When Gothenburg takes on Ogallala tonight in their season opening football game, it will spark memories of one of the most exciting playoff games at any level last year. The Swedes are perennially tough under head coach Craig Haake, but need to develop some contributors this year. Here’s a preview of their season and their game tonight.
Armstrong giving up
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Lance Armstrong says it’s over – and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency agrees.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says it will strip Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he declared he was finished fighting the drug charges that threaten his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
USADA’s chief executive, Travis Tygart, says Armstrong will also be hit with a lifetime ban.
Armstrong calls the USADA investigation an “unconstitutional witch hunt.”
The International Cycling Union has backed Armstrong’s legal challenge to USADA’s authority. Today in a statement, the UCI says only that it will wait for USADA’s explanation before commenting on the current situation.
Angels win a wild one at Fenway…Here come the Rays…Giants pad lead
UNDATED (AP) – In a game featuring 27 runs and 38 hits, the L.A. Angels outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13 in a wild one that took four and a-half hours at Fenway Park. The Angels trailed 6-0 early but got back in it by scoring eight runs in the third inning.
But closer Alfredo Aceves struggled after Boston was one out away from victory in the ninth. Aceves gave up five runs and six hits in one inning, and the Red Sox lost for the 11th time in 15 games. The Red Sox are 2-7 in extra-inning games.
Kendrys Morales led off the 10th with a homer to help the Angels finish the three-game sweep.
In the rest of the AL:
– Alex Cobb pitched a four-hitter for his first major league shutout and the surging Tampa Bay Rays beat the Oakland Athletics 5-0 to pull within 2 1/2 games of the first-place New York Yankees in the AL East. The Rays have won 14 of their last 17.
– Josh Hamilton had five RBIs and Mitch Moreland doubled in the go-ahead run during a six-run eighth inning that carried the Texas Rangers to a 10-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Adrian Beltre (BEHL’-tray) swatted his 23rd homer.
– Alex Avila’s RBI single with two outs in the 11th gave the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The walkoff hit came one inning after center fielder Austin Jackson kept the game tied with a spectacular catch. Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera left in the second inning because of right ankle soreness and is day to day. The Tigers pulled within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.
Over in the NL:
– The San Francisco Giants ran their lead to three games over the Dodgers in the NL West after beating Atlanta 5-2. Barry Zito didn’t allow a run in eight innings before the Braves scored two in the ninth. Atlanta fell six and a-half games back of Washington in the NL East. The Braves went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
– David Freese’s three-run homer snapped the Cardinals’ seven-game long-ball drought and St. Louis beat the Houston Astros 13-5 to complete a three-game sweep. Freese and Matt Holliday each had four RBIs and Allen Craig had three hits and three RBIs. The Cardinals shrugged aside a 4-0, fourth-inning deficit and sent Houston to its seventh straight loss.
– John Mayberry Jr. hit an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds
– The best matchup of the night has the Giants leading the Atlanta Braves 5-0 midway through the game at AT&T Park. San Francisco is fresh off a three-game sweep of the arch rival Dodgers, while the Braves just dropped two of three to the Nationals in Washington. The Giants currently lead the NL West by 2 1/2 games over the Dodgers, while the Braves are 6 back of the Nats in the East.
Commissioner weighs in on replacement refs…Titans special teamer breaks leg
UNDATED (AP) – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (guh-DEHL’) says he’s considering using replacement referees for regular-season games to ensure long-term improvements to officiating. The league and the NFL Referees Association have yet to reach an agreement. Goodell says that time is running out to strike a deal that would make the regular officials available for the openers.
Of replacement refs, Goodell says: “They’ll do a very credible job.”
In other NFL news:
– Tennessee returner Marc Mariani broke his left leg at the end of a punt return in a 32-27 exhibition win over the Arizona Cardinals. He was a Pro Bowl returner in 2010. Titans QB Jake Locker threw for 134 yards and two TDs.
– Titans cornerback Jason McCourty has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2017 season.
– The Pittsburgh Steelers fired special teams coordinator Al Everest and replaced him with former assistant special teams coach Amos Jones. Everest was preparing to start his 16th season as an NFL special teams coach and had held his Steelers post since 2010.
– The Chicago Bears have waived backup running back Kahlil Bell. Bell played 20 games for the Bears the last three seasons and made three starts.
Miss. State, NCAA examine recruiting “irregularity”…Irish tab Golson as QB
UNDATED (AP) – Mississippi State says it is working with the NCAA because of a “potential recruiting irregularity” in the football program.
The school says the examination has lasted several months and that it is close to finished. NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn confirmed the NCAA and Mississippi State were “working cooperatively,” but did not have any further comment.
In other college football news:
– Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said sophomore Everett Golson will start at quarterback in the opener Sept. 1 against Navy in Dublin. Golson edged junior Andrew Hendrix for the position.
–South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw missed most of practice Thursday because of back spasms, a week before the ninth-ranked Gamecocks open the season at Vanderbilt.
– Ohio State linebacker Storm Klein, kicked off the team when he was charged with domestic violence, has been reinstated by coach Urban Meyer after pleading guilty to a lesser charge earlier this week. He won’t be allowed to play until the third game of the season.
– Michigan offensive lineman Chris Bryant will miss the season because of a fractured leg, and linebacker Kaleb Ringer will redshirt following knee surgery. The eighth-ranked Wolverines open the season against second-ranked Alabama on Sept. 1 at the Dallas Cowboys’ home stadium.
– Penn State players will have a blue ribbon on the back of their helmets to show support for child abuse victims. Players’ names are also being added to football jerseys – what amounts to a drastic change at Penn State, where the team has long been associated with plain, blue-and-white, no-name jerseys.
Men’s draw
NEW YORK (AP) – Roger Federer and Andy Murray could meet in a U.S. Open semifinal that would be a rematch of their recent finals at Wimbledon and the London Olympics.
The top-seeded Federer and No. 3 Murray were placed in the same section of the field during the draw at Flushing Meadows. Federer beat Murray at the All England Club; Murray beat Federer for the gold medal.
Defending champion and second-seed Novak Djokovic could face No. 4 David Ferrer in the semifinals.
Harrington with slim lead
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) – The second round of the Barclays is under way.
Padraig Harrington began the day with a one-stroke lead over Nick Watney and Brian Harman after carding a 7-under-par 64 his first trip around Bethpage Black.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson shot opening round 68’s, while Rory McIlroy shot a 2-under-69.
Harrington is trying to capture the attention of European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who says the only way for the Irishman to make his is to win this week and become one of his captain’s picks.
The top 100 after The Barclays will be eligible for the Deutsche Bank next week in Norton, Mass.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 3, Toronto 2, 11 innings
L.A. Angels 14, Boston 13, 10 innings
Tampa Bay 5, Oakland 0
Texas 10, Minnesota 6
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado 1, N.Y. Mets 0
St. Louis 13, Houston 5
Philadelphia 4, Cincinnati 3, 11 innings
San Francisco 5, Atlanta 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Green Bay 27, Cincinnati 13
Baltimore 48, Jacksonville 17
Tennessee 32, Arizona 27
The Bulldogs will try and win their opener for the third consecutive season as they welcome Norfolk to Bauer Field at Memorial Stadium. The visiting Panthers are coming off a 4-5 season that saw them fail to miss the playoffs. They return several starters including standout junior QB Taylor Reedy. North Platte is breaking in a new signal-caller in Dylan Mlady. The southpaw made a handful of appearances last season for the Bulldogs. Norfolk’s last visit to North Platte was last season, a game won by the Panthers 41-6. ESPN Radio 1410 will have all the action, with the pregame show getting underway at 6:30 and the kickoff at 7.
The St. Patrick’s Irish head out to the Panhandle for a matchup against Class C1 Kimball. Both teams reached the postseason last year, with the Irish just missing out on a trip to the state title game with a semifinal loss for the second straight season. Several new faces in the backfield will debut as starters for St. Pat’s, including quarterback Sean Keenan.
A fierce Lincoln County rivalry resumes as Maxwell hosts Brady. Both teams reached the playoffs last year, but it was Maxwell who had the year-long bragging rights after topping the Eagles 16-6 in the season opener. Maxwell returns seven defensive starters that will be challenged by Brady’s returning starter at quarterback, Zach Mann.
In Wallace, the Wildcats welcome South Platte back to eight-man football. The visitors had played six-man before seeing their numbers increase enough to warrant a move back to the eight-man game. Wallace’s potent offense features do-everything playmaker Landon Swedberg and two returning starters on the line.
The North Platte Lady Bulldog softball team earned a split in their season-opening doubleheader in Hastings last night. In their first game, the Bulldogs mustered just two hits in a 9-0 loss to Class B’s top ranked team Omaha Skutt Catholic. But the Bulldogs bounced back in game two for a 6-4 win over Omaha Gross Catholic in eight innings. North Platte scored four runs in the top of the eighth and left the bases full of Cougars in the bottom half to secure the win. The Bulldogs are back on the diamond on Saturday in a tournament in Lincoln.
Christina Yoshida’s RBI single was part of a four-run eighth inning for the Bulldogs in their win over Gross. Listen to last night’s Play of the Game by clicking the link below.
The Colorado Rockies defeated the New York Mets 1-0 in Queens yesterday, earning a four-game sweep of the Mets and tying a season-high with a fifth straight win. Chris Nelson’s RBI single in the eighth inning drove in Tyler Colvin with the only run of the contest. The Rockies now head to Chicago to open a three-game road series against the Cubs this afternoon. ESPN Radio 1410 has the action, with pregame coverage at 12:30 and the first pitch at 1:20.
The Nebraska volleyball team begins the 2012 season with a busy weekend, hosting Saint Louis and UCLA at the NU Coliseum on Friday and Saturday, and traveling to the CenturyLink Center in Omaha for a match up with Notre Dame on Sunday.
The weekend’s action kicks off on Friday as the Huskers take on Saint Louis at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Nebraska and defending NCAA Champion UCLA will meet at 6 p.m.
The Huskers hold a 1-0 record over Saint Louis, last meeting in 1975. The last time the Huskers faced the Billikens, Nebraska won in two sets (15-8, 15-7).
Nebraska and UCLA met for the first time in 1979, when the Huskers lost in two sets to the Bruins. The two teams have met a total of 14 times, with Nebraska leading the series at 9-5. The Huskers most recently faced the Bruins on Sept. 13, 2009 at the Devaney Center, with NU losing in five sets (25-18, 17-25, 22-25, 26-24, 7-15).
Game 3 – vs. No. 16 Virginia Tech
Series History – NU leads, 1-0-0
When – Friday, Aug. 24 (6 p.m.)
Where – Nebraska Soccer Field
Live Video – HuskersNSide
Live Radio – KRNU.com
Live Stats – Huskers.com
Game 4 – vs. New Mexico
Series History – UNM leads, 1-0-0
When – Sunday, Aug. 26 (1 p.m.)
Where – Nebraska Soccer Field
Live Video – BTN.com
Live Radio – None
Live Stats – Huskers.com
Huskers Host Husker Classic
The Nebraska soccer team returns to the Nebraska Soccer Field this weekend to host the Husker Classic on Friday, Aug. 24 and Sunday, Aug. 26. No. 16 Virginia Tech will be in Lincoln for the two-day event, as well as New Mexico and Iowa State.
The Huskers open play on Friday at 6 p.m. against the Hokies, a team the Huskers beat, 4-3, in double overtime last season in Blacksburg. New Mexico and Iowa State open the tournament at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
Following a game between Virginia Tech and Iowa State on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the Huskers will look to even the all-time series with New Mexico when the two teams meet at 1 p.m. The Lobos won the only other meeting between the two programs at home during the 2010 season by a score of 3-0.
Missing a Cog
Head Coach John Walker has been without one his key players so far this season, as junior Ari Romero is playing for the Mexican National Team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Japan. The return of the Surprise, Ariz., native all depends on how long the Mexicans stay at the tournament. Entering the 2012 season, Romero had started every game of her Husker career, including 21 games as a true freshman in 2010 and 18 games a year ago.
Romero and her teammates opened with a 4-1 loss to Japan, but then responded with a 2-0 win over Switzerland. Mexico completes group play on Sunday, Aug. 26, in Kobe at Kobe Univer Stadium with a 5:20 a.m. (CT) game against New Zealand.
If Mexico advances past the group stage, the quarter-final stage starts on Thursday, Aug. 30, with the semi-final stage on Tuesday, Sept. 4 and the finals are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9.
Mexico earned a trip to the tournament by placing third at CONCACAF qualifying this past March, as a 5-0 win over host nation Panama secured the bid. Mexico has taken part in four of the last five FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup tournaments, but have never advanced past the quarter-final stage.
Mexico failed to survive the group phase in 2002 (Canada), 2006 (Russia) and 2008 (Chile), before winning its group at the 2010 World Cup in Germany, but lost in the quarter-final stage to Korea Republic.
New Faces
Of the nine true freshmen on the 2012 squad, six have seen action this season, including four who have started.
Katie Kraeutner, Jaylyn Odermann and Caroline Flynn have each started the Huskers’ first two games of the season, while Alex Massey also started NU’s season opener at Oklahoma. Emily Taylor and Chesli Rohloff have each seen time off the bench for Head Coach John Walker this season.
More Shots, No Wins
Through two games this season the Huskers have outshot their opponents in each game, but haven’t been able to pick up a win.
Last season, NU was .500 (5-5-1) when they outshot the opposition and 2-5-0 when its opponent got off more shots.
— Jeremy Foote, Nebraska Sports Information
UNDATED (AP) – There are three day games being in Major League Baseball this afternoon. In Detroit the Tigers are looking to gain some ground on idle Chicago in the American League Central race as they face the Blue Jays. The Tigers, who have 12- game winner Justin Verlander on the mound, start the day two games back of the Sox.
The other two matinee affairs are in the National League as Colorado plays the Mets in New York and St. Louis is home to Houston. The first game doesn’t mean much but the second game features one of the two teams currently holding down a National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals, at 67 and 56, are a half game up on Pittsburgh and a game in front of the Braves for a wild card berth.
The rest of the schedule is being played this evening and the best matchup has Atlanta playing the Giants in San Francisco. The Giants are fresh off a three game sweep of the arch rival Dodgers, while the Braves just dropped two of three to the Nationals in Washington. The Giants currently lead the NL West by 2 1/1 games over the Dodgers, while the Braves are 6 back of the Nats in the East.
Your remaining games tonight have Minnesota playing at Texas, Cincinnati at Philadelphia, the Angels at Boston and Tampa Bay at home to Oakland. The Rays can gain ground on idle New York in the AL East. Starting the night, the Rays are just three games back of the New Yorkers.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee has indefinitely suspended star wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers for an unspecified violation of team rules.
Rogers was an all-Southeastern Conference selection last year with 67 catches for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns.
The junior from Calhoun, Ga., doesn’t appear on the depth chart Tennessee released Thursday for its Aug. 31 season opener with North Carolina State at the Georgia Dome. Cordarrelle Patterson, a transfer from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, likely would start in Rogers’ place.
Rogers was expected to team up with Justin Hunter to form the SEC’s top receiving tandem as Tennessee attempts to bounce back from a 5-7 season. Hunter caught 17 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns last year before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Sept. 17.
FedEx playoffs begin
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) – The first stop of the FedEx playoff starts today with the opening round of The Barclays at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. Tiger Woods, with three wins this year on the PGA Tour, tops the 125 qualifiers for the opening event. Jason Dufner, second in the regular-season points list, is skipping the event while No. 3 Rory McIlroy is taking part.
For the first round, Woods and McIlroy are playing together for the first time in a PGA event.
The top 100 after The Barclays will be eligible for the Deutsche (DOY’-cheh) Bank next week in Norton, Mass.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Toronto at Detroit 12:05 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Boston 6:10 p.m.
Oakland at Tampa Bay 6:10 p.m.
Minnesota at Texas 7:05 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado at N-Y Mets 12:10 p.m. (LISTEN LIVE on ESPN Radio 1410)
Houston at St. Louis 12:45 p.m.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia 6:05 p.m.
Atlanta at San Francisco 9:15 p.m.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PRESEASON
Green Bay at Cincinnati 6:00 p.m.
Jacksonville at Baltimore 6:30 p.m.
Arizona at Tennessee 7:00 p.m.
The Maxwell Wildcats can’t wait to get back on the gridiron and build on their playoff season from last year. Having their rivals from Brady waiting for them on Friday night certainly adds to the excitement. Hear from Wildcats head coach Ryan Jones about his impressions of his team leading up to the season opener in this week’s Maxwell sports update!
UNDATED (AP) – The Chicago White Sox continue to enjoy a two-game lead in the American League Central following their first three-game home sweep of the Yankees in 21 years.
Chris Sale struck out 13 and gave up only a run and three hits while pitching into the eighth inning of the White Sox’s 2-1 win over the New York Yankees. Alex Rios hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth, a half-inning after Derek Jeter’s blast knotted the score.
Addison Reed got the last three outs for his 23rd save, closing out the White Sox’s three-game sweep of the Bombers.
Detroit kept pace with Chicago as Anibal Sanchez carried a shutout into the sixth inning of the Tigers’ 3-2 win over Toronto. Sanchez gave up only one earned run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings before Jose Valverde picked up his 100th save as a Tiger.
Omar Infante tripled and came around to score Detroit’s first run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning before RBI singles by Jeff Baker and Edwin Encarnacion made it 3-0 by the sixth.
The Yankees’ now have a three-game edge over Tampa Bay in the American League East, the Bombers’ smallest advantage since late June. James Shields is 12-7 after allowing three runs over 7 2-3 innings of the Rays’ 5-3 triumph over Kansas City. Jeff Keppinger went 2-for-4 and singled home the go-ahead run in the third inning as the Rays won for the 16th time in 21 games.
Texas remains five games better than Oakland in the AL West after Adrian Beltre hit three home runs and collected five RBIs in the Rangers’ 12-3 romp over Baltimore. Beltre slammed a pair of two-run blasts while the Rangers were scoring nine times in the fourth to make it a rout.
Mitch Moreland added a grand slam for Texas, which dropped the Orioles a half-game behind the Athletics for the league’s second wild-card berth.
Coco Crisp went 3-for-3 with a homer, an RBI double, two runs scored and a stolen base as the A’s beat Minnesota 5-1 to move 11 games over .500. Yoenis Cespedes hit a go-ahead two-run single in the third inning to support Tommy Milone, who limited the Twins to a run and just two hits in eight innings.
In other American League action, Jered Weaver is 16-3 after limiting Boston to two runs and seven hits in seven innings of the Angels’ 7-3 win against the Red Sox. Howie Kendrick hit a solo homer in the sixth before Torii Hunter added a two-run single later in the inning to give Los Angeles a 7-2 lead.
Seattle beat Cleveland 3-1 on Eric Thames two-run double in the eighth. The Mariners have their first eight-game winning streak in five years.
Over to the National League, where the San Francisco Giants tacked on another game to their West Division lead by completing a three-game sweep of the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Joaquin Arias went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and five RBIs as the Giants ripped the Dodgers 8-4. Matt Cain gave up a run and seven hits in seven innings for his 13th win as the Giants moved 2 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers after entering Los Angeles a half-game back.
The Cincinnati Reds added another half-game to their Central Division lead. Bronson Arroyo allowed three hits while pitching into the ninth inning of the Reds’ 3-2 triumph over Philadelphia. Jay Bruce homered to back Arroyo, who is 6-1 with a 3.50 ERA in his last seven starts.
The outcome puts the Reds eight games in front of second-place St. Louis and 8 1/2 ahead of Pittsburgh.
The Cardinals beat Houston 4-2 as Kyle Lohse tossed seven innings of three-hit ball for his seventh consecutive win. Lohse allowed a pair of solo homers but retired his last 14 batters to improve to 13-2.
The Cardinals are a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card berth.
Andrew Werner was recalled from Triple-A before allowing two runs and four hits in six-plus innings of San Diego’s 4-2 win over the Pirates. Carlos Quentin drove in three runs for the second straight game to support Werner’s first major league win.
The NL East race is slightly tighter after Chris Medlan scattered seven hits in seven shutout innings to lead Atlanta’s 5-1 victory at Washington. Martin Prado had two hits and two RBIs for the Braves, who are back within six games of the East-leading Nationals.
Also in the NL, the Arizona Diamondbacks completed the first home sweep of a doubleheader in team history. Tyler Skaggs allowed three hits through 6 2-3 innings in his major league debut as Arizona beat Miami 3-2 in Game 1. Rookie Wade Miley started the nightcap and scattered four hits in eight innings to lead the Diamondbacks’ 3-0 shutout of the Marlins.
Ryan Braun hit his league-leading 34th home run of the season and drove in two runs as Milwaukee completed a three-game sweep of the Cubs 3-2. Yovani Gallardo improved to 13-8 by allowing two runs on four hits and striking out nine in seven innings.
A’s Colon suspended for 50 games
Oakland pitcher and former AL Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon (bahr-TOH’-loh kuh-LOHN’) has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Major League Baseball’s announcement comes one week after All-Star outfielder Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants was suspended 50 games following a positive test for the same substance.
The 39-year-old Colon is 10-9 with a 3.43 ERA in 24 starts in his first season with the A’s. He will miss the final 40 games of the regular season and the first 10 games of the postseason if Oakland advances that far. Any remainder of the suspension would be served in a future season, if Colon signs another major league contract.
Colon is the fifth player suspended this year under the big league drug program, and the third from either the Giants or A’s. San Francisco’s Guillermo Mota (gee-EHR’-moh MOH’-tah) received a 100-game suspension in May following his second PED violation.
Nova to be tested…Santana shelved…Strasburg to skip late-September starts
UNDATED – New York Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova has tightness in his right shoulder and will fly back to New York on Thursday for tests.
Nova said he felt something in his shoulder while making a sixth-inning pitch to Alexei Ramirez in Tuesday night’s loss to the White Sox. Nova threw 84 pitches in his six innings, giving up six runs and seven hits.
Nova is 1-4 with a 7.28 ERA in his last eight starts.
The Mets have placed lefty Johan (YOH’-hahn) Santana on the 15-day disabled list and say he’s not expected to pitch again the rest of the season because of inflammation in his lower back. Santana went 3-7 with an 8.27 ERA after throwing the first no-hitter in Mets history on June 1 against the Cardinals.
Nationals manager Davey Johnson says Stephen Strasburg could miss his final two or three turns in the rotation during the regular season. The Nationals are trying to keep Strasburg under 180 innings in his first full season following Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old right-hander has thrown 145 1-3 innings while going 15-5 with a 2.85 ERA.
Umpire credited for life-saving effort
Umpire Jim Joyce is being credited with helping to save the life of a food service worker who collapsed of an apparent heart attack at Chase Field.
Vice President of Ballpark Operations Russ Amaral says Joyce happened to be walking past Jayne Powers when she collapsed before Monday night’s game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins.
After deciding it wasn’t a seizure, as some of her co-workers suggested, Joyce quickly started CPR.
Marlins bullpen catcher Jeff Urgelles, a former firefighter and paramedic, was called to the scene and began helping Joyce.
Kromer to start season as Saints’ head coach
UNDATED (AP) – The New Orleans Saints have designated offensive line coach Aaron Kromer as the interim head coach for the first six regular-season games before assistant head coach Joe Vitt takes over the rest of the season.
Vitt is suspended for the first six games in connection with the NFL’s bounty investigation. He has been overseeing head coaching duties since Sean Payton’s full season suspension began in mid-April.
Elsewhere around pro football:
– Eagles coach Andy Reid says there’s no question Michael Vick will be ready to play the season opener despite injuring his ribs again. Vick was being held out of today’s practice after bruising his ribs and the soft tissue surrounding them during Philadelphia’s win at New England on Monday.
– The Titans released veteran defensive tackle Shaun Smith a year after signing him to boost their defense. Smith started only six of 15 games last season with 44 tackles and one sack and had just one tackle in two preseason games.
– Veteran guard Eric Steinbach has decided to retire after sitting out all of last season because of a back injury. The 32-year-old lineman signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins in July but missed considerable practice time during training camp because of health issues.
– Maryland’s highest court has ruled that longtime-NFL punter Tom Tupa is eligible for workers compensation for a career-ending injury he suffered while warming up for a preseason game in 2005 while playing for Washington. The court rejected the idea that football injuries should not be considered accidental because of the rough nature of the sport.
Spanier says he wishes he knew more about Sandusky
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Ousted Penn State president Graham Spanier (SPAN’-year) says he wishes he’d known more about former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky so he could’ve done something about child molestation allegations against him.
Spanier told ABC on Wednesday it would’ve been his “instinct” to intervene had he known about the allegations against Sandusky.
Spanier’s attorney today called the university-sanctioned report on the sex-abuse scandal a “blundering and indefensible indictment” of Spanier. The report says Spanier helped Penn State cover up complaints about Sandusky in 1998 and 2001.
Spanier has not been charged in the case.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 5, Kansas City 3
Oakland 5, Minnesota 1
Seattle 3, Cleveland 1
Detroit 3, Toronto 2
L.A. Angels 7, Boston 3
Texas 12, Baltimore 3
Chicago White Sox 2, N.Y. Yankees 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 3, Chicago Cubs 2
Arizona 3, Miami 2, 1st game
San Diego 4, Pittsburgh 2
Atlanta 5, Washington 1
Cincinnati 3, Philadelphia 2
Colorado 5, N.Y. Mets 2
St. Louis 4, Houston 2
Arizona 3, Miami 0, 2nd game
San Francisco 8, L.A. Dodgers 4
