Balotsports

Video: Danny Granger steps back to slay the Knicks

admin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:36:10 +0000

Video: Danny Granger steps back to slay the Knicks
With 7.8 ticks remaining in the fourth quarter and the score knotted at 117 after a too-easy Carmelo Anthony layup, the New York Knicks rolled out their customary “switch all screens” final frame man-to-man defense, allowing Indiana Pacers star swingman Danny Granger to go one-on-one with Knicks reserve forward Shawne Williams in a “hit it and go home/lose it and go to overtime” situation. The result? Everybody in Indiana made curfew. The Knicks had a chance to tie or win with 0.3 seconds remaining, attempting a lob to the rim rather than a Trent Tucker rule prayer. The ill-designed alley-oop was doomed from the start, though, and Indy held on for the 119-117 home victory on Tuesday night. As Brett Pollakoff noted at Pro Basketball Talk, that final possession didn’t exactly cover either team in glory. While Indy put the game in the hands of its best scorer, it did so with an unimaginative isolation call leading to a mid-range jumper by a player who’s shot 32.7 percent, 25 percent, 39.6 percent and 28.3 percent in “clutch” situations over the past four seasons. And while Granger certainly deserves credit for making the shot after creating a clean look with the step-back, the Knicks certainly didn’t make life too difficult on him, eschewing ball denial and double-teaming in favor of sticking with a single-up-and-switch blueprint that makes creating quickness mismatches like Granger-on-Williams a heck of a lot easier. Granger’s sure shot — his second career last-second, game-winning bucket for the Pacers, according to Mike Wells at the Indianapolis Star — gave Indy its second win over the Knicks in three nights. It also put Frank Vogel’s team a half-game up on the idle Charlotte Bobcats in the race for the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot; the two teams will square off in Charlotte next Wednesday. As for the Knicks? They’re now 34-32 on the season, and 6-6 since the deal that imported Carmelo with four losses to the Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets sport an 8-2 mark since the trade. Mike D’Antoni believes in yesterday, but isn’t sure about tomorrow. Oh, and despite believing there’s a bullseye on their collective back (which is weird for a six seed), the team is starting to look scarily like one that will make an early-round playoff exit (NOTE: they were always going to!). Plus, the New York front line has single-handedly launched the Tyler Hansbrough for Most Improved Player Movement, giving up consecutive career-best performances to the former North Carolina standout. And on multiple occasions last night, Darren Collison made Chauncey Billups look like he was 57 years old. Outside of that, though, everything’s cream cheese. Luckily for the Knicks, New York fans (and media types, especially) are notoriously patient and measured in their responses to stuff like this, so they’ll have plenty of time to figure it all out. No pressure. International readers (“Int’l read’rs”): If the clip above isn’t rocking for you, please feel free to peruse the game-winner elsewhere, thanks to our man @Jose3030.

Hamilton, Monroe help Pistons end slide (AP)
It took 68 games, but Detroit Pistons coach John Kuester finally got the lineup he wanted. He started his four oldest players — Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Tracy McGrady — along with rookie Greg Monroe. The group scored a season-high 38 points in the first quarter and Detroit ended a three-game losing streak with a 107-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

C-a-C: The loneliness of the long-limbed combo forward
“Lonely I’m Mr. Lonely I have nobody For my own I am so lonely I’m Mr. Lonely Wish I had someone To call on the phone” — Donte Greene, probably Best caption wins poems about togetherness. Buck up, chums, and good luck. In our last adventure: Zach Randolph and Tony Allen can hear us pumping on their stereo-o. Winner, MonsterSquad09: Tony Allen: “Clap your hands, everybody, and everybody clap your hands / We’re Lambda Lambda Lambda and / Omega Mu!” Runner-up, The Football God: “I Feel Pretty” never sounded so ugly. Second runner-up, Jason: Z-Bo does his best impression of a cackling Vincent Price while Tony Allen does the “Thriller” dance. A Special Commendation in Ruling, Things That Have Nothing To Do With Anything Really Division, goes out to Internet denizen Woot, who made this delightfully untethered reference: “I’m a vampire, I’m a vampire.” Well played, Woot. Shrewd tactics are always appreciated here at the C-a-C.

Lakers end struggles versus Bobcats (AP)

admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:18:05 +0000

Lakers end struggles versus Bobcats (AP)
Even when the Los Angeles Lakers finally managed to beat the Charlotte Bobcats, the NBA’s youngest franchise still infused another bit of misery into the two-time defending champions’ lives. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and the Lakers interrupted the Bobcats’ inexplicable mastery over them Friday night with a 92-84 victory.

Ducks D Visnovsky caps hat trick in OT (AP)
Lubomir Visnovsky provided one of the most improbable endings to a game in the 17-year history of the Anaheim Ducks. The 10th-year defenseman completed his second three-goal game in the NHL on a power play with 3.8 seconds left in overtime after Teemu Selanne scored the tying goal with 1:03 remaining in the third period, and the Anaheim Ducks pulled out a remarkable 4-3 victory over the Dallas…

Tour Report: Dustin to return at the Memorial (PGA Tour)

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:54:04 +0000

Tour Report: Dustin to return at the Memorial (PGA Tour)
Dustin Johnson has missed nearly two months of competition. Halleran/Getty Images Dustin Johnson has missed nearly two months of competition. Dustin Johnson, who has been plagued by back pain for the better part of the last two months, plans to return to the PGA TOUR at the Memorial Tournament. Johnson has not played since he tied for 35th at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship the second week in March. He had posted top-10 finishes in his three starts prior to Doral. “Obviously, I can’t wait to get back out and compete,” Johnson said in a statement released by his management company. “I came into this year with some big goals, including making our Ryder Cup team, so I’ve got some serious ground to make up this summer.” The Memorial Tournament will be played May 31-June 3 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Johnson finished fourth in the event hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus a year ago. Johnson had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage to his right knee last November. In his first start of 2012, he withdrew from the Humana Challenge after the second round, citing back pain, and later did the same prior to the Arnold Palmer Invitational March in hopes of being ready for the Masters. The Friday prior to the start of the Masters, though, Johnson was trying to lift a jet ski near his home and severely strained his lower back muscles. He has been resting and rehabbing ever since. “I’m feeling better every day and working hard, so I plan to be 100 percent ready by the time the Memorial rolls around,” Johnson said. “I’m still a little rusty, but it’s falling off in chunks.” The five-time PGA TOUR champion had hoped to play in the HP Byron Nelson Championship this week. But he decided to wait two more weeks to be completely ready. “It will be great to get back out there and I can assure you I’ll be plenty motivated,” Johnson said.

Tour Report: Live updates: News, notes and more (PGA Tour)

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:35:34 +0000

Tour Report: Live updates: News, notes and more (PGA Tour)
Rory McIlroy has an early tee time Friday. Ehrmann/Getty Images Rory McIlroy has an early tee time Friday. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The second round of THE PLAYERS Championship is under way from TPC Sawgrass, where we’ll have updates from throughout the day. Get the latest news, notes and more, and leave your comments below. Live Scores | Watch LIVE@ | Projected FedExCup LIVE UPDATES (All times ET) 12:45 p.m. — Don’t look now but Bill Haas is playing well in another of the PGA TOUR’s marquee events. Haas, who earned the FedExCup when he won a playoff at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola last year, is 2 under through 15 holes and three strokes off the lead. 12:25 p.m. — It’s not necessarily a distinction you want to have but Fredrik Jacobson has hit the first ball in the water at the 17th hole. His tee shot traveled long and left, then his second from the drop area found dry land, 47 feet from the pin. A two-putt later the Swede had his second-double bogey of the day. 12:15 p.m. — Charlie Wi has just made a 10-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole — just the fourth birdie of the day on the famed island green — to move into that five-way tie for second. He’s 6 under for the day and 7 under for the tournament, two strokes behind Martin Laird. 12:05 p.m. — Birdies on three of his last four holes have moved Zach Johnson into a tie for second with his good friend Jonathan Byrd, Adam Scott and overnight leader Ian Poulter, who tees off at 1:39 p.m. Johnson finished solo second earlier this year at Harbour Town, another Pete Dye track 11:51 a.m. – A year ago, Harris English was studying for exams. This week he finds himself at the PGA TOUR’s signature event — among the leaders, too — after playing the front nine in 32. English has hit 5 of 7 fairways and 8 of 9 greens on the front nine while using just 13 putts to move to 5 under for the tourament. 11:37 a.m. — Luke Donald has just made his second eagle of the day — rolling in a 23-footer at the second hole, his 11th of the round — to move to 5 under. The world No. 2 also eagled No. 16 with a 5-foot putt. 11:20 a.m. — Jonathan Byrd has joined Martin Laird in the lead at 8 under after back-to-back birdies as he made the turn. Byrd, who rolled in birdie putts of 17 and 15 feet at Nos. 1 and 2, is 4 under for the day. 11 a.m. — Ian Poulter, who held a share of the overnight lead has had a leisurely start to the day. According to his tweets, the alarm went off at 10 a.m. and he headed to the beach for a run in advance of his 1:39 p.m. tee time. Turns out it was an interesting job: “Just seen a pack of dolphins just 100 yards out in the ocean. Not every day you see dolphins at a tournament,” he tweeted. 10:35 a.m. — Another birdie for Charlie Wi, who just got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 11th. He now has birdies on two of his last three holes and is 7 under and now two shots back of Martin Laird, who just birdied the ninth hole to turn in 34. 10:15 a.m. — Martin Laird’s see-saw with the top of the leaderboard continues with Laird moving back to 8 under after bouncing back from his bogey with a birdie on the fifth hole. He’s made two pars since and is one clear of Ian Poulter. Charlie Wi, meanwhile, just turned in 31 with four birdies over his last six holes. Wi has the flat stick working with 12 putts through his first nine holes. 9:50 a.m. — Three Mayakoba Golf Classic winners are playing together on Friday. Johnson Wagner, the 2011 champ, is 3 under for the tournament and even par for the day. TOUR rookie John Huh, who won the event in February, is 3 under through four holes and even par for the tournament while Mark Wilson, the ’09 champ, is 1 under for the day and flirting with the cut at 1 over for the tournament. 9:15 a.m. — Martin Laird’s solo lead was short-lived — he bogeyed the fourth hole after three-putting from 50 feet. Laird is now back to 7 under and tied for the lead again with Ian Poulter, who will tee off at 1:39 p.m. Meanwhile, Jonathan Byrd has moved to within a shot of the lead after two birdies in his first six holes. 9 a.m. — The second round is under way from TPC Sawgrass and already Martin Laird has pulled into the lead by himself after a birdie on the par-5 second to get to 8 under and one shot clear of overnight co-leader Ian Poulter. Also out early: the Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlRoy and Steve Stricker group (click here to follow live).

Diamondbacks cruise to 5-1 win over Nationals (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:35:51 +0000

Diamondbacks cruise to 5-1 win over Nationals (Yahoo! Sports)
WASHINGTON (AP) Facing a struggling Washington lineup that can’t seem to get a timely hit, Trevor Cahill had no trouble extending an impressive run by Arizona’s starting rotation. Cahill took a four-hit shutout into the eighth inning, and the Diamondbacks beat Washington 5-1 Tuesday night to stretch the Nationals’ losing streak to five games. Teenager Bryce Harper went 0 for 3 in his home debut for the Nationals. Harper, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, is 2 for 9 since being recalled from the minors on Saturday. Cahill (2-2) allowed one run and six hits in 7 1-3 innings, striking out five and walking one. Arizona starters are 4-0 with a 1.30 ERA over the past five games. ”We kind of build on one another,” Cahill said. ”Hitters say hitting’s contagious. Maybe pitching’s contagious, too. … After the first month you kind of get into a groove, and when everyone’s throwing like they are, you kind of build off one another. So it helps out a lot.” Signed as a free agent during the offseason, Cahill lowered his ERA to 3.13 with a 94-pitch gem. ”I think I made more quality pitches than any other start,” he said. ”I felt good. It’s just too bad I couldn’t continue and get deeper in the game.” Manager Kirk Gibson said, ”It’s the best he’s thrown for us.” After Ian Desmond hit an RBI single, Bryan Shaw got the last two outs in the eighth and David Hernandez worked a perfect ninth. Justin Upton had two hits and two RBIs, and John McDonald and Miguel Montero each had two hits and an RBI for the Diamondbacks. Washington has scored only seven runs during its five-game skid. The Nationals were mired in a run of 17 straight scoreless innings before the eighth and went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. After letting out an audible sigh, Washington manager Davey Johnson said, ”I feel like we’ve got the hitters that can hit. Not as aggressive as I’d like to see. We’re not getting a good strike and driving it. I know that talent is there. … It’s going to put a strain on the pitching staff if we don’t start scoring some runs.” Jordan Zimmermann (1-2) gave up four runs, three earned, in 6 1-3 innings. In four of his five starts, Washington has scored one run or fewer while he was on the mound. ”I can’t really speak for the offense,” the right-hander said. ”I just have to go out there and pitch the way I can pitch.” Harper received enthusiastic applause from the crowd of 22,675 when he stepped to the plate for the first time in the second inning. Teammate Stephen Strasburg drew 40,315 fans to the park for his debut in 2010, but that was also his first major league game. Harper struck out on four pitches in his first trip to the plate, missing badly on his three swings, but the crowd cheered again as the 19-year-old walked back to the dugout. In this next at-bat, Harper grounded out on a 3-2 pitch in the fifth. He also grounded out in the seventh. Harper did, however, play well in left field. After Jason Kubel led off the second with a double, Harper fielded a single and threw a no-hopper to the infield to keep Kubel at third. One inning later, Harper sprinted to the line to make a fine catch of an opposite-field liner hit by Gerardo Parra. Even better, Harper threw a 300-foot, no-bounce dart from left field to the plate on a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and barely missed getting the runner. ”I just thought I had a shot,” Harper said. ”Reared back and gave it my all. That’s what I try to do, make plays like that.” Gibson, a former outfielder, said, ””It kind of surprised me. We knew he had a solid arm, but it was a pretty impressive throw.” Arizona got runners at the corners with one out in the second inning before Zimmermann struck out Cody Ransom and retired McDonald on a twisting liner to right field. The next time the Diamondbacks got a runner in scoring position, they didn’t waste the opportunity. Paul Goldschmidt reached second on a throwing error by Desmond from shortstop and McDonald delivered an RBI single to left. Arizona made it 2-0 in the sixth. Upton singled and stole second before Montero hit a two-out, run-scoring double. Limited to a pair of hits through five innings, the Nationals began the sixth with singles by Desmond and Steve Lombardozzi. But Rick Ankiel hit into a double play and Adam LaRoche bounced out meekly to second. Zimmermann left after two singles and an intentional walk loaded the bases in the seventh. Ryan Mattheus then hit Aaron Hill with a pitch and yielded a sacrifice fly to Upton. Upton singled in a run in the ninth. NOTES: Kubel, who was sidelined by an illness Monday, returned to go 1 for 4. He has hit safely in 12 of 13 games. … Nationals manager Davey Johnson said 3B Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder) began throwing Tuesday, will begin to hit this weekend and could be ready to come off the disabled list on Sunday. … Hill has reached base in 18 straight games.

76ers pull away in 3rd, beat Bulls 109-92 (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:35:39 +0000

76ers pull away in 3rd, beat Bulls 109-92 (Yahoo! Sports)
CHICAGO (AP) There wasn’t much for Jrue Holiday to improve on in this game, except maybe one thing. ”I could have been 15 for 15,” he said. Holiday didn’t hit all his shots. It just seemed like it. Holiday scored 26 points, Lou Williams added 20 and the Philadelphia 76ers beat Chicago 109-92 on Tuesday night to even their first-round series at 1-1 in the Bulls’ first game since Derrick Rose’s season-ending knee injury. The superstar point guard received a standing ovation and waved to the crowd as he limped onto the court to present the game ball, then watched from a suite as the 76ers blitzed the Bulls in the third quarter. ”I can’t tell you how exciting it is to come into Chicago and get a playoff win here on the road for our team,” coach Doug Collins said. ”It was a great, great night.” The Sixers outscored Chicago 36-14 in the period, turning an eight-point deficit into an 83-69 lead against the league’s top-seeded team. Game 3 is Friday in Philadelphia. ”This game we caught fire and it was pretty hard to put it out,” Holiday said. All the Bulls could do was shake their heads and vow to do better. ”Disappointed,” Chicago’s Joakim Noah said. ”Disappointing effort overall. We didn’t play well defensively. We didn’t play well offensively.” Holiday was 11 of 15 from the field, and the Sixers shot 59 percent overall. Williams came up big, going 8 of 13 after hitting just 1 of 6 shots in the opener, and Chicago product Evan Turner chipped in with 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Noah led the Bulls with 21 points and eight rebounds. John Lucas III scored 15 points, but Carlos Boozer scored just nine and Luol Deng finished with eight. More alarming, the Bulls simply couldn’t stop the Sixers, particularly in the third quarter. ”We kind of let our offense affect our defense,” Richard Hamilton said. The Sixers were leading 68-61 midway through the quarter after a 12-0 run that Elton Brand started with a foul-line jumper. Then, after a basket by C.J. Watson, Andre Iguodala threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk over Deng for a three-point play that drew plenty of oohs, aahs and groans from a crowd that could feel the game slipping away. Things didn’t get much better for Chicago after that. The 76ers continued to pour it on, with Iguodala delivering another vicious dunk late in the quarter and then hitting Williams with an alley-oop pass that made it 83-69 heading into the fourth. ”For the first time in a long time our defense dictated our offense,” Iguodala said. ”We rebounded the ball. Evan and myself pushed it out on the break and we finished pretty well. It started with that in the third quarter.” It added up to a rough night for the Bulls, who were in a familiar spot with Rose sidelined again – this time after tearing the ACL in his left knee late in Game 1. He missed 27 games during the regular season because of a variety of ailments, and the Bulls did just fine, going 18-9. Throw in injuries to Hamilton and Deng, and they were able to go with their projected starting five just 15 times, yet they still captured homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs for the second straight season. That’s why they insist they can still make a run, even with Rose out. They won without him before. They insist their championship hopes didn’t end when he went down. ”It’s different (without Rose),” Noah said. ”There’s no excuses, though. We know we can play better. It’s disappointing, but you know what? We live to fight another day. There’s a lot of basketball to play.” Notes: The Sixers shuffled their lineup from Game 1, with Turner starting for Jodie Meeks and C Spencer Hawes for Lavoy Allen. … Scottie Pippen says the Bulls still are the team to beat even without Rose. In an open letter to the team posted Tuesday on the Bulls’ website, Pippen wrote, ”You’re still the best team in the NBA until an opponent proves otherwise.” The Hall of Famer also compared the loss of Rose to Michael Jordan’s first retirement and pointed out the 1993-94 team won 55 games. Pippen said the Bulls ”believed in ourselves” and never ”felt sorry for ourselves.” … Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau finished second in the Coach of the Year voting to San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich after winning the award last season.

FedEx donates $2.5M for Memphis stadium work (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 00:53:40 +0000

FedEx donates $2.5M for Memphis stadium work (Yahoo! Sports)
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) FedEx has donated $2.5 million to the University of Memphis to complete renovation of the video scoreboard and sound system at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The school said in a news release Monday there is an August deadline for the project, in time for the Tigers’ first home game Sept. 1 against the University of Tennessee-Martin. Athletic Director R.C. Johnson said the renovation will result in a state-of-the-art video and sound system. FedEx is based in Memphis.

Tour Report: Round 3 highlights (PGA Tour)

admin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:17:55 +0000

Tour Report: Round 3 highlights (PGA Tour)
Swing Light And Easy Not Hard And Heavy — Jay Perkins,PGA-Bel Air Golf Center Before playing a round or practicing at the range take your grip on the clubhead end of the shaft and swing the grip end from your normal stance. Swing the grip-end as if hitting a shot and listen for the swish as it descends down from the top of your swing. You should hear the swish at the very bottom where the ball would be. If you hear the swish at the bottom you are most likely allowing the club to accelerate at the correct time in the swing and reach maximum speed at the ball not before. Do this and you will sense more of the correct timing and release in the swing vs. trying to force the swing from the top with your body or arms. As Sam Snead used to say, “Swing Easy, Hit It Hard!”

Liberty take chance on Tennessee’s Kelley Cain (The Associated Press)

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:54:11 +0000

Liberty take chance on Tennessee’s Kelley Cain (The Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) Looking to bolster their frontcourt, the New York Liberty are taking a chance on former Tennessee center Kelley Cain. The Liberty selected the 6-foot-6 Cain with the seventh overall pick in Monday’s WNBA draft. Cain, a prolific shot-blocker who redshirted her first year at Tennessee after having surgery on the patella in her right knee, averaged 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 92 games. She set the Lady Vols’ single-season record with 113 blocks as a sophomore, including 12 against LSU on Feb. 22, 2010. ”I liked her hands and her ability to score around the (basket),” Liberty coach and general manager John Whisenant said. ”We need that on our team. Our scoring inside gets you outside shots more wide open. That’s one of the things I was looking for.” Cain had a second procedure on the knee in 2009, and then decided to give up her final season of eligibility last year after having hip surgery. ”We just saw her as having the best upside to be a WNBA post for our future,” Whisenant said. ”She is big and she’s got good hands and the question is will her injury heal and has she recovered from it.” The Liberty believe she has, as Cain graduated from Tennessee in 2011 with a degree in marketing and has been playing in Turkey this winter. ”(She) has been playing very well,” Whisenant said. ”Two nights ago she played 39 minutes, and is getting double-doubles. Every indication is her health is back.” The Liberty finished seventh in the WNBA in rebounding (32.8) and average rebounding margin (plus-0.44). The midseason acquisition of Kara Braxton to join a frontcourt rotation of Kia Vaughn, Plenette Pierson and Quanitra Hollingsworth helped New York improve from 10th in rebounding the previous year. Last week, the Liberty signed veteran forward DeMya Walker, who played in Sacramento under Whisenant. The New Jersey native has averaged 7.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 302 career games that also included stints with Portland, Connecticut and Washington. However, the Liberty expect to be without Hollingsworth until after the Olympics. The 6-5 center, a solid reserve last year with averages of 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 16.9 minutes, is nearing a deal to join the Turkish national team and will remain overseas to train with the team for the London Games. The Liberty were tied for fourth in the league in blocks (129) last season, though Whisenant said that’s not something he emphasizes. ”We encourage all of our players, including our posts, to take charges,” said. ”We think that discourages our opponent to a greater degree than getting the shot blocked. … That said, if we had a 6-8 Brittney Griner or a 6-6 Kelley Cain that could block shots, we’re not going to tell them not to block them.” Also, the Liberty announced that Janel McCarville won’t be rejoining the team this year. McCarville was placed on the suspended list last season after she failed to report to training camp and decided to sit out. New York retained her rights, but the 6-2 center – currently playing for Italian League team Familia Schio – decided to skip this season as well. With the last pick in the three-round draft, New York selected Gonzaga’s Katelan Redmon, to compete for a spot on the wing along with returning players Cappie Pondexter, Essence Carson, Nicole Powell, Alex Montgomery. The Liberty’s backcourt also includes Leilani Mitchell, Sydney Colson and veteran free-agent signee Kelly Miller. Redmon, who began her collegiate career at Washington before transferring to Gonzaga, averaged 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds as a senior for the Bulldogs. She also shot 81 percent on free throws. ”We needed more competition at our wing position,” Whisenant said. ”We’re just looking to have a competitive camp and people will have to battle for those 11 spots.” Training camps open on April 29 and the Liberty host Connecticut in the season opener on May 19.

Sanchez lifts Marlins past Astros 5-4 in 11th (Yahoo! Sports)

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:36:01 +0000

Sanchez lifts Marlins past Astros 5-4 in 11th (Yahoo! Sports)
MIAMI (AP) Gaby Sanchez fell short in his bid for the first Miami Marlins home run at their new ballpark. He and his teammates celebrated anyway. Sanchez doubled off the base of the fence in the 11th inning to score Chris Coghlan from first base, and Miami beat the Houston Astros 5-4 Friday night. ”It feels great,” said Sanchez, a Miami native. ”For me it’s great that happened. I’d be just as happy for anyone else doing it.” Coghlan started the 11th with a sharp single that deflected off pitcher Brandon Lyon (0-1) for an infield hit before Sanchez pulled an 0-2 pitch over the head of left fielder J.D. Martinez, and Coghlan slid home without a throw. The game was the Marlins’ first at home since manager Ozzie Guillen began serving a five-game suspension for praising Fidel Castro. Guillen’s remarks inflamed Cuban Americans, but there were no group demonstrations, and the stadium was about two-thirds full. ”People want to come to the ballpark. It’s a brand new toy,” interim manager Joey Cora said. ”Second, they want to see a winner. You win games, they’re going to come. I’m confident that’s what is going to happen.” Announced attendance for only the second game in the 36,442-seat ballpark was 30,169. Miami native Martinez hit the first home run in the ballpark, a two-run shot for Houston in the eighth inning off Edward Mujica to tie it 4-all. But several other long drives failed to clear the wall. ”It is a big place,” Astros slugger Carlos Lee said. ”We both hit the ball good today, and it didn’t go nowhere. It’s big for both teams.” With the retractable roof closed for the first time, Lee and teammate Chris Johnson flied out to the warning track in the fourth inning. Omar Infante had a warning-track flyout in the 10th, and the Marlins have yet to activate the animated home-run sculpture beyond the center field wall. ”So far it’s a big, big, big, big ballpark,” Cora said. ”The ball Gaby hit, he crushed it. He’d better go to the weight room. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens the rest of the year here, but right now it’s playing big.” Miami newcomer Heath Bell, who blew his only save opportunity this season, survived a shaky ninth to keep the score tied. He retired the first two batters but then threw 13 consecutive balls to walk the bases loaded. Carlos Lee then tapped out on a check swing. Ryan Webb (1-0) pitched a perfect 11th. Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco needed 90 pitches to get through five innings but gave up only two runs. Houston’s Lucas Harrell, coming off the best start of his career, lasted only four innings and allowed four runs. The Marlins took a 4-2 lead into the eighth, but Jed Lowrie singled to start the inning, and Martinez homered into the nightclub seating area in left field. ”Words just can’t describe it,” said Martinez, who grew up a Marlins fans. ”It was a great moment, but it would have been a lot better had we gotten the win.” Martinez also singled and scored, and he has at least one hit in all seven Astros games. Infante’s aggressiveness on the bases paid off for Miami in the third. He kept running from first on a grounder to third baseman Johnson, who ranged to his left and threw out the batter. When Infante kept going, Harrell scrambled to cover third, but the throw from first baseman Lee eluded him for an error, allowing the runner to score easily. Infante, who began the day leading the NL in total bases, went 2 for 5 and is batting .367. Sanchez came into the game batting .125 but had three hits. The game was the road opener for the Astros, who last year went 25-56 in away games, worst in the majors, and lost all four they played in Miami. Notes: The Marlins, Miami Heat and Florida Panthers all played at home, the first time that has happened on the same day since April 14, 2002. … Miami’s Hanley Ramirez, off to a 4-for-30 start (.133), was on the field nearly four hours before the game hitting off a tee. … Marlins SS Jose Reyes committed two errors, increasing his season total to three. He had 18 last year for the Mets. … Astros manager Brad Mills doesn’t think much of the colorful home-run sculpture but likes the ballpark’s appearance otherwise. ”It looks better in center field looking toward home plate,” he said. ”I’ll leave it at that.” … Johnson tumbled headfirst into the first row to catch Emilio Bonifacio’s pop foul.