Saturday, June 5, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz


Schiavone Captures French Open Title; First Italian Woman To Win Grand Slam

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:11 PM PDT

Paris, France (AHN) – Italian Francesca Schiavone finally fulfilled her ultimate dream Saturday, defeating Australian Samantha Stosur 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) to capture her first career Grand Slam title at the French Open.

Schiavone was simply relentless Saturday afternoon in Paris, as she unloaded an array of shots to take her first majors title in 39 grand slam appearances.

The 29-year old Schiavone also became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam finals match since the Open Era began in 1968.

Seeded 17th in the tournament, Schiavone bested several high-profile names – including two-time Grand Slam finalist Elena Dementieva of Russia in the semifinals.

Schiavone set the tone of the match with 26 winners –including 6 aces –with only 19 unforced errors.

Stosur, the favorite to win the title after ousting Serena Williams and Justine Henin, recorded 25 winners (3 aces) but fumbled with 28 miscues.

After Schiavone wrapped up the opening set 6-4, Stosur came out firing with groundstroke and crosscourt beauties to take a 4-1 second set advantage.

Nevertheless, Schiavone responded with her own huge run and finished off Stosur with a backhand in highly-intense tiebreaker.

With the win, Schiavone moves up at No.6, while Stosur stays at No.7 in the WTA world ranking.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Patriots Quarterback Brady Cool, Calm Despite Lack Of New Pact

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:10 PM PDT

Boston, MA, United States (AHN) – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has remained calm and cool despite an uncertain future with his team, a major sports outlet reported Saturday.

For the first time in his career, Brady is entering the final year of his contract without an extension being offered.

Brady, who signed a six-year deal with the Patriots in 2005, has not yet received an extension due to a reported impasse in their contract talks.

Apparently, Brady has dealt with the situation very well without showing signs of frustration regarding the matter.

“Things happen. Some are out of your control,” Brady told ESPN Friday following a charity football game in Boston. “You just have to go with the flow.”

Meanwhile, Patriots owner Robert Kraft has remained optimistic of re-signing their premier quarterback sooner.

“Let’s put it like this: Tom Brady is going to be part of this franchise. He wants to be, we want him,” Kraft told ESPN on March 22.

At 32, Brady remains one of the finest quarterbacks in the league with five Pro Bowls and three Super Bowl titles on his resume.

Brady has tossed 225 career touchdowns to just 99 interceptions for a 99.3 quarterback rating.

Last season, Brady was named the 2009 Comeback Player of the Year with his solid performance after an injury-marred 2008 season.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Scioscia: Angels’ Abreu Among Game’s Best Players

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:09 PM PDT

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim right fielder Bobby Abreu received an endorsement from his team manager Mike Scioscia on his bid to join the baseball Hall of Fame, a Los Angeles newspaper reported Friday.

The 51-year-old Scioscia said Abreu, with his remarkable plate discipline, should be a worthy candidate for the Hall of Fame.

Abreu, a two-time MLB all-star, has been known as a disciplined batter for 13 seasons in the MLB.

Last year, the Venezuelan slugger topped the American League in percentage of pitches thrown to (67 percent) and had the fourth lowest percentage of swinging at the first pitch (9.5 percent).

Scioscia insisted that baseball followers should look beyond hits and batting average to appreciate Abreu, who previously starred for the Yankees and Phillies.

Abreu, averaging .299 with 500 doubles, 262 homers and 1214 RBI in his career, might not appear legitimate just yet for the Hall of Fame.

A few more 100 RBI campaigns, like the eight he has already piled up, and Abreu could change some minds.

For Scioscia, Abreu’s greatness can be found beyond the box score, however.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Hornets Hire Monty Williams As Next Coach

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:08 PM PDT

New Orleans, LA, United States (AHN) – The New Orleans Hornets have finally ended their coaching hunt with Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams, a major sports outlet reported Saturday.

The Hornets reportedly picked Williams as their next head coach after Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau reportedly backed off from the post .

Sources reported the Hornets are expected to announce their decision tentatively Saturday.

Williams, who spent five seasons under head coach Nate McMillan, was instrumental to the Blazers' playoff resurgence.

The 38- year old Williams becomes the youngest coach in league's history, surpassing Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra (39).

Williams edged out some notable head coaches and assistants – including ex-Mavericks coach Avery Johnson for the Hornets' coaching post.

Williams replaced Hornets general manager Jeff Bower, who coached the team for 73-games after firing Byron Scott early in the regular-season.

Reports indicated Williams' contract will last for three years.

Meanwhile, Thibodeau is reportedly interested in coaching vacancies of the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets.

Thibodeau is seen as the man behind the Celtics' stifling defense, which keyed them to their second finals stint in three seasons.

Deaf Pitcher Ketchner Within Step Of Making Baseball History

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:07 PM PDT

Rochester, NY, United States (AHN) – Ryan Ketchner has waited eleven years for a promotion to Major League Baseball, but Major League Baseball has been waiting more than a century for Ryan Ketchner.

Ketchner, a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers AAA farm team, the Toledo Mud Hens, was born deaf. Hearing aids in each ear give him about 10 percent of an average person's hearing.

They allow him to at least be aware someone is speaking and help with his outstanding lip-reading skills. Still, applause–and boos–from the crowd, calls of "I've got it," on pop flies, and even the crack of the bat are lost on Ketchner.

"The only real problem we've seen, communication-wise, is him getting over to cover first on ground balls to the right side," said Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish, a former big league All Star.

In Friday night's start against the Rochester Red Wings, a Minnesota Twins affiliate, Ketchner didn't get to first in time, colliding with the runner and the first baseman who had fielded the ball.

It was one of the few glitches, as Ketchner silenced the Wings bats over six shutout innings.

"He leads the league in tackles," said Toledo pitching coach A.J. Sager of Ketchner's late arrival to the bag. Both Parish and Sager list Ketchner's inability to hear the crack of the bat as a possible reason that he's a step late getting started.

Other than that, it's business as usual for the hearing-impaired hurler. He gets no special treatment.

"The catcher has to take off his mask so I can read lips when he comes out to the mound to talk to me," said Ketchner, "but he does that for everyone. And the pitching coach might need to talk a little slower for me."

In fact, a Ketchner-pitched game looks like any other, with maybe fewer base runners than an average pitcher. Most fans in the stadium are unaware that they are seeing a baseball rarity.

Ketchner,28, is with his fourth organization since turning pro in 2000. He has made it to AAA with Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and now Detroit.

A win Friday night moved him to 2-2 on the year with a 2.83 ERA. He was 2-0, 0.56 in a brief promotion to Toledo at the end of last season.

His Mud Hens tenure is the first time he has enjoyed sustained success at the AAA level, which puts him one step away from the majors.

Should Ketchner take that step, he'd be the first deaf big leaguer since 1908. Luther Taylor, who won 116 games for the Indians and Giants, was the last.

Showing just how long ago that was, Taylor's nickname, like many deaf players at the start of the twentieth century, was "Dummy."

One of the legends about Taylor's big league tenure claims that his manager with the Giants learned sign language. One game, an umpire who was also fluent in sign realized that the pair were complaining about his calls and ejected both from the game.

Ketchner has never had a manager or pitching coach who could sign, although he looks forward to the possibility, saying that it would save them from having to take a trip to the mound to give advice.

Ketchner's ability to read lips gives him another advantage, as well as a legend of his own. Supposedly, he can eavesdrop on conversations in opposing dugouts by reading lips across the diamond.

"Sometimes," admitted Ketchner, breaking into a wide mischievous grin. "The dugouts are a little far apart at this level, but in the lower minors, I could do it. My teammates would crowd around me asking, 'What are they saying.'"

Did he ever pick up anything he could use in a game? The grin got even wider, if that's possible. "Sometimes," he said.

Curtis Pride, an outfielder for the Tigers and five other teams from 1993 to 2006, is the only deaf position player (i.e. non-pitcher) in the last 60 years. Pride served as an inspiration to Ketchner.

"I never knew that there was someone like me in baseball," said Ketchner. "Then someone at my father's work told him, and we went to see him play in a spring training game. I was in eighth grade."

The two didn't meet until a few years later, when Ketchner was in high school. "He came to see me pitch," said Ketchner, his chest swelling with pride even more than a decade later. "He told me it was up to me. I could do it."

Ketchner has taken the torch from Pride and now serves as an athletic role model for thousands of hearing-impaired children around the country. Groups of deaf children frequently attend his games, and Ketchner makes several appearances to meet with them on off days.

Every player in AAA wants to make it to the majors, but Ketchner feels a responsibility to serve as an example for the deaf community. "I want to show them they can do anything. Hopefully it will happen someday."

The trip has been slowed by injury. When Ketchner started in the minors, he had a fastball in the 90-92 mph range. However, he needed "Tommy John" surgery to replace a ligament in his elbow, which caused him to miss the entire 2005 season.

When he returned, his fastball was gone, and Ketchner had to learn to rely on his offspeed pitches.

"He throws a good curve and change-up," said Parrish, "which gets the hitters off balance and makes that 86 mph fastball look that much faster when he comes with it."

Just another hurdle for an athlete who has cleared far higher ones.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


University Of Georgia Football Season Ticket Prices Falling

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:06 PM PDT

Athens, GA, United States (AHN) – The University of Georgia once again cut football ticket prices primary due to a worsening economy and a disappointing 2009 season, a school official confirmed Thursday.

The Georgia Bulldogs will drop football ticket prices for the second consecutive year.

UGA associate athletic director Alan Thomas said the anticipated decrease in ticket prices is due to a continuing lag in the economy and the football team's disappointing stint last season.

Thomas added these factors led to high number of ticket cancellations and a drop in donations for the school's "Hartman Fund."

Thomas, in a report first on ajc.com, also explained the gradual increase of non-renewal ticket holders had a great impact on the decrease in ticket price.

Even though the Bulldogs topped the preseason rankings in 2008, the school still recorded 804 non-renewal ticket holders and the number almost doubled in 2009 with 1,560.

This year, officials recorded 2,021 non-renewals, making it one of the most unproductive offseasons for the Bulldogs in ticket sales.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Falcons Lineman Ojinnaka Suspended One Game For Battery Arrest

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 01:04 PM PDT

Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) – The NFL imposed a one-game suspension without pay on Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Quinn Ojinnaka for breaching the league's personal conduct policy, multiple sources reported Friday.

Ojinnaka, 25, will not suit up with the Falcons in their season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 12.

NFL officials confirmed Ojinnaka's suspension will start on September 4 and ends on September 13, the date he will be eligible to join the Falcons' active roster.

Gwinnett County police charged Ojinnaka with simple battery after the offensive tackle reportedly tossed his wife out of their Suwanee residence in May 2009.

Ojinnaka insisted it was just a form of self-defense after his wife attempted to stab him with a sharp pen.

The NFL said Ojinnaka is eligible to attend preseason training, despite the suspension.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Bodine Pulls Out Sixth Texas Truck Win

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 03:40 AM PDT

Fort Worth, TX, United States (AHN) – Todd Bodine certainly has his Texas Two-step down.

In the midst of a 24-race win-less streak, Bodine used a green-white-checker finish and drove away from the field in the final two laps to win Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

“They made me earn it three times tonight, four times actually,” said Bodine. “I knew I had to get a good restart and fortunately I got a good one.”

The win, the 18th of his career, was Bodine’s sixth of his career at Texas and came after Matt Crafton and Timothy Peters’ accident brought out the yellow and a green-white-checker finish.

Following Bodine across the finish line was Johnny Sauter, polesitter Austin Dillon, Mike Skinner and Ken Schrader.

“It was just a great night,” said Sauter. “We weren’t the greatetst truck tonight but on the long run we were pretty fast. It was a great points night.”

Four-time champion Ron Hornaday, who finished ninth, appeared to have the only truck on the track capable of battling Bodine, but Hornaday pulled up lame in the final two laps as the lead pack sped by.

With seven laps to go and nine trucks on the lead lap on a restart, Hornaday pulled under Bodine for the pass, but Bodine passed Hornaday back on the next turn and was out front with five laps to go when Peters and Crafton brought out the caution.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Kyle Busch On Pole At Pocona

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 03:39 AM PDT

Long Pond, PA, United States (AHN) – The Busch Brothers are taking turns exchanging the spotlight these days and Friday was Kyle’s turn.

After older brother Kurt Busch won last week at Charlotte, baby brother Kyle stepped up Friday and grabbed the pole for Sunday’s Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway.

“I've documented before that this is a place I struggle at. Running well here means a lot and having Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and the guys bring a great piece to the race track,” said Busch. “You can beat your head against the head rest for almost a minute in a lap. When you have a good race car and you can run around there, you really look forward to coming in the next corner to do what you need to do to get through there. Of course when there's guys in front of you, you're chasing them down just trying to lead."

Busch, who will make his 200th NASCAR’s Cup Series start, turned a lap of 169.485 mph to edge Clint Bowyer (169.138 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (169.097 mph) for the front spot.

Kurt Busch qualified fourth and was followed by three-time Pocono winner Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Juan Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon.

“Well the car was pretty good for the practice run and then when we went to go qualifying, I figured it had a little more grip because of the temperature and all being down being late in the afternoon, but the balance was about the same if not a little bit freer,” said Junior. “It was really good when we put it in qualifying trim during practice. I felt really happy about that.”

Those failing to make the race were Ted Musgrave in Robby Gordon’s No. 7 Toyota and Terry Cook in James Finch’s No. 09 Chevrolet. Gordon was racing his off-road truck in the Baja 500 in Mexico and tried to qualify the car with Musgrave.

Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved.


Report: Minority Hiring In Women`s Basketball On Upswing

Posted: 05 Jun 2010 02:52 AM PDT

Tom Spousta – AHN Sports Reporter

Palm Harbor, FL, United States (AHN) – Among other issues, the Black Coaches & Administrators Association monitor minority hiring in college sports, and when it comes to women’s basketball, the organization praised the progress of recent years.

The group released its “Hiring Report Card” for women’s hoops Thursday, and grades showed a strong upward trend.

Some of the highlights from report coming out of the national convention at Innisbrook Resort this week:

— In three years, the number of minority head coaches at women’s basketball programs jumped from 8 to 28 among the 120 schools graded.

— Last year, there were six openings, and four were filled by minorities, with two going to black women.

— Four of those six schools received an ”A.” (Southern Cal got an ”F” because it didn’t respond to the survey, although the Trojans did hire former Los Angeles Lakers player Michael Cooper, who’s black; Oregon was given a ”D” because it didn’t interview one minority candidate and didn’t have any minorities on the job search committee.” Paul Westhead, a white coach with experience in the NBA and college, got the Ducks job.)

The report card was compiled by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida.

“Four out of six is awesome,” Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches & Administrators, was quoted as saying by The St. Petersburg Times. “We’ve done extremely well. The last three years have just been great.”

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

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