Sunday, July 18, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Yankees’ Bullpen Steps In For Pettitte, New York Tops Rays

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 09:40 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor Bronx, NY, United States (AHN) – Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each drove in two runs, as the New York Yankees overcame the departure of injured Andy Pettitte with a 9-5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the rubber match of a three-game set Sunday.

Pettitte is likely headed to the disabled list after leaving in the top of the third inning with a strained left groin.

The Yankees left-hander reportedly sustained the least severe kind of groin injury, according to an MRI Sunday.

Pettitte, who struggled in his last start against Tampa Bay in an 8-6 loss on May 20th, left Sunday's contest at Yankee Stadium after allowing three runs.

The Yankees bullpen picked up the slack with five pitchers taking the hill after Pettitte departed.

Chan-Ho Park (2-1) picked up the win after hurling 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief, while Mariano Rivera threw one pitch for the final out in a non-save situation.

Rays starter David Price (12-5) was saddled with the loss after yielding a season-high seven runs on seven hits over five innings.

The victory was the 10th in 12 attempts for the Yankees (58-33), who moved three games ahead of Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Catchings Powers Fever Overtime Win Vs. Liberty

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 09:25 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor New York, N.Y., United States (AHN) – Tamika Catchings accounted for nine of the Fever's 11 points in overtime, as Indiana outlasted the New York Liberty 84-81 Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Catchings paced the Fever with 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Katie Douglas added 21 points and Ebony Hoffman chipped in 15 markers for the Fever (13-7).

The victory enabled Indiana to move atop the Eastern Conference, percentage points ahead of Atlanta. The Fever boasts a .650 winning percentage.

The Liberty was paced by Cappie Pondexter, who poured in a franchise record and career-high 40 points and added six boards and seven helpers.

But the huge effort by the three-time WNBA All-Star guard failed to help New York extend its winning streak to three games.

With less than a minute remaining in the final quarter, Catchings drilled a three-pointer that tied the game at 73-all and sent it to an extra session.

Louis Oosthuizen Heading For An Unlikely Open title

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 09:56 AM PDT

Louis Oosthuizen

Louis Oosthuizen

Louis Oosthuizen the South African may turn out to be the surprise winner of the British Open having maintained his 4-stroke midway in to the final round. Oosthuizen quite made up for the first bogey of the day by taking his overall score to 16 under.

He rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt after driving the green at a 352-yard 9th hole. In spite of the fact that he had made the cut only once after playing 8 major championships, he seemed to have given his counterparts a lot of work to do, chasing his 15 under 201.

The only strong contender at 205 is Paul Casey, who might pull of a British win after 11 yrs. Martin Kaymer of Germany at 208 is the only golfer within 7-strokes.

A warm & calm environment welcomed the early starters who were able to pick up some low numbers. Rickie Fowler of U.S.A birdied the last 2 holes for a 67, same as Alvaro Quiros while Trevor Immelman & Edoardo Molinari shot a pair of 68s each.

Tiger Woods however faced hard luck as in spite of changing from a Nike Method putter to his old Scotty Cameron putter. The greens seemed to be his main problem as now facing a 12-shot deficit and with a double bogey at no.4 has hampered his chances of winning his 3rd straight Open title.

It's unlikely for anyone to ever win with more than 10-shot deficit in the final round of a major championship. As such a Louis Oosthuizen win though surprising seems inevitable.

Oosthuizen Marches To Runaway Victory At Open Championship

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 07:14 AM PDT

Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom (AHN) – The Champion Golfer of the Year is Lodewicus Theodorus Oosthuizen.

Sunday, he was simply Cool Hand Louie.

Oosthuizen, who led the 139th Open Championship at St. Andrews by four shots going into the final 18 holes, was cool, steady and totally in control of his game. His one-under par 71 made him a runaway winner by seven shots over second-place Lee Westwood.

The winning total of 272 was 16-under par for his four historic trips around the Old Course.

From the first hole on, it was evident there would be no collapse.

There would be no downfall akin to the 1999 disaster of Jean van de Velde at Carnoustie. Oosthuizen would not falter as Dustin Johnson did early in the final round of the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach last month.

This was Oosthuizen’s day and his alone.

He had a chance to backslide at the eighth hole when he missed the green, chipped to 10 feet and missed the par putt. He fell back to 14-under and led Paul Casey by only three shots.

But the willowy 27-year-old South African fought back in a big way at the ninth.

He drove the green on the par four then holed a 30-footer for an eagle two and was on his way. He shot a one-under par 35 on the front, led Casey by four and it was evident there would be no challenge to him.

His march to history would become easier at the par four 12th when the entire scope of the day changed drastically.

Casey’s drive found the gorse left of the green and he would fall out of contention with a triple-bogey seven. Oosthuizen holed a 16-footer for birdie to get to 17-under, saw his lead swell to eight shots and made the walk into history a casual stroll.

“At 12, it was a huge turn,” the new major champion said as he waited to hold the iconic Claret Jug trophy. “From there it was tough to keep focus.”

From that point he simply parred every hole until he played the difficult Road Hole, the 17th, and was conservative with a simple bogey. He drove the green at 18, lagged his putt 10 feet short then put himself a foot away for the winning par putt.

The man no one expected to win put himself in golf’s history books. He joined other famous South African winners of the Claret Jug — Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Ernie Els,” Oosthuizen said often this week. He is a product of the Ernie Els Youth Foundation for aspiring South African youngsters.

Oosthuizen hopes to follow Els example and aspires to help other young golfers in his country.

The soft spoken man is well liked. “He’s one of the nicest guys on tour,” said his countryman, Retief Goosen, a two-time winner of the U.S. Open. “He is a young man with an old head. He’ll handle this well, I can see him winning a few more.”

Oosthuizen, the son of a Mossel Bay farmer. thanked everyone, Els, his parents, his sponsors.

And he was quick to add one more name to his list as he accepted the Claret Jug.

“I want to wish,” he said, “a happy birthday to Nelson Mandela.”

It said a lot about the new Open champion.

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Serena To Undergo Surgery To Mend Cut On Right Foot

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Serena Williams will miss the entire World Team Tennis season following foot surgery to mend a cut on her right foot. She sustained the injury by stepping on broken glass at a restaurant.

“I’m so upset I won’t be able to play in the upcoming events because of this foot surgery,” Williams said on her Web site. “Thank you for all of your support.”

Williams, 28, will miss four matches for the Washington Kastles but should be back in time for the U.S. Open.

The Wimbledon champion is having an otherwise successful 2010, having also won the Australian Open in January.

However, Williams did get stunned by Aussie Samantha Stosur at the French Open and spent most of the spring season recovering from a left knee injury.

The California native will have a chance to make it three out of four majors with the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 30.

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Berra Misses Yanks Old-Timers Day After Fall

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – New York Yankee great Yogi Berra was forced to miss Saturday’s 64th annual Old-Timers’ Day after a fall in his home Friday night.

Berra, 85, was supposed to be honored along with the rest of the 1950s Yankees, who won a record five World Series in a row.

The absence of Berra further dampened the mood after the passing of announcer Bob Sheppard and owner George Steinbrenner earlier this week.

“Obviously there are two great Yankees who are missing,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi told MLB.com. “And not seeing Yogi here today is a little bit different. We see Yogi on a regular basis, but it’s always great to see him at an Old-Timers Day.”

Berra’s family released a statement:

“Yogi fell down last night near our house [in Montclair], and suffered some bruises,” Berra’s family said in the statement. “He is now recovering at home.

“He is extremely disappointed he is unable to participate in today’s Old-Timers ceremonies and see so many of his friends. He appreciates all the well-wishes and hopes to be up and about very soon.”

The Hall of Fame catcher won 10 World Series and 14 pennants with the Yankees from 1946-63. He also managed the Yankees to a World Series loss against the Cardinals in 1964.

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Edwards Dumps Keselowski For Win

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter

Madison, IL, United States (AHN) – Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are at it again.

In the final inches of Saturday night’s Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Nationwide race, Edwards spun out Keselowski coming down the front stretch to capture the checkered flag.

This latest tangle may have championship repercussions as Keselowski is the front-runner for the championship, but right behind him is Edwards, a former Nationwide Series champion.

Keselowski and Edwards’ tangles have been well-documented, and when Edwards sent Keselowski’s ride airborne at Atlanta, it prompted NASCAR to force a mandatory meeting of the minds between the two.

The two had played nice and been personable for some time, but Edwards’ latest move may have brought the feud back.

Running on the track, Gateway International Raceway, that the Missouri native calls his home track, Edwards led 38 laps on the evening, but it was Keselowski who had the car to beat as he led a race-best 136 laps before Edwards stole the victory at the end.

Reed Sorenson took third and was followed by pole-sitter Trevor Bayne and Paul Menard.

Steve Wallace, whose family hails from nearby St. Louis, ran sixth, and rounding out the top-10 were Colin Braun, Brian Scott, Josh Wise and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

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Former UNC Great Dean Smith Dealing With Memory Loss

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Charlotte, NC, United States (AHN) – Former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Dean Smith is reportedly suffering from memory loss as detailed in a letter from his family to the University.

“What other people may have noticed — and what has been speculated about recently in the media — is that our dad may not remember quite like he used to,” the statement said. “It’s a stark contrast, because he is widely known for remembering a name, a place, a game, a story — it’s what made other people feel like they were special, because our dad remembered everything.”

Smith has a progressive neurocognitive disorder that makes it difficult to collect and consolidate short and long-term memories.

The 79-year old won two national championships coaching Carolina from 1961 to 1997 and retired as college basketball’s all-time leader with 879 wins.

Though since eclipsed by Bob Knight, the legendary coach’s name still echoes through the gyms and weight rooms at UNC.

“Throughout his career, he has always preferred the spotlight be on the Carolina basketball program and the University, rather than himself,” Smith’s family said. “We hope that you will understand and respect his wishes.”

Current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was an assistant for 10 years under Smith, who was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.

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NHL`s Legal Fees Soar; Commissioner Bettman`s Pay Increases To $7M

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

New York, N.Y., United States (AHN) – The National Hockey League, in a most recent tax filing, reportedly revealed to have increased its legal cost to 48.6 percent during the fiscal year of July 2008-June 2009.

According to Sports Business Journal.com, it climbed to $3.94 million that season.

During that span, the league concluded a lawsuit with the Madison Square Garden over the New York Rangers’ digital rights.

Under league rules, MSG was supposed to have paid legal fees associated with the said case.

The league also began a bankruptcy trial over the Phoenix Coyotes in May 2009.

Compensation of senior executives also soared by 64 percent during that span, to $9.9 million, with commissioner Gary Bettman’s total compensation increasing to $7.23 million during the same period.

It reportedly translates to a 1.7 percent increase in the total compensation for Bettman, whose base compensation totaled $5,529,491.

At first glance, Bettman appeared to earn more than many NHL stars and received more than what many perceived.

But according to the Sports Business Journal report, Bettman is actually making less than his counterparts in other sports.

Bud Selig reportedly receives about $18.35 million, Roger Goodell gets $10.9 million, while David Stern is estimated to make more than $10 million.

Apart from the dues from 30 member teams, income from licensing, playoff assessments and fines, the NHL generated about $74 million in total revenue for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

During that period, the league recorded a total $75.7 million in expenses, with the largest expenditures attributed to employee salaries at about $20 million followed by executive compensation (9.9 million).

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Suns Turkoglu Undergoes Gall Bladder Surgery

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 05:09 AM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Istanbul, Turkey (AHN) – Recently acquired Phoenix Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu underwent gall bladder surgery in his native Turkey recently, but is not expected to miss any extended amount of time.

Turkoglu, who was acquired for Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones, was practicing with his country’s national team for the upcoming World Championships.

Suns head coach Alvin Gentry did not seem worried about the surgery, which may come into play when Turkoglu undergoes his physical.

“We checked with the doctors, and it’s a minor procedure. He [was] just having some gallstones removed,” Gentry told the Arizona Republic. “He’s supposed to be playing in three to four days and has been cleared to travel next week.”

Turkoglu won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award for the 2007-08 NBA season and averaged career-highs in points per game (19.5), rebounds per game (5.7) and assists per game (5.0) in all 82 regular season games.

The 31-year-old, 6-foot-10 forward had a disappointing 2009-10 season in Toronto where he averaged just 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

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