Thursday, November 18, 2010

Latest Sports Buzz

Latest Sports Buzz

Z-Bo Demands Extension From Grizzlies

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:58 PM PST

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Memphis, TN, United States (AHN) – Zach Randolph, one of the key players on the young and improving roster of the Memphis Grizzlies over the past two seasons, is reportedly pushing for a contract extension from the team.

The 29-year-old journeyman, who made an impact in his first year with the Grizzlies, believes he earned the right to an extension, done in a timely fashion.

Randolph told FanHouse Monday, “I want to do it now.”

“Sooner the better. If we don’t do it now, there are a lot of other teams out there who like me,” added the 10-year NBA pro, who is in the final year of a contract reportedly paying him $17.3.

According to Randolph, acquired in a trade with the Clippers, his third NBA team, in July of 2009 in exchange for Quentin Richardson, there has been no recent talks with Memphis regarding a new deal.

Randolph, drafted in the first round in 2001 by the Portland Trail Blazers, with whom he spent the first seven years of his career, is coming off his first All-Star appearance in 2010.

Considered by many as the best power forward in the Western Conference behind Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki–Randolph has averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and two assists per game this year.

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Bryant Pours In 33 Points; Lakers Dominant In Victory Over Pistons

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:58 PM PST

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John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Auburn Hills, MI, United States (AHN) – It’s still only November but the Los Angeles Lakers seem more than ready to make a run for their third straight NBA title.

His team was playing its second game in as many days but Kobe Bryant exploded for 33 points, including 24 in the first half, to power the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers past the Detroit Pistons 103-90 on Wednesday at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Lakers were coming off a 118-107 victory on Tuesday at Milwaukee but looked like a rested group of Warriors in dominating the Pistons.

Pau Gasol added 25 points and 12 rebounds for LA while Lamar Odom had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“We told them to get off to an early start and everything seemed to go right for us,” said Laker coach Phil Jackson. “It looks like some of their guys aren’t playing hard right now too. In that regard, we were able to get after it.”

Leading 59-45 at halftime, the Lakers opened up the third quarter with a 7-0 run.

“We knew we had to come out and play hard,” said Lakers forward Ron Artest. “Even if you are down or up, you still have to play hard. You always have to try and do the right thing, which is execute and stick to the game plan and we definitely stuck to the game plan tonight.”

“The Lakers are a tough team and if you get behind so quickly, it’s going to be hard to get back in it, especially with the adjustments they make and they keep coming at you all game,” said Pistons guard Will Bynum.

“So you have to be on top of everything when you’re playing a team like that.”

Gasol had 14 points and six boards for the Lakers in the first two quarters. Steve Blake’s 3-pointer gave the Lakers a 93-67 lead with 8:15 to play.

Bryant scored eight of his team’s first 11 points in sparking the Lakers to an early 11-2 lead.

“I really thought the game started off with them coming down in transition and making shot after shot,” Detroit coach John Kuester said. “We were getting good looks and still never re-grouped after that first quarter because they sort of blitzed us and we came back and got it within three that second quarter. We didn’t come out the level of focus that we have to against a great team and they are a great team.”

Detroit’s Richard Hamilton took an early exit from the game midway in the first quarter after drawing a double technical.

“Rip was frustrated,” Kuester said. “He had gotten five shots up in four minutes. He’s a competitor. He wants to play against the best and be one of the best.”

Bryant wound up with 14 points in the first quarter lifting the Lakers to a 34-25 lead. Rodney Stuckey had 11 points for Detroit.

Detroit cut the lead to 38-35 with seven minutes left in the half when Tayshaun Prince scored. Bryant, who had been relatively quiet in the quarter, scored two baskets to put his team up 49-39 at the 5:07. mark. Bryant’s two free throws gave the Lakers a 55-43 lead with two minutes to go in the half.

Stuckey had 11 points and four assists for Detroit. He wound up with 18 points to lead the team.

The Lakers had a 42-30 rebounding edge. They were 37-of-83 from the floor for 44.6 percent while Detroit was 35-of-89 for 39.3 percent. Los Angeles improved to 10-2 while Detroit fell to 4-8.

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Balanced Attack Guides Purdue Past Alcorn State

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:58 PM PST

Sam Klemet – AHN Sports Correspondent

West Lafayette, Indiana, United States (AHN) – Purdue looked every bit as good as their number 14-ranking indicated during a 103-48 route of Alcorn State at Mackey Arena.

The Boilermakers were efficient offensively, and swarmed the Braves on the defensive side of the ball.

Purdue shot 51-percent from the field and held Alcorn State to just 28-percent.

E’Twaun Moore led the scoring surge for the Boilermakers. He finished with a game-high 19-points and seven assists, and added six rebounds.

But, Moore got help. Twelve Boilermakers scored in the game, giving the team its highest point output under head coach Matt Painter.

“We make the emphasis to make the extra pass all the time and just share the basketball,” said Painter. “If you just share the basketball it’s going to lead to baskets. So, I’m just trying to get them to understand that.”

The Boilermakers scored 41 field goals on 30 assists. They also were deadly from behind the arc. The team drained seven triples, including four from sophomore guard John Hart.

“I work on it at practice. I shoot before and after practice and come in and shoot with some of the coaches, as well,” said Hart. “It’s just something I worked on.”

Preseason All-American JuJuan Johnson finished the night with 12 points and four rebounds in only 16- minutes of work.

He thinks it’s encouraging to see his team get production from its entire roster.

“Coach Painter really talks about everyday, just moving the ball, getting good action, and being unselfish,” he said. “When we are unselfish we are really effective. When people start doing their own thing, we are not as good as we are when we are being unselfish.”

The Boilermakers finish the first week of the regular season undefeated. They beat Howard, 76-40, in the opener.

Sunday, they host Oakland as part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

Despite the fast start, Purdue isn’t looking at the past anyone.

“We’ll try to, for all of our guys, play within ourselves and go out there and watch tape and try to attack them and do the little things, and try to get better,” said Painter.

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Witherspoon Sizzles; Memphis Continues Mastery Of Northwestern State

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:58 PM PST

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Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Memphis, TN, United States (AHN) – Wesley Witherspoon poured in 24 points to go along with 12 boards, helping the Memphis Tigers maintain their mastery of the Northwestern State Demons with a 94-79 demolition Wednesday at FedExForum.

Witherspoon, the team’s top returnee, was nearly perfect from the charity stripes, hitting 13-of-14. The junior guard/forward also had two assists and two helpers in 35 minutes of action.

Will Barton added 22 points off the bench for the Tigers (3-0), who shot an overall 49.2 percent (29-of-59) and outrebounded the Demons, 38-25.

The Tigers were coming off a thrilling 72-68 victory over Miami Monday.

The Demons (1-1), who were coming off their first win of the season Monday against Houston Baptist, were paced by Will Barton, who scored 23 points off the bench.

Reserve Devon Baker chipped in 15 points, and Louis Ellis had 11 markers and four assists in the defeat.

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AL`s Ron Gardenhire, NL`s Bud Black Earn Manager Of Year Nods

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:21 PM PST

AHN Sports Staff

NY, NY, United States (AHN) – Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and San Diego Padres skipper Bud Black earned AL and NL Manager of the Year honors, respectively, it was announced Wednesday.

The pair were selected in voting done by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Gardenhire guided the Twins to the playoffs after his team captured its sixth AL Central crown in nine years.

Gardenhire captured 16 of 28 first place votes and beat out the Rangers’ Ron Washington for the honor.

The Twins manager collected 108 points in all to 81 for Washington and 44 for Rays skipper Joe Maddon.

The NL race was far closer, as Black edged the Reds’ Dusty Baker for the honor by just a point.

Black won it on first-place votes, collected 16 to 13 for Baker despite the Pads late season collapse that cost the team a playoff berth.

World Series winning manager, Bruce Bochy of the Giants, place third.

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Best In West? Sharks Hitting Stride, Sending Message

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:21 PM PST

John Nestor – AHN Sports Correspondent

San Jose, CA, United States (AHN) – The San Jose Sharks sent a message to the Los Angeles Kings that they are not to be overlooked as a contender in the West.

The Sharks have been on top of the Pacific Division for the past three years and showed they are not about to relinquish their hold without a fight with a 6-3 victory over the Kings Monday night.

San Jose got off to a slow start this season but just wrapped up a five-game homestand by recording nine of 10 possible points and positng a 4-0-1 mark.

The Sharks have won three straight for the first time this season and did it by scoring the most goals against the Kings of any opponent this season.

Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley lead the team with seven goals each. Marleau had a goal and two assists and Heatley added a power-play goal for the Sharks in their win over the Kings.

The win not only wrapped up a successful homestand for San Jose, but also halted Los Angeles’ six-game winning streak.

The Kings still lead the Western Conference with 24 points, with 12 wins of their first 15 games.

Los Angeles is a perfect 8-0 at home and could make the Pacific Division race plenty exciting in California if they can keep up their early pace.

The Sharks have been regular season killers and playoff disappointments too many times to count while the Kings have been floundering in recent seasons.

The rivals have rarely been good at the same time and haven’t made the playoffs in the same season since 2002.

It looks like the 2010-11 season will change all that as the Kings and Sharks appear primed to battle it out for the division lead along with the Anaheim Ducks.

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Boy, 8, Sacked In Jets-Browns Game By Fan

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:21 PM PST

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Cleveland, OH, United States (AHN) – An eight-year-old boy, a professed fan of the New York Jets, was tackled by a drunken adult Cleveland Browns supporter after the Browns-Jets game at Cleveland Sunday.

The boy’s mother said that her son was wearing a Jets jersey and was ambushed by a man outside of the stadium after the Jets’ 26-20 win against the Browns.

Danielle Brennan wrote to the editor about the incident and it was published in Tuesday’s edition of The Plain Dealer. The letter detailed that fans were harassing her family after they left the game, spilling into the parking lot.

“We knew there would be hecklers, but never would I have thought that my son would be called an expletive to his face or have hot dogs thrown at him,” Brennan told WEWS Channel 5. “But the worst was when he was tackled by a drunken adult male in the parking lot.”

Brennan said “…the fan tackled the child and pulled him out of his dad’s hand. He was on the ground crying.”

Apart from the traumatic experience her son went through, Brennan said in the letter that the boy was left with a scraped and bruised ankle.

When the Jets heard about the story Wednesday they offered to fly the Brennan family to New York to watch a Jets game from a suite.

The family graciously declined the offer, indicating they are “done with this story.” They also said they want the parking lots to be safer for fans.

Brennan indicated that her husband did not call the police and instead opted to quickly get in their vehicle and leave the parking lot, which is operated by the city of Cleveland and was previously provided with extra security.

Meanwhile, Browns vice president of media relations Neal Gulkis expressed regret over the unfortunate incident and said the team would look into the matter.

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E`Twaun Moore Powers Purdue To Huge Halftime Lead Vs. Alcorn State

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:21 PM PST

Sam Klemet – AHN Sports Correspondent

West Lafayette, IN, United States (AHN) – Preseason All-American E’Twaun Moore is closing in on a triple-double, leading 14th-ranked Purdue in a 59-17 route of Alcorn State.

The senior has 15-points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Sophomore guard John Hart has chipped in 11 off the bench. He is 3-5 from behind the arc.

As a team, the Boilermakers are 4-10 from downtown and are shooting 58-percent from the floor.

Matt Painter’s squad is looking to improve to 2-0, after a 76-40 win over Howard on Saturday.

Kendrick McDonald has seven-points to lead the Braves (0-2).

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Red-Hot Kobe Bryant Leads Lakers To Halftime Advantage Over Pistons

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:21 PM PST

John Raffel – AHN Sports Correspondent

Auburn Hills, MI, United States (AHN) – Kobe Bryant cored 24 points in the first half to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 59-45 halftime lead over the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Pau Gasol recorded 14 points and six boards for the Lakers.

Bryant scored eight of his team’s first 11 points in sparking the Lakers to an early 11-2 lead.

Richard Hamilton took an early exit from the game midway in the first quarter after drawing a double technical.

Bryant had 14 points in the first quarter lifting the Lakers to a 34-25 lead. Rodney Stuckey had 11 points for Detroit.

Detroit cut the lead to 38-35 with seven minutes left in the half when Tayshaun Prince scored. Bryant, who had been relatively quiet in the quarter, scored two baskets to put his team up 49-39 at the 5:07 mark.

Bryant’s two free throws gave the Lakers a 55-43 lead with two minutes to go.

Stuckey has 11 points and four assists for Detroit.

The Pistons entered the game at 4-7 while the Lakers are at 9-2.

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Tigers Ink Benoit To Three-Year Deal

Posted: 18 Nov 2010 03:21 PM PST

Jojo Doria – AHN Sports Contributor

Detroit, MI, United States (AHN) – The Detroit Tigers bolstered their bullpen Wednesday after it was reported that the club signed free agent reliever Joaquin Benoit to a three-year, $16.5 million contract.

The multi-year deal, which was revealed by multiple reports, is yet to be announced by the Tigers, who might be waiting Benoit to pass a physical before making the announcement.

The 33-year-old right-hander, perhaps the most dominant relief pitcher in the majors last season, could be the answer the Tigers are waiting to address their need for veteran relief to pitch innings in front of closer Jose Valverde.

Benoit bounced back after missing all of the 2009 season following rotator cuff surgery and posted a sensational season as a set-up reliever this year for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Exhibiting tremendous control and superb power pitching, Benoit was nearly unhittable for the Rays, throwing 60 innings with a 1.34 ERA in over 60 games, allowing only 30 hits.

He held opponents to a .147 batting average, and had 10 unintentional walks and 75 strikeouts.

With Phil Coke, the top reliever in front of Valverde this year, moving into the Tigers’ starting rotation, Benoit could provide veteran help for Valverde.

Benoit, who spent his first eight major league seasons with the Texas Rangers, could also take over as closer by the end of his contract.

The upcoming season is the final guaranteed year of Valverde’s two-year deal.

Benoit has compiled a 31-28 mark and 4.47 ERA in 336 career games.

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