Tour Report: Watch: Finchem on Tiger, Rory, more (PGATOUR.com)
June 30, 2011
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Danica returns to NASCAR, still weighing options
June 30, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—Danica Patrick remains unaffected by the swirl of speculation that trails her everywhere, saying she has no timetable for making a decision about her racing future.
Patrick reiterated Thursday at Daytona International Speedway that she’s in no hurry to chose between IndyCar and NASCAR.
“These things, as I’ve said from the beginning of the year, are complicated and they take time,” Patrick said before the Nationwide Series practice. “Whether I’m coming here or not has yet to be signed, sealed and delivered. I might not be. Only time will tell. That timeline on my side of things, I’m really not sure. All I know is that I’m told I have a job to do in the car and you do your job and we’ll do our job and they fill me in from time to time. But it’s only July.”
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Patrick’s pending decision has been a major topic of conversation all season, much of it coming as she jumped from NASCAR to the IndyCar Series and back again.
Finding success in both series could make her choice even tougher. She was fourth in a Nationwide race at Las Vegas in March, the best finish for a female driver in NASCAR history, and has posted four top-10s in her last five IndyCar events. She also led 10 laps in the Indianapolis 500, a brief stint out front that left her hungry for another shot at open-wheel’s showcase event.
So what will sway her?
“It comes down to my gut and my desire and where I feel like I’ll be the happiest and where I feel like I’ll be able to have the most success,” she said. “And then from those thoughts my team explores the options. But it always starts with where I want to be.”
Patrick expressed little concern about reports her primary sponsor, GoDaddy.com, is being sold and said it would have no affect on her future.
The domain-name registration company known for its racy Super Bowl ads is reportedly close to being bought by two private investment firms for up to $2.5 billion. Patrick said GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons hasn’t said anything about a pending deal.
“It hasn’t affected my day,” Patrick said. “Still working with all the same people. I don’t know if it’s true. … Unless I hear from Bob and he tells me it’s been sold, it’s all speculation till that point. For me, it’s all status quo.”
Parsons nixed rumors about a potential sale earlier in the year, Patrick said, but has been mum in recent weeks.
“I remember this came up in the early part of the year,” Patrick said. “He called and told me that it wasn’t true, and that was it. I haven’t heard from him about it. I don’t know if that means it’s being done or if it’s not going to be done. Perhaps they don’t know that answer either.
“So I guess that why it’s still in speculation mode as opposed to reported true or reported false. Will that affect my relationship with them? I don’t know. It might not change anything. It might change everything. I’m not really sure. But like I said, right now for me it’s still status quo. We’re just trying to do a good job for them and represent them well.”
Patrick finished 10th in her last Nationwide race in Chicago in early June, and will return to IndyCar next week in Toronto.
This weekend, though, she will try to hone her skills at Daytona. She was 14th at NASCAR’s most famous track in the Nationwide season opener despite struggling with some aspects of the new tandem racing. She turned two laps in practice Thursday before scrapping the wall and returning to the garage.
“I need some practice,” she said. “I want to be efficient at it, good at it, before the race starts.”
Daily Wrap-up: Round 1, AT&T National (PGATOUR.com)
June 30, 2011
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP)—Adam Scott must have felt as though he got another crack at the U.S. Open on Thursday in the AT&T National. Only this course felt more like a U.S. Open.
Aronimink built on its growing reputation when only 28 players managed to break par in the opening round despite warm sunshine and a mild breeze. Scott and Hunter Haas, who were tied atop the leaderboard at 4-under 66, followed a U.S. Open formula by trying to keep the ball in play off the tee and being cautious on the greens.
“It’s a great golf course, obviously, but in great shape,” Scott said. “But they’ve set the course up beautifully. The greens are perfect and they’ve got very generous fairways, but severe rough, which is a nice balance. There are good scores out there, but you have to play well.”
Adam Scott watches his shot du… AP – Jun 23, 5:29 pm EDT Golf Gallery
The U.S. Open became a talking point because of how hard players had to work for their scores on a course with firm fairways, fast greens and several diabolical hole locations. The average score was about 71.5, and all but four of the holes played over par.
Rain softened the course at Congressional two weeks ago, and while Rory McIlroy turned in a command performance with a record 16-under 268, the 20 scores under par at the end of the week were unusual for a U.S. Open.
“They obviously didn’t the get the greens where they really would have liked them,” said Scott, who missed the cut by one shot at Congressional. “And here, I think they’ve got the greens probably where the U.S. Open would have liked them on a Thursday.”
Scott holed birdie putts of 20 feet and 25 feet early in his round, and finished with a 15-foot par save on the 17th and another 15-footer for birdie on the 18th. His lone bogey came on a three-putt from the fringe on the difficult 10th, and he called it a “stress-free” round.
The 30-year-old Australian wasn’t even planning to play the AT&T National, but felt his game was in decent shape and that he could use another start. So he lined up Tiger Woods’ caddie, Steve Williams, for another week of work. This time, they figure to stick around a little longer.
Haas ran off four straight birdies on the back nine early in his round and he was the only player to get to 5 under until he got out of position of the tee at No. 7 and made his lone bogey.
When he played his practice round Tuesday, it was raining. Haas was surprised how quickly the course became firm, especially the greens. The reminder came from a scoreboard he saw just before he teed off, showing four players from the morning batch at no better than 67—Joe Ogilvie, Jhonattan Vegas, Dean Wilson and Kyle Stanley.
“I said, ‘Wow, I thought the scores would be a lot lower than that.’ And that’s just kind of where I put my mindset on the scoring and how to play this golf course,” Haas said.
Pat Perez was in the group at 68 that included Vijay Singh, Rickie Fowler, Justin Leonard and Robert Garrigus. Perez didn’t play the U.S. Open and felt as though he did on Thursday. Perhaps most telling is that Perez had no complaints about his score.
“This place is a month away from playing the U.S. Open,” Perez said. “If they brought the fairways in, no joke this course is ready for a U.S. Open doing very little. Because if you hit it in the rough five or six times, you’re dead.”
And then there was Chris Riley, who opened with a 69. He received some criticism for not trying to qualify for the U.S. Open, and he said even some of his friends at home in San Diego asked him why he didn’t qualify.
“I told them I was playing a U.S. Open in two weeks on this course,” he said with a grin.
That was the consensus of most players, and details of some of the rounds added more credence. Vegas managed to get around Aronimink without making a bogey. On No. 16, the easiest of the two par 5s, Wilson figured he had squandered his chance until he flopped a shot out of the rough and it firmly struck the pin and dropped for eagle.
Ogilvie said the key to his round was a bogey on No. 10. From where he hit his tee shot, left into the deep grass and trees, he figured he would be lucky to make double bogey. Instead, he managed to get up-and-down from about 90 yards to limit the damage.
“I didn’t do anything crazy on the greens. I just played them solid,” Ogilvie said. “This course is set up like a U.S. Open. The fairways are a little bit wider, but it’s definitely playing similar—except for this year’s U.S. Open.”
Garrigus was the low American at the U.S. Open, where he tied for third. He shot all four rounds under par at Congressional, and still finished 10 shots behind. He struggled to break par at Aronimink and was close to the lead after one round.
“Anything under par today is great,” he said. “They changed a few of the greens, a little more severe around the edges, so you can hit a pretty good shot and not get rewarded. But you know where you can miss it. You know where you can’t hit and you know where you can.
“I don’t think double digits is going to win this week.”
Aronimink: ThursdayEASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE 
The par-5 16th hole was the easiest with a Thursday scoring average of 4.517.EAGLES: 5 BIRDIES: 51 PARS: 58 BOGEYS: 4 OTHER: 0 
The par-3 8th hole was the toughest with a Thursday scoring average of 3.525.EAGLES: 0 BIRDIES: 6 PARS: 52 BOGEYS: 54 OTHERS: 6 About the leaders • Adam Scott converted a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to card a 66 and share the lead at 4-under after the first round. Scott’s 66 equals his low round on the PGA TOUR in 2011, which he previously shot in the opening round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. • Scott holds the lead/co-lead after the first round for the seventh time in his PGA TOUR career and for the first time since the 2008 Shell Houston Open (WD due to illness after second round). He has converted just one of his previous six first-round leads/co-leads in to victory, winning by one at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2004. • Entering this week, Scott has made six-of-10 cuts on TOUR in 2011 with his best result a T2 at the Masters. His only other top 10 on the season was a T6 the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Scott is in search of his eighth-career PGA TOUR victory and first since the 2010 Valero Texas Open. • In his only previous appearance at the AT&T National Scott missed the cut in 2007. • A 2010 graduate of the Nationwide Tour, Hunter Haas carded a 66 in the first round to share the lead with Adam Scott at 4-under. It represents the second time in his PGA TOUR career he has held the lead/co-lead after 18 holes. Haas led the 2005 Children’s Miracle Network Classic after the first round en route to a T58. • Haas’ round was highlighted by a string of four consecutive birdies from Nos. 13-16, his front nine, as he went out in 31. His only blemish on the day was a bogey at the par-4 seventh. • In 19 starts on TOUR this year, Haas has made 12 cuts and posted one top 10, a T3 at the Puerto Rico Open. His 66 represents his lowest opening-round score on TOUR in 2011, bettering a pair of 67s carded at the Bob Hope Classic and Puerto Rico Open. • In his third full season on the PGA TOUR (2001, 2005 and 2011), Haas had made 85 starts entering this week with his best result the T3 earlier this year in Puerto Rico.
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Amundson opts to remain with Warriors
June 30, 2011
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Golden State Warriors forward Lou Amundson has toldthe team that he is exercising the player option on his contract for nextseason.
The Warriors also announced Thursday that they waived forward Jeff Adrien(notes).Both moves came before the start of the NBA lockout on Friday.
Golden State Warriors draft pi… AP – Jun 27, 4:15 pm EDT NBA Gallery
Amundson appeared in 46 games for the Warriors last season, averaging 4.3points and 4.0 rebounds. Overall during his five-year NBA career, he hasaveraged 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 228 regular-season games with Utah,Philadelphia, Phoenix and Golden State.
Adrien appeared in 23 games over two stints with the Warriors last season,averaging 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
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Tour Report: Compton struggles to 76 (PGATOUR.com)
June 30, 2011
Martin/Getty ImagesErik Compton is playing for the fifth week in a row.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — It’s understandable that Erik Compton would have a letdown after winning the Mexico Open on the Nationwide Tour last week and that’s exactly what happened Thursday a Aronimink, where he shot a 6-over 76.
BETHESDA, MD – JUNE 16: Mark … Getty Images – Jun 16, 4:53 pm EDT Golf Gallery
“I didn’t get much preparation for the tournament,” said Compton, whose week has been a whirlwind since he all but secure his PGA TOUR card for next season with last week’s victory. “I kind of knew that. Unfortunately I just didn’t have much focus today.
“It was just kind of mixed emotions when you come off a win. I can’t beat myself up too bad. I feel like I struck the ball okay, just the grind is out of me. It’s hard to grind.”
It was an up and down day for sure for Compton, who had three bogeys, three double bogeys, one birdie and one eagle.
It’s been a busy week for Compton off the course, too, with interview requests and television appearances every day leading into the tournament. This also marks Compton’s fifth week in a row playing.
”I’m not so much tired, just mentally being on the road for five weeks,” Compton said. “I almost feel like today was my practice round, so maybe tomorrow I’ll come out and shoot 4 or 5 under. “
Wrapping up Round 1
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Adam Scott and Hunter Haas share the lead at 4 under after the first round of the AT&T National. Here’s a look at some key numbers from each of their rounds:
Adam Scott
Scott’s 66 equals his low round on the PGA TOUR in 2011, which he previously shot in the opening round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
Scott holds the lead/co-lead after the first round for the seventh time in his TOUR career and for the first time since the 2008 Shell Houston Open (WD due to illness after second round). He has converted just one of his previous six first-round leads/co-leads in to victory, winning by one at THE PLAYERS Championship in 2004.
Entering this week, Scott has made 6-of-10 cuts on TOUR in 2011 with his best result a tie for second at the Masters. His only other top-10 on the season was a tie for sixth at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. Scott is in search of his eighth-career TOUR victory and first since the 2010 Valero Texas Open.
In his only previous appearance at the AT&T National Scott missed the cut in 2007.
Hunter Haas
It represents the second time in his TOUR career he has held the lead/co-lead after 18 holes. Haas led the 2005 Children’s Miracle Network Classic after the first round en route to a tie for 58th.
Haas’ round was highlighted by a string of four consecutive birdies from Nos. 13-16, his front nine, as he went out in 31. His only blemish on the day was a bogey at the par-4 seventh.
In 19 starts on TOUR this year, Haas has made 12 cuts and posted one top-10, a tie for third at the Puerto Rico Open. His 66 represents his lowest opening-round score on TOUR in 2011, bettering a pair of 67s carded at the Bob Hope Classic and Puerto Rico Open.
In his third full season on the PGA TOUR (2001, 2005 and 2011), Haas had made 85 starts entering this week with his best result the tie for third earlier this year in Puerto Rico.
Williams, Scott a good match
Cannon/Getty ImagesSteve Williams has been on Adam scott’s bag since the U.S. Open.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — This is just the second tournament Steve Williams has worked for Adam Scott since Tiger Woods has been recovering from injury.
In their first tournament together, Scott missed the cut at the U.S. Open. Thursday at Aronimink, Scott shot a 4-under 66 to share the lead.
“I’ve learned some things off Steve, and he obviously knows how to manage his way around the golf course with all the people that he’s caddied for over the years,” Scott said. “He’s got a wealth of knowledge, and I’m trying to tap as much of that as I can while he’s on the bag certainly.”
Most of those years, at least the recent ones, Williams has been on Woods’ bag. He’s caddied for him in 13 of the 14 major championships Woods has won. With Woods still recovering from knee and Achilles injuries, however, Scott asked Williams if he wouldn’t mind carrying his bag until Woods was healthy again.
“You know, he’s getting there,” Scott joked. “He’s kind of getting the hang of it, yeah, now three rounds in, he might have a future one day, this guy (smiling).”
If Woods misses the British Open, it’s likely Williams would remain on the bag for Scott.
”He’s very confident in himself, but I felt like at the U.S. Open he certainly guided me around that first round very nicely and put me in all the right places and kept it very simple,” Scott continued. “It seems like he manages himself around the course like a really good golfer would, and that’s obviously nice because he understands how to get it around.”
Haas still on top for now
NETOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aronimink continues to prove difficult — only 30 players are under par at the moment.
One of those is Hunter Haas, who is 5 under and atop the leaderboard. Haas is bogey free and at one point made four straight birdies on Nos. 13 through 16 (he started on the back nine).
Haas has missed three of his last four cuts, but he has his game working here. Haas is fourth in putting and seventh in the field in greens in regulation.
Elsewhere on the leaderboard, Adam Scott is 3 under as he finishes up his round, while Vijay Singh has fallen back to 2 under. Also at 2 under is Rickie Fowler, who just finished off his 68
Leonard working with putting coach
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Justin Leonard’s season hasn’t exactly gone very well. He has just three top-25s and he’s missed the cut in seven of his last 10 starts.
That prompted Leonard, who works with Randy Smith, to also turn to Marius Filmalter for help with his putting. The two have worked together the last few weeks and again this week at Aronimink.
The result? An opening-round 2-under 68 to get Leonard near the lead.
”I’ve been working very hard and playing pretty well but just not getting the scores out of it,” Leonard said. “It was nice to get out there and make a couple birdies early and be comfortable out there shooting a good score.”
What Filmalter has been working with Leonard on is trying to shorten his putting stroke, which Leonard says had gotten long and loose.
”The main thing is gaining confidence and getting comfortable,” Leonard said. “I’m doing those two things.”
Cantlay shoots even par
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Patrick Cantlay is playing in his third PGA TOUR event this week after finishing as the low amateur at the U.S. Open and last week recording a course-record 60 during the Travelers Championship. Thursday’s round at the AT&T National came with much less fanfare with Cantlay shooting even-par 70.
Still, considering only 31 players are under par for the moment, Cantlay’s round stands up pretty well.
The 19-year-old amateur had three birdies and three bogeys and took 29 putts.
Compton proving he belongs
By Zak Kozuchowski, PGATOUR.COM
Erik Compton continues to prove he has the skills necessary to compete on the PGA TOUR. He got off to a quick start at Aronomink with a birdie on its 430-yard opening hole and is currently 1 over through his first six holes on the tough track (click here to follow him live with Shot Tracker).
Compton is battling the emotions of winning his first Nationwide Tour event last week, the Mexico Open presented by Banamex. He’s also been subject to a great deal of media attention because of his health issues Compton was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy at the age of nine, and has since undergone two heart transplants that have kept him alive. Because of his condition, Compton battles a lot of fatigue and has to pace himself.
He’s done that well this year. His win last week moved him to No. 2 on the Nationwide Tour money list, virtually assuring that he will earn his PGA TOUR card next year. This week, Compton is paired with Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan, who are also 1 over.
Vegas trying to meet difficult demands
Stan Badz/PGA TOURJhonattan Vegas opened the AT&T National with a 3-under 67 Thursday.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Jhonattan Vegas won in just his second career start on the PGA TOUR earlier this year. Since then, he’s tried to learn and manage all the expectations and demands that go with being a winner, much less one from Venezuela, a country where golf is almost non-existent.
Naturally, it hasn’t been easy.
“Being a foreign player, especially coming from a country that has no idea about golf, the demands internationally are really tough,” said Vegas, who opened with a 3-under 67 to share the lead at the AT&T National. “The thing that I realized after a few weeks of playing horrible is that mentally you really get worn out if you’re not careful, having to deal with so many things, the media back home, and trying to explain to everyone what really golf is and finishing top 20 in a TOUR event is not the end of the world because the people keep asking, ‘Why did you finish 19th, are you kidding, what a horrible week’ and I’m like, really?”
Those demands have certainly taken a toll on Vegas’ golf. In his last 11 starts, for example, Vegas has missed the cut six times and failed to finish in the top 25.
The demands, plus the results have tested Vegas’ patience at times, but he’s also learning to be patient.
“When I won so early and then almost won the following week, expectations were a little high and I wanted to win every week,” Vegas said. “Sometimes the game puts you in your place if you’re not careful.
“It’s been hard having to deal with all that stuff, but I’m taking it as it goes and being a little bit more patient and just trying to just focus on myself a little more.”
That certainly worked Thursday at Aronimink.
“It’s a course that you have to have absolutely everything in place to play great,” Vegas said. “That’s kind of what I did from tee to green today.”
Ogilvie starts strong despite injury
Carroll/Getty ImagesJoe Ogilvie shot a 3-under 67 Thursday at Aronimink.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Despite a left wrist injury that will require an MRI, Joe Ogilvie finds himself in a familiar position at the AT& National.
A year after shooting a 66 in the first round at Aronimink, Ogilvie opened with a 67 Thursday to share the top spot. Coincidentally, he also led after the first round in 2007 when the event was played at Congressional.
”It sets up for my eye,” Ogilvie said of Aronimink. “And I’m smart enough to figure out this is a golf course where you can miss it in certain places in the fairway and kind of have angles, so if you do hit it in the rough, you can kind of scrape it on the green. And other than 10, I executed my game plan well in the sense of where I missed the shots because I know I’m going to miss a lot of shots. I just want to miss them in the right place.”
To Ogilvie’s point, despite hitting just 57 percent of his fairways, he still hit 72 percent of his greens in regulation. That helped open the door for four birdies and just one bogey.
“[The greens] are just tricky, a lot of hills and dales, and the pin placements today I thought were tough,” Ogilvie said. “The greens are very tricky, but they’re true.”
DeLaet withdraws from tournament
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Graham DeLaet has withdrawn from the AT&T National, citing a back injury.
“WD this week from AT&T. Back not feeling 100% and don’t really want to push it,” the Canadian tweeted.
DeLaet withdrew before his round began.
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Graham DeLaet has withdrawn from the AT&T National, citing a back injury. âWD this week from AT&T. Back not feeling 100% and donât really want to push it,â the Canadian tweeted. DeLaet withdrew before his round began.
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Marlins to open park April 4 vs. Cards
June 30, 2011
NEW YORK (AP)—The Marlins will open their new $515 million ballparkagainst the St. Louis Cardinals on April 4, a person familiar with next season’sdraft schedule told The Associated Press
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because Major LeagueBaseball does not plan to announce the schedule, which is still preliminary,until September.
BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 29: Colby… Getty Images – Jun 29, 8:21 pm EDT MLB Gallery
“That’s cool. It’s the first I heard of it,” Florida catcher John Buck(notes)said after a 5-4 win at Oakland. “It’s fun to have an opening day in your homestadium, period. Then to have the excitement of a new stadium is only going toheighten it. I’m looking forward to it.”
Florida’s downtown ballpark, which has a retractable roof, will be the firstto open in the majors since Minnesota’s Target Field in 2010. The franchise isto be renamed the Miami Marlins next year.
“It will be quite a show,” Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. “To open upa new stadium that Miami can call their own, a true baseball stadium, abeautiful facility. What else could you ask for? They’re going to have to behappy.”
Many teams prefer to open on the road in the years they move into a newballpark, giving them extra time to get the stadium ready.
The game against St. Louis is a one-game homestand and is likely to betelevised by ESPN. Before then, the Marlins are planning an exhibition againstthe New York Yankees.
Since the Marlins began play in 1993, their home games have been at what nowis called Sun Life Stadium, about 16 miles north.
The Marlins say they have had 191 rain delays during games in Miami, anaverage of more than 10 per season—although none this year.
When the Marlins move out of Sun Life, where the Miami Dolphins and MiamiHurricanes play their home football games, Oakland’s Coliseum will be the laststadium shared by MLB and NFL teams. In the early 1990s, about two-thirds ofmajor league clubs shared ballparks with NFL teams.
With the opening of the new Miami stadium, Oakland and Tampa Bay will be thelast big league teams hoping for new ballparks.
AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.
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Lambeau officials study new Wis. gun law
June 30, 2011
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP)—Lambeau Field officials are trying to determine howthe state’s new concealed carry legislation will affect them.
The Wisconsin legislation allows the carrying of concealed weapons but notin buildings owned or leased by the state.
Green Bay Packers ' Donald… AP – Jun 16, 11:41 pm EDT NFL Gallery
Gov. Scott Walker is expected to sign the bill after July 4th and the law isexpected to go into effect in October or November.
Pat Webb is the executive director of the Green Bay/Brown CountyProfessional Football Stadium District. Webb tells WLUK-TV(http://bit.ly/iQftNF) he doesn’t know if the law officially considers Lambeau agovernment building.
Green Bay Police Captain Paul Ebel says they are dissecting the legislationand planning to consult with the city’s attorneys and the Packers organization.
The NFL says guns are not allowed in any NFL stadium.
Information from: WLUK-TV, http://www.fox11online.com
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Dust still settling from Sonoma scrapes
June 30, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)—It was just a handshake between a pair of rivals on a day in which most of the drivers were mad at somebody.
But the gesture of goodwill from Kyle Busch toward Kevin Harvick certainly made news across the Sprint Cup Series garage. The two don’t like each other, tangled after a race in May that earned them each a $25,000 fine, and were warned by NASCAR last month to stop messing with each other on the race track.
So after all the post-race sniping last Sunday at Sonoma between drivers who had been involved in on-track incidents, it was strange to see Busch and Harvick acting buddy-buddy.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – JUNE 30: … Getty Images – Jun 30, 7:13 pm EDT NASCAR Gallery
“I felt like we had a really good race with each other, so, just wanted to let him know that,” Busch said Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. “We gave each other great room and raced each other hard and clean. And that’s all there is to it.”
Maybe so, but the unexpected handshake left Harvick a bit perplexed.
“I mean, we raced together for a lap and a half,” Harvick said. “I was as confused about all that as everybody else.”
Was it enough to patch things up between the two drivers?
“I wouldn’t call it good to go on that,” Harvick said.
It was at least good on one day, though, and that day happened to be one in which the list of angry drivers might have been as long as the race track.
Kasey Kahne was mad at Juan Pablo Montoya, and Montoya said Thursday although he was OK with Brad Keselowski, his wife was pretty angry at the Penske Racing driver. Joey Logano and Robby Gordon played another round of bumper cars, and Brian Vickers exacted revenge on Tony Stewart by intentionally wrecking him as retaliation for Stewart bumping him earlier.
Whether there’s any carry-over Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway remains to be seen.
“Does it carry-over into the next week? It’s always there,” said Sonoma winner Kurt Busch. “Drivers never forget.”
That could make it interesting at Daytona, where the new style of restrictor plate racing requires drivers to have a drafting partner. Two-car tandems is the new norm at Daytona and Talladega, and drivers don’t have a chance at the victory if they don’t find a drafting partner they can trust.
In an ideal world, drivers will only work with drivers they like. But nothing is ideal at Daytona, and it’s quite possible that two feuding drivers could find themselves hooked up on the track.
“It seems like each year that you go to those restrictor-plate races that you have your friends that you’re going to draft with and then you have those guys that you’ve had some run-ins with that you don’t necessarily want to draft with,” Kurt Busch said. “But what ends up happening in this two-car draft scenario is wherever you come out on pit road after a pit stop, and if you haven’t teamed-up with someone, you might end up drafting with someone that might be on that list that you don’t like.
“You have to do the best that you can do to win. You’ve got to put your differences aside for the short term.”
Jeff Gordon, who finished second at Sonoma, said drivers are trying to figure out who to draft with long before Saturday night’s race.
“I’m sure there’s already been calls being made because a lot of times you have your drafting partner set up from maybe Talladega or maybe earlier in Daytona, and if you made that guy angry on Sunday at Sonoma, it’s going to make that phone call a little tougher,” Gordon said earlier this week.
Gordon, who had a clean race at Sonoma, said he’s already set it up to work with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin.
Harvick will likely work with his Richard Childress Racing teammates. But should he find himself forced to work with Kyle Busch, at least one driver thinks Harvick will be fine.
“I would consider (the handshake) genuine,” said Denny Hamlin, Busch’s teammate. “Kyle is just not a ‘head games’ type of guy, I don’t believe. He never really does anything on-track to instigate it. I feel like he’s one of the most fair racers really out there. Even though he’s aggressive at times, he does a pretty good job of keeping it relatively safe for the other drivers.”
But does Hamlin, who has had his own feuds with Busch, believe there is hope for Busch-Harvick reconciliation?
“Every team has its own makeup and drivers have their own personalities, and a lot of times they don’t mesh well together and we saw that with the 29 and the 18 this year. But in general, everyone is going to work it out in time.
“Even though you consider yourself the toughest of rivals we still do a lot of things together that kind of patch that up at times.”
House exercises option to stay with Heat
June 30, 2011
MIAMI (AP)—Miami Heat reserve guard Eddie House(notes) has decided to exercisethe option clause in his contract, and he’ll be back with the team next season.
House’s decision was confirmed Thursday by the team. House, who could havebecome a free agent, is now under contract for $1.4 million for next year.
Eddie House (L) of the Miami H… Getty Images – Jun 12, 10:22 pm EDT NBA Gallery
The 11-year pro played in 56 games for the Eastern Conference champions lastseason, averaged 6.5 points per game and made 68 3-pointers.
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Pierre leads White Sox by Rockies in 10
June 30, 2011
DENVER (AP)—Light-hitting Juan Pierre(notes) laced a tiebreaking, two-run singleoff the wall in the 10th inning, helping the Chicago White Sox rally for a 6-4win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
With the bases loaded, Pierre, who’s known for his speed more than hispower, turned on a pitch from Clayton Mortensen(notes) (2-4) that hit off the top ofthe wall in right.
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DENVER, CO – JUNE 30: Troy Tu… Getty Images – Jun 30, 3:49 pm EDT 1 of 27 CWS-Col Gallery Series at a Glance Chi White Sox 2 Colorado 3 Tue, Jun 28 – Final 13th Chi White Sox 3 Colorado 2 Wed, Jun 29 – Final Chi White Sox 6 Colorado 4 Thu, Jun 30 – Final 10th
The ball was hit so hard and on such a line that the runners held up on thebases, limiting Pierre to just a single. A.J. Pierzynski(notes) and Gordon Beckham(notes)scored on the play as the White Sox took two of three from the Rockies in theseries. It’s also the nine straight interleague series Chicago has won on theroad.
Sergio Santos(notes) pitched a perfect 10th for his 17th save in 19 chances. JesseCrain(notes) (4-2) picked up the win by getting the last two outs in the ninth.
The three-game series was tightly contested, with the Rockies winning in 13innings on Tuesday, the White Sox taking the second game with a run in the ninthWednesday and then Pierre coming up big for the White Sox on Thursday.
Beckham finished with three hits, including a solo homer in the seventh.
Troy Tulowitzki(notes) hit a three-run homer in the first for Colorado and ToddHelton(notes) played in his 2,000th career game.
Trailing 4-2 heading into the eighth, the White Sox rallied for two runs offRockies reliever Matt Lindstrom(notes). Beckham had an RBI single and Pierre laterdrove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly.
Jake Peavy(notes) only made one major mistake all afternoon, leaving a pitch up toTulowitzki in the opening inning after the two engaged in quite a showdown.
On the 12th pitch of the at bat, Tulowitzki crushed an 89-mph fastball fromPeavy over the fence in center for a three-run homer.
Peavy scattered seven hits over six innings and allowed four runs in the nodecision. The righty is 13-8 with a 3.01 ERA lifetime in interleague games.
This was Peavy’s third appearance since coming off the disabled list lastweek with a strained groin. Peavy pitched in relief in his last outing, throwingfour scoreless frames to pick up the win against Washington last Saturday. Itwas the first relief stint of his career.
Aaron Cook(notes) found the form that made him Colorado’s all-time winningestpitcher, giving up five hits and one run before being pulled for a pinch hitterin the sixth. He’s still searching for his first win since last September as thebullpen couldn’t hold a late lead.
The sinkerball specialist enticed the White Sox to hit into three doubleplays, allowing him wiggle out of several jams.
Cook struggled with his command in the second as he walked three in theinning, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch that allowed a runner to score. Buthe eventually escaped further damage by getting Pierre to ground out with thebases loaded.
Moments before the game, the Rockies acquired veteran second baseman MarkEllis(notes) from Oakland to revamp their infield. He’s expected to be available Fridaynight against Kansas City.
The Rockies are hoping he can provide some consistency at second. The teamhas used Chris Nelson(notes), Jonathan Herrera(notes), Eric Young(notes) Jr. and Jose Lopez(notes), who’snow gone.
On the afternoon Ellis was acquired, Herrera had two hits.
NOTES: White Sox MGR Ozzie Guillen doesn’t expect any setbacks with LHP JohnDanks(notes), who went on the disabled list Sunday with a strained oblique. “As soonas he throws, we’ll will see how we’re going to work with him,” Guillen. …The Rockies sent minor league RHP Bruce Billings(notes) and a player to be named toOakland for the 34-year-old Ellis and cash. … Helton tipped his cap in thesixth when the crowd gave him a standing ovation for reaching the 2,000-gameplateau.
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