May 2014 – Page 36 – North Platte Post Archive

Duffy Tosses Gem as Royals Blank Orioles 1-0

Posted on May 18, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Danny Duffy carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, Billy Butler drove in the only run and the Kansas City Royals held on to beat the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 Saturday night.

The 25-year-old Duffy (2-3) retired the first 20 batters he faced, rarely running the count to three balls and flirting with the first perfect game in franchise history. Adam Jones finally ended it with a weak groundball up the middle with two outs in the seventh.

Duffy bounced back to get Chris Davis on a fly out to end the inning, then gave up a single to Nelson Cruz to start the eighth. Wade Davis retired the next three batters, and All-Star closer Greg Holland survived a bases-loaded jam in the ninth for his 11th save.

Holland allowed a hit and two walks before striking out Nelson Cruz to end the game.

Bud Norris (2-4) was the hard-luck loser, allowing four hits and a walk in 7 1-3 innings.

Saints Sign 2nd-Round Pick Jean-Baptiste

Posted on May 18, 2014

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints signed second-round draft pick Stanley Jean-Baptiste to a four-year contract Saturday.

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound former Nebraska cornerback was selected 58th overall last week.

Jean-Baptiste was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior last season, when he tied for a team-high four interceptions, one of which he returned 43 yards for a touchdown. He also was credited with 12 pass breakups and 41 total tackles, including four tackles for losses.

The 24-year-old Jean-Baptiste spent five years in college, starting at junior college in 2009 for academic reasons. However, he took a redshirt in his only year at Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College, where he was discovered by a Nebraska coach who had visited the school to see someone else. He transferred to Nebraska in 2010, where he was a receiver until a few games into the 2011 season, when he switched to defensive back.

Jean-Baptiste was among top performers in both the vertical jump and broad jump at the NFL scouting combine. His vertical jump of 41½ inches ranked first among cornerbacks, while his broad jump of 10-8 tied for third.

Conference Announces 2014 Big Ten Baseball Tournament Bracket, Huskers Earn the No. 2 Seed

Posted on May 18, 2014May 18, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The conference office announced the 2014 Big Ten Baseball Tournament bracket on Saturday, with Indiana securing the top seed after winning the Big Ten Championship. This year’s tournament will feature an eight-team field for the first time and will be held May 21-25 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., home of the College World Series.

The Hoosiers, making their 11th all-time appearance in the Big Ten Tournament, claimed the No. 1 seed for the second straight season after going 21-3 in Big Ten play, making their .875 conference winning percentage the highest since Ohio State’s .893 winning percentage (25-3) in 1999. Indiana opens play against No. 8 Iowa at 5 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The Hawkeyes ended the year with a 10-14 conference mark and earn their ninth Big Ten Tournament berth in program history.

Nebraska is the No. 2 seed after finishing the season with an 18-6 mark in conference play. The Huskers have appeared in each of the last three Big Ten Tournaments. Nebraska will face No. 7 Ohio State at 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday. The Buckeyes finished the year with a 10-14 mark in conference play and rank second all-time with 27 Big Ten Tournament appearances. By virtue of its series win over Iowa, Ohio State earned the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Illinois claims the tournament’s No. 3 seed after posting a 17-7 record in the Big Ten. The Illini make their 20th all-time appearance in the conference tournament. Illinois will face No. 6 Michigan State in the first game of the Big Ten Tournament at 9 a.m. CT on Wednesday. The Spartans ended the year with an 11-13 mark in conference action and return to the postseason tournament for the 11th time in program history.

Fourth-seeded Minnesota will take on fifth-seeded Michigan in the final game of the day on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 9 p.m. CT. The Gophers and Wolverines finished the year with matching 13-11 marks in conference play, but Minnesota won twice in the teams’ three-game series to earn the tiebreaker. Minnesota makes its conference-record 29th all-time appearance in the tournament, while Michigan earns its 23rd Big Ten Tournament berth.

Minnesota leads all conference teams with nine Big Ten Tournament titles, while Michigan and Ohio State each have eight tournament crowns. Illinois has claimed four postseason championships, Indiana owns three Big Ten Tournament titles and Purdue has won the tournament once. The Hoosiers are looking to become the first Big Ten program to win back-to-back tournament titles since Ohio State in 2002 and 2003.

The tournament’s double-elimination format will culminate with a single championship game on Sunday, with the winner earning the tournament title and the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. All eight teams will begin play in one of two brackets, with Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota appearing in one bracket and Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska and Ohio State appearing in the other bracket.

Four contests are scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday, with two games slated for Friday. Saturday will feature the winners of each bracket facing the remaining one-loss team from the opposite bracket in the semifinals. As many as four games are scheduled for Saturday, with the opportunity for two if necessary games to be played to determine Sunday’s championship game participants.

BTN will provide live coverage during the Big Ten Tournament. The network will carry Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday, Games 6, 7 and 8 on Thursday, and each game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The bracket can be seen by clicking on the link below.

Big Ten Baseball Tournament Bracket 2014

California Chrome Wins Preakness

Posted on May 18, 2014

BALTIMORE (AP) — California Chrome has won the Preakness to keep alive his bid to capture horse racing’s Triple Crown.

As a follow-up to his victory in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Art Sherman’s horse justified his stature as the overwhelming favorite by outrunning Ride On Curlin to the finish Saturday.

He covered the 1 3-16th mile course in 1:54.84.

Ride On Curlin finished second and Social Inclusion took third.

It was the first Preakness victory for the 77-year-old trainer. California Chrome has won six straight races.

The chestnut colt is the first California-bred horse to win the Preakness since Snow Chief in 1986.

With a victory in the Belmont on June 7, California Chrome will become the 12th Triple Crown winner in horse racing history and the first since Affirmed in 1978.

Storm-Damaged Century-Old War Memorial Restored

Posted on May 18, 2014

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — A century-old war memorial in Columbus damaged in a storm a year ago is undergoing restoration.

The Columbus Telegram reports (https://bit.ly/1kcGefl ) workers have installed pieces of granite and remounted two cannons at the Civil War memorial in Frankfort Square. Hopes are to have the project finished by Memorial Day.

The memorial, dedicated March 15, 1900, features a tall granite pillar topped with a 5-foot-wide eagle statue and flanked on both sides by cannons. The pillar was toppled and pieces were broken when a tree fell on it during a storm last May.

The granite has the names of more than 140 Civil War veterans engraved in it.

The Columbus City Council has approved $62,000 for the project, but most of the cost will be covered by insurance.

Man Imprisoned for Officer Killing gets Hearing

Posted on May 18, 2014

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A status hearing has been set to determine whether a man imprisoned for life as a juvenile for the 1990 shooting death of a Gothenburg police officer will be paroled.

KNOP television reports (https://bit.ly/S50NQy ) Eric McCain is seeking a way out of prison after Nebraska lawmakers passed a law last year that ends mandatory life sentences for juveniles who commit first-degree murder.

The law is a response to a 2012 US Supreme Court ruling that declared mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juvenile killers are unconstitutional.

The guidelines now call for a sentence of 40 years to life for juveniles.

Dawson County District Judge James Doyle set a status hearing for McCain for August 22nd at 1:15 p.m.

McCain, now 41, was 17 when Police Sgt. Glenn Haas was shot.

NPPD Reports Electric Utility Phone Scam

Posted on May 18, 2014

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Public Power District is warning customers of a phone scam attempt to defraud customers of electric utilities, including those in the Kearney area.

KOLN television (https://bit.ly/1jU6Ou7 ) reports the scam involves telephone callers claiming to be from a utility company and then employing a variety of techniques to defraud customers.

Some threaten customers with disconnecting electric service to their home or business if they don’t make a payment immediately. Customers are instructed to send money via prepaid card or online payment service.

The scammer’s caller-ID even appears to originate from the utility company.

NPPD customer service spokesman Ken Curry says customers are encouraged to contact local law enforcement about any suspicious calls demanding immediate payment of their electric bill.

Court: Support Required Despite Paternity Test

Posted on May 18, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court says a judge was wrong to reverse a Minnesota man’s order to pay child support because a DNA test says he wasn’t the father.

The Lincoln Journal-Star (https://bit.ly/1jFKijw ) reports a majority of the split court says in Friday’s ruling that the district court overstepped authority by turning a motion to modify child support payments into a paternity challenge.

Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman wrote that the man in the case identified only as Brian F. is still legally the child’s father.

The court sent the case back to the district court to modify the child support agreement.

Justices William Connolly and Michael McCormack disagreed saying under 1996 statutes the man had no obligation to continue paying child support if he could prove he was not a child’s father.

Obama Considering New Housing, Budget Leaders

Posted on May 18, 2014May 18, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a second-term Cabinet shuffle for President Barack Obama.

Obama plans to nominate Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan to be White House budget director.

And the president is considering naming San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro as Donovan’s successor.

That’s according to people familiar with the selection process. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter by name.

The moves would raise the profile of two men with close ties to the president.

Donovan is an original member of Obama’s Cabinet and is well-liked within the White House.

Officials have praised his work overseeing the government’s response to Hurricane Sandy. As budget director, he would have significant influence over the administration’s policy and spending priorities.

Castro’s star has been on the rise since Obama tapped him to deliver the keynote address at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and his is considered a possible vice presidential pick in 2016.

Broncos Cautious with Second-Round Pick

Posted on May 17, 2014

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — With NFL teams poring over his college film, Cody Latimer went out for a run one cold day in January and felt a pop in his left foot.

An X-ray revealed a broken fifth metatarsal, which required surgery.

That meant he couldn’t do anything but the bench press at the NFL scouting combine in February.

But it didn’t keep him from running a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at Indiana’s pro day in March. Nor did it prevent the Denver Broncos from selecting him in the second round of the NFL draft earlier this month.

It is, however, keeping the Broncos from turning the wide receiver loose on the football field at their rookie minicamp this weekend.