Houston Astros pitcher Wandy Rodriguez, who had been claimed off of trade waivers by the Colorado Rockies, will be pulled off of waivers, ending trade discussions between the two teams. Rodriguez allowed six runs on ten hits in six innings against the Colorado Rockies in Colorado’s 7-6 win in Denver while the possibility he would be traded hung over his head. The Rockies claimed Rodriguez, a 32 year-old lefthander who is 9-9 with a 3.41 ERA this season, in the hopes they could add him to bolster their pitching rotation. But the Astros wanted the Rockies to pick up the rest of Rodriguez’s 36 million dollar salary over the next three seasons and trade them a top prospect. The Rockies balked at that asking price, but the Denver Post reports they will continue to look for pitching help before the waiver trade deadline August 31.

BY BRETT COBB, McCook Community College News Bureau Coordinator

They say timing is everything!
McCook Community College Volleyball Coach Natalie Alred came on board in late July with ten members for her squad. So, one of her first goals was to make sure she had exhausted all the recruiting possibilities in the area to ensure quality players who may not have considered MCC without having a coach in place, would take a second look after she came on board.
So she started by looking at the roster of the 2011 Sertoma all-star volleyball roster. One player, North Platte graduate, Janessa States, had verbally committed elsewhere, but hadn’t signed her letter of intent, and decided to hear what MCC’s new coach had to say.
Janessa, who had made quite an impression in the Sertoma Volleyball game, decided to talk to Coach Alred, and decided to visit the MCC campus.
During her visit, Janessa started to see the possibilities — for volleyball and the opportunities for a strong academic transfer program.
She spent nearly four hours on campus and by the end of the day made the decision to join the 2011 MCC Volleyball squad. Coach Alred, just a few days in to her new job, had signed one of the top volleyball athletes in the area.
“We were instantly impressed with Janessa,” said Kelly Rippen, who served as the Interim volleyball coach during the spring. “She has a love for the game, great character, and a strong desire to be on the court.”
Rippen said after showing Janessa around campus, and spending just a few minutes with her, she could tell what an excellent fit it would be for both Janessa and for MCC.
“She is passionate about athletics, but also has tremendous academic dedication,” Rippen said.
If a few more days had passed, Janessa would have been making plans to attend another institution, but the timing worked out perfectly for her to be able to see what other possibilities existed for her a little closer to home, and with more potential to make an impact on the volleyball court and in the classroom.
The MCC Volleyball Squad will be playing in North Platte this Friday and Saturday during the Subway Invitational, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
For more information about MCC Volleyball, 2011 schedule, and/or Coach Alred, check out www.mpcc.edu follow the MCC athletics link.

The Colorado Rockies have won four straight games for the first time since mid-June after last night’s 8-6 victory over the Houston Astros at Coors Field. The winning hit came from an unlikely power source, as Jonathan Herrera’s two-run home run, just his third of the season, broke a 6-6 tie in the seventh inning. In his first start as a Rockie since coming from Cleveland in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, rookie pitcher Alex White earned a no-decision, allowing five runs in six innings, though only three were earned. Seth Smith’s 478-foot home run in the fifth inning was the longest homer at Coors Field so far this season. The Rockies can finish a sweep of the Astros in today’s matinee in Denver, and ESPN Radio 1410 will have all the action with pregame coverage at 1:30 and the first pitch at 2:05.

The Nebraska football team is now 10 days away from their first game of the 2011 season. Their fall workouts continued with a two hour full pad practice yesterday afternoon. Huskers head coach Bo Pelini told the media afterwords that spots on the two-deep depth chart are still very much up for grabs. “The competition is on and there are a lot of guys fighting for playing time right now, and we’ll see how it plays out,” Pelini said. “We’ve got plenty of time before we play a game and guys got to keep putting it on film if they want to play on Saturday.” Pelini also confirmed the departure of Lazarri Middleton, a defensive back who was a member of the recruiting class of 2009. Middleton, who did not appear in a game in two seasons, did not have his scholarship renewed.

Unlike last season’s fall camp, there’s been more good injury news than bad for the Husker football team. Nebraska’s offensive line has been bolstered by the return of two projected starters and expects the imminent return of another. Senior Marcel Jones, a favorite to earn a starting nod at tackle this season, made his fall camp debut this week after sitting out the first two weeks with an undisclosed injury. Sophomore Brett Qvale also returned from an undisclosed injury after missing a week of workouts. Sophomore Jeremish Sirles, limited of late due to injury, should return by early next week, if not sooner. The news wasn’t all great on the injury front, though, as walk-on freshman quarterback Tyson Broekemeier, from Aurora, suffered a torn ACL and will miss the season.

When the Colorado Rockies traded Ubaldo Jimenez, they received in return two highly-touted young pitchers who the Rockies felt could reach Jimenez’s level in the not-too-distant future. For Alex White, the future begins tonight. White makes his Rockies debut tonight, getting the start as the Rockies host the Houston Astros at Coors Field. It’s not the 22 year-old right-hander’s big league debut. White made three starts for the Indians earlier this season, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA, before being sidelined with a finger injury. In four rehab starts with AA Tulsa since being acquired by the Rockies, White posted a 1.65 ERA in 16 innings, including seven and two thirds shutout frames on Thursday. Hear White’s debut in purple pinstripes tonight on ESPN Radio 1410, with pregame coverage at 7:05 and first pitch at 7:40.

The Colorado Rockies used an explosive first inning to defeat the Houston Astros 9-5 in the first game of their three-game series at Coors Field last night. The Rockies scored six times off Astros starter Brett Myers in the opening frame, keyed by two-run doubles from Carlos Gonzalez and starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin. Chacin worked seven innings for his career-high tenth win of the season, allowing just one run while scattering 11 hits. Gonzalez would add a solo home run, his 22nd of the season, and Chris Nelson hit a two-run pinch-hit single in the 8th that proved crucial as the Astros scored four times in the ninth and got the tying run to the on deck circle. The Rockies and Astros are back at it tonight in Denver, and ESPN Radio 1410 has the action with pregame coverage at 7:05 and the first pitch at 7:40.