Westplex Today Sports Page:   June 12, 2008

The Cardinals picked up the slack for the injured Albert Pujols last night, by routing the Reds 10-0 last night in Cincinnati .  Redbirds starter Braden Looper grabbed the win with what could’ve been the best performance of his career.   Looper tossed a complete game three-hit shutout to improve to 8-5 on the year.  Cards outfielders Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick and catcher Jason LaRue all went deep to help their squad to a third straight victory.  The Cardinals and Reds wrap up a three-game set this evening at Great America Ball Park .  First pitch is 6:10 p.m. and KWRE will begin its broadcast at 5:27 .

Speaking of Pujols, he will miss at least the next three weeks with a moderate left calf strain.  The veteran slugger was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with the injury he originally sustained on June 3rd and aggravated in the Cards win against the Reds on Tuesday.  Pujols will start physical therapy within three days. Redbirds outfielder-first baseman Chris Duncan has been recalled from Triple-A Memphis to take his spot on the roster, and he made a nice play in the field last night to stop a Reds rally from blooming.

Cardinal fans should be counting their blessings, because their archrivals have a bigger injury problem.   The Cubs will be without the services of Alfonso Soriano for six weeks, after he suffered a broken hand in last night’s victory over the Braves in Chicago .   Soriano was hit by a pitch, and his broken hand will be in a splint for three weeks.   The Cubs will try to maintain their lead in the National League Central without their top everyday player.   Their lead sits at 2 ˝ games over the Cardinals.

In the minor leagues:   The River City Rascals have been waiting for two of their all-stars from last season, to break out the hot bats this season.   Last night, Bobby Mosby showed signs that he’s getting revved up, after he collected 3 hits and 5 RBIs in a 9-3 victory over the Midwest Sliders at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.   His 2-run single in the 1^st inning and bases-loaded double in the second helped the Rascals to an early 7-0 lead.  

The Rascals will have their only day game of the season this morning at 11:05 , as they finish their series with the Sliders.   The gates at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon will open at 10:05 this morning for the local businessman’s special.  

In high school sports:   Vashon High School is vacating three of its boys basketball state titles for using ineligible players.  The Wolverines have been stripped of championships won in 2001, 2004 and 2006.  Vashon has also forfeited five district crowns as a result of a ruling handed down by the Missouri State High School Activities Association Board of Directors yesterday.  Liberty , Kearney , and Kickapoo are now recognized as the title holders for those years.

In football:   Free agent offensive lineman Barry Sims will visit with Rams officials tomorrow in Earth City , according to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch."  Sims played in 119 games during nine seasons for the Oakland Raiders before the organization released him in late February.  The paper says the 6-foot-5, 300 pounder met with San Francisco management earlier this week and also plans to talk with Baltimore and New England .

In boxing:   St. Louis native DeAndre Lattimore is riding high following a seventh-round technical knock out upset of Sechew Powell last night in New York City .  Lattimore had Powell on the ropes in the junior middleweight bout when the referee stopped the fight short of the scheduled 10 rounds.  The 22-year-old boosted his professional record to 19-and-1 with 16 KO's.   It was Lattimore’s first professional victory outside of the St. Louis area.

In golf:   Bob Gaus will tee off in the 108th U.S. Open this afternoon at Torrey Pines Golf Club.  The Kirkwood resident will get his first-round underway around 12:40 .  Gaus earned his way into the event by winning a local qualifying tournament earlier this month.  The Tower Tee Golf Center teacher also played in the 1990 U.S. Open at Medinah.

All eyes not from St. Louis will be on Tiger Woods as the U.S. Open tees off today at the South Course of Torrey Pines.  It'll be his first professional contest since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

The world's number-one male golfer has been sidelined since The Masters in April.  Unlike many PGA events, Woods will be paired off with another top contender in the first rounds, Phil Mickelson.  Adam Scott will also be in the group, which tees off at 10:06 a.m.   Woods and Jim Furyk tied for second in last year's tournament, one stroke behind Angel Cabrera.  The weather all weekend is expected to be mostly sunny and clear with temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s.

In pro basketball:   The Los Angeles Lakers look to even the NBA Finals at two games apiece when they host the Celtics in Game Four tonight at Staples Center .  Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 36 points to lead the Lakers to an 87-81 victory in Game Three on Tuesday.  Now he says all they have to do is continue protecting the home floor in Game Four.

L.A. , which also hosts Game Five on Sunday, is a perfect 9-0 at home during this postseason and has won 15 straight at Staples Center dating back to the regular season.  Ray Allen netted 25 points to pace Boston , but Kevin Garnett was held to 13 points and Paul Pierce was limited to 6 points in the Game 3 loss.   The Celtics still hold a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven set after winning both games at home.  Tip-off is slated for 8:00 tonight.

Back to baseball:   Along with the injuries to the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols and the Cubs’ Alfonso Soriano, the other top headline in Major League Baseball was Dan Uggla’s walk-off grand slam to send the Marlins to a 6-2 win over the Phillies in South Florida .  Uggla had been 0-for-3 with three strikeouts before connecting off Tom Gordon with one out in the ninth for his 19th home run of the season.

In the NFL:   All is not well with the Super Bowl champions.   Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress has reported to the team's mandatory minicamp but refuses to practice because he's unhappy with his current contract.  Burress had a team-high 70 catches for 1,025 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns for the Super Bowl champions last season, and he caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Eli Manning in the Super Bowl upset victory over previously unbeaten New England .  

Also, tight end Jeremy Shockey chose to sit out of the conditioning drills.   He has a more valid excuse to sit out, as Shockey suffered a broken leg during last season that kept him out of the playoffs and the Super Bowl.   On top of that, Michael Strahan retired this week, and Usi Omeniyora also wants a renegotiation of his contract.

In college football:   At least one college football expert is calling the University of Washington's 2008 football schedule the toughest in the nation.  Phil Steele, the author and publisher of "Phil Steele's College Football Preview" magazine says the Husky schedule is the toughest, and if Washington breaks through to earn a bowl bid, they'll have earned it.  The Huskies play five Pac-10 Conference games on the road including games at Oregon and USC and against Washington State in Pullman in late November.  In addition, the Husky out-of-conference schedule boasts powerhouse opponents Oklahoma , Brigham Young, and Notre Dame. 

“Phil Steele’s College Football Preview” has been the most accurate pre-season college football magazine in the past decade.   Kaspar Broadcasting will have a visit soon with Phil Steele, in KWRE’s annual college football preview edition of “Instant Replay”.

Kaspar Broadcasting is also putting together its high school football broadcast schedule.   There will be some changes in the way we bring high school sports to you.   We’ll have more details on that soon.