Sports
Westplex Today Sports Page: February 18th, 2010
By Stephan R. Barnard
Feb 18, 2010 - 7:08:03 AM

Kim English tallied 20 points as Missouri knocked off 17th-ranked Texas 82-77 at Mizzou Arena.  Keith Ramsey posted his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who improved to 19-and-7 overall and 7-and-4 in the Big 12.  Jordan Hamilton's 24 points led the Longhorns, who have lost six of their last nine games to fall to 20-and-6 overall and 6-and-5 in the conference.  Missouri heads to Lincoln, Nebraska on Saturday to take on the Huskers.   Nebraska is in last place in the Big 12 conference.

Cardinals training camp is officially underway.  Pitchers and catchers officially reported to the Roger Dean complex yesterday, with the first formal workout set for today.  Several players had already reported to camp over the last two weeks, including offseason acquisition Brad Penny and fellow pitchers Kyle McClellan, Jason Motte and Adam Ottavino.  Also in camp are infielders Tyler Greene, Joe Mather and David Freese.  The three will by vying for playing time at third base.  Position players don't have to officially report to camp until next week.

New Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire made his first appearance at the team's spring training facility in Florida Wednesday.  "Big Mac" again apologized for his past steroid use, saying it's something he regrets but he's ready to move on and begin a new chapter in his career as a coach.  The 46-year-old McGwire admitted in January that he used steroids and human growth hormone during a decade-long stretch of his playing career with the A's and Cardinals.  The former slugger has been out of the limelight since retiring after the 2001 season and failing to be forthcoming in front of Congress a few years later.  It was announced in late October that he would be joining manager Tony La Russa's staff as the team's hitting instructor, replacing the fired Hal McRae.

The Missouri Tigers are at their highest-ever regular-season position in two major softball polls.  Mizzou is fifth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, and sixth in the "USA Today"/PFCA rankings.  The highest they had ever been before was number-seven in 1997.  The ranking comes after the Tigers took two-of-three from then number-two Alabama in last weekend's season-opening series.  'Bama has fallen out of the top-five in both polls after the three-game set.  This weekend, Missouri will take on new number-two Arizona in a three-game series in Tucson.

American snowboarder Shaun White successfully defended his gold medal in the men's halfpipe.  The "Flying Tomato" locked up the gold with his first run, but did even better on the second, throwing in his Double McTwist 1260.  American Scott Lago won bronze.

American skier Lindsey Vonn won her first gold medal in Vancouver by winning the women's downhill.  Vonn, who has been battling a bruised shin suffered in a pre-Olympic training run finished in 1:44.19.  Fellow American Julia Mancuso won the silver.