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Catchings happy to be playing again (The Associated Press)

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:18:09 +0000

Catchings happy to be playing again (The Associated Press)
SEATTLE (AP) Tamika Catchings was thrilled to be back on the court. While most of her teammates on the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team spent the winter playing overseas, she was rehabbing an injury to her right foot. Now that’s she healthy, Catchings is raring to go. She has been playing pickup basketball as much as she could, but there’s nothing like playing with her Olympic teammates. ”It’s great to be playing again,” she said after the two-hour practice Friday at Seattle University. ”It really feels good to be out here.” Catchings, who will be playing in her third Olympics this summer in London, suffered a torn plantar fascia in the second game of the WNBA Eastern Conference finals. Catchings and her Olympic teammates will have a whirlwind weekend in Seattle. They practiced Friday and play an exhibition game against China on Saturday. The U.S. will then scrimmage Japan on Sunday before breaking camp. ”It was a good first day,” U.S. coach Geno Auriemma said. ”What I really hope we get out of this weekend is a chance for our players to get used to being with each other and playing with each other. That’s the biggest thing we can get out of these few days.” The U.S. team has been forced to go with piecemeal training over the last few years because of the difficulty of getting everyone together. Between the WNBA season, players playing overseas in the winter and Auriemma’s college schedule, it’s been virtually impossible to get everyone in the same place at the same time. While Catchings is fresh, most of the other players are tired from their long seasons overseas. The WNBA is in the middle of training camp and their season starts next Friday. ”It’s good that we only went for a few hours today and then have a game tomorrow,” said Candace Parker, who spent her winter playing in Russia. ”It takes a toll on your body playing all those games. This is the perfect amount of time to get used to each other and coach’s system.” Auriemma’s system is familiar to half the team as six of the players are UConn graduates. Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones, Maya Moore and Tina Charles all played for Auriemma. Charles didn’t really participate much in practice Friday as she was rehabbing a groin injury. Bird was sporting a face mask to protect her nose that was broken while playing this winter. ”It’s not my favorite thing to wear, but it allows me to play,” Bird said. ”I’ve broken it before so it’s not really an adjustment, it’s more of a nuisance.” This will be the only time the Americans are together before the WNBA takes a monthlong break from its season for the Olympics. The team will get together again on July 14. They will spend three days in Washington D.C. before heading to Manchester, England. The U.S. will then play in a tournament in Istanbul before returning to London at the start of the Olympics, which begin on July 27. ”It’s not ideal since other teams have been practicing for a lot longer, but it’s what we have,” said Bird, who will also be playing in her third Olympics. ”Every time you put the USA jersey on it’s an honor. I’m lucky I have had the opportunity to represent my country. Growing up there was no WNBA to look forward to, for me my dream was always playing in the Olympics.”

Stenhouse content to bide his time in Nationwide (The Associated Press)

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:54:09 +0000

Stenhouse content to bide his time in Nationwide (The Associated Press)
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. is perfectly happy biding his time in the NASCAR Nationwide series in 2012. Stenhouse knows Roush Fenway Racing is invested in his future – one that looks stronger than ever after a stellar start to the season. Stenhouse, the 2011 Nationwide points champion, told team owner Jack Roush in the offseason that another year in the series right below Sprint Cup would be the best thing for his long-term prospects. It’s been the right plan so far. The 24-year-old Stenhouse is five points clear of Elliott Sadler in the points lead heading into this week’s race at Darlington. ”I feel comfortable about where I am at Roush Fenway Racing. I wasn’t worried that if I didn’t get to Cup that I was going to be left behind or anything like that. Jack’s been patient with me and been supportive, so I had that behind me,” Stenhouse said Wednesday during a promotional tour of metro Des Moines ahead of the May 20 Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway. ”I felt like there was a lot that I could learn still in Nationwide.” It never seems that way at the short oval in Iowa, the site of Stenhouse’s first two career wins. Stenhouse earned his first career pole at Iowa in 2009. He then picked up his first career victory there last May, outdueling teammate Carl Edwards and Cup regular Brad Keselowski to snap a winless streak by Nationwide regulars that stretched past a year. He won again at Iowa in August. ”After the last couple of years running out at Iowa Speedway and, especially after last year having the success we’ve had there, I’m definitely excited to get back,” Stenhouse said. It was that victory last August that ensured Iowa’s burgeoning racing fan base wouldn’t forget Stenhouse either. It was a contentious run from the start, with Stenhouse annoying his more experienced teammate with what Edwards thought was overaggressive driving. Contact initiated by Stenhouse sent tempers flaring, and owner Jack Roush had to grab the radio and calm them down. It worked, but sage advice couldn’t stop Stenhouse’s engine from blowing up on the last lap with Edwards on his rear fender. Stenhouse’s No. 6 car spun and Edwards, blinded by the smoke, pushed it across the finish line first. It was one of the more dramatic finishes in recent NASCAR history, even though it was hardly the kind of 1-2 finish Roush had hoped for. ”It was crazy. It was one of those races that I’ll never forget. You don’t want them to end that way. It was exciting for the fans, exciting for everyone at home. Kind of killed me – I wasn’t sure if we were going to win or not,” Stenhouse said. ”It was tough on Jack’s pocketbook as well, because finishing first and second with two destroyed race cars and a blown motor is not profitable.” It’s been tough for Roush to stay mad at Stenhouse with the way he’s been running. In eight Nationwide races, Stenhouse has a pair of wins at Las Vegas and Texas and a series-high six top-5 finishes. Though he’s run just once in Sprint Cup, he said Wednesday he’s confident that more opportunities to race at the sport’s highest level will come this season. Stenhouse even said that Roush told him at Texas he’s holding a Cup spot for the No. 6 provided he can land sponsorship for it. For now, Stenhouse is content on chasing another Nationwide championship while absorbing all the lessons he can before making the leap to Cup fulltime. It’s not a move Stenhouse wants to make too soon. ”Looking at other guys that might have gone up a little too early and struggled a little bit and took a while to get going – I didn’t want to fall in that category,” Stenhouse said.

Oudin, star at ’09 US Open, gets French wild card (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:18:28 +0000

Oudin, star at ’09 US Open, gets French wild card (Yahoo! Sports)
Melanie Oudin was introduced to the world – and to the notion of outsized expectations – when she was an unseeded and unknown 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., who upset Maria Sharapova during a captivating run to the 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinals. The going’s been rough since: a 2-8 record at Grand Slam tournaments, plenty of other early exits elsewhere, too, and a ranking that dropped from a high of 31st to 370th. She didn’t even get into the Australian Open in January after losing her opening match in qualifying. Now 20 and trying to work her way back, Oudin is heading to the main draw of the French Open this month after earning a wild card at low-level clay-court tournaments in the United States. ”There’s always ups and downs in everyone’s tennis career. For me, this was definitely the down part of my career. Hopefully there won’t be too many other down parts. But what matters is how you come out of your downs,” Oudin said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday, the words delivered in that familiar rat-a-tat style of hers. ”Ups are always great. But what really makes you a great tennis player is how you deal with the losses and come out of a slump.” The kid whose shoes were stamped with the word ”Believe” during those magical, memorable two weeks in New York more than 2 1/2 years ago is using that mantra again. For whatever ups and downs Oudin already has lived as a pro tennis player – at ages when some people are in high school or college – she sounded a positive note Monday. ”I’ve handled myself well. I’ve really tried to keep going. Not getting down on myself. Never giving up. And playing tennis again for the reasons I love play: Not for the winning and losing, but because I love to play and I love competing and playing in all the tournaments,” Oudin said. ”I’m definitely doing better now. I feel like my game is coming into place again and I’m starting to get more confidence. I’m going in the right direction now.” She’s 270th in Monday’s WTA rankings, too low to even get invited to the qualifying rounds for the French Open, the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. But the U.S. Tennis Association gets two wild cards for Paris that it can hand out however it wants (the French federation gets a pair for the U.S. Open in exchange). This year, the USTA awarded those wild cards based on results at recent events. Brian Baker of Nashville, Tenn., got the men’s invitation, and Oudin got the women’s, thanks in large part to winning a USTA Pro Circuit title at Charlottesville, Va. ”It’s really good for me to come through and win a tournament, because I hadn’t won a tournament in a while,” Oudin said. ”I definitely see it as an accomplishment. Getting the main-draw wild card gives me a huge opportunity to do well and hopefully I can get some matches there and get my ranking back up.” She started training with USTA coaches in Florida in October, then moved to New York to work with Jay Gooding and Jorge Todero of the USTA a little more than two months ago. Their focus is on fitness and confidence, more than any particular stroke. ”She’s already been there and done that. She was up to 30th in the world. She was playing at a high level for a year or two. Tennis is not the issue. It’s mental and physical,” Gooding said. ”She’s already proven that she could do it, and as long as she got her head back in a good place, she knew she could start winning again.” Whatever progress is being made now, the real goal is to start off 2013 fresh as Oudin moves into what Gooding referred to as ”her second career.” ”What we want to learn from is what she did after the U.S. Open that year. She could have managed her schedule a bit better. She played too much. Got a little burned out. Did a little too many media commitments, maybe,” he said. ”It’s not like she’s the first to ever go through that. It happens a lot, where people skyrocket up and then the next year is the difficult one. Having that experience, maybe she can do things a little bit different.” Instead of looking at what happened in 2009 as a burden, Oudin is trying to find inspiration from it. ”It’s something I’ll always be able to look back on and feel like: I did this, and I can do it again. It’s something I can work toward. And I’m really looking forward to having another great run like that again. I just don’t know when it will come. Just like I didn’t know that was going to come out of nowhere,” she said. ”I just have to keep working hard,” Oudin added, ”and remember that I can compete with the best in the world.” — Howard Fendrich can be reached at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

Fantasy: Different ‘horses’ for portions of season (NASCAR.com)

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:36:15 +0000

Fantasy: Different ‘horses’ for portions of season (NASCAR.com)
Gordon’s run at Martinsville just one example of driver predictability. Jeff Gordon (Autostock) At Martinsville, an often repeated truism goes: There are horses for courses. Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson proved just how accurate that was last weekend in the Goodys Fast Relief 500 by alternately dominating before a late accident robbed them of good finishes. Gordon earned the top driver rating of 133.0 (out of a perfect 150.0) during the race, Hamlin was fourth-best at 111.5 and Johnson was fifth at 109.4. Late in the race, the three engaged in a spirited battle that may have shown the best competition of the season. Even better from a fantasy-gaming point of view, these drivers were predictably strong and they were profiled as favorites in the weekly preview. Just as there are horses for courses, there are drivers who are predictably strong at certain points of the season. Even with the current playoff-style Chase, it pays to get off to a good start. On the strength of five consecutive top-15s, Greg Biffle has a 47-point advantage over the driver in 11th in the standings. It is not an insurmountable lead by any stretch of the imagination, and much can happen in the 21 races before the Chase begins, but it allows the driver and team to gamble to a certain degree. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is another driver who came off the hauler fast at Daytona and has not looked back. He too has swept the top 15 and built a 41-point margin over 11th place in the standings, and that lifts a load of concern from his shoulders. Only one of those two drivers has traditionally been much stronger during the first half of the season, which is why expectations need to be adjusted week to week. But to be successful in fantasy games, it pays to study the trends. Strong Starters Earnhardt is off to a great start in 2012, and it seems inevitable that he will snap his winless streak sometime before the series hits the halfway point with a return to Daytona in week 18 of the season. Junior has historically been much better in the first half of the year than at its end. In 435 starts through the end of 2011, he earned 61 percent of his 18 victories before the halfway mark. He also has scored 58 percent of his top-fives and 57 percent of his top-10s in that span, which made him a predictably strong starter. While he has been strong most often early in the year, his average finish of 7.8 during the first five races has been atypical. His career average finish through 2011 has been about twice what hes experienced this season at 15.4 in the first 18 races of each year. He cools off in the closing months and loses 2.6 positions to his average finish in the last 18 weeks. Kyle Busch is another typically strong starterat least in reference to victories. During his career, he has amassed 23 Cup wins and nearly two-thirds of those came in the first 18 weeks of the season. The ratio of his top-five and -10 finishes is much narrower than Earnhardts, however. In 257 starts, he earned only 51 percent of his top-10s in the first part of the year and 54 percent of his top-fives. That should be regarded by fantasy owners as both good and bad news. On one hand, it means that he is marginally stronger at this stage of the schedule with an average finish of slightly better than two positions per race. But it also means that he has been more uneven in the spring events, which makes him less predictable. Paul Menard has been less successful overall than Earnhardt and Busch, but his percentages are largely the same. For the past couple of years, he has gotten off to a strong start at Daytona and kept that momentum during the early season. Four of his six top-fives have come in the first 18 races of a year, and that has allowed him to stake a brief claim to Chase contention. He levels off relatively soon, however, and his 19 top-10s are almost evenly spread between the spring and fall. Strong Finishers Some other drivers are much better in the fall than spring. There is a reason why Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart battled for the championship last year, as they both had strong runs during the Chase, but neither of them could be described as surprisingly stout during the second half of the season. Statistically, Edwards improves his average finish by nearly two positions per race in the final 18 events of the year. Fifty-three percent of his top-fives have been earned as the season crests the hill, and 12 of 19 wins have come with the season finale firmly in sight. Stewart has a long reputation for running stronger in the fall than spring. His surge usually starts late-summer and carries through until the end of the season. Last year, he was able to parlay that tendency into the third championship of his career. He entered this season with 44 Cup victories and, amazingly, 30 of those were earned in the second half of the season. However, hes added two more wins so far in 2012, which gives him an inside track to taking one of the wild card slots in the Chase even if he slips from his third position in the standings. He provides a lesson to fantasy owners: momentum is sometimes more important than statistics. Clint Bowyer is also well-known for late-season surges. His qualification for the 2007 Chase was a pleasant surprise since it came in his sophomore season. He immediately set out to prove he belonged with the elite drivers by winning that Chases first playoff race in New Hampshire. In the next six races that season, he earned two more runner-up finishes and swept the top 12, which solidified his reputation. His last two Cup victories have also been earned in the fall and four of Bowyers five wins have come in the final 18 races. Like Stewart, however, he is showing how strong he can be in the opening weeks with five top-15s in the first six races of 2012. Fantasy owners will want to use him while he has momentum on his side, but they will also want to keep a close eye on the No. 15 as the Chase looms.

Roddick ousted from San Jose in quarters (AP)

admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:00:18 +0000

Roddick ousted from San Jose in quarters (AP)
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)The hands were still soft, the volleys were crisp and the temper had calmed down 20 years after John McEnroe had last been a regular on the ATP Tour. McEnroe made a brief return to play an exhibition doubles match Monday on the opening night of the SAP Open, teaming with young American Jack Sock to beat Gael Monfils and Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 in a lighthearted match. McEnroe showed the deft skill at the net that made him one of the games best doubles players ever in a match that included three players young enough to be his children. If you know some of the tricks of the trade, I dont care, he said. Im covering half the court. This is beautiful for me. Im not saying I could go out and win things but Id be comfortable going against anybody right now playing doubles. McEnroe hit crisp volleys all match long, bringing back memories of his touring days when he won seven Grand Slam singles titles and 10 major doubles titles from 1977-92. Even though he lacks the power of the younger, modern players, McEnroe was able to get his serve up as high as 125 mpha feat he credited to a friendly radar gun operator rather than some newfound strength. I hit one 125 (mph), he said. Ive never hit it that hard in my life. I owe that guy a dinner. Perhaps the biggest difference besides the gray hair was the lack of temper tantrums that were such a regular part of his matches when he was on the tour. With the Hawk-Eye replay system in place, McEnroe had little to argue with the umpire or linespeople. He challenged three calls in the match, winning one of them, and even got down on his belly to closely inspect a mark before challenging a call in the second set that he eventually lost. His only argument came when Monfils won a challenge on a shot that just clipped the back line. Its a conspiracy, McEnroe shouted after losing the point. McEnroe said he would have loved to have had the replay system during his playing career, when he was known perhaps as much for his demonstrative arguments as his sterling play. I would have won a lot more majorsin my opinion, McEnroe said. Forty percent of the energy I wasted in losing it would have allowed me to sort of focus on playing. The other players had little personal experience with McEnroes brilliance during his hey-day starting in the late 1970s. Sock, 19, wasnt even born the last time McEnroe played in a major singles tournament and Monfils and Johnson were not born when McEnroe won his last major singles title in 1984. But they still enjoyed the spectacle as much as the crowd of 5,157 did. Sock even joked after the match that he might drop partner Sam Querrey for the main doubles draw to play with McEnroe instead. To get a chance to play with a legend like that is always fun, Sock said. I let him do all the work. His volleys and hands are incredible. McEnroe was originally scheduled to play with defending champion Milos Raonic, who pulled out with a knee injury. Sock ended up teaming with McEnroe, and Johnson, the reigning NCAA champion at Southern California, played with Monfils. Raonic is still expected to compete in the singles draw, starting with his second-round match Wednesday against Tobias Kamke. Kamke won the first match of the tournament earlier Monday when he beat Izak Van der Merwe 6-3, 6-3. Sixth-seeded Kevin Anderson took on Grigor Dimitrov later in the only other singles match of the day.

Orioles, Jones agree to 1-year, $6.15M (AP)

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:54:19 +0000

Orioles, Jones agree to 1-year, $6.15M (AP)
BALTIMORE (AP)The Baltimore Orioles and center fielder Adam Jones have agreed to a $6.15 million, one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. The club announced the agreement on Tuesday night. Jones made $3.25 million last season, when he hit .280 and set career highs in games (151), doubles (26), homers (25) and RBIs (83). The 26-year-old also stole 12 bases and was voted Most Valuable Oriole by members of the media. Jones was seeking $7.4 million and the Orioles were offering $5 million, but the sides managed to avoid an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday.

Marlins meet with Cuban OF Cespedes (AP)

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:18:21 +0000

Marlins meet with Cuban OF Cespedes (AP)
MIAMI (AP)Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes toured the Miami Marlins new downtown ballpark Wednesday, the first leg of whats expected to be his tour of interested clubs. Cespedes played for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and is projected to be ready for the majors. Cespedes says six teams are interested in signing him, including the Marlins, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox. Cespedes donned a hard hat for his walkthrough at the almost-completed park in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood. In Spanish, he said he believes the Marlins can compete for a World Series as early as this season. Major League Baseball says Cespedes cannot finalize a contract until he obtains an unblocking license from the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Tomlinson: Jets’ turmoil worst I’ve seen (AP)

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:36:26 +0000

Tomlinson: Jets’ turmoil worst I’ve seen (AP)
NEW YORK (AP)LaDainian Tomlinson has never seen a locker room as troubled as the one he was in with the New York Jets this season. In an interview with Showtimes Inside The NFL airing Wednesday night, the running back said the team was plagued by tension between players as the Jets finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs after two straight trips to the AFC championship game. Tomlinson said quarterback Mark Sanchez and wide receiver Santonio Holmes, in particular, had a rocky relationship. It is as bad as Ive ever been around, honestly, Tomlinson said of the locker room. And Ive been around some locker rooms and quarterback-receiver situations and what-not. But it was as bad as Ive been around. LaDainian Tomlinson waves to the San Diego crowd as he leaves the field on Nov. 1, 2009.(AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File) The NFLs fifth-leading rusher added that the problems got out-of-hand toward the end of the season, and were created by the brash approach of coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum. This is the type of football team that they wanted, said Tomlinson, the NFLs fifth-leading rusher. Mike Tannenbaum, Rex Ryan are both brash, in-your-face type of stylesay whatever you want, just get it done on the field. And then it leads to other things, as guys are calling each other out and saying, `Im not getting the ball or whatever it may be. Holmes was benched during the season finale at Miami after arguing in the huddle with teammates. Tomlinson said the tensions escalated to the point during the season where the players couldnt do anything about it. When it gets to that point, there are certain changes that need to happen, he said. Can it be fixed? I think absolutely it can be, but theyre going to have to make some tough decisions. Holmes criticized the offensive line during the season, saying it wasnt protecting Sanchez enough or giving him enough time to get the ball down the field to the receivers. Right guard Brandon Moore shot back, saying his public comments could have a fracturing effect and not the way a team captain which Holmes wasshould conduct business. Tomlinson was asked if he would bring back both Sanchez and Holmes, given all the problems. Whew, that is a tough one, Tomlinson said. I would really have to sit down with them and see if they can co-exist, honestly. I mean that is a decision that I really have to make. And if I really feel like they cant, then you have to make a move. Tomlinson said the Jets players poked fun at the feud, calling it the East Coast-West Coast beef, with Sanchez being from Florida and Sanchez from Southern California. In all seriousness, Santonio, obviously, he is a great player, Tomlinson said. There are some things that obviously he needs to work on as far as being a leader. Sanchez struggled down the stretch, throwing seven interceptions in the Jets last three gamesall losses. He was highly criticized during the season by fans and media, and those comments intensified after the Jets final game. The Daily News quoted an anonymous player saying Sanchez was lazy, something Tomlinson disputed. But the running back agreed that Sanchez was a bit pampered because he had no real threat in the roster to take his job. He is not a lazy guy, Tomlinson said. He puts in the time after practice in the film room. He can get it done. He just has to have pieces around him to help him get it done. The 32-year-old Tomlinson will be a free agent after two seasons with the Jets, and is considering retirement. I love playing for Rex, Tomlinson said before adding that he wished the coach would tune down the bravado. I dont mind every now and again saying we are going to win a championship, he said. Maybe at the beginning of the year just saying, `Hey, our goal is to win a championship. But at the same time every week if you are calling out a team on certain things, I think it puts a little extra on your team. Guys really want to go out there and say, `Lets shut this guy up. Lets shut these Jets up, just end their season.

Ex-Yankees 3B Carey dies at 80 (AP)

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:28 +0000

Ex-Yankees 3B Carey dies at 80 (AP)
COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP)Andy Carey, third baseman for the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s that won four straight American League pennants and two World Series, has died at 80. Daughter Elizabeth Carey tells the New York Times (http://nyti.ms/zPIC61) he died Dec. 15 in California of Lewy body dementia. Joining the Yankees in 1952, Carey became a regular at third two years later on a team that included Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. In 1955, he led the AL in triples with 11, and the Yankees won the first of four consecutive pennants. World Series wins came in 1956 and 1958. He played with Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers before retiring in 1962 with a .260 batting average, 64 home runs and 350 RBIs.

KT Kim takes 3rd-round lead at Australian PGA (AP)

admin — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:54:08 +0000

KT Kim takes 3rd-round lead at Australian PGA (AP)
COOLUM, Australia (AP)Steven Bowditch and Choi Joon-woo shot rounds of 6-under-par 66 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first day of the Australian PGA and outshine a strong field that includes British Open champion Darren Clarke and Americans Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler. Bowditch, playing in intermittent afternoon rain, birdied the 17th and 18th holes after a bogey on No. 16 at the Hyatt Regency resort course. Choi, who plays on the OneAsia tour and has no wins in a four-year pro career, had a chip-in from 90 meters for eagle on the 16th hole. Watson and Australians Andre Stolz, Aaron Townsend and Aaron Baddeley had 67s, while Wu Kangchun of China was in a large group with 68s. Clarke and Fowler were three behind after 69s.