a good feeling with the car setup and what we need to do going into the race.” Good enough to go 1-2-3? Penske has a third entry for the

first time since 1994, when Al Unser Jr. gave him a win. Will Power, hired to fill in for Castroneves until his legal problems were resolved, was rewarded with a drive at Indy after Castroneves returned to the cockpit. The Aussie, starting from the outside of the third row, might be the most motivated of the Penske drivers as the team has not guaranteed him any more races.

Matos, Kanaan busy The busiest drivers ahead of today’s race were rookie Raphael Matos, who logged 524 laps in his primary and backup cars during the past two weeks of practice, and Tony Kanaan, who had a combined 513 laps in five different cars. Kanaan’s total included 150 laps in his primary car, 331 in his backup, five laps in teammate Marco Andretti’s car, seven laps in teammate Danica Patrick’s car and 20 laps in teammate Hideki Mutoh’s car.

Raindrops possible The National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 percent chance of rain for the Indianapolis 500, with highs in the upper 70s. — The Associated Press

Indianapolis 500 lineup Row 1 1. (3) Helio Castroneves, 224.864 2. (6) Ryan Briscoe, 224.083 3. (10) Dario Franchitti, 224.010 ROW 2 4. (02) Graham Rahal, 223.954 5. (9) Scott Dixon, 223.867 6. (11) Tony Kanaan, 223.612 ROW 3 7. (5) Mario Moraes, 223.331 8. (26) Marco Andretti, 223.114 9. (12) Will Power, 223.028 ROW 4 10. (7) Danica Patrick, 222.882 11. (99) Alex Lloyd, 222.622 12. (2) r-Raphael Matos, 223.429 ROW 5 13. (15) Paul Tracy, 223.111 14. (14) Vitor Meira, 223.054 15. (18) Justin Wilson, 222.903 ROW 6 16. (27) Hideki Mutoh, 222.805 17. (20) Ed Carpenter, 222.780 18. (4) Dan Wheldon, 222.777 ROW 7 19. (41) A.J. Foyt IV, 222.586 20. (16) Scott Sharp, 222.162 21. (67) Sarah Fisher, 222.082 ROW 8 22. (44) Davey Hamilton, 221.956 23. (06) r-Robert Doornbos, 221.692 24. (8) Townsend Bell, 221.195 ROW 9 25. (17) Oriol Servia, 220.984 26. (19) Tomas Scheckter, 221.496 27. (24) r-Mike Conway, 221.417 ROW 10 28. (43) John Andretti, 221.316 29. (13) E.J. Viso, 221.164 30. (23) Milka Duno, 221.106 ROW 11 31. (00) r-Nelson Philippe, 220.754 32. (21) Ryan Hunter-Reay, 220.597 33. (36) r-Alex Tagliani, 221.115 r-Rookie

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Lacrosse

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

29

STORYLINES FOR MONDAY’S FINAL

Syracuse, Cornell advance to title game BY CHRISTIAN SWEZEY InsideLacrosse.com

One of the most challenging aspects of the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse tournament is the schedule for the semifinalist winners, who close out their seasons with two games in three days. This time, the two teams that advanced to the title game— Syracuse and Cornell—did so after establishing big leads, then resting key personnel in the late stages of their games on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Second-seeded Syracuse defeated No. 3 Duke, 17-7, in the first semifinal. Yet the sentiment of the “Real Men Wear Orange” T-shirts popular among Syracuse fans was disproven at least in part in the second semifinal. There, top-seeded Virginia—clad in the same colors as Syracuse—lost to No. 5 Cornell, 15-6. The games, played at Gillette Stadium, drew more than 36,000 fans, the smallest attandance since the event moved to NFL stadiums in 2003. Cornell (13-3) and Syracuse (15-2) met in the regular season, a 15-10 Orange victory on April 7. Syracuse put away its game against Duke (15-4) with a four-goal run late in the third quarter that culminated in a score by senior Pat Perritt for a 14-6 lead with 26 seconds left in the quarter. Perritt finished with four goals, as did senior attackman Kenny Nims. Duke entered with senior attackman Ned Crotty, who led the nation in assists. Yet he was held scoreless over the final 49 minutes 32 seconds by senior defenseman Sid Smith. “We couldn’t get the ball to Ned up top,” said junior attackman Max Quinzani, who finished with three goals. “I think they laid off the pressure, but we didn’t have long enough possessions to even see what

Cornell vs. Syracuse, 1 p.m., ESPN

1988 all over again Cornell and Syracuse are meeting in the NCAA title game for the first time since 1988. Ironically, Cornell advanced to that game with a lopsided victory over Virginia in the semifinals, just as it did this year.

Drawing a crowd? The semifinals on Saturday drew 36,594, the smallest attendance since the Final Four moved to NFL stadiums in 2003. The attendance was down 24 percent from last year’s semifinal total of 48,000. Also, media credentials for the semifinals were down nearly 30 percent.

They’ve met before Syracuse defeated Cornell, 15-10, in the regular season. Sophomore Stephen Keogh and junior Chris Daniello each scored three goals for the Orange. Freshman Rob Pannell had a goal and four assists for the Big Red.

All over the place On Saturday, Cornell senior midfielder had John Glynn one assist, five groundballs and won 10 face-offs. He is hoping to lead the Big Red to their first national title since 1977.

Defense rules

JAMES SCHAFFER / INSIDE LACROSSE

Tim Desko, right, and the Orange jumped on Duke early and managed to rest key players for the end stages of their 17-7 semifinal win. they were doing. That’s a testament to their face-off game, their possessions on the offensive side.” In the second semifinal, Cornell took the field in two single-file lines and left the field the same way. It also used an orderly approach to dispatch the Cavaliers (15-3). Cornell used diagonal passes to disect the Virginia defense, which was considered a talented but risk-taking unit. The

diagonal passes found Big Red players right on top of junior goalie Adam Ghitelman. The Big Red shooters scored on 15 of their 20 shots on goal and their passers finished with nine assists. Freshman Rob Pannell finished with three goals and three assists for Cornell. Senior Danny Glading and freshman Steele Stanwick each had two goals and one assist for the Cavaliers, but Ghitelman

had only five saves. The Big Red took leads of 3-0 and 6-1 and the Cavaliers did not get closer than four goals. “We knew we weren’t going to have a whole lot of believers out there who thought we could beat a talented team like Virginia,” Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni said. “We needed to believe first and get off to a good start.”

Syracuse and Cornell each rode their defense to the title game. Syracuse senior Sid Smith held Duke senior Ned Crotty, the nation’s leader in assists, without a point over the final 49-plus minutes. Cornell senior Matt Moyer, playing with injuries in both knees, held Virginia’s Danny Glading to two goals and one assist, though both of Glading’s goals came when he was being defended by someone else.

High school high Both Cornell coach Jeff Tambroni and Syracuse coach John Desko is graduated from West Genessee (NY) High. — Christian Swezey

MORE COVERAGE For Tournament coverage, go to: InsideLacrosse.com

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Golf

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

Sabbatini still in position to break two-year skid IRVING, TEXAS—Rory Sabbatini has already won at Hogan’s Alley. Now he shares the lead going into the final round at Byron Nelson’s tournament. “Anything associated with his name would be an absolute honor,” Sabbatini said after a 5-under 65 Saturday to keep a share of the lead at the Byron Nelson Championship. Two years after his last victory, at the Colonial where Ben Hogan’s larger-than-life statue is prominent, Sabbatini is in position to win again after five birdies in a seven-hole stretch midway through his third round. Sabbatini and John Mallinger, who entered the third round tied as co-leaders, both shot 65 to get to 13-under 197. That is two strokes ahead of three other players. “Obviously got off to a good start, just putting the ball in the right spots, putting it on the greens, hitting some good putts,” Sabbatini said. “And then never really got anything going until No. 5.” Even for the day until he got to the 174-yard fifth hole, Sabbatini’s pin-high tee shot rolled back and lipped the cup to set up a 3-foot birdie. He also had three consecutive birdies before making the turn, capped by a 41-footer on the 427-yard ninth hole. Mallinger, without a win in his first 76 PGA Tour events, had his second consecutive 65. The bogey-free round was much different from Friday, when he had two eagles, four

Byron Nelson Championship Site: Irving, Texas Course: TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas (7,166 yards, par 70) Purse: $6.5 million. Winner’s share: $1,152,000 TV: Golf Channel (1-2:30 p.m., 9:30-11:30 p.m.) and CBS (3-6 p.m.)

birdies and three bogeys. “Today was the type of golf that I like to play. Normally, that’s my game,” Mallinger said. “I kind of had a game plan going in and I stuck with it. I executed, and that was the biggest thing. Being the leader, it was always a little different feeling.” Dustin Johnson struggled after going 6 under through eight holes. He shot 66 to get in at 11 under with D.A. Points (65) and Brian Davis (66). At 10 under were Kevin Streelman (64), Glen Day (65) and Briny Baird (67), who was 5 under through seven holes before three bogeys in a fivehole stretch. Sabbatini, playing only a few miles from his home this week and next at the Colonial, had a season-low round of 64 Friday. Now he has the best two-round stretch of the season. After his only bogey, when he missed fairway at No. 14 and had to punch out short of the water, Sabbatini got that stroke back with an 11-foot birdie at No. 15.

MATT SLOCUM / AP

John Mallinger, left, and Rory Sabbatini traded shots all day but stayed tied for the lead after the third round. Sabbatini wore a pink ribbon atop his cap, the symbol for breast cancer awareness. Phil Mickelson this week indefinitely suspended his golfing schedule following wife Amy’s diagnosis. “Phil and Amy Mickelson are definitely forefront in everyone’s thoughts out here,” Sabbatini said. “We all know that she’s a strong and

determined person, and she’ll pull through it.” Mallinger made a 9-foot birdie at the 528-yard third, and tapped in for par on the next hole after missing an 8-footer. Consecutive birdies followed, and his only other birdies after that came at Nos. 14 and 15. Sabbatini had supporters wearing black T-shirts that read “Rory’s Rowdy Roadies” on the

front and “Team Sabo” on the back. One of the supporters in Mallinger’s gallery was his tennis-playing buddy Mark Knowles, who delayed his trip to Paris for doubles competition at the French Open. “He was supposed to take off (Saturday), and we had a bet if I got in the leader group he had to change his flight,” said Mallinger, who has to go

to Paris if Knowles makes the finals. Because of the threat of thunderstorms, players teed off in threesomes off Nos. 1 and 10 and everyone was done by midafternoon without any delays or rain. There will be normal tee times with twosomes off No. 1 in the final round. Davis (66) was in the lastgroup threesome that included the leaders. He had two birdies the first three holes before the first of his four bogeys. Johnson was 13 under when he capped a streak of four consecutive birdies with a 9-footer at the 461-yard No. 8 after hitting his approach from the rough. But Johnson then went right and then left on consecutive wayward tee shots, taking penalty strokes on both. The tee shot at the 427-yard ninth hole went into the water and his 33-foot par putt slid just right of the cup. After hitting his drive at the 435-yard 10th way left into an unplayable lie near more water, Johnson momentarily stood on the box staring ahead. Once he got to his ball, he took a drop in an adjacent fairway and knocked the approach to 3 feet to save par. He had three bogeys the final six holes, including the par-5 16th. “Turning on the back I struggled with my tee balls a lot,” Johnson said. “I ended up with 66, so that’s never bad. I’m right there in it.” — The Associated Press

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Leaderboard Saturday at TPC Four Seasons Resort Irving, Texas Purse: $6.5 million; Yardage: 7,166; Par: 70 Third Round Rory Sabbatini 68-64-65—197 -13 John Mallinger 67-65-65—197 -13 D.A. Points 68-66-65—199 -11 Dustin Johnson 68-65-66—199 -11 Brian Davis 68-65-66—199 -11 Kevin Streelman 67-69-64—200 -10 Glen Day 69-66-65—200 -10 Briny Baird 69-64-67—200 -10 Marc Leishman 68-70-63—201 -9 James Nitties 65-68-68—201 -9 Charley Hoffman 71-66-65—202 -8 Jeff Maggert 71-66-65—202 -8 Bryce Molder 68-68-66—202 -8 George McNeill 69-67-66—202 -8 Fred Couples 69-66-67—202 -8 James Driscoll 67-66-69—202 -8 Mike Weir 66-71-66—203 -7 Michael Letzig 68-68-67—203 -7 Scott McCarron 66-69-68—203 -7 Charles Howell III 66-69-68—203 -7 Charlie Wi 73-66-64—203 -7 Nicholas Thompson 73-66-64—203 -7 Justin Leonard 75-63-66—204 -6 Steve Marino 69-69-66—204 -6 Jonathan Byrd 68-70-66—204 -6 John Senden 71-68-65—204 -6 Jesper Parnevik 67-68-69—204 -6 Robert Allenby 67-67-70—204 -6 Alex Cejka 69-69-67—205 -5 J.J. Henry 71-68-66—205 -5 Robert Garrigus 70-66-69—205 -5 Brad Adamonis 66-70-69—205 -5 Y.E. Yang 69-67-69—205 -5 Danny Lee 69-67-69—205 -5 Ted Purdy 74-65-66—205 -5 Kris Blanks 68-71-66—205 -5 Nathan Green 70-69-66—205 -5 Brian Bateman 69-70-66—205 -5 Ken Duke 65-69-71—205 -5 Tommy Armour III 67-71-68—206 -4 John Rollins 72-66-68—206 -4 Davis Love III 73-64-69—206 -4 Vijay Singh 70-67-69—206 -4 Tim Wilkinson 69-67-70—206 -4 Greg Chalmers 68-69-69—206 -4 Hunter Mahan 71-68-67—206 -4 David Mathis 72-67-67—206 -4 Colt Knost 67-72-67—206 -4 Jeff Klauk 72-66-69—207 -3 Aaron Watkins 67-71-69—207 -3 Chris Riley 71-68-68—207 -3 Matt Kuchar 70-69-68—207 -3 Greg Owen 68-71-68—207 -3 Martin Laird 72-67-68—207 -3 Matt Weibring 67-69-71—207 -3 Joe Ogilvie 69-70-68—207 -3 Notah Begay III 73-65-70—208 -2 Troy Matteson 68-69-71—208 -2 Chris DiMarco 67-69-72—208 -2 Ricky Barnes 69-70-69—208 -2 Rod Pampling 72-67-69—208 -2 Steve Flesch 70-69-69—208 -2 Jimmy Walker 71-68-69—208 -2 David Berganio, Jr. 72-65-72—209 -1 Todd Hamilton 71-67-71—209 -1 Shaun Micheel 72-67-70—209 -1 Harrison Frazar 73-66-71—210 E Jay Williamson 68-71-71—210 E Ben Crane 71-68-71—210 E Kent Jones 67-70-74—211 +1 Bob Heintz 68-70-73—211 +1 Mark Calcavecchia 68-70-75—213 +3 James Oh 71-68-74—213 +3 Cliff Kresge 70-69-74—213 +3

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Tennis

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

FRENCH OPEN NOTEBOOK

Early exit Sixth-seeded

Vera

Zvonareva

has

CHRISTOPHE ENA / AP

The French Open is the first tournament for Maria Sharapova since shoulder surgery 10 months ago. withdrawn from the French Open because of an ankle injury. The Russian injured her ankle chasing a ball last month at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C. She pulled out of the season’s second Grand Slam tournament on Saturday, a day before play begins on the red clay at Roland Garros. Zvonareva had been scheduled to face Olga Govortsova of Belarus in the first round, but lucky loser Katie O’Brien of Britain will take her spot in the draw. Another Russian is back after a lengthy injury. Maria Sharapova returned to the tour this week after missing nearly 10 months.She was wearing white tape on her surgically repaired right shoulder as she practiced at Roland Garros on Saturday.

New approach For years, Amelie Mauresmo would come to the French Open as the host country’s best hope for a homegrown champion. For years, those expectations were too much for her to handle. She managed to win Grand Slam titles at the Australian

ON SALE NOW!

French Open schedule

Win over Nadal encouraging to Federer PARIS—Even though it’s the only Grand Slam site where he hasn’t won a championship, Roger Federer feels quite comfortable in the City of Lights. That’s in part because he’s fluent in French, just one of his many languages, a list that includes English and Swiss German. “Everything here is very natural, very easy,” Federer said. What about when he goes to Spain, the land of his rival, Rafael Nadal? That’s another story. “I felt like it’s hard to get around sometimes in Madrid, for instance, where I don’t speak the language,” Federer said. “I don’t go to many countries where, you know, I don’t speak the language.” He has lost in the last three French Open finals, each time to Nadal. But Federer did end a five-match losing streak to Nadal— which included the championship matches at Roland Garros and Wimbledon last year, and the Australian Open this year— by beating him in the Madrid Open final last weekend. That victory gave Federer his first title of 2009. And as good as he’s been over the past several years, collecting 13 Grand Slam titles, he does take time to assess the state of his game. “I always question myself, you know. I’ve questioned myself in the best of times, when I was winning four, five titles in a row. ‘What can I improve?’ ‘What can I change to get better?’ I think it’s important to do that when you’re on top of your game, but also again when things were not going so well,” Federer said. “There are certain times during the year where you just have to sit down and analyze: Are you happy with what’s going on? Could you do more? Should you do less?”

31

Open and Wimbledon, and reach No. 1 in the rankings, but the best she fared at Roland Garros was reaching the quarterfinals. “I’ve been trying different kinds of preparations, different ways of arriving here for the French Open. Nothing really seemed to be working,” said Mauresmo, who is seeded 16th this year and plays Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the first round today. “I’m just trying to accept the pressure that is on every French tennis player coming here.” — The Associated Press

Glance Schedule: The tournament is 15 days, with play beginning today. The women’s singles final is June 6, the men’s singles final is June 7. 2008 Men’s Singles Champion: Rafael Nadal of Spain 2008 Women’s Singles Champion: Ana Ivanovic of Serbia Last Year: Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the final, the most lopsided Grand Slam loss of Federer’s career. Ivanovic won

At Roland Garros, Paris Play began on all courts at 5 a.m. EDT Men’s Singles Court Philippe Chatrier Alexandre Sidorenko, France, vs. Marat Safin (20), Russia Wayne Odesnik, United States, vs. Gilles Simon (7), France Court Suzanne Lenglen Florent Serra, France, vs. Fernando Verdasco (8), Spain Andy Murray (3), Britain, vs. Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentina Court 1 Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, vs. Ivo Karlovic (26), Croatia Radek Stepanek (18), Czech Republic, vs. Gaston Gaudio, Argentina Court 2 Marcel Granollers, Spain, vs. Josselin Ouanna, France Ernests Gulbis, Latvia, vs. Sam Querrey, United States Court 3 Nicolas Almagro (31), Spain, vs. Agustin Calleri, Argentina Frederico Gil, Portugal, vs. David Ferrer (14), Spain Court 6 Denis Gremelmayr, Germany, vs. Andrey Golubev, Kazakhstan Jan Hernych, Czech Republic, vs. Marin Cilic (13), Croatia Court 7 Yen-Hsun Lu, Taiwan, vs. ll-Mathieu Montcourt, France q-Daniel Brands, Germany, vs. Robert Kendrick, United States Court 17 Dudi Sela, Israel, vs. q-Jean-Rene Lisnard, Monaco q-Peter Polonsky, Canada, vs. Philipp Petzschner, Germany Women’s Singles Court Philippe Chatrier Sara Errani, Italy, vs. Ana Ivanovic (8), Serbia Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Germany, vs. Amelie Mauresmo (16), France Court Suzanne Lenglen Vitalia Diatchenko, Russia, vs. Mathilde Johansson, France Nadia Petrova (11), Russia, vs. Lauren Embree, United States Court 1 Elena Vesnina, Russia, vs. Severine Bremond Beltrame, France Victoria Azarenka (9), Belarus, vs. Roberta Vinci, Italy Court 2 wc-Emilie Loit, France, vs. Timea Bacsinszky, Switzerland wc-Olivia Rogowska, Australia, vs. Maria Kirilenko, Russia Court 3 Ioana Raluca Olaru, Romania, vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27), Russia Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spain, vs. Julie Coin, France Court 6 q-Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, vs. Kaia Kanepi (19), Estonia Maria-Emilia Salerni, Argentina, vs. Kristina Barrois, Germany Court 7 Li Na (25), China, vs. Marta Domachowska, Poland Iveta Benesova (32), Czech Republic, vs. Julia Goerges, Germany Court 17 Tamira Paszek, Austria, vs. Gisela Dulko, Argentina Varvara Lepchenko, United States, vs. Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia

her first major title to briefly rise to No. 1 in the rankings. Key Statistic: 28-0—Nadal’s career record at Roland Garros. He is trying to become the first man to win the French Open five years in a row. Prize Money: At the current exchange rate, the total is about $21.8 million, with about $1.4 million each to the men’s and women’s singles champions. TV: Today, noon, ESPN2 On the Web: rolandgarros.com/en_FR/ index.html

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SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009

Major League Soccer

IN BRIEF

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Leipheimer, Armstong fall further behind pace BOLOGNA, ITALY—Simon Gerrans of Australia won the 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia with a long breakaway Saturday while Denis Menchov of Russia kept the overall leader’s pink jersey. Menchov remained 34 seconds in front of Danilo Di Luca of Italy. U.S. rider Levi Leipheimer dropped three seconds in an uphill finish and trails Menchov by 43 seconds in third place. Gerrans was timed in 4 hours, 16 minutes, 48 seconds over the hilly 107-mile leg from Campi Bisenzio to Bologna. Rubens Bertogliati of Switzerland was the runner-up, 12 seconds behind. Francesco Gavazzi of Italy was third, 18 seconds back. Gerrans was part of a 14-man group that that broke away from the main pack 7½ miles into the stage. The Cervelo team rider left behind his final breakaway companions shortly before the finish. Gerrans won a stage in last year’s Tour de France with a similar breakaway and uphill finish. Lance Armstrong, who is still regaining his form after 3½ years of retirement and breaking his collarbone in March, finished 1:58 back and dropped from 12th to 14th overall, 7:28 behind Menchov. Armstrong is supporting Leipheimer in his bid to win the Giro. It was unusual to see the seven-time Tour de France winner in such a role, carrying water bottles from the team car to Leipheimer and another teammate late in the stage.

Softball TUSCALOOSA, ALA.—Alabama sophomore Kelsi Dunne became the first player to throw back-toback no-hitters in NCAA postseason play. Dunne held Jacksonville State hitless for the second straight day in a 9-0 softball victory Saturday. She led the Crimson Tide to a Super Regional championship and a spot in the Women’s College World Series. The two no-hitters ties the NCAA postseason record. It was Dunne’s fourth of the season and gave her a school-record six for her career.

32

D.C. Toronto FC Chicago Kansas City New England New York Columbus WESTERN CONFERENCE Chivas USA Seattle Colorado Houston Real Salt Lake Los Angeles San Jose FC Dallas

W 3 4 3 4 2 2 1

L 1 3 0 4 3 5 2

T 7 4 6 2 4 3 6

Pts 16 16 15 14 10 9 9

GF 17 16 16 14 8 10 12

GA 15 16 11 12 16 12 15

W 7 4 3 3 3 1 1 1

L 1 2 2 2 5 1 5 6

T 2 3 3 3 2 7 2 2

Pts 23 15 12 12 11 10 5 5

GF 14 12 11 8 14 11 8 8

GA 5 6 9 6 13 11 16 16

NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. All times ET Thursday’s Games Saturday’s Games Chicago at Chivas USA, 10:30 p.m. Toronto FC 3, New England 1 Saturday, May 30 D.C. United 0, Real Salt Lake 0, tie Colorado at New York, 7:30 p.m. Kansas City 1, Chivas USA 1, tie D.C. United at New England, 7:30 p.m. FC Dallas 1, Los Angeles 1, tie Toronto FC at Houston, 8:30 p.m. Houston 3, San Jose 1 Columbus at Seattle FC, 10:30 p.m. Colorado 2, Seattle FC 2, tie Kansas City at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m. Today’s Games Real Salt Lake at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Chicago at New York, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 31 Wednesday’s Games FC Dallas at Chicago, 3 p.m. San Jose at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

ment 54-hole record. South Korea’s Yani Tseng was a stroke back after a 62. Michelle Wie was 8 under after a 68. MICHAEL E. PALMER / AP

Alabama P Kelsi Dunne celebrates after pitching a five-inning no-hitter, which set an NCAA postseason record.

Horse racing

Golf

INGLEWOOD, CALIF.—Move over, Rachel Alexandra and make room for undefeated filly Zenyatta. Zenyatta pulled away to a 1¾-length victory over Life Is Sweet in Saturday’s $150,000 Milady Handicap, improving to 10-0 in her career. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Zenyatta rallied from six lengths off the pace to win at Hollywood Park in her first start after a seven-month layoff. Kentucky Oaks and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra has generated much of the buzz in racing over the past few weeks. But Zenyatta was making headlines last year. She was 2008 champion older female, having won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa Anita in October. That race could be the setting this fall for a possible matchup between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, who became the first filly in 85 years to beat the boys last weekend in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

BEACHWOOD, OHIO—Michael Allen, winless in 271 PGA Tour events, shot a 3-under 67 to take a oneshot lead over Jeff Sluman and Tom Kite through three rounds in the Senior PGA Championship. Allen, who turned 50 in January and is making his senior debut, had a 3-under 207 total at Canterbury in the Champions Tour’s first major championship of the year. Sluman had the lead to himself before bogeying the 16th and 18th holes, completing a 70 that left him tie with Kite (69). Larry Mize (71), Gil Morgan (707) and Tim Simpson (68) were 1 under. CORNING, N.Y.—Japanese rookie Mika Miyazato matched the tournament record with a 10-under 62 for a share of the third-round lead with South Korea’s Soo-Yun Kang in the final LPGA Corning Classic. Kang had a 65 to match the 19-year-old Miyazato at 17-under 199. They tied the tourna-

VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND—England’s Paul Casey shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to stretch his lead to three strokes after the third round of the BMW PGA Championship, Casey, who missed 4-foot birdie chances on the last two holes, Casey had a 13-under 203 total at Wentworth. Ernie Els was even par after a 70, and John Daly was 5 over after a 77.

Formula One MONACO—Formula One championship leader Jenson Button earned the pole position for the Monaco Grand Prix. The Brawn GP driver will start first on the grid for the fourth time after setting a fastest lap of 1 minute, 14.902 seconds around the famous street circuit. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, who won in Monaco last year, crashed during the first session to place 16th. But he was demoted to last on the grid for the first time in his career because the team had to change his gearbox. — The Associated Press

TRANSACTIONS BASEBALL American League CLEVELAND INDIANS: Placed RHP Anthony Reyes and LHP Aaron Laffey on the 15-day DL. Recalled LHP Rich Rundles and LHP Jeremy Sowers from Columbus (IL). National League FLORIDA MARLINS: Purchased the contract of LHP Sean West from Jacksonville (SL). Recalled RHP Chris Leroux from Jacksonville. Optioned RHP Ricky Nolasco to New Orleans (PCL). Designated LHP David Davidson for assignment. LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Signed RHP Ji-Mo Lee to a minor league contract. PITTSBURGH PIRATES: Extended the affiliation with Altoona of the Eastern Leagus through 2014. Eastern League TRENTON THUNDER: Announced OF Noah Hall has been assigned to the team and RHP Jason Stephens and OF Seth Fortenberry was transferred to Staten Island (NYP). Midwest League QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS: Announced OF Jairo Martinez has been transferred to the team from extended spring training. American Association EL PASO DIABLOS: Released LHP Zach Piccola. SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS: Released RHP Mike Koons. Can-Am League AMERICAN DEFENDERS: Signed INF Chris Kelly. NEW JERSEY JACKALS: Released OF Josh Cox. Signed C Chris Chiarappa. Northern League WINNIPEG GOLDEYES: Signed C Hank Lanto. SOCCER Women’s Professional Soccer SKY BLUE FC: Suspended coach and general manager Ian Sawyers indefinitely. Named Kelly Lindsey interim coach. COLLEGE KENTUCKY: Announced DE Jeremy Jarmon was ruled ineligible for his senior season by the NCAA because of a failed drug test. WHEATON, ILL.: Named Jim Gruenwald wrestling coach.