Kansas City Chiefs release RB Larry Johnson

I think team management finally grew sick of his off the field problems. From AP-

Larry Johnson’s record-breaking career as a Kansas City running back is over.

The Chiefs confirmed Monday that they had run out of patience with his off-the-field problems and released Johnson the day he was due to come back from his second suspension in a year.

Johnson, who turns 30 on Nov. 19, was just 75 yards away from breaking Priest Holmes’ team rushing record.

The decision by the Chiefs (1-7) was not a surprise.

“A part of him is excited and a part of him is very regretful,” Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, told The Associated Press. “There’s a lot of feelings going on right now. It’s analogous to breaking up with a girlfriend. Maybe you saw it coming, but it still hurts when it happens.”

A No. 1 draft choice out of Penn State in 2003, Johnson was one of the best running backs in the NFL in 2005 and 2006, rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each of those Pro Bowl seasons.

Johnson can still help a NFL team at running back. I expect someone to sign him. Oakland or Cleveland maybe.

The Saints keep marching in- New Orleans beats Carolina 30-20

The Saints go to 8-0. From AP-

The New Orleans Saints moved to 8-0 for the first time in club history Sunday when Drew Brees overcame two early turnovers to pass for 330 yards and a touchdown in a comeback 30-20 victory over Carolina 30-20.

While the Saints’ defense did not intercept a pass for the first time all season, the unit forced three turnovers on fumbles. The last produced New Orleans’ seventh defensive touchdown of the season on Anthony Hargrove’s strip, recovery and 1-yard return late in the fourth quarter.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 149 yards and two TDs, and Carolina gained 182 on the ground. However, it was Williams’ fumble at his 1 with just more than 2 minutes left that led to New Orleans’ clinching TD.

I watched parts of this game plus the Saints wins against Miami and the New York Giants. Their offense looks almost unstoppable. Can they go 16-0?

The next two games for New Orleans are against St. Louis and Tampa Bay, two of the worst teams in the NFL. After that comes a game against New England. I think the well balanced Patriots will stop the Saints march to perfection.

Freeman to the rescue- Tampa Bay beats Green Bay 38-28

It was the Buccaneers first win of 2009. From AP-

Wearing one of those ghastly creamsicle jerseys that are an ugly reminder of Tampa Bay’s past, rookie Josh Freeman gave the struggling Buccaneers plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.

The third quarterback selected in this year’s NFL draft led the previously winless Bucs to a 38-28 victory over the Green Bay Packers in his first start Sunday, ending the league’s longest losing streak at 11 games.

Playing with poise that belied his inexperience, Freeman passed for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including a 7-yard throw to Sammie Stroughter on fourth-and-4 for the go-ahead TD with under 5 minutes to play.

Freeman’s selection by Tampa Bay was much maligned by NFL experts last spring. One game doesn’t prove those people wrong, but I’d be hopeful if I was a Bucs fan. The fans of a a team likely to go 3-13 this year has to some kind of hope to cling to.

Whacked- Washington Capitals beat Florida 7-4

After 15 games I am ready to declare the Panthers dead for the 2009-10 NHL season. From AP-

Even without two-time MVP Alex Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals are still quite adept at putting the puck in the net — especially against the defensively challenged Florida Panthers.

Tomas Fleischmann scored twice during a five-goal third period, and the short-handed Capitals beat the Panthers 7-4 Saturday night for a sweep of their home-and-home series.

Washington played a third straight game without Ovechkin, who has an upper body injury. The Capitals were also without injured defensemen Mike Green and Jeff Schultz, both of whom were hurt Friday night during a 4-1 victory in Florida.

But Washington prevailed anyway, amassing a season-high seven goals in the process.

The Panthers scored four goals without David Booth and Radek Dvorak. I will repeat it again, Washington will not make the Stanley Cup finals as long as they try to ride the back of Goalie Jose Theodore to get there.

As mediocre as Theodore is, one half of Florida’s goaltending tandem is even worse. Scott Clemmensen has played in 4 games this year for Florida and been horrible in three of them. In addition to last night’s seven goals, he gave up five to Dallas in a game a little over a week ago, and before that against Buffalo gave up two goals in the first 90 seconds of play. Coach Peter DeBoer yanked Clemmensen but the damage was already fatal. Florida went on to lose 5-1.

Here’s a question for any NHL stats officianados- Why didn’t Clemmensen get the defeat for the 5-1 loss to Buffalo? He left the game early but Florida never tied the score after he left the game. In baseball if a starting pitcher leaves a game and his team never regains the lead later on or ties the game, he gets the loss. No matter what the score was when the starter was removed.

Back to Clemmensen, his stats are horrific this year other than his 2-1 record in goal. He has a .838 save pct and is allowing 5.14 goals a game. What if Alexander Ovechkin had been playing last night? Dallas was without Mike Modano when Clemmensen let five pucks get past him in that game.

Florida had great goaltending last year with Tomas Vokoun and Craig Anderson. They combined for nine shutouts and that is no easy feat as the Panthers Defensemen with the exception of now departed Jay Bouwmeester, always had problems when it came to getting the puck out of the Florida zone. In the offseason, Anderson became a unrestricted free agent and eventually signed with Colorado where he has continued to to excel in goal.

The Panthers signed Scott Clemmensen who was coming off a breakthrough year in New Jersey. Clemmensen was excellent last year, but had shown very little before that said he was a quality NHL Goalie. Florida signed Clemmensen rather than Anderson probably in order to save the team about 1.5 million dollars over the next two years.

Clemmensen is a bust in my opinion and if Florida was serious about fielding a winning hockey team, they’d let this bum go and call up Mike Brodeur or Alexander Salak from Rochester. Of course Florida management will let financial considerations decide their personnel moves, and because they’d have to eat Clemmensen’s salary were they to release him, GM Randy Sexton will keep him on the Panther roster to the absolute detriment of the team he is supposed to be running. Just like Washington keeps playing the underperforming Theodore. Unfortunately Florida doesn’t have the talent to make a five goals a game goalie a winner in the NHL.

Bo Bae Song wins the Mizuno Classic

Chapter 11 of the South Koreans dominate the LPGA in 2009. From AP-

South Korea’s Bo Bae Song won the Mizuno Classic for her first LPGA Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 on Sunday for a three-stroke victory over Lorena Ochoa, Brittany Lang and Hee Young Park.

Song finished with a 15-under 201 total at Kintetsu Kashikojima and earned $210,000 in the event co-sanctioned by the Japan LPGA.

The top-ranked Ochoa shot a 64, and Lang and Park had 68s.

Jiyai Shin, the 2008 winner who is trying to hold off Ochoa in the player of the year points race, closed with a 69 to tie for fifth with Yani Tseng (67), Mi-Jeong Jeon (69) and Inbee Park (69) at 11 under.

Song had six birdies and a bogey — on the par-4 14th — in the final round.

Song is a member of the JLPGA Tour. Her victory gives her the ability to play the LPGA now. Will she? With the LPGA losing tournaments, the JLPGA or KLPGA look like a much safer bet right now. So much so, some LPGA golfers are going to JLPGA qualifying school.

Lorena Ochoa’s second place finish puts her just four points(147-143) behind Ji Yai Shin in the Player of the Year race. The next closest golfers are Cristie Kerr at 118, Ai Miyazato at 111, and Yani Tseng and Suzann Pettersen who are tied with 110. Barring a late miracle, I think Ochoa or Shin will come out on top.

Shin’s lead on the money list is much more secure. She has $240,000 more dollars than Ai Miyazato. Unless Shin doesn’t make the cut the final two events of the year, or the same golfer wins both, she will be both leading money winner and Rookie of the Year.

Also blogging about the Mizuno Classic- The Constructivist at Mostly Harmless. TC makes not of Ochoa having the lowest scoring average this year and with that the ability to win 2 of the 3 major year ending LPGA awards.

Carolina Hurricane Goalie Cam Ward taken to hospital with a cut in his leg

He was injured in tonight’s game against Columbus. From AP-

Carolina goalie Cam Ward remained in a hospital Saturday night after his leg was cut by a skate during the first period of the Hurricanes’ game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Ward didn’t fly home after the 3-2 loss because of concerns about the stress of the flight on his injury.

“It’s a significant injury and all I mean by that is I don’t have any timeline,” coach Paul Maurice said. “There was a fair amount of blood on the ice. All I know it was his leg; other than that I do not know any more.”

Hurricanes spokesman Kyle Hanlin said Ward, who was helped off the ice by two trainers, went to the hospital for further evaluation for a cut on his leg.

Ward stretched to make a save while Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash skated through the crease at 7:35. It appeared Nash or a defenseman nicked Ward in the leg with a skate.

Ward was on all fours for a couple of minutes on the ice before he was attended to by the trainers. As he was being helped off, drops of blood trailed him all the way to the dressing room.

This isn’t the first time Ward has been cut during a game. A similar incident happened two years ago when Carolina played the New York Islanders and the skate of Brad Isbister sliced Ward’s knee.

Anytime a Goalie gets cut and bleeds significantly, brings back memories of Buffalo Sabre Goalie Clint Malarchuk and what happened to him in 1989. Florida Panther Richard Zednik also suffered a severe neck wound two years ago. I was watching the game when it happened.

Lets pray Ward gets better and that he will be able to return to the ice soon.

Carolina’s 3-2 loss last night marked their 11th consecutive game without a win. At this point in the season it looks like the NHL’s Southeast Division has the two worst teams in the league.

Update- Ward could be out up to 5 weeks due to his injury.

Ex-Claimer wins Breeders Cup Dirt Mile

Was Furthest Land’s victory today one of horse racing’s greatest upsets? From Racing Form-

Furthest Land, who could not win under a $35,000 claiming tag at Belmont Park one year ago, outfinished fellow long shot Ready’s Echo by three-quarters of a length to upset Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.

Furthest Land finished second under a $35,000 claiming tag at Belmont in October 2008 when haltered by trainer Mike Maker for owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey. The 4-year-old son of Smart Strike has since gone on to win seven of 10 starts, including the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park in his last start. Santa Anita was the ninth different track Furthest Land has raced on in his last nine starts. He was also the third gelding to win a race on Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup program.

Furthest Land paid $44.60 and was ridden to victory by Julien Leparoux, his third winner during the 2009 Breeders’ Cup.

35,000 claimers are pretty decent race horses but not usually stakes winners(Except maybe in their past). The biggest upset to me in horse racing history was Land Grant winning the 1980 Woodrow Wilson Pace.

Ship wreck- Navy beats Notre Dame 23-21

The last time the Midshipmen won back to back games in South Bend was when I was two years old. From AP-

Navy did it to Notre Dame again — and this loss to the Midshipmen is even more costly.

Craig Schaefer sacked Jimmy Clausen in the end zone with 60 seconds left Saturday and Navy held on for a 23-21 victory, its second straight at Notre Dame Stadium.

No. 19 Notre Dame (6-3) scored with 24 seconds left on a 31-yard pass from Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate to cut the lead to two, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds.

The win sends Navy into the Texas Bowl and effectively ends any hope Notre Dame (6-3) had for a Bowl Championship Series berth.

Notre Dame last went to a BCS Bowl game in 2006 and this year’s team I didn’t think was worthy of that high a game before today’s loss. Losing to Navy is nothing to be ashamed of, but a top college football team shouldn’t be defeated by a service academy.

NY Islander Defenseman Radek Martinek out for the year with a torn ACL

He suffered the injury in a game last night against the New Jersey Devils. From AP-

Oft-injured New York Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek is out for the season with a knee injury.

The 33-year-old Martinek tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Friday night in the third period of a 2-1 loss at New Jersey, the Islanders said on Saturday.

Martinek was helped off the ice with about 5:45 to play after he was hit hard against the boards in front of the Devils bench by Zach Parise.

The Islanders are thin at defenseman but a team relying on a player at Martinak should have a backup plan in mind. Radek Martinek’s greatest consistency as a player is his ability to get injured.