Monday, September 27, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Jimmie Johnson Bounces Back With Dover Win

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter

Dover, DE, United States (AHN) – Four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson didn’t take long to put the naysayers to rest.

Johnson, who struggled last week in the first race of The Chase at New Hampshire, led 191 of 400 laps in winning Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway.

“It feels great. Last week didn’t turn out the way we wanted, but that’s racing,” said Johnson. “We’re in the middle of this thing and I’m really, really excited. We did a great job today and we were in the right position.”

Fellow Chase driver Jeff Burton didn’t lead any laps, but he brought home a runner-up finish and Joey Logano was third, while Chasers Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Chaser Kyle Busch led 46 laps and finished sixth, while non-Chasers Paul Menard and Ryan Newman ran seventh and eighth respectively.

Points leader Denny Hamlin finished ninth, but was happy about a top-10 finish at a place that has hamstrung him in past years.

“It was a decent day. It was a good fight. This is what we needed to do to get by this weekend,” said Hamlin. “This is a huge obstacle for us. This has kind of bitten us in The Chase the past few years.”

AJ Allmendinger, who led a career-best 143 laps, ran 10th, while Chaser and four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon ran 11th, a finish that dropped him four positions in the points standings.

As for the remaining Chase drivers, Kevin Harvick finished 15th, Matt Kenseth ran 18th, Greg Biffle was 19th, Tony Stewart ran 21st and Clint Bowyer was 25th.

Two races into The Chase and with eight races remaining, Hamlin leads the points standings by 35 points over Johnson, while Kyle Busch is third and brother Kurt Busch is fourth. Harvick is fifth and followed by Edwards.

Burton, Gordon, Biffle, Stewart, Kenseth and Bowyer make up the final six points positions in The Chase as the series heads to Kansas next Sunday.

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Santiago Homer Sparks Tigers To Win Over Twins In Home Finale

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

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John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – He’s not feared much as a home run hitter.

But Detroit shortstop Ramon Santiago picked a fine time to belt his third homer of the season.

Home runs by Santiago and first baseman Miguel Cabrera provided all the firepower the Detroit Tigers needed Sunday for a 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park.

Santiago belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning off Minnesota’s Brian Duensing to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead over the Twins.

It was Santiago’s third home run of the season.

“It felt great,” he said. “We had a good crowd here, last game at home. It was a slider that was right there. I just tried to be aggressive. Finally I got a good pitch and I hit it out.”

The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth when Minnesota’s Delmon Young belted his 19th home run of the season. It was Young’s 14th home run on the road this year.

Cabrera padded Detroit’s lead in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run homer and his 38th roundtripper of the season.

Winning pitcher Rick Porcello, 10-11, allowed one run on four hits, walking one and striking out five. Jose Valverde pitched the final inning for Detroit.

Porcello allowed four hits in eight innings of work striking out five and walking one. He has won five straight games.

“I have to focus on doing my job,” Porcello said. “I’ve had an up-and-down season this year.”

Duensing, 10-3, took the loss.

It was the final home game of the season for the Tigers, 79-75. They have won 52 games at Comerica, a season record.

“We’ve played really good here at home and set a record,” Santiago said. “Hopefully we’ll carry that into next season and will come focused and try to make it.”

Detroit also completed a three-game sweep over the Twins.

“I really wanted to win this last game,” said Detroit manager Jim Leyland. “It’s hard to sweep that team. Fortunately, we got it done.”

“They’re trying to win second place in our division,” said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. “I’ve talked to a lot of people and that means a lot to them.”

Minnesota, 92-63 has already clinched the American League Central Division title.

Gardenhire, who was hit in the right ear by a ball thrown by Alexi Casilla during pregame drills Saturday, said in a pregame interview that he was OK after undergoing extensive tests.

The gritty skipper managed Sunday’s game.

“I didn’t even know where it came from to tell you the truth until after the fact,” Gardenhire said.

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Romo Sharp As Cowboys Stop Texans In Their Tracks

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

Houston, TX, United States (AHN) – Avoiding their first 0-3 start in nearly two decades, the Dallas Cowboys rode 284 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Tony Romo to a 27-13 defeat over the upstart Houston Texans Sunday afternoon.

Romo went an efficient 23-for-30 and posted a 127.6 QB rating, his highest single-game rating since Week 7 of last season.

Roy Williams, somewhat of a disappointment since being acquired to replace Terrell Owens in 2008, collected five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cowboys, who lead the league in number of passing plays, went to a more balanced offense in the win with 30 pass plays and 27 rushes.

Marion Barber had 17 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown and Felix Jones managed seven carries for 43 yards to pace the run game.

Dallas also stayed turnover-free while forcing a fumble and two interceptions from Matt Schaub and the Texans.

Schaub went 23-for-32 for 241 yards and touchdown, but the Cowboys limited No. 1 receiver Andre Johnson to four catches for 64 yards. Breakout back Arian Foster had 17 carries for 106 yards.

Dallas (1-2) has its bye week before facing the Titans Oct. 10 at home.

Houston (2-1) heads to Oakland to face the Raiders in Week 4.

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Jim Furyk Is $11 Million Ultimate Survivor At Tour Championship

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

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Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

Atlanta, GA, United States (AHN) – The Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup and an $11 million payday came down to the final hole Sunday in a pouring rain storm and 230 soggy yards standing between Jim Furyk and golf’s ultimate double-double.

Furyk held a one-shot lead over Luke Donald standing on the 72nd hole at the East Lake Golf Club, the tournament and the big cup on the line. All he had to do was find a way to make a par three in the rain that deluged the field all afternoon.

His tee shot ended up in a greenside bunker and with $11 million worth of pressure on his shoulders, he calmly produced a superb sand shot that stopped two feet from the hole. The normally reserved Furyk sank the putt then pumped both fists in the air and let out a victory scream.

“It’s special,” Furyk said after his third victory of the season, the biggest non-major win of his career. “I felt confident, I nipped it perfect with my 60-degree wedge, I heard the roar and knew it was good.”

His final hole par gave him a round of 70, even par and the winning eight-under par 272 total.

Donald looked on as Furyk did what kept him going all week — scrambling for a par. “I’m a little bit disappointed,” Donald confided. “It was a tough, horrible day. Unfortunately I came up one shot short.”

The conditions were horrible indeed. Play was suspended just after 1 p.m. with Nick Watney making a charge for the second day in a row. He had made the turn with a spectacular 30 on the front nine and looked as if he’d catch Furyk.

But when play resumed a little less than two hours later, Watney’s magic vanished.

“I lost some mojo sitting in the clubhouse,” Watney said of the delay. “From where I was, I’ll take the finish.” He shot 10-under for the weekend but struggled on the final five holes.

He failed to par the 15th, a reachable par five then bogeyed 16 and 17, shot 67 and finished tied for fourth with Paul Casey at 275, five-under.

Furyk held the lead when the rain delay hit. He then made his win possible with a 14-foot birdie putt at the 11th hole and another birdie at the 15th, when he hit the par five in two and two-putted for birdie to get to 10-under and forged a three-shot lead.

But with the rain pouring down, the final three holes were playing beyond difficult. He was well short of the 16th in two and and couldn’t make his par putt there then he missed from eight feet for par at the long 17th.

That set the stage for the drama at 18.

“Riveting,” is how PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem described the atmosphere and tension that carried to that final hole.

Everything had set up well for Furyk to claim the FedEx title if he won the tournament.

Matt Kuchar bogeyed the final hole for a 71 and finished tied for 25th at five-over par 293 which meant the win would give Furyk the works.

Kuchar still finished second in the race for the FedEx Cup and claimed a $3 million consolation prize from the bonus pool. “I was disconcerned with the FedEx Cup,” Kuchar admitted after his round. “I played hard but it wasn’t a good week for me.”

It was a great week for Furyk. He was perfect in sand saves and it was the sand save at the end that preserved his win.

He put together a U.S. Open-like performance, he led the field in hitting greens in regulation.

But in the end, he survived the nasty elements, the difficult shots, the testy conditions and won what seemed to be golf’s version of “Survivor.”

Furyk’s game echoed the “Survivor” slogan.

He outwitted the field, keeping his wits about him when conditions were eliminating others from contention.

He out-lasted the other contenders, making keys saves at opportune moments.

Most of all, he out-played the field and recorded three wins in one season for the first time in his career and made his bid for Player of the Year honors.

“I worked hard,” said Furyk. “I came in firing on all cylinders — what a special year!”

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Cochran Wins Second Straight Champions Tour Event

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter

Cary, NC, United States (AHN) – Russ Cochran said before the final round of the SAS Championship he was unfamiliar with having a four-shot lead.

“I don’t have any experience with a four-shot lead so I don’t know what to expect,” Cochran said.

He did have enough golf experience to hang on for a two-shot victory over Tom Pernice Jr. Cochran birdied the 16th and 17th holes at the Prestonwood Country Club.

He finished the day with a one-under par 71 and a 14-under par total of 202.

Pernice closed with a 68 but still came up short of Cochran, who now has two straight victories on the Champions Tour.

The left-hander from Paducah, Ky., made the turn even par for the day but bogeyed the 12th hole. He made three straight pars then his back-to-back birdies that paved the way for victory.

John Cook finished four shots back at 206. Bernhard Langer fell short of his sixth victory of the year but rallied with a 68 in the final round and tied for fourth at 207.

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Josh Wilson`s Go-Ahead Homer Helps M`s Stop Streaking Rays

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Kareem Shaker – AHN Sports Reporter

St. Petersburg, FL, United States (AHN) – Josh Wilson broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with a monster two-run jack as the Seattle Mariners stopped Tampa’s four-game winning streak with a 6-2 victory over the Rays Sunday afternoon.

Luke French (5-6) gave up two runs on eight hits in five innings. Jamey Wright, Danny Cortes and Brandon League combined to hold the Rays scoreless through the final four frames.

Jose Lopez had given Seattle the early lead with a two-run single in the fifth, but the Rays answered in the bottom of the inning.

Desmond Jennings knocked in a run with a triple and B.J. Upton drove in Jennings with an RBI single to tie the game.

Rays starter James Shields (13-14) held steady until the mistake to Wilson that changed the scope of the game. Shields finished with six innings of five-run ball, allowing eight hits and striking out six.

The loss gives the Yankees (92-63) a chance to draw within a half game of the Rays (93-62) for the best record in baseball and home field advantage through the AL playoffs.

New York takes on hated rival the Boston Red Sox on Sunday Night Baseball.

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Brady Throws Three Touchdown Passes, Pats Continue Mastery Of Bills

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Foxboro, MA, United States (AHN) – Tom Brady connected on 21-of-27 passes for 252 yards with three TDs, as the New England Patriots continue their dominance over the Buffalo Bills with a 38-30 win Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Brady, who has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of his first two contests of 2010, but struggled to finish off drives a week ago, threw three scoring passes, two of them to top target Randy Moss.

Brady, who played tentatively against the Jets last week, found Moss for 35-yard TD on the first series of the third period, as New England went ahead 24-16.

The Pats has just a slim edge, 17-16, at halftime.

The Patriots were up 31-23 entering the fourth quarter and held on to post their 14th straight victory over Buffalo, tying the third-longest winning streak by one team against another.

The Patriots, who improved to 2-1 on the season, have not lost to the Bills since a 31-0 setback in Buffalo during Week 1 of 2003.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis ended with 98 yards and a score on 16 carries, while Danny Woodhead rushed for a TD in the win.

Rob Gronkowski added a TD reception for the victors.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who replaced Bills starting quarterback Trent Edwards for Sunday’s tilt, connected on 20-of-28 for 247 yards with two TDs and two interceptions in the loss.

The struggling Bills have dropped to a 0-3 start, losing the season’s first three contests for the first time since 2007.

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Lions Drop To 0-3 As Offense Sputters In Loss To Vikes

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Chad Hutchinson – AHN Sports Correspondent

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – Heading into the 2010 season, many experts speculated that the Lions offense would be a potent threat for opposing defenses, while their defense was viewed as questionable.

It was Detroit’s defense that made plays early on in Sunday’s game however, while its offense continued to struggle with backup quarterback Shaun Hill at the helm.

Injuries to key players and inconsistent play by the Detroit Lions offensive line has left the Lions offense in shambles. Two key players to the offense, in quarterback Matthew Stafford and wideout Nate Burleson, were inactive for Sunday’s game against the Vikings.

Standout rookie running back Jahvid Best was also forced to leave today’s game in the third quarter with a toe injury, and he did not return.

The Detroit Lions offense looked to be a potent and high powered machine during the short glimpes seen during the preseason.

The loss of starting quarterback Matt Stafford and wide receiver Nate Burleson have seemed to greatly impacted the Detroit offense and itsability to put points on the board.

The Lions offense once again struggled all game long Sunday.

Calvin Johnson was kept quiet by the Minnesota defense, and while targeted early on by QB Shaun Hill, Johnson was unseen for a majority of the third and fourth quarter.

Along with struggles and injuries to Detroits skill players on offense, their offensive line also continues to have difficulty melding together.

Detroits offensive line once again kept the sack number low, but allowed far too many hits and knockdowns on quarterback Shaun Hill. The O-line’s struggles also resulted in Detroit’s inability to establish a running game.

While it was the Lions defense that was projected to struggle this year, they in fact have continued to make plays and force turnovers. The true area of concern is Detroit’s inability to get the best out of its offensive and defensive squads at the same time.

Detroits defense started todays game by containing the Vikings offense pretty well.

Defensive tackle Corey Williams picked off a screen pass in the first quarter and the Lions offense responded by putting the first points on the board with a touchdown pass from Shaun Hill to tight end Tony Scheffler.

Unfortunately it was all down hill from there for the Lions.

Detroit’s defense did make some big plays in support of its offense, including interceptions by cornerback Alphonso Smith and defensive tackle Corey Williams, and a fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter by saftey Louis Delmas.

Detroit’s defense also once again shot itself in the foot and missed turnover opportunities.

Those missed opportunities included a fumble recovery that was overturned by an illegal hit to the quarterback, and a great diving interception by cornerback Chris Houston that was overturned by a questionable pass interference call.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has his work cut out for him.

Schwartz must get the Lions offense and defense to show up and play with some consistency if they are to secure a win any time soon.

The Lions have to hope for some improvement quickly too, as they head to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field next week to face a very tough opponent in the division rival Green Bay Packers.

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Rejuvenated Vick Finishes With Four Touchdowns, Eagles Rip Jaguars

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Jacksonville, FL, United States (AHN) – A rejuvenated Michael Vick proved coach Andy Reid’s decision to start him at quarterback was right, registering four touchdowns in the Philadelphia Eagles 28-3 demolition of the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at EverBank Stadium.

The 30-year-old Vick, who recently got the starting nod for not only Sunday’s contest but for the remainder of the season barring injury, completed 17-of-31 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns for the Eagles (2-1).

Vick, who had been subbing for Kevin Kolb and was believed to be going back to his previous role as primary backup prior to Reid’s much-talked about decision Thursday, also ran for another score in the victory.

According to Reid, Vick gives the Eagles the best chance in clinching what appears to be a wide-open NFC East Division.

Philadelphia’s win in Sunday’s interconference clash marked the first time the Eagles dominated the Jaguars in four all-time meetings.

Jeremy Macklin caught four passes for 83 yards and two scores, while DeSean Jackson finished with five grabs for 153 yards in the victory.

Jackson, one of Vick’s targets, also had a score- -a 61-yard TD that opened up the scoring for Philadelphia in the first quarter at 7-0.

Philadelphia was ahead 14-3 after two quarters and sealed the win in the third frame.

Jags quarterback David Garrard, benched last week for a sub-par performance against the Chargers, continued to struggle Sunday, connecting on 13-of-30 passes for just 105 yards.

He was sacked an abysmal six times in the loss.

The Jaguars have started 1-2 for a third consecutive season.

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Schumacher Scores Fifth NHRA Win Of Season

Posted: 27 Sep 2010 04:45 PM PDT

Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter

Ennis, TX, United States (AHN) – Tony Schumacher scored his fifth victory of the season Sunday we he won in the Top Fuel class at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex.

Schumacher headlined a list of class winners that included Matt Hagan, Greg Anderson and LE Tonglet at the famed all-concrete dragstrip just south of Dallas.

Schumacher topped Shawn Langdon in the final round with a winning pass of 320.43 mph and gained ground on points leader Larry Dixon who lost in the second round.

“When Dixon goes out, you absolutely have to rise to the occasion and win and put some pressure back on him,” said Schumacher. “I wish we could have done this a race or two earlier, but we didn’t and Dallas is a great place to start. It’s the site of my first career Top Fuel win. We’re only down [94] points with three races to go. I’ve been down a lot further than that.”

“What NHRA and Full Throttle did was to make it this way, make it last all the way to the end. I’m in a happy place right now. Not where I want to be yet, but a lot better place than I was at 9 a.m. this morning.”

Hagan earned his third Funny Car win of the season with a winning pass of 294.63 to beat series leader John Force.

Hagan was perfect against the Forces over the weekend as he topped Ashley Force Hood, John’s daughter, to advance to the final. Hagan trails Force by 25 points.

“I left the line and never saw [Force in the final],” Hagan said, “but I was listening for him and looking over. I about hit the wall because I jumped up out of the (roof hatch) while it was still moving because it was overwhelmingly exciting. Coming in here [qualified] 14th and having to do a pedal job just to get into the show — it’s great to get the win.”

“We definitely stepped up and did what we had to do, because coming in 14th you have to wonder how long your day is going to be, but we had confidence in (crew chief) Tommy DeLago tuning the car.”

Mike Edwards had a near-perfect reaction time (.001), but Anderson rallied with a pass of 209.39 mph to claim his second consecutive playoff victory in Pro Stock.

Tonglet continued his hot streak in Pro Stock Motorcycle, winning his third consecutive race over Andrew Hines.

“For him to go up there and red-light, you know that he had to be thinking about the pressure,” said Tonglet. “It’s just unreal. When I saw the red-light and knew I was the winner even before I reached the finish line was really great. I try not to think too much about the pressure, but it’s there.”

“We were just happy to be in the semis, and the win just made everything all that much better.”

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