MLB
SHIELDS SHUT OUTS RED SOX; RAYS SWEEP!
For the first time in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Rays have swept the Boston Red Sox! Tampa Bay starter James Shields tossed his first career shutout to lead the Rays past the Red Sox 3-0 to complete the three-game sweep. Shields (3-1) shut down the potent Boston lineup with seven strikeouts. He allowed just two hits.
Tampa Bay's exciting rookie third baseman Evan Longoria cracked his third home run of the season to power Tampa Bay's attack.
The win, coupled with the Baltimore Orioles loss, gives the Rays a share of first place in the tough AL East. It's the latest point in the season Tampa Bay has been in first place in the franchise's 11-year history.
Josh Beckett (2-2) struck out 13 in a losing effort for Boston. The Red Sox have dropped five straight.
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
New York Yankees 1, Cleveland 0
Chicago White Sox 6, Baltimore 1
Toronto 5, Kansas City 2
Texas 10, Minnesota 0
Oakland 4, Seattle 2
Los Angeles Angels 6, Detroit 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Arizona 2, San Diego 1
Washington 2, Chicago Cubs 0
Cincinnati 10, San Francisco 1
Pittsburgh 5, Philadelphia 1
New York Mets 6, Atlanta 3
St. Louis 5, Houston 1
Florida 3, Milwaukee 2 - 10 innings
Los Angeles Dodgers 3, Colorado 2 - 10 innings
NBA
CAVS, SPURS, HORNETS UP 3-1; PISTONS, SIXERS EVEN
Cleveland 100, Washington 97
A decisive second quarter was the key for Cleveland as they captured the game they needed at the Verizon Center. The Cavs outscored the Wizards 30-16 to take the lead at the half 54-44-then held on for the win. LeBron James paced the visitors with 34 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavs outrebounded the Wizards 51-31 and made six more three-pointers than Washington.
Phoenix 105, San Antonio 86
With little life left in their playoff existence for 2008, the Phoenix Suns did what they had to do-jumped out to a big lead in Game 4 and never let up. A 34-13 start was all the Suns needed to get back into the series and avoid seeing their season end on Sunday. Raja Bell had 27 points to lead the Suns while Boris Diaw went for 20 and 10.
New Orleans 97, Dallas 84
The Dallas Mavericks were no match again for the Hornets, who held the Mavs to 14 points in the second quarter and just 40 in the second half on the way to piling up a 3-1 series lead. The Mavs got little from Josh Howard (6 points) and Jason Kidd (3 points) except Kidd's ejection from the game in the fourth quarter. By that time, the outcome was not in doubt, and the Hornets coasted to the victory. David West was the leading scorer for the Hornets with 24. The teams head for New Orleans as the Hornets try to close out the Mavericks and send them back to Dallas to try to figure out what is wrong with a team that is no longer in the top echelon.
Detroit 93, Philadelphia 84
At halftime, it appeared that Detroit's playoff days were numbered. The Sixers led 46-36, and they seemed ready to take a 3-1 lead in the series. But Detroit outscored the Sixers 34-16 in the third period (including the first 10 points of the quarter) to take the game over. Tayshaun Prince was a remarkable 11 for 12 from the floor for 23 points to carry Detroit.
NBA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Boston vs. #8 Atlanta
Game 1: Boston 105, Atlanta 81
Game 2: Boston 97, Atlanta 77
Game 3: Atlanta 102, Boston 93
Boston leads 2-1
Game 4: Monday at Atlanta
#2 Detroit vs. #7 Philadelphia
Game 1: Philadelphia 90, Detroit 86
Game 2: Detroit 105, Philadelphia 88
Game 3: Philadelphia 95, Detroit 75
Game 4: Detroit 93, Philadelphia 84
Series tied 2-2
Game 5: Tuesday at Detroit
#3 Orlando vs. #6 Toronto
Game 1: Orlando 114, Toronto 100
Game 2: Orlando 104, Toronto 103
Game 3: Toronto 108, Orlando 94
Game 4: Orlando 106, Toronto 94
Orlando leads 3-1
Game 5: Monday at Orlando
#4 Cleveland vs. #8 Washington
Game 1: Cleveland 93, Washington 86
Game 2: Cleveland 116, Washington 86
Game 3: Washington 108, Cleveland 72
Game 4: Cleveland 100, Washington 97
Cleveland leads 3-1
Game 5: Wednesday at Cleveland
WESTERN CONFERENCE
#1 LA Lakers vs. #8 Denver
Game 1: LA 128, Denver 114
Game 2: LA 122, Denver 107
Game 3: LA 102, Denver 84
LA leads 3-0
Game 4: Monday at Denver
#2 New Orleans vs. #7 Dallas
Game 1: New Orleans 104, Dallas 92
Game 2: New Orleans 127 Dallas 103
Game 3: Dallas 97, New Orleans 87
Game 4: New Orleans 97, Dallas 84
New Orleans leads 3-1
#3 San Antonio vs. #6 Phoenix
Game 1: San Antonio 117, Phoenix 115 (2 OT)
Game 2: San Antonio 102, Phoenix 96
Game 3: San Antonio 115, Phoenix 99
Game 4: Phoenix 105, San Antonio 86
San Antonio leads 3-1
#4 Utah vs. #5 Houston
Game 1: Utah 93, Houston 82
Game 2: Utah 90, Houston 84
Game 3: Houston 94, Utah 92
Game 4: Utah 86, Houston 82
Utah leads 3-1
Game 5: Tuesday at Houston
NHL
FLEURY TURNS BACK RANGERS
Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 26 shots that came his way on Sunday at the Mellon Arena, and the Penguins shut out the Montreal Canadiens 2-0.
Jordan Staal scored the only game the Pens actually needed on a power play in the second period with assists from Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney. An empty-netter by Adam Hall with just 17 seconds left made it 2-0.
The teams head for New York for Tuesday's Game 3.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Montreal vs. Philadelphia
Game 1: Montreal 4, Philadelphia 3 (OT)
Game 2: Philadelphia 4, Montreal 2
Series tied 1-1
Game 3: Monday at Philadelphia
Pittsburgh vs. New York Rangers
Game 1: Pittsburgh 5, New York 4
Game 2: Pittsburgh 2, New York 0
Pittsburgh leads 2-0
Game 3: Tuesday at New York
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit vs. Colorado
Game 1: Detroit 4, Colorado 3
Game 2: Detroit 5, Avalanche 1
Detroit leads 2-0
Game 3: Tuesday at Colorado
San Jose vs. Dallas
Game 1: Dallas 3, San Jose 2 (OT)
Game 2: Dallas 5, San Jose 2
Dallas leads 2-0
Game 3: Tuesday at Dallas
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life -- in the words of an athlete in the news.
TODAY'S FEATURE:
JOSH HAMILTON, outfielder, Texas Rangers
BIO NOTE: Hamilton is on the cover of the May-June edition of Sports Spectrum magazine.
RECENT NEWS: On Sunday, Hamilton went 3 for 4 with a home run (his fifth) to pace the Rangers past the Twins. Hamilton is hitting .333.
FAITH QUOTE: "It's such a great thing to see how God never leaves your side, or is always waiting on you to come back to Him."
-Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
NASCAR
KYLE BUSCH TAKES TALLADEGA
M & Ms for everybody. Joe Gibbs' No. 18 car, piloted by Kyle Busch escaped a last-lap crash to come out as a first-time winner at Talladega in the Aaron's 499 on Sunday. Busch outraced Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya to the finish line to give Toyota the win.
NBA
SAM I WAS; VINCENT FIRED
The Charlotte Bobcats gave Sam Vincent one year and one year only-and then sent him packing. Vincent and the Bobcats had a dismal 32-50 record as they tried to get this expansion team established. They have been in the league since 2004, and they've yet to put much fear in any opponents. As soon as Vincent was let go, speculation began to percolate that Larry Brown might be a candidate to coach the Cats. It is surmised by many that Brown is sniffing around for his ninth NBA coaching job, but one would have to wonder how someone with such high expectations could be happy with Charlotte.
MLB
SMOLTZ GOES DOWN WITH SHOULDER PROBLEM
John Smoltz started the year on the disabled list, but when he began pitching again, he was nearly unhittable. On Sunday, though, the 40-year-old pitcher found himself in pain again-this time with a bum shoulder. One has to wonder how long this courageous pitcher can continue to keep going. As he faces his 41st birthday in two weeks, the reality is that Smoltz has pitched 3,394 innings of major league baseball. His right arm, elbow, and shoulder have been injured and rehabbed numerous times in his career. He is one of the most competitive people in baseball, and he's not going to go down without fight, but he's got to at some point start wondering if the additional strain of another major league season might threaten the long-term usefulness of his arm.
NFL
JETS DON'T DRAFT WOODHEAD, BUT STILL GET HIM
Danny Woodhead gained more yards than any NCAA player ever, but that wasn't enough to get him drafted into the NFL. Problem is, Woodhead is smallish, and so is his college: Chadron State. At 5-7, Woodhead has some proving to do in the super-sized NFL, but he does know how to run. At Chadron State, he gained 7,962 yards. And he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash in NFL workouts. Nonetheless, nobody drafted him. That matters little now, though, since the New York Jets signed him up to a free-agent contract, giving him the chance to prove himself on the field. This gives Woodhead, who told Sports Spectrum magazine in 2006 that he became a Christian when he was 5 years old and that his daily routine often starts with "starting the day with Bible reading and praying," an opportunity to prove that it is heart, not height, that makes the difference.
SHAUN ALEXANDER
Dimple Thinking: Aware of His Place
DAILY EXTRA:
Last week had to have been one of the worst times of Shaun Alexander's life. The man had fallen from being the top running back in the NFL and perhaps the most important athlete on the Seattle sports scene to becoming expendable. The former NFL MVP was, at age 30, unceremoniously let go by the only NFL team he had ever played for.
There would be no "retirement party" for Shaun Alexander at Qwest Field. No farewell tour around the league. Not even an opportunity to end his career with Seattle in a respectful way after taking them to the Super Bowl.
Instead, he was simply let go. Jettisoned. Pink slipped into unemployment.
Yet Shaun Alexander handed it with grace. He wrote a thoughtful note that thanked everybody but the ferry driver on Puget Sound for making his stay in Seattle so good. He promised never to leave Seattle permanently, telling the folks that it would always be home to him.
Alexander did that because he understands his role in the bigger picture. He "gets it" that his responses to his circumstances are being watched and weighed by fans of all ages and all persuasions. Unlike some athletes who use that spotlight to their own embarrassment by dancing the dance of selfishness under the lights of fame, Alexander walked cautiously, recognizing the One he represents.
This kind of thinking on Alexander's part shone through in a 2007 radio interview Alexander did for Sports Spectrum Radio in which he discussed an analogy that described his role as a Christian in the bigger community of believers.
"God has called many different pieces of the body," he began. "I spoke a while ago at our church about everybody fulfilling their role in the church. I mean, if you're a helper, go help. If you're an usher, go usher. If you take care of kids, go take care of kids. I said we're all different parts of the same body [of Christ]."
Then Alexander brought the application home to himself. "For our church, I'm the dimple. Not everybody can be the dimple."
The dimple? Sounds odd, but it makes sense as he explains it. "The dimple," he went on, "is like this: I'm the person that people are just naturally going to see. I mean, without even paying attention they're like, 'Wow! The dimple's right here.' I'm the one that's seen. I need to make myself presentable by God's standards. That's how I live and that's how I look at my football life."
The dimple. The one everybody notices right away.
And when the dimple gets punched-even by being embarrassingly fired from one a high-profile job-he still shines. He still acts with dignity and grace. He still remembers that it's not all about himself-it's about Jesus, who made him a part of the body.
And that's why Shaun Alexander's response was appropriate. He's aware of his place-a dimple in the body of Christ.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
Nine NASCAR races are in the books. After Kyle Busch's win at Talladega on Sunday, here is the way things look.
1. Jeff Burton 1,347
2. Kyle Busch 1,325
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1,268
4. Denny Hamlin 1,248
5. Jimmie Johnson 1,245
6. Kevin Harvick 1,208
7. Clint Bowyer 1,182
8. Greg Biffle 1,148
9. Tony Stewart 1,137
10. Carl Edwards 1,084
THIS JUST IN
Notes of significance from the Christian sports community
New Book: The Mulligan
By Wally Armstrong
After ending a successful career as a PGA golfer, Wally Armstrong began a venture of teaching golf and of using gold analogies to teach biblical principles. One of his latest ventures is teaching timeless truths through golf is a book called The Mulligan. It's a book that can be used by the Christian for edification, and it can be given to the non-Christian as an outreach tool. Find out more about the book at www.wallyarmstrong.com.
