Major League Notebook: September 25

Filed under: MLB Injuries, MLB Transactions, MLB Notebook

Here is what's happening around baseball on Saturday Sept. 25, 2010:

o. The Cardinals have decided to shut down starting pitcher Jaime Garcia, coming full circle on their original plan to give the left-hander a breather in September with the team out of contention and him just a year removed from Tommy John surgery,

"I think if we were in a position where we had a legitimate chance to win the division he could pitch," pitching coach Dave Duncan told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "But I think the organization -- and rightly so -- is concerned about the number of innings he's pitched after not pitching very much last year. Under the circumstances, you really stay on the safe side."

o. The Mets are considering allowing Oliver Perez to pitch in the Mexican winter league this year as a way for him to re-establish his value, according to the New York Daily News.

o. Bob Brenly has removed his name from consideration for the Cubs' managerial vacancy, citing "personal and professional reasons."

o. Former NFL coach Tony Dungy was a guest of Yankees manager Joe Girardi prior to his team's game against the Red Sox. Dungy gave a motivational speech, but it doesn't seem to have done the trick, with New York dropping its fourth straight.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

David Beckham LA Lakers Roger Federer New Jersey Devils Nicklas Lidstrom

UCLA Beats Texas, Giving the Bruins a Much Rosier Outlook

Filed under: Texas, UCLA

AUSTIN, Texas - Two weeks ago, the UCLA Bruins were reeling and seemed to have far more deficiencies than they had hands to cover them up.

They seemed to be void of playmakers on both sides of the football. The new pistol offense seemed a silly gimmick. Just maybe the playbook coach Rick Neuheisel decided to use just wasn't going work.

But two weeks removed from the humiliating 35-0 drubbing by Stanford in the Pac-10 opener, the Bruins outlook appears quite a bit Rosier (excuse the pun). That's what consecutive wins over Top 25 opponents, including Saturday's stunning 34-12 upset of No.7 Texas, will do for a team that seemed on fast track to obscurity.

Some 13 years since crafting the 66-3 beat down also known as "Rout 66" in these parts, the Bruins returned for the first time to the scene of one their best victories and Texas' worst defeat and again turned Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium into their playing field.

Chants of "UC L-A! UC L-A!" were all that could be heard as most of the 101,437 had cleared out and just pockets of faithful Bruins fans became as dominant as their team had been on the field all afternoon.

---

More Week 4: Full Scoreboard | Live Tweet | Latest Stories
Buy College Football Gear

---

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden Tiger woods David Beckham LA Lakers

49ers vs. Chiefs Quick Hits

Filed under: 49ers, Chiefs, AFC West, NFC West

People around the league should start taking the Kansas City Chiefs seriously. Apparently, the 49ers didn't and they paid the price Sunday, getting blown out again in Kansas City, where San Francisco hasn't won in 28 years.

Quarterback Matt Cassel brought the Chiefs passing game to life, throwing for three touchdowns, and he was backed by a defense that kept the 49ers out of the end zone until it didn't matter in a 31-10 victory. The Chiefs (3-0) remained unbeaten, while the 49ers continued to search for their first win of the season.

Some thoughts on the game:

o. Less than a month into the season, the Chiefs are one win away from matching their win total (4) for all of last season. Meanwhile, the 49ers, the trendy preseason pick to win the NFC West, better get their act together in a hurry if they want to try to salvage the season.

o. Kansas City's defense was in the face of the 49ers' offense all day, especially outside linebacker Tamba Hali, who had a couple of sacks of Alex Smith.

---

More coverage: Recap | Check Box Score

---

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden Tiger woods David Beckham LA Lakers

Cincinnati Miscues Help Give Oklahoma Two-Point Win

Filed under: Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Big 12, Big East

CINCINNATI -- Oklahoma and Cincinnati did their best pinball football imitation Saturday night at Paul Brown Stadium.

Boink, doing, boing-boing-boing and the ball just kept on rolling. The two teams kept hitting the flippers and earning the bonus -- to the tune of more than 900 yards in offense.

Until Cincinnati went tilt.

Given the chance to win, the Bearcats botched two fourth-quarter opportunities and saw the Sooners take a 31-29 win back to Norman.

Close as it is, the two-point margin does not do justice to the chances Cincinnati had to win the game, nor does it do justice to the Sooners' run defense, which pretty much seems nonexistent as Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead averaged eight yards per trip on his 21 carries.

The Sooners could have justified being ranked eighth in the nation by completing a fast start that saw them lead 14-3 in the first quarter. Oklahoma plays fast, lines up fast and wants the game fast. But after starting fast, Oklahoma had to hang on to win -- it did thanks to the unintentional teeth-gnashing generosity of Cincinnati, which turned the ball over too often at key times. Put it this way: With 58 seconds left, Cincinnati could have been trying a two-point conversion to tie had it simply made its first extra-point attempt.

---

More Week 4: Full Scoreboard | Live Tweet | Latest Stories
Buy College Football Gear

---

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

LA Lakers Roger Federer New Jersey Devils Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden

Tiger Woods' Golf Course Back on Track

Filed under: Golf Odds and Ends, Sports Business and Media

An Asheville, N.C., golf course, designed by Tiger Woods is back in construction mode after developers agreed to reduce the potential impact the course would have had on the local environment.

Construction on The Cliffs at High Carolina, a mountain course scheduled to open in the fall of 2012, has picked up again now that developers have dropped by nearly half the effect the course would have had on adjacent trout streams.

A coalition of environmental groups had challenged permits issued by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, charging that the course would negatively impact trout streams without mitigation. Course developers slowed down the construction to address the issues, and cut the number of linear feet of impact from 3,132 to 1,665 by making the course shorter and by lengthening the walk between tees and greens.

The Cliffs will be Woods' first American course, and, in a statement issued Thursday, he proclaimed himself pleased with the changes.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

New Jersey Devils Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden Tiger woods David Beckham

Helio Castroneves Wins Motegi IndyCar Pole

Filed under: IRL

MOTEGI, Japan (AP) -- Brazilian Helio Castroneves claimed the pole position for the Indy Japan as Team Penske drivers dominated Saturday's qualifying session.

Castroneves' lap average of 201.992 mph put him ahead of Ryan Briscoe while series points leader Will Power qualified third as Team Penske took the top three positions.

"I'm very excited the three of us are starting in the top three spots," Castroneves said. "Hopefully, tomorrow we'll finish like this. It was a great effort for the entire team."

Power, who is making his debut at the 2.4 kilometer (1.5 mile) Twin Ring Motegi, holds a 17-point lead over defending series champion Dario Franchitti with two races left and could wrap up the title with a win.

"My goal was to come here and be ahead of the Ganassi guys, especially Dario," Power said. "I've just got to follow these guys tomorrow and keep Dario behind me."

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden Tiger woods David Beckham LA Lakers

Kevin Towers Takes Over as General Manager in Arizona

by FanHouse Staff

Filed under: Diamondbacks, Sports Business and Media

The Arizona Diamondbacks have hired Kevin Towers as their next general manager.

The team held an afternoon news conference to introduce Towers, who spent 14 seasons as GM in San Diego, building a team that won four NL West titles and reached the 1998 World Series. He was fired in 2009 and spent this season as a special assistant for the New York Yankees.

A major league source confirmed the hiring to FanHouse early Wednesday.

Towers takes over a last-place team that fired manager A.J. Hinch and GM Josh Byrnes in June. Jerry Dipoto had been serving as the interim GM and was a finalist for the job.

"There is some talent there," Towers told FanHouse recently.

The status of interim manager Kirk Gibson has not been determined, but Towers met with Gibson for two hours Wednesday morning and the encounter seemed to go well, according to the Arizona Republic.

Towers' deal covers the next two seasons (2011-12) and also includes a pair of two-year options (2013-14 and 2015-16).

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

LA Lakers Roger Federer New Jersey Devils Nicklas Lidstrom Michael Jorden