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5465. wabbit - 4/15/2007 7:51:51 PM I think you're right about that, the Red Sox were very slow to integrate. If memory serves, I believe they had the chance to sign Jackie Robinson and passed. Fools.
WoW, he should use that as a subtitle! Schilling is usually a pretty good interview for sportswriters, but you have a point. I hope he doesn't get bored with the blog anytime soon, it's interesting to read. He's one of those guys who has kept meticulous notes throughout his career, so a blog doesn't seem like a big reach. 5466. wonkers2 - 4/15/2007 9:50:00 PM Speaking about the Red Sox. I was a big Ted Williams fan. What a difference between him and the current day hitters. I saw an old dressing room photo of him in his undershirt recently. He was skinny as a rail. No bulking up with weights and steroids for him. Nothing but sharp eyes, lightning reactions and great coordination. I'm sure he was strong as well but nothing like the current crop. 5467. wabbit - 4/16/2007 2:03:05 PM And look at Babe Ruth - not thin like Williams, but not what would be called an athletic specimen these days.
Meanwhile...
The Boston Red Sox pushed back the start of Monday's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by two hours -- and warned it could be delayed further -- due to heavy rain and high winds.
The new game time is 12:05 p.m.
The team said in a statement it would make every effort to play the day game, which is scheduled to coincide with the Boston Marathon on Patriots Day.
However, the team alerted fans that it could be further delayed by storm conditions that included driving rain and wind gusts of more than 30 mph. Actually, wind gusts are up around 50mph. It's still raining, though it looks like it should stop by noon, maybe even in time for the start of the Boston Marathon. It's going to be a lousy day to run, and especially bad for the wheelchair competitors.5468. wabbit - 4/16/2007 2:38:04 PM  The Dodgers solemnly lined up along the third-base line, each and every one wearing No. 42. Jackie Robinson broke major league baseball's color barrier on April 15, 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the sport celebrated the 60th anniversary of his debut throughout the country Sunday, when more than 200 players, managers and coaches wore his number.
Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson threw out ceremonial first pitches, and fellow Hall of Famers Joe Morgan and Dave Winfield were on hand, joined by actors Courtney B. Vance and Marlon Wayans. Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." Adding a personal touch were Robinson's widow, Rachel, and two Dodgers who knew him. Broadcaster Vin Scully paid tribute to Rachel Robinson, and Don Newcombe, Robinson's former teammate and a longtime Dodgers executive, looked on.
The Dodgers beat San Diego 9-3. Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and Wilson Valdez had three hits each for Los Angeles to send the sellout crowd of 55,298 home happy. Ethier homered and drove in his first four runs of the season for the Dodgers, who stole five bases -- their most since Aug. 23, 1999 when they stole seven in a game at Milwaukee. Randy Wolf (2-1) allowed six hits and three runs in six innings and struck out seven. San Diego's Jose Cruz Jr. hit his 200th career homer. The Dodgers snapped Padres starter Chris Young's streak of 25 consecutive road starts without a loss. Young was 9-0 with 16 no-decisions on the road dating to June 25, 2005, at Houston when he was with Texas. Only one other pitcher in big league history had gone as many as 25 straight road starts without losing -- Allie Reynolds had a 25-game streak in 1948-49.
MLB scores
5469. wabbit - 4/17/2007 3:01:47 PM  The Red Sox squashed the Angels for a third straight time, 7-2, completing a three-game sweep of a presumed American League contender by a cumulative score of 25-3. Josh Beckett, despite being asked to perform at an hour that he likened to "pitching in the losers' bracket of an AAU tournament," answered his 6:47 a.m. wakeup call, waited a couple of hours longer than he expected (the start of the 10 a.m. game was pushed back to 12:05, then 12:18), then made a California omelet out of the Angels' lineup. Beckett, winning for the third straight start (3-0, 1.50 ERA, 18 Ks in 18 IP), allowed just one run in six innings, on Orlando Cabrera's first-inning home run, which is precisely the allotment of runs Beckett permitted in his first two starts. Julio Lugo's double started the Sox' six-run uprising in the bottom of the first off Angels starter Ervin "No Magic" Santana, one of four doubles the Sox stroked in the inning. Lugo also made two plays afield -- a sprint into shallow center field to nab Casey Kotchman's flare while on his knees in the fourth, and a terrific snatch and throw from deep in the hole with two runners aboard in the fifth -- that kept the Angels somnambulant.
Freddie Bynum made the most of his first start this season. Bynum and Melvin Mora each hit a two-run homer, and the Baltimore Orioles overcame a six-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9-7 on Monday night. Bynum's two-run shot pulled the Orioles to 7-3 in the sixth. His RBI grounder during a five-run seventh put Baltimore ahead 8-7. Aubrey Huff added a solo homer in the ninth. Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo , who earned his 100th major league win, said Bynum's homer was the turning point in the Orioles' fourth straight victory.
An All-Star a year ago, Brad Penny may be pitching even better this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers ' right-hander was masterful in a 5-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night, allowing one run and five hits in seven innings. Penny, who improved to 3-0, didn't earn his third victory last year until May 12.
MLB scores
5470. wabbit - 4/17/2007 3:02:19 PM  Robert Cheruiyot, who also won in 2003, earned his third Boston title standing up. He outkicked countryman James Kwambai on the way into Kenmore Square to win in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 13 seconds -- slower than the course record of 2:07:14 he set last year but enough to win by 20 seconds. Kenya took the top four spots in the men's race and its 15th victory in 17 years. The top American man was Peter Gilmore, in eighth place.
Russia's Lidiya Grigoryeva captured the women's crown in 2:29:18, winning by 20 seconds and sending Latvia's Jelena Prokocuka to her second consecutive second-place finish. Grigoryeva, who set the course record in Los Angeles last year, veered to the stands to grab a Russian flag just before crossing the finish line. She didn't notice organizers were playing the wrong Russian national anthem as she wore the victor's olive wreath and accepted her trophy. Mexico's Madai Perez finished third. Top American hope Deena Kastor fell back after stomach problems diverted her from the course for a minute near the midpoint. Kastor, the defending London champion, American record-holder and Olympic bronze medalist, still finished first in the U.S. national championships, a race within a race that carried a $25,000 bonus.
Wakako Tsuchida of Japan won the woman's wheelchair division, while Masazumi Soejima, also of Japan, won the men's wheelchair division. Both are two-time winners of the Honolulu Marathon. Defending men's wheelchair champion Ernst Van Dyk, who was trying for record-tying seventh consecutive win, finished third behind Krige Schabort. US astronaut Sunita Williams, on the International Space Station, set a new sporting record by running the distance of the Boston Marathon on a treadmill while in space. She finished, unofficially, 4 hours, 23 minutes and 46 seconds later as the station traveled over Russia.
With the victory, Cheruiyot earned $100,000 and all but clinched the race for a $500,000 bonus in the World Marathon Majors points race. Prokopcuka has a slimmer lead in the women's race, 55 points to 35 for 2006 Boston champion Rita Jeptoo, with 25 points still available for a victory in London, Osaka, Berlin, Chicago or New York.
5471. wonkers2 - 4/18/2007 11:21:30 PM Tiger Town 5472. wabbit - 4/19/2007 2:05:56 PM Nice tigers! 5473. wabbit - 4/19/2007 2:06:13 PM  After 12 straight seasons without a postseason appearance, the Golden State Warriors snapped the streak on the final day of the regular season. And on the road, no less. Davis had 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists, and the Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-98 Wednesday night to earn a playoff berth for the first time since 1994. Golden State (42-40) claimed the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and will indeed be the underdogs against the Dallas Mavericks , who have the league's best record at 67-15. The Warriors went into the season finale against the Trail Blazers one game up on the Los Angeles Clippers , but made sure the Clippers' game against New Orleans didn't matter.
Bernie Bickerstaff had just lost a heartbreaker in his final game as Charlotte's coach, but his eyes dampened as he came back onto the court to be honored for building the third-year expansion team. He stood with his wife as a video montage showed old highlights and relayed messages from people ranging from Jerry West to commissioner David Stern. In his final game, the Bobcats didn't give up. They ran out of bodies. Eddy Curry scored 28 points and tipped in a miss with 0.6 seconds left to give the New York Knicks a 94-93 victory on Wednesday night. Steve Francis added 24 points for the Knicks, who snapped a five-game losing streak and avoided their second straight 50-loss season. After Raymond Felton 's three-point play gave Charlotte the lead with 9.9 seconds left, Nate Robinson raced the ball up the floor and fed Malik Rose. He missed a baseline jumper, but Curry tipped it in from the weak side.
Flip Murray hit the winning shot just before the buzzer and Amir Johnson set career highs with 20 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Pistons to a 91-89 win over the Boston Celtics in the season finale for both teams on Wednesday night. After Rajon Rondo tied it at 89 with two free throws with 3.9 seconds left, Murray took the inbound pass, dribbled toward the free-throw line and nailed an 18-foot jumper with 0.1 seconds left. Murray finished with 16 points for the Pistons, who closed out the regular season with two straight wins. Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell each had 11 for Detroit. Afterward, the Pistons retreated to their locker room to check scores and their playoff fate. When it was determined Detroit will face Orlando in the first round, the locker room emptied. Rondo and Ryan Gomes led Boston with 19 apiece. Allan Ray scored 18 and Al Jefferson added 17 for the Celtics, who lost eight of nine to finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the NBA.
NBA scores | NBA Playoff schedule
5474. wabbit - 4/19/2007 2:06:43 PM  The New York Rangers finally got a chance to party like it was 1997. Matt Cullen banged in a shot off the crossbar early in the third period, snapping a tie and helping New York to a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night that put the Rangers into the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade. A year after being swept out of the first round by New Jersey in their return to the playoffs, following a seven-season absence, the Rangers turned the trick on the Thrashers, who exited their first series in four games.
Turns out the New Jersey Devils didn't need a stellar performance from Martin Brodeur to climb back into their first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Another big game by Zach Parise and Scott Gomez's overtime goal kept the Atlantic Division champions from falling to the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference matchup Wednesday night. Parise scored his fifth and sixth goals of the postseason. Gomez blocked a shot nearly 13 minutes into the extra period, then chased down the loose puck and skated in to blow the winner past goalie Johan Holmqvist for a 4-3 victory that evened the series at two games apiece. Game 5 is Friday night at New Jersey.
The Nashville Predators are awfully fast, yet Milan Michalek 's speed generated two goals for the San Jose Sharks. The Predators are terribly strong, too, yet Mike Grier and the Sharks physically punished them again. Nashville was among the NHL's best clubs throughout the regular season - but now the Predators are on the brink of elimination after San Jose once again did everything better. Michalek scored two goals, Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves and the Sharks took a commanding lead in their first-round playoff series with a 3-2 victory over the Predators in Game 4 on Wednesday night. San Jose went up 3-1 in the series with another exhibition of speed, physical play and stellar goaltending - everything the stunned Predators did so well during an excellent season that could be over Friday night.
NHL scores
5475. wabbit - 4/19/2007 2:07:17 PM  Chicago White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle faced the minimum 27 batters in a 6-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night, picking off the only runner he walked and throwing the first no-hitter of the major league season. Working quickly and efficiently in a dominant performance, Buehrle allowed just one baserunner in Chicago's first no-hitter since 1991. He walked Sammy Sosa with one out in the fifth, then promptly picked him off first base. One walk - almost a perfect game.
Kei Igawa had a baseball and a lineup card in his locker. For the second straight night, the New York Yankees got a rookie starter his first major league win. The Yankees used the same formula against the Cleveland Indians for the second night in a row, getting a big early lead and a home run from Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod hit his major league-leading ninth homer, Igawa limited the Indians to a pair of runs over six innings, and New York defeated Cleveland 9-2 Wednesday night.
A dome does wonders for Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. Wakefield allowed four hits in seven innings and David Ortiz homered, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli, who had one passed ball, said it takes extra effort to handle Wakefield's knuckler indoors. Mirabelli and Mike Lowell also homered for the Red Sox, who entered with eight homers in their first 12 games. Wakefield (2-1) struck out four, walked three and lowered his ERA to 1.35. The 40-year-old right-hander has allowed only three earned runs in 20 innings.
MLB scores
5476. wabbit - 4/21/2007 4:49:09 PM  The Nashville Predators spent the past year improving themselves over a season ago. So did the San Jose Sharks. So the result of the opening round of the playoffs was the same. Patrick Marleau scored his second goal with 4:21 left, and the Sharks grabbed a berth in their third straight Western Conference semifinals, beating Nashville 3-2 Friday night. Marleau tied the game with a power-play goal late in the second period, and Ryane Clowe also scored as the Sharks closed out Nashville with a Game 5 win on the Predators' home ice for a second straight year.
Martin Brodeur is one shutout away from putting his name next to Patrick Roy's. More importantly, Brodeur's vintage 31-save performance has the New Jersey Devils a game away from putting Vincent Lecavalier and the Tampa Bay Lightning out of the playoffs. Brodeur shook off a couple of shaky games to post his 22nd career shutout and got goals by Andy Greene, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez in a 3-0 victory on Friday night.
Ryan Miller's blind glove save in the final seconds was enough to solidify the Buffalo Sabres' trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Miller's save was the difference in allowing the Sabres to hang on for a 4-3 victory on Friday night and win their best-of-seven first-round series in five games. The save came with 12 seconds left and with the Sabres reeling, barely hanging on after nearly squandering a 4-1 lead in the final 13 minutes.
NHL scores
5477. wabbit - 4/21/2007 4:49:24 PM  On a hitting tear unlike few others to start a season in major league history, Alex Rodriguez hit two more home runs in his first three at-bats Friday night against the rival Red Sox, but he could not pull off more ninth-inning magic to save the Yankees. One day after capping New York's six-run, ninth-inning rally against the Indians with a three-run homer, Rodriguez finally went down meekly -- a soft liner to second base with one on and one out in the ninth -- as the Yankees dropped this early-season AL East showdown, 7-6, against the rival Red Sox. Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs. The Yankees third baseman now has 12 home runs in 15 games, tying Mike Schmidt for the fastest to a dozen homers in major league history, as well as 30 RBI. Of his 23 hits this season, 18 have gone for extra bases.
Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen wasn't concerned about Darin Erstad's slow start. Erstad then went out and proved his manager right with a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning that lifted Chicago to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers. The 12-year veteran has struggled in his first year with the White Sox, hitting only .185, after going 2-for-5 on Friday night. Juan Uribe and Tadahito Iguchi homered for Chicago and helped Nick Masset (1-0) earn his first major league victory. Masset allowed one hit in 1 1-3 innings. David Aardsma , Matt Thornton , and Mike MacDougal combined to retire six in a row in the seventh and eighth innings, and Bobby Jenks pitched the ninth for his fifth save in six opportunities.
Braves manager Bobby Cox is happy with what he's seen from Tim Hudson so far this year -- a lot of the same stuff, over and over again. Hudson was downright stingy over eight shutout innings and Chipper Jones hit a two-run homer to help Atlanta beat the New York Mets 7-3 Friday night. Hudson (3-0) allowed five hits and walked two. He has allowed two runs in 29 innings this season for a microscopic 0.62 ERA.
MLB scores
5478. jexster - 4/22/2007 6:01:38 PM 
5479. wabbit - 4/23/2007 12:35:39 AM  Barry Bonds is beginning to close in on Hank Aaron -- fast. Bonds hit his 740th home run Sunday, connecting for the second consecutive game and helping Matt Cain earn his first win of the season in the San Francisco Giants' 2-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cain pitched a three-hitter for his third career complete game and first since a one-hitter last May 21 at Oakland. He struck out four and walked four. Bonds moved within 15 homers of Aaron's record. With two outs in the fourth inning, he sent the first pitch from Yusmeiro Petit (0-1) into the seats in the right-field arcade for his sixth homer of the season. The 42-year-old Bonds walked out to left field in the top of the fifth to a loud standing ovation, tipping his cap as he made his way to his spot. Fans bowed over the left-field fence. Petit, called up from Triple-A Tucson before the game to make his second major league start, became the 438th pitcher to give up a homer to Bonds.
The Red Sox managed to keep Alex Rodriguez from hitting another home run. The Yankees can't say the same about David Ortiz. Ortiz had a two-run homer and four RBIs, and Josh Beckett settled down to help Boston beat New York 7-5 Saturday for its second consecutive victory over the Yankees. It was Ortiz's fourth homer in seven games and his 12th in the past two years against New York. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI single to extend his hitting streak to 21 games dating to last season. But a day after he hit two home runs to match the fastest start in baseball history -- 12 homers in the first 15 games -- his home run streak was snapped at four straight games.
The Detroit Tigers were headed for a here-we-go-again loss until Marcus Thames hit a tying homer with two outs in the ninth inning. Then, Placido Polanco gave them a rare win at home in extra innings. Polanco singled home the winning run in the 12th and Detroit rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 on Sunday after blowing a three-run lead. Detroit squandered leads in its previous three games, too, losing twice in extra innings with a surprisingly shaky bullpen.
MLB scores
5480. wabbit - 4/23/2007 12:37:25 AM  Martin Lel of Kenya sprinted to victory in the London Marathon on Sunday in two hours seven minutes 41 seconds to regain the men's title he won in 2005. But there was disappointment for former Olympic 10,000 meters champion Haile Gebrselassie, who did not finish the race, while marathon world record holder Paul Tergat fell off the pace in the final 2km to finish sixth. Zhou Chunxiu became the first Chinese champion when she won the women's race in two hours 20 minutes 38 seconds.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal won his third Monte Carlo Masters Series in succession when he extended his record winning streak on clay to 67 matches with a 6-4 6-4 defeat of world number one Roger Federer in Sunday's final. The double French Open champion, who has not lost on the slow surface since a defeat to Russian Igor Andreev in April 2005, became the second player to win three straight titles in the principality. Only Romania's Ilie Nastase had achieved the feat before him, from 1971 to 1973. Nadal, who thrashed all his opponents en route to Sunday's final, has already emerged as a hot favorite to retain his French Open crown.
 Freed of the blinkers that rattled him during a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Louisiana Derby last month, Slew's Tizzy might just make the Kentucky Derby after all. The 3-year-old colt stunned the field at the $325,000 Lexington Stakes on Saturday, taking the lead early then dominating down the stretch for a 3½ length victory over Starbase. Slew's Tizzy went off at 40-1, but hardly looked like a long-shot while making easy work of the nine-horse field. Slew's Tizzy covered the 1 1-16 mile course in 1:43.20 and paid $83, $29.60 and $13.60. Starbase, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, held off Forty Grams for second. The win in one of the final prep races for the May 5 Kentucky Derby could give Slew's Tizzy enough graded stakes earnings to race in the run for the roses. The only horse to pull off wins in both the Lexington Stakes and the Derby was Charismatic in 1999.
 Brian Lara's farewell to international cricket was ruined by a run out and a thrilling one-wicket defeat by England in the final World Cup Super Eights match on Saturday. Kevin Pietersen's superb 100 helped England to their target of 301 with one ball to spare after out-of-form Michael Vaughan (79) scored his first fifty of the campaign. Although both struggling sides were out of contention for the semifinals, Lara's retirement and England coach Duncan Fletcher's imminent departure gave an enthralling match some extra significance. Batting great Lara fell for 18 when Marlon Samuels (51) ran him out. However, a superb knock from opener Chris Gayle helped West Indies to 300 all out for the first time in the tournament. The 37-year-old Lara, who holds the record for the top Test score (400 not out) and highest first class knock (501 not out), received a massive ovation from a packed Kensington Oval and was given a guard of honor by the England players as he came to the crease.
5481. wabbit - 4/23/2007 12:37:52 AM  Flat on his back, LeBron James grimaced as he looked toward the arena rafters, where giant banners spelled out his team's playoff motto: "RISE UP!" And he did. Ignoring a sprained left ankle, James stayed in the game to score 23 points and Larry Hughes added 27 Sunday, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers over the depleted Washington Wizards 97-82 in the opener of this Eastern Conference series. James turned his ankle on a drive in the third quarter but refused to come out, adding nine rebounds and seven assists in 44 minutes.
The "Brazilian Blur" breathed life into the Phoenix offense, and Kobe Bryant went from awesome to awful. The result was a second-half rally that gave the Suns a 95-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round playoff opener on Sunday. Leandro Barbosa scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half, including 15 consecutive Phoenix points in one stretch, to match his career playoff scoring high. Amare Stoudemire, back in the postseason after missing last year's while recovering from two knee surgeries, added 23 points and 12 rebounds. Bryant scored 39, but only 11 in the second half. The NBA's scoring champ was 1-for-10 shooting in the fourth quarter, when Phoenix pulled away. Steve Nash had 20 points and 10 assists and Shawn Marion 16 points and 16 rebounds for a Phoenix team struggled mightily until Barbosa provide the spark, highlighted by a 31-footer at the third-quarter buzzer that cut the Lakers' lead to 77-74 entering the fourth.
Shaquille O'Neal's words were sharp and pointed and aimed straight at his target, like those passes he whips to cutters when he is double-teamed. His target this time was referee Eddie F. Rush. Chicago's Luol Deng also played a big part in knocking defending champion Miami off track. So did Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni. Deng scored 33 points, Gordon and Nocioni each hit two free throws in the final 19 seconds, and the Chicago Bulls held off the Heat 96-91 Saturday in Game 1 of their opening-round rematch.
NBA scores
5482. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 4/23/2007 5:01:27 AM GO Sawks!!!!! 5483. wabbit - 4/23/2007 1:54:38 PM What a game! 5484. wabbit - 4/23/2007 1:54:57 PM  Don Nelson figures the Dallas Mavericks will eventually figure out how to stop his Golden State Warriors. Until they do, he's going to savor every moment. Baron Davis scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, carrying Nellie's small-ball lineup to a 97-85 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference series. Well, it wasn't a total stunner, at least not as much as a No. 8 seed beating a No. 1 seed normally is. After all, this was Golden State's sixth straight win over Dallas and the fourth in a row since Nelson ended a decade-long tenure with the Mavs to rejoin the Warriors.
This is what the Denver Nuggets had in mind when they acquired Allen Iverson to go with Carmelo Anthony. The high-scoring All-Star duo provided the offense and the Nuggets were tough defensively, too, as they beat the San Antonio Spurs 95-89 in Game 1 of their Western Conference playoff series Sunday night. Iverson scored 29 of his 31 after the first quarter and Anthony added 30 points for the sixth-seeded Nuggets, who entered the playoffs having won 10 of 11. Nene added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Marcus Camby grabbed 10 boards for Denver. The big guys also made things difficult for Tim Duncan, who scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds for the Spurs.
NBA scores
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