Sports update 12/15/11

Here's your sports update for Thursday...

Todd Graham leaves Pitt after one season for head coaching job at Arizona State. Graham, the now former head football coach at Pitt, had an assistant text/email his players to announce his departure. Varying reports claim, Graham called Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson the night before his decision hoping to receive formal permission to speak with Arizona State, but when it wasn't granted Graham decided to resign and accept the Arizona State position. This will be Graham's 4th head coaching job since 2006 (Rice, Tulsa, Pitt, Arizona State). The eventual replacement for Graham, at Pitt, will be the 4th head football coach at Pitt in the past 2 calendar years after the firing of Dave Wannstedt, the hiring and quick firing of Mike Haywood (arrested for beating his girlfriend/wife), Graham's less than one calendar year gig and whomever they choose next. Ironically, Todd Graham's college roommate and Pitt defensive coordinator, Keith Patterson, will coach Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl...reportedly, a real bowl game. Accounting for interim coaches, Patterson, will be the 5th person to lead the Panthers since Dave Wannstedt (Wanstedt, Phil Bennett - interim for bowl, Mike Haywood - never actually coached a game at Pitt, Graham and now Patterson - interim for bowl). Yahoo Sports writer Pat Forde has a nice write-up on Graham here.

Chris Paul traded to L.A. Clippers. In what seemed like a never-ending mess, the New Orleans Hornets finally found a deal that the NBA would approve to ship the All-Star PG to another team. The deal sending Chris Paul to the Clippers teams Paul up with young super-star Blake Griffin, giving the Clippers the makings of a special team. In return for Paul the Hornets did get younger (a stipulation that apparently held up the original Paul to Lakers trade) as they received guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick to the Hornets for Paul. The Clippers will also receive two future second-round picks. Great deal for the Clippers, pretty good for the Hornets...in the long term. The Lakers deal would have made the Hornets better this season and next but not much beyond that while this Clippers deal may take a year or so to develop the Hornets into a playoff contender, but returned really good pieces that were much younger than the Lakers offer. No one will argue the youth angle to this, the problem always was the league stepping in and stopping the Lakers/Hornets/Rockets deal which wasn't as bad as David Stern (or the owners that whined) argued it was. It's fairly obvious the complaints really had more to do with the Lakers retooling than the trade itself. I mean come on, we've seen WAY worse trades go through without the league stepping in. But either way this should make the Clippers even more fun to watch and gave the Hornets a lot of talented young players (and draft picks).

Colt McCoy NOT checked for concussion after hard hit. Browns QB Colt McCoy was rocked by a hard hit from Steelers linebacker James Harrison that resulted in a one-game suspension for Harrison. Despite the helmet-to-helmet hit being penalized on the field and the Browns QB laying on the field for a few minutes after the hit the Browns' medical staff did not check McCoy on the sidelines for the symptoms of a concussion. Given all the concussion related news of late this is quite shocking. The NFL and NFLPA will look further into the staff's reaction but Browns team president, Mike Holmgren, did not expect that the league would take further action than investigating the incident.

Orlando Magic halt trade talks of star center Dwight Howard. The trade situation surrounding Magic center Dwight Howard appears to change almost hourly, but today the Magic have apparently (according to sources) decided to no longer field calls about the All-Star center.

Veteran free agent Richard Hamilton signs with Chicago Bulls.

Fresno State hires Texas A&M interim coach Tim DeRuyter as next head coach.

Charlie Weis contract at Kansas.

South Carolina football will cut 6 scholarships.

Miami Heat unveil new alternate all-black uniforms.

WVU news:

Casey Mitchell waived by Houston Rockets.  Very small mention of this move in the lower left hand corner of this article (inside the "More Information" box under "Free Throws").

Tavon Austin named AP All-American.

WVU pays visit to Pitt commit Adam Pankey. In the wake of the coaching change at Pitt, WVU wasted no time in checking in on recruits that may "flip" their commitment.

Florida safety to choose between WVU, UCF at 11am announcement, Thursday at his high school. Karl Joseph, a 5-11 190 pound safety from the Orlando, FL area will announce his college choice, Thursday, at a ceremony at Edgewater High School. Joseph has apparently already informed the school of his choice and according to internet reports it appears Joseph will select WVU. Joseph is a 3 star prospect on Rivals, Scout and ESPN.

NEW photos of the almost complete WVU basketball practice facility. Also check around on the WVU Men's Basketball Facebook page so you can see more photos and info about WVU basketball. Facility looks AWESOME! 

J.R. House lands a minor league baseball hitting coach gig.

WVU Notebook has some interesting information (on msnsportsnet.com). Here are some of the best points: 

West Virginia coaches Bob Huggins and Mike Carey are both within a couple of victories of achieving milestone wins. Huggs is sitting on 697 wins heading into this Saturday’s game at the Coliseum against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as part of the Las Vegas Classic, while Carey shows 498 career victories leading into Saturday afternoon’s road game at Duquesne.

Carey has 210 wins at WVU while Huggins now shows 107 victories.

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Did you realize that West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen is one of only seven first-year coaches to lead his team to a BCS bowl game since 1998? The others are Larry Coker (Miami), Chip Kelly (Oregon), Ralph Friedgen (Maryland), Charlie Weis (Notre Dame), Chris Peterson (Boise State) and David Shaw (Stanford).

That’s a great note researched by the WVU Sports Communications staff.

And here’s another good one from our outstanding SID staff … West Virginia’s appearance in the 2012 Discover Orange Bowl marks the seventh New Year’s Day bowl appearance for the Mountaineers in the last nine years. Only three other programs can make that claim: Florida, Ohio State and LSU.

Sports update 12/14/11

Here is your sports update for Wednesday...

General sports news:


Jerry Sandusky waived his preliminary hearing and plead not guilty.


Steelers linebacker James Harrison was suspended one game for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns QB Colt McCoy.


2 of Bernie Fine's accusers are suing Syracuse and Boeheim for defamation.


Auburn offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn, takes head coaching job at Arkansas State.


Denver Nuggets re-sign Nene for $67 million plus.


New MLB deal includes more replay, longer All-Star break.


Minnesota Twins to add OF Josh Willingham.


Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett calls out NBA Commissioner David Stern.


Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has a list of 4 teams.


Philadelphia Phillies agree to one-year deal with pitcher Dontrelle Willis.


MLBPA asks people to avoid "rush to judgement" on Ryan Braun.


Philadelphia Flyers' star Claude Giroux out 'indefinitely' with concussion.


Florida Marlins catcher John Buck rescued two women in car accident.


New Jersey Nets are trying to assemble a deal for Dwight Howard.


Chris Paul trade talks continue - Clippers and Lakers still in the mix.

WVU news:

Da'Sean Butler was waived by the San Antonio Spurs.


Kobe Bryant expects a lot this year from Devin Ebanks.


Some All-American honors for a few WVU football players.

Eerinsider.com takes a look at former WVU players in NBA camps.


Eerinsider.com recaps last weekend's WVU football recruiting info, visits and commits.


Eerinsider.com says WVU will have some offensive linemen recruits in town this weekend.

Sports update 12/13/11

Miami Dolphins fire Tony Sparano. Todd Bowles named interim head coach.

Kansas City Chiefs fire Todd Haley (he guided team to AFC West title in 2010). Romeo Crennel named interim coach.

Proposed trade sending Chris Paul to the LA Clippers has apparently "collapsed" due to high asking price as of Monday afternoon. As of Monday evening/early Tuesday it appears there might still be life in the deal. Will address it again, as things change.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby out indefinitely (again) with concussion-like symptoms.

Dallas Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray suffered broken right ankle vs Giants, ending his rookie season.

LA Lakers trade forward Lamar Odom (Kardashian) and 2nd-rd pick to Dallas Mavericks for 1st-rd pick and a trade exception.

Houston Texans earned their 1st playoff berth in 10-year history of the franchise, clinch AFC South title.

Tim Tebow wins again, improves to 7-1 as starter for the Broncos. The Broncos have now won 6 straight games. People can hate all they want on him but the guy just wins. Gotta love that and his team oriented approach to his success.

All-Star forward David West leaves the Hornets, signs with Pacers (2-year, $20 million deal).

Free agent 3B Aramis Ramirez agrees to 3-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

New Jersey Nets owner says he will enter Russian presidential election.

New York Jets starting safety Jim Leonhard out for season with knee injury.

J.J. Barea (formerly of the Dallas Mavericks) agrees to 4-year, $19 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Minnesota Timberwolves finalize contract with forward Derrick Williams (No. 2 pick in draft).

Syracuse new No. 1 in ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Ohio State 2nd, Kentucky drops to 3rd. Louisville and Duke round out the top 5.

Cincinnati Bengals starting RG Bobbie Williams to miss rest of the season with fractured ankle.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony day-to-day after hyperextending knee in practice Monday.

National League MVP, Ryan Braun (Brewers), tested positive for PED's, it was revealed over the weekend.

Suspensions handed down by Xavier and Cincinnati teams following on court brawl near the end of rivalry game between the two schools. After the brawl ensued the game was ended with 9 seconds remaining. Each school's conference can tack on suspensions as well and an Ohio prosecutor is mulling the idea of criminal charges from the fight.

Kevin Sumlin introduced as new Texas A&M head football coach. Sumlin comes to A&M from the Houston Cougars.

Robert Griffin, III won the Heisman Trophy. RG3 is the first Baylor Bear to win the Heisman. Stanford QB Andrew Luck finished 2nd for the second-straight year.

Former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno fractures pelvis after fall at his home.

Pittsburgh Pirates trade RP Jose Veras to Milwaukee Brewers for 3B Casey McGehee.

NHL: Kings fire coach Terry Murray. Name John Stevens interim coach. 

Seattle beats St. Louis on Monday Night Football, 30-13.

Green Bay Packers WR Greg Jennings out 2-3 weeks with knee sprain.

San Diego State will join Big West in all sports, except football (Big East), for 2013.

Miami (FL) RB Lamar Miller will enter NFL Draft.

LA Clippers claim PG Chauncey Billups off waivers.

LA Clippers match 4-year, $43 million offer sheet that C DeAndre Jordan signed with Warriors.



Andy's comments:

No surprises in the coaching firings.

The Chris Paul situation is sad for Chris Paul and for the Hornets. The Lakers trade offer (with Houston attached) returned a lot to the Hornets. As does the Clippers offer. Regardless, Paul has said he won't sign an extension with the Hornets so they stand to lose him at the end of the season either way. The travesty is that the league decided to step in and block the original Lakers/Rockets/Hornets deal. Sure, part of the lock-out focused on trying to keep star players in the smaller markets but when said market will lose the star anyway it was extremely petty for the league owners to protest the trade. Especially given that the Lakers gave up two of their top three players in the proposal - and Chris Paul has well-known knee issues, already. Funny, no one argued when the Lakers then turned around and traded Lamar Odom to the Mavericks for a trade exception and a draft pick. Point is that having the league running the Hornets is hurting the Hornets and the league. Either the Lakers deal or the Clippers deal are both fair trades (except to a small minority of whiny owners/GMs) that gave the Hornets a lot in return (quality and quantity) and the fact that BOTH deals have had such a hard time going through shows you that the "asking price" is way too high (and that there are ulterior motives at play) - when you see the Lakers/Rockets/Hornets and Clippers/Hornets deals on paper. But it is what it is...as they say. It appears now that the Clippers/Hornets deal may be back on again which is fine but frustrating from a Lakers fan perspective that the Lakers deal only didn't happen because owners like Dan Gilbert (Cavs owner that caused that huge fuss over LeBron as well) and Mark Cuban (who ironically then received Odom from the Lakers - and is a known whiner in his own right) didn't get Chris Paul (or the players they wanted - Lebron staying in Cleveland for Gilbert) and thus didn't want the Lakers to restock their shelves. Which is dumb as well because the Lakers can just sign whomever they want in the summer anyway.

Sidney Crosby often gets the "soft" label from fans of other teams (especially Caps fans) but you can't be too cautious with concussion or head issues. As we've seen with boxers just one too many blows to the head can cause permanent damage. This setback for Crosby has to be frustrating for him, even more so than for the fans. I'm getting tired of it, but again they're better off being overly-cautious so we'll see when (or if) he comes back this season. The Pens were winning without Crosby so they'll probably continue to do so without him, again. Hopefully, he can get over these issues though because, regardless of what haters will tell you, Crosby is a great draw for the NHL and is just great for the NHL, in general, as well.

Congrats to the Houston Texans on their first playoff berth!

Hats off to Tim Tebow for again helping lead the Broncos to a come-from-behind win against Chicago. The Broncos vs Patriots match-up next weekend should be entertaining...to say they least. Couldn't find two QBs that get more attention than Brady vs Tebow.

Not sure why the Lakers turned around (after failing to complete the Chris Paul deal) and basically gave away Lamar Odom to the team that knocked them out of the NBA Playoffs. Obviously, part of it was because of Lamar Kardashian...I mean Odom crying on the radio when asked about possibly leaving the Lakers. Sure, he gave the Lakers several really good years and had a good season last year but 1) it's a business - you have to realize that and 2) the Lakers LOST in the playoffs so someone was bound to move on. Not sure why Odom would be overly surprised. And I don't buy that it had ANYTHING to do with him being on reality TV. That sounds like something the Kardashians cooked up - you know because they don't accept responsibility for anything, either.

I guess you could say that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has "Put-in" to run for President - bad joke going around the internet. 

The Pirates trade of Veras for McGehee is a surprisingly good deal for the Pirates (not "great" but good). Veras probably would have been "non-tendered" by the Pirates and this way they get a return for Veras. Not only that but in McGehee they received a nice insurance policy for Pedro Alvarez (in case he doesn't perform, again, at 3B). 

Never been a fan of the Brewers (well at least since they joined the NL Central) so I wasn't sad or disappointed that Ryan Braun tested positive for PEDs. Actually, knowing the history between Braun and the Pirates (production wise and whining from Braun) I rather enjoyed the news. Braun swears he's innocent - man, where have we heard that before? Not like other accused baseball players have said that...oh wait. I always heard that steroids (or whatever performance enhancer) made certain parts of your body change, like your head, bigger. This FINALLY explains why Ryan Braun's eyes are always about to pop out of their sockets!

But just when I thought the Brewers might come back to earth they went and signed former Pirate (and more recently Cub) Aramis Ramirez. At least they won't have Prince Fielder and probably won't have Braun for the first 50 games.

Updated 12/13/2011 5:45AM

Vacation from the blog

In an effort to constantly keep things fresh I'll be taking a few days off to concentrate on some other things.

Look for a new update around Monday, May 23rd.

Take care, everyone!!

Sports recap for May 10th

What you may have missed in the world of sports from yesterday...

NBA PLAYOFFS:


The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies battled through 3 overtimes with the Thunder eventually winning 133-123 and tying up the series as 2 games a piece. The Thunder appeared to have the game in hand as they led by 10 points with just over 5 minutes remaining but the Grizzlies rallied and Mike Conley, Jr.'s three pointer with three seconds left tied the game and sent the game to overtime. In the first overtime the scoring went back and forth, but when Memphis' OJ Mayo fouled out with 16 seconds left you had to wonder if things were falling apart for the Grizzlies. However, Mayo's replacement (former Maryland star and loud-mouth) Greivis Vasquez came in and hit a HUGE off-balanced 3-pointer with 9 seconds left to tie the game, once again. Into the 2nd overtime offensive production went down which amounted to only 10 points, a team, scored. Vasquez again made his presence (off the bench) felt as he hit a 2 point jumper and converted the following free throw. OKC's Russell Westbrook ended the scoring in the 2nd overtime when he hit a deep 2 point shot to tie the game again and sent the game into the 3rd overtime. In the 3rd overtime both teams looked tired, especially Memphis, as the Thunder out-scored the Grizzlies 14-4 in the 3rd OT. Kevin Durant, alone, out-scored the Grizzlies in the 3rd OT as he scored 6 points. The Grizzlies made their final shot of the night with 2:40 left on the clock in the 3rd OT and couldn't then couldn't make anything else leading to an easy finish to the overtime period. Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 40 points and Kevin Durant also added 35 for the Thunder. The Grizzlies were led by Zach Randolph's 34 points/16 rebounds and Marc Gasol's 26 points/21 rebounds.


The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics also battled into overtime, last night, but this game only took one extra frame to determine a winner as the Heat went on to win 98-90 and with the win the Heat take a 3 games to 1 lead over the defending Eastern Conference Champion Celtics in the best of 7 series. LeBron James led the Heat in scoring with 35 points and Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 27. The Heat's version of "The Big Three" all scored 20 or more points, a piece.

NHL PLAYOFFS:

The Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators, 2-1, and ended the best-of-seven series by winning 4 games to 2. Two 1st period goals were all Vancouver ended up needing as they now move on to the Western Conference Finals.

NCAA Basketball News:

Texas A&M head coach, Mark Turgeon, has accepted the same position at Maryland. A news conference at Maryland is set for Noon, today, to announce Turgeon as the new coach replacing recently retired, Gary Williams.

WVU basketball news:

WVU (basketball) forward Kevin Jones announced he had withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return for his senior season.

WVU basketball also announced that freshman Kevin Noreen has been granted a hardship waiver granting him another season of eligibility. Simply put he'll be a freshman again, this coming season.

Other news:

LeBron James apologized for responding, "that's retarded" during a post-game press conference.


The US Women's World Cup team was announced.


NBA announces all-defensive teams. Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett and LA Lakers guard Kobe Bryant were both named to the first team for a record-tying ninth time.

The Greenbrier Classic announced even more talent will be showing up this summer in southern West Virginia. PGA Tour star, Phil Mickelson has been confirmed as a participant in the golf tournament and the Black Eyed Peas were announced as joining the already impressive list of concert performers. Along with the Black Eyed Peas other confirmed acts include Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan and Keith Urban. All great news for the Greenbrier Classic, as it continues to garner great publicity and interest.

MLB Scores:

ESPN's MLB Scoreboard

NL:

Pirates beat Dodgers, 4-1. With the win the Pirates moved above the .500 mark in mid-May for the first time in seven years.


Phillies beat Marlins, 6-4.


Reds beat Astros, 6-1.


Brewers beat Padres, 4-3.


Rockies beat Mets, 2-1.

AL:

Tigers beat Blue Jays, 10-5.


Red Sox beat Twins, 2-1 in 11 innings.


Athletics beat Rangers, 7-2.


White Sox beat Angels, 8-0.




That's all. Enjoy your day!!

Sports recap for May 8th

What you may have missed in the world of sports from yesterday...

The Boston Celtics pulled to within one game of the Miami Heat as they beat the Heat in Boston, 97-81. The Heat still lead the series 2-1.


Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander tossed his 2nd career no-hitter as the Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-0. Verlander faced the minimum possible batters (only the 7th time that's happened since 1954).


Ohio State athletics face more scrutiny as they are now investigating how athletes obtained vehicles from local car dealerships. A particular review found that a car titled to former OSU star Thaddeus Gibson for a purchase price of $0. We all know Ohio State will get out of this with a slap on the wrist, like they do with everything else.


Animal Kingdom won a thrilling Kentucky Derby as a 20-1 long shot.


The Memphis Grizzlies again found a way to win a playoff game as they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime, 101-93. The Grizzlies rallied from 16 points down and still pulled off the upset. Grizzlies big man Zach Randolph had 21 points and 21 rebounds to lead the Grizzlies. Russell Westbrook lead the Thunder with 23 points.


Manny Pacquiao defeated Shane Mosley in a dominant 12 round decision.


Regan Smith won his 1st career Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway.


The Nashville Predators stayed alive for another game as they beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 and kept hope alive as they drew to within a game of the Canucks 3-2 series lead.


Arizona men's basketball head coach, Sean Miller, agreed to a contract extension with Arizona, which comes after Miller's name was floated around as a possible replacement at Maryland (where Gary Williams just retired Wednesday).


University of Pittsburgh basketball star Ashton Gibbs decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return for his senior season, at Pitt.


LA Dodgers' outfielder Andre Either's 30 game hit streak came to an end, against the New York Mets.

WVU sports news:

As expected, WVU men's basketball received word, today, that La Salle center Aaric Murray will transfer to WVU. Murray said during his press conference that he made a mistake by not going to WVU out of high school but got bad advice, at the time. Murray also said now that he has a second chance he had to take it. Since Murray is transferring he will have to sit out a year before he's eligible to play, meaning you won't see him "officially" on the court until the 2012-13 season where he should provide an inside scoring presence for the Mountaineers.


WVU forward Kevin Jones has a big decision to make, today, as he has to decide (by this evening) whether he's staying in the NBA Draft or returning to WVU for his senior season. Jones is attending a pre-draft combine where he can be evaluated by NBA scouts and receive feedback. This is a fairly typical move as players test the waters (as Kevin Pittsnogle did between his junior and senior seasons) so it's not really a surprise that Jones declared. However, he is not projected by anyone, at this point, to be a high draft pick so it would be a bit of a surprise if he were to stay in the draft; especially with a potential NBA lock-out looming this summer. Some say this is a "weaker" draft class than next year's forecasts to be so there is a chance Jones could see it that way and feel he has a better chance of getting drafted this year, than next, but that's pure speculation, at this point. You should see/read his decision at some point relatively early in the day as most of the players who are coming back have already announced they are no longer remaining in the draft. Keep an eye out for status updates on the topic - or check out WV MetroNews (or your favorite WVU site) for breaking news.

MLB Scores:

ESPN's MLB Scoreboard

AL:

Tigers beat Blue Jays, 9-0.


Rays beat Orioles, 8-2.


Red Sox beat Twins, 4-0.


Royals beat Athletics, 4-3.


Rangers beat Yankees, 7-5.


Indians beat Angels, 4-3.


White Sox beat Mariners, 6-0.

NL:

Pirates beat Astros, 6-1.


Cubs beat Reds, 3-2.


Brewers beat Cardinals, 4-0.


Phillies beat Braves, 3-0.


Mets beat Dodgers, 4-2.


Nationals beat Marlins, 5-2.


Diamondbacks beat Padres, 6-0.


Giants beat Rockies, 3-2.


That's all. Enjoy your day!!

Sports recap for May 7th

What you may have missed in the world of sports from yesterday...

Dallas Mavericks took a commanding 3-0 series lead over back-to-back defending NBA champion LA Lakers. Not looking good for the Lakers as NO team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit.  The champs are on the ropes, can they survive? The view from here is probably not, as much as it kills me to say. The Lakers banked on Pau Gasol being a force but he's looked as tough as a sorority girl in those infamous pillow fights. Not only could the next game be the last game for Gasol it is almost certainly the last game for Lakers head coach, Phil Jackson. Jackson has contemplated retirement before but everyone seems to believe he's done. Without a drastic move in the off-season - mainly getting rid of Gasol (possibly for Dwight Howard??) - I don't see Jackson coming back. Even though he'd go out on a "low note" he's had one helluva career.

Chicago Bulls took a 2-1 series lead as newly crowned NBA MVP Derrick Rose led the Bulls past the Atlanta Hawks, 99-82. Rose scored 44 to lead all scorers, a career high in points for Rose.


Willie Mays, aka the Say Hey Kid, turned 80 years old and celebrated with the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. In the middle of Mays speaking the call dropped -- typical AT&T!


Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall found out apparel company, Champion, was dropping him from his endorsement deal because he made controversial "tweets" about 9/11 (which is fun word play since Mendenhall likes to "drop" the football). Mendenhall had just resigned the deal with Champion on Sunday so that didn't last long. Ya gotta know you're in the public eye - so don't say controversial things if you're not ready to face the consequences.


Boston Bruins completed the 4-0 sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-1.


Detroit Red Wings found a way to keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive as they beat the San Jose Sharks, 4-3. The win by the Red Wings still remain a loss away from elimination (San Jose leads 3 games to 1).


LA Dodgers outfielder Andre Either extended his hit streak to 30 games.


Uncle Mo scratched from the Kentucky Derby. The Derby having a rough string of injuries and horses pulling out of the race. At this point you could probably walk a horse up to the starting line and they'd let you run in the race.

WVU sports news:

Former WVU point guard Joe Mazzulla will head to Europe to try and play professional basketball. Mazzulla had received an assistant coaching job offer from a small school but said he wanted to try to play right now and then move to coaching after that.


WVU men's basketball team is expecting to receive"official" word today on the possible landing spot for La Salle University center Aaric Murray (6'10" 250 pounds). As I have previously mentioned, Murray was in town for the WVU spring football game and later that evening sent out a "tweet" saying he was "the newest member of the West Virginia team." Once he got back to Philadelphia, however, he and/or his "advisers" said that was a "prank." But it appears that maybe it wasn't a "prank" after-all. Sources are saying that at his 2pm press conference today, in Philadelphia, he will announce that he is indeed transferring to WVU (he was believed to be down to WVU and Oklahoma State - although some reports also mentioned Kansas as a possible destination). Murray originally signed with La Salle out of high school after choosing between La Salle and WVU (his "final two" schools). At La Salle, last season, Murray averaged 15.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Per NCAA rules, wherever Murray transfers to he will have to sit out a year...meaning he will be eligible to play in the 2012-13 season. Coming out of high school Murray was ranked as a 4 star recruit and the #5 center in the nation, by Rivals.com; #6 center, by Scout.com and #8 center by ESPN.com. Click here for a scouting report (by ESPN) on Murray if you want more info. Ideally this would give Bob Huggins a true post player. Several NBA mock drafts also rate Murray pretty high so the chances of him being a "one and done" (after sitting out the up-coming season) could be higher than most other new WVU players (just something to keep in the back of your mind). I'll make sure everyone knows for sure what Murray decides on here and on Facebook/Twitter so keep an eye out for it around 2pm today.

MLB Scores:

MLB Scoreboard

AL:

Blue Jays beat Tigers, 7-4.


Twins beat Red Sox, 9-2.


Rays beat Orioles, 6-2.


Yankees beat Rangers, 4-1.


Athletics beat Royals, 3-2.


Angels beat Indians, 2-1 in 11 innings.


Mariners beat White Sox, 3-2.

NL:

Astros beat Pirates, 3-2.


Reds beat Cubs, 5-4.


Braves beat Phillies, 5-0.


Mets beat Dodgers, 6-3.


Nationals beat Marlins, 3-2 in 10 innings.


Cardinals beat Brewers, 6-0.


Padres beat Diamondbacks, 4-3 in 11 innings.


Giants beat Rockies, 4-3.


That's all. Enjoy your day!!

Sports recap for May 6th

What you may have missed in the world of sports from yesterday...

Maryland Terrapins men's basketball head coach Gary Williams, surprisingly announced his retirement yesterday afternoon. A press conference is set for today at 1pm at the Comcast Center. Williams won Maryland's only national championship in 2002 and finishes his 33 year career with a coaching record of 668-380. His final few seasons, at Maryland, involved a lot of "issues" between Williams and former Maryland athletic director, Debbie Yow. Yow recently moved on to NC State but Williams made sure he didn't leave without a final shot at Yow - read here.

LA Lakers' forward Ron Artest was suspended for the next game of the Western Conference semifinals after he clothes-lined DallasMavericks guard Jose Juan Berea in the last minute of game 2.

The Vancouver Canucks took a 3-1 series lead over the Nashville Predators after scoring a pair of late goals to win 4-2.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward continued a strange week for Steelers players as he was detained, at gunpoint, by police after being stopped for traveling in a reported stolen car. However, it turns out not only was the car not really stolen but it was the property of the passenger riding along with Ward. The female passenger had reported the car stolen in April but had forgotten to cancel the stolen car report. Ward and the female passenger were taken out of the car at gunpoint and handcuffed, but after a few minutes the female passenger proved she was indeed the owner of the car and the police apologized and released them both. Truly a "non-story" as Ward quoted it to ESPN, but given the negative PR the Steelers have received already this week, thanks to running back Rashard Mendenhall's "tweets," it's safe to say it hasn't been a great week for the Steelers image (since we all know rival fans don't care about "facts" of what happened to Ward).

Kentucky Derby is Saturday. Here is some info on the horses in the race. Get your big goofy hats ready!

NFL Lockout continues to move absolutely no where. NFL players continue to say it's all the owners/NFL fault which means they don't want to take any responsibility. What a shock. Millionaires vs billionaires arguing over "not money" as the player say - right, then why do they continue to talk about the TV revenues and rookie pay scales. Good one. Obviously everyone knows the owners are greedy, but they do OWN organizations so of course they're going to act that way.

WVU sports news:

Former WVU basketball player, Patrick Beilein, began work as the new Director of Basketball Operations at Bradley University.

WVU offensive coordinator (and head-coach-in-waiting) Dana Holgorsen sat down for a special interview with WV Illustrated.

MLB Scores: Click here for the ESPN MLB Scoreboard

AL:

Tigers beat Yankees, 6-3. Tigers get 3rd straight vs Yanks. Jeter a healthy scratch.

Rays beat Blue Jays, 3-1. Johnny Damon (Rays) reached 2,600 career hits.

Angels beat Red Sox, 11-0. Red Sox pitcher John Lackey roughed up by former team.

Royals beat Orioles, 9-1. Royal's pitcher Bruce Chen moves to 4-1 on the season.

Indians beat Athletics, 4-3 in 12 innings. Cleveland off to a 21-9 start to the season.

Mariners beat Rangers, 3-1. Justin Smoak homered.

NL:

Reds beat Astros, 10-4. Homer Bailey has strong showing fresh off the DL (for the Reds).

Mets beat Giants, 5-2. Mets avoid the sweep.

Cardinals beat Marlins, 6-3. Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson records first loss of the season.

Phillies beat Nationals, 7-3. Roy Halladay records 10 strikeouts for the Phillies.

Braves beat Brewers, 2-1. Complete 4 game sweep of the series.

Diamondbacks beat Rockies, 3-2 in 11 innings. Walk-off hit for Justin Upton.

That's all. Enjoy your day!!

Sports recap for May 5th

What you may have missed in the world of sports from yesterday...

Dallas Mavericks beat the LA Lakers, again, to take a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Semifinals round of the NBA Playoffs. Final 93-81. The back-to-back defending NBA champion Lakers put themselves in an 0-2 hole in the best of seven series. The Lakers looked bad and Lakers Pau Gasol was booed multiple times by Lakers fans for his timid play. The Mavs were led by Dirk Nowitzki's 24 points and a seemingly endless amount of big plays turned in by Jose Juan Berea.

Chicago Bulls evened up their series (at a game a piece) with the Atlanta Hawks, the same day Bulls Point Guard Derrick Rose officially received his MVP trophy. Rose then went on to lead the Bulls to a 86-73 victory, as he led all scorers with 25 points.

Tampa Bay Lightning continued their impressive playoff run by completing their 4 game series sweep of the top-seeded Washington Capitals, with a 5-3 victory in Tampa. Again, I remind everyone that Washington sports radio had mentioned, prior to the playoffs starting, that should the Caps not go on to win the Stanley Cup this season (as they were pre-season favorites...and the favorite as the playoffs began) that head coach Bruce Boudreau's job may be in jeopardy. Only time will tell, but the Caps have been disappointing, to say the least, the last few years by not even reaching the Stanley Cup with the player their organization touts as 'the top player in the NHL.' The Lightning have now knocked out the Penguins (in 7 games) and the Caps (in 4 games). Important to note that the Penguins did play that 7 game series against the Lightning without their top two players (and two of the top players in the NHL), Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Boston Bruins appear to have things locked up as they have now cruised out to a commanding 3 games to none lead over the Philadelphia Flyers, BUT it's important to note that the Bruins did the exact same thing last year yet ended up losing 4 straight games to the Flyers and lost the series. Will history repeat itself or will the devastating collapse from last year serve as a lesson to the Bruins to take care of business as soon as possible? The Bruins won game 3 with a 5-1 score.

San Jose Sharks jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over the Detroit Red Wings with a 4-3 overtime victory.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall issued a statement regarding his "controversial tweets" but did not apologize for the most controversial part...the part where he questioned if planes really took down the Twin Towers. I'm not sure why he issued a statement on this controversy, at all, if he wasn't going to comment on the part that people were upset about. Steelers fans, and NFL fans alike, continue to voice their displeasure with the unsettling nature of Mendenhall's comments. The Steelers did release a statement wondering why Mendenhall said what he said, but with the lockout they obviously can't have direct contact with him. Not really surprised he didn't retract what he said, but it makes him look pretty stupid when he releases a statement without even addressing the most controversial part of this PR nightmare - but even if he did address it he'd probably just delete it, like he did with the offensive "tweet." Count me as a Steelers fan that wants ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with this douchebag, ever again.

The Justice Department wants to know why there isn't a playoff in college football. Join the club

Blake Griffin was officially announced as the NBA Rookie of the Year.

The Kentucky Derby field is set. Dialed In is the favorite.

MLB Scores: To see more on any score click here to access the ESPN MLB scoreboard

Pirates beat the Padres, 7-4. Ryan Doumit hit a grand slam.

Twins beat White Sox, 3-2.

Blue Jays beat Rays, 3-2.

Reds beat Astros, 3-2.

Orioles beat Royals, 3-2.

Cubs beat Dodgers, 5-1.

Tigers beat Yankees, 4-0.

Braves beat Brewers, 8-3. Game 1

Phillies beat Nationals, 7-4.

Athletics beat Indians, 3-1.

Giants beat Mets, 2-0.

Angels beat Red Sox, 5-3 in 13 innings.

Rangers beat Mariners, 5-2.

Braves beat Brewers, 8-0. Game 2

Marlins beat Cardinals, 8-7.

Rockies beat Diamondbacks, 6-4.

That's all. Enjoy your day!!

Sports recap for May 4th

In my attempt to share my sports knowledge, I've decided to help make it easier for everyone to get their sports info with a morning recap of the previous day's sports news. Click on the purple text to get a link straight to the story for that particular piece of sports news. Let me know what you think! Here we go:

What you may have missed in the world of sports from yesterday...

Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano pitched a No-Hitter against the White Sox (1-0 Twins victory). It wasn't the "prettiest" no-hitter, as it took Liriano 123 pitches, 6 walks and 2 strikeouts to not only finish his first no-hitter but also his first complete game. This was the 248th no-hitter in MLB history (including the post-season, which has only seen 2 occur there). This was the 1st no-hitter thrown on May 3rd. Liriano came into the came posting a 9.13 ERA, the second highest ERA for a pitcher (entering the game) to throw a no-hitter (3 game minimum).

Miami Heat defeat the Boston Celtics 102-91 to take a 2-0 series lead. LeBron James scored 35.

Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals, 4-3, in Tampa to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.Washington sports radio had already discussed if head coach Bruce Boudreau should be fired, if they didn't win the Stanley Cup this year, back in March - let's see what happens.

22 year old Derrick Rose became the NBA's youngest MVP.

Oklahoma City Thunder evened up their series vs Memphis Grizzlies (at 1-1) by winning 111-102. OKC's Kevin Durant lead all scorers with 26 points.


NFL lock-out continues to twist and turn. Court grants expedited hearing for NFL's appeal (to keep lock out in place).

Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall has come under fire after controversial "tweets" on his Twitter account where he questioned whether the terrorist attacks of September 11th actually occurred the way it's reported. UPDATE: Mendenhall has since deleted the Twitter post that said he didn't believe planes could take down the towers (paraphrasing).

LA Dodgers' outfielder, Andre Either, continued his hitting streak - now stretching to 29 straight games but the Cubs beat the Dodgers, 4-1.

The NBA will be facing it's own lock-out situation this summer, it appears, as the newest CBA proposal from the NBA owners didn't please the NBA players.

In news that will shock absolutely no one...a league source says LA Clippers' forward, Blake Griffin, will be named NBA's Rookie of the Year. Man, there's a shocker.

Cleveland Indians' outfielder, Shin-Soo Choo, was arrested for DUI. He "blew" more than double the legal limit in Ohio. (Insert Cleveland joke here.)

Boise State cited by the NCAA for lack of institutional control.

Vancouver Canucks beat the Nashville Predators, 3-2, in Overtime to take a 2-1 series lead.

The 137th Kentucky Derby is Saturday. Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, isn't sure what to expect after two of his three entries are now out for the race.

Other scores and notes:

MLB:

Twins beat the White Sox, 1-0.

Padres battled back late to beat the Pirates, 6-5 and Padres closer Heath Bell ties Trevor Hoffman as he picks up his 41st straight save.

BJ Upton hit a 2-run walk-off home run to lift the Rays over the Blue Jays, 3-2.

Cole Hammels scatters 5 hits over 9 innings as the Phillies beat the Nationals, 4-1.

Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees, 4-2.

Jon Lester fanned 11 (thru 7 innings) as the Red Sox defeated the Angels, 7-3.

Jeff Francoeur hits a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th to lift the Royals over the Orioles, 6-5.

Cleveland Indians score 3 in the top of the 9th to beat the Oakland Athletics, 4-1.

The Mariners scored twice in the bottom of the 8th to beat the Rangers, 4-3.

Brewers at Braves was postponed because of rain.

The Astros crushed the Reds, 10-4, after scoring 6 runs in the 4th inning.

Aubrey Huff hits a HR in the top of the 10th to lead the Giants past the Mets, 7-6.

Cardinals get 3 in the bottom of the 7th to beat the Marlins, 7-5.

Justin Upton hit a solo shot in the bottom of the 8th to lift the Diamondbacks past the Rockies, 4-3.

Cubs score 3 runs in the top of the 9th to beat the Dodgers, 4-1.



That's all. Enjoy your day!!