- AL dominates again, which isn't surprising considering the high amount of free agent movement in the past few off seasons, with many NL players relocating to the AL. Not to mention the big boys NY and BOS snatching up every high priced big-time talented player it seems.
Is there anything cooler to watch than someone fly around the bases for a triple, or in Ichiro's case, an inside the park HR? Those guys just glide around those bases.
AL survives late rally by NL, wins 5-4 to take 10 straight.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Ichiro Suzuki sped around the bases as the ball bounced away from Ken Griffey Jr. for the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star game history. On a night of tricky hops, Suzuki and the American League rebounded to win -- as usual.
Instead of a Barry Bonds splash shot, the defining hit at Tuesday's All-Star game was Suzuki's drive off the right-field wall at quirky AT&T Park.
In a decade of dominance, the AL has won 10 straight games played to a decision, with the notorious 2002 tie at Milwaukee interrupting the run. The only longer streak was when the NL took 11 in a row from 1972-82.
- I was wondering the same thing. You have the AL closers struggling, you have 1 guy left on your bench who hasn't been in yet, the bases are jacked, 1 hit and the game's over. That 1 guy just happens to be Albert Pujols, the best hitter in the game. Not to mention, he's LaRussa's own player. Instead you send up Aaron Rowand (and this is a reason why the AL is so dominant-since when is Aaron Rowand an all-star?????) and he promptly flies out to end the game. Michael Young also doesn't get into the game. Pujols not happy..........
SAN FRANCISCO -- Albert Pujols was angry about being left on the All-Star bench and the St. Louis slugger took aim at the National League manager -- who just happened to be Tony La Russa of his own Cardinals.
"It's the All-Star Game. He can do what he wants," Pujols said Tuesday night. "He does whatever he wants. If I wasn't expecting to play, I wouldn't have come up here."
Pujols, the NL MVP in 2005 and key to the Cardinals' win in the World Series last year, said La Russa didn't talk to him the entire game.
Pujols and Texas shortstop Michael Young -- last year's All-Star Game MVP -- were the only position players who didn't get into the game. Ever since the 2002 event ended in an extra-innings tie, managers have tended to hold a hitter back just in case.
- Give him a lifetime suspension from the league and send him to jail for a long time. This guy hasn't learned a thing from his past and I don't think he ever will. Always keeping it real...............
Pacman cited after police stop his orange Lamborghini
Suspended NFL player Adam "Pacman" Jones received several driving citations in a traffic stop last month in Williamson County, Tenn., where he has a home.
Jones was pulled over June 10 at 8:30 a.m. in his orange Lamborghini sports car because the tags did not match the car, WKRN-TV in Nashville reported.
Sheriff's deputies said he had switched the plate from another vehicle he owns. He was cited with a registration violation, as well as a residency violation for having a Georgia license and failure to show proof of insurance.
Jones was scheduled for an Aug. 10 court appearance on the citations. The Tennessee Titans cornerback is currently suspended from the NFL for a year over several legal scrapes since being drafted in 2005. He faces felony coercion charges in connection with a Feb. 19 fight and triple-shooting at a Las Vegas strip club.
Jones also faces a felony charge of obstruction stemming from a physical altercation in February 2006 with an officer on patrol in Fayetteville, Ga., but no trial date has been set.
Last week a judge delayed a decision on whether to revive charges from an incident last August at a nightclub in Murfreesboro, just south of Nashville. Police said Jones got into an argument with a woman, refused to leave the club and shouted profanities at officers.
- NBA news/notes
- At this point, I would expect the Mav's big time off-season activity to be over with. I expect them to quietly fill out all their free agent exceptions and be ready to roll with what they have, which is not a bad thing IMO.
Mavs shopping for good bargains.
Team will be patient, but there are exceptions to consider
02:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Everybody in the NBA is bracing for basketball's version of a discount shopping spree that officially opens today. It's a buyer's market, or at least it will be when everything shakes out.
While top free agents such as Rashard Lewis (leaving Seattle for Orlando) and Vince Carter (returning to New Jersey) have already agreed to lucrative deals, which can be signed today, the Mavericks and other teams are biding their time, patiently waiting for agents and players to begin taking the best available contract that is presented to them.
Many that are seeking the full mid-level exception – which was set at $5.36 million Tuesday – will be disappointed.
It's not a particularly attractive crop of free agents, but the Mavericks are hoping that a couple of immediate helpers will filter through to them. If not, they are at peace heading into next season with what they have, which is a perennial playoff team with virtually all of the key pieces in their prime.
In short, they are bargain hunters, having yet to commit any of their available money under salary-cap exceptions.
"This is the cry-wolf day," Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. "But I think once it comes and goes, there will be a settling-out period and then people will come to a more realistic approach."
Today will likely pass without the Mavericks opening the checkbook, Nelson said, other than to re-sign Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George, their two key free agents. Both players will be signed under provisions of what is known as "Larry Bird" exceptions. Each team can re-sign its own free agents with at least three years of service with the team to any amount up to the NBA maximum, which was Stackhouse's case. In George's case, an "Early Bird" provision allowed him to re-sign.
Now, the Mavericks will patiently wait to see which bargains slip through the cracks around the league. A short list of possibilities:
• A swingman who is athletic and defensive-minded. Qualifiers for this role would include Golden State's Matt Barnes, Miami's James Posey, Toronto's Morris Peterson, Golden State's Mickael Pietrus and Cleveland's Sasha Pavlovic, among others. They are all looking for the full mid-level exception. They won't all get it.
A full exception, extended out for five seasons, will mean about a $35 million investment for a team. It's more likely that the Mavericks try to find a bargain for about half of the exception.
• A veteran center. P.J. Brown is considered the best of the bunch and probably could be had for the $1.8 million bi-annual exception. Another possibility is Chris Webber, whom the Mavericks coveted when he was released by Philadelphia last season and signed with Detroit to be near his hometown. Darko Milicic, released by Orlando to make room for Lewis, is not believed to be a candidate.
• A sign-and-trade for Gerald Wallace. He's the last of the marquee free agents who is unaccounted for, although it still seems likely that he will remain with the Bobcats.
Wise guys like Mavs: The NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is rolling on, but bigger news in Sin City, at least for the Mavericks, is how popular they are as picks to win the 2008 NBA title. They are in a virtual three-way dead heat with San Antonio and Phoenix.
The Mavericks are listed as 5-2 favorites at the Las Vegas Hilton to win the title, followed closely by Phoenix (7-2) and the Spurs (5-1). Cleveland is the co-favorite in the East with Detroit at 10-1.
At Caesars Palace, the Spurs are 5-2 favorites, with the Suns at 3-1 and the Mavericks at 7-2. At the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the Suns are the choice at 3-1, followed by the Mavs (4-1) and Spurs (5-1).
Mavs stay unbeaten: The Mavericks improved to 3-0 in the NBA Summer League, beating the Denver Nuggets, 87-83, on Tuesday. Jose Juan Barea led the Mavericks with 18 points, and Brandon Bass had 15 points and eight rebounds.
- A Wang Zhi-Zhi sighting? Another failed Nellie experiment.......
Wang Zhizhi, China's 7-foot center, drilled a three and then put his fists to his forehead, which made Quentin Richardson crack up. Q-Rich was sitting the crowd with Malik Rose and Dorell Wright from the Miami Heat. Wang and Q played together with the Clippers.
- Stars President Jim Lites is the latest in the organization to try to calm down the fan base and media re another year of lack of urgency in improving the team. Well, when you continually fail in the playoffs, and then all you do in the off-season is bring back the existing players and sign free agents with talent similar to what you already have, I'd say the complaining is warranted.
Lites to Stars faithful: Patience, please
Team president says waiting is prudent path to improving roster
02:14 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
For Stars fans concerned by the team's inability to land a scoring forward in the early days of NHL free agency, the message from team president Jim Lites is clear:
"We're not dumb, we're not cheap and we've not fallen asleep," he said this week.
The Stars planned to spend $4 million to land an impact scorer when free agency began last week. Their goal remains the same, even if the timetable and method might have changed. Now, any major acquisition will come from a trade and is likely to happen months from now.
"Are we likely to make a trade? Yes, but not in the next week," Lites said, emphasizing the Stars intend to be patient. "Are we preparing to do something? Absolutely. But we're not going to do anything stupid."
Admittedly stung by fan and media criticism after the Stars failed to land any of the forwards considered in the top six among free agents, Lites provided insight into the team's plan, what went wrong and what lies ahead.
With the NHL's salary cap rising to $50.3 million for next season, the Stars estimated they could add a $4 million player without having to do major surgery to the core of their roster. Afraid of long-term deals that could hinder financial flexibility, the team decided against offering any deal longer than three years.
They targeted three unrestricted free-agent wingers: Paul Kariya, Jason Blake and Slava Kozlov. Then they were stunned by a spending spree that conjured up memories of the pre-cap, pre-lockout NHL.
Kariya, coming off a 24-goal, 76-point season, received $18 million over three years from St. Louis.
"I'm sorry; in our opinion, he got offered crazy money," Lites said.
Blake, 33, received a five-year contract from Toronto averaging $4 million per season. Kozlov cited family reasons for deciding to stay in Atlanta, though the Stars offered more money on a three-year deal.
The perceived inaction angered fans used to high-profile signings and upset by three consecutive first-round playoff exits. In response, Lites pointed to the Stars' long-term record. Only Detroit has more regular-season NHL victories since the start of the 1996-97 season. And the team posted 51 wins last season.
The plan now is to wait to spend the $4 million. Brendan Shanahan, one free agent who might have intrigued the Stars, re-signed with the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
Whether it's September or December or March, the Stars expect to use nearly every bit of the extra $4 million.
"We're certainly going to have a cushion to play with," general manager Doug Armstrong said. "You have to have flexibility. That being said, we're still going to look to improve our team via trade or any other fashion."
The Stars feel they still have a team, as is, that can be competitive early in the season.
"A lot of money got spent, and a lot of people moved around," Lites said, "but not a whole lot of teams got better."
In management's scenario, the team can bide its time, waiting for teams that might stumble early and look to shed players. And the Stars might be one of the few teams with both the cap room and the willingness to spend it.
"That's the time to make a move," Lites said. "We think there will be salary dumps."
The same money that wasn't spent in July could be used then.
Briefly: The NHL schedule will be released today, with the Stars opening the season in Colorado. ... The Stars' developmental camp for top prospects will be July 23-28 in Frisco.
- I'm gonna take a backhoe and uproot that tree......
Thieves smash store with backhoe
05:39 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
From WFAA-TV Staff Reports
3400 Irving Boulevard Thieves used a stolen backhoe to smash a big hole in the side of a convenience store early Wednesday.
The incident was reported shortly after 3 a.m. in the 3400 block of Irving Boulevard in Dallas, not far from Love Field.
Investigators at the scene were attempting to determine what was stolen from the store, which cashes checks as well as selling food.
Police said the thieves fled, leaving the backhoe at the store.
- Picks O'the day
All Star Break
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