NBA
DALLAS GETS SEVENTH SPOT WITH WIN
The Dallas Mavericks avoided facing the LA Lakers in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs with a 111-98 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night. With the win, the Mavericks scheduled a date with those same Hornets in the first round.
As a result of the win, Denver moves to the No. 8 spot and will face the Lakers as they begin action in the playoffs.
Here's how the playoff lineup shakes down:
EAST
Boston vs. Atlanta
Detroit vs. Philadelphia
Orlando vs. Toronto
Cleveland vs. Washington
WEST
LA Lakers vs. Denver
New Orleans vs. Dallas
San Antonio vs. Phoenix
Utah vs. Houston
OTHER NBA SCORES
Detroit 84, Cleveland 74
Seattle 126, Golden State 121
Phoenix 100, Portland 91
San Antonio 109, Portland 80
Indiana 132, New York 123
Orlando 103, Washington 83
Boston 105, New Jersey 94
Minnesota 110, Milwaukee 101 (OT)
Chicago 107, Toronto 97
Miami 113, Atlanta 99
Houston 93, LA Clippers 75
MLB
PITCHING? NOT IN THIS ONE; YANKS 15, RED SOX 9
You throw Clay Buchholz vs. Chien-Ming Wang, and you don't expect Yankee Stadium to erupt in 24 runs. But that's what happened on Wednesday in the Bronx as the teams combined for 30 hits to entertain the 54,000 faithful Yankee fans at the ballpark as New York beat Boston 15-9.
Alex Rodriguez hit his 522nd career home run and the fourth this season, and Bobby Abreu hit his second to help the New York attack. Catcher Chad Moeller had three hits for the pinstripers while Jorge Posada had two hits and three RBI. J.D. Drew paced the Red Sox with three hits and two RBI. The much-maligned outfielder is hitting .349 this season.
The Yanks scored three in the first and four in the fourth, but trailed 9-7 after Boston put up a six-spot in the top of the fifth, but two more four-run innings turned the game into a laugher for Joe Girardi's club.
OTHER SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 13, Cleveland 2
Seattle 4, Oakland 2
Kansas City 3, LA Angels 2
Minnesota 6, Tampa Bay 5
Texas 7, Toronto 5 (14 innings)
Chicago White Sox 3, Baltimore 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
LA Dodgers 8, Pittsburgh 1
Colorado 10, San Diego 2
St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 4
Chicago Cubs 12, Cincinnati 3
Florida 6, Atlanta 5
NY Mets 5, Washington 2
Houston 2, Philadelphia 1
Arizona 4, San Francisco 1
NHL
PENS BEAT SENS; MOVE TO ROUND 2
Pittsburgh 3, Ottawa 1
Goals: Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, Jarkko Ruuto, Sidney Crosby; Ottawa, Cory Stillman
OTHER PLAYOFF SCORES
NY Rangers 5, New Jersey 3
New York leads the series 3-1
Nashville 3, Detroit 2
Series tied 2-2
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE
HUNTER KEMPER, triathlete
BIO NOTE: Kemper has competed in two Olympic games.
RECENT NEWS: On this coming Sunday, Kemper will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete in the US Olympic Trials. The top male and the top female runner in Tuscaloosa on Sunday will earn a spot on the US Olympic team.
FAITH QUOTE: "From the beginning, Val and I have talked about wanting people to see Christ in our relationship and our marriage. Married life has been great for us. And I think a lot of that is because we want to live our lives along Christ's example. We hope that people are able to see Christ's love in us."
-Sports Spectrum magazine
Find out more about Hunter, Val, and Davis Kemper at www.hunterkemper.com
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
NBA
SEATTLE SOAP OPERA
The Clay Bennett Get-out-of-town express has awakened some more heavy hitters, who are now weighing in on the issue of the Sonics' pending departure from town. The two US senators who represent the state of Washington have entered the fray on the heels of the news of a possible lawsuit by the team's former owner. Bennett may have to put the brakes on the moving vans as things begin to heat up. The senators are asking the NBA to delay the move because they don't think Bennett acted in good faith in his dealings with Seattle regarding a possible new arena. Tune in tomorrow for another episode of As Seattle Turns.
NFL
BACK TO LA?
For some reason, the NFL has not been completely successful in Los Angeles. While the city has two NBA teams, two baseball teams, an MLS soccer team, and an NHL team, it is football-less. It lost the Rams to St. Louis and the Raiders to Oakland. But now the man who owns the Kings and the Lakers wants to see if he can interest the NFL into another foray in the City of Angels. Edward P. Roski wants to put a new stadium east of LA and populate it with a new entry into the NFL. Will the idea fly? It would seem to make sense, if no other reason but that the city has more people in it than anywhere in the country besides New York City. Plus, football is clearly popular there, if the success of USC and UCLA football is any indication. Perhaps it's time for LA to get another chance.
MLB
WEBB MASTER
How good is Brandon Webb? The Arizona starter has already won four games-one fewer than both Detroit and Cleveland have won as teams. He has an ERA of 1.86. He was so dominant that in the first inning, he threw 11 pitches, and 10 of them were strikes. All three San Francisco batters struck out to start the game. Webb won the Cy Young Award in 2006 and he won 18 games last year. He's still 28 years old, has 69 career wins, and just keeps getting better. Read more about Webb and his interest in helping others at www.brandonwebb.org.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With eight races in the books, here's a look at the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings. The next race will take the drivers to Talladega for the Aaron's 499.
| Driver |
Points
|
| 1. Jeff Burton |
1215
|
| 2. Kyle Busch |
1135
|
| 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
1129
|
| 4. Jimmie Johnson |
1116
|
| 5. Kevin Harvick |
1112
|
| 6. Denny Hamlin |
1078
|
| 7. Tony Stewart |
1078
|
| 8. Clint Bowyer | 1044 |
| 9. Carl Edwards | 1041 |
| 10. Greg Biffle |
1039
|
THIS JUST IN
Notes of significance from the Christian sports community
New Book: Time Out
By Stephanie Zonars
Campus Crusade for Christ has just published a new book by Athletes in Action coach Stephanie Zonars.
For Time Out, Zonars took lessons from her 17 years of experience training athletes spiritually and physically and turned them into a series of devotional articles for the person who loves sports and wants to grown in Jesus Christ.
Each devotional article is based on a Scripture passage and is followed up with some thought questions for application and further consideration. Find out more about Time Out at www.lifebeyondsport.com
