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Could Florida’s other NBA franchise make it to the championship finals? From AP-
Into the stands. Off the backboard or in another player’s face, Dwight Howard sent Boston Celtics’ shots everywhere.
Howard had 17 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks to lift the Orlando Magic to a 117-96 victory over the Celtics on Friday night and a 2-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal.
“Just the whole team stepped up the defensive intensity,” said Howard, the NBA’s defensive player of the year. “It starts with me. I have to do that every night if we want to be successful.”
Rashard Lewis had 28 points, and Hedo Turkoglu scored 24 for Orlando, which played without starting point guard Rafer Alston. He was suspended by the NBA for slapping Eddie House in the back of the head in Game 2.
The Magic shot a franchise record 59.1 from the field last night. I think Orlando can beat Boston, but they won’t get by LeBron James and Cleveland.
The once promising rookie pitcher who threw a no-hitter in 2006, looks like he has permanent pitching arm woes. From AP-
Florida Marlins right-hander Anibal Sanchez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday because of a sprained right shoulder.
The Marlins made the move before the start of a six-game trip in Colorado. The injury forced Sanchez from Thursday’s game against Atlanta in the fifth inning.
Sanchez had shoulder surgery in June 2007 and returned last July. As a rookie in 2006 he went 10-3 and threw a no-hitter against Arizona, but he’s 1-4 this season with an ERA of 5.79.
Marlins Manager Fredi Gonzalez said team officials initially feared one of four tacks used to stabilize Sanchez’s shoulder had come loose and were relieved when doctors determined the surgical repair remained intact. Still, Gonzalez said Sanchez likely will be sidelined until after the All-Star break.
A simple shoulder sprain shouldn’t bench a pitcher for two months. Unless Florida is being careful. The Marlins starting pitching has been woeful this year, none of them chalked up a win for 20 straight games before last night’s affair.
He was the youngest and last surviving of the famous baseball brothers. Dom wasn’t a Hall of Famer, but ‘The Little Professor was a very good player. He was a gold glove quality(The awards didn’t begin after Dom retired) centerfielder, better than his more famous brother Joe. As for his offensive skills, Dom was no slouch. He was a career .298 hitter who also had an on base percentage of .383. Perfect skills for a top of the order hitter.
Like so many players of his era, Dom Dimaggio lost some of his prime years due to World War military service. His career may have ended prematurely too. The Red Sox benched the aging but still productive(.294 BA, .371 OBP in 1952) Dimaggio in 1953 so a youth movement could be started. Tom Umphlett never panned out(In spite of his .283 BA and 2nd place finish in the rookie of the year balloting for 1953, the Red Sox traded Umphlett before the 1954 season began.) and Dimaggio decided to retire.
Arguably the Dimaggios were the best brother trio to ever play the game. Now they’re reunited in heaven. RIP Dom.
Dominic DiMaggio, the bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder who was overshadowed by his older brother Joe’s Hall of Fame career, died early Friday at his Massachusetts home. He was 92.
DiMaggio was surrounded by his family at his death, according to his wife, Emily. She did not give a cause of death but said that DiMaggio had been ill lately.
“He was the most wonderful, warm, loving man,” his wife of 61 years said. “He adored his children, and we all adored him.”
DiMaggio was a seven-time All-Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive-game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history.
Known as the “Little Professor” because of his eyeglasses and 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame, DiMaggio hit safely in 34 consecutive games in 1949. The streak was broken on Aug. 9 when his big brother caught a sinking liner in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees.
The younger DiMaggio also had a 27-game hitting streak in 1951, which still ranks as the fifth-longest in Red Sox history. Joe set the major league record with a 56-game hitting streak with the Yankees in 1941.
The oldest of the three center field-playing DiMaggio brothers was Vince, who had a 10-year major league career with five National League teams. Joe died in March 1999; Vince died in October 1986.
Dom DiMaggio spent his entire career with the Red Sox — 10 full seasons plus three games in 1953 — and was teammates and close friends with Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky.
While Dom did not have the offensive numbers of Joe, he was generally regarded as a better defensive player with a stronger arm, although their career fielding percentages are identical.
He was a career .298 hitter with 87 home runs, while Joe was a .325 career hitter with 361 homers. Dom’s baseball career was interrupted for three years (1943-45) by World War II when he served in the Navy, a military obligation that may have cost him induction into the Hall of Fame, Doerr once said.
DiMaggio and Pesky “were really penalized for that, and I think it was kind of a shame in a way because when you look, they have the numbers,” Doerr said in August 2007 during an appearance at Fenway Park.
Dom played a pivotal role in Game 7 of the 1946 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, a heartbreaker for Boston fans. He batted in two runs in the eighth inning to tie the game at 3, but he injured his leg while running the bases and was replaced in center field by Leon Culberson for the ninth.
It was Culberson who fielded Harry Walker’s double and threw it to Pesky during Enos Slaughter’s famous “Mad Dash” from first to home that won the game for the Cardinals.
Many argued that if DiMaggio had still been in center he would have handled the play better and prevented Slaughter from scoring.
“Watching the play had been pure agony for Dominic DiMaggio …” David Halberstam wrote in his 2003 book, “The Teammates.” “His own injury, his own pulled hamstring, Dominic now decided, had been the decisive play of the game.”
After the Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004, their first since 1918, DiMaggio, Pesky and Doerr were on hand on opening day 2005 to raise the championship banner at Fenway Park.
On June 30, 1950, Dom and Joe DiMaggio homered in the same game, the first time brothers had hit homers in the same game in the majors in 15 years. They played in the outfield together in three All-Star games.
After his playing career, he started a successful company that manufactured upholstery and carpeting for automobiles, which he ran until his retirement in 1983. He remained active in many charitable and civic causes, supporting medical and education institutions, even serving on the board of trustees at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire. He also helped found the AFL franchise that eventually became the New England Patriots.
“Dominic DiMaggio was one of the most successful players of his generation in his post-baseball life,” Halberstam wrote in his book. “He had become over the years a man of means, graceful, elegant, and wise.”
DiMaggio grew up in San Francisco, one of nine children born to Sicilian immigrants. His mother was a teacher and his father was a fisherman. He is survived by his wife and three children, Dominic Paul, Peter and Emily.
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This royal scandal wasn’t predicted by many palace watchers.
One of Queen Elizabeth II’s racehorses has failed a doping test.
Six-year-old Moonlit Path tested positive for a banned substance that prevents hemorrhaging after a sixth-place finish in her debut February at Huntingdon.
Trainer Nicky Henderson has been charged with breaching two rules by the British Horseracing Authority.
The queen’s racing manager, Michael Oswald, described it as “very disappointing news” and told British media that the monarch had been informed.
The BHA said Henderson was responsible for the horse being given tranexamic acid “with the intention of affecting her racing performance or in the knowledge that her racing performance could be affected by such.”
A hearing is set to be held in June.
What will the punishment be for Henderson should the hearing find him guilty? Beheading? Sentenced to London Tower? Forced to watch Benny Hill for twenty-four hours straight?
With three minutes to go in the game, it looked like the Canucks would return home up three games to one. From AP-
Andrew Ladd had perfect position. When the puck came flying off teammate Dave Bolland’s stick from far away, Ladd was right in front of Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo to tip it in.
We keep waiting for this thing to fall apart, for the kids to show their age. But the Hawks keep proving us wrong, writes ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun. Story
Ladd’s goal less than 3 minutes into overtime Thursday night capped a remarkable 2-1 comeback victory for the Chicago Blackhawks and tied the Western Conference semifinal series at 2.
*****
Game 5 is Saturday night in Vancouver and the Canucks will have to regroup after losing a game they apparently had sealed up. Chicago’s Martin Havlat tied it at 1 with 2:44 left in regulation after Luongo had been unflappable most of the night.
Roberto Luongo had to be unflappable, because his teammates made franchise playoff history last night. They only took 15 shots on goal, breaking a record set twenty-seven years ago.
The Canuck offense has taken at least one similar snooze in the 2008-09 NHL season. For this reason, I can’t pick this team to make the Stanley Cup finals no matter how good Luongo is.
In the other Western Conference playoff series, normalcy seemed to take over.
Johan Franzen and Marian Hossa gave the Detroit Red Wings all the offense they needed on a new line with center Valtteri Filppula.
Franzen and Hossa each scored twice to help the Detroit beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-3 on Thursday night, tying the Western Conference semifinal series at 2.
I have already been proved wrong about this series. My prediction was a Red Wing sweep. Detroit will win here, and most likely make the Stanley Cup finals for the second consecutive season.
He is the first to get fired in 2009. From AP-
The Arizona Diamondbacks fired Bob Melvin on Thursday, hoping a new manager will be able to get the most out of their talented core of young players.
The Diamondbacks will make A.J. Hinch, their vice president for player development, Melvin’s replacement on Friday, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity because the announcement had not been made.
The 34-year-old Hinch is a former major league catcher with no professional managerial experience. His promotion was first reported by radio station KTAR.
[+] EnlargeBob Melvin
Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US PresswireBob Melvin has been fired by the Diamondbacks.
The 47-year-old Melvin’s firing comes after a disappointing start by the Diamondbacks, who entered Thursday 8½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Melvin, who went 337-340 in four-plus seasons, had one year left on a contract he received after being the 2007 NL Manager of the Year.
*****
“This is a difficult decision, but I feel that our organization needs to move forward with a new voice,” general manager Josh Byrnes said in a statement.
Hitting coach Rick Schu also was fired, and pitching coach Bryan Price resigned.
Melvin’s stock rose when he guided a youthful but talented group to the NL West title two years ago. He was dismissed because many of the same players have failed to live up to expectations based on that season, when the Diamondbacks posted an NL-best 90-72 record despite being outscored by 20 runs across the season.
*****
This is the second time in their 12-year history that the Diamondbacks have changed managers in midseason. In 2004, the Diamondbacks fired Bob Brenly after a 29-50 start and replaced him with Al Pedrique on their way to a franchise-worst 51-111 record.
That disaster paved the way to Melvin’s return to Arizona, where he had served as Brenly’s bench coach on the 2001 World Series champions.
Melvin’s hiring as the Diamondbacks’ manager came under bizarre circumstances. The club had selected Wally Backman as manager, but Backman was dismissed four days later following revelations he had been arrested twice and struggled with financial problems.
Arizona then turned to Melvin, who was out after two seasons in Seattle, where he went 156-168.
Melvin made an immediate impact in the desert. He led the 2005 Diamondbacks to a 77-85 record, a 26-win improvement.
Two years later, the Diamondbacks made a surprise run to the NL West title despite scoring 20 fewer runs than they allowed — a fact that led many to praise Melvin’s ability to squeeze the most out of his lineup.
Melvin was honored as the 2007 NL Manager of the Year, and soon after the club extended his contract through 2010.
How much of Arizona’s slow start if Melvin and his coaching staff’s fault is debatable. The team hasn’t been hitting, but on the other hand the Dodgers started great this year and Diamondback staff ace Brandon Webb is on the disabled list. To me the blame for the 12-17(I had to look it up. Associated Press didn’t report it in the above article) start Arizona had this year is more complicated than whether the team had or hadn’t good direction from their manager and coaches. As usual in sports the manager or head coach is the fall guy deservingly or not. Melvin, who was a journeyman catcher and coach before becoming a big league manager, won’t be unemployed for long.
Do note that Arizona hasn’t named Melvin’s replacement yet. Will they name for his coaching staff to the job or look elsewhere? I am betting the former.
This comes less than a month after former running back Adam Cuomo admitted to being a key figure in a point shaving scheme. From AP-
University of Toledo officials have known for two years the bad news was coming. It finally struck Wednesday when six former players — three each from Toledo’s basketball and football programs, as well as two Detroit-area businessmen — were charged with conspiracy to commit sports bribery in an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
The 20-count indictment charges that between December 2004 and December 2006, Ghazi “Gary” Manni, 52, and Mitchell Karam, 76, paid money and other things of value to the athletes in order to influence, or attempt to influence, the final score of both football and basketball games. Though the money paid players was at times as little as $500, this is believed to be the first major gambling case involving two sports on a college campus.
Nothing in the indictment, however, details Manni and Karam placing wagers on football games. Instead, the indictment lists 17 specific games in which they placed bets on Toledo basketball contests, including the amounts wagered. The indictment also details 133 phone calls between Manni and those charged in the case.
Charged in the indictment, in addition to Manni and Karam, were Harvey “Scooter” McDougle Jr., 24, a former running back from Cleveland; Adam Cuomo, 31, a former running back from Hagersville, Ontario, Canada; Quinton Broussard, 25, a former running back from Carrollton, Texas; Keith Triplett, 29, a former basketball player from Toledo; Anton Currie, 25, a former basketball player from Okemos, Mich; and Kashif Payne, 24, a former basketball player from Chester, Pa.
*****
The indictment filed Wednesday alleges Manni and Karam wagered approximately $407,500 on Toledo basketball and football games between November 2005 and December 2006. Both Mani and Karam, as well as jockey Ricardo Valdes, were also named in a separate indictment Wednesday that alleges they paid jockeys to influence the results of thoroughbred horse races at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida. Subsequently, the two allegedly used the simulcast pari-mutuel wagering system to place bets on the fixed races.
None of the school’s current athletes are believed to be involved in point shaving past or present. As I wrote a month ago, with all the money that is bet on collegiate sports these days, I’m surprised there haven’t been more cases like this.
He helped to mold the Philadelphia Phillies into one of the best teams in baseball from the late 70′s to early 80′s. RIP
Former Philadelphia Phillies manager Danny Ozark has died at his home in Florida. He was 85.
Team officials say Ozark died Thursday morning at his home in Vero Beach.
Ozark led the Phillies to three consecutive National League East titles in the late 1970s but fell short of the World Series each time. He became manager of the Phillies in 1973 and was named Associated Press Manager of the Year in 1976 after leading the Phillies to a 101-61 record.
Ozark had a 594-510 record in seven seasons in Philadelphia. A year after his departure the Phillies won their first World Series under manager Dallas Green.
The AP obituary was very incomplete, maybe because the news of Ozark passing away just happened. What wasn’t reported by AP-
Ozark also managed the San Francisco Giants
He was a minor league player, who never made it to the big leagues, before becoming a coach and manager.
Ozark was one of the many baseball managers who came out of the Brooklyn/LA Dodger organization. Before and after he managed the Phillies, Ozark was a member of the LA Dodgers coaching staff.
Seoul Broadcasting System aka SBS will be replacing Mercedes. From AP-
The PGA Tour added its first new title sponsor since the economic meltdown and shored up its season opener in Kapalua by announcing a 10-year deal Thursday with Korea-based SBS International.
Seoul Broadcasting System also extended by seven years its exclusive agreement to show PGA Tour events in Korea.
The deals run through 2019.
The tour has had mixed economic news this year. It is losing title sponsors in Phoenix, Milwaukee and Florida, while agreeing to contract extensions for four other tournaments through 2014.
But this represents its first new sponsor since the economy’s downturn last fall. SBS is the only media company to be a title sponsor on the PGA Tour, which has relied largely on the automobile and financial industry in the last decade.
*****
SBS had been the title sponsor of an LPGA Tournament on Oahu, which ended this year. SBS president Sang Chun said its LPGA deal helped spur interest in golf in Korea, and he expects the same dynamic with its PGA Tour deal.
SBS ended its sponsorship of the LPGA season opener in wake of how they were treated by the tour when they decided to enter into a new Korean television deal.
The contract with J Golf, which has yet to be announced by the tour or the network, but details of which were obtained by Golf World, is a multiyear deal likely worth in excess of $4 million annually, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. That is up significantly from the $2.25 million SBS says it paid to broadcast 30 events in Korea this year. Asked if his company would continue to sponsor the SBS Open when coverage moves to J Golf next year, Sang Y. Chun, president and CEO of SBS International, said: “Absolutely not.â€
Chun, who said he was “disappointed, upset really†at losing the contract, said his feelings were “not about the money [but] about the way we were treated.â€
The PGA Tour is much more sponsor friendly than the Carolyn Bivens led LPGA Tour. Cases in point include past LPGA sponsors Shoprite, Wendy’s, ADT, and SBS. All of whom were not happy with the their treatment. Now the LPGA’s schedule is falling apart at the same time the world wide economy is in bad shape. Any sensible people at tour headquarters in Daytona Beach, plus the LPGA players would certainly like those sponsors back. The firing of Carolyn Bivens is long over due, but how wrecked will the LPGA be before she gets the axe?
Ryan at Waggle Room is also commenting.
Another high profile athlete snared by drug testing. From ESPN-
Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile player ensnared in the sport’s drug scandals.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star said he did not take steroids and was prescribed medication by a doctor that contained a banned substance. The commissioner’s office didn’t announce the specific violation by the 36-year-old outfielder, who apologized to the Dodgers and fans for “this whole situation.”
“Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,” Ramirez said in a statement issued by the players’ union.
“Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”
The suspension began Thursday and barring any postponements Ramriez will be able to return to the Dodgers — who now have the best record in baseball — for the July 3 game at San Diego. Ramirez will lose almost $8 million of his $25 million salary.
The ‘I was prescribed the substance’ excuse explanation. It’s been used so often, I don’t buy it any more. If I was an athlete who was prescribed any medication and at some later time drug tested, I would make sure before hand that it wasn’t banned. Just speaking as having a long history of being a major medical patient, I don’t just take any medication from a doctor without knowing what it is, what it is used for, and what if any side effects come from using it.
The article also states-
Strength coaches around Major League Baseball have long preached to players that any substance they consider taking — whether it’s an over-the-counter supplement, or medication from a doctor — should be done in consultation with the union prior to ingesting it. Players also have access to a hotline, which was established in the wake of the Mitchell report, to ask questions.
In other words there was no reason Ramirez shouldn’t have known the substance was banned IF it was prescribed legally.
Because of stupidity, the Dodgers will have to replace the slugger who has 6 homeruns and was batting .348 for the season, with a AAA minor league player. Los Angeles Dodger fans have good reason to be angry with the slugger, whether he intentionally broke the MLB substance rules or not.
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