Westplex Today Sports Page:   June 11, 2008

The Cardinals enjoyed a 7-2 win over the Reds in the opener of a three-game set in Cincinnati, but they didn’t enjoy seeing Albert Pujols injured.   Pujols left the game in the seventh with what the team is calling a strained left calf.  A timetable for his return is uncertain.  Pujols did homer in the contest prior to the injury, his 16th of the year, as did Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI.  Cards starter Mitchell Boggs picked up his first major league win, allowing two runs over five innings of work.  The Cards are now twelve games over .500 for the first time this season, but remain 2 ½ games behind the Cubs for first place in the NL Central.  

The Cardinals and their fans are holding their breath regarding the status of Pujols.  He'll meet with team doctors today and is likely headed to the disabled list.  According to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch", the recently demoted Chris Duncan has been summoned from Triple-A Memphis, despite hitting .160 on the year.  Elsewhere on the team’s injury list, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak expects starter Adam Wainwright to be out at least three weeks with a middle finger sprain on his pitching hand.  Wainwright is expected to be placed on the 15-day DL today, but club officials say the injury won't require surgery. 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals look for their fourth straight victory tonight when Braden Looper takes on fellow right-hander Johnny Cueto and the Reds tonight at 6:10 in Cincinnati.  KWRE begins its broadcast at 5:27 this afternoon.   Looper is 7-5 on the year with a 4.86 ERA, but has lost four of his last six contests.  However, he has held the Reds to a .238 batting average in 33 career games.  Cueto has won three straight decisions, but has a 5-5 record this season with a 5.06 ERA.  To his credit, the Reds right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.60 ERA at Great American Ballpark, while holding opponents to a .216 average at home in 2008. 

The Cubs kept the Cardinals at arm’s length, following a 10-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field last night.  Geovany Soto crushed a three-run homer as part of a four-run eighth inning as the Northsiders won for the seventh time in their last ten games, including nine straight at home.  Ted Lilly struck out eight over six-and-two-thirds innings to improve to 6-5 on the year.  Braves lefty Tom Glavine left after the third inning due to an elbow injury.  The two are back at it tonight in the second of a three-game set starting at 6:05. 

In the minor leagues:   The River City Rascals fell behind too far last night, and suffered a 7-5 loss to the Midwest Sliders at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon.   The Rascals trailed 6-0, before their late-inning rally fell short.   The Rascals are 11-8 this season, and they are still just one game behind Evansville in the Western Division of the Frontier League.   The Rascals entertain the Sliders again tonight, beginning at 7:05.

In football:   According to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch", former Oakland Raiders offensive tackle and current free-agent Barry Sims will pay a visit to Rams Park on Friday.  The 33-year-old started 119 games, mostly at left tackle, in nine seasons with the Raiders before they released him on February 29th.  The six-foot-five, 300 pounder was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Utah in 1999.  Sims met with the 49ers earlier this week and is also expected to make stops with the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. 

In pro basketball:   Kobe Bryant poured in 36 points -- 10 in the fourth quarter on several difficult shots with the shot clock winding down -- as the Los Angeles Lakers continued their home court dominance with an 87-81 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The Lakers moved to a perfect 9-0 at home in the postseason, and avoided falling into an 0-3 series hole in the process.  Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday evening in LA.

Ray Allen scored 25 points to lead the Celtics, hitting 5-of-7 three-pointers, but Boston failed to take a stranglehold on the series due to lackluster play from their two other stars.  Kevin Garnett struggled to 13 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 6-of-21 from the floor, and Paul Pierce had an awful night, with only six points on 2-of-14 shooting for the Celtics, who fell to 2-8 on the road in the postseason. 

With the NBA enjoying a Finals matchup between two of its showcase franchises, perhaps the most embarrassing chapter in league history took a turn for the worse on Tuesday.  Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has filed a letter in court that contains several allegations against his former employers and co-workers.   Among Donaghy’s claims are the following:   that the NBA urged referees not to call technical fouls  against or eject certain stars, that the league singled out certain players to be focused on for foul calls, that certain referees were biased due to close relationships with team members or management,  and that the outcome of two playoff series were directly affected  by biased  referees. 

Donaghy did not identify specific teams or names in the letter filed by his lawyers, but a footnote on the letter explained that all information has been disclosed to federal prosecutors and the FBI.  NBA Commissioner David Stern dismissed Donaghy’s claim as an attempt to get his prison term reduced.   Donaghy will be sentenced July 14^th, and he faces up to 33 years in federal prison for committing wire fraud and making bets through the use of interstate commerce.

In hockey:   The Detroit Red Wings have rewarded head coach Mike Babcock with a three-year contract extension.  The "Detroit Free Press" reports the deal is worth around $1.5 million dollars a year, plus bonuses.  Babcock led the Wings to the Stanley Cup in his third year as coach.  In each of his seasons in Motown, the Wings have won at least 50 games each season.  On the way to the Cup this season, Babcock led the team to a 54-21-and-7 mark, and a league-best 115 points and the Presidents' Trophy.

In Olympic news:   China paraded the Olympic torch through the Tibetan county of Shangri-la today despite continued unrest in the area.  The tension is still palpable three months after anti-Beijing demonstrations turned violent in Lhasa.  The protests prompted the Chinese government to deployed troops into the area.  Security was tight during the torch relay.  Paramilitary police lined the streets of the mountain town while Buddhist monks said they were forbidden from leaving the monastery during the event.  The torch has been a lightning rod for human rights and free Tibet protests during its international leg of the relay.