Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Torres, Garon, Halak Named NHL`s `Three Stars` Of Week

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

AHN Sports Staff

NY, NY, United States (AHN) – Vancouver Canucks left wing Raffi Torres, Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Mathieu Garon and St. Louis Blues goaltender JaroslavHalak are the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending Nov. 7.

FIRST STAR – RAFFI TORRES, LW, VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Torres led the NHL in goals (five) and was second in points (six) for the week as the Canucks (8-3-2) recorded four victories to take over first place in the Northwest Division.

On Nov. 1, Torres tallied one goal as Vancouver defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-0. The following night, he recorded three goals, including the game-winner, in a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. On Nov. 4, he notched the game-winner in a 3-1 win over the Colorado

Avalanche and he finished the week by posting one assist in a 6-4 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, Nov. 6. In 13 games this season, the Toronto native has recorded nine points (7-2–9).

SECOND STAR – MATHIEU GARON, G, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Garon stopped 75 of 78 shots he faced, posting back-to-back shutouts, a 2-1-0 record, a 1.01 goals-against average and .962 save percentage as Columbus improved to 8-5-0 overall. Garon recorded 29 saves in a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 2, notching his first shutout of the season.

Two nights later he stopped 25 shots, posting his 18th career shutout in a 3-0 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. Garon finished the week by making 21 saves in a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, Nov. 6.

In six appearances with the Blue Jackets this season, Garon has posted a 4-1-0 record with a 1.28 goals-against average, .951 save percentage and two shutouts.

THIRD STAR – JAROSLAV HALAK, G, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Halak stopped 58 of 59 shots he faced, posting a 2-0-0 record, a 0.48 goals-against average and .983 save percentage as St. Louis improved to 9-1-2, first overall in the NHL standings.

Halak recorded 25 saves in a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 4, notching his 12th career shutout. On Nov. 6, he stopped 33 shots in a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

In 10 appearances with the Blues this season, Halak has posted an 8-1-1 record with a 1.46 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and three shutouts.

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Cliff Notes: Yanks Reportedly Reach Out To Pitcher Lee`s Agent

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

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AHN Sports Staff

New York, NY, United States (AHN) – The New York Yankees took their first step in acquiring the biggest prize in this winter’s free agency class, reportedly reaching out to pitcher Cliff Lee’s agent on the first day of the free-agent negotiating period Sunday.

A league insider reported Yankees general manager Brian Cashman called Darek Braunecker, Lee’s sports agent, to inquire about the availability of the former CY Young award winner.

Lee, who split his 2010 MLB season with the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers, is considered the best free agent this offseason, as teams continue to pine for the service of the lefty hurler.

Lee, two-time All-Star, went 12-9 with a 3.18 ERA, 185 strikeouts, and 18 walks in 28 games (13 with Seattle, 15 Rangers) last season.

He also won his first seven postseason games with a 1.26 ERA before losing to the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 and 5 of the World Series.

Cashman repeatedly insisted he aims to improve the Yankees’ “weak” pitching rotation, which he believed cost them a shot at the World Series title this year.

In spite of another impressive season from ace pitcher CC Sabathia, the Yankees other starters, especially A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez, failed to deliver the goods for the Bombers in the postseason.

Cashman, who tried to nab Lee before the July 31st trade deadline, is reportedly ready to offer a nine-figure deal for the high-profile free-agent.

Lee earned memorable postseason wins against the Yankees, the latest in Game 3 of ALCS, where he pitched eight scoreless innings in an 8-2 victory by the Rangers

According to recent reports, Braunecker has been contacted by seven MLB teams, including the Yankees, Rangers, Los Angles Angels, and Lee’s former team the Philadelphia Phillies.

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Wade Phillips Fired: Cowboys Coach Ousted After 1-7 Start

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

AHN Sports Staff

Dallas, TX, United States (AHN) – Wade Phillips didn’t have the answers for the Dallas Cowboys awful 1-7 record midway through the season and the coach was dismissed Monday afternoon by team owner Jerry Jones.

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, long thought to be the successor, will take over the post for the desperate ‘Boys.

Things have deteriorated for the Cowboys as they have gone from being competitive in most of their games, to getting crushed Sunday 45-7 to the Green Bay Packers.

The season is littered with painful losses, including a 41-35 defeat at home to the New York Giants.

The ‘Boys have lost five straight and were outscored 80-24 in the last two contests.

Dallas has allowed 24 or more points in seven of eight games.

Phillips was successful overall in Dallas in posting a 35-23 record, including an 11-5 mark and playoff win in 2009, but this season’s nosedive was too much for fans, or Jones, to bear.

Jones will have to eat over $5 million in salary for Phillips, who was signed through 2011.

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Pitt Hoops Has High Expectations, Tough Opener Vs. Rhode Island

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

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John Nestor – AHN Sports Correspondent

Pittsburgh, PA, United States (AHN) – Pittsburgh faces a long road if it wants to make an overdue return to the Final Four and the Panthers are not looking to take any shortcuts.

Ranked fourth in the country heading into the 2010-11 men’s basketball season, The Panthers start their journey Monday when they host Rhode Island in a 2K Sports Classic matchup at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt has become one of the more successful programs in the country under coach Jamie Dixon, but is still in search of its first Final Four since 1941.

Not much was expected of Pittsburgh a year ago but the Panthers went 25-9 and tied for second in the Big East. The Panthers return four starters and seven of their top eight scorers from a year ago.

In the last five years, only Duke, Memphis, Kansas and North Carolina have won more games than the Panthers, but all of those teams have been to a Final Four in that span and all advanced to the title game.

Pittsburgh’s only Final Four trip came 70 years ago when the field was just eight teams.

Ashton Gibbs leads the returners and averaged 15.7 points per game a year ago. Brad Wanamaker (12.3) will team up with Gibbs in the backcourt.

Gilbert Brown and 6-foot-10 Gary McGhee will be key players in the post for Pitt.

The Panthers have won 13 straight season openers, but No. 14 won’t come easy.

The Rams return three starters from last season’s 26-10 team that advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. Senior forward Delroy James is the top returning scorer (13.2) and rebounder (5.3).

Pitt is 132-11 at the Petersen Events Center, incuding a 75-1 record against non-conference opponents.

Rhode Island has lost 22 straight to ranked opponents and has dropped five straight to Pitt.

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Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez Slugfest Fight Of Year Candidate

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

Shawn Krest – AHN Sports Correspondent

Las Vegas, NV, United States (AHN) – In a possible Fight of the Year candidate, Juan Manuel Lopez defended the WBO Featherweight title with an eighth round TKO of Rafael Marquez Saturday night in Las Vegas.

From the opening bell, the two fighters threw caution to the win and battered each other with power shots. The bout was billed as a battle of boxing powerhouse nations with Lopez representing Puerto Rico and Marquez representing Mexico in front of an evenly-split and vocal crowd.

After a very brief feeling-out in round one, the fighters began throwing before the end of the frame. The southpaw Lopez knocked Marquez off balance with a left hand and connected with a flurry of solid punches just before the final bell.

Lopez continued to outwork Marquez with his jab and activity level in the early rounds. After the referee warned the fighters about dirty play in the third, Lopez staggered Marquez with a left cross. A second left caused Marquez to clinch briefly, and a right hook stunned him again before the end of the round.

Marquez rebounded in the fourth round, stunning Lopez with several damaging right hands and gaining a point when Lopez was penalized for a rabbit punch.

Lopez changed tactics in the fifth, allowing Marquez to come to him, then landing counter punches. The technique paid dividends, and Lopez controlled the action for the next three rounds, building a lead on all cards.

Ringside judges had the bout 77-74, 78-73 and 77-73 all in Lopez’s favor after eight rounds were complete. AHN’s unofficial card had it 77-74 for Lopez.

Part of the reason for Lopez’s success as the fight went on was that Marquez suffered a shoulder injury in the third round. The injury to his right shoulder caused Marquez to quit on his stool, refusing to answer the bell for the ninth round.

He was heard saying “I can’t move it. I just can’t go,” between rounds. Later, Marquez confirmed the injury. “I was hurt before I came into this fight, but I didn’t want to postpone it again. In the third round, I couldn’t even throw punches any more.”

“Maybe I didn’t knock him out,” the victorious Lopez said, “but I took his heart out and made him want to stop boxing.”

Lopez was more gracious later on, however, saying, “(Marquez) is a world champion. When you get him hurt, he’s going to come right back after you…We showed we’re both strong guys. We enjoyed fighting each other, so why not do it again.”

Lopez remained unbeaten at 30-0 with his twenty seventh knockout. He defended the Featherweight title for the second time since winning the belt in January.

Prior to moving up in weight, Lopez was the WBO Super Bantamweight champion, and he’s won nine straight world title fights, eight by knockout.

Marquez fell to 39-6 with his fifth knockout loss, and first in three years. He has lost three of his last five bouts.

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Discover Card, NHL Announce New Sponsorship Deal

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

AHN Sports Staff

NY, NY, United States (AHN) – Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) and the National Hockey League (NHL) today announced a new sponsorship naming Discover as an Official Partner of the NHL in the U.S.

The sponsorship also designates Discover as the Official Card of the NHL, NHL All-Star Weekend, NHL Winter Classic, NHL Awards, and the NHL Entry Draft. As part of the deal, Discover has become the presenting sponsor of the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.

“Partnering with the NHL gives us great opportunities to connect with our cardmembers around their passion for the sport of Hockey,” said Harit Talwar, president of U.S. Cards for Discover.

“Through various cardmember exclusives and unique experiences, including special access to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game presented by Discover, we are providing meaningful reasons for cardmembers to use their Discover Card everyday. It’s another great way to show how it pays to Discover.”

“The partnership extends Discover’s existing investment in hockey, giving them extended opportunities to engage with U.S. hockey fans nationwide and develop exclusive hockey-themed rewards opportunities and experiences across various NHL special events.

“In unprecedented fashion, one lucky Discover cardmember will have the opportunity to spend a personal day with the Stanley Cup.”

“Discover’s passion for providing unique rewards and experiences to their cardmembers is an excellent fit with the NHL where we are predicated on engaging and mobilizing fans around big events,” said Keith Wachtel, Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales & Marketing for the NHL.

“This coupled with Discover’s significant support of our broadcast partners and NHL controlled media assets will provide a deeper engagement with our highly desirable fan demographic.”

In addition through this partnership, Discover will offer opportunities for cardmembers to redeem their Cashback Bonus rewards for discounts to Shop.NHL.com and the NHL Powered by Reebok store in New York City, GameCenter Live subscriptions, autographed NHL merchandise, and more.

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MLS: Seattle, NY Absorb Tough Playoff Defeats

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Carson, CA, United States (AHN) – Steve Zakuani’s late tally failed to spark Seattle against the Los Angeles Galaxy who will advance to the Western Conference final following their 3-1 aggregate victory at the Home Depot Center Sunday.

Zakuani’s goal in the 86th shattered a goal-less streak in playoff matches of 386 minutes over two years, but it not enough to help the Sounders’ cause.

Seattle was hoping to tie the aggregate score line at 1-1 with a quick goal Sunday and bring back the Sounders into the series, but the Galaxy’s first-half burst, including Eddie Buddlle’s 19th minute goal, made that impossible.

The Galaxy captured the semifinal first leg, 1-0.

Los Angeles is set to meet the FC Dallas in the Western Conference final.

The New York Red Bulls also suffered a painful playoff elimination courtesy of the San Jose Earthquakes’ 3-1 victory Thursday at Red Bull Arena.

The ‘Quakes were trailing 1-0 from the first leg, but quickly leveled the tie through Bobby Convey’s goal after six minutes into the contest.

San Jose appeared to be heading through after Convey’s second strike in the 75th minute, but Juan Pablo Angel made things interesting for New York two minutes later with his own tally.

The Earthquakes went to topple the Red Bulls with a 3-2 aggregate victory, earning the right to face the Colorado Rapids in the Eastern Conference championship match.

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Gasquet, Clement Advance At Paris Masters; Taylor Dent, 29, Retires

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Paris, France (AHN) – Former top-10 star Richard Gasquet and fellow crowd favorite Arnaud Clement were among Monday’s opening-round winners at the Paris Masters.

Gasquet, playing at the Bercy indoor arena for the first time since 2007, bested fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), to set a second-round bout with Swiss master Roger Federer, who is the top seed this week.

Gasquet last played against Federer in 2007.

Frenchman wild card Clement prevailed over Feliciano Lopez of Spain, 6-7 (8-10), 7-6 (9-7), 6-3. In the next round, Clement will face another Spanish left-hander, No. 6th seed Fernando Verdasco.

Other advancers Monday were Czech veteran Radek Stepanek, Finnish qualifier Jarkko Nieminen, and local bet Michael Llodra.

Meanwhile, former top-25 player Taylor Dent, best remembered for his dashing serve-and-volley style, announced his retirement from tennis Monday.

The 6-foot-2 oft-injured American, whose playing style was filled with continuous attack to the net at a time when evolving racket technology allowed pros to smack winners from the baseline, won four titles in his 12-year ATP career.

The 29-year-old Dent underwent three back surgeries from 2006 to ’07, but made a comeback to the circuit, vaulting more than 800 spots in the rankings, back into the top 100 in 2009.

Dent, who was ranked as high as No. 21, went 12-15 in ATP last year.

The 85th-ranked Dent was 12-19 in 2010. He is 151-140 for his career.

Dent also played for the U.S. Davis Cup squad and played for an Olympic bronze medal during the 2004 Games in Athens.

He made the career decision shortly after a second-round exit in a Challenger in Charlottesville, Va., last week.

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Abby Wambach Nets Pair, U.S. Women`s Soccer Crushes Costa Rica

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 03:49 PM PST

AHN Sports Staff

Cancun, Mexico (AHN) – Abby Wambach netted two goals and Lauren Cheney added a tally as the United States women’s national soccer team (WNT) earned third place in CONCACAF qualifying for the FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica Monday.

The U.S. stayed alive for a World Cup bid with the win and will play Italy in a home-and-away playoff series starting Nov. 20 in Padova, Italy in the next stage of competition.

Cheney opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a left foot shot.

Wambach used a nifty volley in the 33rd minute to make it 2-0.

Costa Rica nearly got within a goal in the 49th minute when a shot hit the goalpost.

The U.S. took advantage of its good fortune with Wambach’s second goal just about a minute later.

U.S. goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart notched the shutout.

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Paul Gasol`s Triple-Double Helps Lakers East Past Trail Blazers

Posted: 09 Nov 2010 04:25 AM PST

Dennis Freeman – AHN Sports Correspondent

Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – The Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to have run into their first real test of the season when they tipped off against Pacific Division rival Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center.

The Lakers easily passed that test, defeating Portland 121-96 for their seventh win of the young NBA season.

Pau Gasol’s triple-double of 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists led the way for the Lakers. Lamar Odom continued his strong play in the absence of center Andrew Bynum, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

After roughing up so-so opponents such as the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers were expected to have a more difficult time earning a win against the Blazers.

It didn’t happen that way. The Lakers came out clicking on all cylinders and didn’t let up, running out to a 58-36 lead at halftime.

“They’re the world champs,” said Portland coach Nate McMillan. “They play great basketball. We’ve got a lot we’ve got to work on, but our guys have played a lot of basketball in the last [few weeks].”

“I’m not making excuses, but they’ve played a lot of basketball the last few weeks. We’re short-handed with players, and coming off a back-to-back tonight…the Lakers were sharp and dominated the game.”

Much like their first five wins of the season, the Lakers took control of the game from the opening tip-off, shooting 55 percent from the field enroute to outscoring Portland 27-14 in the first quarter.

Gasol got off to another fast start, scoring eight points and pulling down six rebounds in the first quarter. Gasol, named the Western Conference Player of the Week for his playing performance from Oct. 26 to Oct. 31, also dished out four assists in the period.

Gasol finished the half with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Unlike their last game against Toronto in which they were dominated on the boards the Lakers jumped all over the glass against the undermanned Blazers, still playing without the services of center Greg Oden. T

he Lakers took down 49 rebounds, nearly doubling the 25 rebounds Portland secured during the game.

“They’re active, they’re long, and they’re a tough team,” said Portland guard Andre Miller. “They jumped on us. They were active with their hands. They played typical Laker ball. They have got so many guys that can play defense interchangeably.”

Odom echoed Miller’s comments on the Lakers’ defense.

“We got it going defensively,” Odom said. “We were able to take them out of the sets that they wanted to run. We got out on the break…and just had fun.”

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