State Sports
U.S. Open tennis: Federer beats heat, opponent, both handily
NEW YORK Roger Federer is one cool customer.
The temperature climbed into the 90s yet again Thursday at Flushing Meadows, and the guy showed up for work wearing a warmup jacket. Then he put in his 1 hour, 41 minutes on court, dismissing 104th-ranked Andreas Beck of Germany 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 with the help of 15 aces, to ease into the third round of the U.S. Open.
"It's about just saving your energy for the really big match coming up, maybe the next one," Federer said, perhaps mindful that he was pushed to five sets in the opening round at Wimbledon in June before eventually losing in the quarterfinals at a second consecutive major tournament.
He dropped all of seven games in the first round of the U.S. Open, and the owner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles is feeling pretty good about things at the moment.
"I got a sense for how the court speed is again. I got the sense of the crowd and the wind now, as well. I played one night, one day," he said. "I have all the answers after two matches."
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:27 EDT
U.S. takes it easy before taking down Tunisia
ISTANBUL With nothing to play for, the United States looked as if it didn't want to play.
Outworked and outhustled, the Americans led winless Tunisia by only four points early in the third quarter before turning the game into a rout over the final 15 minutes of a 92-57 victory Thursday.
Eric Gordon scored 21 points for the U.S., which had already clinched first place in its group and was more interested in getting through this one healthy which it didn't do than earning any style points.
"It happens," center Lamar Odom said. "These teams are pumped up to play against us. You're not going to always blow a team out in the first three or four minutes of a game."
That's often what's expected of the powerful U.S., though.
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:25 EDT
Scoreboard: Sept. 3
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BASEBALL
American League
KANSAS CITY ROYALS Extended its player development contract with Omaha (PCL) through the 2014 season.
HOCKEY
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:08 EDT
MLB notes: Sept. 3
Pirates rookie has Clemente connection
When Pirates second baseman Neil Walker takes the field at PNC Park, he needs only to glance over his shoulder at the 21-foot Roberto Clemente Wall in right field for inspiration.
While Clemente died 13 years before Walker was born, the two will be forever linked by the night of Dec. 31, 1972 when Clemente's plane, jammed with relief supplies for Nicaraguan earthquake victims, crashed off the waters of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Walker's father, Tom , was one of the last to see Clemente alive and had been minutes away from climbing aboard the plane himself.
"I can remember it like it was yesterday," said Tom Walker, a major-league pitcher for six seasons from 1972-77. "He saved my life by not letting me get on that plane."
The elder Walker was playing winter ball on Clemente's team. Walker said he told Clemente he wanted to go with him, but "there was a party on New Year's Eve and he would absolutely not let that happen."
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:46 EDT
College football notes: Georgia State wins debut under Curry
Parris Lee scored the first touchdown in Georgia State history, Drew Little threw a pair of scoring passes and the Panthers won their inaugural game Thursday night, beating visiting Shorter 41-7 before a surprisingly large crowd of 30,237 at the Georgia Dome.
The game marked the return to coaching for 67-year-old Bill Curry, who had not been on the sideline since being forced out by Kentucky in 1996.
Even playing their first game as an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision independent, the Panthers had no trouble against Shorter (0-2), a tiny NAIA school from northwest Georgia that had lost its opener to Division II West Alabama 37-7.
EKU game delayed
Persistent storms forced Eastern Kentucky's opener at Missouri State to be pushed back to 2 p.m. Friday. Lightning in the Springfield, Mo., area initially caused a one-hour delay, but officials decided to delay the game a day the longer the storms lasted.
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:39 EDT
NFL notes: Leftwich, Big Ben's backup, injured in exhibition finale
Maybe Carolina Panthers Coach John Fox had the right idea: Rest your starters in the final exhibition game.
Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich, expected to replace Ben Roethlisberger during his suspension, injured his left knee in the second quarter as host Pittsburgh beat the starter-less Panthers 19-3 on Thursday night.
Carolina's offense ended the pre-season the way it began with no touchdowns as No. 3 quarterback Hunter Cantwell and No. 4 Tony Pike took all the snaps in a game both teams played with the intent of not getting any key player hurt. Only Carolina accomplished it.
Leftwich, tuning up for his anticipated start Sept. 12 against Atlanta, completed an 18-yard pass to rookie Emmanuel Sanders before being knocked off his feet as running back Mewelde Moore and safety Marcus Hudson collided near him with 10:25 remaining in the first half.
Leftwich was examined by team doctors on a stretcher behind the Steelers' bench, then limped into a nearby tunnel that leads to the locker room. The Steelers (3-1) did not immediately update his condition, but this may be telling as Leftwich was being helped off, Coach Mike Tomlin immediately lifted No. 3 quarterback Dennis Dixon.
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:34 EDT
MLB highlights: Sabathia allows one hit in eight innings
Yankees 5, Athletics 0: From the very first batter, the Oakland Athletics simply looked overmatched against CC Sabathia.
Leadoff man Coco Crisp took an awkward cut at a fastball for strike three. Next, Rajai Davis got fooled by an off-speed pitch and almost fell over. Then, Kevin Kouzmanoff flailed at a slider.
A lot of weak swings and soft outs followed Thursday, as Sabathia pitched one-hit ball for eight innings to earn his major league-leading 19th win. Host New York beat Oakland for a four-game sweep.
"It's as good as it gets," Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said.
Sabathia (19-5) was nicked only by Mark Ellis' clean single leading off the second. Jonathan Albaladejo completed the combined one-hitter in the ninth.
Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:22 EDT
NFL notes: Browns to unveil own ring of honor
When he coached in Green Bay, Mike Holmgren would point to the names ringing the upper deck facade at Lambeau Field.
Ray Nitschke. Vince Lombardi. Bart Starr. Paul Hornung.
Those Packers set the standard.
"I could say, 'Look up at those names. Know who they are. Study them,' " Browns president Mike Holmgren said Thursday. "For the young players coming into the league, there's no better example than the men who are going to be in our ring of honor."
The Browns, with a history rivaling any NFL franchise, will unveil a ring of honor with the names of their great players during a halftime ceremony on Sept. 19.
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:37 EDT
Scoreboard: Aug. 27
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BASEBALL
National League
WASHINGTON NATIONALS Recalled RHP Jordan Zimmermann from Syracuse (IL).
BASKETBALL
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:22 EDT
Sports briefs: Aug. 27
HORSE RACING
Rachel Alexandra 2-5 favorite for the Personal Ensign
Rachel Alexandra has been made the 2-5 morning-line favorite over four rivals for Sunday's $300,000 Personal Ensign Invitational. The race will be her first Grade I start this year and her first start at Saratoga Race Course in New York since beating males in last year's Woodward Stakes. Also entered Thursday were Life At Ten (5-2), Miss Singhsix (10-1), Persistently (20-1) and Classofsixtythree (20-1). Life At Ten has won six in a row, including the Ogden Phipps and Delaware handicaps. Rachel Alexandra finished second in her first two starts this year and comes into the 1 -mile Personal Ensign off wins in the Grade II Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs and the Lady's Secret at Monmouth.
Perplexed as to why Preakness Stakes runner-up First Dude has just one career win, trainer Dale Romans has decided to outfit him with blinkers for the Travers Stakes on Sunday at Saratoga. The colt made the pace in the Preakness, Belmont Stakes and Haskell Invitational, and blinkers often sharpen speed, but that is apparently not the goal this time.
" Ramon ( Dominguez , jockey) says it helps him focus on accelerating when he calls on him," Romans said of the blinkers. "It's frustrating. We're trying to think of things different."
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:11 EDT
MLB highlights: Dodgers' hopes revived with sweep
Dodgers 7, Brewers 1: Casey Blake hit a two-run homer and six pitchers combined on a two-hitter as the Dodgers swept a three-game series in Milwaukee on Thursday to pull themselves back into the NL wild-card race. Los Angeles is five games behind the Giants, who lead the wild-card standings.
"To play as well as we have if this doesn't give us confidence, I don't know what the heck is going to do it," Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said.
The Dodgers came into Milwaukee with a 3-14 mark on the road in the second half.
Diamondbacks 11, Padres 5: Ian Kennedy (8-9) struck out a career-high 12 in a combined four-hitter, and Stephen Drew hit a three-run home run and an RBI double to lead last-place Arizona past beat NL West-leading San Diego.
The host Padres trailed 11-0 going into the eighth before being spared their worst loss of the season. Adrian Gonzalez hit a grand slam off reliever Sam Demel, and a run scored on catcher Miguel Montero's error during a rundown.
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:38 EDT
NBA notes: Team USA turns on speed in 87-59 rout of Greece
ATHENS, Greece The United States breezed to one last exhibition victory before the start of the world basketball championships, not that Coach Mike Krzyzewski seemed to care.
He's just happy that his group brimming with youthful exuberance is ready to play.
"The score doesn't really matter, it was just an exhibition game," Krzyzewski said after an 87-59 blowout of defending silver medalist Greece on Wednesday. "I'm happy we had the chance to play a great team, in a great atmosphere."
Eric Gordon scored 18 points to pace the Americans, who led from start to finish against a Greece team playing for the first time since a brawl near the end of an exhibition game against Serbia turned the focus of the upcoming world championships away from the court.
The U.S. team, which is missing many of the stars that helped win Olympic gold two years ago, used superior quickness to disrupt Greece's ball movement and clog passing lanes. Greece wound up turning the ball over 24 times and was outrebounded 53-25, including 30-7 in the second half, when the game was largely decided.
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:11 EDT
Sports briefs: Aug. 26
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Behanan, state's top player, says he has offer from UK
Scout.com's Evan Daniels reported that just prior to a visit to the University of Louisville, Chane Behanan , a 6-foot-7, 255-pound power forward from Bowling Green, talked with UK Coach John Calipari and picked up a scholarship offer from Kentucky.
"I was happy," Behanan said. "I was on my way to (Louisville) when they did it. I was happy about it though."
Behanan, who is ranked 23rd nationally by Rivals.com and 29th by Scout.com, took an unofficial visit to Louisville to meet with Rick Pitino and see the campus.
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:03 EDT
Scoreboard: Aug. 26
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BASEBALL
American League
CHICAGO WHITE SOX Placed LHP Matt Thornton and RHP J.J. Putz on the 15-day DL. Recalled RHP Lucas Harrell from Charlotte (IL). Reinstated LH P Erick Threets from the 15-day DL.
MINNESOTA TWINS Claimed LHP Randy Flores off waivers from Colorado. Transferred LHP Ron Mahay to the 60-day DL.
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:58 EDT
South Lexington wins Ohio Valley Babe Ruth championship
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:08 EDT
Sports briefs: August 21
AUTO RACING
Pole winner Johnson looking for second win at Bristol
Jimmie Johnson crossed winning at Bristol Motor Speedway off his to-do list in March. Now he'll try to make it two in a row by starting from the pole in Saturday night's race.
The four-time defending NASCAR champion turned a lap at 123.475 mph in Friday's qualifying to put his Chevrolet on the front row.
"Everybody wants to win here," Johnson said. "We all know how hard I fought this track myself, my own demons, whatever it is that we finally got over in the spring to win here. I would love to go out and win again. If not, just have a really solid race."
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:47 EDT
Scoreboard: August 21
Transactions
BASEBALL
Major League Baseball
MLB Suspended Florida C Ronny Paulino for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
American League
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:22 EDT
Sports calendar
Baseball
LEAGUES
Aug. 21 Western Little League baseball, boys and girls ages 4-12 (as of April 30, 2011); Signups 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cardinal Run Park, 2000 Parkers Mill Road. www.westernlexll.com
Aug. 21-22 Southwest Lexington PONY baseball registration for Fall Ball at Fayette Mall Dick's Sporting Goods; noon-4 p.m. Season runs Aug. 30-Oct 6. Eileen Keplinger (859) 797-1013 or www.southwestpony.org
Aug. 21 Champions Fall Ball tryouts at Champions facility, 8-12u teams. 9 a.m. (choose one). $25 fee. www.championslexington.com or Rick at (859) 881-0524.
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:42 EDT
Parkour regional coming to Louisville
LOUISVILLE People will be hopping in Louisville this weekend and rolling and climbing and soaring.
That's because fans of a discipline called parkour are expected to converge on the city for the first Louisville Parkour Regional Jam.
Parkour is a physical discipline in which participants soar, jump and climb to overcome obstacles in their path.
Todd Smith, who founded Louisville Parkour, said the activities are about "reviving that childhood joy we all seem to lose."
Smith says enthusiasts will visit Waterfront Park, Cherokee Park and Falls of the Ohio.
Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 02:12 EDT
NFL notes: Harvin's migraine attack scares Vikings
Percy Harvin experienced the scariest episode yet in a career plagued by migraine headaches when he collapsed at Minnesota Vikings' practice Thursday and was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Coach Brad Childress left team headquarters after practice and spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital with Harvin, who also got visits from other coaches and teammates.
"Percy appreciates everyone's concern," the coach said in a statement posted on the team Web site Thursday evening. "He is alert and resting comfortably, but will remain in the hospital overnight."
Harvin, who has dealt with migraines most of his life, returned to the field Monday after missing more than two weeks, but at the beginning of Thursday's workout the wide receiver experienced another episode that was scary enough for the Vikings to halt practice while their teammate received medical attention.
Childress said that Harvin's episode was triggered when he looked up into a mostly cloudy sky to field a punt during a special teams drill. Soon after, Harvin was seen doubled over and trembling. Players and coaches stood in front of him to shield him while reporters watched from a distance as Harvin received medical attention.
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:08 EDT
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