MLB
MUSSINA EARNS WIN NO. 253 IN YANKEES WIN
Mike Mussina moved into 41st place on baseball's all-time wins list with a solid outing against the Cleveland Indians on Monday. Mussina (3-3) allowed two runs in five innings of work to lead the New York Yankees past the Cleveland Indians 5-2. Mussina earned his 253rd career victory. That moved him into a tie with Carl Hubbell on baseball's all-time list.
A parade of New York relievers including Jonathan Albaladejo, Kyle Farnsworth, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera finished off the Indians in the later innings. Rivera earned his eighth save of the season.
Aaron Laffey (0-1) pitched well in his season debut for the Indians. He didn't allow a hit through five innings, but he could not get past the sixth.
Hideki Matsui drove in two runs for the Yankees.
New York improved to 14-13 on the season, while the Tribe fell to 12-14.
AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 14, Los Angeles Angels 2
Baltimore 3, Chicago White Sox 3 - suspended in top of 12th by rain
NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Cincinnati 4, St. Louis 3
Arizona 5, Houston 3
San Francisco 4, Colorado 0
Pittsburgh vs. New York Mets - Postponed
NBA
MAGIC, LAKERS MOVE ON; HAWKS-CELTS EVEN
LA Lakers 107, Denver 101
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to look like the best team in the West after dispatching the Denver Nuggets without much trouble. The four-game sweep of George Karl's team gives the Lakers time to rest a bit before taking on their second-round opponent. While the Nuggets at least contested the outcome of this game after losing by an average of 16 points in games one through three, this one was never in much doubt either. Kobe Bryant made sure of that by heating up in the game's last 5 minutes with 14 of his 31 points when they were needed the most. Pau Gasol chipped in with 21 points for the team with the best record in the West. The Nuggets tandem of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson got some help from J. R. Smith, who led the team with 26 points, but even with the big three scoring more than 20 points each, the Nuggets couldn't get past the Lakers.
Orlando 102, Toronto 92
For the first time in the 21st century, the Orlando Magic are in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Led by their young star Dwight Howard, who had 21 points and 21 rebounds, the Magic eliminated the Raptors in five games. Both teams had balanced scoring with each putting six players in double figures. The Magic, though held a 55-37 lead in rebounding and made nine more free throws that the Raptors. Toronto led at the half 50-49 before Orlando turned the tables with a 53-42 second-half advantage.
Atlanta 97, Boston 92
Okay, who kidnapped the Atlanta Hawks and replaced them with these guys? The Hawks, who couldn't beat eggs in the first two games of the series, have suddenly become a force for the Boston Celtics to contend with. The Hawks soared past the Celtics in the fourth quarter 32-17 as they again showed that youthfulness can sometimes outlast what appears to be better talent. That and the fact that Atlanta's young talent is improving by the game should give the Celtics lots to think about as they head for Game 5. Joe Johnson guided the way for Atlanta with 35 points while Josh Smith wasn't far behind with 28. Ray Allen led Boston with 21.
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
Game 4: Atlanta 97, Boston 92
Series tied 2-2
Game 5: Wednesday at Boston
#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
Game 5: Orlando 101, Toronto 92
Orlando wins series 4-1
#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
Game 4: LA 107, Denver 101
LA wins series 4-0
#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
Game 5: Tuesday at New Orleans
#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
Game 5: Tuesday at San Antonio
#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
SECOND-QUARTER BARRAGE HELPS FLYERS
In an 11-minute span in the second period of Monday's game between Montreal and Philadelphia, the Flyers were able to get all the scoring they would need to nip the Canadiens 3-2 and take a 2-1 series lead.
Scottie Upshall started the scoring at 7:04 to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes later, while the Flyers were down a man, Mike Richards scored an unassisted goal to make it 2-0. At 18:19, R. J. Umberger got what became the game-winner with his fifth playoff tally.
In the third, the Canadiens got back into the game with goals at 7:29 (Tomas Plekanec) and at 8:41 (Saku Koivu), but the Flyers' defense and Martin Biron shut the door after that, which sent the Wachovia Center fans home happy.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Montreal vs. Philadelphia
Game 1: Montreal 4, Philadelphia 3 (OT)
Game 2: Philadelphia 4, Montreal 2
Game 3: Philadelphia 3, Montreal 2
Philadelphia leads 2-1
Game 4: Wednesday at Montreal
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:
JEREMY AFFELDT, pitcher, Cincinnati Reds
BIO NOTE: Affeldt pitched in the World Series for the Colorado Rockies in 2007.
RECENT NEWS: On Monday, Affeldt pitched a scoreless inning of relief for the Reds as they beat St. Louis. His ERA dropped to 1.54.
FAITH QUOTE: "I'm not a superhuman; I worked hard for 4-1/2 years in the minor leagues to get here. I've had some experiences that challenged my faith. I'll do the best I can, no matter what the circumstances, and let God take care of the rest."
-Sports Spectrum magazine
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
NBA
RILEY TURNS THINGS OVER TO SPOELSTRA
Pat Riley has decided to step down as coach of the Miami Heat after struggling through what had to be a nightmarish season for a man of his coaching stature. The Heat went 15-67 in Riley's final year at the helm. The longtime coach has decided to stay on with the team as president. Just two years removed from hoisting his fifth NBA title trophy, Riley is forced to leave with the burden of a miserable season still lingering. Now it's time to look ahead as the Heat hands the reins over to Erik Spoelstra, a longtime assistant for the Heat. Spoelstra is the grandson of a man who was a great friend of Sports Spectrum magazine in its early days. Watson Spoelstra, who spent many years writing about the Detroit Tigers, wrote a column for SS for several years and was an encouraging voice for the SS staff. Waddy, as he was known, became a Christian during his days in Detroit, and he was never ashamed of proclaiming his faith through the years after that. Erik's grandfather was instrumental in starting Baseball Chapel in the 1970s-an organization that still helps major league and minor league players spiritually during their seasons. Waddy Spoelstra died in 1999 at the age of 89. He and his wife Jean were prayer warriors, and Erik was the beneficiary of those prayers while the elder Spoelstras were still with us.
NBA
BROWN'S ODYSSEY CONTINUES
Number 9 goes to the Charlotte Bobcats. Larry Brown has reportedly selected the ninth team on his Larry Brown NBA Coaching Tour, and he is headed back to North Carolina. Indeed, Brown is returning to his pro coaching roots, for it was with the Carolina Cougars (formerly the Houston Mavericks) of the American Basketball Association that he first became a head coach. Brown graduated from North Carolina in 1963 and then played professionally until 1972-all in the ABA. When he retired from the ABA, he was the league's all-time assists leader. He became the coach of the Cougars in 1972 (where he was named the ABA's Coach of the Year in his rookie coaching season), and the odyssey began. He moved over to Denver to coach the Nuggets in 1974, and on June 17, 1976, when the NBA absorbed ABA teams Denver, the New York Nets, Indiana, and San Antonio into its fold, Brown became an NBA coach. In the NBA, he has led Denver, New Jersey, San Antonio, the LA Clippers, Indiana, Philadelphia, Detroit, and New York. And now, apparently, Charlotte.
NFL
BAKER'S COMPLAINT
Usually, it seems outrageous for pro athletes in the major sports, who all make sizeable salaries, to complain about their hundreds of thousands. But you know what, Chris Baker might just have a beef worth complaining about. The guy has been with the New York Jets for six years. He's put together some very good seasons, and he's the team's starting tight end. But suddenly he looks around and sees that the team has hired two other guys-guys who have never played a down for the Jets-and is paying them twice as much as he makes. And that's after Baker had his best season. Granted, the $683,000 that he'll get before taxes for the upcoming season will mean that he won't have to wince like the rest of us when he tanks up his car, but in relative terms, the Jets do seem to be snubbing one of their most faithful players. Either the Jets don't seem to understand how people think-or perhaps they like their two new guys better and they are forcing Baker out. Either way, it's a strange way to treat one of their own.
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.
