Monday, July 5, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

AHN At The Ballpark: Homers Lift Mariners To 7-1 Lead Over Tigers

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – A pair of three homers have sparked the Seattle Mariners to a a 7-1 lead after five innings against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park Sunday.

Russell Branyan’s three-run homer in the top of the third inning and Casey Kotchman’s blast with two runners on in the fifth provided the visitors with a six-run cushion after five innings.

Detroit scored in the bottom of the first off Seattle southpaw Cliff Lee. Austin Jackson led off with a single, went to second on Magglio Ordonez’s single and scored on Miguel Cabrera’s base hit and 69th RBI of the season.

Branyan’s blast was his 12th homer of the season and gave Seattle the lead over Detroit righthander Jeremy Bonderman.

In the bottom of the fourth, Cabrera and Brennan Boesch reached base to open the inning. But Lee retired the next three batters.

Franklin Gutierrez’s RBI single in the top of the fifth padded Seattle’s lead to 4-1. Kotchman then added a three-run homer, his fourth of the season.

Bonderman and catcher Gerald Laird were both ejected after the inning by home plate umpire CB Bucknor for arguing balls and strikes.

Detroit entered the contest at 43-36 after beating the Mariners the first two games of the series. Seattle is 33-47.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

AHN At The Ballpark: Homers, Lee`s Pitching Power M`s Past Tigers

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – A pair of three-run homers and the solid pitching of American League All-Star Cliff Lee lifted the Seattle Mariners to an 8-1 victory against the Detroit Tigers Sunday at Comerica Park.

Russell Branyan’s three-run homer in the top of the third inning and Casey Kotchman’s blast with two runners on in the fifth provided the visitors with a 7-1 advantage after five innings.

Detroit scored in the bottom of the first off Seattle southpaw Cliff Lee. Austin Jackson led off with a single, went to second on Magglio Ordonez’s single and scored on Miguel Cabrera’s base hit and 69th RBI of the season.

Branyan’s blast was his 12th homer of the season and gave Seattle the lead over Detroit righthander Jeremy Bonderman.

In the bottom of the fourth, Cabrera and Brennan Boesch reached base to open the inning. But Lee retired the next three batters.

Franklin Gutierrez’s RBI single in the top of the fifth padded Seattle’s lead to 4-1. Later in the inning, Kotchman added a three-run homer, his fourth of the season.

Bonderman and catcher Gerald Laird were both ejected after the inning by home plate umpire CB Bucknor for arguing balls and strikes.

Jose Lopez singled home Seattle’s eighth run in the top of the eighth.

Lee went eight innings in improving his record to 8-3. He threw 111 pitches including 83 for strikes and scattered nine hits.

He fanned 11 batters and only allowed one walk, perhaps further improving his resume as trade bait.

Brandon League pitched the final inning for Seattle. Bonderman took the loss and is 4-7.

Detroit pitchers allowed a whopping 15 hits.

Detroit fell to 43-37 after beating the Mariners the first two games of the series.

Seattle is 34-47 at the halfway point of the season.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

White Impressed As UFC 116 Undercard Nearly Steals Show

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Shawn Krest – AHN Sports Correspondent

Las Vegas, NV, United States (AHN) – Brock Lesnar and Chris Leben gave impressive performances in winning the main and co-main events of UFC 116 Saturday night in Las Vegas.After the bar set by the undercard, they didn’t really have a choice.

“When we got to the main event, I was like, ‘I need a nap, man.’ I don’t know if I can take the main event,” said UFC President Dana White. “In 10 years being in this business, I’ve never seen guys deliver like they did tonight.”

One Fight of the Night award wasn’t enough for the show. While Leben’s last-minute submission of Yoshihiro Akiyama certainly earned the honor, so did the other bout that shared the award.

Stephan Bonnar got revenge against Krzysztof Soszynski, winning their rematch by TKO in the second round.

Soszynski got the stoppage in their first bout, at UFC 110 in February, when an accidental head butt opened a large cut on Bonnar’s head, forcing doctors to stop the bout.

Bonnar saw his own blood again Saturday night, which he said after the fight let him know it was time to “start fighting.” The cut came from a fight-opening flurry of strikes from Soszynski, who pressured Bonnar heavily in the first round.

The second round opened with a furious exchange of punches and kicks between Bonnar and Soszynski, with Bonnar getting the better of it.

A huge knee from Bonnar sent Soszynski to the mat, and Bonnar finished the fight with at least 3 dozen left hands to the head.

“I knew I’d hurt him, and I just kept throwing punches,” explained Bonnar after the bout.

The referee waved off the bout at 3:08 of the second round.

“You know I like winning ugly, and boy do I look ugly right now,” said Bonnar. “I just told myself, ‘They’re not going to take this from me this time.’”

Bonnar moved to 12-7 with his third career knockout and first since 2007. More importantly, he snapped a three-fight losing streak also dating back to 2007.

Soszynski fell to 21-10-1, suffering his first knockout loss since 2007.

Brock Lesnar’s surprising submission win in the main event may have cost Chris Lytle his fifth straight Bonus Award.

His arm-wrenching submission of Matt Brown was the leader in the clubhouse heading into the main event.

Like Lesnar, Lytle had to survive the first round in order to post his second-round submission. Brown stunned Lytle with a high kick, then took him down into a d’arce choke.

Lytle’s head turned red, then purple as he struggled for nearly 45 seconds before finally slipping out.

“It was really tight,” said Lytle. “I knew I couldn’t get out, so I was just going to sit there, keep my base, and let him get tired. And that’s exactly what happened.”

In the second round, Lytle stunned Brown with a punch, then took him down with a guillotine.

When Brown pulled out of it, Lytle caught him in a triangle choke. He added an armbar to the hold and forced a tap at 2:02 of the second.

“That was my double-submission,” said Lytle. “I’ve hit it once before.”

He defeated Jason Gilliam with a combination triangle/kimura at UFC 73, earning yet another Submission of the Night award.

In the opening bout of the pay-per-view, George Sotiropoulos eanred a unanimous decision over Kurt Pellegrino. Scores were 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

On the Spike TV bouts, Shane Carwin training partner Brendan Schaub knocked out Brock Lesnar sparring partner Chris Tuchscherer at 1:07 of the first round.

Also, Ricardo Romero earned a submission over Seth Petruzelli with a straight armbar at 3:05 of the second round.

Kendall Grove earned a split decision over Goran Reljic. Gerald Harris earned Knockout of the Night with a power slam of Dave Branch at 2:35 of the third.

Daniel Roberts earned a split decision over Forrest Petz, and Jon Madsen got a three-round shutout of Karlos Vemola.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Deuces Wild For UFC`s Leben: Two Fights, Two Bonuses, Two Weeks

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Shawn Krest – AHN Sports Correspondent

Las Vegas, NV, United States (AHN) – If you think you’re enjoying your summer, meet Chris Leben.

Summer is a time for vacation, and in the last two weeks, Leben has twice flown from his Hawaii home for weekends in Las Vegas.

Summer jobs are also a popular warm-weather activity, and Leben has certainly gotten in his work.

Leben’s victory in the co-main event of UFC 116 Saturday night in Las Vegas was his second win in fourteen days.

While the UFC doesn’t have official records on fighter layoffs, it’s believed to be the shortest turnaround between fights since the early days of the organization where they held one-night tournaments.

Leben is a true throwback. Not only did he have two fights in two weeks, but he put on a show in both of them.

Against Aaron Simpson in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 11, Leben earned knockout of the night with a second round stoppage on a huge left hand.

Leben returned home, ready to spend the $25,000 bonus check that came with the knockout award. He claims he was home just long enough to order a pizza, however, before the UFC came calling.

Wanderlei Silva was forced to drop out of his scheduled UFC 116 bout with an injured knee, and Leben’s performance earned him a shot at Yoshihiro Akiyama. So he hopped back on a plane and headed back toward the octagon.

Leben picked up right where he left off, stealing the show with a co-fight of the night performance against Akiyama. That award earned Leben another bonus check, this one for $100,000.

Leben claimed he didn’t do it for the money, however, but for the chance to win in the cage. “I laid in bed last night and cried, because I wanted to win so bad,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “There’s nothing like winning a fight in the UFC. Nothing like it in the world. It’s mind boggling.”

In the early going, it looked like Akiyama might spoil Leben’s encore. Leben was more active striking early in the bout, but Akiyama’s judo throws earned him an edge with several first-round takedowns. He also caught Leben with a mounted triangle in the opening round.

The second round was a highlight show, with no move too outrageous for the two fighters to try. Akiyama connected on a spinning backfist, and Leben responded with a superman punch. Everything connected.

Leben suffered a cut under his eye during a prolonged exchange that occupied the opening minutes of round two. Finally, a Leben left hook dropped Akiyama to the canvas.

Akiyama responded with another throw and front choke attempt, but a Leben striking surge in the waning seconds earned him the round.

All three judges had the bout tied going into the third round, and it looked like Akiyama was on his way to a win for much of the round. A big right hand dropped Leben, and Akiyama spent most of the round on top in Leben’s guard.

Leben attempted an armbar, and as Akiyama tried to pull out, Leben was literally standing on his head trying to tighten the hold.

When Akiyama escaped the hold, Leben attempted to throw elbows and punches from his back, but he couldn’t get out from under Akiyama.

With 36 seconds left, Leben caught Akiyama in a triangle choke and forced a tap out with just 20 seconds remaining in the fight.

The win moved Leben to 21-6, with nearly 10% of his career wins coming in the last two weeks. He notched his fifth submission, second Fight of the Night award, and fourth award bonus.

Akiyama fell to 13-2, losing for the first time since his second career bout in 2005.

After the fight, Leben called out Wanderlei Silva for his next opponent.

What’s everyone doing on July 18? Leben will be ready and it is still summer, after all.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

AHN At The Ballpark: Mariners Crush Tigers Behind Homers, Lee

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – The Detroit Tigers had their fair share of hits against the Seattle Mariners and All-Star pitcher Cliff Lee Sunday.

But the Mariners came up with the key hits including a pair of three-run homers in an 8-1 victory against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Russell Branyan’s three-run homer in the top of the third inning and Casey Kotchman’s blast with two runners on in the fifth provided the visitors with a 7-1 advantage after five innings.

Detroit scored in the bottom of the first off Lee, who will be heading to the All-Star game next week.

Austin Jackson led off with a single, went to second on Magglio Ordonez’s single and scored on Miguel Cabrera’s base hit and 69th RBI of the season.

Branyan’s blast was his 12th homer of the season and gave Seattle the lead over Detroit righthander Jeremy Bonderman.

In the bottom of the fourth, Cabrera and Brennan Boesch reached base to open the inning. But Lee retired the next three batters.

Franklin Gutierrez’s RBI single in the top of the fifth padded Seattle’s lead to 4-1. Later in the inning, Kotchman added a three-run homer, his fourth of the season.

“We looked good at bat,” said Detroit manager Jim Leyland. “We got 10 hits but we didn’t do anything with them.”

Bonderman and catcher Gerald Laird were both ejected after the inning by home plate umpire CB Bucknor for arguing balls and strikes.

“After that one inning, it should have been 4-1, then who knows?” Leyland said. “Bonderman just got frustrated. And it showed.”

Jose Lopez singled home Seattle’s eighth run in the top of the eighth.

Lee went the first eight innings in improving his record to 8-3. He threw 111 pitches including 83 for strikes and scattered nine hits.

He fanned 11 batters and only allowed one walk, appearing all the more appetizing for a contender looking for a top-flight starter.

Brandon League pitched the final inning for Seattle.

Bonderman took the loss and is 4-7. Detroit pitchers allowed 15 hits.

Kotchman, who entered the game batting .194, was 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBI.

“He’s worked hard,” said Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu. “Some of the adjustments he’s made have paid off.”

Detroit fell to 43-37 after beating the Mariners the first two games of the series. Seattle is 34-47 at the halfway point of the season.

“Obviously, there’s been some challenges and disappointments,” Wakamatsu said.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Rose Steadies His Way To Victory At AT&T

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

Newtown Square, PA, United States (AHN) – There was no collapse by Justin Rose at the Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday.

Instead, Rose showed poise over the final seven holes and fought off a back-nine charge by Ryan Moore to win the AT&T National, his second victory on the PGA Tour in the past four weeks.

Rose, who started the day with a four-shot lead, fired an even-par round of 70 for a 10-under 270 total to edge Moore by one shot.

Moore, who shot a marvelous 65, had seven straight one-putt greens on the back nine, including birdies at the 16th and 17th holes to pull within a shot of Rose. But Rose was focused and determined with pars on his final two holes to claim the title.

Moore’s consolation prize was a spot in the British Open at St. Andrews in two weeks. The second place finish put him into that major thanks to his money earnings.

It looked like the victory would be an easy task for Rose when he hit a 251-yard four-wood on the par five ninth hole that stopped three feet from the hole.

He dropped the putt, turned in two-under par 33, went to 12-under par and had what looked like a comfortable five shot lead.

Then Rose and Moore made things interesting. Rose three-putted for bogeys at the 10th and 11th holes.

He had gone 274 holes without a three-putt then had two in a row. He fell back to 10-under and Moore was heating up.

After a birdie at 11 and a bogey at 12, Moore birdied 13 then the par five 16th when he reached the green in two, then made a spectacular birdie two at the difficult par three 17th when his tee shot stopped 12 feet from the hole.

The ball was tucked on the left side of the green and dangerously close to the water hazard.

Moore’s chance for birdie at 18 vanished when he drove into the left rough then put his second in a greenside bunker. He holed a nice 12-footer to finish at nine-under.

For Rose, it was simply a matter of making pars.

He two putted 17 from 20 feet then launched a huge drive at 18. With 114 yards left, he hit a wedge to 20 feet and two putted for victory.

“This was my U.S. Open,” Rose said after his win. “I needed pars down the stretch.”

It was a nervous win for Rose with the memories of the blown lead at the Travelers last week.

“Yeah, it really was,” he said. “But I stayed calm on the back. I walked slower, stayed calm.”

It was Rose’s second victory on the PGA Tour, now he’ll head back home to London, then travel to Scotland and St. Andrews for the Open Championship in two weeks.

Moore, who finished second alone at 271, nine-under, will be in the Open field with Rose.

Jeff Overton finished solo third after a 66 for 272 while Charlie Wi was fourth at 273.

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Mize Wins First On Champions Tour; Has Magic Moment In Montreal

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (AHN) – Larry Mize understands good timing.

He chose the perfect moment for the chip of his life on the 11th hole of the 1987 Masters playoff.

Mize chose the perfect day to shoot his best-ever round on the Champions Tour Sunday at the Montreal Championship.

Mize eagled the 10th hole then birdied 13, 14 and 15 at the Club de Golf Fountainebleau to take his first-ever title on the senior circuit.

His eight-under par 64 gave him a 17-under par total of 199 for the 54-holes, one shot better than second round leader John Cook, who finished second at 200, 16-under.

It was a who’s who of senior golf battling for the title all day. Dan Forsman made a move, Corey Pavin made a move, Fred Couples made a move.

It was a battle of birdies, pars lost ground.

Forsman shot a 65 to post 14-under early then saw Pavin tie him at that number after the Ryder Cup captain finished with a 67.

Fred Couples and Loren Roberts made their bids but came up short down the stretch. They tied at 13-under with Bob Gilder, Jay Haas and D.A. Weibring.

Mize, Forsman and Cook were tied at 14-under but Forsman was out of birdies after 16 holes. Mize then reeled off his three straight birdies at 15-17 to get him to his winning number.

Cook, after birdies at 14 and 15, trailed by a shot with three holes to play but could only manage pars.

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Italy`s Petacchi Rules Crash-Marred Tour De France Stage One

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Brussels, Belgium (AHN) – Italy’s Alessandro Petacchi prevailed in a crash filled Stage 1 of the 2010 edition of the Tour de France Sunday from Rotterdam to Brussels.

Petacchi managed to stay clear of the huge pile-ups in the final few kilometers and held off Mark Renshaw (HTC-Columbia) and Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) to complete the stage in five hours, nine minutes and 38 seconds for his sixth career Tour stage win.

Some of the contenders, including Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara, who captured Saturday’s race, and American champion Lance Armstrong were hampered by the crash but did not lose time.

Cancellara retained the yellow jersey, while Armstrong, who is leading Team RadioShack in his reported final Tour appearance, was 22 seconds behind Cancellara to hold on to fourth overall.

Trailing Cancellara in the overall standings were Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia) followed by David Millar (Garmin-Transitions), Armstrong and Geraint Thomas (Sky).

Last year’s champion Alberto Contador (Astana) retained the sixth spot, five second behind Armstrong.

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Think Link: Chestnut Dominates Nathan`s Tilt Four Straight Years

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Coney Island, NY, United States (AHN) – Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who owns the world record in hot dog eating, gobbled 54 dogs Sunday to win his fourth straight Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The 26-year-old Californian, who ate a world record 68 dogs at last year’s Nathan’s contest, took advantage of the absence of arch rival Takeru Kobayashi and downed 54 dogs in 10 minutes to take home the mustard yellow belt.

Kobayashi, 32, who dominated the most prestigious event on the competitive eating circuit for six years, was taken to the 60th Precinct after trying to upstage the awarding ceremony.

Kobayashi was barred from competing this year after refusing to sign a contract that allegedly took away his freedom.

According to event organizers, it was the same contract he “l-inked” in the previous years.

The Nathan’s Fourth Of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, now on its 95th year, is an annual event that has become part of America’s celebration of independence.

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Disgraced AD Evans Reportedly Out At Georgia

Posted: 04 Jul 2010 05:58 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) – Georgia athletic director Damon Evans, who was arrested and charged with DUI for an alleged incident late Wednesday, reportedly stepped downed from his post Sunday.

The resignation is expected to be announced Monday during a teleconference of UGA’s executive committee, Atlanta Journal Constitution.com reported.

Evans’ new contract was set to kick in at midnight June 30, just minutes after he was pulled over by a state trooper Wednesday night for driving erratically.

Evans, 40, who with a 28-year-old woman in his car at the time of the incident, refused to take a breath analyzer test and was taken to Atlanta’s city jail on charges of DUI and failure to maintain a lane.

His companion, Courtney Fuhrmann was charged with disorderly conduct.

According to reports, Evans, married and with two children, attempted to influence the Georgia State Patrol officer.

In the incident report, Evans was found with a “red a pair of lady’s panties between his legs.”

Evans, who was hired to replace Vince Dooley five years ago, became the first African-American athletics director in the history of the Southern Conference.

Evans was slated to make about $550,000 this year.

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