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Community leaders and active duty military participated in the recent Godfather Tournament hosted at Swan Lake Golf Course as part of the Warrior Week activities. The day was filled with golf and fellowship with civilian and military members of the Clarksville/Ft Campbell community.
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Fans, Titans players alike enjoy time at Titans Caravan stop at Madison St. Kroger Monday (with photo gallery, Clarksville Online video)
Called the largest crowd ever by Tennessee Titans play-by-play voice Mike Keith, the Titans Caravan rolled into Clarksville and were greeted by throngs of fans at the Kroger at 1489 Madison St., Monday night. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, left tackle Michael Roos, corner back Jason McCourty, Titans mascot T-Rac and Keith — on the first day and sixth stop of the Caravan — signed autographs and took pictures with eager Titans fans for nearly two hours after first conducting interviews with the local media, including the Clarksville Sports Network and Clarksville Online. The 14th Titans Caravan is a regional series of school visits and free, public autograph signings, sponsored by Grange Insurance and for the first time, the U.S. Army will be joining the Titans Caravan at public stops. The Caravan will make 50 total stops in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama from April 30 through May 11. The Titans didn’t hold a Caravan lost year because of the lockout. Roos began the day with students from Greenbrier and Watauga Elementary Schools. “It’s been a fun day,” Roos said. “It’s our sixth stop and we’ve already been to a lot of elementary schools and public stops in Kentucky and Tennessee and it’s been fun getting to meet our fans and getting the chance to thank them for supporting us.” Hasselbeck joined Roos at the Kroger in White House and then met with students at South Edmonson Elementary School in a private session. “It’s been a busy day” Hasselbeck said. “Mike started at 8 a.m. in the morning. I went to the workout in the morning and jumped on a bus right after that so it’s been a long day, but the support has been awesome. We’ve been around Tennessee, been to Kentucky and it’s been fun.” The day ended with three consecutive public stops: at the Shoe Carnival in Bowling Green, Ky., at O’Charley’s in Hopkinsville, Ky. and finally the Madison St. Kroger, where McCourty joined the group. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” McCourty said. “A lot of the times we just meet the fans in Nashville. This is actually my first time in Clarksville so getting the chance to meet some of the fans is exciting.” And the fans were excited to meet the Titans, including two Clarksville High sophomore football players, 15-year old Tony Blakely and 16-year-old Nathaniel Johnson. “It was great seeing Michael Roos, Jason McCourty and Matt Hasselbeck,” Blakely said. “It was great to see NFL players up close.” Blakely, and aspiring offensive lineman himself, was also caught of guard by how big the Titans were saying, “They were pretty tall. They were bigger than I expected.” For Johnson, getting the see Hasselbeck was the biggest thrill, “He went to the Super Bowl with Seattle and he brought in really good experience.” Johnson also appreciated the fact the Titans came to Clarksville. “You just don’t get that excitement anywhere,” he said. “Really only at the Titans Caravan.”
Clarksville Online video
Titans Caravan Gallery
14th Titans Caravan Remaining Schedule
Colby Wilson’s Braves Report: The Month of AprilYou can’t win the division in April, but you can lose it. After starting 0-4 against the hapless Mets and Astros, the Braves were in danger of doing the latter. In winning 14 of their last 19 games, the Braves have made people forget all about the early season swoon and brought about memories of the team that was steamrolling towards the Wild Card last year. This team is hot right now, and it’s not a fluke. Splitting with Pittsburgh isn’t really impressive (especially when you recall that winning the finale would’ve given the Braves the NL East lead), but between the Arizona destruction and Dodger series there is obviously talent and depth in the Atlanta dugout. The Pirates series wasn’t the best; they gave up lots of runs to a bad team in a finale. But even the split with the Succos couldn’t dampen what is the first successful – or at least winning – first month for the Braves since 2007. It’s just the kind of start this team needed after the events of last September. Without further ado, let’s hand out some awards for the first month of the season… MVP: Michael BournWhile you can’t discount the impact Bourn has at the top of the line-up and in center (both of which have been huge), here’s what I find most telling: Jason Heyward: .263/.354/.525 to .273/.341/.442 Those are the batting average/on-base/slugging splits for those four guys. The first are from this point in the season last year (pre-Bourn) compared to the same point this year (with Bourn). Four of the most important hitters on the team are better with Bourn leading off. They see more pitches because teams can’t afford to let him get a free base thanks to a walk. Having him on first itching to take off for second is a major distraction for opposing pitchers and having him around has raised the ceiling for Freeman and Prado from ‘solid players’ to ‘potential stars and solid contributors on a team that could win the division’. Last year’s team was constantly playing at a disadvantage with no speed or consistency from the lead-off spot. Not a problem this year. As long as Bourn keeps hitting .337 from the lead-off spot, this team will be in good shape. Best Game: Braves 4, Dodgers 2 – April 25While it’s tempting to choose the first two D’Back games (combined 19-3 score) or even the second Dodgers game (4-3 win, Chipper homers on his 40th birthday), the choice has to be the ninth-inning rally in the finale against LA. Not only did you have Freddie G. pull the right strings in the bullpen, not only did you get workman-like efforts from Uggla and Freeman (two hits apiece), you had a game the Braves could have easily just rolled over on. Think about it: it’s April, you’re playing one of the hottest teams in the league on the road and as soon as the game is over, you fly across the country on a red-eye. Few would’ve blamed them for saying, “Ah, it’s a long year and we’ll get ‘em next time.” Instead, the Braves went to work on the comeback, getting on in ways conventional (line drive single from Freeman) and unconventional (infield single by Brian McCann that ricocheted off Javy Guerra’s foot). At that point, things looked pretty good. Uggla, Chipper and Heyward then dropped in back-to-back-to-back singles to win it — that is to say, three of the guys that were struggling at this point last season picked the team up with clutch hits playing one of the best teams in the league this year. Chipper got the game-winner in his last LA plate appearance (unless these two meet again in the play-offs, which is distinctly possible), adding another chapter in what’s set up to be a season of storybook endings for he and the Braves. Best Pitcher: Craig KimbrelYep, ahead of Beachy and Minor. Kimbrel’s numbers aren’t exactly overpowering (although eight saves in eight opportunities is nothing to sneeze at), but his stuff has been. He’s striking out almost two batters an appearance, which doesn’t sound great until you remember he only faces three batters most of the time. He’s third in the league in K’s/9, tops among closers. One concern: His BABIP is high (.416), but considering he’s not allowing many balls to be put in play at all that’s not bad; a couple of one-out bloops can hurt that number. Once that regresses back to normal, he could be what many consider ‘unhittable’. My favorite part of the Kimbrel experience is the surprise registered by everyone when he allows a baserunner. I don’t remember a Braves closer performing on that level since Mark Wohlers lost his fastball (quite literally). Player in a Supporting Role: Jonny VentersYou could make the argument that he’s pitching better than Kimbrel. I won’t because that would be silly, but the numbers are out there (no earned runs allowed in nine appearances, 17 K’s in 8.2 innings pitched). Biggest Disappointment: Jair JurjjensDuh. In fact, there are so many people are kicking JJ right now that I’m going to leave him alone. I’ll be tickled if he comes back strong and unsurprised if he doesn’t; that’s all I’ll say. Weekly Look-AheadOur first match-up with the Phitin’ Phils in 2012 is a bit lessened; at three and a half games out, with a losing record and missing some of their most important horses (no Ryan Howard, no Chase Utley, probably no Cliff Lee) dampens this three-gamer a bit. No Roy Halladay is another stroke of good fortune for the Bravos – they also missed facing Clayton Kershaw while in Los Angeles. Never seeing anyone’s ace isn’t the best thing for the Braves long-term, but wins are the most important thing at this point. After that, the Braves embark on a 10-day roadie to Colorado, Chicago and St. Louis. I say it’s wonderful that the Bravos are heading to Colorado at this time – when swinging bats this hot, the thin air and shallow staff at Coors Field is the best way I can think of to keep it going. And who doesn’t want to see the Cubs? Could be a big week for our Tomahawk Heroes. Chamber Military Affairs Committee hosts Godfather Tournament
 The Godfather Golf Tournament at Swan Lake Golf Course in Clarksville, TN «Read the rest of this article» Sections: Golf | 0 comments
Braves split weekend with Pirates, look to take series tonightApril 30, 2012 |
Hudson’s win a walk in the park for BravesATLANTA — Everything went just as hoped during Tim Hudson’s recovery from back surgery, the 36-year-old veteran not experiencing a single setback in his rehab. Hudson’s return to the mound for real on Sunday wasn’t the right-hander at his best, but he’ll certainly take it for a first outing. “It felt great to be back out there again,” he said. Hudson worked five innings and got the win in his 2012 debut as the Braves beat the Pirates, 4-3, before a sun-baked crowd of 30,419 fans at Turner Field. The series ends today at with first pitch at 6:10 p.m. on WJZM. “I was a little shaky at first, but I finished strong and we got the win,” said Hudson, who led the Braves with 16 victories a year ago and had a 3.33 ERA. Dan Uggla drew a walk with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to plate the go-ahead run for Hudson, and Martin Prado homered in the seventh as the Braves improved to 14-4 since their 0-4 start. “Everyone was pumped to have him back,” Prado said of Hudson. “You know he’s going to be a bulldog,” Uggla said. “He battled, just like he always does.” Hudson allowed two runs on six hits over the five innings while striking out six, walking two and hitting a batter. He threw 96 pitches, 63 of them strikes. “He probably wasn’t as sharp as he would have liked,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “But he gave us a chance to win. … It was nice to see [him back].” The Pirates left eight runners on base against Hudson. “I was able to get out of some jams,” Hudson said. “My cutter was pretty good, but nothing was great. It was fun, though. It was great to be out there competing again.” When Hudson left, the Braves’ bullpen did its job. Chad Durbin, Eric O’Flaherty and Jonny Venters each worked a scorless inning and Craig Kimbrel got his eighth save despite allowing a ninth-inning run on a wild pitch after a double by Jose Tabata. Catcher Brian McCann thought the ball had hit the foot of batter of Garrett Jones, but home-plate umpire Doug Eddings ruled otherwise, and the call was upheld. The Braves went ahead in the fifth, when Pirates starter Kevin Correia walked Uggla with the bases loaded. It was the third straight free pass by Correia, who had given up a leadoff hit in the inning to Michael Bourn. “I’m up there trying to hack,” Uggla said. “I’d rather drive in two runs than one. But you’ve got to get what you can.” Brad Lincoln replaced Correia and got out of the jam by striking out Chipper Jones and getting Jason Heyward to ground out. But Prado hit Lincoln’s first pitch of the seventh inning over the center-field fence for his second homer of the season. “I saw the fastball right away, as soon as he released it,” said Prado, who is 5-for-12 in the series. “At first, I didn’t know if it would carry, but it did. It felt great.” Bourn remained red-hot with three hits and a walk, raising his average to .409 in the past 16 games. But the story of the day was the successful return of Hudson. Heyward helped Hudson in the second inning with a catch in deep right-center field, but the Pirates still broke through for a pair of runs in the frame. Tabata drove them in with a two-out single after two hits and a walked had loaded the bases. The Braves got one run back in the third, Hudson scoring it himself after reaching when Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen dropped his fly ball. A second error, this one by third baseman Pedro Alvarez, followed a walk and Freddie Freeman plated Hudson with a sacrifice fly. Hudson and Eddings got into a jawing match after a ball call in the fourth inning, prompting Gonzalez to come racing out of the dugout. But Hudson left Michael McKenry, who had reached on an error by shortstop Tyler Pastornicky, stranded at second base by striking out Alex Presley and getting Tabata to fly out. “Just say we had a disagreement,” Hudson said of the exchange with Eddings. “It’s over and done with.” The Pirates elected to pitch to Pastornicky with two outs, a runner on second and Hudson up next in the bottom of the fourth, and it backfired. Correia hung a breaking ball and Pastornicky pulled a double to left-center field to score Uggla, who had walked and moved up on a ground out. “You saw two guys who’ve been pitching a while in this league battle on a hot day, trying to miss bats,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Both gave their teams a chance to win. We had men in scoring position in seven of the nine innings, so we had plenty of opportunities to come up with more than three runs.” Hudson, who had surgery to repair a herniated disk on Nov. 28, had one appearance at the end of Spring Training and then made four Minor League rehab starts. The last two were for Triple-A Gwinnett, where he was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA. This time, Hudson was facing Major League hitters, though. “It felt great to compete again and have a little success,” Hudson said. “It was a lot of fun.” Guy Curtright is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Braves 4, Pirates 3
After Delgado struggles, Braves can’t chip awayATLANTA — Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez felt Randall Delgado passed another test on the learning curve last week, when he encountered a rough second inning and then pitched into the sixth in Arizona. But just 11 starts into his career, Delgado still has plenty to prove. Instead of feasting on a Pittsburgh offense that has been the game’s worst entering Saturday, Delgado labored through 4 1/3 innings at Turner Field and allowed the Pirates to build a lead they would preserve on the way to claiming a 4-2 win over the Braves. “He’s a quick learner,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He wants to learn and pitch in the big leagues. He’ll be fine.” Delgado was making his first start since being shifted to the rotation spot previously occupied by Jair Jurrjens, who was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett earlier this week. Unfortunately for the Braves, the 22-year-old pitcher did not prove much more effective than Jurrjens had been. Delgado allowed the Pirates four earned runs and eight hits in a season-short 4 1/3 innings. This outing was actually less encouraging than the one he had made six days earlier, when he had allowed five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings against the D-backs. Each of those five runs had scored with two outs in the second inning. “Young pitchers have a tendency to run away from the bat a little bit and get themselves in some trouble,” Gonzalez said. “But the little bit I know about him from last year and this year, he’s going to be OK. He’s going to use these last two outings as an experience and builder.” Delgado’s struggles were a welcome sight for Pirates starter Erik Bedard, who had seen his offense total three runs over his first four starts. Pittsburgh matched that by the second inning, and the left-hander showed his appreciation by limiting the Braves to one run and five hits over five innings. “Bedard kind of kept us off-balance,” said Braves shortstop Tyler Pastornicky, who accounted for two of Atlanta’s eight hits. “He mixed all of his pitches up well and hit his spots.” Delgado allowed a leadoff single to Alex Presley and issued two walks in a 22-pitch first that included a sacrifice fly by Garrett Jones. But after minimizing damage to one run in that frame, Delgado allowed three hits, including an RBI double by Presley, in a two-run second inning. “I’m just trying to be the same,” Delgado said. “I’m trying to keep the right mechanics and keep the ball down. But I couldn’t control that today.” Looking more like the club that had totaled 42 runs in its previous 19 games, the Pirates squandered a bases-loaded threat in the third inning and went down in order in the fourth. But back-to-back one-out doubles in the fifth inning doomed Delgado, who had lasted at least five innings in each of his 10 previous starts dating back to a four-inning effort in his June 17 Major League debut. As he has struggled to gain confidence in his curveball, he has primarily attempted to find success against big league hitters with just a fastball and changeup. “Up here, you’ve got to throw offspeed more often than fastballs to get ahead,” Braves outfielder Jason Heyward said. “From what I’ve seen from playing with Randall, his best pitch is his fastball. When he’s not able to go up there and say let me get this over and then go with offspeed, it’s going to take some adjustments.” The Braves produced at least one hit in four of the five innings completed by Bedard. But the only run during this span came in the third inning, when Martin Prado doubled and scored on Dan Uggla’s two-out single. These two Braves would not be as productive after the bottom of the fifth inning began with a four-pitch walk to Livan Hernandez and a Michael Bourn single. Prado quieted the threat with a weak pop fly caught in front of the first-base dugout. Instead of walking the right-handed Uggla with a base open and Heyward, a left-handed hitter, on deck, Bedard took the aggressive route and retired the veteran second baseman with a four-pitch strikeout. Prado’s frustrations were extended in the seventh inning when he followed Bourn’s leadoff single with a double-play groundout. This was one of the many opportunities squandered by the Braves, who struck out 14 times and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. “We battled,” Heyward said. “That’s all we could do is battle and put ourselves in position to win a big game and get a big hit. But it’s not going to happen all of the time.” Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Pirates 4, Braves 2
Gamecocks hand Govs second straight loss; first series defeat since 2010 The Govs suffered an 8-2 loss to Jacksonville State Sunday afternoon, sending the Govs to their first OVC series loss since 2010. CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University’s baseball team was held to one hit in the first six innings and fell to Jacksonville State, 8-2, in Ohio Valley Conference action Sunday at Raymond C. Hand Park. With the loss, Austin Peay (26-17, 12-5 OVC) lost a OVC series for the first time since 2010 – ending a streak of 14 consecutive non-losing series by the Govs. It also slashed APSU’s league lead to one-half game over both Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky with three weeks remaining in the OVC race. The Govs had few answers for Jacksonville State starter Hunter Rivers who allowed just four base runners through the first six innings and none of those reached second base. Austin Peay was only able to solve the right-hander in the seventh when second baseman Jordan Hankins tripled to start the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly. Left fielder Cody Hudson followed with a two-out solo home run that ended Rivers’ outing. Jacksonville State (18-23, 12-6 OVC) was held in check through three innings by Austin Peay starter Casey Delgado. However, they broke through in the fourth, scoring twice with two outs. The Govs defense helped the Gamecocks cause in the fifth, committing consecutive errors to allow a third run. The Gamecocks broke the game open in the sixth as Delgado allowed five of the first six batters he faced in the game to reach base. Third baseman Sam Eberle ended Delgado’s outing with a grand slam to left center, pushing the JSU lead to 8-0. Rivers (3-3) picked up the win after allowing two runs on three hits while striking out seven over 6.2 innings. Reliever Todd Hornsby held the Govs to one hit over the final 2.1 innings. Delgado (5-4) suffered the loss after allowing eight runs on eight hits and five walks over 5.1 innings. Relievers Mike Hebert and Tyler Rogers combined to limit JSU to two hits over the final 3.2 innings. Eberle finished the day 1-for-3 with four RBI to lead the Jacksonville State offensive effort. Right fielder Kyle Bluestein and designated hitter Erick Underwood each had two hits and an RBI. Hankins and Hudson each had two hits – the Govs only hits in the contest. Austin Peay will take the upcoming week off for finals before returning to league action with a three-game set at SIU Edwardsville, beginning with a 6 p.m., Friday contest. – Report courtesy Austin Peay Sports Information Department Govs suffer fourth conference loss of season in blowout by Gamecocks
CLARKSVILLE – Ohio Valley Conference leading Austin Peay’s baseball team had few answers for second-place Jacksonville State and suffered a 17-2 loss, Saturday afternoon at Raymond C. Hand Park. After fending off a bases loaded situation in the top of the second, Austin Peay (26-16, 12-4 OVC) loaded the bases with no outs in its half of the inning. The Govs scored a run on left fielder Cody Hudson’s single to left, but could not push across another run in the frame as Jacksonville State starter Daniel Watts escaped the jam with a line drive out, a strike out and a fly out. Jacksonville State (17-23, 11-6 OVC) built off the momentum of that escape sending nine men to the plate in the third. After loading the bases with an APSU error on a strikeout and back-to-back singles, the Gamecocks grabbed the lead on third baseman Sam Eberle’s two-run single. However, it was first baseman Ben Waldrip, the next batter in the lineup, who did the most damage. He followed Eberle’s single with a home run to right, pushing the JSU lead to 5-1, and added a solo home run in the fifth. Waldrip then put the game out of reach with a three-run blast to straight-away center field in the sixth, that gave JSU an 8-1 lead. He finished the game 4-for-4 with seven RBI, including the three home runs, a second-inning single and a walk. The Gamecocks would add five more runs in the seventh – two runs coming on left fielder Scott Underwood’s two-run home run – and three runs in the ninth to hand the Govs their worst conference loss since a 20-3 loss to Middle Tennessee in 1999. Austin Peay starter Ryan Quick (4-2) lasted four-plus innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits – the third straight game he has surrendered 10 hits. He was one of five Governors pitchers to take the mound in the contest, including Lucas Anderson who threw a scoreless eighth inning. Watts (4-5) took advantage of the enormous run support and held Austin Peay to two runs on eight hits while striking out six over six innings. Reliever Cody Ponder threw three scoreless innings for his season’s third save. Offensively, Austin Peay finished with 11 hits and reached double-digit hits for the fourth consecutive game. Designated hitter Jon Clinard led the effort with a 3-for-4 outing while second baseman Jordan Hankins and Hudson each finished with two hits and a RBI. Waldrip wasn’t the only JSU hitter to enjoy Saturday’s action as Underwood and Eberle each posted three hits and two RBI. In addition, right fielder Kyle Bluestein posted a 5-for-5 outing, but did not record a RBI as Waldrip emptied the bases in front of him all day. Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, who have split the first two games in their OVC series, return for a 1 p.m. rubber contest, Sunday. – Report courtesy Austin Peay Sports Information Department Govs come up one stroke short in quest for OVC golf title at Greystone
 Anthony Bradley lines up a shot Saturday afternoon at the OVC Golf Championship at Greystone Golf Club. DICKSON, Tenn. – After battling back and hanging tough for 53 holes, Austin Peay had positioned itself to win the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Golf Championship at Greystone Golf Club Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for the Govs, a disastrous Friday round and a double bogey on the tournament’s final hole proved to be difference as the club’s three-day total of 862 was one stroke behind tournament champion Jacksonville State. Entering the final hole tied with the Gamecocks at 855, Govs sophomore and tournament medalist Anthony Bradley hooked a tee shot wide left and out of bounds – potentially opening the door for Tom Robson to win the tournament for the Gamecocks. After Robson’s shot sliced into the deep rough, Bradley rebounded with an approach shot that landed some 25 feet away from the hole. Two strokes later, Robson landed safely on the green, putting all the pressure back on Bradley to drain the bogey putt to send the tournament to a playoff. Playing a late break to the left, Bradley’s putt was on line but stopped less than a foot from the cup. Robson’s ensuing bogey putt found the bottom of the cup and gave sent the Gamecocks squad into a frenzy on the 18th green. “We fought so hard to get back into it and actually took the lead through 16 holes,” Govs head coach Kirk Kayden said. “We had control of the tournament and then we had a couple of hiccups down the stretch. But you can’t blame Anthony. We had mistakes throughout the tournament that all played a part in us coming up short.” The double bogey on marred an otherwise outstanding tournament from Bradley, who birdied three holes on the back nine Saturday to pull the Govs into contention. “I made a big birdie put on No. 17 and I felt like I had the momentum going,” Bradley said. “I hadn’t been hitting it well off the tee all day but I wasn’t especially nervous or especially non-committed. I just put a bad swing on it at the wrong time and it ended up with us losing by a shot.” Bradley’s 1-over round gave him a three stroke edge over Eastern Illinois David Lawrence for the tournament’s individual title, but the Govs received solid rounds from the rest of their squad as well. Dustin Korte fired a 72 to finish with a three-day total of 214 – good enough for a tie for fourth place. Marco Iten posted a 72 of his own Saturday to finish four strokes behind Korte while Tucker Wallace recorded the low round of the day with a 70 to finish at 224. Trey Tarpley rounded out the scoring with a Saturday 75 to finish 12-over for the tournament.
After taking a commanding six-stroke lead during Thursday’s opening round, the Govs gave back seven strokes with a 295 on Friday before battling back late on Saturday. “When you look back at it Friday was really the day that did us in,” Kayden said. “Shooting seven over on this golf course is unlike us and that came back to cost us. We got ourselves back into it but we came up just short.” As the tournament medalist, Bradley earned the OVC’s automatic berth to the NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals held May 17-19. As a team, the loss brought an abrupt end to a promising and largely successful season for the Govs, who went 29-0 in head-to-head competition against OVC teams during the regular season. Despite the loss, the Govs figure to again be in title contention with every player on the 2011 roster scheduled to return. “We had some guys that came out and played really well,” Bradley said. “A few guys were playing on this stage for the first time and they came up big. This loss is going to motivate us to come back and try and get that much better.” Kayden echoed Bradley’s thoughts. “We’ve got everybody back and there are a lot of positives that came out of this week. It’s going to hurt because we had high expectations coming into this but it should hurt. That means you care so much.” Nashville Predators visit Phoenix Coyotes for Stanley Cup Playoffs
On Friday night, the Predators compiled their highest shot total of the 2012 postseason as they fired 42 shots on goal. It was the Predators highest number of shots since firing 46 shots in their double-overtime win vs. Vancouver in the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals (April 30, 2011). Nashville’s plus-18 shot advantage in Game One was the largest in franchise history away from Bridgestone Arena and was just three shots shy of the overall franchise record of plus-21 set in Game Three of the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals vs. Anaheim (NSH 37, ANA 16). The Predators’ 42 shots included 16 shots in the final frame – which ties the franchise record for a single period – as the team scored late in the period to force overtime. Nashville limited Phoenix to just one shot on goal in the third period, giving the team a plus-15 shot advantage in the frame. Those totals set franchise postseason records for fewest shots against in a period, and single period shot advantage. Patric Hornqvist fired a team-high eight shots on goal, just one shot shy of his franchise-record nine shots in Game Two of the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Anaheim. Alexander Radulov and Nick Spaling were the only Predators skaters who did not register a shot in Game One. Nashville lost 4-3. Nashville went into overtime for the first time this postseason. The team last went to overtime in Game Three of the 2011 Western Andrei Kostitsyn tied the game in the second period with his second goal of the playoffs. For his career, Kostitsyn has 22 points in 47 postseason games. Martin Erat tallied a power-play goal with less than five minutes remaining to force overtime. it was his first goal of the postseason. Francis Bouillon posted assists on the Predators first two goals on Friday night. Bouillon’s two points/assists tied the franchise record for most points and assists by a defenseman in a single playoff game. It was his first postseason multiple point game since April 30, 2008, when he posted two assists vs. Philadelphia as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. He has three points (3a) this postseason – matching his career-high hit in both the 2006 (1g-2a) and 2008 (1g-2a) playoff years. The 5-8, 2001-pound defenseman now leads the NHL playoffs in plus/minus rating (+8) after going +2 in Game One. He is one of three Predators to rank in the League’s top five in the category – David Legwand (+5) and Gabriel Bourque (+5) are the others. Bouillon set franchise record for the highest plus/minus rating in a series after finishing +6 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Detroit. Hal Gill made his 2012 playoff debut. He is tied for seventh among active defensemen with 106 career playoff games, making him the most experienced Predator in the postseason. The Predators and Coyotes are facing each other for the first time in the postseason. During the 2011-2012 regular season series, the visiting team won each game as Nashville and Phoenix split the series.
The Final Horne: In the end will the old skool Spurs win it all?
The NBA Playoffs are upon us and we’ll find out if the new guard in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the LA. Clippers, the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls and the Memphis Grizzlies, can finally wrestle away the championship for the old guards, the L.A. Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics or the Dallas Mavericks.
And I know it may seem strange to call Miami and Chicago part of the new guard, but the Heat changed basketball with the landing of the big three, LBJ, D-Wade, C-Bosh, and this Bulls squad has risen from the ashes like a Phoenix and become a brand spanking new organization after falling the way it did in the post-Jordan, and to be fair, Pippen years — remember neither man won a title without each other. Except for the Heat in 2005 (an old-skool Shaq-Pat Riley led team), it’s either been the Mavs in 2010 — and the Mavs are old school because of Dirk Nowitski, Jason Kidd and Josh Terry — Lakers (1999-00, 2000-01, 08-09, 09-10), Celtics (07-08), Spurs (98-99,0 2-03, 04-05, 06-07) or not-in-the-playoffs Pistons (03-04) that have won championships since Jordan’s Bulls ended the final part of their last trifecta of titles from 1995-1997. And even after that NBA winners were the Houston Rockets back-to-back, the Bulls first three-in-a-row, Pistons back-to-back and Lakers back-to-back in 1986-87 and 1987-88. So it’s been a long reign for the old guard in the NBA and it’s time to see if any of these newbies: King James, Derrick Rose, CP3, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook or Rudy Gay, can finally get it done and it looks like everything should be going the new guard’s way. But then a funny thing happened in the West, the Mavs upset the Heat for the NBA Championship last year and the Spurs won the best record this year further showing the old dogs could learn new tricks. Most of the year, I’ve gone back-and-forth between the Heat or Bulls winning the East and trying to find reasons why Oklahoma City shouldn’t win the West. And in all truthfulness it wasn’t until recently that I thought the Bulls would actually have a chance to beat the Heat. Picking winners is part of the job so I’m going to stick with the Heat as the Easter Conference champs in seven over the Bulls. But as I write this today, I’m really 50-50 so neither winning would surprise me. And I WANT the Oklahoma City Thunder to win! No matter your loyalties you have to respect Kevin Durant’s game and the way he leads the Thunder. But the pesky old skool threesome of Timmy Duncan-Manu Ginobili-Tony Parker and gruffy coach Gregg Popovich just linger there like a popcorn shell caught in your throat, reminding you constantly that it’s there until you finally get rid of it. And that’s ultimately what the Thunder have to do to the Spurs, spit the Spurs out like a seed. And I’m not forgetting the Lakers, as long as Kobe Bryant, the epitome of old skool, (weird to think that I know, but it’s true) has a breath in his body — and two big centers — you can’t count the Black Mamba. I just don’t know if the Thunder have enough in them to possibly have to get by both to get to the NBA Finals. And let’s be honest, yes the Grizzlies upset the Spurs in the first round last year, but that was with out Super Manu. As long as they stay healthy, I can’t see the Spurs getting beat this time in the West. So Spurs-Heat and Spurs in seven, I can’t believe I picked that either, but I’m old skool to my core! NBA Playoffs Bracket
NBA Champions since 1997-98 (last of three by Bulls)
Braves stay hot behind Hanson, UgglaApril 28, 2012 |
By Guy Curtright / Special to MLB.comATLANTA — It’s not even May yet, but the Braves’ 0-4 start seems oh so long ago. The turnaround has been that dramatic. Now as hot as any team in the Major Leagues, the Braves defeated the Pirates, 6-1, in the opener of a four-game series at Turner Field on Friday night and have won 13 of their past 16 games. Tommy Hanson outdueled A.J. Burnett through six innings despite not having his best command, and the Braves broke open a close game in the seventh on a two-run double by Dan Uggla and two-run single by Chipper Jones.
The Braves’ run total was the most given up this season by the Pirates, who hadn’t allowed or scored more than five runs in any of their first 18 games. But the Braves, who lead the National League in runs scored, are doing much more than just excelling at the plate right now. Uggla and Jones also turned in highlight defensive plays, and Kris Medlen pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Hanson for his first career save as the team ERA dropped to 3.72. “The biggest thing now is the starting pitching,” Uggla said. “Any time we have the lead going into the sixth or seventh inning, we have a chance.” Hanson, who retired the final 13 batters he faced in a victory at Houston last Saturday, allowed six hits and a run to improve to 3-2 and lower his ERA to 3.00. He struck out five and walked three. “Tommy didn’t have his best stuff, but he got through it,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “He pitched.” Alex Presley worked Hanson for a 12-pitch at-bat before striking out to lead off the game and the right-hander’s pitch count reached 70 by the end of his fourth inning. But he left for a pinch-hitter in the sixth with a 2-1 lead having thrown 102 pitches. “I felt good, not great,” Hanson said. “I battled.” A key moment came in the fourth inning when Hanson got Rod Barajas to hit into a double play with the bases loaded, keeping the game tied at 1. “We’re still looking to get that big hit at a big time,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We need that one hit. A knockout punch. Rod was looking for the slider — and he got it.” “I know when there are runners in scoring position, [Hanson] likes to go to off-speed pitches,” Barajas said. “I was ready for it. I missed it again.” Burnett, making his second start for the Pirates after being acquired from the Yankees over the winter, allowed six hits and two runs to nearly match Hanson. He struck out eight and walked three. But the Braves got to the Pirates’ bullpen in the seventh inning as Tony Watson and Evan Meek were touched up for three hits and two walks. Burnett didn’t make his debut with the Pirates until last Saturday after breaking an orbital bone in a bunting drill at the start of Spring Training. But he allowed just three hits over seven scoreless innings in a victory over the Cardinals and was tough again against the Braves. “He’s always tough,” Uggla said of Burnett. “He really battled us good. But we had an opportunity late the ballgame, and we took advantage of it.” A two-out single by Martin Prado after a leadoff walk to Tyler Pastornicky and a sacrifice bunt by Hanson gave the Braves a 1-0 lead in the third. Prado now has an RBI in six consecutive games. But the Bucs tied it in the top of the fourth inning. Andrew McCutchen led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Garrett Jones. Hanson then loaded the bases on a pair of walks before getting out of the jam when Barajas hit into a double play. Soon, the Braves were back ahead. Jason Heyward walked with two out in the fourth and stole his seventh base of the season. The swipe paid off as Pastornicky followed with an RBI single. A catch by Pirates right fielder Jones on a sinking liner by Freddie Freeman kept the Braves from padding their lead in the fifth. But then it was the Braves’ turn to flash the leather. Second baseman Uggla laid out to snatch pinch-hitter Nate McLouth’s pop in shallow center field in the seventh inning and third baseman Jones made a diving catch to rob McCutchen in the eighth. Right now, the Braves are doing about everything right. Michael Bourn, who hit .407 on the just-concluded 5-2 road trip, had two more hits against the Pirates and has reached base on 22 of his past 41 plate appearances. Uggla is batting .345 with three homers and seven RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak. “The road trip was great, and coming back and getting a win was huge,” Hanson said. “We got the homestand off on the right foot and hopefully we can keep rolling.” Guy Curtright is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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