Sports
Westplex Today Sports Page: June 17, 2008
By Jay Murry
Jun 17, 2008 - 7:26:34 AM

Westplex Today Sports Page:   June 17, 2008

In baseball:   Fans in the Show-Me State can relive the 1985 World Series again this week, as the Cardinals host the Kansas City Royals tonight to start a 3-game interleague series.

The Cardinals have gained a little bit of revenge for losing the ’85 World Series to the Royals, through interleague play.   Since 1997, the Cardinals are 26-19 against the Royals.   However, the Cardinals will have to face a Kansas City team without the injured Albert Pujols…who usually wears out Royals pitching.   Pujols hits .394 against Royals’ pitching, with 10 homers and 38 RBIs in 33 games.  

Both teams won 2 out of 3 games against impressive opponents in their last series:   The Cardinals beat the Phillies, who lead the National League East; and the Royals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, who lead the National League West.   So, we’ll see this week who has bragging rights this year in Missouri .  

Braden Looper will pitch for the Cardinals tonight, fresh off a 3-hit shutout of the Reds last Wednesday.  Kyle Davies will be on the mound for the Royals, who fashions a 2-0 record with a 1.53 ERA.   Tonight’s game begins at 7:15 , and KWRE begins its broadcast at 6:32 .

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina was released from the hospital yesterday after spending a night with a concussion.  Molina was injured during a play at the plate in Sunday's win over the Philadelphia Phillies.  He was carried from the field on a stretcher and stayed in the hospital for observation.  The Cards will re-evaluate Molina today before deciding whether they will have to place him on the disabled list.

Elsewhere in baseball:   The Cubs are in Tampa to begin an interleague series with the Tampa Bay Rays, who have become unlikely contenders to unseat the Red Sox as leaders of the American League East.   The Cubs are currently sitting atop the National League Central, 3 ˝ games in front of the Cardinals.

In the Big Apple:   Willie Randolph has been fired as manager of the New York Mets.  Shortly after the team's victory last night over the Angels in Anaheim , the Mets announced that bench coach Jerry Manuel will take over the managerial duties on an interim basis.  Pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto were also relieved of their duties.  Former Cardinal Ken Oberkfell, Dan Warthen and Luis Aguayo will join the staff from the team's minor league system. 

With a high payroll and a team full of veterans, the Mets were expected to be the leading World Series contender in the National League.  Instead, the team is one game under .500 at 34-and-35, and sits six-and-a-half games out of first place in the NL East.

In golf:   Tiger Woods scrambled like he never has before in a major tournament that he has won.   Playing in the U.S. Open on a sore knee that hadn’t fully recovered from surgery in April, Tiger had to make one miraculous save after another, following errant tee shots.   A day after sinking a long putt to force an 18-hole playoff, Tiger was 3 shots ahead of Rocco Mediate after 10 holes yesterday.  

However, the 45-year-old Mediate did not collapse under the pressure…the 158^th-ranked player in the world put the pressure right back on Tiger after sinking birdies on four consecutive holes to take the lead.   Tiger did just enough to force another tie after the 18-hole playoff, and when Mediate’s approach shot on the first sudden-death hole sailed over the grandstand, Tiger was able to barely survive to win his 3^rd U.S. Open and 14^th major tournament, on the 91^st hole.

Afterward, Tiger says he needs a break because his injured knee is hurting.  He says he’s not sure if he will play in Bethesda , Maryland in the AT&T National over the July 4th weekend.  Tiger adds that he'll have to take some time off, and see what happens.  Huge crowds turned out last year for the return of the PGA Tour to the DC area.  Tiger's participation in the inaugural tournament helped swell the gate.   However, not only is his participation in the AT&T National questionable, his appearances in the British Open in three weeks and the BMW Championship in St. Louis in August could be up in the air, depending on how Tiger’s knee recovers from five rounds of golf in five days at the U.S. Open.

In pro basketball:   The Boston Celtics take their second shot at securing their first NBA championship in 22 years when they host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Six of the NBA Finals on Tuesday.  Celtics forward Paul Pierce says he's confident they will close out this series in Boston, after nearly winning the series in Game 5 Sunday in Los Angeles after trailing by 19 points in that game.   The Celtics have a 3-2 series lead, and they are trying to avoid becoming the first team to lose the NBA Finals after taking a 2-0 series lead.

In college basketball:   The Pride of Poplar Bluff will have some welcome help in trying to bring a national championship to the University of North Carolina.   Tyler Hansbrough will have help from  Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson, after that trio withdrew from the NBA Draft Monday and will return to the university for the 2008-09 season. 

The trio had entered their names into the NBA Draft pool in April, but did not hire agents, leaving open the possibility of returning to school.  Ellington, who will be a junior, was a second-team All-ACC selection last season.  Green, who will be a senior next year, has racked up 871 points and 412 rebounds in three seasons at UNC.  Lawson has averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 assists in his first two years at school.

In minor league baseball:   The River City Rascals climbed into a first-place tie with the Evansville Otters in the West Division of the Frontier League after topping Evansville 2-1 last night.  The Rascals improved to 14-11 on the year, and their share of the West Division lead is a big improvement over last year’s 36-60 record.  Recently-signed Ryan Wehrle and Jacob DeBoer each knocked a run-scoring single while Danny Powers pitched into the seventh inning to boost his record to 2-1.   The Rascals continue their important six-game homestand tonight with Game 2 of the series with Evansville .   The first pitch will be tossed at 7:05 .

The Rascals have the Frontier League’s best ERA on the mound, but they need more offense.  With that in mind, they signed Wehrle and St. Louis native A.J. Van Slyke, who is the son of former Cardinal Andy Van Slyke.