canadiens
April 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Montreal goaltender returns to action and turns back 37 shots in 2-1 win over Washington It hardly seemed like typical provincial relations, but Quebec decided to follow Ontario’s lead in the quest to keep a Canadian team moving on in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Montreal Canadiens, down three games to one against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, said they were taking inspiration from the Ottawa Senators, who were down the same to the Pittsburgh Penguins but had somehow found victory the night before in the third overtime.
“It took them two games [Thursday] to beat Pittsburgh,” said Montreal forward Mike Cammalleri, “but they did.”
The Senators had been given little chance in Pittsburgh; the Canadiens had similar prospects in Washington – and yet they came out in a modern version of the old Flying Frenchmen and never touched down until they, too, had won the fifth game of their series, in this case a 2-1 victory over the Capitals.
The hero of this moment was not, however, the Montreal goal scorers, but goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who stopped 37 shots and was simply brilliant in the third period. During one Washington power play, Halak first stopped Alexander Semin on a point-blank opportunity and then deftly slipped to his left to deny Tomas Fleischmann what seemed a sure Washington goal.
Minutes later, he had a save off Ovechkin when it seemed the Washington captain had a lower corner picked.
The vaunted Washington scoring machine now has scored all of one goal in its last 24 power-play opportunities.
“We have to score on the power play,” said Ovechkin after the game. “We had lots of chances.
“Our top guys have got to score goals.”
Thanks to a silly too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty to the Capitals with only a minute left in the game, Halak had some welcome help as he held off the final furious attempts of the east’s top team. Even with goaltender Semyon Varlamov – who was himself excellent, stopping 26 of 28 shots – pulled for one more forward, Washington could not solve Halak.
That bench penalty for too many men on the ice is fast becoming a factor this spring, as hardly a game passes without one or two being called.
When they first skated out, the much-smaller Canadiens looked like an optical illusion on the Verizon Center ice – sort of a hockey equivalent of Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – but they took the game so hard to the larger Capitals that speed and determination more than compensated for size and superior skill.
Washington’s Mike Knuble had warned that the Canadiens were going to be playing “for their season” and they were – desperate to prolong this series at least one more game. The two teams will meet in Game 6 Monday in Montreal.
It was Cammalleri who began matters less than two minutes into the game when he took a seeing-eye backhand pass from Andrei Markov and fired a hard wrist shot past the blocker of Varlamov for his third goal of the postseason.
Cammalleri had told reporters that a first goal would be “a little bit of an uplift” for his team, and it most assuredly was.
brandon lafell
April 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
The Carolina Panthers have selected Louisiana State WR Brandon LaFell with the No. 78 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Fantasy analysis: Carolina desperately needed a receiver, and LaFell would have probably been a first-round pick had he come out last season. He has size (6-foot-3, 211 pounds), and should battle for a role in the starting lineup.
If there is a rookie wideout to put a little sleep stock into, it may be LaFell. He could be a red zone threat. He’s a sixth fantasy receiver for now, though, but he could work his way up the boards if the quarterback situation is settled early in the offseason.
jason campbell
April 5, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Rumors are swirling that after the acquisition of Donovan McNabb by the Washington Redskins that as many as 5 teams are interested in now back-up quarterback and restricted free agent Jason Campbell. Those 5 teams appear to be the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and an unnamed team. While it shouldn’t be too much of a shock there is this much interest in Jason Campbell, it is interesting as to how many quarterbacks the Jaguars have been linked to this offseason. Is it a bit of foreshadowing?
Star-divide
Today I had originally planned to write about how the trades recently made by the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns helped Jacksonville’s chances of either landing Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen or trading down, this certainly changes things. It’s likely nothing happens with Jason Campbell until draft day, as a couple of the teams interested have a shot at draft a quarterback early. There is a nice situation that could occur for the Jaguars however, if their interest is serious.
The first question you have to ask when looking at their interest in Jason Campbell is; Is he better than David Garrard?
I don’t think you can give anything more than a “maybe”. Sure, if you were to just ask people and not show them the numbers, most would say absolutely lot. I like to look into the numbers, though. We’ll compare the last two seasons of Jason Campbell and David Garrard and see just how far apart they are. I understand that in 2007 Garrard would dwarf Campbell, but 2007 was essentially Campbell’s first full-time season starting.
red sox
April 5, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Nearly five months after the Yankees’ Mark Teixeira closed his glove on the 2009 World Series, the 2010 Major League Baseball season opened Sunday night with a game that always has Series-level passion: Yankees-Red Sox.
The Red Sox won, 9-7, at Fenway Park. (Read Ben Shpigel’s article.)
Both teams had been typically busy in the offseason, although the Yankees in less typical fashion. A summer after they shelled out $423.5 million on contracts for Teixeria, Sabathia and A. J. Burnett, General Manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees closed their checkbooks and picked up the phone.
Rather than pay the clubhouse and fan favorite Johnny Damon, the Yankees made a deal for Detroit outfielder and good-guy Curtis Granderson. To fill a hole in their pitching rotation, the Yankees sent outfielder Melky Cabrera and some prospects to the Atlanta Braves for former Yankee Javier Vasquez. The Yankees did make a few smaller free-agent signings, inking designated hitter Nick Johnson to a $5.5 million contract to bat in the two spot.
Despite the signings and the departure of a few familiar faces (namely Damon and World Series M.V.P. Hideki Matsui), the 2010 Yankees look very similar to the 2009 World Championship roster. Granderson will be the only new face in the field, and the core of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera will be together again for a run at their sixth championship.
The Red Sox, instead, changed the attitude and style of their team, although their roster is far from revolutionized. Departing from their free-swinging days of 2004, Boston focused on building a defensive team that can withstand the grind of the regular season.
The Red Sox opted to let Jason Bay and his 36 homers walk to the Mets, instead signing veteran defensive center fielder Mike Cameron to help young Jacoby Ellsbury in the outfield. They opened their wallets for John Lackey, the marquee free-agent pitcher of the offseason, signing him to an $82.5 million deal. And they replaced Mike Lowell, the hero of the 2007 World Series, at third base with Gold Glove-winner Adrian Beltre.
Anytime the Yankees and Red Sox face off, the tension rises. The A.L. East race, playoffs, pride — a lot more rides on each game. Throw a World Series title defense in the mix, it gets even more interesting.
Grady Sizemore Photos
Latest updates about Grady Sizemore Photos :-Major League Baseball officials have asked Internet sites to remove racy photographs of Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore.
Grady Sizemore said the photos — one of them showing him nearly nude — were stolen from his girlfriend’s e-mail account and posted online. He contacted baseball officials to stop the spread of the photos, which began appearing Sunday on various Web sites.
It is not known how many sites are complying with MLB’s request. At least one site, deadspin.com, is refusing to take the photos down.
“There’s no reason to,” editor A.J. Daulerio said Monday. “They were up other places already.”
Daulerio said the Grady Sizemore photos originated on a community message board and were forwarded to his site, which is also displaying a letter from an MLB official requesting the photos be removed.
The letter reads: “The photos posted in the article cited below are the property of Grady Sizemore. They were stolen from a personal computer. We’ve begun an investigation and request that you immediately remove Mr. Sizemore’s property from the posting. We also ask that you preserve any records associated with its submission in anticipation of a criminal complaint to be filed with local law enforcement.”
MLB investigators are trying to determine how many sites ran the photos of Sizemore standing in front of a bathroom mirror in various stages of undress. Sizemore used a cell phone to take the pictures of himself. He told The Plain Dealer of Cleveland they were intended only for his girlfriend.
The Indians said Sizemore wouldn’t make any further comment on the photos.
“We fully support Grady as he deals with this personal matter,” the Indians said in a statement Monday. “The posted photos were stolen from his girlfriend’s e-mail account and a legal investigation is under way.”
The 27-year-old Sizemore is the Indians’ most popular player. His fan base includes “Grady’s Ladies,” and several other women’s groups devoted to the three-time All-Star.
With a rare combination of speed and power, Sizemore has developed into one of baseball’s best all-around players. He is one of only two players in club history to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in one season.
A two-time Gold Glove winner, Sizemore has endeared himself to Cleveland fans with his hustle and durability. In 2006 and 2007, he played in all 162 regular-season games, but he was limited to just 106 games last season.
Sizemore suffered an elbow injury and sports hernia during spring training in 2009 and was never 100 percent. He batted a career-low .248 with 18 homers and 64 RBIs before he deciding to stop playing on Sept. 4. He underwent two offseason surgeries.
Grady Sizemore Photos was first posted on December 1, 2009 at 9:56 pm.
Carlos Dunlap
Latest news updates about Carlos Dunlap :-Carlos Dunlap DUI: Arrested Gator Charged With Driving Under The Influence.
Florida star defensive end Carlos Dunlap was arrested and charged with drunken driving early Tuesday morning in Gainesville. Dunlap is a projected first-round NFL draft pick and is currently the Gators’ sack leader on defense.
According to reports suggest Carlos Dunlap was found passed out behind the wheel of his car at a Gainesville intersection, failed field sobriety tests once awakened, and refused a breathalyzer. Carlos Dunlap was later released on his own recognizance.
One figures Dunlap will certainly be suspended for Saturday’s SEC title game in Atlanta, especially after the heat Florida coach Urban Meyer received in the offseason over numerous disciplinary issues concerning his players.
A DUI is a very serious offense, but Dunlap’s decision to be out drinking in the middle of the night only a few days before the season’s biggest game will certainly be questioned by team officials, fans and NFL scouts.
Carlos Dunlap was first posted on December 1, 2009 at 10:03 pm.
Cristiano Ronaldo out of Sevilla tie after ankle injury
MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo out of Sevilla tie after ankle injury, Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of Real Madrid’s Spanish league match at Sevilla on Sunday due to an ankle injury.
The Portugal winger severely sprained his right ankle in Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League win over Marseille, in which he scored two goals.
Ronaldo has scored nine goals in seven games, including five in the league to help Madrid start the season unbeaten after five rounds.
“It’s a significant loss,” Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini said Saturday. “But we have a great squad that is ready for when these moments arrive, and the alternatives are very important.”
Pellegrini also left midfielders Lassana Diarra and Fernando Gago, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and defender Alvaro Arbeloa out of the squad.
Captain Raul Gonzalez or Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain is expected to fill in for Ronaldo, who joined Madrid for €94 million ($135 million) from Manchester United in the offseason.
Sevilla is third and has won six straight matches in all competitions, and forward Adriano is happy Ronaldo will be out.
“That works well for us,” the Brazilian said. “But Madrid is always dangerous, whoever comes.”
Cristiano Ronaldo out of Sevilla tie after ankle injury was first posted on October 3, 2009 at 11:11 pm.
