Monday, May 31, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Homers Back Ervin Santana’s Solid Outing; Angels Rout Royals

Posted: 31 May 2010 11:11 PM PDT

Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO, United States (AHN) – Juan Rivera, Maicer Izturis and Mike Napoli all belted home runs, while Ervin Santana pitched seven solid innings, as the Los Angeles Angels opened a season-long 14-game road trip with a 7-1 thrashing of the Kansas City Royals on Memorial Day at Kauffman Stadium.

It was the fourth straight win for the Angels right-hander, who received early offensive help.

Rivera pounded his seventh homer of the season, followed by Napoli's single and a double from Howard Kendrick for a 2-0 Angels lead in the second.

Izturis then had a solo blast in the third, hiking L.A.'s advantage to 3-0.

Kansas City pulled within 4-1 with Alberto Callaspo, who led off the fifth inning with single, scoring the Royals first and only run of the game.

Napoli, who ended 3-for-3 with three runs scored, capped the scoring in the eighth with a two-run blast, as the Angels take the opener of a four-game series.

Santana (5-3) held the Royals to a run and scattered seven hits with six strikeouts for the Angels, who have won five of six overall.

Kansas City's Luke Hochevar (5-3) took the loss after yielding five runs on nine hits over seven innings.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Nadal Holds Off Gritty Bellucci, Reach French Quarters; Jankovic Wins

Posted: 31 May 2010 11:10 PM PDT

Paris, France (AHN) – Four-time champion Rafael Nadal shrugged off a gallant stand by Thomaz Bellucci Monday with a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 win over his Brazilian foe to reach the quarterfinals of the French Open.

It was the 200th win on clay for the second-seeded Nadal, who is bidding to become the second man to win five French Open titles. Tennis great Bjorn Borg holds the record with six.

The former world No. 1 Spaniard lost serve four times in the match, but was able to hold off the spirited challenge by Bellucci to improve to 35-1 at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament.

In the quarterfinals, Nadal is set to face fellow Spaniard No. 19 Nicolas Almagro, who stunned seventh seed Fernando Verdasco, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

In women's play, fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic wrapped up her fourth-round assignment Monday in straight sets against No. 23 Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.

The former world No. 1 Jankovic overcame 11 unforced errors and blasted her opponent 6-4, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals.

She is set to face unseeded Yaroslava Shvedova, who conquered Australia's Jarmila Groth 6-4, 6-3.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

AHN At The Ballpark: Barton RBI Double Helps A’s Forge 2-0 Lead Over Tigers

Posted: 31 May 2010 11:08 PM PDT

Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – Oakland batters collected three straight hits to open the ballgame Monday against Detroit’s Justin Verlander and have taken a 2-0 lead after the first five innings at Comerica Park.

Rajal Davis opened the inning with a single and was doubled home by Daric Barton. Ryan Sweeney’s single put runners at the corner, and Sweeney scored on Kurt Suzuki’s double-play bounceout.

Oakland pitcher Trevor Cahill allowed four hits in the first five innings while fanning three batters.

Verlander, after a shaky start, settled down, allowing just one hit and walking one since the first inning.

Detroit’s Brennan Boesch tried to score from second base on Brandon Inge’s two-out single but was tagged out on a play at the plate by Oakland catcherSuzuki.

The game started more than 2 1-2 hours later than originally scheduled due to thundershowers.

Oakland entered the game at 27-24 with a 2-1 lead in the four-game series with Detroit. The Tigers, who broke a four-game losing streak Sunday with a 10-2 win, are 26-23.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Marlins Use Seven-Run Sixth To Rip Brewers

Posted: 31 May 2010 11:07 PM PDT

Miami, FL, United States (AHN) – The Florida Marlins defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 13-4 Monday afternoon, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning to put the contest away at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida

Right fielder Cody Ross and center fielder Cameron Maybin homered for the Marlins, who tacked on four more runs in the seven to blow things open.

Maybin recorded an inside-the-ball-park homer when he connected off the pitch of Brewers pitcher Marco Estrada in the decisive seventh inning.

Marlins pitcher Nate Robertson was solid on the mound for the Marlins, allowing four runs with three strikeouts over 5 1-3 innings.

Brewers right fielder Corey Hart homered for the Brewers, whose pitching was knocked around throughout.

Brewers pitcher Chris Narveson also struggled in the game, surrendering five runs and two walks.

With Monday's home victory, the Marlins improved their record to 25-26 (14-14 at home), just four games below NL East leader the Philadelphia Phillies (28-21).

Meanwhile, the Brewers dropped to 21-28 (13-13 on the road), 8 games behind NL Central leader Cincinnati Reds (30-21).

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

NBA Teams Wait While LeBron Remains Silent On Future Plans

Posted: 31 May 2010 11:06 PM PDT

Cleveland, OH, United States (AHN) – It’s Cleveland’s version of the famous scene from an Elvis Presley concert where fans are left waiting and wondering whether their hero will play an encore.

Finally, a message blares through the sound system.

Ladies and gentlemen … Elvis, er, LeBron has left the building!

You get the feeling that’s the vibe across the Cleveland area right now, especially in the wake of LeBron James’ first public appearance since the Cavs were ousted from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics in Game 7.

Like Elvis, James also is nicknamed “King” and seemingly attracts intrigue wherever he goes.

James’ latest sighting? He was a judge at a local amateur dunk contest, and reportedly had significantly less interaction with fans than Elvis ever did. Apparently, a few people shouted out and begged James to stay, but mostly fans were afraid to say anything to their home-grown star.

Then again, saying anything that can be construed as directed at LeBron can cost money. Already, two team owners were fined in May for making comments deemed as tampering by the NBA.

The Atlanta Hawks’ Michael Gearon parted with $25,000 for talking about James coming to his team, joining Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban, who was hit for $100,000.

So will it be Chicago? Dallas? New Jersey? New York? Phoenix? Atlanta?

An owner might well consider getting fined for so-called “tampering?” To land LeBron, consider it the cost of doing business.

James hasn’t left the building — yet. But the countdown is in full digital swing.

The ESPN.com LeBron Tracker — which also includes running hours, minutes and seconds — has hit 30 days until his July 1 free agency.

Cavs fans might have to endure, er, enjoy the drama until then.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Lalit Modi hits defamation notice on ECB Chairman

Posted: 31 May 2010 10:29 PM PDT

After giving his answer to the 2nd showcause notification issued by the BCCI, Lalit Modi (suspended IPL chairman) has delivered an opposition hit by registering an insult notification against Jiles Clarke, (ECB Chairman). Modi’s defamation notification has Clarke’s e-mail to Shashank Manohar (BCCI President), where the ECB boss had allegedly blamed Modi of seeking to float a revolt league in England, terminating ICC rules.

The notice apparently has Modi asking for an apology from the ECB Boss, and dismisses all charges against the suspended chairman. Yet, the query is whether the ECB Boss will pay attention to the notice or submit more evidence to undermine Modi’s favor.

Flyers’ Pronger Pushes Back Against Underdog Role

Posted: 31 May 2010 10:59 AM PDT

Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – After being pushed around in a 6-5 loss, Philadelphia Flyers’ defensemen would understandably be a bit testy.

That mood is likely to carry into Monday night’s Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Especially if you ask Chris Pronger, who predictably took personal offense (or maybe defense?) to questions about the Flyers’ play in Game 1.

The media had him bristling about his team being heavy underdogs to the favored Blackhawks.

“Favorite to who? To you guys?” Pronger said at his press conference Sunday. “This crew in here? All that matters is what we think in that locker room. And that’s it. Whether the world is picking them as favorites, we’ve all seen probably one of the most heavily favored Super Bowls, St. Louis against the New England Patriots (in 2002). That didn’t turn out very well, did it? A lot of people lost money on that one.”

“I don’t really buy into the favorites, underdogs, all that. I think from the get-go we believe we can beat that team. Do we need to tighten up a few things and play better defensively? Absolutely. That’s why it’s a best-of-7 series,” he added.

Pronger’s matchup with Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien was one of several subplots for the Flyers defense to address. Byfuglien had his goal streak stopped at five games, but the Flyers learned they need to pay more attention elsewhere across Chicago’s lines.

“There was a lot of talk,” Pronger said. “You guys had a lot to say about him. So I guess we needed to calm that down real quick. I have played in the West for 14 years. I played against him a lot. So it’s not like I’ve been out East for my whole career and never played against the guy. That may have been blown out of proportion.”

Ditto for the Flyers’ goaltender situation. After some speculation that he would be replaced for Game 2, Coach Peter Laviolette announced Michael Leighton would be back between the pipes after allowing five goals and being replaced by Brian Boucher in the opener.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Adidas Defends World Cup Ball ‘Jabulani’ In Light Of Goalkeeper Complaints

Posted: 31 May 2010 10:58 AM PDT

Johannesburg, South Africa (AHN) – Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Spain keeper Iker Casillas recently complained that the ball called “Jabulani,” designed by Adidas for the 2010 World Cup, was too lightweight, making it difficult to control.

Adidas retorted by defending the ball, blaming the lack of control on the altitude.

Casillas called Jabulani, which was released in Dec., a “beach ball” after a 3-2 loss to Saudi Arabia over the weekend.

Company spokesman Thomas van Schaik insisted the ball has been tested thoroughly and given praise by most soccer professionals.

Schail told reporters Monday he believes all balls move erratically at high altitude, where several matches will be played in the competition.

Other players, specifically Adidas spokesmen like Kaka, Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard, have praised the ball’s design and playability.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

Japanese Woman, 18, Makes Impressive Debut For Independent Pro Team

Posted: 31 May 2010 10:52 AM PDT

Chico, CA, United States (AHN) – It might be seen as a publicity stunt, but Eri Yoshida’s performance for the Chico Outlaws proved she could pitch — and hit — against men Saturday night.

Yoshida, an 18-year-old right hander from Japan, was rocked a few times by opposing batters from Los Cimarrones de Tijuana, giving up four runs in three innings. But she started impressively, getting outs against 7 of the first 10 she faced.

Yoshida had one at-bat, too, and delivered a bases-loaded single to drive in a run for the Outlaws, part of the Independent Golden League in which teams are not affiliated with major league clubs. .

She mostly tries to baffle batters with a knuckleball, according to various media reports, and was the first woman to play in an American professional baseball game since Ila Borders in 2000.

She’s listed at 5-foot-1, 115 pounds.

Yoshida has said she learned to throw the knuckleball by watching the Boston Red Sox's Tim Wakefield, At 16, she became the first female drafted by a Japanese pro team.

She played against men in Japan last year, but the league folded, and she took her game to the Arizona Winter League, before making her debut with the Outlaws.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.

India Takes Steps To Rein In Cricket Groups After IPL Fiasco

Posted: 31 May 2010 10:51 AM PDT

New Delhi, India (AHN) – More than a month after the Indian Premier League cricket controversy rocked the country’s favorite sport, the government has decided to start legislative action against cricketing organizations such as the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

The government is contemplating this severe step to make such organizations more accountable under the Societies Registration Act. It is widely believed that the government came away looking impotent when the controversy broke out over financial dealings that took place within the purview of IPL right when its third season was about to conclude.

Minister for Corporate Affairs Salman Khursheed told the Indian Express, "I am looking at whether it is possible to have a central registry for societies that are registered for all-India purposes." The ministry also plans to set up an expert group to carry out a study to facilitate any changes that might result from creation of a registry.

The Societies Registration Act, dating back to 1860, is a model act that was adopted by the states to help them govern the organizations supervising different fields of the society.

Khursheed also informed that the government might also think of changing the Act but all the stakeholders need to reach the same level to realize that.

The need for a further probe into IPL franchisees arose in April when then-IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi was suspended on corruption charges. Since then, the Registrar of Companies has submitted reports on the 10 IPL franchisees to the ministry, which is reviewing the reports. The reports contain information on the bidding process, memoranda of organization, sweat equity and franchise agreements.

Depending upon its analysis of the reports, the ministry could decide whether or not to go for further inspection of the franchisees.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)