Through two games against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Atlanta Braves have let their outstanding starting pitching lead the way while sending a message to a potential playoff opponent.
There's no one they'd rather have on the mound trying to complete the sweep than Tim Hudson.
Unbeaten in seven career starts versus Arizona, Hudson looks to improve to 7-0 in August over the past two seasons when he gets the ball in Sunday's series finale at Turner Field.
The Diamondbacks (69-57) came into Atlanta having totaled three runs in losing the final two games of their series in Philadelphia, and they haven't fared much better offensively against the NL East's other postseason contender.
They couldn't score in five innings against the struggling Derek Lowe in a 4-2 loss Friday, and didn't fare much better Saturday. Brandon Beachy held Arizona to a run and four hits over six innings, and Dan Uggla homered twice as the Braves (75-52) cruised to an 8-1 victory.
"We're just having a tough time," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said of an offense hitting .160 during a four-game slide that's one short of the team's longest this season. "We're unable to get anything going right now."
Atlanta extended its wild-card lead over San Francisco to eight games, while the Diamondbacks stayed 2 1/2 up on the Giants in the NL West race.
"We're playing every game with a purpose, and that's to make the playoffs," Beachy said. "There's stuff on the line."
It seems Atlanta's cause should be helped by Hudson (12-7, 3.13 ERA) facing Arizona. He's 5-0 with a 1.54 ERA in seven starts against the Diamondbacks, holding them to a .199 average and no homers in 52 2-3 innings.
To make matters worse for Arizona, the right-hander is 10-0 with a 2.07 ERA in 15 day starts since 2010, and he's done his best work in August. Hudson is 6-0 with a 1.82 ERA in nine August outings the past two seasons.
That streak almost came to an end Monday. Hudson gave up four runs - two earned - and five hits over eight innings against San Francisco, but Atlanta rallied from two down with three runs in the ninth to win 5-4.
"It would have been a tough one to swallow, one of the tougher ones of the year," Hudson told the Braves' official website after allowing a pair of homers. "We felt like we had the game in hand. ... Then I make some pitches that I thought a couple of those guys couldn't handle, and they nuke both of them for homers."
No current Diamondbacks player has taken Hudson deep.
Other than Freddie Freeman, who homered Saturday, no Braves hitter seemed to have any idea how to get to Josh Collmenter (7-7, 3.47) when the rookie beat them 2-1 in Arizona on May 19. Collmenter pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only a single and a double to Freeman.
After rough starts against Los Angeles on July 29 and Aug. 5, Collmenter has bounced back. He limited Houston to two runs over seven innings in a 6-3 win Aug. 10, then held his own against Roy Halladay on Tuesday, allowing two runs over 6 2-3 innings as the Diamondbacks scored twice in the ninth to win 3-2.
2011年8月22日星期一
2011年8月5日星期五
Cardinals 3B Freese hit in helmet by pitch
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese took a pitch to the helmet and came away with a mild concussion and an RBI.
Freese collapsed to the dirt face first when he was hit just above the left temple on a 3-2 pitch from Florida's Clay Hensley in the third inning Thursday night. The bases were loaded at the time, forcing in a run that put the Cardinals ahead to stay.
"I'm glad we got the run in," Freese said with a slight smile after St. Louis' 7-4 win.
At the time, no one was thinking about the score as a soccer jerseys wholesale trainer rushed to the aid of Freese.
"The first 10 seconds or so, I couldn't really see," Freese said. "It stung me pretty good."
He rose to one knee after about a minute, then stood and slowly walked off the field.
After the game, Freese said he was still a little dizzy but feeling better. He bore a large red bruise where the ball hit.
"I doubt I'll play Friday, but the disabled list I don't think is a possibility," he said.
When Hensley came out of the game, he phoned Freese and apologized.
"Obviously it wasn't intentional," Freese said. "I understand. He didn't have much command of his heater tonight, and things like that happen."
Said Hensley: "You never want to go out there and hit people, much less in the head."
Freese collapsed to the dirt face first when he was hit just above the left temple on a 3-2 pitch from Florida's Clay Hensley in the third inning Thursday night. The bases were loaded at the time, forcing in a run that put the Cardinals ahead to stay.
"I'm glad we got the run in," Freese said with a slight smile after St. Louis' 7-4 win.
At the time, no one was thinking about the score as a soccer jerseys wholesale trainer rushed to the aid of Freese.
"The first 10 seconds or so, I couldn't really see," Freese said. "It stung me pretty good."
He rose to one knee after about a minute, then stood and slowly walked off the field.
After the game, Freese said he was still a little dizzy but feeling better. He bore a large red bruise where the ball hit.
"I doubt I'll play Friday, but the disabled list I don't think is a possibility," he said.
When Hensley came out of the game, he phoned Freese and apologized.
"Obviously it wasn't intentional," Freese said. "I understand. He didn't have much command of his heater tonight, and things like that happen."
Said Hensley: "You never want to go out there and hit people, much less in the head."
2011年4月27日星期三
Is Soriano Cut Out for New York?
As embattled Yankee setup man Rafael Soriano dined with his best friend in baseball, Orioles reliever Mike Gonzalez, this past weekend, the conversation naturally turned to the difficulties Soriano was having adjusting to New York.
Gonzalez and Soriano pitched together in Atlanta, where they became close—the effusive, high-energy Gonzalez and the stone-faced, silent Soriano making an interesting pairing. But it worked. Gonzalez is the godfather to Soriano's year-old son, Raoul.
So when Soriano came under fire earlier this month for skipping out without talking to the media after he blew a lead, Gonzalez was among the first people the reliever called. The two of them tried to hash out how to handle the situation.
"We definitely talked about that....He wasn't used to that kind of thing. He was in Seattle and then played with me in Atlanta. You've got two or three reporters in Atlanta, at most," Gonzalez said.
"He felt bad about the situation. He definitely regretted not talking to the press. They can either be your friends or your enemies. I'm sure he's not going to do that again," Gonzalez said.
This past weekend, Soriano told his friend he felt better about the move, that New York was a good place to sign. But his troubles on the field continue, and it's not clear how right the 31-year-old reliever is for the cauldron that is Yankee Stadium.
He's trying, at least. After Soriano blew another lead Tuesday night, he stood at his locker and gamely answered questions about his struggles. He has given up nine runs so far this season, after allowing 12 all of last year. But the reliever said the New York environment is not the issue.
"No, no, I feel fine, I feel comfortable with the team and everything," Soriano said.
"I just had a bad day…a bad month."
Still, it's hard not to wonder. Someone like Nick Swisher seems built for New York—seeing the attention and scrutiny as an opportunity to be exploited. Soriano seems the exact opposite. He is dour, quiet and spent much of spring training with his headphones on, talking to few of his teammates. When he gives up a run on the mound, he seems dejected and emotional.
Manager Joe Girardi acknowledged that Soriano isn't exactly the prototypical New York player. But Soriano has thrived in pressure in-game situations before, and that counts for something, Girardi said.
"People sometimes look at people's demeanor and it's not exactly how they would want a guy to act. But that's just who he is. And he's been really effective pitching how he is," Girardi said. "It's a different animal here. But I haven't seen anything to tell me he can't handle it.
The Yankees have a lot invested in Soriano's success. Ownership gave the former Atlanta and Tampa Bay closer $35 million over three years to be the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera.
Gonzalez said that his friend has recognized he needs to adapt to New York and understands that if he is inflexible, he will be eaten alive. To adjust, Gonzalez said Soriano has tried to emulate Rivera—another naturally quiet man who has learned how to maintain his personality in New York. But Soriano's lack of confidence in speaking English has made him gun-shy, Gonzalez said—and Soriano doesn't like using translators.
"He's just very quiet. That's his personality," Gonzalez said. "He doesn't like being in the media. He doesn't like being in the news. He likes to go out, get his inning in and be done. But it's obviously an adjustment he has to make. Going to New York, he knew that was going to happen. He's going to make strides. He's that person, where he [made a mistake] once, he learned from it, and he's going to go on from there."
Soriano is just the latest in a long line of players who needed to adapt to life in Yankeeland. Alex Rodriguez went through one of the most famously difficult adjustments of all, and said that Soriano will figure it out.
"Sori's gonna be fine. NY is a challenging place, but he's a talented guy," Rodriguez said.
It was then suggested that the two have gone through similar situations. Not quite, responded Rodriguez, whose adjustment to New York continues even today.
"I don't think so. Nothing similar. Let's not get crazy," he said.
Gonzalez and Soriano pitched together in Atlanta, where they became close—the effusive, high-energy Gonzalez and the stone-faced, silent Soriano making an interesting pairing. But it worked. Gonzalez is the godfather to Soriano's year-old son, Raoul.
So when Soriano came under fire earlier this month for skipping out without talking to the media after he blew a lead, Gonzalez was among the first people the reliever called. The two of them tried to hash out how to handle the situation.
"We definitely talked about that....He wasn't used to that kind of thing. He was in Seattle and then played with me in Atlanta. You've got two or three reporters in Atlanta, at most," Gonzalez said.
"He felt bad about the situation. He definitely regretted not talking to the press. They can either be your friends or your enemies. I'm sure he's not going to do that again," Gonzalez said.
This past weekend, Soriano told his friend he felt better about the move, that New York was a good place to sign. But his troubles on the field continue, and it's not clear how right the 31-year-old reliever is for the cauldron that is Yankee Stadium.
He's trying, at least. After Soriano blew another lead Tuesday night, he stood at his locker and gamely answered questions about his struggles. He has given up nine runs so far this season, after allowing 12 all of last year. But the reliever said the New York environment is not the issue.
"No, no, I feel fine, I feel comfortable with the team and everything," Soriano said.
"I just had a bad day…a bad month."
Still, it's hard not to wonder. Someone like Nick Swisher seems built for New York—seeing the attention and scrutiny as an opportunity to be exploited. Soriano seems the exact opposite. He is dour, quiet and spent much of spring training with his headphones on, talking to few of his teammates. When he gives up a run on the mound, he seems dejected and emotional.
Manager Joe Girardi acknowledged that Soriano isn't exactly the prototypical New York player. But Soriano has thrived in pressure in-game situations before, and that counts for something, Girardi said.
"People sometimes look at people's demeanor and it's not exactly how they would want a guy to act. But that's just who he is. And he's been really effective pitching how he is," Girardi said. "It's a different animal here. But I haven't seen anything to tell me he can't handle it.
The Yankees have a lot invested in Soriano's success. Ownership gave the former Atlanta and Tampa Bay closer $35 million over three years to be the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera.
Gonzalez said that his friend has recognized he needs to adapt to New York and understands that if he is inflexible, he will be eaten alive. To adjust, Gonzalez said Soriano has tried to emulate Rivera—another naturally quiet man who has learned how to maintain his personality in New York. But Soriano's lack of confidence in speaking English has made him gun-shy, Gonzalez said—and Soriano doesn't like using translators.
"He's just very quiet. That's his personality," Gonzalez said. "He doesn't like being in the media. He doesn't like being in the news. He likes to go out, get his inning in and be done. But it's obviously an adjustment he has to make. Going to New York, he knew that was going to happen. He's going to make strides. He's that person, where he [made a mistake] once, he learned from it, and he's going to go on from there."
Soriano is just the latest in a long line of players who needed to adapt to life in Yankeeland. Alex Rodriguez went through one of the most famously difficult adjustments of all, and said that Soriano will figure it out.
"Sori's gonna be fine. NY is a challenging place, but he's a talented guy," Rodriguez said.
It was then suggested that the two have gone through similar situations. Not quite, responded Rodriguez, whose adjustment to New York continues even today.
"I don't think so. Nothing similar. Let's not get crazy," he said.
2011年4月24日星期日
NHL fines Ference $2,500 for obscene gesture
Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference is content with being fined $2,500 by the NHL on Friday for an obscene gesture toward Montreal fans that he says was unintentional.
Ference raised the middle finger of his left glove after his goal cut the Canadiens' lead to 3-2 midway through the second period Thursday night. The Bruins won 5-4 in overtime to even the series at 2. Game 5 is in Boston on Saturday night.
"I was pumping my fist," Ference said Friday. "I'm not giving anybody the bird or anything like that. (It was) an unintentional bird that I obviously apologized for. It wasn't meant to insult anybody, especially a whole row of cameras in the Bell Centre and the fans sitting there."
Boston coach Claude Julien stood by him.
"His comments were pretty clear," Julien said. "My job is to support and believe your player and that's what I'm going to do. And I think he's a big boy. He's capable of handling himself and he's giving money to charity."
Montreal goalie Carey Price was more skeptical about Ference's explanation.
"Come on, man," he said. "I'm sure he feels shame. ... It's over now. I'm over it."
And, Price said, "It's pretty funny. I have some stuff out there that I'm not very proud of either."
Ference spoke Friday morning with Mike Murphy, the NHL's senior vice president of hockey operations. League disciplinarian Colin Campbell didn't handle the case because his son, Gregory, plays for the Bruins. The fine is the maximum allowed under NHL rules for such a gesture.
"A fine is acceptable," Ference said. "I had a good talk with him this morning."
His gesture, he said, "was definitely not intentional. It was not something where I was trying to inflame anybody or do anything rude so, of course, I'm happy that there's no suspension."
With Game 5 coming up, Montreal coach Jacques Martin had more pressing concerns.
"I have enough to worry about," he said. "I think that's the league's business. My time, my responsibility is to get our team ready for (Saturday) night."
2011年4月21日星期四
Sharks beat Los Angeles Kings to take 3-1 series lead
Looking for the first time this series like the team with the NHL's best record over the final three months of the season, the Sharks skated to a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night to move within one victory of advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Led by Ryane Clowe's two goals and single tallies from Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell and Jason Demers, San Jose headed home after sweeping two games at Staples Center to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with Game 5 set for Saturday night at HP Pavilion.
And goalie Antti Niemi repaid coach Todd McLellan's vote of confidence after a poor outing two nights earlier by stopping 35 of 38 shots.
"He's recovered well from poor games in the past, and we really believe in this guy," McLellan said before the game in explaining his reason to stick with Niemi as the starting goalie. "It's pretty simple."
The first period was scoreless, but the Sharks jumped on Los Angeles for three consecutive goals over a span of 5:30 in the second. And at that point the Kings decided that they, too, could come back from a significant deficit, though their effort fell short.
The Sharks took a 1-0 lead at 3:58 when Dustin Brown whiffed on a pass from behind the Sharks' goal line, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scooped up the puck and headed down the ice. Clowe eventually sent a centering pass from
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below the right faceoff circle, and the puck went into the net off the stick of Los Angeles defenseman Alec Martinez.
Seventy-four seconds later the Sharks led 2-0 when Martinez blocked a shot by Logan Couture, who slid it to Demers as he pinched down the left side and beat Jonathan Quick with a 10-foot wrist shot.
The Kings looked as if they might kill off a four-minute penalty to defenseman Matt Greene for high-sticking Scott Nichol, but Clowe got his second goal of the night at 9:28 when his stick touched Couture's shot from the slot that trickled through Quick toward the goal line.
At that point Kings coach Terry Murray called a timeout and whatever he said seemed to work as 1:32 later Ryan Smyth fired a shot from the left sideboards that Niemi got his glove on. The puck rolled across the goal mouth, however, and Brad Richardson was able to poke it into the net before Niemi could block the short side.
Los Angeles narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 16:04, and this time it was a Sharks defenseman putting the puck in his own net as Vlasic tried to keep a centering pass from Justin Williams from reaching Smyth.
But any hopes the Kings had of catching the Sharks as they were caught two nights before were dealt a serious blow when San Jose scored twice early in the third period.
The first came when Thornton somehow cruised into the slot undetected during a line change and converted a pass from Patrick Marleau at 2:28 to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead.
And 54 seconds later, Dan Boyle sent the puck from the right point to Pavelski in the high slot, and he redirected it past Quick to restore San Jose's original three-goal lead that grew to four when a shot from the point deflected to Mitchell at the right of the crease and he scooped it into net at 11:42.
Alexei Ponikarovsky's deflection of a shot by Kings defenseman Jack Johnson ended the scoring at 13:11.
The Sharks didn't make things easy on themselves, however, taking a pair of penalties to Dany Heatley and Boyle late in the game that gave the Kings a five-on-three advantage for almost two of the last three minutes.
Led by Ryane Clowe's two goals and single tallies from Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell and Jason Demers, San Jose headed home after sweeping two games at Staples Center to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with Game 5 set for Saturday night at HP Pavilion.
And goalie Antti Niemi repaid coach Todd McLellan's vote of confidence after a poor outing two nights earlier by stopping 35 of 38 shots.
"He's recovered well from poor games in the past, and we really believe in this guy," McLellan said before the game in explaining his reason to stick with Niemi as the starting goalie. "It's pretty simple."
The first period was scoreless, but the Sharks jumped on Los Angeles for three consecutive goals over a span of 5:30 in the second. And at that point the Kings decided that they, too, could come back from a significant deficit, though their effort fell short.
The Sharks took a 1-0 lead at 3:58 when Dustin Brown whiffed on a pass from behind the Sharks' goal line, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic scooped up the puck and headed down the ice. Clowe eventually sent a centering pass from
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below the right faceoff circle, and the puck went into the net off the stick of Los Angeles defenseman Alec Martinez.
Seventy-four seconds later the Sharks led 2-0 when Martinez blocked a shot by Logan Couture, who slid it to Demers as he pinched down the left side and beat Jonathan Quick with a 10-foot wrist shot.
The Kings looked as if they might kill off a four-minute penalty to defenseman Matt Greene for high-sticking Scott Nichol, but Clowe got his second goal of the night at 9:28 when his stick touched Couture's shot from the slot that trickled through Quick toward the goal line.
At that point Kings coach Terry Murray called a timeout and whatever he said seemed to work as 1:32 later Ryan Smyth fired a shot from the left sideboards that Niemi got his glove on. The puck rolled across the goal mouth, however, and Brad Richardson was able to poke it into the net before Niemi could block the short side.
Los Angeles narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 16:04, and this time it was a Sharks defenseman putting the puck in his own net as Vlasic tried to keep a centering pass from Justin Williams from reaching Smyth.
But any hopes the Kings had of catching the Sharks as they were caught two nights before were dealt a serious blow when San Jose scored twice early in the third period.
The first came when Thornton somehow cruised into the slot undetected during a line change and converted a pass from Patrick Marleau at 2:28 to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead.
And 54 seconds later, Dan Boyle sent the puck from the right point to Pavelski in the high slot, and he redirected it past Quick to restore San Jose's original three-goal lead that grew to four when a shot from the point deflected to Mitchell at the right of the crease and he scooped it into net at 11:42.
Alexei Ponikarovsky's deflection of a shot by Kings defenseman Jack Johnson ended the scoring at 13:11.
The Sharks didn't make things easy on themselves, however, taking a pair of penalties to Dany Heatley and Boyle late in the game that gave the Kings a five-on-three advantage for almost two of the last three minutes.
2011年3月25日星期五
Gensler selected by AEG to design proposed $1 billion football stadium
Even though the labor crisis has the NFL at a standstill, the effort to bring a pro football team back to Los Angeles is moving forward.
AEG, proposing to build an NFL stadium/event center in downtown L.A., has taken another step in that direction by selecting Gensler to design the estimated $1 billion venue, The Times has learned. L.A.-based Gensler was one of three finalists, with the other two being the firms HNTB and HKS.
It's something of a coup that AEG chose Gensler, which has never designed an NFL stadium, considering HNTB is responsible for Invesco Field in Denver and HKS drew up the plans for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Among dozens of other projects around the world, Gensler designed the 54-story hotel and residence tower that's part of L.A. Live.
Tim Romani, president and chief executive of ICON Venue Group, which is overseeing the proposed project, said the important aspect of Gensler "is the people, not the practice."
Romani said Gensler's extensive experience in helping design the L.A. Live campus will help expedite the environmental impact report, a necessary step toward getting clearance for a stadium.
"They understand how this site works," he said. "They understand all of the infrastructure, and that saves two to three months if not more of the EIR process."
Ron Turner, who heads Gensler's sports practice, was the principal in charge for the firm NBBJ during the design of Staples Center, and also helped design Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
"When AEG and ICON decide to do something, they get it done," Turner said. "They're going to get this done. That's what's exciting to us. We've all worked on projects that don't have a chance. These guys build projects around the world, and they know what they're doing."
There are plenty of significant hurdles in the way of the downtown stadium proposal. First of all, the city needs to be on board with the notion of relocating the West Hall of the Convention Center and allowing it to be replaced with a football stadium, all while floating a bond to pay for the destruction of the existing convention center.
There's also the process of convincing a team to move to L.A. — a market that hasn't had an NFL franchise since early 1995 — and doing so in a bad economy while on the heels of a major NFL labor fight that currently is far from resolved.
There is a competing project, too. Ed Roski has a site in City of Industry — the area of the proposed stadium was recently renamed Grand Crossing — and that piece of land is fully entitled for a venue, no small feat.
That said, Romani said the downtown project is in position to surge ahead of the Grand Crossing venture "in a very short time," at least in terms of how far along the designs will be.
"In a matter of months, we'll be equal to if not past where the other project is," he said.
"We're moving full speed into true design of the project. The work that Gensler has already done is going to put us pretty far down the road. But within 10 to 12 months, we're going to have the design set that's ready to start procuring construction for the project."
One interesting aspect of the proposal is AEG is not only looking into the possibility of a retractable roof, but also of a less expensive fixed one.
Romani said the preference is still to go with a retractable roof but, "We're just going to study both to see what the opportunities and constraints are."
Turner said one possibility that will be considered is a translucent roof made of a material that can change any color when light is shot through it, raising the possibility the stadium could be lit different colors depending on the occasion.
AEG, proposing to build an NFL stadium/event center in downtown L.A., has taken another step in that direction by selecting Gensler to design the estimated $1 billion venue, The Times has learned. L.A.-based Gensler was one of three finalists, with the other two being the firms HNTB and HKS.
It's something of a coup that AEG chose Gensler, which has never designed an NFL stadium, considering HNTB is responsible for Invesco Field in Denver and HKS drew up the plans for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Among dozens of other projects around the world, Gensler designed the 54-story hotel and residence tower that's part of L.A. Live.
Tim Romani, president and chief executive of ICON Venue Group, which is overseeing the proposed project, said the important aspect of Gensler "is the people, not the practice."
Romani said Gensler's extensive experience in helping design the L.A. Live campus will help expedite the environmental impact report, a necessary step toward getting clearance for a stadium.
"They understand how this site works," he said. "They understand all of the infrastructure, and that saves two to three months if not more of the EIR process."
Ron Turner, who heads Gensler's sports practice, was the principal in charge for the firm NBBJ during the design of Staples Center, and also helped design Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
"When AEG and ICON decide to do something, they get it done," Turner said. "They're going to get this done. That's what's exciting to us. We've all worked on projects that don't have a chance. These guys build projects around the world, and they know what they're doing."
There are plenty of significant hurdles in the way of the downtown stadium proposal. First of all, the city needs to be on board with the notion of relocating the West Hall of the Convention Center and allowing it to be replaced with a football stadium, all while floating a bond to pay for the destruction of the existing convention center.
There's also the process of convincing a team to move to L.A. — a market that hasn't had an NFL franchise since early 1995 — and doing so in a bad economy while on the heels of a major NFL labor fight that currently is far from resolved.
There is a competing project, too. Ed Roski has a site in City of Industry — the area of the proposed stadium was recently renamed Grand Crossing — and that piece of land is fully entitled for a venue, no small feat.
That said, Romani said the downtown project is in position to surge ahead of the Grand Crossing venture "in a very short time," at least in terms of how far along the designs will be.
"In a matter of months, we'll be equal to if not past where the other project is," he said.
"We're moving full speed into true design of the project. The work that Gensler has already done is going to put us pretty far down the road. But within 10 to 12 months, we're going to have the design set that's ready to start procuring construction for the project."
One interesting aspect of the proposal is AEG is not only looking into the possibility of a retractable roof, but also of a less expensive fixed one.
Romani said the preference is still to go with a retractable roof but, "We're just going to study both to see what the opportunities and constraints are."
Turner said one possibility that will be considered is a translucent roof made of a material that can change any color when light is shot through it, raising the possibility the stadium could be lit different colors depending on the occasion.
Kansas coasts to 20-point win over Richmond
San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Returning to the site of its last national championship, Kansas is now one victory away from a trip back to the Final Four.
Brady Morningstar scored 18 points and the Jayhawks rolled to a 77-57 win over Richmond in the Southwest Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Marcus Morris added 13 points and eight rebounds for the top-seeded Jayhawks (35-2), who also received 12 points and 14 boards from Thomas Robinson.
Brady Morningstar scored 18 points and the Jayhawks rolled to a 77-57 win over Richmond in the Southwest Regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Marcus Morris added 13 points and eight rebounds for the top-seeded Jayhawks (35-2), who also received 12 points and 14 boards from Thomas Robinson.
2011年3月17日星期四
Lackey pitches into sixth for Red Sox
John Lackey pitched into the sixth inning Thursday, leading the Boston Red Sox to an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets.
Lackey gave up a run and five hits in 5 1-3 innings. He walked one, hit a batter and struck out two. It was the first walk and hit batter Lackey has allowed in 15 2-3 innings this spring.
Carl Crawford and Jed Lowrie each had two hits for Boston, and Drew Sutton hit a two-run homer.
Justin Turner went 2 for 2 with a run scored and three RBIs for the Mets.
Left-hander Jonathon Niese went five innings, giving up five runs - four earned - on seven hits and a walk. He had seven strikeouts.
2011年3月13日星期日
In many offices, it's bracket madness
The Road to Reliant begins this week with an expected 40 million people pursuing the holy grail of college hoops — picking a perfect bracket.
“Is it possible? Anything is possible,” said Amram Shapiro, founder of the website Book Of Odds.com. “(But) it would be an astonishing feat.”
The odds of creating a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket are, putting it mildly, stacked against you.
DePaul math professor Jeffrey Bergen offers some head-spinning facts:
• The Astros, Rockets and Texans all have a better chance of winning their respective championships in the same season for four straight years.
• It would be easier to predict the winner of every presidential election (Democrat or Republican) though 2260.
• There are more than 147.5 quintillion ways to fill out a bracket with this year’s 68-team field. (But relax! Most big online games are sticking with their Thursday start and 64 teams.)
For the record, there has never been a documented perfect bracket.
Multiple brackets chosen
Two years ago, the closest among more than 4 million entries in ESPN.com’s Tournament Challenge still had five wrong in 63 picks. Last year, a Chicago teenager correctly picked the first two rounds (48 games) in the CBSSports.com bracket challenge; he missed on 10 of the final 15 selections.
“At some point, with all the brackets being filled out on both our site and the competitors, you would think we would get close,” said Jason Waram, the vice president of fantasy and social media for ESPN, which introduced its Tournament Challenge in 1999.
On average, most people will fill out multiple brackets, from two to 60, according to research findings by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Most office pools range between $5 and $10 to enter. Many websites offer prizes, ranging from $10,000 by ESPN.com to $1 million by Yahoo and $14 million by Sportsbooks.com, for a perfect bracket.
More money is expected to be wagered on the NCAA Tournament — $12 billion — than the Super Bowl.
“Brackets dominate workplace social circles this time of year,” said Kim Beason, the coordinator of the park and recreation program at the University of Mississippi and a fantasy sports researcher. “People that may not ever come out of their offices and mingle and mix with folks will do so during bracket (contests).”
Lost money and time
An estimated $192 million in lost productivity in American workplaces is expected during the three-week NCAA Tournament, according to an annual report by the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
The figure takes into account the amount of pre-tournament time spent preparing brackets and an estimated 8.4 million hours of online streaming watched on Thursday and Friday during business hours.
“At first glance, 8.4 million hours of lost productivity seems like it would deliver a crushing blow to the economy,” said chief executive officer John A. Challenger. “However .… the 8.4 million hours lost to March Madness is a relative drop in the bucket, accounting for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the total hours American workers will put in over the three weeks of the tournament.”
About 33 percent of companies have policies prohibiting workplace gambling, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management released before last year’s Tournament. Yet only 6 percent discipline or terminate wrongdoers.
Illegal — but not enforced
As far as the law, the simple term “office pool” — which insinuates gambling in a public place rather than a private residence — would be classified as illegal, a class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine, according to a spokeswoman for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
With so many people participating in NCAA Tournament pools, it’s virtually impossible for law enforcement to monitor the activity, she said.
So there’s one less thing to worry about. And Shapiro, who crunches odds for a living, says a simple, worry-free approach may be the best bracket strategy.
“If you want my real advice,” he said, “it’s just have fun.”
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