GRACE MOVES CLOSER TO ANOTHER TITLE
Top-seeded Jessica Grace defeated Jessica Smith 2 up in the upper bracket of the Kentucky Women’s State Amateur at the Elizabethtown Country Club to move to the quarterfinals, where the former Murray State golfer faces Beverly Games. Murray State golfer Megan McKinney upset fifth-seeded April Emerson Tuesday, but fell to former State Am champion Joan Rizer 6 & 5 yesterday. In the upper consolation bracket of the championship flight, Murray State golfer Bethany Yates eliminated April Butler of Paducah 8 & 7. Yates faces Danielle Korn today. In the lower consolation bracket, Courtney Wallace faces Murray State signee Morgan Cross, who defeated Heath's McLane Farr 6 & 5. In the second flight consolation bracket, Annette Nimmo advanced to the semifinals with a 1 up win against Johnnie Baxter. She faces Laura Beth Harris, who defeated Murray’s Judy Lyle 1 up. In the day's biggest upset, 2004 champ and Western Kentucky University senior Lauren Scholl shocked second-seeded Karissa Akin on her home course 3 and 1. Akin, a Middle Tennessee State freshman-to-be from Central Hardin, shot a 1-under-par 71 during qualifying stroke play but was upset by the 18th-seeded Scholl, who never trailed.
GOLFERS REUNITE
The Murray State Women’s Golf team recently held a reunion to celebrate the achievements of the past 15 years since the program started in Sep. of 1993. Twenty-two former and current players along with their spouses, children, and parents participated in the weekend festivities. Activities included a reception at the Murray State University Alumni House and dinner at the Big Apple Café, plus a cookout and scramble at Miller Golf Course. In total, more than fifty people participated. There was a lot of reminiscing during the weekend. What was most impressive was a table lined with all six of MSU’s Ohio Valley Conference trophies. Other accomplishments by the MSU Women’s Golf program include six Racer student-athletes earning OVC Player of the Year honors, and Milkman earning OVC Coach of the Year six times. The MSU program has also produced 26 All-OVC selections and 12 OVC Academic Medal of Honor winners. In addition, 25 student-athletes were named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-Scholar Team.
TENNESSEE COACH TALKS ABOUT ALBERT
Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher said he remained hopeful that despite his absence from practice, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth would remain in shape for training camp. While Haynesworth and the Titans continue to work on a long-term deal, Haynesworth has chosen to work on his own instead of with the team during mini-camp sessions. Fisher said the work the team gets during practice can't be simulated anywhere else. Haynesworth and the Titans have a July 15 deadline of reaching an agreement on a long-term deal, and if an agreement isn't reached both parties would wait until next February to begin negotiations again. The Titans begin training camp July 25 and Haynesworth is expected to attend.
SEMO ALUM GOES TO THE SHOW
It was just a matter of time before former Southeast Missouri State University All-American Justin Christian got the call to the big leagues. Yesterday, the time finally came for the 28-year-old Christian. After spending parts of six seasons playing professional minor league baseball, Christian was called up and made his Major League debut for the New York Yankees, batting eighth in the lineup and playing left field against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It has been a long road to "The Show" for Christian, who transferred to Southeast from Auburn after the 2001 season and missed the 2002 campaign with a shoulder injury. In 2003, the then-second baseman earned All-American honors after batting .376 with 13 home runs, 12 doubles, three triples and 48 RBIs. His 18 stolen bases and 55 runs scored that season both still rank in the top 10 for a single season in the Redhawks record books.
CARDS CAN'T BEAT DELAY OR TIGERS
Gary Sheffield went 4-for-5 and singled in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Tigers outlasted the Cardinals 8-7 at rainy Comerica Park. Magglio Ordonez singled home the tying run in the eighth inning for Detroit, which evened the three-game series at a game apiece. Carlos Guillen also went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer for the Tigers, who banged out 19 hits in all. Todd Jones picked up the win, while Kyle McClellan took the loss for St. Louis. Jason Isringhausen blew his seventh save of the season for the Redbirds. Skip Schumaker homered and Rick Ankiel hit two for the Cardinals in defeat. The game included a two-and-a-half hour rain delay in the top of the fifth inning. The rubber game of the series is today at 11:22 AM on 1340 WNBS.
NATIONAL SPORTS REPORT
Major League Baseball
---------------------
After a much-needed day off, David Wright homered in his first two at-bats and
the New York Mets avoided a three-game sweep with an 8-2 win over the Seattle
Mariners at Shea Stadium. Wright had played every inning of every game this
season before sitting out Tuesday's 11-0 loss. The third baseman was
struggling at the plate, going 2-for-13 over his last four games entering
Wednesday. Jose Reyes added a three-run homer for the Mets, who won for the
second time in their last five games. John Maine (8-5) allowed two runs on
five hits over six innings to pick up the win.
Elsewhere in Interleague play:
------------------------------
Boston Red Sox 5, Arizona Diamondbacks 0
New York Yankees 10, Pittsburgh Pirates 0
San Francisco Giants 4, Cleveland Indians 1
Detroit Tigers 8, St. Louis Cardinals 7
Cincinnati Reds 6, Toronto Blue Jays 5 (10 innings)
Tampa Bay Rays 15, Florida Marlins 3
Washington Nationals 5, LA Angels of Anaheim 4
Texas Rangers 3, Houston Astros 2
Chicago Cubs 7, Baltimore Orioles 4
Kansas City Royals 4, Colorado Rockies 2
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Oakland Athletics 0
Minnesota Twins 9, San Diego Padres 3
Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Chicago White Sox 0
National League
---------------
Jorge Campillo pitched seven innings and added two hits with a pair of runs
scored, as the Atlanta Braves notched a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers
to avoid a three-game sweep. Campillo (3-2) allowed just two runs and four
hits with six strikeouts while going 2-for-3 at the plate. Kelly Johnson was
2-for-4 with a double and three runs batted in for Atlanta, which had managed
only four runs in losing the first two games of the series.
=== NBA ===
Derrick Rose is hoping his name is read first when the NBA Draft starts
Thursday night, but not just to be the top pick. The point guard, who played
collegiately at Memphis, is from Chicago and the Bulls have the first
selection after winning the draft lottery last month. Miami holds the second
pick, followed by Minnesota, Seattle and the Memphis Grizzlies. Kansas State
forward Michael Beasley has been projected as a top-two pick, but the Heat may
be hedging on him as they've also looked at Arizona point guard Jerryd
Bayless, USC shooting guard O.J. Mayo and Stanford center Brook Lopez. WNBS
coverage of the NBA Draft begins tonight at 7:00.
===
The Toronto Raptors have reportedly agreed in principle to acquire six-time
All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal from the Indiana Pacers. The deal was
reported by several media sources, including an Indianapolis newspaper, on the
eve of the NBA Draft. The newspaper reports the Pacers would get point guard
T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, an unnamed player and the rights to
Toronto's 17th pick in Thursday night's draft. The deal is contingent on
players passing physicals. O'Neal played in just 42 games last season due to
an injury to his left knee and averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds. A first-
round draft pick by Portland in 1996, he has career averages of 14.4 points
and 7.7 boards. O'Neal spent the first four seasons of his career playing for
the Trail Blazers.
===
The Denver Nuggets traded their only remaining pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the
20th overall selection, to the Charlotte Bobcats for a future protected first-
round pick Wednesday. The protection clause means that the Nuggets will not
receive the first-round pick in a year that the Bobcats' selection falls into
a lottery slot, which would be a top-14 pick. The Bobcats now own the ninth
and 20th overall selections in the first round and the 38th overall pick in
the second round. The Nuggets' former rights to the 56th overall selection in
the second round belong to the Seattle SuperSonics.
=== COLLEGE BASEBALL ===
Steve Detwiler went 4-for-4, including a pair of homers, and drove in all the
runs for Fresno State, which won its first College World Series championship
with a 6-1 victory over Georgia. Georgia used an eighth-inning rally to take
Monday's opening game, 7-6, though Fresno State powered to a 19-10 win on
Tuesday. Detwiler was the driving force Wednesday in helping Fresno State take
the best-of-three series, along with Justin Wilson. Fresno State's starter
threw eight brilliant innings, giving up only one run on five hits, while
striking out nine. The school became the lowest seeded team to win an NCAA
championship in any sport.
=== MLB ===
The Houston Astros have suspended pitcher Shawn Chacon indefinitely for
insubordination to the team, general manager Ed Wade announced on Wednesday.
According to a Houston newspaper, Chacon -- who recently lost his spot in
Houston's starting rotation -- had a violent confrontation with Wade in the
Astros clubhouse before Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers and players
had to step in to calm the situation. Wade would not comment as to the nature
of the incident. Chacon, who is 2-3 with a 5.04 earned run average in 15
starts this season, was dropped from the rotation on Sunday after allowing six
runs against Baltimore on June 19. The 30-year-old right-hander was 0-3 with a
9.35 ERA in June.
=== TENNIS ===
Defending women's champion Venus Williams highlights today's second-round
action at Wimbledon. Williams, a four-time champion at the All England Club
and this year's seventh seed, will meet Britain's Anne Keothavong. Third-
seeded Maria Sharapova, the 2004 winner, is slated to take on fellow Russian
Alla Kudryavtseva, while second-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia will face
Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro. Another former champion, 1999 winner Lindsay
Davenport, will battle Argentina's Gisela Dulko. Women's second-round winners
on Wednesday included top-seeded Ana Ivanovic and two-time champ Serena
Williams.
===
On the men's side, second-seeded Rafael Nadal of Spain meets Latvia's Ernests
Gulbis, while sixth-seeded American Andy Roddick tangles with Serbia's Janko
Tipsarevic. A battle of Frenchmen pits eighth-seeded Richard Gasquet against
Sebastien Grosjean, while American James Blake, the ninth seed, takes on
Germany's Rainer Schuettler. Top-seeded Roger Federer was a straight-set
winner on Wednesday, but third-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia lost to two-
time Grand Slam champ Marat Safin.
=== NHL ===
The Tampa Bay Lightning continued to make news on Wednesday, as it appears
superstar forward Vincent Lecavalier will remain with the organization for
quite some time. TSN of Canada has reported that Lecavalier has agreed to a
nine-year contract that will pay him $77 million. An official announcement
cannot be made until at least July 1, but the first overall pick of the 1998
draft was entering the final season of a four-year, $27.5 million deal. He
holds franchise records with 273 goals and 602 points, and led the Lightning
to the Stanley Cup title in the spring of 2004. The Lightning have had a busy
few days, as the club made Steve Stamkos the first overall pick of the draft
last Friday, then on Monday introduced a new ownership group and on Tuesday
chose Barry Melrose as its new head coach. Earlier today, the team hired
Brian Lawton as vice president of hockey operations, the club bought out the
contract of goaltender Marc Denis with one year remaining and announced
the resignation of player personnel director Bill Barber.
===
The Toronto Maple Leafs bought out the remainder of forward Darcy Tucker's
contract on Wednesday. Known throughout the league as a thorn in the opposing
team's side, Tucker had three years left on his current deal. According to a
Toronto newspaper, he will receive two-thirds of the remaining amount -- $6
million (U.S.) -- which will count against the Leafs' salary cap over the next
six years. He had signed a four-year extension with the team in February,
2007. Last season with Toronto, the 33-year-old Alberta native posted 18 goals
and 16 assists along with 100 penalty minutes in 74 games. However, his goal
and point production has decreased in each of the last three campaigns. Over
12 seasons in the NHL, including stints to begin his career with Montreal and
Tampa Bay, Tucker has appeared in 813 games and totaled 197 goals and 239
assists along with 1,296 penalty minutes.
=== NFL ===
The New York Giants officially signed right guard Chris Snee to a six-year
contract extension Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but a New
Jersey newspaper had reported on Tuesday that the deal would make Snee one of
the highest-paid players at his position. The 26-year-old Boston College
product, who is the son-in-law of Giants coach Tom Coughlin, has started each
of the 59 regular-season games he has played over his first four seasons for
the team, including 48 consecutive. He also started all four postseason games
for the Super Bowl champion Giants last season.
=== SOCCER ===
Philipp Lahm scored in the 90th minute to give Germany a thrilling 3-2 win
over Turkey in the semifinals of Euro 2008 on Wednesday. With Turkey trailing
2-1 in the final five minutes of the game, Semih Senturk leveled the match for
Turkey, only for Lahm to put Germany through to the final on Sunday as he took
a pass from Thomas Hitzlsperger and slammed it past Turkey goalkeeper Rustu
Recber from eight yards. Germany fell behind in the 22nd minute when Turkey's
Ugur Boral found the back of the net, but Bastian Schweinsteiger answered back
for Germany four minutes later. Miroslav Klose then put Germany ahead with 10
minutes to play, setting up a dramatic final five minutes. Germany will now
meet either Spain or Russia in Sunday's final, with those two sides playing
their semifinal on Thursday.
=== GOLF ===
The most coveted trophy on the women's golf calendar is up for grabs this
weekend, as the best players in the world converge upon Edina, Minnesota for
the 63rd edition of the U.S. Women's Open Championship. Cristie Kerr is the
defending champion, but there are plenty of story lines this week. Lorena
Ochoa goes after her first U.S. Women's Open and third major title, while
Annika Sorenstam, in her final year on the LPGA Tour, will try to win this
event for a fourth time.
=== COLLEGE BASKETBALL ===
The University of Connecticut and women's head basketball coach Geno Auriemma
have agreed to terms on a five-year contract that will run through April 15,
2013. Auriemma, who has spent all 23 of his head coaching years at UConn, owns
a career record of 657-122 with four NCAA national championships (1995, 2000,
2002, 2003) and nine Final Four appearances, including one this past season.
The Huskies have also appeared in the Sweet 16 for the past 15 consecutive
seasons and have made the NCAA Tournament every year since 1989. The 54-year-
old will have a base salary of $300,000 in the first year of his new contract
with that amount increasing by $25,000 annually through 2013. He is also
receiving $1.1 million in the first year for speaking and media appearances
and that amount will increase by $75,000 annually through 2013.
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