CARDS SWEPT BY ROYALS
Zack Greinke allowed just a run on two hits and struck out seven to lead the Royals to a 4-1 Interleague win over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Greinke improved to 6-and-4, and Joakim Soria notched his 18th save as Kansas City swept the first installment of this season's I-70 series. Mark Teahen was a double short of the cycle and drove in three as KC won its fifth straight game. Rick Ankiel hit a solo homer in the loss and Aaron Miles had the Redbirds' only other hit. Brad Thompson allowed two runs on five hits over five innings as he fell to 1-and-2. Thompson, who was activated off the 15-day disabled list to make the start, was sent to Triple-A Memphis after the game. The Cards lost their third straight. It was also the fifth loss in the last seven games for St. Louis. The Cardinals play in Boston tonight, with coverage beginning at 5:22 on 1340 WNBS.
THREE JOIN CROSS STAFF
Murray State Women’s Basketball Coach Rob Cross has completed the hiring of three assistant coaches. Carol Duncan, Ashley Brooke Hayes, and Victoria Jones join the Racer coaching staff. Duncan comes to MSU after spending two years on the coaching staff at Big Ten Conference member Northwestern University. Prior to her coaching stint at Northwestern, Duncan played at national powerhouse Purdue University from 2002-2006. Jones comes to MSU after being the head coach at Cincinnati State the past two seasons. She coached the Lady Surge to a 15-10 regular season record in her first season, this coming on the heels of having just six players. In her second season, she led Cincinnati State to a 22-9 record. Former Racer Ashley Brooke Hayes spent a year as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. A Racer standout from 2003 to 2007, Hayes left MSU holding the school's all-time lead in career three-point field goals and shares the single game record.
PRINCE NAMED TO USA TEAM
Former UK standout Tayshaun Prince of the Detriot Pistons has earned a USA Basketball team spot for the Beijing Games. The U.S. Olympic roster will be officially announced Monday at a Chicago news conference. Last year Prince played for a U.S. team led by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in an unbeaten run in an Olympic qualifying tournament.
PATTERSON RECOVERING
University of Kentucky forward Patrick Patterson will have a protective boot removed from his left foot today. Patterson is recovering from stress fracture surgery he had in March on his left ankle that ended his season. He is UK's leading returning scorer and rebounder and the recovery process is expected to take 4-6 months.
VOLS BEAT TIGERS ON TOP RECRUIT
Tennessee beat Memphis on the basketball court last season, and they just beat them again off the court. Highly touted recruit Emmanuel Negedu ended two weeks of mystery and committed to the Vols, ending a battle between UT, Memphis, Indiana and Georgia Tech. According to Rivals.com Negedu is a four-star prospect, the nation's 40th-best overall prospect in the class and the No. 13 power forward. The addition of Negedu bolsters UT's incoming class, which was already considered one of the nation's best.
UL FOOTBALL PLAYER PLEAS
A charge of driving under the influence against University of Louisville receiver JaJuan Spillman was dismissed by a district court judge Wednesday, but Spillman pleaded guilty to misdemeanor marijuana possession. Spillman had been charged after a Jan. 31, 2007, car accident near campus. He was in the middle of a two-day jury trial when his attorney, Grant Helman, asked the judge to dismiss the DUI charge for lack of evidence. Helman said that charge was dismissed, in large part because police could not prove Spillman had been smoking marijuana immediately before the accident. Spillman played in six games last year and caught nine passes for 64 yards.
U OF L DISMISSES TWO
Two players are no longer with the University of Louisville football program. They are James McKinney, a transfer from the University of Michigan, and C. J. Millenbaugh, who came to U of L from a California junior college. McKinney, a 6-foot-2, 274-pound junior defensive tackle from Louisville, was dismissed from the program early this month. Millenbaugh, a 6-3, 262-pound offensive lineman, left earlier in the spring because of grades.
OVC PLAYERS HONORED
Eastern Kentucky pitcher Christian Friedrich and Jacksonville State outfielder Clay Whittemore were each named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings South Region team, Vanderbilt head coach and NCAA Division I chairman Tim Corbin announced on Thursday. Whittemore becomes the first Gamecock to earn first-team honors after earning his second straight Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award last month. Friedrich finished his junior season with a 5-1 record while ranking second in the nation in ERA and hits allowed per nine innings. He also ranked eighth nationally with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT
Major League Baseball
---------------------
Joba Chamberlain struck out a career-high nine in 5 2/3 innings, and Alex
Rodriguez delivered the game-winning run with a single in the sixth as the
red-hot New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres
with a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium. Chamberlain allowed a run on four hits, but
did not factor in the decision as the Yanks extended their win streak to seven
games. Jose Veras (2-0) tossed 1 1/3 shutout innings of relief to pick up the
win, while Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for his 20th save.
Derek Jeter went 2-for-3 and scored a run, while Jose Molina doubled and drove
in a run. Tony Clark drove in the lone run for the Padres, losers of four
straight. Josh Banks (2-1) dropped the decision after allowing two runs on
four hits in 5 1/3 frames, striking out three and walking one.
Elsewhere in Interleague play:
------------------------------
Minnesota Twins 9, Washington Nationals 3
Chicago White Sox 13, Pittsburgh Pirates 8
Texas Rangers 5, Atlanta Braves 4
Milwaukee Brewers 8, Toronto Blue Jays 7
Kansas City Royals 4, St. Louis Cardinals 1
Arizona Diamondbacks 2, Oakland Athletics 1
Baltimore Orioles 7, Houston Astros 5
Tampa Bay Rays 8, Chicago Cubs 3
Colorado Rockies 6, Cleveland Indians 3
National League
---------------
Eric Stults gave the beleaguered Dodger pitching staff six-plus strong
innings, as Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati
Reds, 7-4, at Great American Ball Park. Stults (1-0), called up
after Brad Penny landed on the DL with shoulder soreness, pitched
well in his 2008 debut. The lefty allowed three runs -- one earned -- on six
hits and a walk while fanning five in the win. Matt Kemp homered and
doubled, driving in three runs and James Loney added three hits with an
RBI, scoring twice for Los Angeles, which won its third consecutive contest
after dropping five straight. Aaron Harang (3-10) labored over 107 pitches
in just five innings of work for Cincinnati. The right-hander was touched
for five runs on 10 hits and three walks in the loss. Brandon Phillips
had two hits and two RBI and Norris Hopper added two hits and one RBI for
Cincinnati, which has now dropped five straight.
=== MLB ===
The Seattle Mariners made John McLaren the second managerial casualty of the
season, and the week, on Thursday. Just a few days after Willie Randolph was
relieved of his duties by the New York Mets, the Mariners did the same to
McLaren, less than a year after he took over the club. Following Mike
Hargrove's sudden resignation last July 2, McLaren stepped in and guided the
Mariners to a second-place finish in the AL West, but with expectations higher
this year, the team has the worst record in baseball at 25-47. Bench coach Jim
Riggleman, a former skipper with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, was
handed the reins for the remainder of the season.
===
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano will miss his next scheduled
start due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder, Cubs manager Lou Piniella
said Thursday. Zambrano was lifted after surrendering seven hits and five runs
-- four earned -- over 6 2/3 frames on Wednesday, a 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay
Rays. He departed the contest after getting B.J. Upton to ground into a double
play, but he was clearly favoring his right shoulder.
=== NBA ===
Boston fans celebrated the city's latest professional sports title with a
parade yesterday to honor the NBA champion Celtics. Fans lined the streets of the
city to watch team members on vehicles travel from the TD Banknorth Garden to
Copley Square. This marked the sixth parade for Boston sports fans since 2002,
as the Patriots celebrated three Super Bowl titles and the Red Sox a pair of
World Series championships in similar fashion. The Celtics captured the 17th
NBA title in franchise history on Tuesday with a 131-92 blowout of the Los
Angeles Lakers.
=== NFL ===
The Chicago Bears signed defensive tackle Tommie Harris to a four-year
contract extension on Thursday, keeping the three-time Pro Bowl selection in
the Windy City through the 2012 season. Financial terms of the deal were not
officially disclosed, but a Chicago newspaper reported the deal is worth up to
$40 million. Harris was in the final year of his five-year rookie contract,
but the Bears, who selected Harris with the 14th overall selection in the 2004
draft, will have the 25-year old's services for the prime of his career. The
only defensive tackle to be selected to three straight Pro Bowls in franchise
history, Harris recorded a career-high eight sacks in 2007, a season after he
missed the Bears' Super Bowl run with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 13.
=== NHL ===
The Atlanta Thrashers have reportedly selected John Anderson, formerly head
coach of their American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago, to be their new
head coach on Thursday. TSN of Canada reported late Thursday night that the
Thrashers had settled on Anderson, who just wrapped up his fourth minor-league
title as a head coach earlier this month when his Wolves won the 2008 Calder
Cup. The 51-year-old also led the Wolves to the Calder Cup in 2002 and the
International Hockey League's Turner Cup in 1998 and 2000. The Thrashers fired
Bob Hartley as head coach after the club lost its first six games of this past
season, with general manager Don Waddell taking over on an interim basis.
Atlanta finished 34-40-8, with 76 points, and missed the playoffs.
===
The National Hockey League's annual Entry Draft kicks off at 7 p.m. (et) on
Friday at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, and the Tampa Bay Lightning will get the
first shot at this year's pool of talented youngsters. Tampa Bay finished tied
with the Los Angeles for the worst record in the NHL this past season, as both
teams managed just 71 points. The Kings will have the second pick in this
year's draft, followed by Atlanta, St. Louis, and the New York Islanders.
Unlike last year, there is little question as to who the first pick will be
come Friday night in Ottawa. The Lightning have all but stated that they will
take 18-year-old Sarnia Sting centerman Steven Stamkos with the first overall
selection, but it's anybody's guess as to how the rest of the draft will
unfold. However, after Stamkos there is a great deal of defensive talent with
fellow OHLers Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian and Alex Pietrangelo topping that
list. All three blueliners are considered to be complete packages who excel at
bringing the puck up ice and contributing on offense as well as stopping the
opposition from scoring. There is also a rising talent coming out of Russia in
Nikita Filatov, an 18-year-old left winger from Moscow.
=== COLLEGE BASEBALL ===
Thursday night's elimination game between North Carolina and LSU was
postponed due to rain, pushing the entire College World Series schedule back a
day. North Carolina led 2-0 in the top of the first when play was stopped
due to lightning, and the rains soon followed, forcing the postponement. The
two clubs will resume where they left off on Friday, with the bases loaded and
the Tar Heels holding a two-run edge. The two games originally slated for
Friday, an afternoon matchup between Georgia and Stanford and a nightcap
between the UNC-LSU winner and Fresno State, have been pushed back to
Saturday. Either UNC or LSU will take on Fresno State in the Bracket 2 final,
needing to beat the Bulldogs twice in order to advance to the CWS championship
series. Georgia and Stanford will meet in the Bracket 1 final, with Georgia
needing just one victory to reach the championship series.
=== HORSE RACING ===
Big Brown will likely make his next start in the Haskell Invitational on
Sunday, August 3 at Monmouth Park. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes
winner was initially targeted for the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 23,
but ownership and trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. apparently decided to make a change,
according to a report in the Daily Racing Form. The 1 1/8 mile Haskell would
be the first race for Big Brown after his disappointing last place finish in
the Belmont Stakes.
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