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Not in the United States, but Japan.
OSAKA (Kyodo) High school student Eri Yoshida was drafted by an independent league team Sunday, opening the way for her to become the first woman to play professional baseball alongside male players in Japan.
The 16-year-old Yoshida, who attends Kawasaki Kita High School in Kanagawa Prefecture, was picked by the Kobe 9 Cruise in the seventh round of the amateur draft held by the teams joining the Kansai Independent League to be inaugurated next April.
With a side-armed knuckleball in her arsenal, Yoshida took part in a tryout held earlier this month and passed with flying colors.The right-hander held male batters hitless for one inning in the final tryout and her successful outing helped her become one of the 33 players picked in the draft.
I always thought if a woman made professional baseball it would be as a Knuckleball pitcher. That was my specialty pitch when playing as a youth. A well thrown can drive batters crazy and doesn’t require a great deal of velocity. The only disadvantage- Scouts and Baseball managers look for a good fastball. Lacking one, a baseball pitcher has a tougher climb to make it to the big leagues
There aren’t always winners and losers in the NFL. From AP-
Donovan McNabb expected to keep playing until someone scored, no matter how long it took. Mercifully, the NFL’s rules set a time limit on terrible play.
Eagles 13, Bengals 13. It couldn’t have ended any other way.
McNabb fumbled and threw three interceptions in regulation Sunday, and the Bengals botched the only scoring chance in overtime, leaving the equally inept teams with the NFL’s first tied game in six years.
Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham missed a 47-yard field goal with 7 seconds left in overtime, falling to the ground as the ball sailed a few inches wide to the right. It was a fitting finish to a game played like the very definition of a tie. Despite all the shanked punts and trick plays, this one went nowhere.
*****
It was the first tied game in the NFL since Nov. 10, 2002, when the Falcons and Steelers finished 34-34 with Michael Vick and Tommy Maddox matching each other pass for pass. In this one, the teams matched each other gaffe for gaffe.
The Eagles (5-4-1) have yet to win a close game this season, going 0-4 with a tie in games decided by less than a touchdown. McNabb had a big hand in this one, matching his career high with three interceptions and setting up 10 of Cincinnati’s points.
He nearly had another pass picked off in overtime, but Johnathan Joseph dropped a potential interception near midfield. Each team had three chances in the extra 15-minute quarter, but only the Bengals (1-8-1) got close enough to try a field goal.
They missed it, leaving them with only their second tied game in franchise history. They played Houston to a 31-31 tie in 1969, their second season.
*****
Philadelphia hadn’t finished with a tie since a 10-10 game against Baltimore in 1997.
Ties became rare in the NFL after the overtime rule was instituted in either 1972 or 1973. I’ve actually attended a tied game. One between Miami and the New York Jets that was played on 10/04/81 and ended in a 28-28 tie.
A tie may make things interesting for the Eagles come playoff time. The Bengals aren’t going anywhere in the postseason.
The fins beat the Oakland Raiders 17-15 this afternoon. That puts Miami at 6-4 for the 2008 season. Pretty incredible after the 1-15 debacle of last year.
I’m still a skeptic about the rest of the 08 season. Miami has won the last two weeks by a combined total of four points against two teams who are a combined 4-15. Both wins came at home too. What will happen when Miami plays a real team for a change.
New England comes to town next Sunday. Miami clobbered them 38-13 less than two months ago using what was called ‘the wildcat offense’. The Patriots will be prepared for the gimmick this time. Can Miami sweep New England for the first time in ages?
After New England, Miami has games left with 7-3 NY Jets, 5-4 Buffalo, and St. Louis, San Francisco and Kansas City who won’t bother looking up the records for, but I know are all doing poorly this season. Miami could go 12-4 but I doubt it. I’m betting 10-6 or 9-7. Miami loses to New England, loses a game to either Buffalo ro the Jets, and possibly gets upset by one of the three remaining bums.
A few random notes on the game
*- Miami stopped the Oakland running attack this year. Oakland gained 299 vs. Miami in 2007 but only 70 today.
*- Dolphins special teams continue to stink. Exhibit A- Johnnie Lee Higgins 93 yard punt return for a TD where he went virtually untouched.(Kicker Dan Carpenter may have nipped him slightly. Its touch to tell on the replies)
*- Ted Ginn may be coming into his own. He scored a touchdown on a 40-yard reverse play in the first quarter. Later in the game he made a key grab on a 4th and 5 play.
*- Jamarcus Russell looks to me as if he has the makings of an NFL QB. Too bad he plays for a terrible team.
*- The Miami running game was on today. Over 100 yards from Ronnie Brown, 222 yards total as a team.
Just 16 games into the 2008-09 season, Melrose becomes the second head coaching casualty.
The Tampa Bay Lightning fired Barry Melrose after just 16 games in his return behind the bench, and associate coach Rick Tocchet will take over as interim head coach.
The Lightning, who made several key offseason acquisitions and got heralded Steve Stamkos as the top pick in the 2008 draft, announced the move Friday afternoon.
“This was a tough decision to make,” general manager Brian Lawton said. “Barry is a good man and we have a great deal of respect for him. We wish him nothing but success. However, the results were unacceptable and the players have to understand that we need to be better. Hopefully this change helps push them.”
The Lightning entered the season with high expectations, but find themselves 4-5-1 the past 10 games, including three straight losses. In the offseason, they had signed veterans Mark Recchi, Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata, Olaf Kolzig, Adam Hall, Wyatt Smith, Gary Roberts and Vinny Prospal to help along a younger group with considerable potential.
The team has struggled despite the presence of All-Star center Vincent Lecavalier — the club’s career scoring leader who signed an 11-year, $85 million contract extension in July and was named captain in September — and Martin St. Louis, who has a team-high 12 points.
I just wrote yesterday that I couldn’t understand how anyone expected this franchise to contend for the Stanley Cup. Go read the post. I didn’t like the firing of John Tortorella either, and bringing in a coach 12 years removed from the game wasn’t a brilliant move. I think Melrose isn’t the main cause of Tampa’s problems, but the one who gets the blame for all of them.
Rick Tocchet is a interesting choice. Only 18 months ago Tocchet pled guilty to gambling charges. He’ll make it to the end of this season but if Tocchet is around next season I’ll be surprised.
The Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning last night, 4-0. That puts the cats at 6-8-1 for the season. Next up for Florida is the defending Stanley Cup Champs, The Detroit Red Wings, at home on Friday night.
Craig Anderson, who because of his strong performance against Anaheim, was given his second straight start. While Tampa only attempted 24 shots on goal, Anderson made a couple of spectacular save. Gregory Campbell collected two of Florida’s four goals. These in addition were the first goals of the year for Campbell.
Assorted Notes
*- Coach Pete DeBoer has already made it known Craig Anderson will start against Detroit. The days when Florida would ride their goaltender into the ground appear to be over. DeBoer has more confidence in Anderson than former coach Jacques Martin has ever shown.
*- Tampa was so lackluster last night that I can’t avoid shaking my head when reminded of how some hockey prognosticator thought the team could dream of winning the Stanley Cup this year.
Tampa could only manage 24 shots against a Florida team that has been giving up over 40 a game on a regular basis this season. All I see in Tampa is a one-dimensional offense mostly based around Vincent Lecavalier, a invisible man highly touted rookie Steven Stamkos who was barely involved in last night’s game, a team as shallow at defenseman as Florida aka where’s Dan Boyle these days?, and two goalies that would be backups most anywhere else in the NHL excluding Ottawa. Based on what I’ve seen so far this year, Tampa has little chance of making the playoffs and a Stanley Cup ride is pure fantasy.
*- Nathan Horton after scoring a goal and assist early in the game, didn’t play in the 3rd period due to flu like symptoms. You suddenly get the flu after 40 minutes of hockey? No wonder many South Florida hockey fans question Horton’s desire.
Call this news a case of separation anxiety.
British Open runner-up Ian Poulter pulled out of the Singapore Open after being unable to replace the driver that was stolen at the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai, which ended on Monday.
“I am really gutted,” he said Wednesday. “I have been thinking about it for four hours and I have decided to withdraw because my new driver will not arrive on time.
“It is disappointing because I did not come all this way not to play. But with so many world ranking points at stake, if I played badly [by using a different driver], I may have lost ground.”
The Cobra driver, which he had used in this year’s Ryder Cup at Valhalla, was snatched from his bag Saturday at the Sheshan Golf Club. Poulter, ranked No. 25 in the world, offered a reward for the club’s return, and signs were posted around the club. A building camera caught an image of the robber, but he was not able to be identified.
“I’m absolutely distraught about it as I had spent months testing drivers till I found the right one,” Poulter said. “Although I keep two spares, one in America and one in Europe, they just don’t feel the same.”
The Singapore Open starts on Thursday, but Poulter was told by the manufacturer that a replacement would not have been ready until Friday.
He’s absolutely distraught over a lost golf club. One can only imagine how Ian would feel if he lost something important. Like his parking pass a loved one. I thought only US born PGA pros were spoiled till now.
By the way Morgan Pressel lost her set entire set of golf clubs in 2007 right after winning the Kraft Nabisco. Morgan didn’t withdraw from any LPGA events.
That is out of 49 that were tested. From AP-
MOSCOW — Heart defects have been found in five players in the Russian ice hockey league since the death of rising star Alexei Cherepanov, an official said Wednesday.
Russia’s Continental Hockey League ordered the tests after Cherepanov, 19, collapsed and died last month from a heart condition while playing for his club Avangard.
Cherepanov was a New York Rangers draft pick.
Russian league spokesman Marat Safin said 49 players have undergone testing with their clubs, and five turned out to have problems.
He said that figure could rise because 18 players are still to be checked. Results from the total sample of 67 players are expected Friday.
Safin said there was no reason to suspect any form of drug abuse or doping among the players.
The rate of players with heart defects is hardly shattering and I’ll tell you why. I had aortic valve replacement surgery on August 13th of this year. That due to my having a bicuspid heart valve, and the regurgitation as a result of it and a heart aneurysm I also had, caused me to become short of breath and in need of hospitalization. A regular human heart is tricuspid, people with bicuspid valves is about 2%. There are other heart defects besides having a bicuspid valve. One in 10 people having some kind of heart defect just doesn’t surprise me anymore.
He saved 28 games last year and was still pitching well. From AP-
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Salomon Torres retired Tuesday after 12 major league seasons.
The 36-year-old reliever issued a statement through the team saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and faith.
Torres also told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Brewers GM Doug Melvin was very understanding of his decision.
“I had a wonderful experience in Milwaukee but he knows I am serious about it,” Torres told the newspaper.
Torres was 7-5 with a 3.49 ERA and a career-high 28 saves in 71 relief appearances last season. He had a 44-58 career record with a 4.31 ERA and 57 saves for San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee.
Torres remains on the roster of the Brewers, who have until Saturday to exercise a $3.75 million option with a $300,000 buyout.
Torres took a pass on a great deal of money, there has to be a good reason. The ‘I want to spend more time with my family’ explanation probably shouldn’t be applied to athletes like it to politicians and coaches. Maybe Torres has some family issues. Good luck in retirement Salomon Torres.
Change that you can use. If you are a college football fan. From AP-
One person who won’t be swayed by President-elect Barack Obama’s recent call for an eight-team national college football playoff is Oregon president David Frohnmayer, chair of the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee.
“We deeply respect the president-elect and we are glad that he is a fan of college football,” Frohnmayer said in an e-mail response to ESPN Tuesday. “We have the most compelling regular season in all of sports, and I’m sure that contributes to Senator Obama’s enjoyment of our great game.”
Frohnmayer opposes a playoff for the former Division I-A. Other presidents on the committee are Rev. John Jenkins (Notre Dame), Robert Khayat (Ole Miss), Mark Nordenberg (Pittsburgh), John Peters (Northern Illinois), Harvey Perlman (Nebraska), Graham Spanier (Penn State) and Charles Steger (Virginia Tech.)
“My colleagues and I on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee have discussed the future of postseason football on many occasions and we do not believe a playoff would be in the best interest of the sport, the student-athletes or our many other constituencies,” Frohnmayer said.
When asked what change he’d make in sports during last week’s Monday Night Football broadcast, Obama said “I think it’s about time we had playoffs in college football. I’m fed up with these computer rankings and this that and the other. Get eight teams– the top eight teams right at the end. You got a playoff. Decide on a national champion.”
No matter what the system, there will be some school and its fans left unhappy. Plus it gives sportswriters something to write about every fall. A playoff system sounds great, but isn’t college football season too long already? Twelve games plus a bowl if a school is lucky enough.
While we’re at it, what is President elect Obama’s views in regards to changing the Fedex Cup?
Score was best remembered for three things
His blazing fastball
A long career as a Cleveland Indian announcer
and having his career fall off a cliff after a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald hit him in a face on May 7th 1967. Till then Score appeared to be on the road to greatness. He is well remembered by not just Cleveland Indian fans, but all baseball fans. RIP.
Herb Score, the Cleveland Indians pitcher and former broadcaster whose promise on the mound was shattered by a line drive, died Tuesday. He was 75.
Score died at his home in Rocky River, Ohio, the team said in a statement.
“Today is a sad day for the Cleveland Indians family and for Cleveland Indians fans everywhere,” team president Paul Dolan said in a statement. “We have lost one of the greatest men in the history of our franchise. Generations of Indians fans owe their love of the Tribe to Herb Score, who was a powerful pitcher and legendary broadcaster. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nancy and the Family.”
Score pitched for the Indians from 1955 to ’59. He was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1955 after going 16-10. He went 20-9 in 1956 and twice made the All-Star team.
However, Score’s career took a sad turn on May 7, 1957, when Gil McDougald of the New York Yankees lined a ball off Score’s right eye, breaking his nose and a number of bones in his face. Though he recovered his vision, Score was never the same after the injury.
Score later went on to become the legendary “Voice of the Indians” for a 34-year run from 1963 to 1997.
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