Sunday, May 23, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Simon Khan Stuns Field To Win European PGA

Posted: 23 May 2010 12:24 PM PDT

Surrey, United Kingdom (AHN) – Simon Khan wouldn’t have been considered a longshot to win the BMW European PGA Championship.

He’d have to be a more accomplished player to be a long shot.

Ranked 471st in the world, Khan got into the elite field with a Monday sponsor’s invite. He made the most of it on Sunday.

While the third round leaders melted under the final round pressure, Khan stood over a 12-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole. It started on line, then seemingly rolled over the right lip and hovered over the back of the hole. Gravity smiled on Khan and the ball fell into the hole, giving him a 66 for the day and a six-under-par 278 total for 72-holes at the difficult Wentworth Golf Club.

He started a record seven shots off the eight-under-par third-round pace of 54-hole leader Chris Wood.

Khan was finished for the day well ahead of the leaders. He sat back, waited, watched and had lunch with his wife and young daughter.

While he waited, the leaders floundered.

They floundered, wilted and to the man, fell from contention in the European Tour’s premier event.

Only 36-hole leader Luke Donald had a chance to tie or surpass Khan. Donald was five-under with the par five 17th and 18th holes to play. Two chances for birdie.

Donald’s hopes evaporated with his tee shot at 17. It went deep into the right forest. Two shots later he had a lengthy approach to the green. It sailed wide right and down a steep bank. Three shots later he walked off with a double-bogey seven and suddenly Khan’s days as a journeyman ended.

He found himself alone at the top and the 2010 champion.

It was a career-changing moment for Khan, who lost his European Tour card last year and returned to the qualifying school for the tenth time.

The win, only his second, gave him a five-year exemption on the tour and a three-year exemption into the Open championship. The $1 million-plus first place money was life-changing as well.

“Today was quite surreal,” he said at the trophy presentation. “You never know around here,” he said referring to the difficult, forest-lined layout.

His statement rang true. The final twosome, Wood and the 62-shooting hero of the third round, Robert Karlsson, both imploded during the final round and shot 77s to finish well back.

Donald, after his double-bogey, managed to birdie the final hole and finished in a tie for second place with Fredrik Hed Andersson, both at five-under-par 279. Stephen Gallacher was solo fourth at 280 with young Danny Willett alone at 281, three-under.

But it was Khan’s day, Khan’s career day, the day of Khan golfing lifetime. His 66 low round of the day was matched only by pre-tournament favorite Lee Westwood.

“I made sure I made the most of it,” he said of his special invite into the field. It was also his wife’s birthday. “Didn’t have time to get her a present. She said ‘go out and win it.’”

He appeared surprised, as would anyone who has labored at the game as he has.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” he admitted.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Diamondbacks Offense Scorching In Four-Game Streak

Posted: 23 May 2010 11:36 AM PDT

Phoenix, AZ, United States (AHN) – The Arizona Diamondbacks appear stuck on the number eight — scoring that many runs or more during their current four-game winning streak.

The Diamondbacks did it again Saturday, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

After suffering an 8-0 loss to the Florida Marlins last Tuesday, the Diamondbacks have suddenly turned on the offensive power switch, winning a pair of two-game series against San Francisco and Florida.

The Diamondbacks, who experienced inconsistencies in the first months of the season, improved their record to 20-24 – 5 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (25-18) in the NL West.

With third baseman Mark Reynolds (11 home runs) and second baseman Kelly Johnson (12 homers) leading the way, Arizona has already recorded 56 homers – third in the majors.

Reynolds, who's hitting .229, also owns a team-high 36 RBI and 60 walks. Center fielder Chris Young (34 RBI) and first baseman Adam LaRoche (32 RBI) are also contributing key hits.

Overall, the Diamondbacks are hitting .263 (13th in the majors) with 229 RBI (rank: 2), 236 runs (second), and 177 walks (fourth).

Their scorching offense will once again be tested Sunday, when the D'Backs look for a sweep against the Blue Jays at home.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Former All-Star Jose Lima, 37, Dead of Apparent Heart Attack

Posted: 23 May 2010 11:35 AM PDT

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Jose Lima, a former All-Star right-hander whose 13-season rollercoaster career included stops with five teams, died Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles. He was 37.

His wife, Dorca Astacio. told ESPNdeportes.com the cause of death was a heart attack.

Lima was 89-102 while pitching for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.

He reached the pinnacle of his career in 1999 with the Astros, winning 21 games and earning a spot in the All-Star Game.

A year later, though, he lost 16 games and gave up a league-leading 48 home runs, two shy of the record set by Bert Blyleven.

Lima struggled to regain his All-Star form and never made it back to the major leagues after being released by the Mets in 2006.

Lima played winter ball in the Dominican Republic last year for the Aguilas Cibaenas and was expected to return this season.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Ex-Broncos Assistant Coach Stan Jones Dead At 78

Posted: 23 May 2010 11:33 AM PDT

Denver, CO, United States (AHN) – Ex-Denver Broncos assistant coach and Football Hall of Famer Stan Jones died Friday at 78. Jones was a defensive line coach for 18 seasons with the Broncos, finishing his last term with the team in 1988.

Jones was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1953 in the fifth-round after playing for Maryland, where he was a two-way player for three seasons, and earned All-America honors as a tackle.

The All-NFL guard (1955, 1956, 1959) played for the Bears in 1954 as an offensive tackle, and moved to the guard position the following year. He moved to defensive tackle in 1963.

Jones was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 along with John Hannah, Tex Schramm, Earl Campbell and Jan Stenerud. A decade-plus later, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame.

After retiring, Jones worked on Lou Saban’s staff in Denver for five seasons. He would later follow Saban to Buffalo during the 1972 season. He rejoined Denver in 1976, helping to create the “Orange Crush” defense under Joe Collier.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Rolen Homer Lifts Reds To Early 2-0 Lead Over Tribe

Posted: 23 May 2010 11:32 AM PDT

Cleveland, OH, United States (AHN) – Scott Rolen pounded his ninth homer of the season, powering the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Indians in a Sunday afternoon interleague game.

Rolen has 9 homers and 26 RBI on the season.

Homer Bailey got the start for the Reds, while David Huff is on the mound for the Indians.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

No Superman: Dwight Howard’s Poor Play Again Dooms Magic

Posted: 23 May 2010 09:49 AM PDT

Boston, MA, United States (AHN) – Dwight Howard failed once again to carry the load for the Orlando Magic Saturday, as they suffered a 94-71 beating to the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals series.

Howard was nothing short of a disappointment for the Magic, going 3-for-10 from the field to finish with only seven points.

Howard, who averaged 15.7 points and 10.6 boards in the postseason, could not solve the Celtics imposing defense and is making only 45 percent of his field goal attempts in the series.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers also sparingly used the trio of Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, and Glen Davis to disrupt Howard's offensive flow.

With the Celtics defense rolling on, Howard is netting 16.7 points after averaging 21.0 points against the Atlanta Hawks in the second round.

The Celtics, who stunned the No.1 seed Cavs in the second round, are one win from advancing to the NBA finals for the second time in three years.

Howard, who still collected 7 boards and 3 blocks, said the Celtics have shown more resilience and determination to win.

“Our heart, it seemed like it wasn’t into it,” Howard told reporters during the post-game press conference Saturday.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Wright’s Inconsistent Hitting Exemplifies Mediocre Mets

Posted: 23 May 2010 09:48 AM PDT

NY, NY, United States (AHN) – As David Wright goes so go the New York Mets.

That is not necessarily a good thing as Wright struggles to find his swing for the NL East cellar-dwelling Mets.

Wright (.261) is batting 45 points below his career average and is striking out more than every three at-bats in 2010.

On the occasions Wright has come through, such as Saturday night, his teammates have responded as the Mets did in a 5-3 win over the Yanks.

Wright had two hits and two RBI, putting a charge into the team’s offense that also received four hits from Jason Bay.

The third baseman came into the game with just two hits in his previous 21 at-bats, three losses in five tilts for the maddeningly inconsistent team.

The Mets were, after all, in first place on May 1.

They are also just two one-run losses from boasting a five-game win streak, perhaps if only Wright had a clutch hit or two.

The news isn’t all bad for Wright, a two-time Golf Glove winner with a .306 career batting average.

Even in this difficult season, Wright is in the top eight in the league in RBI (32) and steals (8) and sixth in walks (28).

If Wright can get right, so can the Mets.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Kurt Busch Hangs On For Sprint All-Star Race Win

Posted: 23 May 2010 09:47 AM PDT

Concord, NC, United States (AHN) – It was one heck of a day for Team Penske.

Helio Castroneves and Will Power qualified on the front for the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day and Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway Kyle Busch held off Showdown winner Martin Truex Jr. to win his first Sprint All-Star Race.

"It’s an unbelievable experience. It’s something that you sit there and you look at the greats that have won this race, the ones that have had so many years go by in between the wins, just to have an opportunity to go for it tonight, I felt like our Penske Dodge was right where it needed to be at the end,” said Busch.

When Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch tangled on Lap 93, Busch stormed from fifth to first and held off Truex over the final seven laps for the win.

Joey Logano finished third and was followed by Hamlin and Tony Stewart. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski , Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Bobby Labonte in the non-points NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

"I felt like I had a good car, I'm just bummed out that we didn't win. That is what this race is all about is about winning,” said Logano. “Third is good and it's better than what we did last year. We were close, we were real close and we just have to get a little better. I'm not happy with myself at the end of the race."

With two laps to go Kyle Busch bounced off the wall at the end of the tri-oval and clipped Kasey Kahne’s Ford, causing the fifth caution of the night.

On the restart, Kurt Busch picked the outside lane and took the green flag with Jimmie Johnson beside him but Johnson spun across the infield grass, putting the race under yellow a sixth time.

In the second try with two laps to go, Busch pulled away for the win.

“On some of the tracks we expect to do well we struggled,” said Kurt Busch. “Tonight to have a successful run, even early on, to win the first segment, to bring it home for the million bucks, pushing that all aside with this setup, we feel very comfortable going into the 600.”

Hamlin and Kyle Busch were battling on Lap 93 and Hamlin moved up the track in front of Busch, who ran out of room and hit the outside wall. After the race, Hamlin, Busch and team owner Joe Gibbs had a conference in the No. 11 transporter.

"It's a good conversation to have. Me and Tony (Stewart) has had this same conversation and it was under a little different circumstance, but this is a good problem to have for our team. For two guys to be wanting to go for the win like they are, that's all we can ask for,” said Hamlin.

“Myself, I'm so confident that one of the two of us are going to win that 600 next weekend, it was a good meeting. Kyle (Busch) was fiery at the beginning, but calmed right down at the end. I think it's just kind of his personality and me, I'm a little more reserved and kind of quiet about it. I think it's just two teammates that happen to be teammates going for a race win right there."

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

DC Reliever Clippard Second In NL Victories, Pitching In For Resurgent Nats

Posted: 23 May 2010 09:46 AM PDT

Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – After finishing with the worst record in baseball in 2009, the Washington Nationals have emerged as a contender in the competitive National League East behind surprise stars like reliever Tyler Clippard.

Clippard, 25, was acquired by Washington in a trade that sent Jonathan Albaladejo to the Yankees back in 2007.

Using a 90+ MPH fastball and a dizzying changeup, Clippard came out the bullpen with 60.1 innings in 2009, posting a team-best 2.69 ERA and striking out 67.

The Kentucky native didn’t stop there, continuing to come out the bullpen in the 2010 season with a team best 7-3 record, second in the National League in wins.

The seven wins make him just the fourth pitcher in the modern era to record seven relief wins in his club’s first 32 games.

It wasn’t always glamour for Clippard, who graduated from JW Mitchell (FL) High School before being drafted by the Yankees in 2003.

Years of laboring in the minors didn’t pay off until May 20, 2007, when Clippard pitched six innings, giving up one run off the bat of David Wright in his major league debut.

Fancied as a potential starter, Clippard got tossed around while team officials decided how to use him best.

Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty, hired in 2009, finally determined Clippard would be best as a valuable set up man.

The decision paid off, as the 6-foot-3, 200-lb. Clippard maintained an ERA below 1.00 through 16 appearances to start 2010.

Saturday, Clippard secured his ninth hold (fourth in the NL) with a scoreless eighth to set up NL saves leader Matt Capps’ 16th save. Washington clubbed Baltimore 7-6.

Clippard’s 16th scoreless appearance of the season dropped his ERA to 2.15 with an incredible 33 strikeouts in just 18.0 innings.

Along with breakout players like Cristian Guzman (second in NL with .343 average) and Nats stalwarts like Livan Hernandez (third in NL in with 1.62 ERA), Washington is no longer a cellar dweller.

The Nats, who finished an MLB-worst 59-103 last season, are currently 22-22 and five games out of first in the NL East.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Pelfrey Stellar, Bay Busts Out As Mets Top Crosstown Yanks

Posted: 23 May 2010 09:44 AM PDT

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Mike Pelfrey fired six innings of one-run ball and Jason Bay tied a career high with four hits as the New York Mets evened the interleague Subway Series at 1-1 with a 5-3 win over the crosstown Yankees Saturday.

The Yanks won the first of the three-game set 2-1 Friday, but fell behind 3-0 early on.

Pelfrey, third in the NL in wins and emerging as the struggling Mets new ace, kept the hard-hitting Yanks at bay. The 6-1 righty walked just two, scattered six hits and struck out five.

Meanwhile, David Wright, mired in a 4-for-33 slump, drove in two early runs to help stake the Mets to a 3-0 lead.

After Francisco Cervelli put the Yanks on the board in the top of sixth, Alex Cora restored the Mets’ lead in the bottom of the frame.

Angel Pagan, who also knocked in a run in the first, added an RBI double to make it 5-1.

Last night’s hero, local favorite Kevin Russo, drew a bases loaded walk to cut it to 5-2. Russo went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs in his fifth major-league at bat to lead the Yanks Friday.

Derek Jeter hit into a fielder’s choice to make it 5-3, but closer Francisco Rodriguez shut the door by securing the final five outs for his seventh save.

Yanks starter Phil Hughes led the American League in ERA two starts ago, but gave up five runs Monday and four Saturday in a combined 10 2-3 innings to fall to 11th in the AL with a 2.72 ERA.

The Yankees (26-17), just a half game out of first May 10, have now fell to five games behind Tampa in the AL East after losing five of their last seven.

The Mets (21-23), in first place May 1, are now in last place in the NL East, six games out with eight losses in their last 10 games.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.
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