Dayton Tribune » Sports & Recreation

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady not injured in early morning car accident

Peter Tellman — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:18:44 +0000

New England Patriots QB Tom Brady not injured in early morning car accident - Photo taken from Youtube video

New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady was involved in an early morning accident in Boston early Thursday morning around 6:30 a.m. at the intersection of Commonwealth Ave. and Gloucester St.

Brady was on his way to the patriots practice when a red minivan allegedly ran a red light leading up to the accident which was only 3 miles from Brady’s home.

A witness to the accident who was out walking her dogs said that Brady, driving in a black Audi S8 sedan was traveling south on Gloucester street on a green light when his car collided with a fast moving red Ford Aerostar minivan that was heading west on Commonwealth Ave. The witness said “The red car went up in the air, sideways. … The tire was half off.”

The crash resulted in heavy damage to both vehicles and while Brady and the driver of the other vehicle appeared to be ok the passenger of the minivan had to be freed using the Jaws of Life and was taken to Brigham & Women’s Hospital in serious condition, though the injuries were not considered life threatening. Mean while Brady was well enough that we was able to participate in the Patriots walkthrough practice later in the day.

No charges have been filed at this time according to Boston Fire Dept. spokesman Steve McDonald.

New England Patriots head coach informed the rest of the team of the accident before practice and said that Brady would arrive a bit late. Brady will lead the Patriots in their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals in Foxboro this Sunday.

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New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker ready to start training camp

Peter Tellman — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:42:22 +0000

New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker - Photo By © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons

There are reports that Wes Welker could be ready for the New England Patriots training camp that begins next week.

Welker injured his left knee on New England’s first possession in last season’s final game at the Houston Texans. After catching a pass from QB Tom Brady Welker while attempting to fake out a defender appeared to have his knee buckle as he turned up field. The receiver was in obvious pain and ultimately was taken to the locker room on a cart ending his season.

The injury Welker sustained was a tear to the ACL and MCL just like Brady’s was, but Welker’s injury was not as sever. Still the shifty receiver depends more on his ability to accelerate quickly and make sharp cuts in open field which can be very hard on the knees so there will be questions on how effective he can be until the knee is tested in live games.

“I know the coaches and teammates have confidence in me just like I do them, and we’re just going to move along as quickly as we can,” Welker said last month. “I want to get back as early as possible. Whenever that is, is when it is. My main goal is just working hard and getting back with my teammates as early as possible.”

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Cubs manager Lou Piniella announces he’ll retire at seasons end

Peter Tellman — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:15:24 +0000

Lou Piniella Announces Retirement - Photo By Jauerback at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jauerback

Former Yankee great Lou Piniella, now the head coach for the Chicago Cubs announced his retirement Tuesday which will go into effect at the end of this season.

Piniella spent the vast majority of his 18 year career as a New York Yankee with a batting average of .291 as a player. Piniella also managed the Yankees in 1996 and 1998 and won manager of the year honors in 1995 and 2001 with Seattle and again in 2008 with the Chicago Cubs.

Some of Piniella’s best years came as a manager when he helped the Cincinnati Reds win a World Series in 1990, then led the Seattle Mariners to their first ever post season in 2001. The Mariners also managed to tie an American League record that season with 116 wins and also defeated his former Yankee team that year in the playoffs.

“What it has to do with more than anything else is my age factor and the fact that I want to be home,” said Piniella at a news conference in Chicago. “It’s time for me to get on with a new phase of my life.”

The Cubs did not announce a replacement for Piniella.

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Mandalay Entertainment Group Pays NBA record for the Warriors

Peter Tellman — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:15:52 +0000

Golden State Warriors - Photo By permanently scatterbrained (Eric Molina) at Flickr.com

For days is was considered a near lock that the NBA’s Golden State warriors would be purchased by Oracle Corporation CEO Larry Ellison, but it didn’t happen.

On Thursday Mandalay Entertainment Group chairman Peter Guber and Joe Lacob, who had been a minority partner in the Boston Celtics, bought the Warriors for an NBA-record setting $450 million.

The previous all time high price paid for an NBA team was back in 2004 by businessman Robert Sarver who paid $410 million for the Phoenix Suns.

The fact that the team didn’t ultimately end up in Ellison’s hands could be consider unusual since Ellison’s offer was actually higher than the accepted $450 million.

Mr. Ellison said in a statement that he had made the highest offer for the team but that current owner Chris Cohan went with the competing bid anyway. “In my experience this is a bit unusual. Nonetheless, I wish the Warriors and their fans nothing but success under their new ownership,” Mr. Ellison said in the release.

Despite the Warriors having posted a losing record in 14 of the past 16 seasons, the franchise is still considered a valuable property because of the size of their Bay Area media market and the intensity of their fan base. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Warriors’ four minority owners, who each own a 5% stake of the team, will stay with the team or not.

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Vanderbilt football Johnson coach shocks everyone and retires from coaching

Peter Tellman — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:45:28 +0000

Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson - Photo By J. Glover, Atlanta, Georgia

NASHVILLE (Tenn.) – Vanderbilt’s football coach Bobby Johnson shocked his staff, players and school administration by calling a news conference Wednesday afternoon to announce his retirement from college football.

With no ambition to becoming a college football coach again in the future Johnson said “Football is not life”. “It is a way of life. It consumes your life. You only have so many years to live and you want to see a different way. Some guys will coach one foot in the coffin, but I want to do other things.”

David Williams, Vanderbilt’s vice chancellor, who oversees the athletic department, learned of Johnson’s decision Tuesday. William’s attempted to persuade the coach to remain with the program and even offered Johnson a raise to stay on.

“I tried to talk him out of it yesterday,” Williams said at the news conference. “I tried to talk him out of hit last night. I tried to talk him out of it this morning.”

“If you don’t have the investment in a season where it means everything to you, I don’t think you should be coaching,” Johnson said. “That’s what I would have been doing if David had talked me back into it.”

The timing of the resignation so close to the beginning of the new season means Vanderbilt will most likely promote an assistant to serve as interim coach. Caldwell, who had been the offensive line coach, never has been a college head coach. His only head-coaching experience is as a high school baseball coach.

“I’m not searching for anything other than victory,” Williams said. “There’s no national search for a coach. We have a coach. He’s right here.”

Johnson said he’s looking forward to living a life away from football and the uncertainty that will come with it.

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Dallas Mavericks owner thinks NBA needs to re-evaluate the issue of player tampering

Peter Tellman — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:05:57 +0000

Lebron James - Photo By Keith Allison at Flickr.com

LAS VEGAS –Monday there was some sentiment for revisiting the rules governing player-to-player tampering. But no team has filed a tampering complaint, nor does the league expect one.

The reason for bringing up the player rules came about after the mega deal the Miami Heat managed to pull off when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all became Miami Heat teammates last week, turning a shared dream into reality and unleashing a torrent of suspicion.

Some now wonder if they had they planned it all along, and if so, was this collusion? Tampering? Illegal?

The league could investigate without a formal complaint, but Commissioner Stern said, “There’s nothing here at this time that is causing us to lodge an investigation.” Stern also dismissed news reports that implied a long-term conspiracy as a “variety of gossip, bound together with innuendo, infused by hearsay.”

Still many Cleveland fans and rival teams are somewhat skeptical that collusion wasn’t a factor. The players involved had spoken openly of convening a “free-agent summit” to discuss their plans, even before free agency formally opened and they conferred with each other throughout the process.

The suspicions became even more concrete Sunday, when The Cleveland Plain Dealer published a detailed narrative that traced the alliance back to 2006, when James, Wade and Bosh became teammates for USA Basketball. The article however was based mostly on anonymous sources, referred to “a complex master plan that was the trio’s desire for much of the past four years.” And not on anything solid which is probably what Stern was referring to as “hearsay”.

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Spain defeats Netherlands for first World Cup title

Peter Tellman — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:21:45 +0000

JOHANNESBURG – In perhaps one of the ugliest finals in World Cup finals history Spain tops the Netherlands with a goal with only four minutes remaining in overtime to win it all 1-0.

With the Netherlands determined to disallow Spain to use its precision passing attack that they used to perfection against Germany the match quickly turned into a hard fought yellow card filled event. In fact referee Howard Webb handed out a record 14 yellow cards and one red. The previous record for a final was 6 yellows.

While this resulted in more possession for Spain, it was the Oranje who created the better chances. Twice in the second half Robben was released on clear breakaways, but Casillas came to his team’s rescue both times. In the 62nd minute, the Real Madrid keeper denied Robben with a superb foot save. The second saw Robben attempt to round Casillas, who timed his challenge perfectly to snag the ball off the Dutch attacker’s foot.

Unfortunately for the Netherland the one red card proved to be the most damaging. At the 109^th minute Dutch defender John Heitinga became the 5^th player in World Cup history to be sent off with his second foul and an automatic red card.

Seven minutes later at the 116 minute mark Spain’s Cesc Fabregas sent a nice cross pass over to an open Andres Iniesta through the slot and he put it home for the 1-0 game winner. The Oranje appealed in vain for offside, but replays showed it was the correct call.

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World Cup will have a first time winner for 2010

Peter Tellman — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:40:54 +0000

Cape Town Stadium 2010 FIFA World Cup - Photo By warrenski (Warren Rohner) at Flickr.com

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – After weeks of intense play and non-stop surprises with favorites falling and upstarts advancing, the stage has been set with Spain’s 1-0 victory over Germany on Wednesday.

The Spanish team has had much success of late in the World Cup advancing to the round of 16 five times since 1986, but has not until now managed to get over the hump.

By virtue of its 1-0 victory over a very talented German team on Wednesday in front of 60,960 at Moses Modhida Stadium, Spain advanced to Sunday’s final against the Netherlands in Johannesburg.

For much of the match Spain dominated possession and just missed a chance to score early when defender Carles Puyol missed what appeared to be a sure goal. Puyol however redeemed himself in the 73^rd minute when he headed Xavi’s corner kick from ten yards out into the right side of the net past German goal tender Neuer.

In the end Spain’s ball control offense left Germany with very few opportunities in the match. Perhaps Germany’s best chance came at the 69 minute mark when reserve Toni Kroos struck Lukas Podolski’s cross on a short hop. Casillas covered the back post and blocked the modest bid.

Spain’s opponent in the championship game will be the Netherlands which another team that has never won a championship, but has reached the finals in 1974 and 1978. The Netherlands advanced to Sunday’s finals by virtue of an exciting 3-2 victory over Uruguay this past Tuesday.

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Tiger Woods heads to British Open hoping to maintain #1 ranking

Peter Tellman — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:56:24 +0000

Tiger Woods - Photo By Keith Allison at Flickr.com

St. Andrews (Scotland) – Tiger Woods, currently the No. 1 ranked player in the world, could be overtaken in the rankings this week by No. 2 Phil Mickelson, who is playing this week at the PGA-ranked Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

Woods will practice this week and then move on to St. Andrews which is one of his favorite golf courses.

“I can’t wait to get over there,” Woods said after shooting 71 Sunday to finish 1 over par at Aronimink Golf Club where he finished tied for 46^th place in the AT&T National. It would be understandable that Woods can’t wait to get to the British Open (July 15-18) after what by his standards was a less than stellar performance. While more than forty thousand Irish golf fans provided him with a friendly and forgiving welcome, Woods’ opening round of 7 over at the 7,463-yard, par-72 Adare Manor Golf Resort was very un-Tiger like.

Since Woods turned pro back in 1996 the longest he’s ever gone to begin a season without a victory on the PGA Tour was eight starts back in 1998. A streak he hopes he can stop at one of his favorite tournaments in the British Open, a tournament he has won three times before.

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King James the billionaire or King James the champion

Peter Tellman — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 19:56:41 +0000

LeBron James - Photo By Craig Hatfield Flickr

CLEVELAND – While we all sit back and take our best guess as to where LeBron James ultimately will land one has to wonder what is more important to James. Is it money or is it winning championships and can he have both?

James must be getting sick of getting asked the same question every time a microphone gets thrust into his face even if the question is phrased differently, its ultimately the same question and James isn’t biting.

The answer may ultimately hinge on the answer to one of two priorities James is thinking about. In past interviews throughout his career James has hinted that money was important to him when he revealed to the Associated Press his ultimate financial goal, “I want to be a billionaire.” Not a bad goal to have, but is it his driving factor?

That was five years ago, so has his priorities changed since then? More recently James stated “There are a lot of great individual basketball players that I would love to be alongside of and try to contend for an N.B.A. championship,” James said then. “I think at the end of the day, a max deal or anything like that doesn’t really matter to me.”

Can he reach both his goals by going to a big market team and winning championships? Winning championships still has the double edged sword of needed a great supporting cast and a salary cap which could be tough with the money James will command from the team he ultimately sign’s with. Still it is possible to have both. James may need to take a little less in terms of his contract numbers then he could command which would allow his team to sign quality players to play alongside James creating a chance to win championships.

At the same time if those needs can be addressed and he played for a big market team like NY, Chicago, LA to name a few then he could still reach his billionaire goal with lucrative endorsement deals. That creates a win for James on all fronts and could shift the balance of power in the NBA for years to come.

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